3 posts tagged “stockton on tees”

NEW POST BELOW THIS JAN 3rd
Hi there everyone! Glad you could make it to the WRITERS' CAFE Vox blog - Here we keep you posted with the latest news and events and networks. THE GEORGIAN THEATRE Visit their My Space to find out about other band events and the Green Dragon Recording Studios.
NOTE - THIS POST WILL STAY ON TOP LIKE A HOME PAGE - SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS.

The main Writers Cafe site is in the side bar (currently unavailable owing to a change of server)  but the purpose of this one is to increase the social and creative networking, uploading Brian's photographs of the shows, Ian's reviews and announcing the latest shows. Hopefully we'll get some good links between our Coventry (HOBO) site and the Writers' Cafe. The Writers' Cafe is organised by Trev Teasdel, Ann Wainwright, Dawn Taylor, Brian Stubley and Ian and Paul Burns of the Teesside Music Alliance.

This song was written / copyright of Dave Wood and recorded live by the Euclidean Mushroom Band (AKA) The Multi Media Band at the Castalians (a forerunner of the Writers Cafe) in 1982 at the Dovecot Arts Centre, Stockton on Tees. Read more abut it in the post below.
THE WRITERS' CAFE HAPPENS ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE GEORGIAN THEATRE, GREEN DRAGON YARD, STOCKTON ON TEES - 7.30 - 10. 30pm £4 admission. ALL WELCOME
(Map at the bottom this post)

NEWS 11th FEB 2008
THE WRITERS CAFE IS TAKING A BREAK NOW UNTIL THE FIRST WEDS IN MAY 2008. Now that the current funding has finished it is necessary for us to reappraise the direction and format of the Writers Cafe. We are hoping to bring back some of the variety we had when the Cafe was at the ARC Arts Centre in Stockton and get more people involved with he organising. Hopefully the new Writers Cafe will include some of the elements we've lost along the way - film and drama shorts and creative writing elements and a Dead Poets Slot for more informal readings and involving people joining in with guitars, small drums and anything else all off stage, then moving to the stage area for more formal acts. Lots being thought of and we'll need more resources  - a creative sound person. More later.

ALSO the Writers Cafe CD Anthology is near completion. I will be going into the Green Dragon Studios to work with Nathan the engineer on mixing and compiling the Anthology this weds. It will be a mix of songs poetry and poetry and music with a bit of Flash fiction.

The February review will be on here soon.

Also footage of Surianne from the August Cafe during the Stockton International festival videoed by Brian Stubley. Thanks Brian for sorting this. The footage is lower on this top post. More to come as well.

Trevs

1 comment

Trev's New Album on Amazon USA also on I TunesSongs From the Coventry Underground - released 21st Dec 2007. Thats to download it. You buy the CD direct from Broadgate Gnome Gnome Fest site here - http://www.broadgategnome.com/jamroom/Trev_Teasdel

WHERE IS THE GEORGIAN THEATRE??

Anna from the Georgian Theatre
has appended the map to show the location of the
Georgian Theatre in the Green

Dragon Yard. The Green dragon Yard is sandwich between Stockton High St. and the Riverside Ringroad with parking at the bottom of Silver St.
Map below - click to enlarge...

Map

MARTIN NEWELL'S TRIBUTE TO STANLEY UNWIN - OCTOBER WRITERS CAFE

Martin Newell's Tribute to Stanley Unwin

KARL ELAND AT THE AUGUST WRITERS CAFE

Karl Eland Live at the Writers Cafe August 2007

Surrianne at the The Writers' Cafe Aug 2007

SURIANNE AT THE THE WRITERS CAFE No 2

Surianne Live at the Writers Cafe No 3

Surianne Live at the Writers Cafe No4

ODI HAS A NEW SINGLE OUT  - CRAWL - AVAILABLE FROM I TUNES. My Space or Vox

ODI (trev dancing below!)

See her vids below

ODi on BBC Raw Talent

Passion Lounge Sessions - ODI

Ian (Check his My Space) has sent in his latest review of the Writers' Cafe. We have two reviews this month with Hooper having put one on their site HERE. Ian refused to read it until his review was complete so that he was sure not to duplicate anything they had written. So here's Ian's review without much ado -

Review Writers Café 6th June 2007

June’s Cafe was another acoustic special and as usual another triumph. The first performer Steve Irwin played a variety of songs including accomplished

covers of “Mad World” and the Bob Marley classic “No Woman, No Cry” and got the evening off to a rousing start. Anyone who can play can cover a song, but to cover a song well you need to develop your own version of the song making it yours without losing the essential ingredients of the original. A talent Steve showed this evening and hopefully will again.

Second was Rocky. This was unfortunately her last performance at the café for a while as she is returning home from Durham University for a year. It is one of the pleasures of regularly attending the café to see performers like this develop and grow. Although she is a poet her performance fitted in with the more musical theme of the evening as her style of reciting brings out the natural rhythms in her work, one poem in particular almost being an accapella rap. The words are intelligent, well used and thought provoking, whether she is discussing socio-political issues (using mint and chocolates as a metaphor) or more personal themes. Trevor commented after she finished that she gets better every time she performs and this is undoubtedly true.

Trevor provided a special treat next as instead of reciting his poetic prose he strummed a few songs instead. “There is no limit to how far you can go” was a light hearted look at credit cards. Trevor’s guitar playing was excellent as was his singing. His microphone needed adjusting mid song at one point leading to what I assume was an ad-libbed line in that song “Thank You Mate”. I hope that we will hear more songs from Trevor at future events. Trev's Songs on Vox  (Trev's My Space)

J B Butterfield closed the first half with his country blues songs. Drawing from an American folk tradition JB presents a style different from that of the other performers but still riveting and enhanced by an obvious love and deep knowledge of this form.

Trevor opened the second half reciting one of his poems. He also recites his work with energy and rhythm bringing a musical context to his words.

Next was Nigel who organizes the bar where the Café is held. He said that it

oetry, songwritersas the first time he had performed in 2 years but it was a confident performance. As well as playing guitar he played harmonica on one song. His songs ranged from a protest song set in the Thatcher years and finished with a very pretty song. I hope he will not keep us waiting another 2 years for his next appearance on the stage.

Paul Hanafin then did a spot, on a flying visit to the café as he was also appearing elsewhere that night. Leaning more to an acoustic indie rock sound this was another change of styles. Paul plays well and his tunes were very poppy and catchy. Among others he played Apple of My Eye and Dreamworld which feature on his My Space site.

Next were Hooper (My Space here) Vox Here. A duo who sing a more folk influenced style. Fusing

beautiful harmonies with acoustic guitar playing sometimes vulnerable songs. Accomplished and experienced performers their voices floated and soared fully supported by the guitar accompaniement, particularly on the fragile “Hurt”.

Closing the evening were Tommy Marshalls Ambassadors. (Their new VOX) Another duo who perform acoustically. Combining two guitars and two voices they meld a variety of styles from the Mexican guitars of “The Wonders of Mexico” to the 60’s pop of the Beatles “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” which was a rousing encore to a brilliant and entertaining set. As with Hooper these are Café favorites who continue to improve with every visit.

Although most of the acts were musical this month they showed a wide variety of styles within the acoustic range. It is this diversity that is one of the strong points of The Writers Café. It is also a place that nurtures new performers and provides a forum for people with a desire to perform be they enthusiastic amateurs, developing or established and experienced artists. All of whom combined to provide an excellent evening’s entertainment.

Posted by Trevor -

I met Dominic Windram at the ARC (Stockton's Arts Centre) in 2004 when we started the Writers's Cafe (now based

at the Georgian Theatre). Dominic was a creative writing student in Carmen Thompson's class (one of our original organisers), a home tutor and poet. He began performing his work at the Writers cafe and got involved with our performance group with Sarah and June and Dionne. Dominic is a serious poet with a deep intellectual strain to his work that bites at hyprocisy and exploitations, is often radical or spirtiually inclined but in an unsual way. I helped publish and design some of his books under Glass Orange imprint. They sell for about £2 each. If anybody wants copies send a message to the Writers Cafe and I will pass it on to Dominic.

Two Poems from Artificial Eden by Dominic Windram (Here is the cover of Dom's 2nd Book The Season Cycle as well - Covers designed by Trev Teasdel)

A Counterfeit kind of love

 

Quick fix culture:

Terrified to face itself;

Terrified to discover

An empty shell.

 

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Love is reduced to animal lust.

Love is now just an exchange of fluids;

Love is now just a fashion accessory.

It's about what's compatible, (seriously)

Between well matched sets of personality packages

 

Where is the love that is real in space and time?

And yet which transcends space and time.

Which is fully conscious of itself,

And longs to embrace the divine.

 

We can only regret our failure to achieve.

That which the mystics claim is both real and transcendent;

That which is within our reach; within our grasp.

Some cannot regret as they know no other;

They eat, and sleep and go to work and fall in love or lust;

And engage in a range of leisure pursuits.

And live their lives within a narrow frame of reference

Because they know no other.

 

Quick fix culture;

 Cold and numb,

Born of frustration,

Built for fun.

The Pleasure Principle -(Addiction Theme)

 

Quick fix culture - born of sensation.

We're perched headlong on the fast lane

To burn out leading to boredom.

The desolate spaces within each of us,

Will not be filled, refreshed or healed by

The relentless pursuit of one night stands.

 

Prozac prescribed to millions of persons;

To numb the pain of existence,

But it never heals the inner kingdom.

Just scratches the outer surface

Of the ravaged ego's deadly

Hydra like symptoms.

 

All our lives we seem to move.

Back and forth from dark to light;

From light to darkness;

From the cradle to the grave,

We are the eternal seekers;

Expectant and self serving,

But the search for new sensation

Leads to the threshold of despair

 

Invasion of the pure, pools of silence

By the endless noise of desire.

Addictions that sidetrack and eclipse

The hallowed energy of our higher selves.

Addictions that deaden our truest desires:

From tranquilisers to 'angel dust' and heroin.

 

If its ecstasy that you crave

Desire creates more desire

If its escape that you crave

Desire feeds off desire