Monday 15 February 2021

Rock stars at home (where else are they gonna be right now?)


I'm sure we've all been falling down various rabbit holes as we've tried to seek out live music (or what passes for live music in these crazy times) over the last year. Nigel Clark, Megson, Pete Morton, Megson and Tom Wardle being just a few of the musicians I've been tuning in to as they pull up a stool and play to  the red dot on their respective cameras. Hopefully (and I say this very guardedly) as we approach the beginning of a tentative easing of lockdown restrictions, the need for these virtual gigs will begin to give way to the real thing; whatever the real thing will look like in three, six, nine months time.

...

Continuing the theme, not only have some musicians been doing these 'live' shows, some have also been busy recording and releasing new material. Even Macca has been having something of a purple patch - he's just scored his first Number One album in donkeys years with his imaginatively titled McCartney 3; fair play, Paul. And here's the thing, it's actually not bad. Not that he needs me to tell him that. The lad's an accomplished songwriter and has fronted a couple of decent bands over the years (file under nothing to prove).

...

Someone who doesn't receive even a fraction of the column inches the above mentioned ex-Beatle commands is Canadian singer songwriter Ron Sexsmith. I've been dipping in and out of his career for 25 years now and still find myself marvelling at just how bloody good he is. Ron too has been busy recently; though the new album, Hermitage, was pretty much finished before lockdown, like McCartney, he recorded it at home in his front room and plays most of the instruments on it himself. Here's a preview of what you can expect:


Ron Sexsmith - When Love Pans Out (2020)



As a footnote to today's edition I can't not mention how f**king cold it was yesterday. I bring this up for a couple of reasons; not least that I was reminded of another Ron Sexsmith song whilst walking along the Trent with a biting windchill making it feel like -5 degrees; not since I moved back from North Yorkshire nearly four years ago have my bones felt so cold. 

So cold I needed a hat. And I don't do hats, particularly.

10 comments:

  1. Ron's been entertaining me from a social distance via his fantastic Rawnboy YouTube channel since 2013. All manner of wonderfulness resides there. Like this for example; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKgxy22Ppus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The end of a ted!" Brilliant - I think that's the first Benny the Bouncer cover I've ever seen!

      Delete
  2. I like Ron but found myself struggling a bit with Hermitage

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry to hear that, CC. Care to expand?

      Delete
    2. Thought thst it was a wee bit insipid. May take a couple more listens

      Delete
    3. Maybe it's a late bloomer; see what I did there?

      Delete
  3. Caught Sexsmith very early opening for Costello and flipped for him. Would have put him among my favorites during the middle '90s through early 00s. Not sure what happened, but I haven't bought any of his albums for ages. Curious to hear what he's been up to. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw him support Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook many, many moons ago and he was absolutely brilliant. I seem to remember he joined their final encore that night.

      Delete
  4. Still has a great voice... even if he is turning into Robert Smith.

    ReplyDelete