La Rose en vie

J Fetzer

Last night, I went to Brighton to see the first night of the tour by Caitlin Rose and her band. I was introduced to Caitlin Rose's music by my colleague Wilton Catford, who is a huge fan of hers. I think she's very good, too, though it would be a disservice to Wilton to claim that my fandom approaches his.

The record she is supporting on this tour, The Stand-In, was only released yesterday, so I listened to it a couple of times as I worked yesterday, thanks to this page at the Independent, which appears to no longer be working.  Then we listened to it in the car as Wilton drove from Guildford to Brighton.

As happens every time I go with Wilton to see Caitlin Rose, we bumped into some of the band members in a nearby pub before the gig, and sat and had dinner with them.  They were both very nice chaps, though I do find it hard making small-talk with strangers, especially ones I have paid to see play music later in the evening.  Fortunately, Wilton has no such difficulties, at least when it comes to discussing music, so he manfully saved my blushes.  One of the guys was called Reno Bo.  He was playing bass in Caitlin's band, and talked about some of the previous bands he'd be in.  He mentioned that one, The Mooney Suzuki, had had a UK top 40 hit, which was slightly embarrassing for us, as we hadn't heard of it, or indeed the band.  Oh well.  Wikipedia tells us that the song was called Primitive Condition. The other guy was the dapper Jeremy Fetzer, pictured here when he was playing later in the evening.

C Rose

I enjoyed the gig very much. Already listening to the album on the way down was enough to make a few songs stand out, and the picture on the left is of Caitlin Rose singing Pink Champagne, which is probably my favourite - at least based on just a few listens. So, if you like folky indieish country music with a great singer, then check her out. I think the rest of the tour dates have sold out, but thanks to the wonder of youtube, spotify, last.fm and so on, you can enjoy such things as the song that finished the encore without having to go to Brighton on a chilly night to a venue where a can of Red Stripe costs £4.

Okay - time for a day of grant writing,  PhD and project student supervision, to be topped off with a board of studies subcommittee meeting to chair.  Coffee first, I think.

Am I funny?

Hello.  I seem to have been on a bit of a hiatus.  Sorry!  bit busy preparing various things, though with my full teaching load compressed into the first semester, I now face more time to indulge in activities like blogging.  I note that my last entry was penned the day after taking part in the fifth Guildford Bright Club.  The results are now online, and I append my set below.  Not as funny as my first, last year, I don't think, but I'm happy enough with it.

I also notice, looking back at recent entries, that I mentioned my attempt to get my name in lights, or print, by winning the prize crossword in the Independent on Saturday.  I was again disappointed yesterday to see that I hadn't won, though fellow physics blogger Peter Coles again won an identical dictionary to the others he has collected.  One day it will be mine...  Not 100% convinced that it will be via this week's crossword, though.  It's a bit fiendish, and by a new setter.  I've not finished it yet, but am about to take a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea to bed, and see if I can polish it off.  I might at least get an honorable mention in Alan Connor's Guardian Crossword blog tomorrow.  Each week he asks for a clue to a word, and more often than not I submit something.  I'm not sure my entry last week was brilliant, but it at least has a good few recommendations from fellow blog-readers via the graun's equivalent of the like/+1 system.