Chris Youlden & The Shakey Vick Band

Inn On The Green, 3 Thorpe Close W10 5XL

After watching the England/Germany football match last Wednesday, which included a couple of typical blunders although it resulted in an England win, I wandered into the blues Jam at the Inn in time to hear the house band augmented by Sax and Trumpet, which made for a change. Later I sat in myself, accompanied by piano man Ritchie with Brian on bass. We played three or four numbers to close the jam and finished in time to enjoy last orders which our friend Soul man Abe had obligingly ordered. If only life was always that easy. Read more »

After staying up to watch the results of the American presidential election I managed to sleep late on Wednesday morning. I got up in time to watch the Daily Politics on the BBC, which included various opinions on the task ahead for Obama. It seems to me that people are already expecting miracles from the man, but as there is such a long transition time between the handover from one president to the next, perhaps reality will have time to mute the euphoria. His success certainly has changed history and there was a feeling that people were suddenly aware that they were part of that history making. Usually history passes without me personally being awake to the fact, so I suppose I must be getting wiser in my old age. (I still can’t remember what I was doing when John Kennedy was shot, but I‘m sure that it wasn‘t me). Read more »

Chris Youlden & The Shakey Vick Band

Inn On The Green, 3 Thorpe Close W10 5XL

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Somehow I found myself in the Portobello Gold a couple of Sundays ago. I think the plan had been to start there, then go for a quick one in Finch’s and end up at the Inn On The Green. Like all the best laid plans it never quite worked out like that. There was solo guitarist/singer performing at the Gold and someone suggested we should request he played a blues. I didn’t think that was necessarily a good idea, so the request was never made. Someone also suggested another request, that he take a break, but I dissuaded them from making that request also. Performing solo is hard enough without comedians in the audience adding to the work load. Read more »