AL NOBLE VENTURES OUT INTO THE 'DEEP BLUE SEA'

Al always has a bunch of songs in his kit bag when he sidles into The Shed. Always. Must have dozens of them stashed away there.

 

Last time we asked he pulled out a little ditty he called Deep Blue Sea. As is usual with Al's songs, there are some truly fine lyrics......try "Fear is the laughter of the devil" and "If love was disease I'd have a lethal dose".  Right on Al !

 

The usual gang was there, and we started kicking it about. 'Kicking it about' usually means agreeing on a basic feel from the drums and bass, putting together a basic arrangement, deciding on solos etc etc

 

Deep Blue Sea came together pretty quickly. We soon enough had it all figured and started running it through. Then we turned on the recorder.

 

THIS is the result.

 

Hope ya'll like it.

 

Al Noble wrote it, sang it and played rhythm guitar

Neil Porter played lead guitar and did the production work

Louise Nadin played the bass

Mick Nadin played the harp

Graham Brown played percussion

Pete played drums

 

Special call out for Mick on this one.........top harp solo Mick !

NEIL PORTER A TAD CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT AWAITS AROUND THE 'VERY NEXT BEND'

 In much the same fashion as our previous post, 'Here To Stay', came together, "Very Next Bend' started life with just Neil and Pete kicking a beat around while waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive.

Pete was playing around with a steady, sort of hypnotic feel on the drums. Neil picked up his guitar and started riffing, then figured that a set of lyrics he had in his kit bag might well fit what was coming out.

Louise, Mick, Al and Graham turned up and joined in, and before long we thought we had something going on. And we were enjoying it.

So we did a rough recording. Neil took that home and massaged his lyrics to fit.

As is often the case, when Neil heard the individual tracks, he realised that what we had was actually a good basis to clean up. And really all it needed was a 'proper' vocal track, some percussion tweaks, and a re-run of Al's guitar solo. The rest was pretty much there.

In fact, the rest is pretty much HERE. Have a listen.

It's about the perils of street protest and man's inhumanity to man - could be in Melbourne, but more likely in Portland ;)

Neil Porter - Writer, vocal, guitar (and third solo), shaker, production

Louise Nadin - Bass

Peter Reid - Drums

Graham Brown - Congas

Mick Nadin - Harmonica (and second solo)

Al Noble - Guitar (and first solo)

HOPEFULLY WE ARE 'HERE TO STAY

 

We love building songs like this latest little ditty we call 'Here To Stay'. If memory serves us well, and that is an 'if' nowadays, Pete and Neil were in The Shed ahead of time one afternoon. Neil had a little riff up his sleeve and Pete added a bouncy reggae (ish ) beat. Mick wandered in and pulled a lyric sheet out..........seemed to fit OK.

Lou joined in on the bass, and next thing you know the song was here to stay, as it were.

 

A fun collaboration that was all over and done with in pretty much no time flat.

 

Hope you like it.

 

Neil Porter wrote the music and played guitars, then did the production work.

Mick Nadin wrote and sang the lyrics and played the harp

Louise Nadin played the bass

Pete drummed

AL NOBLE SLINKS BACK INTO THE PBGB SHED WITH A SASSY LITTLE SONG CALLED 'SNEAKY SLIDER'

Well it's been a long time between posts, but at last we have got our heads around the current Covid restrictions and have been gathering in The Shed once more. Properly spaced out of course.

 

First song out of the box is a ditty Al put together called "Sneaky Slider".

 

It's a laid back little number with a cut time beat and a reggaeish rhythm that just sort of sneakily slides around the room. It definitely makes you move. 

 

You can have a listen by clicking HERE 

 

Hope ya dig it !

Al Noble wrote it, sang it and played the lead break

Manny Aigner played the rhythm guitar

Mick Nadin played the harp and sang backing vocal

Neil Porter played the bass, sang backing vocal, and did the production work

Graham Brown played percussion

Peter Reid played the drums

Nice work thanks Al. We're all very pleased to get another of your great tunes together after such a long break.

 

Keep 'em comin'.

THE HOPS HOP INTO THE PBGB SHED

Ah.........The PBGB web. Some time back, Manny caught a gig by a band called The Hops.  He struck up a conversation with Damian, the bass player. Damian mentioned to Manny that the Hops were looking to do a spot of recording, so Manny suggested Damian get in touch with Neil. Neil quite liked the idea and discussed the idea with Pete. Next thing you know The Hops hopped in.

We had a fun afternoon and ended up recording six songs. What with one thing and another, not least the Coronavirus pandemic, finalising all six songs is taking a bit longer than we anticipated, but we have finished two, and we thought we might get them out there sooner rather than later.

Kirribis Blues and Simple Life are ready to go.   

The Hops are :

Noel Whittem - Guitar/Vocals (Noel wrote both these songs)

Brooke Marshall - Vocals

Kass Fenton - Flute/vocals

Damian Picone - Bass

On the afternoon in question, John Travena (aka Trapper John) was drafted in to play Drums. Trapper did a great job. He'd never heard any of the Hops' material before arriving in The Shed, but had no trouble inventing great grooves to slip under the songs. Trapper is a very respected local drummer who currently plays with local acts  The Hoops ( yes, yes, Hoops not Hops ), Jackson State and numerous other bands in the Bega Valley and beyond.

Damian supplies the backdrop.............

"Performing as ‘The Hops’ we supported a touring Japanese band ‘John John Festival’ on two nights at Tathra Hotel in 2018 and have performed there on many open mic nights. We’ve also played at the Candelo Blues Club, cafes, fund raisers and parties. Noel Whittem’s and Brooke Marshall’s thought provoking songs form the basis of the band’s repertoire. Kass Fenton,flautist, is a music teacher who is currently also performing with Surg. Damian and Noel have been performing together as part of the Bemboka Blues Brokers and The Blue Band Bees for the past two years with regular spots at the Candelo Blues Club and the Scotch Oven Cafe in Bemboka. We have been guests of ABC Local Radio and Phil Moriarty on Edge FM

Noel, Brooke and Kass are long time residents of the Bega Valley. Damian moved into the area in 2014. Noel and Brooke had performed together previously. Brooke and Kass have played together at many music camps. We got together for a jam in early 2018 at Noel’s place and immediately formed a strong bond based on a love of playing music and generally having a good time doing it."

So there you have it.

Hope you like these songs as much as we do !

We had a great afternoon with The Hops,  and hope to see them back in The Shed in the not too distant future.

Thanks for coming gang !

THE FIGMENTZ - "LOVE SETS YOU FREE" BY AL NOBLE

Al's song getting the full treatment at Candelo Store.  March 2020.

ALLAN NOBLE - BEGA TIMES INTERVIEW

Al interviewed by Alasdair McDonald of The Bega Times.

Read HERE

MICK AND LOUISE NADIN CELEBRATE HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO HAVE 'SOMEONE TO HAVE'

Mick and Louise Nadin - smiles that say it all

Mick and Louise first strolled into The Shed way back in 2015. They dug what was going on, plugged in, and have been regular and enthusiastic Shedders ever since. We've shared a lot of music and fun over the years and it is astonishing to realise that they've featured on over forty PBGB songs !

Thing is, Louise and Mick are really the only couple who have been a steady feature of life in the PBGB Shed.

So it was lovely to hear that Mick had written a song that celebrates their partnership.

'Someone To Have'.  The title says it all. Mick simply and succinctly tells us how much he appreciates having someone. A soul mate to share life with, for better or for worse. Just someone to have !

We started on the song before the Summer from hell descended on the Bega Valley. Between the fires and the usual Christmas break, this song has been brewing for a while. But now it is done, and you can have a listen by clicking HERE.

Hope ya like it !

Mick - writer, vocal and harp

Louise - bass

Neil Porter - guitar, keyboards/horns, backing vocals and production

Graham Brown - percussion

Peter Reid - drums

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 !