ADAM Masterson

Got a couple of gigs coming up at the Boogaloo in Highgate. Tomorrow night (Dec 16th) I’m supporting Nic Dawson Kelly and I’m back at the Boogaloo Monday night December 21st supporting The Riffles. Also booked my own night there Feb 11th so put that one in your 2010 diaries.

Been playing lots of events lately. The one at the Cardinal Cafe on Victoria street was for a big catering company, artistically a bit weird, playing to lots of people eating canapes and not seeming to pay you the slightest bit of attention. At one point I turned my back to the audience to fetch a sip of champagne and saw in front of me the great byzantine facade of Westminster Cathedral lighting up the Victoria night. ‘If I can’t sing for the corporate world in front of me’ I thought ‘I’ll sing for the angels and saints behind me’. In the end I didn’t do too bad at all, and one shouldn’t complain about this type of work. Just as the church needs to pay the builder to fix the leek in it’s roof, the musician needs to pay the cobbler to fix the leek in his boots.

The following week was a different case, I turned up at Metropolis studios in Chiswick not knowing what to expect, for some reason I had an idea I’d be playing a birthday party. It turned out it was an event for a dating organization, for people who hadn’t met each other before and were all single. I thought ‘I’ve only gone and got myself a bloody grab-a-granny night’ But no, what a lovely bunch of people and what a great night it turned out to be, there were folks in there 20’s who’d turned up looking for someone. After a couple of tunes I thought this is going well. I did some on the piano and by the time a got back on the guitar they all formed a semi-circle round me it was like a proper gig. I don’t know if any of them fell in love but you never know.

I was sad to hear about the passing of Liam Clancy. What a powerful singer, what a voice. I always thought I’d meet him you know, somewhere in Greenwhich village, I always thought of him when I went in the white horse Dylan Thomas’ bar, maybe cos I’d seen him having a pint in there in that Dylan doc. Now The Clancy Brothers can join Thomas in that gallery of legends.

The Boogaloo is at 312 Archway road N6 5AT nearest tube highgate, and tickets for me opening for The Rifles on 21st Dec look like they’re gonna sell out so try in advance.

Adam