The Quarter After

In my head, its 1968. For a couple of hours on Tuesday evening, it felt like the rest of me was there as well.

Mike Randle emailed me from Truetone Guitar shop in Santa Monica a week or so ago(verbatim):

1/4 after at Chameloen

BJM guitarist, Rob, is sat here with me at shop. Check his band put in Nhill if you can Mike

My email back to Mike:

Hi Mike

Sorry don't know what you mean.

My next email back to Mike:

http://www.thecommitteetokeepmusicevil.com/tour.asp

Found it! The Chameleon isn't a venue I'm familiar with, I'll look it up. It must be a new one

So I set off Tuesday evening for the Chameleon in Nottingham. Above Clinton Cards shop in the Old Market Square, next door to the Bell. A little cafe-bar on the first floor with a function room on the second floor. I paid my 6 quid for a ticket - buggar the credit crunch!

Now I'd figured out in the interval between the emails and Tuesday that I'd already met Rob Campanella, lead guitarist of the Quarter After, with Scottish Keith Stoddart and Lizzy in a pub in Newcastle before we went to a Brian Jonestown Massacre gig a couple of years back, that's his other band. So I recognised him. He was in the cafe-bar part on his mobile (cell phone for the benefit of my US readers). I went over and introduced myself as friend of the aforesaid Mike Randle and had a chat with him -nice guy.

Things seemed a tad anarchic and it seemed it was going to be a while before the bands were going to be on - my six quid actually bought me three bands - Dom Keller, a local outfit, Quarter After, from LA, and Asteroid 4, from Philadelphia. After a while I moved upstairs and that was when the time travelling experience really kicked off. The room was pretty small, the walls were covered in these wild surreal paintings, the windows were hung with sheets and it reminded me of student flats from back in the day when I was a young person of the hippy persuasion. Wow - far out!

Dom Keller were first on and they put on a creditable psychedelic performance. I've looked up their MySpace page and they are real 60s fans. I understand they put the gig on as well, great stuff. All this time the various member of the two US bands were hanging around, exotic creatures for a dull Nottingham Tuesday evening. I sat down on a sofa for a while and Victor, the QA bassist came and sat next to me and promptly fell asleep - jet lag I guess. The audience was small (it needed to be, its a small place) but very appreciative.

Then it was time for the Quarter After, following a long period of setting up / tuning up - they needed it, as Rob and his brother Dom play a range of different instruments - this was their first gig after flying over and those planes play havoc with your tuning.

They were outstanding. Two / three guitars (at times the keyboard player was on guitar as well as Dom and Rob), bass and drums. Close harmonies from Dom and Rob - you know that thing about siblings singing together - Everley Brothers etc - the sound was spine tingling. My best comparison would be to the Byrds - jingle-jangle Rickenbacker and sweet harmonies. I loved it, and it moved my head in the way only great music can. I b0ught the album from the merch stand for £7 (a bargain) and it sounds as good as the live performance.

I left before Asteroid 4 as it was pretty late by then., work the next day A quick word with Rob to express my appreciation, then forward 40 years and home. I think I'll be seeing these guys again.

Baby Lemonade tour cancelled

Boo hoo! I'm pretty gutted quite frankly, I was really looking forward to the guys being over here in the Autumn. Tickets not selling well presumably, couldn't afford to take the financial risk, which I can quite understand. Strange financial times these, as I know only too well from my day job.



Time to regroup.