WANNA BUY SOME SNAKE OIL?

It's been a while since Neil had a song posted on the blog, but here is the latest, just in time for the US election.  Click HERE to listen.

What needs to be said? 

An antipodean response to the lunacy that is the Trump "campaign". 

Peter Reid on drums, 

Mick Nadin on harmonica, 

Kerry Hynes on vocal 

Neil Porter on vocal, bass, guitars and production 

Snake Oil 

©2016 Neil Porter 

Mean Mr Mustard 

Got his foot in the door 

I don’t understand 

What you opened it for 

Drop your guard 

And he’ll walk right in 

Oozing that snake oil 

On everything 

Chorus: 

Snake oil, snake oil 

Come and get your snake oil 

And you’ll stay alive 

Til a hundred and ten 

Snake oil, snake oil 

Buy my fine snake oil 

Gonna make you richer 

Than you’ve ever been 

Mass hypnosis 

Wild tirade 

He’s got all the skills 

Of the snake oil trade 

Big on slogans 

Small on hands 

Gonna make America 

Snake again 

Chorus

Money on the counter 

He’ll give us all a case 

Snake oil man 

In a snake oil race 

Drop your guard 

And he’ll walk right in 

Oozing that snake oil 

On everything 

Chorus

Gonna make you richer 

Gonna make you richer 

Gonna make you richer 

Than you’ve ever been 

Snake oil, snake oil 

Gonna make you richer 

Than you’ve ever been

KERRY HYNE'S SWEET DEBUT........'SUGAR'

'Round about August 2016 Kerry Hynes strolled into The Shed. We knew Kerry as one of the regular crowd who used to hang out at Figz Gigz at the fabled Cheeky Mango. 

Anyway, in she came, and before long was fronting up to a mic adding backing vocals to this and that. 

Next thing we knew she came in with some lyrics for a song she called Sugar. We added a pinch of blues, a spoonful of swing, and it started rising. Tasted pretty sweet. Mick added a dash of harp, Dawson threw in a dollop of the old Resonator, and we thought we pretty much had the ingredients ready to cook. As it happened, groovemaster Ken was lurking. You want swing ? 

We set a date for recording, and figured that we should have a crack at a totally live take. And that is pretty much exactly what happened..........a warm up, then one shot, two shots, and THIS is what came out - second time through. Sugar ? Sweet !! 

Well done Kerry ! Great debut. Welcome to the PBGB Family ma'am ! You nailed it. You can read a bit about Kerry's past musical exploits by clicking HERE

GRAHAM BROWN'S SHED DEBUT.......'FORGOT MY WORDS'

We got an email mid year.  'Twas from a fellow named Graham Brown who said he was a percussionist who had come across our website after talking with Neil, and was keen to drop into The Shed and see whether he might fit in.   

Well he did drop in, and he did fit in just fine. Been a regular ever since in fact. Got hisself and his percussion gear nicely set up over by the Shed door.   

Graham cottoned on to The Shed routine pretty smartly and before long arrived with his first attempt at a song. He had heard Gus call out "Forgot My Words" while Gus was leading us through one of his old tunes. Graham thought that might be the makings of a set of lyrics, so off he went.   

We had been messing about with the classic Bo Diddley feel for a while, and we thought that might work with Graham's lyrics.   Before long we had the lyrics and the feel stomping along together, and we were off !   HERE is what happened.    

So welcome to The Shed Graham, and thanks for the song.   

You can read more about how Graham came to be in The Shed by clicking HERE   

Graham wrote Forgot My Words, sings it, and plays percussion.   Steve Faggotter plays the guitar.   Mick Nadin blows his harp.   Neil Porter plays the bass and did the production work.   Pete plays the drums.     

Hope ya dig it !

DAWSON GRAHAM BOUNCES BACK WITH 'NEVER GIVE UP'

Dawson with Frankie

Dawson had only owned his much loved Ashton Resonator guitar for a week when it fell down and busted it's neck.

Dawson, a 'Never Give Up' kind of guy got to work with some stainless steel plates and bolts and patched up the Resonator - check the photo.

With a bunch of bolts through the Resonator's neck, Dawson gave it the nick-name 'Frankie'. Very droll Dawson !

Anyway, a few weeks back, Dawson was in The Shed plunking away at a new song he had written, called Never Give Up.

Ken's interest was piqued, and before long he was sitting at the kit laying down a New Orleans style second line drum pattern. That  seemed to fit the song very nicely indeed.

Next thing we knew Neil had his bass strapped on, and the three of them recorded THIS.


The whole song went from Dawson messing about with a new tune through to completion in less than an hour. Well, Dawson did dub some harmonies later, but essentially this one came together very smartly indeed.



The lyrics to Never Give Up are self explanatory.......................keep on keeping on, don't give up. It's a sweet tune, very reminiscent of early Afro-American spiritual / gospel music.

Dawson and Frankie work together beautifully, and Dawson's vocals are as soulful as ever.

Ken's drums provide a very tasty backing, as does Neil's laid back bass feel. Thanks guys !

Hope y'all dig it !!!

TONY GREEN DEBUTS ON MICK NADIN'S 'DESTINY'

Mick Nadin

Immediately after we posted Mick's song 'Bureaucracy' on the PBGB Blog back in March, Mick was stirring us into action with a fresh number he titled 'Destiny'. You can listen to Destiny by clicking the link.

Although the songs feature very different feels, both share a commonality - they are both very much 'protest songs'.

The issue in question in Bureaucracy is self explanatory. The issues Mick highlights in Destiny are those of the invasion of Australia by Britain, and the refusal, to this day, of the conquerors to treat Australia's first people with due respect. In particular, Mick writes of his feelings about the ownership of the land and our refusal to agree a fair treaty with Australia's Indigenous people.

Mick tells the story .................

"Destiny began taking shape in my head after I read stories about the Eureka stockade. Impressions of rampant injustices began festering in my mind. Misunderstandings between the Aboriginals and the white colonists really became clear to me later on, while I was on holiday in Cooktown. And then, at the 2016 Cobargo Folk Festival I was fortunate enough to come into contact with well known Aussie songwriter Neil Murray who inspired me to write some verses down. The next day I sat in on an open forum with Aboriginal Elders who reinforced ideas I had and led me to write further verses.  'Destiny' was born!"

We Shedders are not averse to robust discussion around issues politic. Indeed a trawl through our earlier musical offerings will uncover many a song borne of dismay about how our world fails to function in ways we might prefer.

Tony Green

So yea, we're right with you on this one Mick.  Let's treaty !

Destiny marks the welcome PBGB Blog debut of Tony Green, who plays bass on the song.

Tony came out of the blue a couple of months back. He got in touch saying he had spotted the PBGB Blog and liked what he saw and heard. He asked if he might stick his head in one day and check it out. " Well sure Tony, come on down " !

Tony plays bass and guitar and is not averse to having  a sing. He is now a regular visitor to The Shed. Indeed, by featuring on a song posted on the PBGB Blog, Tony earns his stripes as a bona-fide member of the PBGB Family, not to mention collecting  a PBGB Tee Shirt.

Welcome to the Family Tony !!


You can read all about Tony's previous musical exploits by clicking HERE.

Mick wrote the song, sang it, and played the harp.
Steve Faggotter contributed the guitar licks
Tony Green debuted on bass
Pete did the drum stuff
Neil did the production work

And yes, the prolific Mick is already well underway with his next song..............watch this space !

IF ONLY......................

In the late 1940s / early 50s, a creative storm centred around Chicago Blues stalwarts including Willie Dixon, Elmore James and Howlin' Wolf emerged. Their music featured electric guitars, dance beats, and no shortage of suggestive 'Jive Talk'. 

'Jump' music was made popular in the 1940s by jazz and rhythm and blues bands doing their darndest to make their audiences stomp and holler. Better known exponents include Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton and T-Bone Walker. 

Rhumba is a genre of ballroom and dance music that appeared across the East Coast of the US during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms. 

Separating musical styles is an impossible task. All music is a gumbo of different styles. But one thing you can bet your sweet bootie on is that Chicago Blues, Jump beats and Afro Cuban rhythms were being combined into hot dance floor shakers in smoky night clubs all over the US around the middle of the last century. 

Good enough for Howlin' Wolf, good enough for The Shed. 

So we thought we'd have a crack at it. The result is a little ditty we call 'If Only'.   Click on the title to have a listen. 

Hope y'all enjoy it ! 

Pete wrote it, sang it, and played the drums 

Steve Faggotter played the guitar and did the nasty solo

Gus Washbourne played the guitar 

Mick Nadin blew the harp 

Neil Porter played the bass and did the production work

TAM HUU NGUYEN PAYS A VISIT TO THE PBGB SHED

In April 2016 Clare Biilmann, a long time friend of The Shed, popped in for a chat. We met Clare way back around 2009.......somehow Clare had gotten the word that there was music being made in The Shed, and her curiosity was piqued. 

You see Clare is mother to Jack and Joe Biilmann. Back then both were youngsters with burning ambitions to play music. Well we invited Jack into The Shed and recorded him playing John Butler's 'Ocean', which you can listen to by visiting the PBGB Vault. That version of 'Ocean' was the first recording Jack ever made. Jack and Neil subsequently worked together to record and produce Jack's first cd. 

Jack has gone on to bigger and better things of course, but we remain proud to have helped Jack get his career off the ground. 

Anyway, as we said above, Clare dropped in around April. She told us she had been on a holiday in Vietnam and had struck up a friendship with a musician named Tam. Clare told us Tam was a fine guitarist / vocalist who was about to visit Pambula Beach. 

"Perhaps you'd like to meet Tam " Well, yes, perhaps we would........... thanks Clare, great idea, bring him on down. 

Fast forward to May 2016, and sure enough Tam is in The Shed playing music with us. We had a great afternoon. Thoroughly enjoyed meeting Tam and playing some songs together. It was very clear that Tam is a talented man. So before long we had Tam perched on a stool with a guitar in hand, fronting a microphone. 

We recorded Tam playing two songs. The first is titled "bài hát đầu tiên của Tam".   The second is titled "bài hát thứ hai của Tam". We hope you enjoy both songs. 

We certainly do. It was great to meet Tam and it is our pleasure to add Tam to the increasing number of international musicians we have hosted in The PBGB Shed. 

Tam, whose full name is Tam Huu Nguyen, lives in the town of Hoi An, in Quang Nam province, Vietnam. Tam runs a live music cafe / bar in Hoi An called 'Guitar Hawaii'. We could tell you all about Tam's Bar, but why don't you just click HERE and visit the website. 

Guitar Hawaii looks great to us. Maybe in part because it reminds us of The Shed.................instruments everywhere, leads all over the place and what is clearly an open door policy which encourages visitors to jump up and perform. The website also provides an insight into Tam's life as a musician. 

We'll let you know what comes of Tam's invitation to take PBGB on tour to Guitar Hawaii !!!

Tam....................welcome to the PBGB Family sir. It was our pleasure to host your visit to The Shed and listen to your beautiful music. We are delighted to now be friends and we look forward to seeing you again, either in The Shed or at Guitar Hawaii !!

STEVE ENGLAND'S ODE TO GRAEME NELSON - 'GONE TOO SOON'.

Graeme Nelson

In late 2015, regular Shedder Steve Faggotter brought his long time friend Steve England into The Shed.   

Steve England, who hails from the Blue Mountains, began strumming away on a song he wrote called 'Gone Too Soon'. 

We liked what we heard and asked Steve what the song was about. He told us it was a tribute to his close friend Graeme Nelson, who was killed in a skiing accident at Mt. Feathertop ( Victoria ) in August 2011.   Graeme was a well regarded GP who served the Pambula and Eden communities for many years.  He had many good friends in the local medical, surfing and High Country skiing communities. 

Steve and Graeme shared many Australian and international ski trips over a fifteen year period before Graeme's untimely passing.   Steve wrote Gone Too Soon in the weeks following Graeme’s accident, in an attempt to come to terms with his loss.   

Steve England

When we heard all this, we realised that Neil knew the Nelson family through his work as a school counsellor, that Mick knew Graeme through his work as a paramedic, and had shared many a wave with Graeme.     

It was obvious that we ought to have a crack at recording Steve's song. So we did.   Click on Gone Too Soon to listen to Steve's poignant song about a good friend gone too soon.   

Steve wrote the song, sang it, and played acoustic guitar. Mick Nadin played the harp. Neil Porter played bass and did the lion's share of the production work Pete played the drums   

Sad though the story behind Gone Too Soon is, we are very happy to have made friends with Steve, and we look forward to his return to The Shed.   Welcome to the PBGB Family Steve !

DAWSON GRAHAM – TORE ME UP

.

Not so long ago, Dawson strolled into The Shed and commenced crooning a freshly penned ballad. Our ears pricked up. 

We decided this was a song worthy of our best efforts. 

We pulled the tempo waaay down and found a sleeky groove for the bass and drums. 

Neil added some deliciously sparse rhythm guitar licks. 

We put all that together with Dawson’s haunting vocals and decided that all we needed to finish it off was a dash of the old B3. 

In a typical serendipitous Shed scenario, next time we opened The Shed door who should be standing there but our old mate John Drews. And lo and behold, he had his Hammond B3 - the full "piece of furniture" kit with leslie speaker! - with him (as you do).  Well, come on in John!  Have we got a spot for you sir ! 

John wheeled in The Hammond. Neil shoved a mic. in front of the Leslie. In no time flat John had nailed it. Job done. 

We are thrilled with the result. 

Have a listen to Dawson’s Tore Me Up and see if you agree that this ranks amongst the best of The Shed’s productions to date. 

And welcome back John – great to have you in The Shed again. Your Hammond work is the perfect icing on the cake ! 

Dawson wrote the song and sang his torn up heart out. 

Neil played the bass and added the rhythm guitar licks. Also did all the recording and superb production work. 

John Drews played Hammond B3. 

Pete played the drums.

PBGB T SIGHTINGS # 737 – WOMADELAIDE 2016 WITH ESTER RADA BAND

Pete and Penny recently jetted over to Adelaide for Womadelaide 2016. It’s a brilliant event that had been on Pete’s Bucket List for ages. Do yourself a favour and get along, you will not be disappointed !! 

One of the groups that really tore the place up was Ester Rada’s band. All the way from Israel, with their brand of Ethiopian Jazz, Funk, Soul, and R & B, they cooked ! Look them up, read about them, and hear them on the Womadelaide 2016 website. 

Anyway, day after the Festival, Pete and Penny were waiting in the departure lounge for a flight to Melbourne. The lounge started to fill with what were obviously musos from the Festival. Check the photo below......... 

World musos everywhere ! All on their way to WOMAD New Zealand. ‘Plane was full of ‘em!  Pete recognised Ester, happened to be wearing his PBGB Tee, and thought “Hmmm, here’s an op for a PBGB T sighting” Ester and the band, good sports, were happy to oblige. 

Thanks gang !!