Edinburgh's original open mic night

Cloudland Blue Quartet

in his own words

Describe your first OOTB

OOTB 59, 30 January 2003. I hadn’t played live for nearly five years, and I’d never played live with just an acoustic guitar (not being a great guitarist). I was extremely nervous (as I still am today everytime I play).

I was described in the review as being “oddly named” which is understandable, as being a purveyor of “the purest of pop melodies” and an “original and highly listenable gentleman”. I couldn’t believe how quiet the audience was when I played or how loud the applause was at the end of each song. How could I fail to want to return?

Which OOTB performers really rock your boat?

It’s hard to single people out, but I knew the first time I heard Iona Marshall, Lindsay West and Lisa Paton that I’d want to hear them again. Of course my good friend, James Jamieson has to be on the short list too!

What do you think is your best song and why?

Ahem… I have so many great songs (and it’s so frustrating that many people will never hear the “real” versions unless they buy my CDs..plug, plug), but possibly “I Rearranged The House (On the Day You Went Away)”. The lyrics and the construction of the song make it so….

What's your favourite song of yours?

Usually the last one I’ve written so, right now, that’d be “Where Are You” from my new album “Deeperdown” due out some time in 2005…

What's the best OOTB performance you've seen?

I think it would have to be Iona Marshall’s debut performance – it was quite extraordinary, like nothing I’d heard before…

Your favourite song(s) of all time ?

I have so many “favourite” songs but it’s a rare disc of songs that I could burn to a CD and play in my car day after day without tiring of them. There’s nothing about these ten tracks that I don’t like (ok the guitar solo at the end of “Comfortably Numb” could be around three times as long)….

• Alice Cooper – School’s Out
• King Crimson – Starless
• Yes – Awaken
• Fripp & Eno – Evening Star
• Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
• David Bowie – “Heroes”
• John Wetton – Battle Lines
• Dido – Here With Me
• Coldplay – The Scientist
• Brian Eno – Always Returning

In fact I’ll just burn these to a disc now….

The consumer question: album, book or film you've enjoyed recently.

The new Coldplay album “X&Y” is rather good…

Who would be in your fantasy band?

It’d never work, but….

• Guitars– Robert Fripp & Allan Holdsworth
• Keyboards – Brian Eno
• Bass – Chris Squire
• Drums – Bill Bruford
• Producer –Bob Ezrin

at OOTB

(July 2003)
Cloudland Blue Quartet played three songs chosen by his musical partner tonight, James Jamieson, which featured on three separate £1 CDs. "A Nice Job In A Small Town", a sceptical look at small town life, sounded a lot fuller and upbeat with the two guitars. "Everything You Ever Wanted (Is Everything You've Never Had)", about (religious) people who say they'll make your dreams a reality, featured some great harmonies from JJ. The quality harmonies continued with "Twenty Twenty Vision" - the melancholy of 'tried to help her to her feet/ but she just lay there' was enough to melt the coldest heart.

(Apr 2004)
Introduced by William as "the mighty Cloudland Blue Quartet" - rightly so. Playing three songs never before played before in public, "The Blue Horizon", from CBQ's 1999 album "Doveloveshawk" was about being on your own when all your friends have died of old age and no-one remembers anything you remember. Very prosaic, straight - this told it not so much like it is, but how it could be if life turns out badly when you're lonely and old. "A Drop In The Ocean" from 1991's "Liverysilver" had the classic Cloudy vocal - poppy, emotional and clear, with a siren-like quality. "Watch The River Flow Away", again from "Doveloveshawk" was about having the plug pulled on all your dreams. This was sad and evocative in an "I'm-having-a-particularly-unpleasant-but-cathartic-mid-life-crisis" kind of way. Very dreamlike and a song to cry tears into your pint to.