OOTB – Duvet Days, Musical Nights

Hi everybody, well, there’s a lot of snow about. It’s possible you’ve noticed. Anyway, if you’re snowed in then you’re not going to be at any of the events i’m about to tell you about, but if you can make it, i think lots of them will be well worth it, but then i always say that (and that’s because i go to a lot of these gigs and usually enjoy them thoroughly).

By the way, we’re still working on getting a new venue for the Out of the Bedroom open mic night, as soon as we fix a location for the long awaited OOTB 407, i’ll let you know, so watch this space. Okay, on to this week:

Tonight (30 Nov) you can catch Hannah O’Reilly (with Augustalia i think) and also Matt Midgley at Bannerman’s, on the Cowgate at the bottom of Niddry Street, though i don’t know the details (they’re not on hannahoreilly.com so i suggest you try Hannah’s Facebook to find out the particulars).

Tomorrow there are about six hundred things on that i have to tell you about.

Supermarionation are launching their EP at The Electric Circus tomorrow (Wed 1 Dec) from 7-10pm, with Lee Paterson and Otaku playing support. Its £4 in advance/£6 on the door and tickets can be had from http://goo.gl/H9aR plus, everyone buying a ticket will receive a full retail copy of the EP on CD. Also, i am told that drinks are £1.50 which means that if you were planning to go somewhere else and have a few drinks, then you have made your money back by the third drink if you come to Electric Circus instead!

Also tomorrow (1st Dec) Lorraine McCauley and the Borderlands are launching their excellent EP “Haunt Me” at Coda Music Shop on the Mound at 6pm. They’ll be playing live, and providing mince pies and mulled wine, then at 7pm, it’s drinks next door at the Deacon Brodie.

But wait, there’s more, also on Wednesday 1 Dec, it’s Secret CDs at the Voodoo Rooms, it’s £3 entry and you get a quid off your first CD purchase, and it starts at 8pm, and this month the bands are Hannah O’Reilly/Augustalia, Invisible Helpers, Karen Edward, and Fraser Drummond. You know i was going to give you all the myspace links, but i’d have to do it for every act i mention in this email. Honestly, just fire up google and have a listen to their myspaces if you don’t already know who all these people are. You really need to be googling and listening to local bands on a regular basis anyway, to be honest, if you’re interested in music at all, in my opinion. But remember, there’s no substitute for real live music.

Jump Press A are playing a very rare acoustic gig on Wednesday 1 Dec too, by the way, at a World AIDS Day benefit at Teviot Underground with doors opening at 7pm. Not sure who else is on, but they’re a very special act, i have a feeling this’ll be a unique wee happening. It’s £4/£3 to get in, with the money clearly going to charity.

For heavens’ sake! Nuala Kennedy and Cammy Robson are playing at the Captain’s Bar on South College Street on Wednesday 1 Dec at 8pm as well! I happen to know they’re both excellent and you’d often have to fork out tons of dosh to hear them live. I gather this is a new traditional music session they will be running every week.

It’s all getting out of hand! On Thursday 2 Dec, it’s the Captain’s Bar again, Roberta Pia and Calum Wood are running an acoustic session. If you go along, remember to mention Out of the Bedroom, it’s nice to stay connected. 🙂 Also, there’s an open mic night every Thursday from 8pm at the Parlour Bar in Duke Street hosted by Cat (Packets) O’Shea and everyone that plays gets a free drink (which i actually thought had been made illegal, but it’s Leith after all…)

Also on Thursday 2 Dec, you can hear Rose Nimmo (with band!) at the Grassmarket Black Bull from 10pm. Also, if you heard Underclass at The Listening Room on Sunday just past (or even if you didn’t) then you might want to come along to The Caves on Thursday 2 Dec, they’re playing a full size electric gig there with drummer and everything. A load of other good indie bands will also be on, such as The OK Social Club, Nature Boys, Cancel the Astronauts and Maydays. So you get your money’s worth. And i think it’s £5 or £6 to get in. Let them know on the door that you heard about it from OOTB as well please. We like our name to get around. 🙂

On Friday (3 Dec), Three Long Words are launching their EP with a gig at Calton Studios on Calton Road at 7pm. Tickets are £6 in advance, as far as i can see, you need to buy them from one of the band members, though their EP is available online.

Also on Friday 3 Dec, the highly characteristic Matt Midgley is playing a gig at Maggie’s Chamber on the Cowgate, with support, starting at 7pm.

On Friday there’s also, of course, the McEwan’s Ale House open mic night, a relaxed open mic in a relaxed pub. 9:30pm i think, and it’s on Clerk Street opposite the old Odeon.

On Saturday 4 Dec The Captain’s Bar is having Lynsey Hutchinson on at 8pm, and if you get there earlier, after 4pm, there’s an acoustic folk session there too. Or, if you’re at the Tollcross end of the town, Rose Nimmo is playing with band again in The Auld Toll at 8:30pm.

On Sunday 5 Dec, at The Listening Room, in the Blue Blazer on Bread Street, at 8pm till 10pm, there’s the usual open mic night, and then TBC are the featured act, according to their myspace! This should be interesting, for sure…

Also on Sunday 5 Dec, Lost Telegrams play their first ever gig, supported by Very Well and Hannah Werdmuller (who has an awesome voice and very quirky songs). It’s at the Wee Red Bar at 7pm. I have a feeling it’ll be 3 or 4 quid entry, not sure. Click the link and it may tell you. 🙂

On Mondays, there’s the new Captain’s Bar open mic night of course, from 7pm, as i’ve mentioned for a couple of weeks now. It’s not got a PA, but it does have one mic for vocals and a piano.

Also on Mondays, a fairly new jam session evening called Homemade jam, hosted by Andy Lang every Monday from 8pm. Everyone that turns up gets a pint or glass of wine, and it’s at The Parlour Bar in Duke Street in Leith (well spotted to Ian Sclater who noticed my “deliberate” mistake last week in not mentioning the venue!)

There’s another Regent Showcase happening a week today (Tue 7 Dec) too, at the top of Easter Road and Abbeymount, at 8:30pm for free, so do go along to that. I’ll be playing a few solo songs, in advance of my “Mixed Reactions” gig at Frankensteins next Thursday (9 Dec) at 7:30pm at Frankenstein’s. Sorry, totally digressed there! So, Cameron Phair will be running it and performing, and other luminaries of Edinburgh’s acoustic scene will be playing too.

By the way, The Forest Cafe is now not going to be imminently turned into yuppie flats, which is nice, however i gather the building is still being sold, theoretically. Still, small mercies and all that…

Here’s something else for you, it’s the second EP of the year from Paper Truth. He’s good. I’m going to be putting him on the bill (along with Lorraine McCauley and the Borderlands, and Hannah Werdmuller) for the first ever Edinburgh Unplugged, a new monthly night i’m going to be running in the Royal Oak starting in January, so again watch this space for more details.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom