Some might be wondering where the full Review of the
Rotherham Open Arts Festival has got to.
Well, when I got down to writing it there was just so much that had to
be included that I’ve held back on publication.
Once the folks who need to see it have had a look at what I have had to
say both positive and negative, along with forward recommendations then I’ll
publish for all. It’s a courtesy
thing.
However, I have
rewritten the “About Acoustic Rotherham” page which might provide some clues as
to the direction my comments might be heading.
HERE
Monday’s Nellie Folk was a nice relaxing evening of song and
verse with a collection of all the usual suspects plus David Kidman in
residence. It was nice to be able to
enjoy an evening without having to keep checking time etc.
Stand out performances from the Rob / David / John trio in
the various formats well done lads it gets tighter and better every time you
play.
And John's little dance was a Master Class.
The Masher tested a couple of songs he hasn’t sung for a bit
in readiness for Wednesday, all seemed to go well.
And so to Wednesday.
I had thought my days of demonstrating and marching were
over. But then came the Coalition. It has not taken them long to galvanise
sections of the working class into taking some sort of action, despite every
attempt by Government Spokesmen to drive a wedge between us.
So it was a pleasure to warm the troops up on a chilly
November morning as they gathered before the march through Town. It wasn’t much, but it was a show of
solidarity from the Acoustic Community before I was drowned out by the horns,
hooters and whistles.
What a turn out.
According to The Advertiser it was three hundred and fifty people from
across the Public Sector seeking to protect their Pension provisions.
The Rally in All Saints Square was rousing, and the warming
contribution of the Rotherham Red Choir was fantastic, what’s more people were
listening, and the cheers were well deserved.
It really took me back to late sixties, seventies and
eighties, in terms of the National turn out.
In fact there was a time in the late sixties and during the seventies
where I spent more Sundays in London than I did at home. A few of them I did with my Dad, which was
great fun, the stand out ones being the “Anti In Place of Strife” march and the
Post Office Workers Strike march. Later
it was the Miners, twice, and of course the Anti -War and CND Rallies, not forgetting
the Poll Tax and related NUS Demonstrations.
Great memories.
I can’t help feeling that Wednesday was a throw back. Even after a decade of a Labour Government we
certainly have not cracked the nut. In
my humble view demonstrating more than ever the wasted decade of Blair, where
comparative crumbs were thrown in our direction to hide what was really
happening behind the scenes, a strengthening of the power of Capital.
As this Government sets worker against worker, using the
base arguments of jealousy and hate we’ve not seen an end to these
Demonstrations. I do hope that the
Working Class can find some Unity, not just in GB but also across Europe as the
power of Capital attempts to hang on at the expense of us all.
Political rant over…………..
and time to move on ready for the next clanger dropped by Dave and Nick.
Some subtle changes to the Acoustic Rotherham Web Site have been made this past week.
The About page
has been totally rewritten HERE and
there’s a new Page we’ve called Poets Corner HERE
In the poets corner Carole Robson will be keeping us
informed of the going ons in the South Yorkshire World of Poetry, and I hope
also that more poets will come forward to have their work published on the
page. Kicking us off is Christine
Turner with a challenging seasonal number – I’ve also added a link to
this year’s Homeless Christmas shelter for Rotherham.
On the Resource Page
there’s a couple of links regarding Funding. There’s a Sky award for young Artists from
any genre offering £30K towards a year’s work.
And the BBC are offering places on a New Programme for Fine
Artists. You can find all the details by
following the links you’ll find HERE
I was knocking round in Facebook this week and found this by
Lisa
Nash. I’m sure she will forgive
me for publishing it in it’s entirety, in fact I shall find a suitable place to
put it on the Web Site.
I think it rams home nicely what many of us at the grass
roots end of the music scene have bought into, while explaining to the “public”
just what their free Pub entertainment costs, or what their small cover charge
covers.
“Spare some thoughts for the costs of the labour of music..
.
[1] sit on the door at a gig sometime and watch the surprise
with which punters respond to being asked to pay a £5 per head entry fee
[2] then sit at the bar for a while and watch the largesse
with which those same people will shout all their mates beers at £...3.50 a
head
[3] take a look at the gig poster. How many bands are on the
bill?... If... it's four bands, then do the maths and figure out that each band
is going to get £1.25 from your entry fee, minus costs. And if that band has
four members, each will get 31p, minus costs
[4] while you're admiring the poster, ask who designed it,
and the flyers, who printed them, who distributed them and at what cost
[5] ask the bar manager what the bar has charged the
performers for venue hire - you may well find that amount to be hundreds of
pounds
[6] ask the bar
manager what the bar returns to the performers from alcohol sales - you may
well find that amount is exactly zero pounds
[7] ask the sound operator and the lighting operator what
they are charging the performers tonight
[8] ask the band where they rehearse this music and what the
rental cost on their practice space is
[9] ask the band what time of the day/night do they compose,
arrange and rehearse this music, and what impact does this have on their family
life and their income earning potential from extra-musical jobs. By the way
it's far more than likely they will have day-jobs than not
[10] ask the band if - given all the above - their labour is
futile. They will tell you that, on the contrary, it is highly worthwhile.
Happy Musicians' Resilience Day!! “
All I can say is, well said Lisa.
And as we move into the Christmas present buying period, why
not pay the Imperial Building on Corporation Street, in Rotherham a
visit. It’s packed with some super Art
Shops and other interesting things, like an old style sweet shop a nick knack
shop and a coffee shop that will serve you the best cup of coffee in
Rotherham. Go on, give it a try.
This coming week is an important week for Rotherham Arts
when the new Studio and Rehearsal facilities at Westgate Chambers are eventually
opened, after a lot of hard work from the RCC / ROAR Volunteer
Team. Everyone is invited to the Opening
Party on Wednesday 7th. It
starts at 5:00pm and includes Refreshments, and a variety of entertainment.
We’re lucky to have this facility, made possible by the “Peoples
Millions” Grant won last year.
Tuesday (6th
December) it’s the Red Lion at Braithwell Folk Club, a great little monthly
Club and well worth a visit if you’ve not already popped your head around the
corner.
Also this week, at The Gallery, you’ll find great Sketch Entertainment
from pen of Karen and Tair with the added value of Gav. Apparently this will be last opportunity to
see Gav Roberts performing on Stage as an actor……………… mores the pity……………. As he turns his attention to his writing. Hot
Beans Comedy Sketch Review is on
Thursday 8th and starts at 7:00pm
Cover charge is just £3.
There’s a big night for The
Myke Barritt Music Trust coming up on the 17th December. Papa
Legbas have very kindly dedicated their Christmas wriggle to the
Trust, and it will be running a seasonal raffle and trying to let people know
what the Trust is seeking to achieve amongst the Grass Root musicians of South
Yorkshire. Big thanks to Papa Legbas for
this.
After a bit of a quiet period the MBMT is looking to up it’s
profile as we move into 2012 and become more active in the Arts and Music
scene. Keep an eye on the MBMT pages for
details. HERE
And the first major event of the New Year for the Trust will
be the launch of the Roy Blackman CD “Roy Blackman – Rotherham’s Man of Memories”. We’re still awaiting a firm date as the proof
reading is still going on “YIKES” but hey, I can promise you that it will be
well worth the wait. Sixteen tracks and
a twenty page insert including all the lyrics + a five track Free download
package. Can’t be bad value for
money. Pre-order now and we’ll send a gift
Certificate to you, useful if you were planning on giving the CD as a Gift this
Christmas. Details HERE Pre Order HERE
Ever had that feeling that you have left something important
out? I have now!! But it’s time to get published and be damned.
Oh I was going to tip you that many of the 2012 Festivals
are already getting their Programmes out, and some are offering amazing
discounts for the Early, early bird.
Check out your favourite Festival Web Page for details.
And of course there’s loads of great music to be found this
week. You can find the music we know of
on our December Diary page HERE
So whatever you are doing this week, have fun, support local
music and KEEP IT LIVE
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