Monday 13 February 2012

OUT!! / News Round Up / What's Coming in 2012 from Acoustic Rotherham


A lovely week, I got out from behind the desk!!

Yes thanks to the good services of friends I was able to escape Masher Towers, work around the Bus Strikes and sing one song……………..   wow! But more importantly meet up with some smiling faces in two fantastic atmospheres. 

Tuesday, thank to Mark Hearne, it was to the Red Lion that I was taken. 
I have to say that the down stairs Lounge Bar setting certainly allowed for a more intimate atmosphere, and the acoustics were fantastic. 
 
It was another fantastic turn out, with the regular faces (or usual suspects) being supplemented with Mark Hearne who gave a short and very entertaining guest spot, Ciaran Boyle, Paul and Liz Davenport, Roy Blackman, Rob Slow, and a host of folks too many to name; oh and of course The Masher. 

Have to say that I do love Mark Hearne spots, you simply never know what you’re going to get.  Such a pity that we don’t see more of him. 

The Red Lion Club, Braithwell, meets the first Tuesday of the Month, and for you singers and players out there is well worth a visit.

Friday found me hidden a way, squeezed in nicely at The Bridge for the monthly ROMP Poetry Open Mic, having found a way around the lack of public transport.  Thank you Paul.
Another success.  Who would have thought that in Rotherham we could pack rooms out with so much talent and creativity.  It’s simply such an inspirational atmosphere all made possible of course by Gav Roberts the evenings MC and Leader of the pack.

Again I say to folks, if you’ve not experienced a ROMP evening you really do not know what you are missing, great atmosphere, brilliant entertainment, and as Gav would say, beer!

REMEMBER ROMP IS MOVING TO THE FIRST FRIDAY IN THE MONTH IN MARCH – so as to allow space for the new gathering with music at SNAFU which starts later in the Month.

Eventually Roy and I got together, CDs were signed and the pre orders sent out.  Roy is still feeling a bit under the weather so his tour of Clubs will not get seriously underway until next week, however, he will be heading towards Crooks this coming Thursday and will have a limited number of CDs (they are quite heavy to carry in bulk) with him.  If you bought one and want it signed he’ll be happy to oblige, he says.  Details of the guest and the excellent programme at The Princess Royal Club can be found HERE

DON’T KNOW ABOUT ROY’S CD?   “Roy Blackman – Rotherham’s Man of Memories” now available for the fantastic price of £9.99 with two free down load packages of eleven further tracks of studio recordings.  You need to go HERE

The first Review of the CD is now in.  David Kidman has passed his ear over the CD many times, and has produced a prolific Review that has to be read.  Find it HERE

The Acoustic Rotherham Web Site continues to grow in popularity.  This week we shot through the 20,000 hits mark which is excellent News.  It means that people are checking out the Clubs / Sessions and above all the brilliant music that is on the Acoustic Rotherham Player that features so many of the Artists that go to make up the lively music scene across Yorkshire.  

Sometimes I think that I cram far too much information onto the site, but not to do so would defeat what we’re trying to achieve, which is to provide a one stop resource for everyone involved in what can loosely be said to be the Grass-Roots Music scene, from beginner to the regular Gigger. 

Focus has been a bit of a problem for me recently, or is it idleness, but I will get the rest of the site over to the new format as soon as I can, honest. 

While on the Internet stats, I’m pleased to say that readership of our Weekly News Blog has now returned to well over one hundred a week.  It’s been a long way back after Myspace destroyed the RSS links to the Blog which had a regular readership of near on two hundred a week.  But we are getting back our readership and that is all that is important. 

But joining us on the Friends Page is our new friends Keystone Acoustic HERE who have discovered the joys and later the frustrations of Reverbnation HERE  

We do recommend that anyone looking to get their music out there into the World that they join both Facebook and Reverbnation, if nothing else it ensures that if you are Googled that the listing will appear at the top of page one.   Not only that but if you’re a Acoustic Rotherham friend then you get to go on the Acoustic Rotherham friend page, WOW!!
One for you visual artists out there, an opportunity to have your work shown in a Virtual Gallery for FREE. The Chester Chronicle has made this feature available on their Web Site, which looks one of the better local paper sites that I’ve seen.  Go HERE to find out all about it. 

I’d draw your attention to The Lost Chord Charity, which uses the power of music to help people suffering with dementia, you can find their excellent local programme of events HERE  

Vicky’s Vintage, Vicky Hilton’s craft and art trading business is moving into the Vaults Arts, Crafts and Vintage in Sheffield  (442 Abbeydale road, Sheffield S7 1FR) from next Saturday.   If you’re over in Sheffield why not pop in and see her in all her glory.  Details of where to find her can be found HERE 

Great friends of Acoustic Rotherham HICKS and GOULBOURN (Steve Hicks and Lynn Goulbourn) did a gig last weekend at The Lutherhaus in Osnabruck, Germany. The concert was videoed and is scheduled to be podcast at 8.00pm on Monday 27th February. To see this free podcast you'll need to pre-register HERE and they'll forward an access code. (There'll be a Union Jack somewhere on the page so that you can read it in English if you need to.) Steve and Lynn will be online ready and willing to chat at the end of the podcast. It'll be great to meet you there! 

Toein’ in The Dark played to a packed Chesterfield Labour Club on Friday night.  I’m told it was a fantastic evening as they helped to celebrate the Iron Real Iron Ladies, who were the real strength behind the 1984-85 Miners Strike.  It’s so good to see recognition again being given to these women who gave so much in supporting their men during that inglorious period of our Social History.   Many of the women went on to play leading roles in the social reconstruction after the Thatcher’s Pit closure programme decimated South Yorkshire / Derbyshire / and Nottinghamshire communities. 

Good news for the local music scene.  The Chequers at Whiston, following the success of a few Open Mic sessions are now to make it a regular feature of their entertainment programme.  The first Wednesday of each month.  You can find the details on our Diary pages HERE for March. 

And good news to for local Band Soulmates, as the local Charity Concert they are a part of at The Pastures has been SOLD OUT.  If you’ve not checked them out yet locally then I can recommend their lively performances.  Well worth getting to see them.  Check them out HERE  
Cupola Contemporary-Art has a fantastic series of Workshops, and there are still one or two places on them.  All ages and include animation, bookmaking and a lot more for only £5 for a full day.  You’ll need to get in quick so head HERE   for more details. 
 
It was fantastic to see Lucy Ward win the Horizon Award at the BBC Folk Awards.  I’m a great fan.  Not sure about the sometimes over produced recordings, but her live performances are something to kill to get tickets for.  She’s going to be everywhere following this win and for us Organisers will no doubt be a nightmare to book from now on.  However, I’ll be doing my best to get her to Rotherham for something during 2012.  Why not check out her modern protest song For The Dead Man HERE   Her Web Site is HERE 

While on the subject of the Folk Awards it was good to see Don Mclean singing and playing in the key of Masher during his first contribution.  It just goes to show that atmospheric effects on strings happen to us all!!  Poor chap.   

If the purpose of the Awards is to improve the profile of Folk Music then great, but perhaps the BBC should do more to address the axing of Folk Programmes on their Local Radio Network if they really would like us to take their interest in Folk Music seriously.  

And with just a one hour Programme on Radio 2 hosted by the brilliant Mike Harding who tries his best they really are not doing too much to help. 

And so what’s been bubbling under. 

Well I can say that real progress is beginning to made to make planned events actually happen.   It’s no secret now, but we have three major projects for this year.  Probably over the weekend of the Diamond Jubilee we’re hoping to put a Festival of Protest on, similar to Raise Your Banners the popular Bradford based biannual event.  In the last week in July a more Literary based Festival (name to be decided) is being planned, with local based Plays and Comedy plus music events.  Saturday 29th September will be this year’s Busking Day in Rotherham – should be slightly warmer – and then in October what we hope will be a fantastic Fringe to the Rotherham Open Arts Festival, with concerts in the Gallery and a lot more around the Borough.  OK that’s four major events. 

I have a fantastic creative team coming together from across the Arts with more to be invited.  If anyone would like to be involved on either the organisational side or the performance side, please contact me acousticrotherham@jmucreate.com and we’ll keep you in touch with progress or invite you to the key Meetings. 

The week ahead holds all the usual sessions and Clubs and of course the Doncaster Comedy Festival is on-going as is The Repercussions Exhibition at the Old Market Gallery in Rotherham.  You can check it all out on the listings page HERE

Just a reminder that if you have a session or Club or an event not listed then please email me HERE and I’ll make sure it goes on the page.    

So there we have it for another week folks.  

Whatever you are doing this week have great fun, get out and support local music, and keep it LIVE.

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