Strike! While the iron is hot.

Yesterday was the day of a national strike as public sector workers walked out in protest at the governments plans to cut their pensions.
2 million people failed to turn up at their workplace and 18,342 schools, which is 67.5% of them, were closed while others ran with the help of community volunteers, hospital procedures were impacted upon and our border controls were weakened (although the government said they weren't) and more.
Yet David Cameron called the protest a damp squib.
I'm struggling with his definition.
Consider the 2 million on strike and then add on all those workers who support the strike, but felt unable to join their colleagues due to personal issues of poor finances, job security and such, then on top of that add on all the people who supported the strike but who are not public sector workers.
Depending on sources public support ranges from 35% to 65%.
That sounds quite a sizeable amount to me.
The arrogance of Cameron is nothing new, but c'mon when are people going to wake up.
There's little that he says that is rooted in fact.
Week after week he, and his coalition government – the one no one voted in – are shown up to be bare faced liars, supporters of the powerful, and master manipulators of the media.
Forget all the divisive spin and just for a second ask yourself why we allegedly can't afford to honour the pension agreements that were made.
Is it because the system in place has for many years been watching Rome burn as the ones at the top fiddled their taxes? Is it because the financial institutes of the world decided that trading on things we might have in the future rather than what we have in the present was a good idea? Is it maybe because the mortgage lenders in collusion with governments sold mortgages to those who were least able to afford them? Is it because multinational corporations pay less tax per annum than you or I?
Regardless of the multitude of reasons, and there is a multitude, it has nothing to do with the public sector workers who are expected to carry the financial can.
So why are people falling for the government line.
Two weeks ago nurses were self sacrificing angels who toil for the greater good and now they are enemies of the state.
How did that happen?
Fuck that bollocks.
In fact when Cameron and his parcel of rouges say we are all in this together what they mean is that it's you and me, the public and private sector workers, the unemployed and the disabled that are in this together, and not necessarily them.
Yet on social networking sites I keep seeing people pointing the fingers at the employed, the public sector workers, immigrants and if truth be told simply anyone who pisses them off rather than them having to sit and think about who the real enemy of the people are.
Inside my head I'm screaming for fucks sake wake up.
All the crap that is being pumped out is just a distraction.
The bigger picture is that they are wanting to create a system that a minority can benefit from.
They want a smaller workforce to work harder for less, and they want to create a ready pool of the hungry and desperate to pick from. If you're employed and grumble aloud then you know where the door will be. By kick starting this desperate cycle they will maximize their profits.
Take one of the things they keep saying.
There's no money.
It's a mantra.
There's no money, there no money, there's no money.
Say it often enough and people believe it, but George Osborne is on an eleven grand holiday just now. How did he manage that as there's no money?
Anyway there is money.
I didn't see any reports of mass shredding campaigns or bankers running into fields and burning pallets of cash.
Did you?
So the money must be somewhere and that somewhere is in the hands of that 1% and they aren't for letting any dribble back into our pockets.
That's where the money really is.
It really is a case of them and us.
So why do ordinary people continue to defend the status quo and decry their brothers and sisters who rail against those in power who are frankly ass raping us all?
Well it's ignorance isn't it.
Real ignorance.
The head in the sand sort.
Ignorance is a word that when used is considered to be an offensive slur on another persons intelligence.
It's not though.
I'm ignorant as to how to perform brain surgery.
I'm equally ignorant about how to fix the motherboard of my computer.
Being ignorant doesn't mean I'm stupid though, just that in certain areas I have no knowledge of the subject at hand.
Similarly people are ignorant of what is going on in the world. Not stupid, just ignorants as they either have nothing to base their opinions on, or they base them on media reports that are geared towards offering one side of a story.
So instead of continuing down that path that's leading us to fuck knows where can you do me a favour and make yourself a cup of tea and have a google and research the subject, or open a book and read about it.
Then after that maybe you could reconsider the comments that you may have made and with your new found knowledge consider that you might have been acting like a dickish tool of the state.
I'll not do the 'told you so dance'. Instead I'll welcome your awakening and hope that in some way you will spread a clearer word to others and in this way maybe we really can all be in this together and salvage something for future generations.
Meanwhile listen to this. Don't just tap your feet to it, but listen to the words.

Sam Christison - 3 Songs about you and 1 about me.

Sam Christison isn't the usual sort of artist that would feature here.
It's not that his style of music clashes and doesn't meet some woolly idea of what should and should not be reviewed, but more so that as an atheist my own tastes don't often gravitate towards music that delivers a religious message through their lyrics.
However that's not to say that I don't appreciate talent or a degree of spirituality, and here across the course of four songs there is plenty of both on offer.
There's a soft commitment to his faith that holds your attention without causing any offence.
No one is looking to push an agenda, but instead Sam is wanting to simply share his outlook on life, as most artists do.
That part of how he perceives the world around him is shaped through his faith just adds a little something to it.
Even when it's not blatantly on show.
I guess the point would be that I consider that it sounds grounded and that slightly different source has given him a maturity as a lyricist that you wouldn't normally expect from a fifteen year old.
The accomplished musicianship also lends itself to creating a layered but simplistic backdrop to his voice, and for a debut effort he's already streets ahead of much of musical peers, and that's not to say fifteen year old peers as I'm inclusively talking about everyone who is coming forth as a singer/songwriter in Ayrshire.
It s lovely and positive introduction to a young man who I'm sure will continue to throw up surprises as he continues to push forward in life.
Free download here - http://www.reverbnation.com/samchristison

The Plimptons - Christmas all over this town

The Plimptons are back, and the tykes have even had the audacity to release a Christmas single.
Bah Humbug. Don't they know it's only November.
I suppose I can forgive them though. Especially as they're giving it away for free.
As usual the band are steadfastly refusing to be nailed own.
The comedy punk ska pop tag that's normally cast about when they are mentioned doesn't really come close to describing them at all.
It never does.
Think more along the lines of the The Monkees, but from 'Head' rather than the television serious.
Then hold that thought for a second and consider that Vic Reeves has decided to re-boot it for a modern audience, and then think to yourself that maybe that covers about 10% of what The Plimptons are all about.
Yeah. I know. What does that even mean?
Anyway, as I've come to expect from the band there's a great deal more going on than you would initially expect from lending a casual ear .
The sometimes ramshackle approach often comes across like the intelligent kid acting like a bit of an arse as they are terrified that their peers will suss out that they are in fact as clever as fuck.
Take for instance the inclusion of a Kazoo solo in Christmas is over.
It's funny and works in the context of the song, but instead of it being a bit silly, which it is, it is also a bit of mad genius.
The opening track 'Christmas all over this town' similarly seems lightweight and a bit of a joke.
It's sort of casually cast out there, but it's also pretty much lyrically sussed and doesn't pander to having a swipe at Christmas, but instead casts a slightly nostalgic eye over how friendship need to be maintained.
A mates for life. Not just for Christmas. Remember that kids.
The whole concept of the song shows that the guys are actually working on quite a few levels.
The same can be said for Xmas in Motherwell.
There's always more than meets the eye when you get new material from the Plimptons.
They very well might be the Optimus Prime of the - sort of - Glasgow punk scene.
If this is the sort of thing that rings your bell then do yourself a favour and don't just download a free copy at http://www.mcgazz.co.uk/plimptons/ but also jump over to http://theplimptons.bandcamp.com/ and get 'Whats's Left'. With over 50 tracks it's the bargain of the year at £2.

Mondophonics - Last Band (In The World)

The death of rock and roll is has always been greatly exaggerated.
It's a statement that's more often than not uttered from the lips of those who have become too old and jaded to continue to make the effort to go out and look under the rocks to see what is lurking.
The truth is that rock and roll isn't just alive, but it's also still as dirty under the nails and ready to party as it has ever been.
If anyone needs proof of this then they need only go as far as the debut single from Bobby Durango's Mondophonics and they will hear that the boys from the wrong side of the tracks are still ripping it up and probably always will.
When Bobby sings that 'We are the band, the last band in the world' he knows that they aren't, but the sentiment that from looking about the mainstream it sure as hell can feel like it rings true.
Or maybe it's more a case that they are wanting to tell everyone that similar to the Clash they are now the only band that matters.
Regardless of the true meaning the songs simply got that balls to the wall attitude of a desperate man cornered.
They're shouting here we are so come and take your best shot as we aint going anywhere.
It's the aural equivalent of the closing scenes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The soundtrack to going out with your guns blazing.
By the time they roll into 'Two More Hits' the party is in full swing and they must surely have won over anyone who considers that they still have some mojo cooking.
Forget yesterday and enjoy today as tomorrow might not come. That's what I'm getting from this.
The icing on the cake is that if you do buy the single then the band will throw in the songs on mp3, plus an additional bonus track called 'Nobody's There'.
It's a song that could be a single in it's own right. There's nothing weak at all about any of the three songs that the band have used to introduce themselves to the world.
This the real deal. The band you have been waiting for.
At the moment I might be the only person to have a copy of this in the UK. It's up to you to change that.
It's a limited run though so I would advice you to be quick, or a year from now you could be looking at paying some silly money for it on ebay or the like.
Contact mondophonics@gmail.com and grab it.

Michael Monroe - Glasgow Garage - 27/11/11

I'm standing watching Crash Diet and all I can think is that this must be what Steel Panther must be like if you removed the punchline from their jokes.
I can barely make out a word the singer is squealing at us and when I can it sounds like he is saying something about the children of the night.
It seems that originality is not on the menu this evening.
The singer has all of Billy Idol's moves choreographed to perfection and he also sports a rather magnificent mohican that looks as if it was stolen from the set of the Mad Max movie Beyond the Thunderdome, but while that may sound rather promising there's something about the performance that's more pantomime dame than glam punk.
In fact do you remember Wrathchild?
Well Crash Diet could be the result of a gang bang that they were involved in way back in the early eighties.
Unfortunately the talent, no matter how meagre it was, that Wrathchild had wasn't passed down to their bastard offspring.
I personally don't get what they are doing.
It's like an inside joke that no one is letting me in on.
Some will say that's my loss, but if this is the shape of things to come in the world of glam rock then I doubt I'll be dipping my toe in to check the temperature.
Thankfully it wasn't long until Michael Monroe and his band took to the stage and showed why they have just been awarded album of the year from 'Classic Rock' magazine with a set that most would call a master class in how to promote rock and roll to an audience.
With Steve Conte, Dregen, Sami Yaffa and Karl Rockfist backing him up Michael has quite possibly the fiercest rocknroll band on the planet as his brothers in arms.
They're simply on fire.
Michael moves like Iggy Pop on amphetamine laced steroids. He's a blur who spit out the lyrics with a passion that men a fraction of his age couldn't manage, and he does it every night.
It's all sort of mind blowing to me.
Meanwhile his band are all smiles and clearly enjoying feeding off each others beats, riffs and solos. Everything they do sounds organic and the power that is being expelled from them could probably light up a city if it was captured.
This is the real lightning in a bottle deal, and it's as loud as a thunder to.
It's the Rolling Stones, MC5, Little Richard, The Stooges, The Who, The Sex Pistols and the Ramones all rolled into one and channelled through sheer force of will and personality out into the audience.
The performance is a force of nature.
The set itself features more material from Sensory Overdrive than it did when they steam rolled through town before, but still manages to find space to fit in a smattering of Hanoi Rocks, Demolition 23 and Michael Monroe songs that the hardcore fans would consider unforgivable if dropped.
The surprise addition of an impromptu funked up jam on Aerosmith's Walk This Way during the introduction of the band members was one of those 'you had to be there' moments.
It sounded more like the Chilli Peppers than anything that Tyler and Perry could come up with and provided an ample example to anyone who doubted it that this is a band with the chops to do just about anything they wanted to.
Is anyone getting what I am saying here.
I'm saying that right at this moment in time I don't think there's another band that come close to touching these guys .
Okay. While I'll freely admit that my heart sank a little when Ginger Wildheart left the band I've got to say that Dregen is just as perfect a foil for Steve Conte to play with, and Sami seems to have found an onstage partner in crime as Dregen duck walks around him and throws his guitar all over the place.
All is well and everything is still on track.
This is the third time I've seen Michael Monroe in this year alone and it just keeps getting better and better, and once the left the stage the night was over for me.
For me it's simply a case that no one can follow these guys and as I've seen Wednesday 13 a few times before I knew that I would find his performance to be an anticlimactic end to the evening.
So after a quick hello and goodbye to Steve and Sami, who were proving themselves to be more than willing to get down and meet the fans, it was time to head across the road to Nice and Sleazys for some liquid refreshments and make plans for the Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth gig that will be coming to the Soundhaus in Glasgow on the 6th of December.
With some luck I might even squeeze in the Quireboys before that.
I think that two days will allow me enough time to come down from the high and the buzzing in my ears to abate.
Then I'll be ready to do it all again.
See ya down the front.

Sycophantic praise kills art.

Well it's been another strange week with yet another review acting as a catalyst for personal threats to be made.
In my opinion that part is now in the past, but it does throw up the usual questions.
When is a bad review damaging? Should ego's be taken into consideration? Is making a subjective comment really the end of the world?
Well I would say that a bad review isn't damaging at all.
Of course I would (sic).
If someone reading a review decides to check out the artist in question then they will obviously make their own mind up about the talent, or lack of talent, that is being displayed.
The end result is that one more person has listened to the artist(s), and isn't that what they all want?
As for personal ego's....well that's not something I have any control over.
If an individual is that thin skinned that they can't handle a negative review then the performing acts maybe isn't where they should be looking to settle.
Isn't criticism of anything that is put out to the public something that comes with the territory?
Those who have the confidence in what they do will consider a critique and take what they feel is relevant from it and move on.
….and obviously a bad review is never the end of the word, but it can be the end of a dream.
In this way it's a bit Darwinian with his theories about the survival of the fittest being writ large for all to see.
Consider x-factor for a moment.
Think about the opening rounds where those who seriously lack talent are cast like the Christians to the lions to be publicly mauled.
When we feel pity for then and they proclaim, 'but my family and friends think I'm great' then who do we think has dealt them the cruellest hand?
The panel of judges, or the family and friends who weren't honest enough with them?
I know who I think made them look like fools in public.
There's nothing wrong with pursuing a dream, but if anyone wants to realize it then they must accept that there can be limitations.
For instance if you're a tone deaf gentleman of seventy five then you're never going to play Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz on the biggest stages that the world can provide.
You can put your own production on in a local community hall and I'll admit that I'd pay top dollar to see that, but in all honesty real fame and fortune is going to be just out of your grasp by about a million miles.
That's the reality kicking in that some people fail to consider.
In my opinion criticism is a good thing.
Whenever someone makes a critical point (and simply calling someone a cunt isn't one) then it's at that point that the future can be viewed like a flow chart.
Is there a point to the critique?
Yes? No?
If no then that's it. Discount it and keep doing what you do.
If yes then another two choices are available.
You either consider that the best that you can do isn't enough and stop doing it, or address the issues raised and continue onwards and hopefully upwards.
I guess the whole point is that although the criticism is out there it is really down to the individual in how they take it.
They can have a healthy and honest approach or throw their toys out of the pram.
This takes me to another little problem that I have with the people who can't take criticism.
In lambasting the reviewer with threats and abuse what they are really doing is attempting to stop the person exercising the right to freedom of speech while exercising theirs at the top of their lungs.
How hypocritical is that?
You can't say you you don't like my music in public, but I can pass comment on your parentage, sexuality, looks, gender, height and threaten you as I see fit in public.
There's a lovely sense of karmic balance in that isn't there?
I've had it all over many years and the well is nearly dry.
I'm sure that every once in a while an original abusive comment will come along and amuse me, but without that originality I'd have to say that I'm a bit bored with it all.
Something to ponder as a last point.
If we all refused to criticize then there would be no quality control and all the good stuff would struggle to get attention amongst the drab and amateurish crap that would pile up looking to grab our attention.

Melisa Kelly - Something to shout about

I filmed this last night in Su Casa in Ayr and I thought it deserved a blog mention of its own.
Not because of the camera work as it was a basic digital camera I used, and not because of the sound quality, because that isn't amazing either, but simply because in some way it captured the rawness of the performance from Melisa Kelly.
Keep in mind that this is her with a stinking cold to. Fantastic huh?

Su Casa - 17/11/11

I've always felt that the adage 'if you haven't got anything nice to say then don't say anything' seems to be more about individuals attempting to avoid criticism than them trying to promote positivity.
Then again I could be wrong. It has been known to happen.
So for a couple of weeks I'm going to give it a try in the reviews on the blog and see how that works out.
So here goes.
Last night in Su Casa I seen Martin McLaughlan. I have nothing else to say about that.
Next was Matt Scott who I have plenty to say about.
Matt is a star in the making.
If you had a tick list made up that covered every single attribute that would lead to success then there's already a little tick in every box.
He's an accomplished musician.
He can write songs that have a depth to them that most young men of his age couldn't match.
He has the ability to convey the emotion in the lyrics, and I'm sure the ladies would say that he aint too bad on the eye either.
Like I said he ticks all the boxes.
Imagine a young man who knows the importance of Dylan and Springsteen as songwriters, understands how the blues work and similar to a band like the Kings of Leon is able to make it all sound fresh.
That's what Matt does, and all that he needs to take it to the next level is to be in the right place at the right time.
After Matt we were treated to a couple playing guitar and violin.
Unfortunately I only caught the name of the violinist. The lovely Francesca Masucci.
I got the impression that it was more of a jam than anything else, but when two people can follow the nuanced moves of each other in the manner that they could it becomes something that bit special.
It all sounded very evocative, and with your eyes closed you could have imagined that you were fireside in a gypsy encampment in Spain, or somewhere similar.
It was a fantastic - if short - set, and one that Su Casa should be rightly proud of giving a platform to.
Jamie Uchima was to play next and I enjoyed his poetic style and delivery.
Another nice gear change in the music for the audience
There sounded like there was a great deal of a Goo Goo Dolls influence in the guitar playing, but vocally and lyrically there's not a hint of it.
Three songs into his set and it was all positivity. However I have nothing to say about the last song of his set.
See what I did there?
Anyway onwards to the more positive comments again.
Little Fire was to follow Jamie, and along with one of Melisa Kelly's Harmless Thieves on cajon and Francesca Masucci making her second appearance of the night, he ran through a few of his songs that I'm already familiar with.
Yet it has to be said that in the context of a small band, rather than solo, the material is given wings. Little Fire is great on his own, but with others it just takes it all into another direction that is equally as impressive.
The violin in particular goes hand in hand with the material and gives his voice a solid foundation to layer itself over.
Very lovely, and maybe a small hint of what is to come from Little Fire in the future.
I've seen the next band Fole, and front man James Foley, a couple of times now and I've always been impressed with them, but this time they seemed sharper, faster and more urgent than they have been previously, and it was all good.
There song 'Tightrope' sounded especially muscular and the it's good to see that the original music that they are playing can be shaded in different ways.
If I was to list a top ten of favourite Ayrshire acts then Fole would definitely be on it.
The last act to entertain us was the irrepressible Melisa Kelly.
I say irrepressible as she is down with a cold and while some singers would use that as a reason to pull a performance Melisa doesn't, and apart from a short apology it's all business.
Similar to Matt Scott, Melisa is a talent waiting to be discovered.
She has the whole package going on to.............and that voice. What a voice.
Every once in a while female vocalists come along and through the sheer force of the passion in their voices manage to draw attention to themselves.
Billie Holiday did it in the field of jazz and Janis Joplin rocked the world. Both had that raw attention to the detail of the vocal and Melisa has it to.
You believe every single utterance. She's one hundred percent authentic in her delivery, she doesn't just sing the songs, but emotes them.
You really had to be there, but as some weren't I'm hoping to get Fole and Melisa down to play a Sunday Session in 2012 and I can't wait to see them blow everyone away.
Thanks to Robert Gemmell here's some footage shot on a phone from the night.

The sliding scales of perception

'People are strange' isn't just a Doors song. It's a fact of life.
We are indeed strange, and one of the strangest things about us is how we can rationalize behaviour to the point where two people can do the same thing, and we can then claim that one persons actions are unacceptable, while the other persons are not just fine, but maybe even admirable.
Probably the best example of this is how we consider one individual to be a heinous criminal for taking another persons life in an act of violence, but it's a heroic act if it is state sanctioned.
Similarly this sort of excusing poor behaviour extends to the world of entertainment and that's also where the sometimes admirable angle comes in.
For instance the alcoholic who while drunkenly driving home manages to hit every other vehicle in his street is a complete and utter pain in the rectum, and without a doubt a danger to the public.
However when a rock start does it then his, or her, actions are an amusing anecdote to be repeated across the dinner table.
This must be human nature though as we see it every day in how we promote this strange attitude in the defence of family and friends.
If a neighbours kid tramples through your garden managing to destroy the flower bed that you have cultivated over a six month period, then they are classed as the offspring of Genghis Khan and nothing short of a public flogging will suffice as a punishment, but if the shoe is on the other foot and it's your kid that did it then it's a different story.
The livid neighbour is painted as someone who takes life too seriously. The curmudgeon that should get a grip.
I'm sure anyone reading could give more examples, and many - if they are honest - could admit to acting in this way to.
Personally I've never really understood this sliding scale of what is, and isn't acceptable, depending on who is displaying the poor behaviour, and I admit that I'm in the minority with my inability to rationalize it.
I don't do it with friend or family and consider that everyone without exception should accept responsibility for their actions, and the backlash – if it is fair - that they receive.
Very often we see people who would offer no second chances to a stranger magically finding compassion and empathy for a friend, and then throwing forth chance after chance after chance until the antisocial actions of their compadre can be described in amused terms such as 'Ach, you know what they are like?'
Yes. I do know what they are like actually.
They're an arse, and if it was anyone else you would be advocating that they got a slap.
Maybe even a high five, to the face, with a chair.
Is this attitude actually helpful?
Not the high five with the chair obviously, but this sliding scale being applied.
I don't think it is.
Why is one person a character and another a cunt when they do exactly the same thing?
I've asked this of people that I like and respect recently, and while the logic is accepted the rationalizing continues.
There's a distinct lack of equality to it all and it twists my melons.
Loyalty is an admirable trait, but misguided loyalty..........well, you know.

Jackie Leven.

This afternoon I was informed that Jackie Leven had lost his fight with cancer, and now I feel a bit lost.
Sadness has descended on my mood and it's difficult to convey why I feel this sense of loss.
I'm not sure, but tears might not be far off.
It's not like me. Not like me at all.
I mean I didn't know the man, and although I'd shared a few conversations with him over the years, and a pint on one occasion, that doesn't mean that there was any real kinship between us.
I am simply a fan. No more and no less.
The only connection we had was his music.
He wrote and performed his songs and I loved them.
I loved the brutal honesty and the soft voice that promoted it.
I can honestly say that I have never heard a song that he wrote that I didn't like.
Initially when I was told that he had slipped away in the night I passed the sad news on, and I think that by doing this I sort of avoided addressing it myself, but now in this quiet moment with his voice slipping out of the speakers I feel a great sense of mortality.
All things come to an end.
The last time I seen Jackie play was on the twelfth of August in a bar called Jollys in Kilmarnock.
The gig had been arranged by a guy called Jimmy Logan and I will now be forever in his debt for providing us with a performer of Jackie's talent to entertain us in such intimate surroundings.
Jackie himself was as usual a star.
That voice was clear, distinctly beautiful, and ill health never came close to touching it.
I'm thankful for that and I'm very pleased I have this memory of him.
I wish I could share it with the world.

This isn't one of Jackies self penned songs, but it feels apt.