Sunday 29 April 2012

Bayan time (16): Strange moments

What they call the RRATD at Topjam
How many people find themselves in a small Devon town walking home in a rainstorm pushing a pram containing a large Ukrainian button key accordion wrapped in a towel?

Occasionally I find myself looking at what I'm doing, and boggling at how completely weird, and unguessable as a future, it would have seemed to my younger self (30-40 years ago). I'm sure others must experience these peculiar moments.

It was a very good evening. I played at the Topsham Folk Club: the excellent Por una cabeza (a very nice tango that's appeared in a lot of films, such as True Lies and Scent of a Woman) and Ghost Riders in the Sky ( which I treat as borderline folk, it having resonances with the Wild Hunt and the standard folk motif of a dying/dead rake warning someone to mend their ways). They went down well, as far as I can tell - the organiser commented on the impressiveness of playing the equivalent of a grand piano on your knee - and they're sufficiently ecumenical to take along to the next Topjam (non-folk) session. Then, there being half an hour to spare, I wound down with some friends in the adjacent Lighter Inn.

The Folk Club has moved to Topsham's Route 2 Café Bar from its regular spot in the Globe Hotel for the duration of the latter's renovation. I don't know what, if any, discussions are going on, but I think Route 2 is much superior for music. It has very good acoustics, a pleasant bright atmosphere, and easy access to the bar and toilets during performances. This is in strong contrast to the Globe setup, which was a gloomy dining-room with the furniture shifted to accommodate the event. I think the club would do well to stay at Route 2.

Addendum: although it's not quite the same thing, I find there is precedent for transporting musical instruments on prams. Check out the Busker Organ Music Site, which has many examples of organs transported on what, in many cases, are clearly adapted prams.

- Ray

1 comment:

  1. There's a band which sometimes uses accordions and is called Pram, though I've never seen them with one: http://www.pram.uk.net/

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