It's A Lot Less Bother With A Bova

Sunday 31st August: No post last weekend, due to being on holiday in Egypt - very hot but very enjoyable. We rarely moved from the pools and, indeed, only left the hotel twice. I can recommend the Three Corners Kiroseiz resort in Sharm el Sheikh (don't believe the bad reviews on TripAdvisor, I can counter every bad point made).

Being on standby this weekend meant that I couldn't go out to see any live bands so it's back to the secondary subject and some comments on the last few books I have finished. After completing Return To Mars, I decided to read the other two Ben Bova books that were currently in my "to read" pile...

Venus (Ben Bova, 2000) This is another of Bova's Grand Tour novels, set a short time after Return to Mars and featuring one of the characters from that novel in a supporting role. The story sees Van Humphries take on the challenge of recovering his brother's remains from the surface of Venus. Alex was killed two years earlier while attempting to explore the planet and Martin Humphries, his father, has offered a large financial reward to anybody who can return his remains. This reward also attracts Lars Fuchs, previously a business rival of the elder Humphries and it turns out that Fuchs, and Venus itself, are both harbouring secrets.

Another easy read, this novel is perhaps slightly less believable than the Mars or Moon sequences. Bova moves slightly away from the corporate exploration of the solar system as Van is part of a futuristic mixture of Bohemian and noveau riche, self-funding the construction of his own spaceship and paying for the crew. One thing that Bova does do well is to show that, while we are not currently contemplating human exploration of Venus, it is in fact no less dangerous than the exploration of near-Earth space. It may be hotter and covered with and atmosphere of corrosive gasses, but it can't kill you any more dead than the cold vacuum of space. Venus is portrayed as a dangerous planet with just a different set of challenges for any potential explorers.

Brothers (Ben Bova, 1996) Next up was a novel from a bit earlier in Bova's long career. Brothers, in some ways, reads more like a medical thriller than full blown science fiction novel. Helped by a train journey to Norwich and back, I finished this 500+ page novel in a little over a day, proving what an incredibly easy read it is.

In the present, Arthur Marshak is the subject of a "science court", allowing fellow scientists, politicians and others to decide whether his work - a possible medical breakthrough which could lead to greatly elongated lives, if not immortality - can be moved to the stage of experimentation on humans. Entwined among the present day chapters is the story of how the work got to this stage, seen from multiple points of view, including Arthur, his brother Jessie, the women in their lives, Arthur's team of scientists and various others.

I really enjoyed this novel, the characters are totally believable and the whole situation seemed, to me, to be as plausible as it needed to be. That is, I don't think it would actually be possible, but it seemed possible enough for the purpose of the novel. Bova argues well on all sides of the discussion, making this a thought-provoking book. Well worth a read.

On a side note, it seems to me that Bova's publishers need to employ some better proof-readers. I don't think I have ever seen so many inconsistencies as I have done in the last three books I have read. At one point in Venus, the names of the ship being looked for and the one been used to look were changed over while, in Brothers, one character changed pronoun from she to he and back to she in the space of one paragraph, while another character apparently thought it strange to see his name on placards for the first time, two chapters after commenting on the same thing. Things like this don't spoil a novel for me, but they do detract from the story slightly.

After that, the next three books were, to say the least, disappointing and somewhat hard-going.

First up was Dreaming Smoke (Tricia Sullivan, 1999). I'm not sure that I could do a plot summary justice but I'll try. Human colonists on an almost uninhabitable planet are, with the help of their AI, trying to terraform it. They use Dreaming to help. Then things start to go wrong, revolutionaries start causing problems and Kalypso Deed needs to try to put things right. So, what is Dreaming? I don't know. What did the revolutionaries want? Sorry, still don't know. And what actually happened in the end? Not much of an idea there, either, I'm afraid. Cyberpunk is not my thing and this is advertised as cyberpunk coming out of the dark. I'm afraid that it left me in it.

Drowned World (J. G. Ballard, 1962) is set in London after solar flares have melted the polar ice caps, flooding much of the planet and, with the increased heat, sending plant and animal life into a sort of devolution. Most of a scientific team leave London at the beginning of the novel, but three people stay behind. Soon they are joined by pirates who aim to loot London of any treasures left.

The main theme of the novel isn't one of action, but psychology, as Ballard explores how the regression of the planet and its flora affects the mind of the central character, in a way causing him to regress as well. Another of the SF Masterworks, I'm sure that this is an important novel in the history of science fiction, it just didn't do anything for me.

Finally, The Starchild Trilogy (Fred Pohl and Jack Williamson, 1980) is a compendium version of The Reefs of Space (1964), Starchild (1965) and Rogue Star (1969), although in a different order to those publication dates. The books depict a future where Mankind is subject to a totalitarian rule, the Plan of Man, where all decisions are made by the Planner and the Planning machine. Apart from that, there doesn't seem to be a great deal linking them - there are no crossover characters and there didn't appear, to me, to be an over-riding story. Of the three books, The Reefs of Space was the most interesting with the mystery surrounding its lead character keeping me engrossed. However, overall, this was a fairly turgid read, reminiscent of a lot of sixties future-of-mankind, SF. Again, for scholars of the history of science fiction, there is probably a lot to work with but, for a simple modern reader, this had little to keep me interested.

Wild Messiah, or Just Very Naughty Boys

Friday 15th August: After a brief sojourn as a solo music lover, followed by an appearance in the reserves, it was time for me to rejoin the rest of the first team for a trip to the Roman Bath.

Apparently, the Bath had been playing musical bands again and, in place of the Rory Gallagher tribute that at least some of us (those that could remember what was on Roj's listings email) were expecting, we were treated to Wild Messiah (and on MySpace), four fresh-faced young lads from, I believe, Barton-on-Humber.

As is general at the Bath, the band played mostly covers. This time it was mostly a mix of soft and power rock - the likes of Poison, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, ZZ Top and Kiss. On top of that, however, they covered U2, Neil Young, The Who, Michael Jackson (a pretty good version of Beat It. The original, of course, featured the likes of Steve Lukather and Eddie Van Halen so does fit with the rock theme) and Mika (a strange choice but Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) was introduced as the band's attempt at a gimmick song).

On stage the band seem to have a bit of an image problem, in that they can't quite decide what image they want to project. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Williams seemed to have based himself on Jon Bon Jovi while bass-player Martin Shepherd, with his chest bared to the audience, reminded me, for some reason, of John Frusciante (of the Chilli Peppers - answers on a postcard if you can explain why to me...). Lead guitarist Glen Brown exhibited some of the excesses of 70's glam rock, with his black and red striped trousers and (ahem!) red feather boa. I'm afraid I didn't get a good look at Brad Brown on drums.

Despite that, though, the set was impressive and, towards the end, the audience got involved in a bit of singing along and the requisite Dad-dancing (Grandad dancing, in at least one person's case). Williams is a good frontman, both in terms of his vocals and interaction with the audience. Glen's guitar playing was impressive and after a while he even seemed confident enough to smile a couple of times. The bass was perhaps a little high but the instrument itself was of the five-stringed variety (I've mentioned before - that must mean the player is pretty good). Again, while I like watching drummers, I find that I have very little to say about them (sorry Brad...)

The band had also sprinkled the set with a handful of their own songs and it was mainly during these that Williams picked up the rhythm guitar. Again, rock-based, none of these sounded out of place and they were available to purchase in shiny disk form at the gig. As usual, being a sucker for helping out new bands, I put my hand in my pocket and handed over the requisite fiver for seven tracks (actually, five tracks and two radio edits). So far, I've only had a chance to listen to the CD once, in the car, so it's perhaps a little unfair to put my thoughts down so soon. However, this is my last post for a couple of weeks, so I'm going to anyway. Unsurprisingly, the songs on the disk are soft/power rock, reminiscent of a cross between Bon Jovi and earlier American rock such as Boston and Reo Speedwagon. The five tracks are competent enough, if a little samey and the overall package is excellent for a small band - proper jewel case, nicely designed cover and interior and the CD itself is printed to look like a vinyl album. The one downside is that the sound seems to be a little flat and quiet - I had to turn it up to 15 to hear it properly in the car, when I normally listen to things at around 10 to 12.

Surrealy, the live set ended just after eleven o'clock, about half an hour earlier than the Bath's normal. Apparently, this is because of the distance the band had to travel home. Personally I think that, given the youthful nature of the band, it's just that they were out past their bedtime...

Good effort, lads. I, for one, hope to see you in York again soon.

Run Run Run Run Runaway

Friday 8th August: Well, wouldn't you know it? A big Hazzard County reunion and two thirds of the group aren't available. Instead, we have a rare appearance from Seldom-seen from Strensall and an even rarer appearance from my wife (with new camera), all on our first visit to the Duchess to see a band that we've seen and enjoyed before.

First up is Mike Newsham who we've also seen before, opening for the Yards at the Post Office Club. As last time, his vocals were a little indistinct (something I now put down to the microphone being too close to his mouth. No, seriously) but his guitar-playing was excellent. This performance was a little less energetic than last time, with less foot-stomping, and was a little short. Mike's a good opening act and his five or six songs were a good start to the evening.

Before I move on to the next act, a few words about the venue (if only because I haven't got to the bottom of the accompanying photo yet...) The Duchess is exactly what I was expecting and more. Spacious both in terms of the audience area and the stage, with an excellent sound system, it is exactly what York needs. With seating areas comprising of chill-out sofas and two bars, both selling hand-pulled beer (although still in plastic glasses), compared to Fibbers it's a palace amongst venues. We managed to catch a few words with joint owner Michelle, who explained that this is the tenth time she has been involved in opening a music venue and that, so far and despite its own special kind of problems, the Duchess is doing well.

Second on the bill was GT Turbo, another York-based solo guitarist but with a slightly different sound to Mr Newsham. This one is a more laid back Neil Young type sound, with much clearer lyrics than Newsham. For about half his act, GT was joined by a second guitarist (I missed his name) and, for one song, by Andy Gaines of the headline act and these guest artists produced a fuller, more rounded sound experience. Overall, however, GT didn't do a lot for me, which is a bit surprising as I generally don't have anything against this type of music. I put it down to just not being in the mood for more subtle music tonight.

In contrast the third act, The Federals, were loud and proud of it. Billed as "garage" they sounded more punk to me. All their songs were short, sharp and angry, like a punch to the stomach. The drums were played so loud it felt like CPR, the guitars so fast you could barely see their hands and the vocals so harsh that the lead-singer might as well have been screaming. I'm sure that, if you like that sort of music (and there were plenty there that did) that The Federals are good at what they do. It's not for me, however.


And so to the band we came to see, The Runaway Sons, featuring Jim Gipson. I've written about their history and mentioned how good they are in a previous post and it's good to see them now headlining a gig. Tonight's set was, as far as I could remember, very similar to the previous one but was a lot more polished. Gipson's voice was still brilliant with clear vocals and songs that I am beginning to recognise. Overall, the performance was, like Newsham's a little less energetic than the last time we saw them but that probably left more scope for intricate playing, rather than on-stage antics.

Since we last saw them, the Sons have recorded a six-track EP, which I picked up on the night, along with Gipson's solo EP (at the bargain price of £1). I've since listened to both and, I'm happy to say, they continue the high quality music. Both contain excellent sing-along rock songs, instantly recognisable from the live set.

To round off the night, we wandered down to the White Swan to catch the end of a gig by Dave and Simon of Hazzard County. Or maybe that should be ex of Hazzard County. After last weekend's posting, Chris Johnson contacted me to say that he hadn't left the Hazzards and that a more full version of them would be playing the Cock and Bottle tonight. Unfortunately, it was just too long a walk by the time we left the Duchess. Simon and Dave, with just acoustic guitars, played the sort of songs we associate with the Hazzards, with the competency that we associate with... Well, you get the idea.

So, my first visit to the Duchess, five bands for a fiver (three of which I definitely liked and one I would probably enjoy under different circumstances) and twelve recorded tracks purchased for just another fiver. Top night!

The Cat With No Hat Goes Out Alone

Friday 1st August: With apologies to Dr. Seuss...

It should not have been hard, with just two of us out.
It should have been easy, with problems of nowt.

We planned to go out in the City Centre throng.
But Friday was the 1st and the listings were wrong.

We came up with a plan, it went something like this.
We'd meet at the Punchbowl, to see Johnson, Chris.

According to some, he was starting at eight.
I think Roj was on time, but I was a bit late.

I asked about start times and was told half past nine.
I didn't know Roj had arrived, so that was fine.

I stood by the doorway, with a glass full of beer.
Keeping a watch out for my friend to appear.

After a while, the beer had gone.
Sightings of Roj, there had been none.

I stood for a while in the street looking round.
Still no sign of my friend had I found.

For a few minutes more, I waited alone.
Texting a mate for a number to phone.

I even phoned home to speak to the female.
So she could log on to check my email.

No further updates, so I headed down the path.
To check out Plan B, the band at the Bath.

When I got there of Roj there still was no sign.
The band didn't sound good, it was decision time.

I decided to give the Bath band a miss.
I went back to the Punchbowl to listen to Chris.

By now Roj's number had arrived on my phone.
So I sent him a text and found he'd gone home.

Turns out at both venues, each other we'd missed.
By minutes and we just weren't ready for this.

Although mine was with me, Roj was without phone.
He'd gone home disappointed and left me out alone.

Now, much as I'd like to continue in rhyme.
I'm afraid it has come to gig review time.

Chris Johnson. Formerly of Hazzard County. Formerly of Mostly Autumn. Currently with Fish. Tonight playing an acoustic set in what turns out to be the surprisingly intimate setting of the Punchbowl. Acts play in what is normally a dining area and, while it isn't exactly a separate room from the rest of the pub, the layout means that you can actually listen to the music without having to strain to hear over most of the chatterers.

Slipping forward slightly, to the interval, I overheard Chris telling someone who asked whether he was still playing with Fish that he was but that he was a bit sick of the rock music and wanted to do a bit more folky stuff. That comment goes a long way to explaining tonight's set. It seems that, rather than have a set list, Chris works from a list of songs he knows, playing whatever takes his fancy at the time. Tonight he played the likes of Bob Dylan, The Band (Up on Cripple Creek), John Prine (Grandpa was a carpenter) as well as a handful of traditional Irish tunes such as Irish Rover and Whisky in the Jar. His first song after the break was one of his own tunes which showed a surprising gentleness of playing, compared to the passion in both his vocals and guitar-playing when he is doing covers.

Being honest, being on my own, I had half-decided not to stay for the full set (particularly as it started nearer ten than nine-thirty). However, as time went on, I realised that I was enjoying the music enough to stay and, eventually, left when the music finished at nearly midnight.

There's something about Chris Johnson. For me, I think he was what was missing at the Hazzards gig we went to a couple of weeks ago. It's not that he is Hazzard County, it's more that Hazzard County sound better when he is with them. That's a personal opinion and one I know others don't agree with. Counterpointing that, however, is the impression he gives that he should be doing bigger and better things. There's no arguing that he is talented. The question is whether he should be using other bands in an apparent way of furthering his own musical career, leaving a trail of ex-bands and, occassionally, disappointed fans (of those bands) in his wake.