I heard it through the Grapevine


Rosie Cossar leaves for 'big' school February 1st, Nogger Up, Western Australia	Cavanagh Cossar and Jarrah mooning You just never know what is going to turn up in our mailbox . . .

So what's new around here, plenty. JCs excellent CD Dance When You're Living is starting to make ripples all over the place. We've had people as far afield as California, New Hampshire and Australia looking in on the new Village Bike website and as we speak a very fine Californian bottleneck guitarist and outstanding blueswoman, Alice Stuart is winging some folding stuff towards Poet's Cottage for a copy.

When we started this little old website some time ago now we had the great honour to be awarded one out of ten for our efforts. Some guy with an anorak who had set himself up as a self appointed judge on these things, there's plenty of these geeks out here in cyberland but we didn't put this up for geeks we put it up for people with a common interest in music.

However we started with no punters and now we have somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 people looking in any week. Pretty good for a bunch of amateurs. And by the way the reason this ain't a whole singing, dancing website is that my compadre Pete Turner is still using an old Mac which would fall over if we made it any more spiffing. Vic King still relies on his pigeon loft to keep in touch with the world.

Tzigane's new CD, from the Gypsy kings, Armfield, O'Riain, and Mansell is getting some rave reviews, well nearly, national Folk Roots magazine editor Ian A. Anderson is playing it to death but won't review it because it isn't on a 'proper' label or something . . . (damn queer fish these folk bods). No matter because Peter Chegwin, the late Steve Ross's political agent is getting some airplay on Radio Solent for it. Peter Chegwin is responsible for the excellent Gosport Festival held every Easter and is an all round good guy.

On Friday night he was waxing lyrical at the Talking Heads, Southampton on the talents of JC and Angelina Grimshaw and we are hoping that when the Talking Heads hears this new CD that JC, Angelina and them Dance Preachers can get a gig. JC and Angelina are off to Germany on February 18th to play a couple of blues festivals and a string of gigs. On there return a launch party/gig is going to be arranged which is going to be a cracker.

Not only will the launch party be for JC's Dance When You're Living CD but also Tzigane's gypsy jazz classic. And to make it into a real kicking party it sounds like Pete Hogman has a new CD ready to go and will be joining in the music making.

Island songwriters and small acoustic duos, poets and monologists may be interested to know about a regular open mike evening in Southampton. An old mucker of mine Clive Roberts organises it along with a Southampton muso, Simeon Hill. It's called the Candle Club. Every Monday night, damn near all year it runs from 8.30 till closing time at the Talking Heads. The event is always packed and so popular that Clive and Simeon with the support of Talking Heads management, Tim Richardson and Todd Mitchell, have extended it to run a 'best performers' selection every first Sunday of the month.

I've been in some pretty sparsely attended folk clubs of late but I've never seen the support that Clive and Simeon get for the Candle Club. Any week is always going to be a surprise as unknown students, passing Italians, Russians, poets and muso's turn up, play a couple of songs, do some comedy or monologues and disappear. However Clive's getting them organised and they have a website see top of the page and they are collecting material for a first 'Candle Club' CD. The rules of the Candle Club are simple, turn up, put your name down and play a couple of songs, ten minutes maximum.

And finally, some explanation of the pictures at the top of the page. They are pictures of Joe and Melanie Cossar's children. Melanie is an Islander (Melanie Norton, Joe's from Scotland) now living in the delightfully named Nogger Up in Western Australia and a friend of Wayward Son Duncan Jones. Rosie went to 'big' school on February 1st and we wish her well and hope she finishes all the sandwiches she's packing in that big pack on her back. Joe and Melanie's son Cavanagh is showing just how warm it is in those parts by showing his bum with his pal Jarrah. Melanie's Mum, Mary Norton still lives on the Island, as does her sister, Pauline. They are currently in Australia with their families having a right old time. Mum's birthday was on Valentines Day I think. Pull a beer out of the fridge and put something on the barbie for me you lucky people.