one of toil and flood, that The Watercats wandered into the City and almost awed some people there. Since then, they have been busy digging vegetable patches, building walls, making ferret hutches, shelves and bunk-beds, planting seeds, and tending to sick dogs.. .
Reality suggests that, as they suspected, the world that used to exsist, i.e: the one where everyone was looking for songs, and wanting to see live original music is dead. The human instinct to gravitate towards a smokey tavern, with a single minded doggedness for self destruction whilst being entertained by a couple of jobbing guitar players, has been well and truly obliterated by uber-p.c euro regulations, mind numbingly high taxes and millitant policing... The age of hedonism is deceased. The lands of our fathers, were far richer in creativity, humour and social happiness than any that us poor deprived children have to live in.
Last Friday, The Watercats played live in a bar in Dungarvan.. to a crowd of about ten. We knew about eight of them. Falsely hyped up by our recent Cork city gig we began the night guns blazing, up for the Craic, relishing some banter with a happy, tipsy crowd of legendary Irish wits. Alas.
We played to an almost mournful emptyness, a couple of ole fellas at the very far reaches of the pub even putting the t.v back on half way through. Our friends did their best to show some enthusiasm, but then, it's not quite the same when you know what's coming.. I ploughed through the second half on automatic pilot, whilst the Ronald concentrated on getting as many shorts in as possible whilst hamming up his songs in true Music Hall fashion...
Ahhhhh.. win some, lose some.. tis true enough! Have a feeling it's the wrong age to be living in when you have any bit of joy to share...
ahhhh.. lucky buggers!
Sometimes stretching our neck out doesn't work
ReplyDeleteas "we" would like- I took my sad collection of self published poems to a local 'Arts forum'
and watched as everyone around me passed out a zillion trinkets, books, etc. I got to practice smiling! and one Boy Scout loved my horse poem... I am sure you can find something positive in Hindsight! Cheers.
If I lived closer, I would have been there.
ReplyDeleteYou shoulda stormed off stage theatrically, altho when your friends were there supporting I guess that wasn't an option either. Ah ya can't win em all!!
ReplyDeleteKeep on Truckin
x
It does seem a bit sad that the pubs are nit the social hubs they once were. One of the things I really loved about Ireland when I lived there all those years ago was how much music and general creativity was going on. It's much the same over here I think, although there are one or two last bastions here and there. Look upon it as a chance to practise your stagecraft if nothing else. Drat, I wish I lived closer.
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived closer too! Although that would require a change of citizenship I reckon :)
ReplyDeleteI fear you may be right. Sanitized times we live in. Just a few years back a musician could play in the Paris Metro tunnels where the acoustics were wonderful with no hassle no formalities, and could make pretty decent money too if the music was at a bare minimum of listenability. Those days are gone, now you have to have a permit, to get a permit you have to get approved by some agency... effing bureaucrats sucking the sap right out of the tree of life... we need to re-invent our world.
ReplyDeleteCount yourself lucky. Last time I played in a pub a happy crowd in the corner struck up with a heart rendition of happy birthday while we were playing. The moral is: never underestimate the potential for crass ignorance among the inebriated.
ReplyDelete"it's not quite the same when you know what's coming". Not sure, in general. I think fans often like the bands they like to do the familiar.
This post made me cry ^;^
ReplyDeleteIt is a raw and perceptive commentary on our times. A great post (although I am sorry you had to live it to write it).
Doesn't Sinatra sing 'That's Life...'
ReplyDeleteAnd Oh My God, The Feelgoods! The BEST BAND EVER to come from within 20 miles of where I was born. Canvey forever!
I used to stalk Lee Brilleaux.
there is almost no tradition of supporting live music near where i live - when you do play its to indifference at best
ReplyDeletethe public house in general is an endangered species though
I used to love doing the pub gigs with the full band, but we stopped a few years back when the smoking ban came in. All the pub owners were claiming takings were down and started cutting our money. We started doing more weddings! (It's my only source of income.)
ReplyDeleteI recently started doing some pubs as a two-piece, and yes, some nights on auto pilot! The good nights make up for it though!
Keep at it, it's very disheartening I know, but when it's in the blood, well......! :¬)
xxx
EVERYONE:
ReplyDeleteGRRRRRRRRRRRR!! just left massive long replies to each of you and the internet wouldn't play ball... cheers for the comments :-D
Good gigs, not so good gigs... better than no gigs (even if it doesn't feel that way at the time!).
ReplyDeletex
RACHEL:
ReplyDeleteyou're spot on there! :-D