Night Date: 20/01/2010

Performers:
Bob Cairns - Karl Svarc & Bob Reid - Mel - Jason - Bethany Palumbo - John Pape & Steve Lealand - Steve Jackson - Zeph Brown - Bongo Dan - Lil - Aidan Marshall & Emma Merssemann - Imaginary Car Friend - Joe & Max

Comments:

Act One
The big guns are out in force so the night looks full of promise even before a note has been played as we leave it to Bob to get the show on the road with "Woman's Movement".

Karl and Easy who together with Sean South played a fine gig here on Saturday are our first guests. Bob joins in on guitar as they open with the familiar "Open Road". They continue with "Slow Train" which features some excellent harmonica from easy before rounding off with "Got My Mojo Working".Mel makes one of her occasional fleeting performances with a jolly good 12 string slide ditty, "Dual Situation".

Jason does write his own material but he seems to prefer playing covers on Wednesdays. Tonight accompanied by Beth, he offers us Sting's "King Of Pain" and Red Hot Chilli Peppers'"Under The Bridge".

John & Steve then take us to the break with a couple of instrumental medleys featuring some deft skills from John on electric bouzouki ably assisted by Steve on his cajon.

Act Two
Steve Jackson opens the second half accompanied by Steve L. and Beth on percussion with "Folsom Prison Blues". Somewhere in the middle of "All Along The Watchtower" Steve hits his 'you've got to try these things' mode which at times leaves the two percussionists looking somewhat bemused!

Former Owsley Sunshine frontman and 2007 LCCSS runner-up Zeph Brown follows with one eyes on Saturday's forthcoming gig. Unsurprisingly, Beth accompanies him on on djemba on two originals, the bouncy "Who Cares?" and the slower "It's All For You". Bongo Dan joins in on djemba as Zeph finishes off with an old Owsley favourite, "The Pirate Song".

Lil's popped down again and she begins with a fairly striking self-penned number, "1968/86 (Ballad of .....)". Lil follows up with a slowed down version of Robin S's "Show Me Love".

Aidan and Emma are putting together some new material with a view to eventually performing a few gigs. They begin with a sublime cover of Steve Earle's "My Old Friend The Blues". In fact if you'd shut your eyes and used a bit of imagination you could have pictured Steve and Emmylou up there on the stage. They follow up with an equally accomplished version of Tom Paxton's "Last Thing On My Mind" which completes an excellent performance. From the very outset, we suspected this was a musical match made in heaven and the direction in which they're heading and the way the partnership is developing is going a long way to prove just that.

That just leaves time for two numbers from Imaginary Car Friend and an original from Joe and Max to bring the evening to a close.