Campbell Cameron’s music month

Our Motorsport Editor and sometimes music contributor, Campbell Cameron, whose day job is now Oban Town Centre Manager, has just emailed in a months’s worth of music copy from the high plateau of (second) ‘youf’ territory in North Argyll.

The McCalman’s Oban Finale

After 26 albums and over 400 songs – the Macs will retire at the end of the year. They have enthralled us with stories and song since, well, since God was young and sliced bread was done manually, -but Ian, Stephen, and Nick are to call it a day as The McCalmans.

The latter two will pursue solo careers but the annual Highland tour of the trio will be a memory. Ian alluded to this plan last year when, on my Wednesday Drivetime show on  Oban FM,  he said it was time to make way for the young ones whose talent is evident all around us.

Still, another visit west last week gave him a chance to sample the great seafood on the pier and enjoy the sights and sounds of the bustling harbour that he loves to visit. Well it would have done – but the three of them caught the touring lurgy – sniffles and bronchitis – but we would hardly have known. Except for Ian looking for the sympathy vote!

The Greentrax years double album evidences their love of the Highlands with many tunes inspired by the area – Corryvreckan Calling, The Shian Road and Highlands Tomorrow are just three examples. Still let’s not be sad but enjoy the great music – they will return. If Take That can persuade Robbie back – nothing is impossible!

‘Ah hadny heard Robbie Shepherd was going back wi them’, joked Ian, when I had a bit of craic with him after the Oban Corran halls sell-out concert.

Happy retirement, old friend.

An Tobar – well of culture

The An Tobar centre in Tobermory goes from strength to strength with a busy summer program well underway.

I was having a chat with Gordon MacLean, the projec’s main man recently, while enjoying some fine coffee in the cafe overlooking the harbour.

‘We’re very fortunate that folk love to come here, as we are just a wee venue’, he told me as we sat enjoying the early summer sunshine in Tobermory.

A full house is just 90 people and that is with folk spilling out the door, as we have witnessed recently with The Iain Thomson Band launching Fields of Dreams in the centre.

‘It’s not Madison Square Gardens’, says Gordon, ‘but the musicians love the whole Tobermory vibe’.

In our summer sunshine you could see why – with full moorings and pontoons bulging with yachts and cruise boats, the Tobermory waterfront was better looking than Monaco.

The converted school also provides a great gallery space, which we enjoyed as well, with a fine photographic exhibition by Paul Kenny entitled Mull Works on until the end of August. But the performance room excels and gives the finest sound married to an intimate space where performer and audience bond perfectly.

What a great legacy it is to the efforts put in by the Mulleachs over the years.

Blue Collar Country

Annie Duggan brought her unique brand of Country to the Highlands this week. Supported by Rob Hines, the pair played a trio of gigs here on the west – on Easdale Island, Benderloch and Glencoe.

‘Annie’s vocals have been compared to Stevie Nicks and Mary Chapin Carpenter – praise indeed! Pretty unique they are, and with clever ‘down home’ country lyrics and great bluesy guitar from Rob the rounded sound is compelling. Their new album, If I knew then… is available online.

Mull Mocha Moments

I got picked up from the very fine Dervaig Bunkhouse for a run to the ferry at Craignure earlier this summer – and fellow passenger, the marvelllous Gaelic singer, Maeve Mackinnon asks me –’have I time for Mocha?’

Ever the gentleman, ‘Yes – That will be fine’,  I said, as I wondered where she was off to. Which part of Cafe society in the northern Mull village had she in mind? But out of her pooch she flourishes a wee packet and sets off for the kettle. No roughing it on tour these days then I thought – Rock and Roll lifestyle eh? It also explains those delicious chocolaty tones she sings with though …check out her fine album, Don’t sing love songs. on Foot Stomping music.

MySpace

The online music space has, along with Facebook and the like, become a real phenomenon. It used to be that to hear new and original music you had to find a great wee record shop – like we used to have on Douglas’s music shop here in Oban – remember it?  It was where West Coast Motors is now. Today, you just click and browse… all from the comfort of your armchair.

So what have I found? Well Darren Jenkins for one.

Here is an original and clever songwriter – someone with a range of songs and tunes with variety enough to command a confident future. Never mind the comparisons and there are many – just play Darren Jenkins on your pod – often! Check him out here.

Snippets

Robert Cray and Andy Fairweather Low blew our socks off at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall – blues and soul from Cray and what a guitarist Fairweather Low has evolved into. Pure magic!

‘Like this!’, said Cray as he introduced the latest classic from his new album, This Time, the culmination of 20 albums of gems that the man from Columbus, Georgia, who played with Blues legend John Lee Hooker on the classic Boom Boom. Like it Mr Cray? We loved it!

The Waterfront Bar in Oban hold a Thursday night open mic night each week raised funds for Help for Hero’s recently.
Rat pack tunes from Frankie Martin on his 366 pubs in 366 nights tour for the charity were augmented by local talented youngsters, a solo Rurigdh McMeddes, The Spin Offs with Hannah Matheson on vocals and K9 Ken.

Not a bad month.

Campbell Cameron