Everybody's over the moon as Folk Club gets into a jam . . .
LAST weekend's 'free-for-all' was a resounding success at the Bermuda Folk Club.
The venue served as an opportunity for anyone with an instrument or voice who was willing to come out and jam. This was ideal for amateur talent who haven't yet performed in front of an audience to seasoned veterans who were more than willing to raise the roof!
It didn't take long before some of the island's finest talent assembled en masse to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame. The dynamic duo of Kevin Ingham and Joe Bento reeled off a string of hits including Spirit in the Sky. They were soon joined by club president Ben (aka 'Ben Jammin') Nunn who helped to round out the unplugged set.
Among the roster of talented musicians was new Royal Gazette reporter Scott Neil who squeezed in two songs, one of which was John Lennon's Happy Christmas, War is Over.
The second part of the evening covered a vast musical expanse with the cult hit Three Little Pigs by the band Green Jelly. While this version was far removed from the nursery school version, the audience delighted in belting out the chorus!
In a rare treat for the audience as well as fellow musician, former guitarist for the Dickies, Rob Lansing, showed his prowess on the drums before switching places with drummer extraordinaire Nick Wadson.
It was during the local's rendition of Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Good that Lansing came into his own. His deliverance was a blistering solo (no pun intended) that could best be described as 'off the hook' as he showed he was no slouch playing lead guitar.
The band was an eclectic mix of guitarists, Nunn, Last Rites' bassist Mark Burgess, Lansing, Tommy Smith, Kevin Ingham and drummer Wadson.
Perhaps the most entertaining and animated performer of the evening came from Dennis Eldridge. During his rendition of Proud Mary, Eldridge was in his element as his stage presence was second to none.
One amateur bassist, known simply as Andy B, made his debut as the band closed out the night with the reggae classic Night Nurse. Usually one would be accustomed to hearing a rock or R&B song performed in a reggae style but the band performed the song in not only a reggae version but also in a rock and funk version as well!
Obviously elated that he had the chance to play alongside many of the guys he described as his early influences, Andy said: "When Mark handed me his bass and he took to the stage to sing, it was such a rush! I had always to jam with Nick and Rob and I had talked to Rob and we thought it would be good to jam — and now it came true!"
The Bermuda Folk Club's plans for 2006 include increasing local exposure, increasing the number and variety of local musicians playing their club nights, bringing in more overseas acts, finalising the Paul Gibbons Memorial Scholarship Fund and upgrading some of the sound equipment.
