Alistair Hulett on the Uke Man's CD
Hey Folks,
A while back I reported on a great show at Little Brothers featuring Alistair Hulett and David Rovics ( http://www.ukuleleman.net/2006/04/david-rovics-alistair-hulett-concert.html ).
At the show I gave Alistair my two CD's. Below (in large blue print) are his review of them.
Check out Alistair's web site: http://www.folkicons.co.uk/alistair.htm
.................Alistair's News
NEWS UPDATE FROM “THE GALLOWS RANT” – May ‘06
Fresh back from a thoroughly enjoyable string of US gigs with the magnificent singer/songwriter and all-round diamond geezer, David Rovics, the clamour for news of what went down across the pond from at least three people, maybe even as many as five, has proved impossible to resist. Here's a quick resume of some of the most memorable bits.
The first show was in a venue called The Community Church Of Boston, but these folks seemed more like a bunch of commies and anarchists to me. A jolly decent crew who made me feel right at home! The soundman, Jeff Manzelli, recorded both David's set and mine and has posted a few tracks from each of us up on the web. For a wee taste, visit Jeff's site at www.492cafe.org and click on 'guests' then 'concerts.' Not one of my better performances, but very well recorded. A touch of jet lag I think. Nice one Jeff.
Next morning I woke to find I'd been smitten in the vocal chords by Dodgy Airline's dirty air-vent disease, and couldn't so much as warble a note. Consequently David had to hold our end up all on his todd at the next gig in New York. A shame really, 'cos it was a very nice night and a benefit for promoting trade unionism among low paid workers, put on by the Industrial Workers Of The World to boot. I'm sorry to have missed being on in this one.
Fortunately we weren't the only turn booked that night, and Big Davey was in fine fettle and easily coped alone while I hung about slurping vile tasting herbal tinctures and coughing. A day resting up at the lovely lakeside home of one of the Big Yin's good mates, Terry in Connecticut, got me well back on track and it was a doddle from there on.
Good gigs and happy trails were the order of the day most everywhere after that, with fine concerts in Pennsylvania, Ohio (two of them), Chicago, Wisconsin (two again) and Minnesota. No space here for a blow-by-blow account, so a thumbnail sketch will need to suffice.
Highlights came thick and fast, but stand-out memories include sharing a stage in Pennsylvania with two feisty women from the Appalachian mountains who were touring around, spreading awareness of how a local mining company has packed up its things and left their 'holler' in a disgraceful state, with coal sludge in all the waterways. More power to them and their noble cause.
I was as delighted as the two women, at the end of the night, to discover that both my people and theirs call a paper bag a poke. So it is true, mountain folks in Appalachia are the direct descendents of weegies fae Glesga. No wonder we love banjos so much in Govanhill.
In Ohio I met The Ukulele Man, who gave me his CD and it is magnificent. The spirit of Will Shade is alive and well, and living in Columbus Ohio. Who'd have imagined the humble ukulele, in the hands of a maestro, was capable of reducing grown men to tears? Snicker if you will, but I speak the truth.
Time and space doesn't permit me to tell how good it was to sing in the Heartland Café in Chicago, and the nice big theatre in Toledo, and for the IWW comrades in Madison and the lovely farming folk in Veroqua who took time out from planting their veggies to come and see us in Wisconsin. Everywhere we went I found kindness and hospitality, pleasantly laced with a venomous hostility to George Bush that was utterly disarming.
One last mention needs to be made. Minneapolis, first base for the young Dylan on his epic journey from Hibbing to New York, gave us the honour of appearing on a concert with several Native American artists, including the fine song-maker Mitch Walking Elk. Far too few turned out on the night for such a show, but it was great to be part of it. Next day our host, Larry Olds showed me round Dinky Town, with its Purple Onion and Ten O' Clock Scholar, where Dylan served his apprenticeship way back in '59.
By then David was on his way to Houston Texas, our dear tour friend Reiko was heading for Boston and I was getting ready to pack my bags and set out for the sun-drenched boulevards of Govanhill. Govan Hell more like! I got back and it was pishing down, as it always is in Glesga. So that was America then. I loved it and look forward to doing it all again. Hopefully I'll be joining them next time to celebrate the impeachment of Bush and Rumsfeld, to name but two in a very long list.
A while back I reported on a great show at Little Brothers featuring Alistair Hulett and David Rovics ( http://www.ukuleleman.net/2006/04/david-rovics-alistair-hulett-concert.html ).
At the show I gave Alistair my two CD's. Below (in large blue print) are his review of them.
Check out Alistair's web site: http://www.folkicons.co.uk/alistair.htm
.................Alistair's News
NEWS UPDATE FROM “THE GALLOWS RANT” – May ‘06
Fresh back from a thoroughly enjoyable string of US gigs with the magnificent singer/songwriter and all-round diamond geezer, David Rovics, the clamour for news of what went down across the pond from at least three people, maybe even as many as five, has proved impossible to resist. Here's a quick resume of some of the most memorable bits.
The first show was in a venue called The Community Church Of Boston, but these folks seemed more like a bunch of commies and anarchists to me. A jolly decent crew who made me feel right at home! The soundman, Jeff Manzelli, recorded both David's set and mine and has posted a few tracks from each of us up on the web. For a wee taste, visit Jeff's site at www.492cafe.org and click on 'guests' then 'concerts.' Not one of my better performances, but very well recorded. A touch of jet lag I think. Nice one Jeff.
Next morning I woke to find I'd been smitten in the vocal chords by Dodgy Airline's dirty air-vent disease, and couldn't so much as warble a note. Consequently David had to hold our end up all on his todd at the next gig in New York. A shame really, 'cos it was a very nice night and a benefit for promoting trade unionism among low paid workers, put on by the Industrial Workers Of The World to boot. I'm sorry to have missed being on in this one.
Fortunately we weren't the only turn booked that night, and Big Davey was in fine fettle and easily coped alone while I hung about slurping vile tasting herbal tinctures and coughing. A day resting up at the lovely lakeside home of one of the Big Yin's good mates, Terry in Connecticut, got me well back on track and it was a doddle from there on.
Good gigs and happy trails were the order of the day most everywhere after that, with fine concerts in Pennsylvania, Ohio (two of them), Chicago, Wisconsin (two again) and Minnesota. No space here for a blow-by-blow account, so a thumbnail sketch will need to suffice.
Highlights came thick and fast, but stand-out memories include sharing a stage in Pennsylvania with two feisty women from the Appalachian mountains who were touring around, spreading awareness of how a local mining company has packed up its things and left their 'holler' in a disgraceful state, with coal sludge in all the waterways. More power to them and their noble cause.
I was as delighted as the two women, at the end of the night, to discover that both my people and theirs call a paper bag a poke. So it is true, mountain folks in Appalachia are the direct descendents of weegies fae Glesga. No wonder we love banjos so much in Govanhill.
In Ohio I met The Ukulele Man, who gave me his CD and it is magnificent. The spirit of Will Shade is alive and well, and living in Columbus Ohio. Who'd have imagined the humble ukulele, in the hands of a maestro, was capable of reducing grown men to tears? Snicker if you will, but I speak the truth.
Time and space doesn't permit me to tell how good it was to sing in the Heartland Café in Chicago, and the nice big theatre in Toledo, and for the IWW comrades in Madison and the lovely farming folk in Veroqua who took time out from planting their veggies to come and see us in Wisconsin. Everywhere we went I found kindness and hospitality, pleasantly laced with a venomous hostility to George Bush that was utterly disarming.
One last mention needs to be made. Minneapolis, first base for the young Dylan on his epic journey from Hibbing to New York, gave us the honour of appearing on a concert with several Native American artists, including the fine song-maker Mitch Walking Elk. Far too few turned out on the night for such a show, but it was great to be part of it. Next day our host, Larry Olds showed me round Dinky Town, with its Purple Onion and Ten O' Clock Scholar, where Dylan served his apprenticeship way back in '59.
By then David was on his way to Houston Texas, our dear tour friend Reiko was heading for Boston and I was getting ready to pack my bags and set out for the sun-drenched boulevards of Govanhill. Govan Hell more like! I got back and it was pishing down, as it always is in Glesga. So that was America then. I loved it and look forward to doing it all again. Hopefully I'll be joining them next time to celebrate the impeachment of Bush and Rumsfeld, to name but two in a very long list.
1 Comments:
Hey Tom -
BTW, your music has been known to have the same effect AND affect on grown women as well!
And to think, I've seen you play in person - my life WILL never be the same again!
Cheers and Congrats!
Phyll
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