The venue was upstairs at The Leytonstone Ex-Servicemen’s Club
in East London. The gig was part of What’s Cookin’, a bi-weekly showcase of acts often labouring under the moniker “Americana”. It often means country,
but not necessarily. At What’s Cookin’
it could equally mean swamp boogie or rock ‘n soul. To be fair, the organisers
don’t call it Americana. It’s one of those annoying, catch-all, meaningless labels, just
like “World Music”. (Have you ever heard a World Music dj play The Beatles or
Bob Marley? Yet they were truly global acts whose songs reflected their (and
others’) “roots”.)
Don, and his sidekick for this particular gig Stuart, were strong-voiced,
emotionally engaging and played well. This was country straight out of Nashville,
minus the western; although they were sporting 10 gallon hats. I was seriously
impressed, with the music and the hats.
After a suitable break for more liquid refreshment - the
birthday pints were piling up - a married Kansas-based duo, Truckstop Honeymoon, took to the stage. Originally
from New Orleans, when Hurricane Katrina hit they relocated. At first the skinny,
hippy-haired, dude on banjo and his bespectacled double bass-playing wife didn’t lift the audience like the
previous act. But then, somehow, his spoken routine, and the quality of their performance, made me and assorted other revelers warm to
them….a lot.
Perhaps these gigs are hard to judge objectively. They take
place in a bar and there is no price of admittance (although a bucket is, rightly,
passed around).
This though was my fourth outing to a What’s Cookin’ event. I have not yet been disappointed with the
quality of the North American or North American-style acts that Stephen
Ferguson, the organiser, attracts.
This Sunday (20 July) from midday he’ll be showcasing a whole
day of it in Henry Reynolds Gardens as part of the Leytonstone Festival. I’ll
be there.
