GARWAY TIMES

The recent Ceilidh at the village hall attracted such a large number of folk that the limitations of our compact hall were rather rudely highlighted!!  Had one of the band members decided to stage dive I think they'd have been fairly safe during the Gay Gordon routine!

As billed, it was a good solid band, a sympathetic caller and a warm atmosphere.  Chips, drinks, dancing, clapping and large doses of laughing at times when the inadequacies of coordination swept the rug from beneath dignity all added to the latest sweet local cocktail Garway Live served up.  The efforts of those involved are very commendable - particularly given these events do nothing other than break even and give us all a chance to relax and meet up in our communal space.

Thanks to Mark Farmer, Dave Atkinson (what an example of Community spirit you are), Claire Atkinson, and all the others that brought us 'Stone the Crows' :-)

Some pictures from the event: CLICK HERE

After a long days work in the garden I can tell you I was dragging my heels a bit at the thought of going anyplace other than my sofa on the balmy evening of Saturday 22nd May - but I'm delighted I did; the hard work of Mark Farmer and all those involved in the Garway Live events once again paid dividends to all those that showed up!

First off, a wonderful barbecue start courtesy of caterer to the stars Victoria Kindell...those burgers were sublime Victoria, all in family McCann thought so, and judging by the crowds jostling for the grill, we were in company.

It was a little difficult to turn our backs on the late evening summer sunshine and grab a table in the village hall, but Ragtime Ewan got to work and the intricacy, speed, inflection and comedy of his musical antics drew 100% attention.  Not bad at all!  I particularly liked the ironic/satiric cut and thrust of some of the lyrics, although his delivery seemed a little caged in by the need for raw action, with only a hint of polish. (I think he'd know what I mean too!)  You can see what I mean HERE.  Also, HERE.

Then came Babajack, easily my favourite act of the evening.  This pair were something else!  If somebody had told me there was a band anywhere in the world that somehow combined blues acoustic (with harp baby!), folk, Tori Amos and a big African drum I'd have kicked an oak door down to catch a sight.  And that's the way the way they were....absolutely entrancing, I was really struggling to understand how the lead singer - Becky Tate - managed her poetic delivery whilst riding the beats of both her drum and the pacey guitar chords of her fellow player Trevor Stegar.   Big UP Babajack - check out video above and get more HERE.

Sadly, I didn't get to see the whole of Them Boonies set (feature musicians from Tretire, Skenfrith and The Golden Valley).  There were 6 players: Kate Hardy - vocals & guitar; Selina Hamilton - fiddle, mandolin & vocals; Paddy Tandy - percussion; Bobshop Charlie Berenger - guitar, banjo & harmonica; Chris Stead - guitar; Kath Pickering - percussion; Lesley Wilcox - bass.  They were a bit of a squeeze for the diminutive stage at Garway - a limiting factor that didn't prevent them warming the hearts of all there with crowd pleasing folk that got the folk up and dancing.  Was there something of the Joni Mitchell in Kate Hardy's voice? I think so...  See more HERE.

The whole night was well orchestrated - with Cara Campbell playing out some vinyl tunage during the breaks and a professional PA and sound engineer keeping the standards high for the 40 strong crowd...

Well done Garway Livers..twas an extremely convivial evening indeed!

It was Saturday 30th January 2010 and the latest live arts event in Garway Village Hall was an outstanding success and thanks must go to the 80 people attending and the organisers for creating a lovely atmosphere. Most sat at tables, jazz club style. The hall was decorated and atmospheric lighting provided.

But of course it was the artists performing who really made the night a special one.

Lou Richardson played a nicely balanced set of 45 minutes of her own songs and some covers by Etta James, K T Tunstall and Kate Bush as well as an excellent and popular version of Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. Lou managed to sell a dozen copies of her album Grounded which proves how much her songs were appreciated.

The Dead Pig Project played as a threesome of guitar, fiddle and percussion. Playing mostly Rob Lomax’s songs they engaged the audience fully and by the end some up tempo duelling between Dave Wood’s fiddle and Rob’s guitar made everyone think a dance wouldn’t go amiss. Robs lyrics evoked local life on the land past and present and are songs to hear again and again. Karl’s array of percussion was used to good effect and helped create a great sound. We look forward to the new CD.

Here are some comments I received by e mail from people who attended.

‘A great night out for all ages’.

‘A lovely evening – I liked the informal atmosphere and the electric violin was a treat’.

‘We loved last Saturday night – there was a warm and cosy atmosphere which transformed the village hall into a music club. The two varied acts were both lively and professional and the experience was enhanced by their rapport with the audience. Can’t wait for the next one – our Saturday nights are definitely dull without the Garway Music Night!’

‘A memorable evening of good music played by talented musicians and enjoyed by local people of all ages. We’ll definitely be at the next one.’

‘Thanks for arranging yesterday evening’s event at the Village Hall – an excellent start to the series!’

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at future events. If you didn’t come last time don’t worry we can squeeze a few more in.

- Mark Farmer

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