Hazzard County–Fulford Arms, 01/12/12

The problem with the Fulford Arms is that it’s the wrong side of town for me to get to. I don’t mind cycling in Summer but the five mile ride home doesn’t appeal to me in Winter. There’s no direct bus route so, if I want to see a gig there, it’s not as easy as heading into the city centre, especially if I want to sample some of the fine real ales. I guess that shows the pull of Hazzard County as I bought a ticket for tonight’s gig before thinking about how I was going to get there. Or, more accurately, how I was going to get home. Eventually, my plan was to get a lift to the pub, then leave just before 11PM, giving me enough time to walk back into town and get the last bus home.

The Hazzards used to perform pretty much every Friday night (for something like fourteen years – that’s some residency) at The White Swan and we often headed off their after other gigs to see them play. When the individual members started to get too busy, the band ceased to be a regular live act and now get together occasionally, usually for charity. Tonight it was to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.

When we arrived there was a brief moment of panic as the landlady (I think) went inside to check that our tickets – in fact a hand-written receipt saying we had paid because, when Andy went to buy them, the girl behind the bar didn’t know where the actual tickets were being kept – were valid. Eventually we were allowed in and found the place packed and a familiar-looking support band already playing.

Stout Boots are a new band comprising of ex-Hazzards Chris Johnson (guitar and vocals), “country” Jon Benton (guitar and vocals) and Paddy Berry (double bass) along with ex-Mostly Autumn Angela Gordon (various wind instruments, accordion and vocals). There was an Irish feel to much of their set of covers, with Whisky In The Jar, The Belle Of Belfast City, Sally MacLennane, Irish Rover and a few jigs thrown in for good measure. In fact, from memory the only track without an Irish connection was the American Civil War song Johnny Comes Marching Home, for which they were joined on stage by Chris Farrell (The Yards) who played a tiny mandolin. As you can probably guess from the set-list, this was an energetic performance and it featured some very nice vocal harmonies. A nice warm-up for the main event.

As Hazzard County took to the stage, we found ourselves much closer to the front of the audience, where it was a little easier to breathe (and a little harder to get to the bar). There were a few familiar faces from the White Swan days dotted around the crowd and ticket money alone, without the various other money-raising ideas – pay for a song dedication, buy a drink for somebody not here, band-baked cakes, collection buckets, band-made chilli – must have made a good amount for the charity.

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Tonight was billed as the first time that all the various members of Hazzard County had been in the same room together. Unfortunately, Dave Keegan had come down with ‘flu, so was represented on stage by a balloon (which got popped at sometime during the evening, something I don’t remember ever happening to Dave). Nevertheless, being a relative newcomer to the band, there was a couple of members I didn’t recognise and one that even Andy didn’t know. (Andy tracked him down later to find that he was the original bass-player.)  Even Simon Snaize confused me for a while as he seems to have lost a bit of weight and, dare I say it, smartened up a bit tonight. Even with the larger-than-normal number of members (although not everybody played or was on stage at the same time until the last couple of songs) there was still room for a couple of guest spots from Chris Farrell as the evening went on. There was much instrument-swapping throughout the set as the band played a foot-tapping, sing-along bunch of old favourites – Cocaine, Crickle Creek, Rock Me Mama, Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness (the first song ever played by the band), Passionate Kisses, California Stars, Folsom Prison Blues, Rhinestone Cowboy and a whole host more (nearly thirty in total), including some that I didn’t recognise.

The Band has always been an influence on this band and Levon Helm’s death from cancer earlier this year gave added resonance to tonight’s event, as did the passing of one band member’s mother from the same cause. That’s not to say that this was a sombre affair, though. Far from it, I don’t think the Hazzards could do sombre if they tried. There always seem to be covers just out of the left field as well, whether it’s a countrified Sweet Child Of Mine without the iconic opening, a nifty segue into Just My Imagination or a Black Sabbath riff accompanying Take A Load Off Annie, you never quite know what’s going to happen. Sadly, there was no sign of the superb version of Dear Prudence that I have still only heard the once. You are pretty much guaranteed a fun evening, though. And dancing, there’s usually dancing of some sort. Hazzard County are three years off their twentieth anniversary and I hope that their plan of getting together like this on a yearly basis comes to fruition.

And my plan for getting home? Well, who was I kidding? It was well after midnight when the gig ended and I finally left the pub, having paid a near year-old debt to Simon. I did walk back into town, but it was a taxi that took me home, not a bus. 

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A Final Hazzard

Thursday 16th December: Given the time span between attending the gig and actually getting around to blogging about it, together with my sometimes over-reliance on memory (rather than taking notes), this will be a somewhat sparser entry than usual.

I had thought that I had seen my last gig of 2010 but then discovered that two of my favourite local acts, along with one I hadn't seen before, were performing at the Basement tonight (or, rather, a month ago) so, with the other guys unavailable, I set out for one last solo attendance before the end of the year.

Sadly, shortly before the start of the evening, GT Turbo let the other acts know that he was no longer going to make it. Shame as regular readers will know that I'm a big fan.

I had never seem Sam Forrest before tonight but I had heard good things about his work with Nine Black Alps and knew that he was producer on my favourite album of 2010 (Boss Caine's The Ship That Sailed - if you haven't bought it already, why not???) Unusually for a man and guitar act Sam plays electric guitar but there was something different about how he was playing it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The best way I could describe it would be that he played it as if it were acoustic. It was a low-key performance with little audience interaction and if I heard any song titles, I have since forgotten them. Somehow, Sam's voice didn't quite fit his playing, which detracted a little from the performance for me. That's not to say it was a bad performance, though, just that it wasn't what I was used to. It was a short set, but it was good enough to tempt me to buy a copy of Sam's latest album, No Imagination, which I have had a chance to listen to and, as I mentioned in my CD roundup, ended up bubbling just outside my top five of the year.

Hazzard County don't get together as often as they used to (which, to be fair, was weekly for quite a long time) but are always worth watching. Tonight, Dave, Simon, Chris and the one whose name I can never remember were joined by Sam Forrest, who played bass while the rest of them rotated around the remaining instruments and vocals, playing the usual mix of country rock songs. As usual the set included a number of songs I recognised but couldn't remember who originally performed them. Occasionally, the band helped out by introducing songs by the likes of Texas Tornados, J.J. Cale and Ryan Adams. They also performed Chris's own Luckiest Man Alive and favourites of mine such as Rock Me Mama, Crickle Creek and The Weight. (The last two originally by The Band.) As usual, it was a foot-stomping, sing-along performance of great songs and excellent musicianship and another entertaining evening. Sadly, chatting with Simon after the gig, it seems that this this could be the last reunion for quite some time as all the current members are busy with other projects.

A Marathon Music Session

Friday 12th March: I was expecting very little to be original about tonight, as the four of us met up at the Basement Bar. I thought we had already seen the acts on show and one of them was solely a covers band. However, it was another charity night, a rare chance to see an old favourite and, for me at least, a fast-becoming favourite. But there was to be a couple of surprises, the first of which was the opening act, which I hadn't seen advertised anywhere let alone come across before.

Steve Kendra is another in the long line of local guys with guitars (and, in this case, a nifty hat). There was way too much talking going on as Steve took to the stage and I'm ashamed to say that some of it was from our little group, so it was a little difficult to hear his songs properly. But with songs about an older Elvis meeting a younger version of himself and about Kendra's own Dad working at Terry's chocolate factory, at least there was a touch of originality lyric-wise. the overriding impression, for some reason, was of a musical version of Ian McMillan (the Bard of Barnsley) and while, on past evidence, it may be unlikely that our paths cross again very soon, I wouldn't be averse to seeing him play again, if only to get the opportunity to listen more closely and give a more informed review.

It's only been a handful of weeks since I last saw Boss Caine, so I thought I knew what to expect, especially as an album is due imminently and songs from it had already been posted on his Facebook page. Tonight's second surprise was that Mr Lucas wasn't performing solo - not the firstime, just the first time that I had encountered it. Joined, at various times, by Andy Gaines, Paddy Berry, Dave Keegan and Chris Johnson, Boss Caine performed familiar songs in a slightly unfamiliar way. "Slightly" only because the album tracks posted to his page are the "full band" versions and so I had heard at least a version of them before, just not live.

The extra instruments give a fuller sound to the songs, without detracting from the Boss's rich, deep voice. (A voice which, in all honesty, is better at singing the songs than introducing them - we struggled to hear what he was saying between songs although, again, that could have been partly due to the ambient noise level.) I don't know whether all the songs performed were from the album, but I'm fairly sure that all of the four mentioned above were played, including Leaving Victoria, one of my favourites. My appetite for the album was whetted even more than before.

We used to see Hazzard County regularly at the White Swan. Then the landlord changed, the pub was done up and the Hazzards seemed to go their separate ways, getting together for much less infrequent gigs. Tonight was one of those events as Dave, Paddy, Simon, Chris and John headlined the gig which was set up to raise money for Shelter, the charity being supported by John's wife as she runs the London Marathon. The music on offer as well as such a worthwhile charity (and the fact that I have very little chance of ever completing a marathon) made this £5 very well spent.

The Hazzards spent the evening playing the usual mix of songs by the likes of The Band, Dylan, Johnny Cash and more, including a fair few that I didn't recognise from previous times we had seen them. Throughout the evening, every swapped and changed instruments numerous times, with four of the band changing between various guitars, drums and tambourine, while Paddy swapped between bass and double-bass and Chris sometimes adding keyboards (I don't remember ever seeing keyboards at a Hazzards gig before) and everybody except Paddy taking at turn at lead and backing vocals.

The songs were lively, as was the audience, many of whom were at least semi-regulars at the Swan (and at least two regulars failed to get in to what was a very crowded and very warm Basement). The music was up to the band's usual high standards and they all appeared to enjoy playing together again. Sadly, from one posting I have seen, this is likely to be their only gig of the year and, shortly after the house lights were flickered (presumably to indicate time to stop playing) and ignored, I had to leave. I understand that the music continued until after midnight and I would expect it finished with something special and, probably, even more lively. Part of me wishes that tonight's gig took place later in the year, when I wouldn't be relying on public transport to get me home.

I don't know whether a final total was announced but I understand that, through entry money and bucket collections, over £600 had been raised by 9pm. Well done to all and good luck to Jayne for the marathon.

Could The Hazzards Be Hazardous To My Health?

Friday 18th July: Have you noticed the increasing use, in TV shows, of starting by showing the viewers what is happening "now" and then showing what led up to now, before showing the resolution?

It's about 01:30 on Saturday morning and I'm sheltering outside a hairdressers shop just at the edge of York's city centre. It's raining so hard that the rain is bouncing back up off the roads and pavements. Lightning lights up the sky at frequent intervals, always followed by ominous rumbles of thunder. To paraphrase Del Amitri, pretty much every car I see is a cab. I'm about four miles from home. I have my bike with me and I'm dressed in jeans, with just a baseball cap to keep the rain off my head...

About thirty-six hours earlier I had felt the usual slight tingle of excitement as Roj's weekly "what's on" email dropped into my in-box. A quick scan brought the first disappointment - with Roj otherwise engaged on Saturday, it was unlikely that anybody would be going to the Roman Bath to see Freeway. Oh well, what's happening on Friday? Hmmm, most of the usual haunts had covers bands on. I'd been out two weeks running so maybe I'd give this week a miss.

A couple of hours later, a check of The Duchess's website reveals that the independent tribunal had ruled in their favour over Barfly's objections to them opening, so all systems are now GO for York's newest venue. Well done, Tim and Michelle. Unfortunately, that doesn't really change anything as nothing was booked for Friday evening. Still looks as though I'm stopping in this week. Anyway, I send an email round the gang advising them of the result.

Arriving at work on Friday morning I find replies to said email from Roj and our seldom-seen Strensall contingent, asking who is interested in a few upcoming gigs at The Duchess. I plump for three - it looks as though I'll be seeing the new venue soon, even if I'm not venturing out this weekend.

Lunchtime and a quick chat with another gig-going colleague reveals that a) he wasn't aware of The Duchess's news (I feel a bit important, having to relay it once again) and b) there is a rumour that Hazzard County are playing the Old White Swan this evening. Hang on, I quite like them (or, at least, versions of them). This could be an opportunity to see another band live after seeing their farewell "tour". The first was Status Quo, in case you are interested. I send another email and the group's plan changes from "Head to Roman Bath to see how good the covers band is" to "Head to Old White Swan to see if the Hazzards are playing, if not head to Roman Bath." You get the picture.

Wanting to take away some of the uncertainty, I decide to ring the White Swan to see if they can tell me who is playing there tonight. They can and do and it is confirmed that the Hazzards are back (despite other listings stating that one of their number is playing a different venue on the same night...) My mind is made up - given that the plan is to see the Hazzards, I'll turn up. After all, I definitely won't be out next week. Probably...

Nine o'clock and I'm the first to arrive at the Swan. The weather didn't look threatening, so I've cycled in. After all, the bus fare is the price of a pint. Speaking of which, the Swan now has a larger choice of real ales. I decide to try a pint of Hazey Days, a pale-coloured, summery, wheat beer. It's very drinkable and I stay with it all night. (The drink not the same pint...)

The Hazzards now play in a different, smaller bar and the crowd was a bit smaller than when they used to play the pub before. It was quite a warm night, so the doors were open, meaning that people wandered in to see what was going on, but they didn't seem to generate the same sized core audience. We were joined by Elena, a Russian (who was a frequent Hazzard-goer in the old location), and her Norwegian friend (over here on holiday with his family). What an international bunch we are.

As to the gig, I'd like to say that it was like finding a favourite old jumper at the bottom of a drawer just as the cold weather starts. I expected to be wrapped in the "comfort" of a band who always played well and were always enjoyable. Unfortunately, that jumper has gone slightly baggy over time and doesn't quite fit anymore. It's not that they were bad. If they were we would have moved on. It's just that this cut-down version (Simon, John and Dave switching between lead guitar, rhythm guitar and (singular) drum and the bass-player (I didn't catch his name) standing in the background), played without some of the toe-tapping, foot-stomping gusto that I was used to. They were good, just not as good as they had been. The set was mostly new stuff to me - rock/country hybrids mainly, with a bit of bluegrass - and it was nice to hear unfamiliar songs. Hopefully, the previous high standards will be back soon.

Anyway, we stayed to the end. Longer, in fact, as we chatted long after the band had finished. As we left the pub, I realised that the non-threatening weather had been a con, lulling me into a false sense of security and that my fare-saving, fitness-inducing bike-ride into town may have been a mistake. I said goodbye to the rest of the group and headed for where I had left my bike...

Now. The rains seems to be easing up a bit. Common sense tells me that waiting for it to stop completely is a waste of time. I decide to take the plunge (almost literally). So I start the twenty-minute journey home. It's still pouring down and very soon my jeans are wet and heavy, my baseball cap and socks are soaked through and my jacket is threatening to start leaking. I arrive home just before two o'clock and shed various bits of wet clothing in the kitchen, leaving them in the sink and on the draining board. Making my way to bed, I wonder whether I'll wake up with the 'flu. If I do, it will be the Hazzard's fault. If they weren't playing I would have stopped at home.

Epilogue - it's seven-thirty on Saturday morning. I have been in bed just five and a half hours when Debbie wakes me up to ask why there is a wet pair of socks and a towel on the bathroom floor...

Emotionless Fibbers, Emotional Swan

Friday 23rd November: Another trip to Fibbers was on the cards (Friday nights out are getting more and more regular, just like these postings.

First on was Ishtar - all the guys except me had seen them before and knew what to expect. For about thirty minutes, the four guitarists and one drummer played either one tune (there's no singing) or, possibly, three tunes which segued into each other perfectly. Apart from the drummer, there is little movement on stage and very little emotion shown. Very good, though.

Second was The Falling Spikes. Competent if uninspiring music but the vocals were fairly dull. The singer was constantly leaning down to reach the mike - either he didn't realise that the stand was adjustable or he was trying for some sort of reverse-Lemmy effect - and had an expression that was halfway between angst-ridden and about-to-burst-into-tears. Of the five songs, three sounded the same and only the last one revived quite a dull set.

Finally, an L.A. band called The Warlocks. I had listened to snippets of their music on myspace during the day and was looking forward to seeing them live. Their profile said they were an octet with two drum kits - how were they going to fit on Fibbers' stage?? From my vantage point, I could see the two drums kits but only five musicians, including the female bass player who, like Ishtar, appeared completely devoid of emotion. For some reason, the sound man had cranked the volume about to about 12, resulting in a bit of early feedback and some quite unnerving bass vibrations. Trouble is that we didn't know whether they were supposed to sound like that. After all, unless the sound man had gone home or was totally deaf, he didn't seem to think there was much wrong. Anyway, while the music sounded like it could have been good, the vocals were totally inaudible. I would like to hear more, though, so may seek out one of their CDs.

After that it was on to the Swan for what could be a duet of farewells. Tom, the landlord, was moving on and the full Hazzard County (except for Chris) were playing what, apparently, had been advertised as their last gig. To celebrate, it appeared that Tom had given the regular staff the night off and that everybody who had ever been a member of the Hazzards (except for Chris) got a stint in front of the mike or playing some sort of instrument. It got to the point where a scorecard was needed to work out who had played what with, at one point towards the end, Tom (the landlord, not the drummer) having a go at the drums. While it looked a bit chaotic at times, it was a cracking performance overall and, due to me getting a lift in, one I was able to see right to the end. There were emotional speeches from Tom and lots of applause when he announced that, if he managed to find another pub in town, he would continue to book live music. We were finally kicked out of the pub after 1 o'clock this morning.

If that was the Hazzard's last gig, it's a damned shame - the more I heard of them, the more I liked them. And, how many other bands have been together, even with changes of line-up, for something like thirteen years. Strangely enough, though, there was no farewell from them.

An Ill-Fitting Tribute?

Friday 9th November: My wife was having a Body Shop party at our house tonight so I had known for some time that I would have to vacate the premises. My choices? Go to the pub, on my own, to watch Leeds United play their first ever match in the first round of the F.A. Cup; Mostly Autumn, live at the Grand Opera House, again on my own; Whole Lotta Led at Fibbers, with friends.

In the past I had expressed disdain (bordering on contempt) for tribute bands. If they are that talented, why limit themselves to playing one group's songs. To me, it smacks slightly of laziness. However, because a) I didn't fancy standing on my own in pub watching what could have turned out to be one of LUFC's biggest embarrassments and b) wanted to avoid being in close contact with Mostly Autumn CDs (because they are all on my Christmas list...) I decided to head to Fibbers.

Sort of a bad choice, really. The vocalist was obviously having problems with the sound (apparently he couldn't hear himself. At times I though that was probably a blessing...) and, overall, I thought the performance was a bit nondescript. They certainly weren't as good as I had been led (no pun intended) to believe. Being completely honest, the two best bits of the whole show were when the musicians were probably being themselves. The instrumental section of No Quarter rocked and, while I have only heard two version of what is my third favourite Led Zeppelin song, it sounded nothing like either. After a rather bland version of Stairway to Heaven, the band kicked into Moby Dick, featuring an absolutely brilliant drum solo. Again, I don't think it was supposed to be a copy of any particular Bonham solo and I have no idea whether it was technically good. What it was, to this totally non-musical music fan, was truly impressive - I don't think I could move my arms continually for the length of time that this drummer did, let alone keep to the many rhythms he used. I like to watch drummers but, unfortunately, couldn't see much of this one from where I was standing.

At the end of the show we wandered round to the Swan to see Hazzard County. Before anybody points out that they are also a covers band, they cover lots of artists and are, therefore, not a tribute band. We arrived just in time for the first set to end and wondered for a few minutes where Chris was, before realising that he was probably playing keyboards round at the Grand Opera House. The second set proved that they were as good as ever and that they were almost totally ignoring the play-list on the floor. Thankfully, we had taken our usual position just in front of the band so, when Tom started his staccato drumming for Who Do You Love, I was able to watch him in full flow.

So, a night of two halves, really.

Oh, yeah - Leeds were held to a nil-nil draw away at Hereford.