Sunday 25 March 2012

Quite a few for the Road...



As the hangovers faded and the M’n’Mers could face daylight again the stories of the first legendary Malt ‘n’ Music were told and retold and everybody’s list of possible songs for that first night revealed.
But with just one hit Malt ‘n’ Music was in the veins and only another night would satisfy.
The evening of April Fools Day was chosen, the Cidermaker offered his abode and the theme was decided upon - best music to drive to.
Once again conversations in the Lion centered around which tracks to choose - but never by name. CD cases were seen strewn across front seats as every car trip became a chance to try out possible choices - radio’s were suddenly cranked up as a local station gave a helping hand or muddied the waters in the decision making and ipods were set on shuffle in the hope of prompting the memory of that great driving track!
The Cidermaker declared a sausage fest for the food theme and a new twist to the evening was added - the half time challenge! 
So we arrived at the Cider Farm with two tracks, our favorite sausage and a picture of our first ever car! Well most of us arrived - Smashie & Nicey where still to arrive! To the soundtrack of Alice's Restaurant we waited - then they came in sight we waved and still waited...


Obviously for most of us the most difficult decision was which tracks to choose but for Smashie and Nicey it was which front door to choose! As we waited - they boldly knocked and entered - the Cidermaker's neighbours house! Walking in waving beer, sausages and CD's with the words 'Right we're here lads lets gets the evening started'. The stunned neighbours sat in shocked silence and surreptitiously started to dial 999!!
With Smashie and Nicey finally in the right house, the sausages in the oven, the car photos in a brown envelope, corks were popped, beer poured, whiskey shared and with the Cidermaker in the driving seat the evening accelerated through the gears into a high octane night with a heavy mix of alcohol and great music. 


Navigating via the 2-4-6-8 Motorway onto Copperhead Road we chose our Roots carefully through middle of the road pop and onto country roads where with each Bend and Break Old Friends found out How it Felt to have a brush with the Police and be reminded Who is in Control as they were kept In the Dark despite their Sympathy for the Devil to ensure Paradise by the Dashboard Light! 


This amazing journey was only punctuated with a Space Service Station #5 stop for sausages and the challenge of matching the bizarrely painted van with her owner!
Needless to say no-one drove home!



Malt 'n' Music 2
On the Road
Track List

  1. Bend and Break- Keane
  2. Enter Sandman - Metallica
  3. 2-4-6-8 Motorway - Tom Robinson Band
  4. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
  5. How Does it Feel - Slade
  6. In the Dark - Billy Squire
  7. I Don't Want a Lover - Texas
  8. Blue Monday - New Order
  9. Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
  10. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
  11. Roots - Show of Hands
  12. Old Friends - Everything but the Girl
  13. Fire - Des'ree
  14. Who's in Control - British Sea Power
  15. Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
  16. Hedonism - Skunk Anansie
  17. Space Station #5 - Montrose
  18. Hush - Kula Shaker
  19. Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
  20. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones

Monday 19 March 2012

Wot no Pink Floyd!



No-one said that it had to be a surprise on the night but as soon as the date was set people started talking in code about possible tracks when they met in the local!


Quiz night in the Lion became a chance to talk about the difficult process of narrowing down our over populated lists of favorite tracks to just two - careful not to let slip the identity of any songs we were considering. 


The PM tried to pass a law that there should be no Pink Floyd but was voted down and the Young 'Un revealed he only owned one CD and we all hoped it was Dark Side of the Moon!


Mav was hosting the first night, banishing Mrs Mav from the house the front room was re-arranged for greater listening pleasure and an extra challenge laid down to us to bring favorite nibbles.


11 M'n'Mers attended the inaugural meeting including the Quizmaster on his birthday proudly carrying a Pink Floyd CD, a bottle of port and hoping he wouldn't be too p****d before his first choice as he can hardly say 'allegorical' when sober!


The draw was made for the running order - it was to be a game of two halves - the PM drew number one and the long anticipated evening began.


Before each track was played a chance to enthuse about it, tell a story or simply explain the choice and then with the volume dial set firmly at 11 we listened...


From then on in the single malt flowed, nibbles were eaten, music enjoyed and the word 'allegorical' rehearsed after each glass of port.


It turns out that the Pink Floyd CD was just a rouse to bait the PM by the Quizmaster and the word 'allegorical' was said with a flourish even before track 20!


All agreed it was a damn fine night and needed to be repeated some then went home but others stayed and debated politics in a way that only truly drunk men can!


How do you judge a night like that? 
By the quality of the music - maybe, 
by the amount of empty alcohol bottles - certainly a contender,
by the laugh we had - possibly, 
by the number of hedges I bounced off on the way home - maybe not,
by the size of the hangover - don't even go there! 


Or by the image of the Mav next morning scuttling round the village returning phones, CD's and other personal belongings!! - it was a great night!


Malt 'n' Music 1
This is not just music - this is Malt 'n' Music
Track List

  1. Tank Park Salute - Billy Bragg
  2. Back Street Symphony - Thunder
  3. La Boheme - Puccini
  4. Eyes of a Stranger - Queensryche
  5. High - Lighthouse Family
  6. Logical Song - Supertramp
  7. Creep - Radiohead
  8. Lately - British Sea Power
  9. Oldest Swinger in Town - Fred Wedlock
  10. Wake Up - Mad Season
  11. At the River - Groove Armada
  12. Tramp the Dirt Down - Elvis Costello
  13. Joy! - Gay Dad
  14. Bells of Berlin - Lone Star
  15. Rock Bottom - UFO
  16. How Soon is Now? - The Smiths
  17. Big Sky - Runrig
  18. Always with Me - Joe Satriani
  19. Doctor Doctor - UFO
  20. The Queen and the Soldier - Suzanne Vega
  21. Victoria - The Kinks
  22. In My Life - The Beatles






Tour Dates

Fri 18th Feb 2011
'This is not just music this is Malt 'n' Music' (Favorite Tracks) at Mav's
Fri 1st April 2011
'On the Road' (Driving Tracks) at Cider Maker's
Fri 13th May 2011
'Film Night' (Soundtracks) at Young 'Un's
Fri 15th July 2011
'Live with Drunkenness' (Live Music) at Little Drummer Boy's
Fri 9th September 2011
'21st Century Boys' (Music from the last 10 years) at Sound Guy's
Fri 2nd Dec 2011
'Guilty Pleasures' (The least said the better) at Quizmaster's
Fri 16th March 2012
'Cover Me' (Cover Versions) at Malt 'n' Music Man's

Fri 11th May 2012
'Songs of Praise' (No Aled Jones track in sight!) at Little Drummer Boy's
Fri 29th June 2012
'Desert Island Discs' (If you could only take two tracks...) at Quizmasters's
Fri 7th Sept 2012
'Protest Songs' (I've got three chords and a red guitar) at Mav's


Fri 21st Dec 2012
'Now thats what I call the best Malt 'n' Music ever' (We actually voted for these songs!) at the Lion

Fri 4th Jan 2013
'Ladies Night' (Only in songs - not in person!) at Rock DJ's

Fri 22nd March 2013
'Unplugged' (Acoustic - or as close as we could get!) at Slow Hand's

Friday 16 March 2012

It's a boy...


So you know how it goes - a couple of mates sharing a singe malt or two listening to good music and one has an idea - and that's all it was a whisky soaked, music fueled, idea! 

The sort that soon gets forgotten in the humdrum of normality, pushed out by work pressure, demoted by demands of family life, archived under 'if I had more time'!

But this one didn't get lost in the day to day, it was shared in whispers in the local, people caught a vision and talked about the possibilities and wanted to be part of it.

And so Malt'n'Music was born.

Like all the best ideas it is simple. A group of friends, each with their favourite tipple and a couple of tracks of their favourite music (on a carefully chosen theme of course), one night every couple of months and a venue with understanding neighbours... 

...oh yeah and whatever works best for you as a hangover cure the next day!!