A hot and busy day, but ultimately a rewarding one was had by the 200 or so people who sat, wandered around and conversed for 3 hours in Conway Hall, central London on July 10th 2010. Colin Ward’s funeral on March 1st had been about summoning up the spirit and humour of the man, whereas this event was more to do with his public persona, his politics and the impressions he left with those he worked with.

The first two speakers were, appropriately, the main organisers of the occasion. Ken Worpole, editor of the Colin Ward festschrift Richer Futures set the tone perfectly with a friendly welcome to the gathering, describing how he had known Colin since the early 1970s and how unique Colin was amongst environmental thinkers and educators. Colin’s wife Harriet then gave us a picture of a shy but intellectually intriguing Colin when she first met him at a teacher-training college in 1965.

(Ken Worpole)

Stuart White, author of the essay Making Anarchism Respectable gave a polished account of Colin’s place in the overall political spectrum and was fittingly followed by Peter Marshall, author of Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism, who looked at Colin’s position within the anarchist tradition.

These speeches all came from a lectern at the left of the stage, while a huge screen in the centre showed a still image of Colin at his typewriter. Now the screen came to life as film-maker Mike Dibb introduced a section from his DVD: Colin Ward in Conversation with Roger Deakin in which Colin talked of his involvement in the trial of the editors of Freedom newspaper in 1945.

In another change of emphasis, my half-brother Tom played the piano while I sang an American song from the 1920s whose lyrics I remember my dad hearing and agreeing with, Always Lift Him Up (And Never Knock Him Down). It begins like this –

When a fellow has the blues and feels discouraged
And there’s nothin’ else but trouble all his life
When he’s always grumbled at and never happy…

Do not fail to lend a hand and try to help him
Always lift him up and never knock him down

In the 1970s, Colin’s assistant as the Education Officer of the Town and Country Planning Association was Tony Fyson, who joyfully shared his personal recollections of working with Colin and the repertoire of songs ranging from opera to music hall which he used to sing in the office.

Dennis Hardy, who wrote two books with Colin in the 1980s, recounted how much fun the two of them had on their field trips, interviewing people and taking in the environments, both urban and rural, which they wrote about.

Colin’s role as an inspiring educator was described by Roman Krznaric in an eloquent speech; Eileen Adams, who worked with Colin in the 1970s on the Art and the Built Environment project, enjoyably recalled how “he would leave me in the shit but I always knew he was there to get me out of it”.

While collaborating on the book Sociable Cities with Colin, Peter Hall, currently President of the TCPA, told us amusingly of the difficulties in converting Colin’s typewritten chapters into computer-useable documents. The last contributor to the proceedings was geographer Brian Goodey, who recalled a 1968 issue of Anarchy which featured a piece on Bob Dylan by the late Charlie Gillett, who went on to become a renowned expert on popular and world music.

At the back of the hall were bookstalls from Freedom Press, Housman’s Bookshop and Five Leaves Publications, whose founder Ross Bradshaw was helpful in organising this event. His firm Five Leaves have published and re-issued many Colin Ward titles. Harriet Ward’s own book about her father, A Man of Small Importance, was also on sale, along with postcards of a large framed drawing of Colin by the cartoonist Simon Farr, dating from 1990. Dan Poyner displayed a mock-up of his projected book of covers of Colin’s 1960s magazine Anarchy, alongside a collection of many photos of Colin and other memorabilia of his life.

Amongst the large and supportive gathering were Colin’s immediate family and also his sister-in-law Kate, his niece Sue, his nephew Colin and cousins Barbara and Tony, of whom the last-named collaborated with Colin in 1991 on – you’ve guessed it – a book.

(photos by Larraine Worpole and Dan Poyner)

My dad Colin Ward died in February. He has left us with decades of great writing and many good memories of the person he was.

Positive Attitude

Colin had so little negativity in him, and so many beneficial qualities like generosity, patience and compassion, that he didn’t need religion, or therapy, or physical exercise to make him feel good. In fact he was pretty hostile towards religion in general. But he always had a healthy lack of self-concern and a liking for activities which benefitted others.

A Thinker

Although many think of him as a radical, his alternative nature was subtle, perhaps only apparent to people of an intellectual bent. He didn’t have an artistic temperament; his lifestyle wasn’t bohemian or unconventional; aside from brushes with authority during the war, he wasn’t outwardly rebellious. His role was that of a thinker, and if you couple that with his concern for others, it’s not surprising he is remembered fondly.

Old Age

Colin worked in building, architecture and planning. He was a teacher, lecturer and author, as well as an anarchist propagandist. But from around the age of 80 onwards, he gradually lost the ability to talk about these subjects. His short term memory and ability to concentrate left him. Happily, he didn’t get the personality change which often goes with an advanced case of Alzheimer’s. Even when he was bent over, struggling to breathe and to retain information, he would be grateful for everything you did for him, saying:

“Every day, in every way, everything is getting better and better”.

My Dad and My Music

Colin used to design and make covers for tapes I made of my songs, going right back to 1984. In 1993, he made the cover for a tape called ‘Warm and Normal’, which consisted of a picture of a giant pig.

Some of the musical styles I worked in were hard for him to relate to but whenever I picked up the mandolin to go busking or join in with pub sessions, Dad would tune in.

Perhaps this is because he identified with rural folk music and the way it represents a somewhat neglected community, using acoustic instruments instead of sophisticated technology and emphasising the message instead of the messenger.

The mainstream media only discusses corporate music and ignores independent releases so I would like to mention a few songs I’ve come across which have given me just as much pleasure as a hit record.

BOB PEARCE – ‘Everybody Pleasin’ Man’

I ain’t gonna worry about nobody else
I ain’t gonna worry about nobody else
I’m gonna do what I do
And I’m gonna do it for myself

Bob is a singer/songwriter/musician who is mainly coming from the blues, but he also writes gospel and soul songs. His 1997 album ‘Southern Style Homecooked Blues and Side Dishes’ is consistently convincing. The second track has the most immediate effect, a one-chord, open-ended, John Lee Hooker-style number which has intensity in the performance, spirit in the message and soul in the vocals.

Bob is steeped in the blues, so he can deliver the song well. Writing the thing, however, is a different matter, and there’s no blandness or corniness in evidence. At the same time, the song’s lyric has a rugged self-reliance which fits right into the idiom. The rest of the album has a band sound but this song is played solo, which might add to its authenticity.

www.bobpearce.co.uk

AL LINDSAY – ‘Fly Away’

A long sentence prisoner
You need the sun on your skin
There’s no chance of parole
And you’re keepin’ it all in

If anyone personifies the great work done by artists not receiving corporate support, it’s Al Lindsay. I’ve singled out the song ‘Fly Away’ from 2009’s ‘Shingle Street’ CD because it’s a good example of Al doing what he does best. There’s nothing flashy about the singing or the song but, like a lot of great folk and blues, it works on a sensual, pre-intellectual level.

There would be no point analyzing the song because the way Al plays and writes goes beyond that. He acknowledges his debt to the late John Martyn, which is refreshing, and, like Martyn did in the 70s and sporadically thereafter, he combines virtuosic guitar playing, expressive singing and warm production to create recordings that go deeper than most.

www.al-lindsay.co.uk

KEVIN JAMES – ‘Courage’

Fear is bitter, fear is lonely
Still it’s part of life’s array
Follow only what your heart conveys
And pay…with courage

A little while ago, Kevin came up with a song which could become a standard, i.e. it could be sung in almost any context and remain a good song.

‘Courage’ is the emotional climax of a musical Kevin wrote called ‘Lone Flyers’ which depicts the life and times of British aviator Amy Johnson.

It has an unexpected modulation, which makes it original in a harmonic sense. The lyric is well-crafted, life-affirming and obviously from the heart.

But even without these things, the melody is so great and natural that you could listen to it played on the pan pipes and it would still sound good.

There are a lot of musical twists and turns in the song’s 2 minutes 53 seconds. It reminds me of Jimmy Webb’s ‘Wichita Lineman’ with its brevity and how it captures the irony of the moment.

www.myspace.com/kevinsjames

JASON BALDOCK – ‘ I Worry (So That You Don’t Have To)’

This is one of those songs that hides its real identity. It springs from an interesting everyday phrase and suggests a reassuring parental tone.

However, the singer isn’t about to lay himself down like a bridge over troubled water. There’s angst and conflict right from the start, revealing itself musically in the opening chords, C major and F# major. The musical interval between the notes C and F#, known as a ‘tritone’, was once thought to symbolize the devil.

The mood of the song is the opposite to what its title suggests, the lyrics a kind of ‘anti-poetry’. I doubt if Jason spent hours poring over them and nor should he have. The result is a fresh and irreverent song well played and produced (Jason did everything except sing the female part, which his sister Tash did.) The song’s title/hook is repeated percussively throughout, giving the song unity rather than monotony, mainly because the original idea was a good one.

www.thedeets.co.uk

Emily Williams – ‘Ocean’

I love you like an enemy, loving you defensively
At arms’ length I hold you even as you kiss me

A state of resigned despair is described in this song’s lyric. It’s also an aptly-titled composition considering the emotional depth which becomes apparent the moment Emily and Rebecca Sullivan, her partner in the duo Ember start up. This depth is enhanced by the sparseness of the arrangement, the classical guitar, harmonica and two voices adding more than an orchestra could.

Some might describe the style as ‘folk’, and there is some kind of rural innocence in there which doesn’t sound put on. The wordless vocalizing and instrumental passages all serve the song’s purpose and enhance its dreamy but primal character.

www.embersong.com

The songwriters described above are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this country’s great poetic and composing talent.

I wish they were all in the charts.

Over the next few days I became quite friendly with a Turkish accordion player who was part of the same travelling show as we were. I say ‘friendly’, but in fact the only words he said to me were ‘Leeds United’, ‘Harry Kewell’ and ‘Galatasary’. It’s just that he said them several times a day and with a smile.

I’ve heard it said that the British are obsessed with sport, that football has become an urban religion, a breeding ground for tribalism. Whatever the merits of that view, I can’t think of a public activity other than sport which gives us more national identity.

Perhaps there is a counterpoint to this in that small, beautiful and fiercely proud country on the edge of the Black Sea. The Turks were driven out of Tbilisi around the year 1100 by the army of King David II, or ‘David the Builder’ (a huge statue of whom stands on the edge of the city) only for the Mongol invasion of 1220 to result in Georgia’s enforced regression into the separate kingdoms from which it was formed. Add to that the domination of the Russian empire from 1783 to 1991 and you have perhaps a strong historical basis for the desire to celebrate and express national identity, which seems best done through the arts.

One night our group ended up in a situation which was not part of the itinerary. Our kind host at the hotel, Nana, arranged for us to be driven to somewhere, anywhere, where we could get food. We ended up at what might be termed a good old Georgian knees-up. The room was full of food, drink and merriment, and on stage were 4 men singing to a backing tape at an extraordinarily loud volume. Diners would break off from their meals to dance to Georgian mutations of western forms of popular music like acoustic pop, rock and rap.

But occasionally that would stop and suddenly the men would break into the rousing and haunting a capella folk songs which we in Samzeo have been striving to learn for the past few years. This seemed to confirm how important the ancient music is to this culture, as is the amazing dancing, enormous meals and the willingness to help and entertain guests, such as we encountered in abundance from our friend and liaison Irakli.

In our effort to provide an example of English song for Irakli, all we could manage was a half-remembered version of ‘I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside’.

Malian singer/songwriter Rokia Traore played on the Open Air Stage on Friday afternoon. I was drawn, like a zombie, towards the energy, ecstasy and funkiness of the band (why should the lead singer get all the credit?). A large group of folks were jumping up and down in unison, as if they were at a media-orchestrated pop event, but in this case the music totally justified such concerted physical reaction.

Cimarrón were performing shortly afterwards in another part of the site, playing dance music originating from the Colombian plains. They emitted a sense of joy, as did Rokia, but were virtuosos on different instruments, like the harp, upright bass and cuatro.

Oumou Sangare from Mali and her band performed a triumphant, well-received set. A shared characteristic of the more urban-based African music and 1970s American funk is the importance of the bass guitar, and I was always glad to be in this musical place, where the bassline drove the music and there was lots of hair, headgear and amazing dancing. I think people liked it when Oumou’s English faltered and she reverted to French when describing the songs’ themes.

Etran Finatawa, a musical fusion of the Touareg and Wodaabe tribes from central Africa’s Niger region, were dressed in desert gear, or at least the men were, with the head, neck and shoulders completely covered and just the eyes and nose visible. The women wore what looked like crowns with a tall feather coming out of the front. They played music with few chords and an interesting mood. Some acts I came across took the term ‘crossover’ too far and became sort of exotic rock bands but these folks just did their music and didn’t try and whip up enthusiasm or play to the gallery.

As the last day of the festival drew to a close, a time that people were perhaps feeling a little sad or being distracted by the thought of packing up and leaving, a couple of things I saw really grabbed the unceasingly wet day by the scruff of the neck and gave it a good shake.

Don’t ask me what Roy Ayers and company were doing at a world music event, but from the moment they came on I knew I was going to get a boost. The funky 70s party music with loads of humour and brilliant musicianship caused a lot of people to dance rather energetically.

Just as this was finishing, and some people really were bidding goodbye and making a run for it, The Ethiopiques, a trio of Ethiopian artists backed by a superb band from Brittany, finished things off very nicely. A revival of interest in a 20-volume series of albums documenting the ‘golden age’ of Ethiopian music of the 60s and early 70s has led to the formation of this project. The grooves were rhythmically based in soul, funk and disco but the harmonies and scales were unusual. And yet there was still lots of singing along, chanting and dancing.

This festival wasn’t particularly a grassroots event, and I expect aggressive marketing and management was responsible for most of these artists and bands getting on the bill. But it was inspiring to see masses of people away from their radios, TVs and computers and enjoying sounds you don’t hear every day.

On March 27th I went into the station to talk about the single Hold on to your Hard Times and the album Kill or Cure. A sympathetic and perceptive presenter called John Gill was asking the questions. It wasn’t a case of doing a quick plug and vacating the seat for the next guest. John encouraged me to go into some depth about the people I’ve worked with, my writing methods and my experience as an independent artist.

On the strength of that conversation I was invited to appear on ‘One to One’, a local version of ‘Desert Island Discs’ presented by Carole Moss. This chat took place on April 30th and covered my life experiences and musical milestones. I picked songs to play which I find moving, rather than amusing, intellectually stimulating or danceable (though those kinds of songs are great too!)

Both the interviews are long, so I would suggest saving them for a rainy day. The ‘One-to-One’ interview I would strongly recommend as it contains some exceptional material which has enriched my life and could enrich yours too, namely:

‘Song for Liz’ by Denny Austin
‘Viola’ by Arlan Feiles
‘Way Up Past’ by Michael Holt
‘Rock and Roll Rejection’ by The Deets
‘What do you Want’ by Al Lindsay
‘Ocean’ by Ember
‘Courage’ by Kevin James, sung by Kate Peters
‘Raining Expectations’ by Tim Harrison

I have recently become aware of some people I think are great songwriters, people from whom any number of hugely acclaimed stars could learn from.

My assessment of the artists is naturally just an opinion. But every review, every award, every appearance of an artist in the mainstream media is largely the result of opinions too…

TIM HARRISON

When Tim Harrison gets it right, he gets it very right. He may be singing a spiritual anthem, such as Raining Expectations or Healing Power. Or riding the driving energy of Born In The Mirror or We Believed. And then there’s the stately, almost classical Wheatfield With Crows and Never Bound By Time. When he comes up with stand-out tracks like these, the vocal delivery, tempi and arrangements all show a sureness of touch.

Van Morrison is an influence on Tim, but Van’s influences don’t seem to be. You don’t hear many soul, jazz or rhythm and blues affectations in the singing or token nods to the blues. Tim stays within the boundaries of what he does best, and thereby occupies unique musical ground.

The acoustic guitar is ubiquitous in his recordings, as Tim’s strumming and picking define each song’s feel. In the mid-90s Nick Naffin virtuosic acoustic lead was present too. 1997’s CD Bridges uses drums and full arrangements, which help the listener think big and bold. By the time of the Grey County album (2005), Tim is in a more rustic mood, augmenting the guitar by playing great banjo, mandolin and bass himself. The lack of drums and keyboards on this CD will please those keen on the purer acoustic sound.

It’s a testament to the man’s self-knowledge that, during a long career, he has never strayed into musical areas where he does not belong, and he has moved and stirred many hearts in the process. If there is a purpose to what he does, it is probably the expression of the redeeming qualities in human nature, an intention which shows more trivial work to be just that.

www.timharrison.ca

SEBASTIAN AGNELLO

Seb, as his friends call him, has referred to himself both as a protest singer and a political songwriter. While both these terms give the listener some clue as to what to expect, they don’t tell the whole story. Most songwriters in the folk, rock and pop areas, when engaged in social commentary, tend towards expressing sentiments which could be described as ‘liberal’, but one of the main stances in Seb’s socially concerned work is ‘anti-liberal’, though he would probably call himself a ‘libertarian’. Musically, his body of work is so steeped in great folk, country and rock traditions that to me the musical and lyrical style is of more significance than the message.

There isn’t much that’s particularly sweet on the ear in Seb’s recordings, but you could say that’s deliberate, and is also the case in much authentic rock and folk. His country CDs, Full Moon and Welfare Checks and Modern Day Cowboy are perhaps the easiest to listen to and they show off Seb’s ability as an interpreter of other people’s songs, which he nevertheless puts his own stamp on. The latter album, though, includes one of Seb’s own best songs No I Can’t Do It, which, in the country tradition, deals poetically with a human and potentially painful situation.

Despite the fact that he sings and plays drums, bass and keyboards on his records, I think that guitar playing his Seb’s truest voice, where he expresses himself to the greatest extent. There’s some excellent acoustic fingerpicking on another fine song What About Mary from This Is A Protest Album and any number of great electric solos spread across the rockier albums.

The title track of 1990’s White Liberals on Reggae CD supplies all the qualities of Seb’s best work: witty, sarcastic and topical lyrics coupled with an infectious beat and skilled rock guitar playing. You’ll also find these elements on 2008’s Take Your Lumps. In less skilful hands the social content would sound clumsy and contrived, but Seb never sounds journalistic or preachy.

Seb makes a lot of canny observations in his lyrics, on many subjects. Here’s one with which real music lovers might emphathize :

“ Bad songs are still not a crime
In fact they’re the ones that get played ”

www.turtleshellmusic.com

PETER VERITY

A sense of well-being, infused with the morality of common sense, comes across in the music of Peter Verity. He doesn’t court controversy or shout from the soul; instead he opts for fairly conventional but effective song composition, and the songs are always interpreted with charm and grace.

Tunes like Mississippi Ride and Norma Jean from his latest disc Sometimes a Journey are brought to life by Peter’s country and blues-filled vocals and the expert playing of acoustic instruments.

His recorded sound is, at times, reminiscent of The Eagles without their saccharine sheen. On the toe-tapping, feel-good title track of 2001’s High Flyer CD, I’m reminded of the more appealing songs of George Harrison. Vocally, his phrasing and enunciation bring Steve Earle to mind.

Peter tackles larger humanitarian questions on songs like On This Island and All Fall Down and laments morality’s breakdown in The Ballad of Rachel Davis. He also shows he’s at home with country/rock relationship songs, to best effect on songs like So Sorry and Don’t Turn Me Away from the Delta Tango CD, a five-piece band Peter was an important member of.

2006’s North Ontario and Blue As I Can Get exemplify the best qualities of Peter’s singing and writing (the first of these can be heard instantaneously if you visit his website). Both describe the inhospitable Canadian winter, ‘the trees bent down with snow’. The former is a tragic tale of youthful misdemeanours, perfectly-paced at mid-tempo and abundant with finger-style guitar and dobro. The latter is dead slow, fittingly so given the singer’s stranded disposition.

As with the rest of Peter’s output, the listener won’t be scratching their head trying to decipher or interpret the lyrics. Care has been taken to ensure there’s something to latch on to; the playing and production are similarly refined. Some songs may slip by unnoticed on first hearing, but later you may be reminded of their good qualities, especially if you hear them live.

www.peterverity.com

The three songwriters described above are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of that country’s great poetic and composing talent.

I wish they were all in the charts.

Ben first saw singer Kate Peters, pianist Kevin James and bassist Rus Pearson playing a jazz date as a pick-up band in Harrogate in 2007, and was blown away by them.

Augmented by the great Leeds drummer Roy Whyke (Wang Dang Doodle, The Wild Hogs, Heather Myles), this line-up combined in the studio to great effect on 3 of Ben’s songs which formed part of his Kill or Cure album.

Hold On To Your Hard Times is a feisty duet dealing with conflicting emotions, underpinned by an edgy acoustic pop sound which owes something to early 80s New Wave.

Watch out for Kate Peters’ exceptional ‘English’ vocal, Kevin James’ blistering piano solo and Rus Pearson’s energetic and creative bassline!

Ben Walker was born in London, grew up in Suffolk and now lives in West Yorkshire. He has independently released 6 CDs between 1990 and 2008 and has worked with members of Lindisfarne and 10cc, along with the afore-mentioned greats.

It will put Spring in your step!

I have recently become aware of some people I think are great songwriters, people from whom any number of hugely acclaimed stars could learn from.

My assessment of the artists is naturally just an opinion. But every review, every award, every appearance of an artist in the mainstream media is largely the result of opinions too…

MICHAEL HOLT

Michael is originally from New York but is now based in Toronto. On the evidence of his CD Windows (2007), Michael writes musically rich songs whose lyrics express straightforward feelings. There’s no snarling immaturity, no attempt to establish ’street cred’ and unlike many Michael never goes for the commercial jugular. Instead, he tries to reach some deep places with his considerable compositional gifts.

The standard acoustic pop sound, which sums up Michael’s ‘live’ approach, is enriched on this record by lush instrumentation such as strings, brass and woodwind. Unlike a few British pop acts I’ve heard, the music warrants this. It’s not just a costly gimmick, the influence of classical music is a big element in Michael’s work.

The conventional songs on the album are buffeted by solo piano preludes by the Russian composer Scriabin and there are other eclectic instrumental passages which are brilliantly played and recorded.

A nice counterpoint to this is a down to earth quality in the lyrics and the singing which bring an honest humanity to the work.

Michael breaks every rule of commercialism. He doesn’t start with something catchy (unless Scriabin is your idea of a ringtone). He doesn’t describe the female form, the mating ritual or other well-worn subjects. Nor does he stick to one style or feel, yet it all makes for a magnificent whole.

There’s a great intensity to the songs Way Up Past and Gold. A lighter, childlike touch defines Focus On You and the delightful All the Michaels in the World while I Am a Cloud has both these elements and some wild changes of style. It’s an experimental song featuring some incredibly high singing.

There is an irresistible comparison here with early ’70s Beach Boys in the attempt to create beautiful, risky music whose lyrics visit spiritual areas, pay tribute to nature and ignore the lowest common denominator.

There’s a touch of genius in Focus on You when Michael gets band member Don Kerr to sing the lines

I have planted a seed
And I’m going to watch it grow

(from Focus on You (c) Michael Holt)

rather than sing them himself, just like when the Beach Boys’ manager Jack Rieley sang lead on their song A Day In the Life Of A Tree in 1971.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/mholt

ARLAN FEILES

Arlan’s label is called Not Pop. He’s probably turned off by the flimsiness of the material in the charts, which are apparently full of ‘the best acts in the world’. Unlike some chart acts, he sounds to me not like a robot or a puppet but a human, hopefully one that other humans can identify with. The persona in his songs is perhaps more of a superhuman, with big ideas and noble intentions.

On the CD Come Sunday Morning (2007), Arlan takes an approach which is contrary to the dumbed down, easy to swallow and over-produced quality found in much popular music, echoing the sound (and look) of the young Tom Waits.

Ironically, a lot of folk and roots albums I’ve heard, while originating in a desire to convey reality and rawness, end up sounding slick, stylised and soulless.

Arlan gets around this with devotion, poetry and humanity on great songs which make you shiver such as Viola, The Cannon’s Blare and the title track.

He blows most songwriters out of the water, not with vocal gymnastics, guitar wizardry or sexual posturing but with the direct statements he makes in his lyrics and the charming, inevitable and hymn-like qualities in his chord progressions and tunes.

One problem I often have with the kinds of music that tops the charts, wins prizes and excites the media is what strikes me as falsity of emotion. There’s no way of knowing if Arlan’s passion is manufactured or not, but I think there’s more reality in his sound than there is with most artists.

The musical roots of Arlan’s music go deep into America’s cultural history, borrowing from the more proletarian styles of folk, country and gospel while bypassing more sophisticated and elite areas such as jazz, classical music and the artsier side of pop.

Arlan Feiles to me fulfills a potential that his fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen rarely manages to, though he sounds a lot like him. Whereas sometimes Springsteen is all style and no content (a personal view obviously not shared by many), Arlan can deliver simple lines like

This war is not over
And I just want to hold her

(from The Cannon’s Blare (c) Arlan Feiles)

in a way which doesn’t make this listener feel hollow.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/arlanfeiles3

JOE CANZANO

Hey baby
Gonna write you a song
I’ve got nothing to say
So it won’t take long

(from Run Away (c) Joe Canzano)

Joe Canzano’s material caters for a different part of the mind than that which a lot of songwriters try to enrich. The style is basically punk, wherein all superfluous or pretentious elements are discarded. As a lyricist, Joe has the pop gift of keeping the language simple and the lines short.

During the original punk era, I preferred listening to lyricists like Ian Dury, or Vi Subversa of Poisongirls, people who had been around the block, so could draw on experience and wisdom - not to mention humour - in their social commentaries.

Likewise with Joe Canzano, who sings like a punk (singing being a loosely applied term) but makes intelligible statements about alienation, materialism and the shallowness of his fellow humans (and also himself!).

On the eponymous CD made by Joe and his erstwhile band Kiss the Planet Blue (2002), songs with titles such as Alone in a Zone, Loserville and Uncooperative lay out the basic discontent of an individual surrounded by mindless conformity. The song Cracks describes how the singer is ‘falling through the cracks of this whole world’.

Joe uses his voice in amusing ways on the latter song, building from singing to whining and finally full-on shouting as he protests that he ‘could be something shiny and true’.

The chords and melodies are basic, and this serves to emphasize the message in the words. The guitar playing, bass, drums and production are all excellent, which helps of course, but it is the lyrics which stand out, as in this verse describing a new boss:

When I took this job
I knew it was bad
When I saw him standing there
In polyester and plaid
Like a king shit toad
On his lily pad
Searching around
For the crown that he never had

(from Permission from Harold (c) Joe Canzano)

However, listening to the CD doesn’t leave the listener feeling negative, due to the upbeat music and the optimism of songs like In the End. What’s more, the album’s title and cover suggest a compassion and affection for the world which evens out the anger.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/kissplanetblue

TOM BURNS (of THE KIMBALLS)

The Kimballs ‘Number One’ CD (2006) is neither a concept album nor an overblown, overlong epic, just a perfectly sequenced chain of concise catchy songs in an electric pop/rock vein. Multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter/producer Tom teams up with drummer/percussionist Michael Mark to create what, for such a short album, is packed with interest and stands up to many listens.

Guitar riffs, keyboard figures (played using classic sounds like Hammond organ and Wurlitzer electric piano), strong drums and confident, clever production provide the interest, while many of the songs are growers; snippets of them stay in your head.

Titles like Rononkoma (a town in Long Island), Cherubia (the plural form of ‘cherubim’) and Galaxina (I’ll get back to you on that one!) are original, and the songs that bear their names are not just repetitions of these unusual words. Cherubia sounds similar to Beck, with a trance-like feel, rocking guitar alternating with a mellow mood and bucket-loads of attitude, guile and theatricality, and all in just over 3 minutes.

Tom’s songs have the enthusiasm and vitality of adolescence, never ponderous or tired. His vocals are always strong and especially effective on the trio of classics which make up tracks 3-5. Heavy Load has a killer chorus which instantly has your head nodding to the beat. High Fashion is an example of how to make a great song out of a title, a guitar riff and liberal use of the f-word. Miss Fancypants starts with a beautiful guitar melody and has a section in the middle, perhaps best referred to as a ‘pre-chorus’, which is a perfect union of voice, words and music:

Where were all your pretty people
When that sickness struck you down
Me and all your ugly old friends
Became your servants and your clowns

(from Miss Fancypants (c) The Kimballs 2006)

It conjures up an image of an ex-boyfriend getting his own back at the high school prom, and winning over the rest of the girls in the process.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/kimballs

The four songwriters discussed here all have different strengths. Michael Holt is a bit of a classicist, spreading his wings and flying high, Arlan Feiles draws on traditional music and traditional values and infuses them with his own considerable spirit, Joe Canzano and Tom Burns both favour the electric guitar and the short snappy statement, the former a cheeky wit and the latter a canny master of hooks.

I wish they were all in the charts.

The PA was quite loud but Pete and company were constantly adjusting the sound balance by way of a small mixer on a stool which then fed into the main amp. There was even a monitor speaker! Very rarely did anything cause sonic offence, at least to these ears, so when Pete, Richard and Andy (on djembe) kicked off with Buffalo Springfield’s ‘For What It’s Worth’ there may have been much volume but the players were listening to each other and a professional standard was achieved. 

Kevin got up and did some nice picking. I did some of the quieter songs from my new CD, which went OK. Matt played and sang and was joined by Clive, who really belted out the vocals and then did some great songs of his own. Later Matt and Clive did Joe Jackson’s ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’, their enjoyment and commitment obvious. Pete asked me to do a song I composed in 1987. I obliged. Then Richard sang David Bowie’s ‘All the Young Dudes’ - he was a young dude himself when it was a hit - and nearly everybody joined in Christy Moore’s ‘Ride On’ at 5 to midnight. It was enough to bring a tear to your eye.

The following evening, The Musician pub in Leicester was the venue for a one-off gig by the Welsh rock band Man. In existence since 1968 with a 7-year break from 1976-83, the ‘manband’, as they are affectionately known, have been through many transformations. The dual guitar roles, occupied for many years by Micky Jones and Deke Leonard, are now capably filled by Micky’s son George and Josh Ace, whose dad Martin is still the band’s bass player, having originally joined in 1970. Bob Richards has been Man’s drummer for little over a decade and Phil Ryan, who played a big part in some of the band’s classic 70s albums, is now back in the ranks on keyboards.

It was hard to hear the singing or the keyboards throughout the gig. Martin asked the crowd at one point “Can you hear the singing at all?”. The audience replied in the negative. so Martin asked the sound man “Got a broken mixer, have you?” “No”, the engineer replied, “it’s just that the guitars are drowning everything out”. “OK, we’ll try and play a bit quieter for you then”, said Mr Ace sardonically.

As is usually the case at a Man gig, the band’s instrumental playing, extended guitar/keyboard solos over repeated riffs, all underpinned by the peerless Ace/Richards rhythm section, whipped up a storm in a way that only this band can.

The band have been playing the songs ‘C’mon’ and ‘Bananas” for decades, but very rarely with the keyboard player who helped to create them, so the crowd was thrilled to hear Phil Ryan’s sublime organ and electric piano playing on these numbers. He even sang the dreamy ‘Something is Happening’, a lovely combination of hippy-ish lyrics and Welsh progressive rock from 1976.

It wasn’t the band’s fault that the guitars were too loud. On stage you have no idea what the sound is like out front. But it’s interesting to note that the age-old problem of instruments overpowering voices wasn’t solved by a professional sound man in a famous venue, yet a bunch of good old boys in East Anglia - at the Pebmarsh music night - had it licked.