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| From | "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | LIVERPOOL PART 5 - LET'S GO DOWN THE PUB |
| Date | Wed, 30 May 2007 19:22:46 -0400 |
[Part 1 text/plain (5.7 kilobytes)]
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Undettered by the underwhelming effects of having just played The Cavern
Club hours before, I returned to the scene of the crime and across the
laneway to the Cavern Pub spotted a street musician whom I’d chatted with
the day before. He had been sizing up the street crowd on Sunday afternoon
to see if setting up shop by the Memorial Wall was going to net him enough
spare change to buy him some food and a bus-ride back across the river to
Wirral. His name was James Vincent I found out. A reformed heroin addict who
was managing to piece his life together after quitting the drug and
rediscovering his love for playing music. I gave him a bit of money and
half-heartedly told him to come back for my set on Monday. And there he was
beating away on an old acoustic guitar in the pouring rain playing for no
one but the Cavern doormen.
We shook hands and he smiled and said it was nice to see a familiar face. I
invited him to open my set with me but he needed to play me some songs first
so I could see what would work with my sound and maybe chime in with
Jeremy’s guitar once it arrived again.
Inside I talked to the soundman and we set up a mike for Jimmy and his
guitar and I would stand to one side while he did his song. He’d do one tune
then I’d carry on my regular set. Jimmy stayed outside until it was time to
go on. Quietly he unwrapped his guitar, took the stage in front of a 50 or
60 already drunk patrons and leaned into "Stand By Me". The crowd exploded
with a sing-a-long right from the first verse. The acoustic guitar mike
failed but Jimmy carried on as he was used to playing un-aided outdoors. The
song got roaring applause and now it was my turn. Jeremy had arrived in time
with the guitar, but this time I would be alone and naked working a rather
noisier arrangement of my songs on electric guitar. But I’d have to do one
less tune as I had given 5 minutes up to Jimmy who bid adieu and returned to
the rain as before.
I took a different tact this time. Some grittier material to reflect the
guitar I was now wearing. But I was warmed up and more relaxed because, hey,
this was the Cavern Pub….and not the CLUB anymore so I had my confidence
back. This time it was "Exiled On Planet Pop", "If Paradise Should Fall",
"Rest In Peace", and "The Soundtrack To Oblivion" (a new one). The Paul Hyde
number worked really well with a second guitar at the Cavern Club so I
thought I’d up the ante. Any drummers in the audience? I need a Bo Diddley
beat. Jeremy to the rescue again!! The crowd loved it and even sang along to
the "lalalalas" in the intros. From there I did "I Am A TV Show" to close
and was about to segue into Golden Earring’s "Twilight Zone" (a thematic
continuation of "TV Show") when some rowdy woman out front screamed for some
Beatles. I was on a roll and had a repertoire that could carry the request.
I cut into the first few bars of "Day Tripper" and Jeremy pounded the
drums. The crowd was eating it up. But before the first chorus I changed
keys and tempo into the old standard "Slow Down" – not a Beatle song, but
they did a rousing version that I was able to match Lennon’s screams on. But
Jeremy had pooped out. Suddenly, the soundman comes to the rescue on drums
and off we went. The crowd loved it and I thanked them. While packing up the
guitar another bunch of drunken lads began singing "You’re Sixteen" (the
Ringo version) and I chimed in with that. Applause and laughter all round!
Jeremy had been asked to close the night at the Pub in a few hours as the
last act had bailed on their obligation. I told Jeremy I’d be back as Johnny
Lloyd Rollins was doing his final set at Lennon’s and I wanted to catch him
one more time as he’d been in the audience only minutes before watching me.
Alas, upon arrival I stumbled across Susan Hedges and her lovely family
(whom I’d met at the BBC days before), but no Johnny Rollins. The soundman
was not impressed by the no show and the next act, coincidently was Endbutt
Lane who had leant me their guitar earlier in the day. I was thrilled to be
returning the favour by sticking around and sat with the Hedges’s. Endbutt
Lane are a local equivalent to the Pogues. Raucous, rowdy party pop fuelled
by one too many Guinesses. These boys could rock and everyone in attendance
was swept up in their infectious, boisterous antics…even if the between song
chatter was unintelligible!
Myself and the Hedges moved back to the Cavern Pub to take in Jeremy’s
closing set and found that the soundman, and not drummer Dave Dietrich was
now manning the drumkit. Dave was back at his hotel with the flu. But the
show carried on! A plethora of cover tunes and audience drummers (all of
them GREAT) followed. Finally, Jeremy called me up on stage to sing the
bluesy "Big House" and to everyone’s surprise, including my own, I managed a
convincing King Biscuit Boy reading of this otherwise standard blues affair.
Finally, the closing number came and Jeremy decided to give the Beatles an
appropriate nod with a blistering version of "Twist & Shout" complete with
seering harmonies by none other than Susan Hedges herself. My God this girl
can sing….a powerhouse at about 5’ 2" tall.
Good night, Liverpool. And I hope we passed the audition. London is calling…
Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
SWAG:
http://www.cafepress.com/bullseyecanada
BULLSEYE LIVE 365 RADIO:
http://www.live365.com/stations/bullseyerecords
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/
http://www.myspace.com/jaimievernonsmovingtargetz
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