December 23rd 2007 NINE BELOW ZERO - Coopers, Guiseley

See below. Despite the band's stay in the bar of The George Hotel till 3.00 a.m. on Sunday morning they produced another show of outstanding quality - how do they do that?. All that was missing was Mark' s hat, now in Phil's proud possession, and his voice which was suffering on Saturday and had disappeared by Sunday.

Andy Herrington

December 22nd 2007 NINE BELOW ZERO - Ripley

I'd had a buzz of anticipation all week. The musical highlight of the year at Ripley. Question - could NBZ deliver an even better show this year as they had consistently done for the last 7 years? (Was it really 2001 when I first saw them at Ripley!) Arriving in the hall, the signs were all good, a full house, noisy and pressing for the front. This is an extraordinary venue when it's full. The warmth and enthusiasm of the Ripley crowd is utterly unbeatable. A really great start from Graham Robinson with some real old fashioned blues from 1920's. I loved it.

Then the main event - Nine Below Zero - always tweaking and changing their set, endlessly enthusiastic, brilliantly mischievous. These guys are so relaxed and at ease with each other on stage. Dennis Greaves, superb vocals and guitar playing full of passion, energy and soul then chirping away, comically, between songs (constantly finding new ways to wind up Mark Feltham). Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill - what a rhythm section, up front, full of verve and driving energy. And of course, the one, the only Mark Feltham; surely the best harmonica player in the world. His solos are so emotive and soulful it gives me the shivers; absolutely sublime.

The band knows their stuff so well that the set evolves so naturally, making the evening fly by. And what a set! Third song in was the theme to the Old Grey Whistle Test, how audacious can you get; in previous years this had been an encore! Then, my favorites, a bunch of songs from the Hats Off album - Walkin' Thru the Park, I Need Me a Car and Move It (all hail Chuck Berry). At some point Mark Feltham flicks off his super cool hat, I throw up my hand and its mine, cannot believe this is happening. I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real.

After what seemed like 5 minutes it was over and they are off. The crowd spontaneously start clapping, stamping and shouting. This is not the usual habitual act but a heartfelt plea to hear more. It could only be Rockin Robin (now Xmas has really started), fantastic, everybody sang along.

The answer to my question was, of course, a massive and resounding YES! Never in doubt, the best ever! A truly incredible night.

Phil Boden

November 24th 2007 ANIMALS & FRIENDS - Ripley

WOW
As a resident in Ripley I have regularly attended the Ripley Blues sessions BUT to have the ANIMALS appear at my village was Christmas come early.

OK so John Steel on drums is the only true original Animal performing but when he comes to the mike and that great Geordie accent comes forth the hairs on the back of one's head stand up and its straight back to the 60's and my favourite band right here in Ripley.

The gig started with the Dan Burnett Band and they immediately got everyone going with a mixture of old classics and some new numbers.

HOWEVER when Pete Barton took to the stage, we were immediately into fifth gear and turbo and with each classic number the moment Pete stopped singing a chorus, Ripley Blues fans were there chanting out the chorus full blast and the Victorian manorial hall really rocked.

Mick Gallagher back with the Animals on piano/organ was on top form and lead guitar by Johnnie Williamson completed a brilliant foursome.
Only Eric could have made it better.

Finally I must go back to Pete Barton because he gave his all and really made the night, finishing as one would expect with an excellent rendition of that great ballad… "House of the rising sun"

Thanks go to all the backup team and where would we be without you Andy and Lynne Herrington.

Rhodes

November 11th 2007 DANNY BRYANT'S REDEYEBAND - Coopers

It has been two and a half years since Danny last appeared at the club so it was good to get the band to Guiseley for one of our Sunday night sessions. Following on from Aynsley Lister in September and Ian Parker in October we have treated the town to three of the best young blues/rock guitarists in the country. Since the band's last appearance at Ripley Trevor Barr has replaced Dave Raeburn on drums but Ken Bryant is still on bass and mum, Heather, manages everything so it is a real family affair. It is true to say this is one of the hardest working bands on the circuit and in recent years they have found great success playing in Europe and beyond.

The bands motto is "Blues Rock played with passion" and you get exactly what it says on the tin. Whether belting out a rocky number or playing a slow blues Danny draws you into his guitar playing. The set comprised a lot of original material (the crowd were particularly impressed by one number he described as "brand new") and covers of classics by Hendrix and Dylan. Danny is a confident stage performer and I liked the crack about a copy of his fitness video being available for all who bought his CD. A group of fans had travelled from the east coast (120 mile round trip) to see the gig and I suggest you also catch the band when you get the opportunity.

Andy Herrington

7th October 2007 - IAN PARKER and his band - Guiseley

My first visit to Coopers at Guiseley. What a great venue! It was nicely full with a crowd of all ages, and there was an excited buzz as everyone waited for the show to start. We didn't have to wait too long, because the music began at the promised 8:30pm (being a Sunday night, there has to be a hard finish at 11:30 so an early start is de rigeur).

The show began with 'Where I Belong' the title track of Ian's recent CD, then without a pause for breath went straight into a couple of other songs including a great version of 'Funny How'. I've heard 'Funny How' hundreds of times over the years, but it still sounded fresh and powerful, with a fascinating interplay between Wayne Proctor on drums and Steve Amadeo on bass - breathtaking stuff.

The other member of the band, Morg Morgan, has increased his contribution too, now playing great blues harmonica from time to time in addition to excellent keyboards and backing vocals. And an occasional "shaky thing" to add percussive effect. The whole band is so relaxed and clearly very comfortable making such great varied music together, it really is a joy to watch.

Everyone was agog with the excitement of it all, relishing every note and nuance of Ian and the band's performance. Watching and listening with your mouth open for so long gives you a dry throat, so it was a bit of a relief to be able to get more drinks in during the brief interval. That was a painless process, both in terms of the short wait for the efficient bar staff to serve the drinks, and painless in the wallet too (I'm used to London prices!)

'You Could Say' features some of the longest words ever to be found in songs (apart from 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' of course) and reminds the listener of the thought-provoking content of Ian's songsmithing. Quite apart from the brilliant tunes and fantastic guitar work of course.

'Love So Cold' featured a blistering guitar solo, demonstrating yet again why they have become one of Ian's trademarks. They are so awesomely emotional that you notice people in the audience hugging each other - the more reserved just scream and stomp with joy.

'Don't Hold Back' is not a Fender bender, more of an acoustic marvel. Not many people can play acoustic guitar with such feeling and power. Not many acoustic guitars can withstand such a demanding performance, and this one did the equivalent of wave a white flag, breaking a string. Completely unfazed, Ian treated us to a five-string version of this masterpiece, which found everyone holding their collective breath.

And then, just as we though it couldn't get any better, along came 'Awake At Night'. This is always my personal favourite and I was looking forward to some spine-jellying on an industrial scale. We were not disappointed. The guitar climax was simply amazing, like a megaton lightning bolt entering the cerebrum, travelling all the way to the coccyx and back several times!

Other songs of note were 'In The Morning' with some masterful bottle-neck playing, and the single 'Your Love Is My Home' but all too soon it was over and we had to bay for more.

For the encore, Ian played his now famous solo version of U2's 'With Or Without You' but the twist this time was that it was to be on electric guitar - as Ian explained, "due to the acoustic guitar and me falling out earlier". It was of course excellent. Then the band returned and we were treated to a beautiful rendition of Jimi's 'Little Wing'.

What a great evening! The venue and sound were marvellous; Ian and the band were excellent; and the audience were very attentive and retained an appreciative hallowed silence during Ian's exquisite, delicate dynamics.

My grateful thanks to all involved for such a memorable show and to Andy in particular for his kind hospitality.

Rob White

(webmaster RipleyBlues.com and IanParkerMusic.com)

15th September 2007 - THE NIMMO BROTHERS

A letter in Saturday's Yorkshire Post said the following about fishing - "Five to ten minutes after starting the session, my body, entirely spontaneously, creates a huge, slow intake of breath. On exhaling, my stiffened, stressed-out shoulders collapse into normality and a wonderful feeling of pleasurable peace and relaxation suffuses my whole body. All the problems disappear for a few precious hours."

If you are wondering why I am quoting a fisherman when I am supposed to be reviewing the gig it is because The Nimmos have precisely the same effect on me! As promoter gig days are pretty hectic and not everything goes to plan so it is usually about half an hour into the performance when I can relax and leave Victor Meldrew mode behind but with this band it is instant. The only disadvantage to this euphoric state is that one and a half hours seemed to go by in about 15 minutes and I forgot to make notes of all the technicalities for reproduction in this review.

Suffice it to say that this band was not voted the RipleyBlues favourite in 2006 for nothing and they were again on splendid form. They played a selection of tracks from their new CD "Picking Up the Pieces" interspersed with some old favourites and as always the guitar playing and vocals of both Stevie and Alan were wonderful. The rhythm section comprised Mat Beable on his first visit to Ripley and on drums Dave Raeburn who has not only played the venue before with the Nimmos but also with Danny Bryant and he is due back next year with Shaun Webster! Two excellent musicians, Mat's bass solo was the most interesting I have heard for some time. It just remains to thank Sam Payne for starting the evening off in fine fashion with her keyboard and vocals.

Andy Herrington

9th September 2007 - AYNSLEY LISTER at Guiseley

Promoters note - Chantel does not just play acoustic guitar she is an amazing electric guitar player and you will be able to see her with her band at Ripley Town Hall when they support the Stumble next year.

2nd August 2007 - SHERMAN ROBERTSON & BLUES MOVE

Billed as the local support band, Bluesville look ready for a bigger stage judging by their performance on the night. Led by the outstanding vocalist Sharon Colgan and showcasing the guitar talents of Paul Federenco the band performed a powerful set of mainly covers leaving a near capacity crowd in the perfect mood for billtoppers Sherman Robertson and Bluesmove.

The Lone Star guitar slinger, King of Texas Blues Guitar or simply 'The Man' , Sherman Robertson is no stranger to these parts having played a memorable private party gig at Hotel de Ville a couple of years ago. No surprise then that his local fan club was out in force to give him the warmest of Ripley Blues welcomes.

Backing on his European dates is always provided by top British Band Bluesmove, comprising Jools Grudgings on keyboards, Mike Hellier on drums and Gary Rackham on bass. With this world class platform Sherman produced an awesome performance that set the place on fire. Described as one of the finest blues musicians in the world, his unique guitar style draws on many influences and he gave us it all; jazzy phrasing; fleet fingered, complex solos; growling, menacing smothered runs, and souped up downhome boogie that reminded you that his father used to service Lightnin Hopkins car! His casual mastery of the instrument and the endless, effortless creativity of his soloing prompted numerous dropped jaws and many a shaking head. One particular highlight was the 1st encore number 'Salty Tears' where, with the band still on stage, the first part of the guitar intro was played by Sherman in the dressing room, his Stratocaster spitting out stinging notes which flew into the hall hitting the spot like an ice pick.

He is also blessed with a powerful soulful voice that came to the fore in renditions of classics such as 'Make it Rain' and 'Am I Losing You'. A storming interpretation of the blues standard 'Tin Pan Alley' came complete with pistol shots from his guitar! Sherman's charismatic onstage personality enables him to connect with each and every member of his audience and tonight Ripley felt that power.

One or two regulars offered the opinion that this was the finest performance they had witnessed at Ripley, others happy to be able to say simply that they had been there.

All were left looking forward to his next visit.

Dave Bothamley

30th June 2007 - DOUBLE VISION - IAN PARKER & AYNSLEY LISTER

The last years I had the chance to see the two bands a lot of times: In 2006 as a part of the Blues Caravan Project and this year during their Double Vision Tour. Consequently it was a "must" to go to their last concert together (at least for this year).
Following an old dream of mine I started a cycle tour from my home town Cologne in Germany to England. Two weeks later I arrived in Ripley - in good time for the gig.

WOW, WHAT A FANTASTIC NIGHT!

It is so great to see and hear how wonderful Aynsley and Ian complement one another. Their voices and guitar play join in a way that gives you goose-flesh! You really could feel how much they enjoyed their music.

After the common start Ian and Aynsley each played a part with their own bands. Both chose a balanced mixture of new and earlier songs. During the last part of the concert they played together again. I am absolutely fascinated of their ability to change from a carefree and fun playing to a very intense and deep song version. Especially "Little Wing" was magically!

Hopefully we will see them together on stage again - I would love to see them playing a whole acoustic session together one day! Then I will certainly come - by bicycle of course. :-)

THANK YOU SO MUCH
For that wonderful gig
In a very warm welcome venue (special thanks to Andy)
With an enthusiastic audience

Anja

3rd June 2007 - GUY TORTORA BAND

What a brilliant gig! This sort of event is what makes promoting RipleyBlues worthwhile, to bring a band from London who hardly anyone had heard of and to witness a superb performance and audience reaction is just so rewarding. O.K. so the figures didn't add up but thanks to a few of the RipleyBlues faithful making a last minute decision to trek across from Ripon and Nidderdale there was enough in the room to create a good atmosphere.

I can't remember when I last saw a band with such variety in their performance. For the first set Guy featured several self-penned numbers from his excellent "Jefferson Drive" CD including the amusing "Two Fried Eggs" and the story of "going back" titled "My Town". Guy is an excellent song-writer, his lyrics tell interesting stories that the listener can relate to and his delivery is clear so you can hear every word. With Guy superb on any number of guitars the band are really "together" and special mention must be made of the Hungarian keyboard player Janos - he wasn't impressed that we called him Janis in the publicity flyers!

As the night wore on the tempo rose and the band played more of their own numbers interspersed with excellent covers of songs by the Rev Gary Davis and Jimmy Reed and culminating in the "big band" sound of Louis Jordan's "Let The Good Times Roll". For the encore they gave us Rick Estrin's "Don't Do It" all about medical advice that says anything you enjoy is bad for your health - another one many of us could relate to. To conclude this band should be way higher in the blues hierarchy, go see them or if you are a promoter put them on!

Andy Herrington

12th May 2007 - WILKO JOHNSON

When Dr Feelgood arrived on the music scene in 1974 they buried the festering remains of progressive rock with a brand of high octane, stripped down, no compromise rhythm'n blues that Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson has since made his own.

Wilko, along with legendary bassist Norman Watt-Roy and high energy drummer Steve Monti, still tours extensively and on Saturday night it was Ripley's turn to witness the unique experience that is 'Wilko Johnson'.

A near capacity crowd was nicely warmed up by support group The Cahonies. There is always a tangible buzz of excitement at a Wilko gig and Saturday was no exception. As Wilko and Norman plugged in their guitars and Steve prepared to commit grevious bodily harm on the drum kit, it was time for the audience to strap on their seat belts and hold on to the safety bars. 'One, two, three, four' and the rollercoaster was on its way. There were no 'scene setters' between songs, in fact, barely a gap at all as the cymbals were still vibrating as Wilko counted in the next number. The sheer pace was breathless as the band ran through all the favourites including the haunting 'Dr Dupree', a naughty version of 'Don't let your daddy know', a frenetic 'She does it right' and, of course, that Seventies standard bearer 'Back in the night'. The encores were completed by a version of 'Route 66' that would have broken the speed limit on the famous highway itself.

It seems that Ripley's reputation as a great venue is spreading - a camera crew shooting Wilko's next DVD had chosen the gig as the one to record.

A great night - thanks to Andy for continuing to attract such legendary musicians to our Blues club.

Paul Booth

13th May 2007 - WILKO JOHNSON BAND at Guiseley

See above - same show, same quality, another ecstatic audience!

22nd April 2007 - THE TWO TIMERS

The Two Timers were the first band to play the intimate "Blues Room" at Ripley following it's refurbishment a couple of years ago and they attracted a full house and went down a storm. We thought they would be ideal for Coopers and so they were - but unfortunately the audience forgot to turn up with only about 20 regulars attending. Fortunately Sarah and Gordon were unfazed and gave us their usual powerful and entertaining show with Sarah suggesting that in view of the small numbers the audience should stamp their feet as well as applaud - we were all happy to oblige.

The Two Timers are exceptionally talented musicians and their music, made up of mainly original material, is very hard to categorise. They certainly deserved a bigger audience - perhaps Sarah was right when she suggested they were all knackered after running the London Marathon!

Andy Herrington

14th April 2007 - THE STUMBLE

Pretty much a perfect day, lovely sunny weather and the PA guys turned up early with a couple of young assistants who we could send to queue for Ripley ice-creams. The band were also on time and were nice guys who seemed to like our venue.In the weeks leading up to this gig all I heard was "The Stumble - never heard of them!" but the Ripley regulars did us proud and there was an audience of over 100 for the band's first appearance at the Hotel de Ville.

The Stumble started the night in stages, first we had Boyd Tonner (drums), Dave Heath (bass) and Colin Black and Jon Spencer on guitars belting out an instrumental and they were then joined by Simon Anthony on saxophone and lastly by the band's exceptional vocalist, Paul Melville. The band showcased their new CD "The World Is Tough" and played a mixture of original material and covers including a great version of BB King's "All Over Again". The opening lines to this number had a few men in the audience smiling - "I've a good mind to give up living and go shopping instead".

The band started the second half with a short acoustic set which was very well received particularly Paul's vocals on the Bill Withers' masterpiece "Ain't No Sunshine". During this section Boyd left his drums to take over on guitar and then showed his further versatility by taking the vocals on the next song. Then we were back to another storming electric finishing with "Give me back my Wig" before the guys were roared back for an encore. The posters for The Stumble promise "Rapturous Rhythm & Blues" and that is exactly what we got - they were phenomenal!

P.S. Thanks to David Archbold for an entertaining raffle with "The Famous Ripley Chicken".

Andy Herrington

18th March 2007 - GREEN MAC

Following two very successful support slots at Ripley we decided to give Green Mac a whole show to themselves at Coopers. On a very wintry night a good crowd turned out and were rewarded with excellent interpretations of those classic Fleetwood Mac numbers plus songs from other favourites such as Elmore James, Otis Rush and Buddy Holly.

The band have had a recent change of personnel and now joining Dusty Miller (guitar & vocals), Craig Jackson (bass) and Pete Tallent (drums) is Steve Harrop on guitar and slide. Steve is multi-instrumentalist who although new to Green Mac was playing this music with Dusty nearly 40 years ago so has slotted seamlessly into the band.

Andy Herrington

2nd March 2007 - MARCUS MALONE BAND + BLUESVILLE

by Andy Herrington

Organisationally this gig had a few problems, we found out on the day that no accommodation had been booked for the band, they were late arriving due to "Friday" traffic and accidents on the way up from Swindon and the PA company didn't bring the lights. All got sorted and the evening got of to a fine start with quality, local band Bluesville. The band have been wanting to play Ripley for some time and having got the opportunity they did not disappoint with a set featuring some classic songs plus one of their own compositions. A special mention for vocalist Sharon Colgan and guitarist Paul Federenko.

Marcus has not played Ripley since November 2003 and it was good to see he still has the same line-up with Stuart Dixon on guitar, Chris Nugent on drums and Jonathan Bankes on bass. The band play all original material but the audience had no problem in identifying with it and were quickly in the groove helped by Marcus's showmanship and warmth. Before the gig Marcus expressed doubts about his voice lasting out for a one and a half hour set but in the event he performed multiple encores and was still going strong at the 11.30 finish. Although the audience was not as large as hoped for I feel sure that those who came got their money's worth with two excellent bands.

10th February 2007 - THE HAMSTERS

Review by Colin Tait

First gig of 2007 and it's a sellout, they must all be Hamsterheads or the word's got out about RipleyBlues.

The faithful (and the rest) were not disappointed tonight. On the strength of this performance I went from being someone who quite liked The Hamsters to becoming a bit of a fan. They played a packed and varied two part show based on their "regular" set, but it's when they are playing Hendrix that they really come alive. I won't bother going on about it because it's all been said before, but it's true - nobody does Hendrix better. They fully deserve their reputation as hard workers and crowd pleasers.

For a £10 (member) ticket, this was a cracking nights entertainment. Slim's rapport with the audience and between songs banter really added to the party atmosphere and the playing was excellent throughout. I have seen the band a few times before but missed them last time at Ripley and to me they seemed to relish the intimacy and buzz of this special venue.

Of course no Hamsters show would be complete without the finale, with flashing guitars and the walk round the audience, swapping instruments mid song. Even when they are playing each others parts the sound is better than thousands of lesser blues bands. The final encore of Tube Snake Boogie with audience participation rounded off the night in a rousing fashion and the sellout crowd dispersed slowly with the band mingling amongst them. Loads of happy punters and an equally happy band headed off into the drizzly damp night.

A perfect start to the year's programme of events, setting a high standard for others to follow. Life was certainly poorer before RipleyBlues!!

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