STEVE FAGGOTTER PLEADS WITH POLITICIANS ON POLLING DAY EVE, WITH HIS PITCH - 'POLIDACTYL'

Steve has been a staunch Shedder since late 2015. He has added his trademark Telecaster licks to some twenty PBGB songs.

It's been a long time coming, but now, finally, we are very pleased to post the first song Steve has penned for us..... Polidactyl.

It's a tune that has morphed and transmogrified as Steve and the players knocked it into shape.

We all threw ideas into the pot........made suggestions as to the lyrics (written by Graham Brown), the tempo, the idea of including a rap passage, and so on. It was a lot of fun, but in typical Shed fashion, Steve, as  writer of the song, ultimately made the final calls.

In the end, we pretty much recorded it live.........very few post recording production add-ons.

THIS is what we ended up with. Hope you like it.

As you can hear, it's a plea to politicians to pull their fingers out and take action on important issues like the climate, immigration, straight talk and just plain honesty.

All very pertinent as we launch this song just a couple of days before the 2019 election !!

Steve wrote the music and played guitar

Mick Nadin sang and played harp

Graham Brown wrote the words, added backing vocals and percussion

Louise Nadin played bass

Pete played drums

Neil Porter produced

Nice work thanks Steve and crew.

AL NOBLE TAKES A WALK DOWN 'ARDEN STREET '

Little while ago Al sat in The Shed strumming a tune he was working on. He called it Arden Street. He was singing about his earlier days in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

Wasn't long before we started kicking it about.

Found a basic feel we liked. Manny came up with a neat refrain.

When we figured we had the bones together we turned on the recorder. Got the bed down pretty quickly.

Neil took the files home, waved his joojoo over it and added a keyboard track.

THIS is what we ended up with - Arden Street.

Al speaks........."The story at work in Arden Street is one of generational change, international chaos and violence seeping into our quiet homes and cultural icons, and the challenges of growing old in a changing world. Our protagonist sets forth on his day with a surreal but unshakeable feeling that in some profound way his world has changed. The pillars and safeties are no more, even the birds sound alien. He walks through the usual streets and but they feel foreign to him. He catches his usual bus and in a meeting of the comfortably mundane with horrific foreign violence his feeling that this was somehow his last day becomes reality. The riff of the song is to signify the "town bells ringing, the horn of Gabriel, the bells of Armageddon". 

Heavy stuff Al !

Anyway, it's yet another great song thanks Al. We're really chuffed to be part of bringing it to life.

Al Noble wrote Arden Street, sang it, and played acoustic guitar

Manny Aigner played electric guitar

Neil Porter played the bass and keyboards, and did the production work

Pete played the drums

Hope ya dig it !!!

PBGB TEE SPOTTED ON STAGE AT CANDELO ARTS FESTIVAL

There we were at the Candelo Arts Festival last Friday night, watching The Figmentz deliver the first performance of some of the songs they are planning to present in their 50th anniversary of Woodstock extravaganza later this year. 

Friday night's show went down very well indeed. Town Hall sold out. Dance floor packed.

Lots of PBGB family members up on the stage, including those seen in the snap.........John Drews, Brother Ken Vatcher, and Phoebe Mills, all sporting their happy hippy garb.

And there, under John's swirling scarves...............a PBGB Tee.

Keep an eye out for the big Figmentz 50th Anniversary of Woodstock show, coming up in October. It'll be held at the Longstocking Brewery in Pambula. A three hour show featuring heaps of the best local musicians presenting their tributes to Woodstock.

Just watch out for the brown acid.   Legend has it that was the word spread at Woodstock.....................by the guy selling the blue acid !!!!

MICK NADIN IS BACK ON HIS SOAPBOX WITH HIS NEWIE.......... 'AIN'T IT GRAND?'

Mick, in common with many of the song writing fraternity, has a predilection for songs with a strong social message.

If you look back over the tunes Mick has brought to The PBGB Shed you will see that he has offered up quite a few political ditties, including those that take a stab at issues including runaway bureaucracies, the nanny state, race issues, and a general wish for better ways of co-existing on our planet.

Mick's latest offering, 'Ain't It Grand' continues on that tradition. This time the subject  is multiculturalism.

Mick is proud of his homeland. He's comfortable in our multi cultural country. He wonders, however, why some people find it so difficult to accept that our society is greatly enriched by the cultural melting pot that is modern Australia.

Mick is always quick to point out that with the exception of the First Australians, we are all immigrants. We are all first, second, third ( whatever ) generation arrivals. Our vibrant culture is a product of the diversity that people bring to the country that we love. Our lives are enhanced by the food, music, art, and so on that new arrivals from so many different countries contribute  to our lives.

'Sfar as Mick is concerned, it's all pretty grand !  Let's enjoy and celebrate our diverse mix of cultures and offerings.

Amen to that Mick !  We're with ya cobber.

'Ain't It Grand' is another PBGB song that came together in the space of a single afternoon in The Shed. Mick pulled it out, gave us a few hints and we fired it up. It is a fun song to play, we enjoyed mucking about with it, and just three hours later...........there it was, all done and dusted.

Thanks Mick........... It's a beauty !!

Hope you like it too. Have a listen......................just click HERE

Mick wrote 'Ain't It Grand', sang it and played harmonica

Manny Aigner played lead guitar

Neil Porter played rhythm guitar and did all the production work

Louise Nadin played the bass

Pete played the drums

AL NOBLE RUES THE GRAPE THAT 'WITHERS ON THE VINE'.

Al brings his songs to the PBGB Shed pretty much fully formed. Ripe as it were. All the rest of us usually have to do is listen as Al runs through a song, agree a 'feel', sort out the solos, and play along.

We all took an instant liking to Al's latest, 'Withers On The Vine'. Like Al, we relate to the metaphor.

In Al's own words............."Withers on the Vine is a crafted song using those universal themes of love and loss. It's not particularly personal although I've had my share of those, like most.  I'm pleased with the metaphor of the Vine and the hard work and hope involved in making an eventually pleasing wine. There is something devastating and final in the image of fruit wasting on the Vine or tree. I think the players found something in it straight up and really brought out the pathos and heart of the song. I consider myself a songwriter more than a player so it's always interesting to see what gets brought to the song by other players. It's a privilege to play with you guys. Very happy with this version".

Well we're very happy with it too thanks Al. We always enjoy helping you bring your songs to life in a band setting.

Great song.......another beauty thanks Al !   Well done sir.

Have a listen to Al's 'Withers On The Vine' by clicking HERE.

Al Noble wrote the song, sang it, and played Guitar.

Manny Aigner played Guitar

Mick Nadin played Harp

Neil Porter played Bass, sang harmony, and did the Production work

Graham Brown played Percussion

Pete played Drums

MICK NADIN DIGS THE 'POOR BOY'

You'd have to say Mick loves his music. He's heavily into it. Not only does he write songs, he also sings, plays harp, and always enjoys the time he spends hanging in the PBGB Shed. Working under  the pseudonym 'General Mikey'  he even has a weekly reggae hour on our local community radio station 97.5 Sapphire fm.

Yep, he sure loves his reggae, but he also has a soft spot for the blues.

Mick turned up in The Shed one day with a song he called 'Poor Boy'.

We liked it. So we tossed it about for a while........ set up a groove, figured out what should go where and when.

A close listen to the lyrics will tell you it's a story about a poor boy who "ain't got no dollars, ain't got no sense,  ain't got no home, no friends, ain't even got a puppy. But he's happy just playin' the blues."

Wouldn't be the first one !

Click HERE for a listen

Thanks Mick, it's a really good song, fun song to play. Made us happy just playin' the blues !

Mick Nadin wrote the song, sang it and played his harp

Steve Faggotter played the Lead Guitar
Al Noble - Guitar

Louise Nadin played Bass

Graham Brown played Percussion

Pete played the drums

Neil Porter did the production work.

AL NOBLE CRIES "TRAIN, CARRY ME AWAY"

Cuppla weeks ago Al wandered into The Shed loaded up with a song he called Train.

Al writes some mean bluesy stuff, and we know that trains are iconic in the blues idiom. Yes siree!

Trains were often the only way to escape the harsh reality of life in the South of the USA.  They were often times the ticket to the Promised Land.

The railroads were also a major source of work at the time of emancipation.

As early as 1854, the Rock Island Line, a line featured in many early blues songs, ran trains from the Delta all the way up to Chicago. Many a famous blues player jumped aboard  that line. 

As such, railroads were a logical subject matter for  cotton field chants and gospel songs.

The legendary clandestine escape route to the North for Southern slaves was called ‘The Underground Railway’.  The people who helped the fleeing slaves en route were called ‘conductors', while the places they hid in, barns or cellars, were known as 'stations'. Some spirituals were used as codes to indicate that a journey was preparing start.

So to the litany of railroad songs by artists including Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, Otis Rush, Ella Fitzgerald and Elvis Presley we now add Train, by Al Noble!

Anyway, Al strolled in, played the song through once. We figured a shuffle was the way to go. A railroad shuffle.   We ran through it a cuppla times. Sounded good.  Manny suggested we record take one with just his rhythm guitar, then overdub his lead.

That's what we did, and THIS is what we got!

All shunted together, go to whoa, in three hours. Great fun.

We dig it, hope you do too.

Thank you brother Al!

Al Noble wrote Train, sang it and played Acoustic Guitar

Manny Aigner played Electric Guitar

Mick Nadin blew his Harp

Neil Porter played Bass and did the production work

Graham Brown played Percussion

Pete played the Drums

CHELSY ATKINS OFFERS WORDS OF WISDOM .......'DON'T LET LIFE PASS YOU BY'

In October 2018 we had the pleasure of recording two original compositions by local artiste Chelsy Atkins.

We posted her first song, 'Positivity' back in November. Scroll down to the post dated November 7, 2018, or click on Chelsy's name under 'The Musos' tab at the top of your screen to read all about Chelsy's musical journey through life. 

Now we have the pleasure of presenting  the second song Chelsy recorded on the day. It's titled 'Don't Let Life Pass You By'. 

Chelsy reminds us that our time on planet Earth is fleeting. In the greater scheme of things,  we're here for just an instant. Time keeps on ticking away.........clock goes around and around.......sun rises, sun goes down.......people come and go.  Don't let life pass you by........make the most of the brief time we have.  

Chelsy is a great believer in appreciating life and all that it offers. She sees so much beauty in the simple things that surround us, and she expresses her appreciation through her music and her art. She believes that everyday offers us something we should truly appreciate and savour.

Have a listen to 'Don't Let Life Pass You By'.

Thanks Chelsy!  It's a great song, presented in your truly distinctive style. We appreciate your sharing it with us, and we hope you will come back with more of your songs. Better make that soon.........life just keeps passing by you know !

MICK NADIN'S ON THE LOOKOUT FOR 'CATHCART JOHNNY'

About 60 ks up the back road from Pambula to the high country ski fields is a little town called Cathcart.

Perhaps Cathcart's most talked about character is a fella most folks call Cathcart Johnny.

Little is actually known about him. He's very reclusive. 'Spite of that, Cathcart Johnny is a local legend.

People spot him walking along Mt. Darragh Road. Rumour has it he lives in a hollow log up near the top of Big Jack Mountain and walks to the Cathcart store to collect his goodies from time to time. 

Story goes the Cathcart community gave him a caravan but he prefers his log.

His long black coat, black trousers and boots never seem to change, despite the extremes of weather up the top of the range.

That's about all we know.

PBGB loves producing songs about local people and places. We were stoked when Mick told us he had written a song about Cathcart Johnny. 

We kicked it about, performed it at the Merimbula Classic, then took it back to The Shed and turned on the recorder. 

Take a listen......click  HERE

Mick Nadin wrote the song, sang it, and played Harp.

Steve Faggotter played Lead Guitar

Al Noble played Guitar

Louise Nadin played Bass

Pete played Drums

Neil Porter Produced.

Anyone seen our friend ?

SOMETIMES AL NOBLE FEELS LIKE A CAVE MAN !!

Towards the end of 2018 we started kicking around a song Al had dragged out of his kit bag. He called it 'Cave Man' and he wanted us to get down and dirty with it.

We think words like sludge, grunge, gritty and nasty best describe the feel Al was after. Al steered us towards the Trogg's version of Wild Thing as a guide. He wanted it to sound loose. Sort of sounds that might well come up best after a bottle of bourbon or two. You know, just enough to take the edge off.

Essentially Cave Man is an alpha male song that has no place in the 21st century.................talkin' 'bout the sort of feelings a totally unreconstructed Neanderthal might sense creeping up on him when sitting across the fire from a woman draped in a leopard skin.  "Waaaah !!  Come with me to the cavern of love baby......we can jump all around........ I got a PhD in primitive love !! "  You know, basic instincts.

We got  Manny to get out all his grungy trick toys and turn them all on at once. Volume 11 please Manny.

It's probably true to say that we actually spent more time roughing this song up than polishing it.

Click HERE to have a listen.

Al Noble wrote the song, played guitar, and sang it.

Manny Aigner played the lead guitar

Steve Faggotter played electric rhythm guitar

Mick Nadin blew the harp

Graham Brown played percussion

Neil Porter played the bass and did the production

Pete played the drums