The Red Smed Hit Parade 2019

It's 2019 and that means I've bugger all else to do on December 30th (I mean what kind of day even IS December 30th) (well, in fact it turns out to be the day that Neil Innes died)  than to check how popular my literally dozens of songs available on YouTube are with the (*clearly) discerning public. And are there any great surprises this year??

No.

Click on the link to click on the link. And see what happens.

I

Special Bonus feature ;Red Smed at the Engine Room reading the CLASH DAY Proclamation twinning Bridgwater with  Seattle USA

 

Red Smed-Interview with a Rock Legend

Red Smed with Joe Strummer

Today is the last day of normality in Bridgwater before the town goes hamster dropping crazy with its ground-breaking. Quayside Festival. Ground-breaking largely in the sense that they’ve dug up Fore street in order to replace some street furniture there and haven’t quite finished it. One of the musicians performing at this years Quayside is town council leader and fat local communist Red Smed. We asked him if he knew any rock legends we could interview.  Sadly he didn’t. But he gave us this interview instead.

Red Smed has a cup of tea

Bernard; When did you first play music?

Red;- Well, I’d just had my bowl of muesli, I had some lovely almond milk on it and a drop of honey, I turned on radio 4 to listen to the shipping forecast, in case I ended up in some sea faring mishap later in the day and then I picked up my guitar and strummed the first few chords to that new Ramstein song then..

Bernard;- No, not when today, when actually did you first play….? Are you listening? And can you stop eating those crisps while you’re talking please.

Red;- I’d say it was in the mid 50s.

Bernard:- But you weren’t even born then.

Red;- I went to catholic school

Bernard;- I’m sorry, I should have realised.

Red; Would you like a doughnut?

Bernard;- No. Now we’re looking for some famous musicians to interview.

Red; What about me?

Bernard; Yes exactly. Do you know any famous musicians we could interview??

Red;- I did play at the last gigs played by Joe Strummer and also Fred Wedlock. Icons of the punk scene.

Red Smed looks for something

Bernard;- ah.. and so. Oh wait a minute. Last gigs. They both died didn’t they.?

Red; Yes, shortly afterwards.

Bernard;- Have you thought of maybe supporting Ed Sheeran??

Red; I did write to Emma Bunton seeing if she needed any support.

Bernard; Moving swiftly on….What about PJ Harvey? Didn’t you play with her once?

Red;- Yes indeed I was on the same album in the same studio. Playing my accordion. The one my grandad brought back from Nazi Germany. It was a nice red one. Hitler closed down that accordion workshop and turned it into a munitions factory. Probably the worse thing he ever did.

Bernard;- Yes that reminds me, how is the fight against anti-semitism in the Labour Party going?

Red;- Not a single incident of anti Semitism in the local party at all.

Bernard;- Ah, so local Jewish members are all very happy then?

Red;-…Jewish members?

Red Smed has a sit down

Bernard;- Oh. I see. Moving swiftly on. Can you get us an interview with PJ Harvey? Do you remember the last thing you said to her?

Red; Oh yes. Very clearly. I said, "is this Johns house?

Bernard;- Ah, and then she said..

Red;- Well, nothing. That was it. It WAS Johns house. I went in and saw John.

Bernard;- Ok, right look. What we are looking for is some celebrity interview. We thought you might be able to help.

Red: You did?

Bernard;- I’ve been told that your mother taught Mel B to dance.

Red; Mel B from the Spice Girls?

Bernard;- No, Mel B from Alas Smith and Jones!

Red;- I thought that was Mel S.

Bernard ;No, that’s a small village in North Somerset near Frome

Red;- Siegfried Sassoon is buried there.

Bernard;- Ah right the famous war poet so…oh, right , buried…so also dead then..

Red;-I really do hope so…

Red Smed finds a third shoe

Bernard;- Do you know Mel B?

Red; No.

Bernard; Right. Do you know ANY body famous?

Red;- Does Diane Abbot count?

Bernard;- I think you’re setting up your own punchlines now….

Red Would you like a cheese sandwich?

Bernard; No. Now, about Quayside festival..

Red Whats that?

Bernard;- Its where you're playing this weekend

Red; Is it? I’ve got down ‘haircut’ and ‘feed cat’ in my diary.

Bernard;- You feed your cat ‘hair’?

Red We’re not savages you know.

Bernard;- So..Quayside Festival. This is a major new festival in the Bridgwater calander

Red Yes

Bernard  Which, er has been going for just 3 years

Red yes

Bernard; you don’t have to keep saying yes

Red No

Red Smed finds a box of toy dinosaurs

Bernard The Quayside festival is on Saturday 20^th July. When will you be playing?

Red Friday the 19^th

Bernard That’s not part of Quayside festival.

Red No

Bernard  And WHERE will you be playing on SATURDAY 20^th??

Red West Bagborough

Bernard That’s NOT in Bridgwater

Red Well neither’s Los Angeles.

Bernard You surprise me. So what will you be playing?

Red The guitar

Bernard;- Oh, not the accordion then?

Red What accordion?

Bernard;- The one you’re holding..

Red;- Oh, bloody hell, I wondered where that went….

Bernard;- Right that’s it…give me that…..

(at this point the tape recording descended into a series of barely audible screams and sounds of wanton mechanical destruction.)

Big Arthur;- When the tape was found in the burnt down apartment we managed to transcribe what remained for posterity and it is now stored in the Bridgwater Music Hall of Famousness and Interestingness. Alongside similar tapes by Fred Wedlock and Joe Strummer. Plus a blank sheet of paper with only the words "Ed Sheeran?" written on it...

The Quayside festival really is happening this weekend for proof click here

The main band performing at various gigs is THE LOREANS. click here

To find out more about twinning week click here

Red Smed will be on stage with THE DAVE THE MILKMAN BIG BAND (see below)

IF EVERYBODY HAD AN OCEAN...Well, we'd all drown wouldn't we

ITALIAN RETRO-SURF SENSATIONS

‘THE LOREANS’

TOUR SOMERSET SUMMER 2019

“The Lorean’s” are an Italian rock n roll band from the Anzio region of Lazio. Formed during the winter of 2015 they are aiming to “bring back the vibes of the 60’s and light up the coast”. Their original target was the Anzio coast (where British troops famously landed in 1944 during world war two) but now they are bringing their ‘surfs’ up’ music to the ‘west Coast’. Of England. Somerset in fact. Where they will be doing a 4 day tour taking in some of the tops venues in the Bridgwater area. And that INCLUDES West Bagborough Village Hall!!

Andrea Pucillo, lead vocalist of The Loreans says “ Our musical repertoire is about rock ‘n roll, beat and surf rock sounds with the recent addition of some psychedelic rock pieces. Our setlist features artists such as “The Beatles”, “The Beach Boys”, “The Doors”, “Elvis Presley” and so much more.The band’s name is a tribute and a reference to the movie “Back to the future”, because, as for the De Lorean, we travel back in time!”

So, you can judge for yourselves by catching up with the SurfSwingingItalians at any of the following gigs.

Friday 19^th July 

BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE (part of Bridgwater Twinning Party and also featuring the Dave the Milkman Big Band)  7.30-11pm

Saturday 20^th July 

WEST BAGBOROUGH VILLAGE HALL 7.30-11pm

Sunday 21^st July 

PEBBLES INN at WATCHET 3-5pm

Monday 22^nd July 

BAR BRUNEL, BRIDGWATER 8-11pm

The Lorean’s are:

Andrea Pucillo: rhythm guitar, vocals

Marco Negro: lead guitar, vocals

Luca Pianconi: drums, vocals

Gianfranco Bernacchia: bass, vocals

Eugenio Di Corinto: keyboards, vocals

AND IF YOU'RE LUCKY...AND LUCKY IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WORD....THEN THE 'DAVE THE MILKMAN BIG BAND' WILL ALSO BE PLAYING SOME  OF THESE GIGS

See full Czech tour report here

You Think Country and Rap don't work together? Come and see Gangstagrass.

For the next couple of weeks I will be tour manager for the American band Gangstagrass and if you're anywhere near their tour route I'd suggest you dropped into a gig. Gangstagrass blend Hip-hop percussion and  bluegrass instrumentation with rap vocals and country backing. How does that work?? Better than anyone could imagine with "Banjo arpeggios and Fiddle flourishes tucked between  rapped verses, creating a bridge between two seemingly disparate genres." And that last quote wasn't me it was in Rolling Stone where one of their songs has been voted into the top 10 of all time influential country songs. So that's a recommendation in itself.

I took this lot on a tour in 2016. At that time it was the UK and Holland. Donald Trump had just been elected and they were embarrassed. Bernie Sanders supporters to a man. And woman. It's almost 3 years later and it'll be interesting to know what they think now....

If this lot don't sum up what's best about Americana then I don't know what does. Maybe someone will cross Rage against the Machine with the Everly Brothers one day and that'll be that.

Tour itenary

The tour takes us from London on 29th January where they're playing the American Festival in Hackney (at the Nightales) along with a host of other US bands to Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms on Jan 30th then down to the Pheonix in Exeter on31st.

By February they're up country. Well, Bristol. Where they play the Thekla on Feb 1st and Oxford 02 Academy on Feb 2nd then up to Manchester Band on the Wall on Feb 3.

Hopefully hitting Scotland before the snow does, they'll be at the Inchyra Arts Centre on Feb 5th and Glasgow Hug and Pint on Feb 6th.

Back to England it's Newcastle the Cluny on Feb 7th and Birmingham 02 institute 3 on Feb 8th winding up at the Garage on Highbury corner back in London on Feb 9th.

Rench yourself off your sofa

I'll be there. And so should you be Dave. Dave? Where's Dave gone. Bloody hell.

Red Smed