Folk Club dozen provide a fitting tribute to Paul
The event was in honour of the former lead guitarist for the rock/reggae band Last Rights who died suddenly, but his legacy was not forgotten.
With such a stellar line-up many performers had to shorten their performances, but managed to squeeze in everything from classical to rock and roll.
Classical guitarist Steve Crawford stayed true to his craft with a classical tune for an opener but finished with Eric Clapton’s If I Can Change the World. One could have heard a pin drop during his performance as Crawford eased through this cover tune.
Not to be outdone, the next performer was the ‘Scottish Sensation’ Scott Neil. Neil has been constantly expanding his repertoire and pulled out all the stops when he launched into an acoustic version of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry.
Without a doubt this consummate performer is technically sound and seems to improve with every gig. Flash back to 1997 as Neil’s next offering was Hanging Around by the Stranglers.
His closing song was taken from a poem by W.B. Yeats, which was penned in 1880 entitled Stolen Child<$>. After reeling off a trio of tunes Neil exited stage right to make way for the guitar virtuoso Louise Southwood.
Louise, who was born in Paris in 1978, began playing the guitar at the age of eight. She soon began winning regional competitions before studying privately with the guitarist Carlos Bonell four years later.
Southwood, a guitar teacher at the Bermuda School of Music, treated the audience to a tune off her CD entitled Coin of Baba<$>, which was a Turkish piece.
The piece was somewhat lengthy, but enjoyable from start to finish as Southwood showed the years of hard work and dedication during her set. Those who were fortunate enough to have attended the September show were doubly rewarded to see Southwood grace the stage.
Another Folk Club favourite returning was John Bohan, who gave an intense three-song set, starting with a tune from U2. This was followed by Millionaire by Dr. Hook and then a Jerry Raffery tune as a finisher.
The first female solo act was Jeannie Flath, no stranger to the Folk Club. Her opener was an a cappella song called Sully’s Pail by Tom Paxton. It was a sad miner’s poem, but a powerful piece.
Another Folk Club favourite was the duo of Joe Bento and Kevin Ingham. “They are a great set of local guys who have played here quite often,” said organiser Val Wallace, a seasoned performer in her own right.
This duo has great chemistry and had the audience singing along with them in their opening number. They reeled of a string of soft rock classics and it is always a treat to attend their shows. Hopefully, they will join some of their counterparts who have recorded a CD of their finest works.
The last solo performer during the first part of the evening was Matt Clifford, another BFC regular. He and Bohan seem to be two of the Bermuda Lacrosse Club’s favourite performers!
Clifford has gained a favourable reputation for covering Dave Matthews tunes and he delivered the goods in fine fashion including the hit Warehouse.
The Jim Lahey Experience were the first full band to take to the stage after the first unplugged set. The multitalented Marcel Zettler plays the lead guitar, bass guitar and drums on different occasions, but opted to play bass during their set.
Mike MacPhee, lead guitar and best described as a ‘guitar wizard’, was joined by another fellow musician in rhythm guitar while Shawn Angiers chipped in with vocals and Nick Wadson on drums.
The group have a solid fan base and during their stint they managed to squeeze in a tune from Nirvana and Teenage Wasteland <$>from the Who. The next acoustic performance was by a former Bermuda Folk Club member Warren Ambrose.
“It’s nice to be here after an 11-year absence,” said a cheerful Ambrose as he performed a tune by Jackson Browne and Neil Simon, and in a case of déj|0xe0| vu,<$> Ambrose was joined on stage by his wife Kelly as they sang a duet before Ambrose closed his set with a guitar duet with a fellow guitarist.
Once again the big band sound reverberated thanks to Hiram Edwards and his eight-piece band. The band performed cover tunes and this has been the second time I have had the pleasure of seeing the band live at the BFC.
While the band were content to wind up their set, the audience could not get enough of them and wanted to hear at least one more tune!
One of the humorous segments of the show came from the quartet of Tommy Smith, on rhythm guitar, Mike Keats on lead guitar, Mark Burgess on bass, and Nick Wadson on drums, calling themselves the Feral Chickens.
Keats is no slouch when it comes to playing the electric guitar and was in rare form as they opened with a Jimi Hendrix tune. Their second and final tune was an interactive song called Rockfish<$> which sounded hauntingly close to the song Bedrock Twist <$>for you carton buffs out there!
The final act was none other than Last Rights. Due to Gibbons’ untimely passing, followed by the sudden departure of guitarist Keith Philips, the band took some time off in search of suitable replacements.
Their search was rewarded as former band member Dennis Eldridge returned to play rhythm guitar and the acquisition Rob Lansing on lead guitar breathed new life into the band.
Jackie Ayers belted out the tune Red Hot <$>which has been receiving a lot of airplay. The original version was recorded in 2003 with Gibbons and has been remixed. Ayres slowed things down with Mystified <$>and said it was a fitting tribute to Gibbons whom she considered a friend.
Last Rights wound up the evening’s entertainment with a reggae version of Knocking On Heaven’s Door <$>followed by Jump Jive <$>and the anthem to every wayward school kid, Pink Floyd’s Brick in the Wall. Lansing’s solo drew cheers and whistles from the audience as the band gave perhaps their most intense performance to date.
The $10 admission charge was well worth it since it would easily cost considerably more to hear talent of the same calibre anywhere else locally.
