Hi South West Blues Club members,
Our April Jam Session was a big success this month with many members and musicians getting a chance to get up and strut their stuff. The “board” was filled and people in the last few slots did not get a chance to play (me amongst them). However, this can be corrected as we have noted the names of the members who missed out and they will get priority consideration at the May session (21st May I think). As always, the members who help to get out the gear and set it up, and then pack it away are in the pole position to get on the board. At the jam session we have to finish at 6pm and it is not always easy to judge how many people we can fit in before the session closes.
As I have mentioned before, I always watch the jam session on the club website, as it is recorded and posted each month by treasurer Ron Kinson. I have watched the last session (the April session) and while most people were able to change over quickly and keep things going some musicians were a bit leisurely in getting ready and then getting on with their spot. When you get up there you should be tuned and ready to go!
One thing I would say about the club is that it is a passionate place, meaning many members have their view of what the blues is and how it should be played, and this can lead to “intense” discussions.
Some guidance should be available from Dave Hole and Glen Whisson in their Rollin’ and Tumblin’ gig at BREC (16th and 17th June) in which they are presenting a guided tour of the blues from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, and beyond. We have just learnt that club members can get a slight discount on tickets for these gigs by entering a code, which you can get by emailing the club.
The April jam was the first time we have used the new Fender Tonemaster amps and we feel it generally went well. The advantage of these amps is that we can put them through the PA, which helps the PA operators to control the overall volume of the sound. The volume of musicians playing at the sessions can be a concern to the venue and if the volume of your spot is too high you will be asked to end your session.
I have always been interested in listening to Ben’s band, “Deadwater Pelican”, as I think these guys bring a unique take and feel on the blues that they play. Therefore I’ll be at the Froth next month (14th May) to see their session as they are the SWBC band playing at Blues Central, supporting Empire Blues.
Keep the faith
Dave Corcoran
South West Blues Club President
