SALUTE KEVIN ABBEY - FOUR YEARS ON AND SADLY MISSED

Kevin, with John 'Hawkeye' Hawkes on bass,
belts one out at Kev's birthday bash
 at The Grange, South Pambula

Back in the early days of The PBGB Shed, as early as 2007, Kevin was one of our very favourite visitors. He was arguably PBGB's first 'A' list guest player. 

Kevin used to motor down from Canberra for a day or three and we would bunker in and play music day and night. And give the beer fridge a solid nudge, just for good measure.

You see Kevin was an excellent vocalist, an absolutely in the pocket bass player, a first class rhythm and lead guitarist, and a hot harp player to boot. A very useful cat indeed !

Kev made annual pilgrimages to The Shed, often accompanied by Colin Enright, a long time mate, right up until 2015. You can listen to some of the songs Kevin recorded with us by clicking on THIS.

But in February 2016 came the terrible news that Kev had been killed in a motorcycle accident. That accident also caused serious injuries to Kev's partner Sophie. We were devastated. We've missed Kev ever since. RIP Kev !

To mark February 26, 2016, four years on, we have pulled out a previously un-posted recording which features Kevin pulling off a triple stint..........vocals, lead guitar and harp. 'She's Tuff' provides a perfect platform for Kev to strut his stuff. Listen to him rip by clicking HERE

We hope this brings back fond memories for Kev's family and friends.

'She's Tuff', written by Jerry McCain, was featured on the Fabulous Thunderbirds 1979 album  "Girls Go Wild'.

On this version, which we recorded in 2013,

Kevin Abbey sang, played lead guitar and harp

Colin Enright played rhythm guitar

Kevin Breeze played bass, and

Pete played drums.

We hope y'all like it. We think of it as a good representation of Kev's musical prowess.

BRETT RALPH, THE TRUE TROUBADOUR OF EDEN, CRIES FOR THE COMMUNITY AS THE TERRIBLE 2019 / 2020 BUSHFIRE TRAGEDY RAGES ON.

People the world over have been stunned and shocked by the ferocity, sheer size and power of the fires that recently swept through East Gippsland as they marched North across the Victorian border into Southern New South Wales, and right up to the doorstep of the town of Eden.

Amazingly, Eden township survived. Unfortunately many neighbouring communities, most notably Mallacoota, were not so lucky.

Our hearts go out to everybody who has been affected by the fires.

Our own community of Pambula Beach, along with Pambula Village, dodged the fiery bullet - this time.

It's not over. A spark in the wrong place, a lightning strike, a change of winds and temperature is all it will take to very quickly turn the terror and trauma back in our direction.

Brett Ralph is an amazing character. He is a gifted artist, a fantastic songwriter, and a spirited performer. He suffers for his art. He loves his home town of Eden and genuinely feels pain when the town takes a hit. Brett has written and sung songs about Eden for decades.

It came as no surprise to us that Brett, in the immediate aftermath of the narrow survival of his beloved home town, penned a song about the fiery holocaust that came so close to razing Eden to ash.

Brett brought his new song to the PBGB Shed yesterday, hoping to record it and get it out to the local community radio stations, in the hope they will play it in support of all those who are suffering.

You can hear Brett's tribute - 'So Good To See You' , by clicking HERE

Brett rambled into The Shed, plugged in his guitar, and sang this in one take. In an effort to get the song out there as quickly as possible, we decided that it is the message that counts and that we wouldn't fuss over fiddly details. What you hear is what came out, as is.

As it happened Manny Aigner was in The Shed at the time, and he sat to the side with his guitar, adding licks totally off the cuff. This was the first time Manny had heard the song - he made up and played his accompaniment on the spot.

Raw, compelling, from the heart, straight out of the box.

Thanks Brett. We hope your heartfelt song resonates with our neighbouring communities.

And welcome back to The PBGB Shed Brett. Followers of PBGB will remember a period back in 2013 / 14 when Brett was a regular in The Shed. Listen to some of the songs we recorded with Brett back then by clicking on Brett's Special Project Page on the right of your screen.

We didn't see Brett for a while. He popped up again recently, full of enthusiasm, and we were very pleased to have him back. He marked his return by accompanying Artie Westwood on Backing Vocals on Artie's 'Fields Of Hay' which is featured in the article directly below.

We look forward to hearing more of Brett's songs very soon. Might even do a 'band' version of So Good To See You.

Stay tuned !

ARTIE WESTWOOD RETURNS TO THE PBGB FOLD WITH 'FIELDS OF HAY'

Artie, songwriter / vocalist / guitarist has been spilling his musical seeds all over the New South Wales far South Coast for over twenty years. 

Born in England, Artie migrated to Australia when he was five. His musical life kicked up big time when, at age 10,  he scored a role in Melbourne's His Majesty's Theatre production of Lionel Bart's smash hit musical 'Oliver'.

Artie moved to Wyndham, just a half hour from Pambula Beach, at age 32.

He established the local legends 'Lounge Lizards' outfit with whom he continued to perform over the years whilst also playing with  'The Chevys' rock band,  the 'Southerly Buster Band' and 'Black Velvet'.

In 2013, Artie wandered into the PBGB Shed. On that day we were recording Brett Ralph's 'How Do Thousands?'.  Artie strapped on his guitar and peeled off the lead guitar break that you can hear by clicking on Brett's Project on the right of your screen.

That was the last we heard of Artie until October 2019 when he once again appeared in The Shed and introduced us to his song 'Fields Of Hay'. We loved it, and immediately started to play along.  Artie has had Fields Of Hay in his repertoire for some years, so was able to launch into it with full confidence, with the rest of us doing our best to keep up.

As it happened, it all came together pretty smartly, and by the end of the day we had it  down. The only add ons came in the form of Brett's backing vocals which we recorded the following week.

Have a listen..............click HERE

We are very pleased, make that VERY pleased, with the result !  It's a boomer Artie !

The song has a strong Aussie vibe about it..........the lyrics, and Artie's vocals place it squarely in the realm of great Aussie songs.

So, Artie, thank you sir for bringing us your song and having us support you on this version.

Welcome back to The Shed mate................keep those songs coming sir !!

Artie tells us he is keen to spend more time in The Shed, so, watch this space for more Artieisms !!

On 'Fields Of Hay'...................

Artie Westwood (Writer) sang the lead vocal and played acoustic Guitar

Brett Ralph  played the lead ( acoustic ) Guitar and sang the backing vocals

Mick Nadin played Harp

Neil Porter played Bass and B3, and did all the production work

Pete played Drums

Great work thanks team !!!

AL NOBLE DANCES WITH THE DEAD IN HIS "WALKING DEAD WALTZ"

Followers of the PBGB Blog will have read in earlier postings that Al has had a tough time of it over the past couple of years. First off the family was dealt a severe blow by the Tathra bushfires in March 2018. As Al and the family struggled to deal with that, Al was diagnosed with cancer. Not fair !!! Al has put up a mighty fight and is over the humps and hopefully on the home stretch now, confident that he can beat it. Thumbs up Al !!

It's been a tough couple of years during which Al has had to stare down the face of mortality a couple of times.

As a dedicated songwriter, Al found these experiences to be a source of inspiration.

Of course, a song emerged.

Al explains............

"Walking Dead Waltz is a meandering, plodding thing that exists on a few levels. It started out as a small scared thought about going into the dark and the odds on coming out the other side of cancer. Somewhere in there the beauty of our world and it's other inhabitants manifested and the damage we are doing to them. The great beasts are disappearing before our eyes, even the insects are decimated possibly beyond redemption. The song is a description of how I see humanity's current state. A bleak view perhaps but not an inaccurate one"

Well we can all relate to that Al, and we think it is a beautiful song, despite the dark content matter.

You can listen to Walking Dead Waltz by clicking HERE. And of course you can hear lots of Al's songs, and in fact download his whole cd by clicking on  the Arden Street / Owl Noble project on the right side of this page.

Supporting Al, who wrote, sang and played guitar on Walking Dead Waltz are ;

Manny Aigner on guitar 

Neil Porter, who played bass and keyboards, sang backing vocals and did the production work

Garry Bridges on Fender Rhodes electric piano 

Pete on  drums

We hope you like it, and are indeed inspired to download Al's cd for a generous price ............... we all know Al and the family could surely do with the dough !!!

GRAHAM BROWN AND MICK NADIN BUDDY UP FOR 'CAN'T TAKE IT BACK'

Graham and Mick have been PBGB Shedmates for going on three and a half years now. They've played together on over twenty songs that have wriggled their way out of The PBGB Shed. Despite that, amazingly enough,  they remain good mates !

So good in fact that when Graham laid his latest song on us he generously asked Mick whether he would like to sing it. Mick was more than happy  to take it on, and so we set to work.

We hammered it out over a few weeks, agreeing  an arrangement, honing this and that, and generally getting comfortable with it.

Once we felt we had the better of it we turned on the recorder, and after Neil waved his wand over it THIS  is what came out.

Hope you like it !

The story behind the song is pure fiction........we think. Simply a lament really...............you know........glorious love gone wrong, man in deep regret at having got it all so wrong, apologising, hoping for another chance...........all that jazz. Despite the downish story, the song has a light and breezy feel about it, and we had lots of fun playing it.

Thanks Graham and Mick.

Graham Brown wrote the song and played Percussion

Mick Nadin sang it and played Harp

Steve Faggotter played the Guitar

Louise Nadin played the Bass

Pete played the Drums

Neil Porter kindly produced it.

Owl Noble releases his 10 song album

Al ("Owl") Noble has just released his 10 song album of songs "Arden Street".  Recorded with PBGB in The Shed at Pambula Beach, it includes a new song "Walking Dead Waltz".

This is special, and the story behind it's gestation is about some pretty serious bad luck, some equally serious good luck, and an incredible fighting spirit.  

I don’t want to dwell on the background too much except to say that because of Al's luck, both good and bad, it would be really helpful if you considered buying the "Arden Street" album and if you could recommend it to your friends. Give it a good listen and enjoy Allan Noble's great songs.

Al's songs are solid, and he’s supported by Shed stalwarts: Manny Aigner, Peter Reid, Michael Nadin, Ken Vatcher, John Drews, Louise Nadin, Steve Faggotter, Graham Brown and Neil-Jan Porter.

From Al:

"Dear friends,

This is an exciting thing for me. I've just completed with the help of my mates (many, many thanks) at PBGB, an album of my songs so far.  

Over the past 10 months of struggling and swinging the broadaxe at cancer, it's one of the things that's kept me sane, assuming that I am.  Although we are resourceful and the kids and family have helped, being unable to work at the moment and ineligible for any Centrelink assistance, the bills, medical expenses and life costs have been creeping up and this month I'm going under.  I'm putting this music out there as an album and hoping people will have a listen and splash $10 for 10 songs.  Bargain. 

Please check it out and if you like it, share and buy. It's going to a good cause in keeping us afloat, and it's been made with love, passion and all the good spices of life.  

After damaging my eyes in the bushires I'm calling myself Owl. Just because I can. What could possibly go wrong? ..Hoot Thwoot. Hope you enjoy. Allan"

AL NOBLE RESONATES TO THE 'VIBRATIONS OF LOVE'

Al's back !

Al never turns up to the PBGB Shed without at least one fresh song in his swag. Bet on that.

A little while back, Al was on board on a day we also happened to have the pleasure of the company of John Drews and Ken Vatcher, both of them seasoned A-team Shed players .................take a trawl through their Musos Pages to check out all the PBGB songs they have played on.

Anyway, Al pulled out a song he called Vibrations Of Love.  John settled down behind his keyboards and Ken manned the kit.  Mick stepped up with his harp, and Neil strapped on his bass.  Graham started hitting things.

Wasn't long before the thing started to take shape, and by the end of the afternoon we had it down.  THIS is what came out.

Vibrations Of Love is a haunting love song. A languid laid back lullaby that provides John some serious space to stretch out.

Al says............"This recording of Vibrations Of Love has moments of collective consciousness by the players, particularly in the refrain, which I'm very pleased with. It's a loose groove."

Well we like loose grooves Al, and had lots of fun laying this down.

We ?

Al Noble wrote Vibrations Of Love, sang it, and played acoustic guitar
John Drews played keyboards
Mick Nadin played harmonica
Graham Brown played percussion
Neil Porter played bass and electric guitar and produced the song 

Ken Vatcher played drums

JEM SAVAGE RETURNS TO THE PBGB SHED WITH 'INSENSATEZ'

A few weeks back, we had a long overdue visit by our good friend and long time Shed stalwart Jem Savage. 

Jem has made some outstanding contributions to PBGB songs over the years, but we were all surprised to realise that it has been six long years since he last recorded with us.

You can listen to the songs Jem has contributed to by visiting Jem's Musos Page...........click HERE

Jem, being the husband of Ken and Susie Vatcher's daughter Amy, is a regular visitor to Pambula Beach. Lucky us !!

Last time Jem recorded in The Shed ( 2013 ) he was close to completing his Bachelor of Music at Melbourne Polytechnic.

Now Jem is a full time professional musician, music producer and sound engineer.  

Beyond his Bachelor of Music he completed an honours year at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he was awarded the Dr Phillip Law Music Scholarship, recognising innovation in music. Jem is currently a graduate researcher, working his way towards a PhD in Contemporary Music at University of Melbourne.

Busy as that might sound, Jem is also Associate Producer with the Australian Art Orchestra (a combined tech, touring and administrative role). Jem also records and mixes music at Rolling Stock Recording Rooms Collingwood, and is Sound Supervisor for the Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music.

Busy enough Jem ??

Jem's achievements just go on and on!  For a complete rundown, visit Jem's website.......... www.savagemusics.com. 

Anyway, yes, a few weeks back Jem and Ken popped into The Shed for an impromptu visit. We hadn't planned anything but were very keen to capture more of Jem's musical talents, so we asked him if he might be able to sort of "produce something on the spot".

Well yes, as it turned out, Jem might be able to do that.

Just two short hours later, Jem, with Ken on percussion, had finished playing, improvising and producing his take on "Insensatez" (How Insensitive - Carlos Jobim) in honour of recently deceased "father of the bossa nova" Joao Gilberto.

Listen to what Jem produced by clicking HERE     

Watching Jem do this was just amazing. He was a one man blur !

He started by laying down a bass track, which he did by playing the line on acoustic guitar then using a pitch-shifter to double it in a lower octave.

Next he added an acoustic guitar track, then some of his signature soprano sax.

Then it was time for Ken to add a couple of percussion tracks.

About ten minutes of Logic wizardry, and voila........... 'Insensatez' ala Jem Savage !

It was amazing to watch, a master class in Bossa Nova and sound production.

Jem Savage played Guitars and Soprano Sax, and produced the song.

Ken Vatcher played Congas and Shakers

Thanks so much Jem and Ken, great to see you in action in the Shed again.

AL NOBLE HITS ANOTHER HOME RUN WITH 'HITMAN'

We have been delighted to have had, over the past fifteen months, the opportunity to work with Al Noble as we knuckle down and craft his songs into finished PBGB ensemble recordings.

His latest offering, Hitman, is the eighth song he has brought to us. You can run through all of Al's 'PBGBised' songs by clicking on Al's Musos page.

Al spent part of the 1980s in Sydney, and for a while, he drove a cab. One night while cruising the Eastern suburbs he picked up a dodgy looking fare who uttered the words "You think you know what goes on in this town ?"

Sydney was a pretty wild town in the 80s, a period in which the city was awash with hard drugs, gangland shootings, organised crime, and a police force infected by renegade cops. Think of Roger Rogerson, Warren Lanfranchi, Neddy Smith, the murder of Sallie-Anne Hucksteppe, and the memories of those lawless days come flooding back.

It is the Sydney of those days that gave Al the inspiration to write Hitman. In it, Al tells of a small time crook and hitman named  Manny, who, like many such, ended up shot dead by who knows who. And who cared ?

Like many of Al's songs Hitman sets an intriguing scene. Al's songs are often poignant reflections on times, places and people that bring to mind scenes that conjure up both the dark and light sides of life.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to work with you on your great songs Al............we look forward to many more !

Have a listen to Hitman by clicking HERE

Al Noble wrote Hitman, sang it, and played Guitar

Manny Aigner ( not Manny the hitman in question ) played Guitar

Neil Porter played Bass, B3, and produced the song

Mick Nadin played Harp

Pete played Drums

MICK NADIN IS A COOL DUDE IN HIS 'SHINY RED VEST'

Mick and Lou love their live music. They get out there and enjoy all sorts of acts, often as part of their frequent East Coast travels to visit family and friends......... and for Mick to surf of course !

In his latest  composition,  'Shiny Red Vest',   Mick creates  a story  about scoring a job at a music festival. In this little fantasy Mick is pretty darn pleased with himself. Not only does he cop a free pass to the festival, he also scores a 'staff only' Shiny Red Vest !  

Mick fancies himself in his vest. Not only does he look dandy, the vest provides access to all areas, and free burgers. He also gets to rub shoulders with the stars. 

Picking up rubbish, stacking chairs, ........no worries...............Mick's a real cool dude in his Shiny Red Vest. Yes sirree !!

The song has a distinct retro edge to it...........echoes of early white rock stars like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent arise from Mick's vocal style and  the lyrics conjure up an old style showground style  music festival.

Anybody remember the old Bega Day Out festivals ?  Maybe Mick was there in his Shiny Red Vest.

Anyway, we messed around with the song a bit then turned on the recorder.

THIS is what came out. Hope you festival freaks dig it. 

Good fun thanks Mick.

Mick wrote the song, sang it and played harp.

Steve Faggotter played the guitar

Louise Nadin played the bass

Graham Brown played percussion

Pete played the drums

Neil Porter did the production work