Rainy City
Bluegrass Band
Chester, 11th March 1997
THE LAST TIME THE RAINY CITY played at Chester Bluegrass Club was a memorable evening – not only because the band played well but because it was the infamous "Night of Jed Clampet" when we got all our cars clamped (see NWBN, vol 3 no 4, Sept. 1996 for the full gory story). But this time there weren't any problems; the visitors were accommodated in our private garage! Special mention must be made that Tom Degney had unexpectedly been sent on a job in Bedford but, hero that he is, he drove back specially for the gig! Ten out of ten, Tom! The evening got off to a great start with a well-attended picking session that filled up very early on. Many brought their wives along and we even had some American players (rugby, not bluegrass!) from North Carolina in the audience! Several thought the 5-piece band benefited in presentation from not having enough space to spread out into a straight row, like five daffodils.
Ian Reynolds sends his impressions: "A Word from the Boys at the Back"
GROUCHO MARX MIGHT NOT have been able to pick 'Flop Eared Mule' at a thousand miles an hour, but he's one of my all time heroes just the same. I don't want to be in any club that would have me as a member, either. So it was with some trepidation that I headed for Chester to take in the Rainy City showcase. They do start early, don't they? So I try to shuffle in inconspicuously, which isn't easy when you're six four and your boat race has just made its debut in the Newsletter. I failed miserably, banging into tables and instrument cases. After hundreds of "excuse me's" and "sorry's", I get sat down. At this point I realise I forgot to get a drink and I've got to do the rat run again. Oh Good. An inauspicious start, you might think - and you'd be right. But not a sign of things to come. To be honest, the first session element of the evening was just warming up when it was time to knock it on the head and make way for the evenings star attraction, The Rainy City Bluegrass Band. God alone knows when I saw these guys last - it was probably circa '79 at Jack Lee's folk club at The Fisherman's. One of them seems to have changed sex, but I don't think they've changed the sets too much. They came on stage sporting baseball caps like a bunch of elderly truck drivers; but the look is perfect. They just do it, with little in the way of ceremony or patter - at least, I couldn't hear much from the smokers' refuge out back - and a lot of well-played music. They've really got a handle on those 'high lonesome' vocals that were the only bluegrass way until the likes of Lou Reid brought bluesy overtones to the forefront. It's wonderful to hear, but I was wishing they had a PA to capture some of the purity and carry it beyond the front row. They went down very well with the audience... ... which was a cornucopia of 'Who's Who?' proportions. It was fun to watch the goings on. I saw Bev Williams in deep conversation with Tom Travis - though my eavesdropping attempt failed I swear I could hear their brains cranking up. Watch this space, as they say. Get to Chester, see one of these showcases. Go prepared to do as the Romans do and you'll have a good time. I certainly did. And, if you can stop smoking before you go, great: otherwise you'll end up sitting with us reprobates at the back! Ian Reynolds, Blackley Star cast playing: Julie Cross, David Brightmore, Jock Watson, John Baxter, Joss Murphy, Idle Frets (John Prytherch and Tony Keysell), Ian Britten, Pete Massey, Gordon Morris, Rick Hawley (Shrewsbury) and Derek and Jean Brandon, Tom Travis, Bev Williams (Oldham), Ian Reynolds (of the Mossley pick), Christine & Jim Mannion (Rawtenstall!).
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Ian Reynolds