Hello. It’s time to clear out the winter earwax with an audio-wave based spring-cleaning from this week’s featured act. This is a rare chance to hear one of Edinburgh’s most respected singer-songwriters.

Calum Carlyle is an Edinburgh based singer-songwriter from Orkney, and a long-time contributor to OOTB. His, always memorable and catchy, songs vary from the romantic to the experimental.

In Calum’s own words:

“I’ve become a full time father, so I haven’t been playing many (any!) live gigs.
BUT I will be leaving the house to play a couple of gigs quite soon though, and it’d be great to see you there, especially as I’m not planning to do any more for a wee while. Come along, I hope these gigs will turn out to be quite special.
I have a slew of fairly new songs you’ve probably not heard, and both of my gigs should be quite different in terms of what songs I am doing, so come to both if you can. Yes I know there’s lots of exquisite high end events on the same nights as my gigs, but come to one at least. Also, mine are free, surely that has to count for something! :^)”

Here’s a link to Calum’s website: calumsmusic.com

Open slots that only accept euros on Edinburgh Trams ticket machines are up for grabs. Sign up around 7:15pm-7:30pm for a fifteen-minute slot (ten-minutes if busy) and then OOTB starts the ding-ding at 8pm. Original material only and free entry as always.

Be there or be sent to hospital by Dr. Kildare…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Are all you musos out there trekking around the live music circuit type thing perhaps becoming a little tired of hearing cover versions all too often? Another pained rendition of a ballad currently being used in a corporate company’s TV advert bleating out public house doors and alerting any passing hungry foxes or slavouring wolves in the vicinity. Or how about a nice jolly rounded fluffy romantic song that was used some years ago in a popular chick-flick movie franchise creme fraiche type thing?

Well there’s none of that malarkey here at OOTB. Why not come down to the Kilderkin bar this Saturday to hear some top notch self-penned creations that are both thought provoking and refreshing. Then it’s back home in controlled orderly fashion to forward your timepieces by one hour necessary to conform with official British summertime. Can’t get better than that…..I think.

No featured act this week means more open slots are up for grabs. Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and OOTB struts the Strat at the start which just so happens to be 8pm by der way. Original material only and free entry as always.

Be there or be an evil baddie ultimately losing a formulaic plot-written fight with Dan Dare…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Featured act this week is Moray Jaundice. Moray’s distinct style of acoustic songs carry pop/rock elements with a dark side of life finding its way through his lyrics. He labels his music as ‘lo-fi’ and as ‘acoustic nature punk’. With song titles such as ‘Four Bloody Hands’ and ‘Less Skeleton Than Soul’ you get an idea where Moray’s music is coming from. Worth coming down to the Kilderkin bar for a listen.

Here’s a link to some of his music: soundcloud.com/morayjaundice

Slots of an open fifteen-minute nature are there to grab. Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and OOTB draws the stage curtain at 8pm. Original material only and free entry as always.

Be there or be stuck in the dry-mouthed old fluffy world of the care bear…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Edinburgh cannon shots at one ‘o’ clocks creates larger open slots on tourists’ blubbery bots where deep red blood-clots painfully form causing those fleshy bots to rots a lots at a rate of knots. Another week and another round of unclosed grooves to stick your needle in, right here at OOTB. No featured act means more gaping wounds need your musical attention to sooth the sores emanating from behind.

Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and then OOTB stokes up the coal-fueled ambulance siren for a full blast at 8pm.

Original material only and free entry as always.

Be there or be undaring if you dare…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Not going to make a song and dance about OOTB reaching five-hundred and fifty-five at all. Despite the fact that I’m drinking a carton of Five Alive citrus juice, wearing five gold rings, watching Channel 5 on telly, smoking a 555 brand cigarette and just after spending five hours fitting a 555 timer integrated circuit into my head so that one automatically ‘high-fives’ with five fingers five times every fifth day for the next fifty-five years.

Featured act this twenty-four hour period humans call ‘Saturday’ is the rather talented Annie Booth. Edinburgh songwriter Annie has a distinct soulful vocal that carries deep poetic lyrics taking you on an emotional journey through her acoustic pop style of music. Her songs can be uplifting and energetic, but also can be brooding ballads such as ‘Demons’ giving further depth to her repertoire. Annie’s debut EP ‘Spark’ was launched around a year and a half ago, and is well worth a listen.

Here’s a link to Annie’s website: anniebooth.bandcamp.com

Performance slots are there for the taking. Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and OOTB will be coming out to play at 8pm. It’s fifteen-minutes of stage-time and original material only.

Be there or be 111 worse off as the numbered beast with a permanent evil stare…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Lots of big robots with silver dots have gots the hots for electronic open slots to initiate a new month of forged metal love. Oily squeak-free musical intercourse spreads its pneumatic legs with a hiss of compressed air to reveal a triangle of open stage time measuring five-minutes on each of its three sides. No featured act this Saturday means yet even more of these chromatic shiny things are up for grabs.

Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and OOTB flicks the ‘on’ switch at 8pm for an evening of positively charged original performances. Will be great to see you there.

Be there or be an Escher-style impossible square…

OOTB 😀

Hello all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. Featured act for this week is popular songwriter Cameron Phair. Cameron is a well known, experienced and confident performer out there in musicland, and is seen to host open mic events regularly around Edinburgh too. His songs are catchy and soulful with an indie folk/pop/rock flavour carrying influences such as Ron Sexsmith, Spiritualized, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Oasis and Jeff Buckley. Get yourselves down to the Kilderkin this Saturday to witness an amazing set of songs from Cameron.

Here’s a link to some of his music: soundcloud.com/venus-as-a-boy

Let us hear some of your music, sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and a little later OOTB starts the proceedings at 8pm. Original material only and free entry as always.

Be there or be a camera on a cloudy obscura which isn’t fair…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Valentine’s Day creeps before us all for yet another expectant annual sweaty bang. Thousands upon thousands of carbon units with slushy emotions having to visit a well known British store to mechanically buy a generic £20 ‘romantic’-themed ready-made meal for two in order to save precious time and effort in today’s unforgiving consumer lifestyle. “There you go darlin’, I love you”, they all cry in robotic unison easily fooling themselves that they’ve created a unique and thoughtful evening of original passion for their awaiting partners.

OOTB have booked an amazing featured act this Saturday. Robert King has graced the OOTB stage with great performances several times. His songs are driven by an alternative rock aspect where his lyrics mainly have a political and philosophical flavour carried along with Robert’s reliable strong vocals. He was guitarist with ‘Woodland Roots’ for a few years and earlier in his musical history was a member of the award-winning ‘Highland Youth Big Band’. Now you know this is a performance not to be missed. Here’s a link to some of Robert’s songs: soundcloud.com/roberttobyking

Stage slots are available as usual. Just turn up on the night somewhere around 7:15pm-7:30pm to confirm fifteen minutes of spotlight time and OOTB will kick off at 8pm for an evening of blissful live original music.

Be there or just don’t be there…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Lone Posts are so isolated that they have to rearrange themselves into Open Slots to be filled in with original musicality. Stool Pens are only good for drawing crap, so they also rearrange in the same way to more usefully create fifteen-minutes of stage time. Snot Poles of green goo reorder to establish more performance opportunities due to no featured act this week.

Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and soon after OOTB starts the great clock on the wall ticking at 8pm.

The Open Mics page has been updated for February as well. Worth a look.

Will be great to see you on Saturday.

Be there or be forced to watch daytime telly after being glued to your chair…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Three weeks through January have gone by with three great Saturday evenings of entirely open slots. So this Saturday OOTB have the first featured act of this year to behold. Nick Splinter Smith has played on the OOTB stage many times and is a regular and well known performer in and around Edinburgh. Armed with guitar, harmonica and gritty vocals, Nick’s music is energetic and best described as alternative acoustic rock with varying influences coming through. He’s been doing this sort of thing for quite a while now and gives his audiences an experienced performance. Not to be missed.

Here’s a link to some of Nick’s music: reverbnation.com/nicksplintersmith

The usual slots are there for the taking if you fancy showing off some of your own creations. Sign up time is 7:15pm-7:30pm and OOTB starts at 8pm.

Be there or be nailed to the hoof of an unwilling mare…

OOTB 😀