Open mic at Hopskotch

Last Wednesday, 14th May, we went to a new-to-us open mic! It was at Hopskotch, which is a bar on Mathew Street, Liverpool. It’s a lovely looking bar with a good selection of drinks (we’ll go back one day to see what the food is like) including coffee and sparkling water for those of us whose drinking days are pretty much over.

Now, we love open mic nights. They’re a wonderful idea; listen to loads of different types of music (and in some cases, poetry and other types of performance) all on the same night for free; if you don’t like something, you only have to listen to five minutes’ worth of it and if you do like it you can find out more by chatting to the artist/s afterwards! Playing open mics is great fun too; try out new songs, practise performing in front of an audience and just generally have a wonderful time without quite as much of the pressure as a full gig (although any performance comes with a bit of nerves and we’d probably be a bit worried if it didn’t).

This particular open mic was a bit quiet; the fella organising it, Terry Gray, who was a lovely, amiable chap, told us that it was normally a bit busier which we can imagine, as these things tend to come and go in waves. It was pretty quiet that night but we think that it’s just as important to play sincerely and well in front of an audience of one or two as in front of hundreds.

Terry opened with some wonderful, imaginative covers and an original song, and sometimes at an open mic it’s easy to think, “gosh, how to follow that then?” We really enjoyed listening to him play and sing.

Next it was our turn and we sang a couple of originals and folk songs. One thing we’ve realised as a result of that open mic is that we really need to have pickups for both ukuleles, as it constrains playing hugely when trying to point the ukulele at an ambient mic at the same time as sharing a vocal mic. There were points where we felt we weren’t giving it the best that we could simply because we had to stand very still in order to make sure the mic was picking up the ukes. (Our best performances have in the past been either completely unamplified, or at gigs where a large number of microphones has been available to pick up what we’re playing.) It’s not reasonable to expect that someone running an open mic will have any more than one possibly two microphones, and as such we’re investing in another ukulele pickup (we already have one). The glockenspiel tends to carry pretty well, ditto the accordion, and the mandolin is semi-electric anyway but the ukuleles sometimes can’t be heard over an amplified vocal if they’re too far away from a mic.

This is part of the reason we love open mic nights too; you learn stuff and can take things away that help you improve your performance.

We also had a lovely chat with Terry’s friend and the bar did get a little busier as the set went on. We weren’t sure whether or not they’d come for the open mic itself or just for a drink in Hopskotch but it was great to have a bit of an audience.

We would definitely go to this open mic again; Hopskotch is a stylish venue and the free drink for performers is a lovely, welcoming touch. Terry’s a friendly chap and a talented performer, and hopefully when we go again there will be a few more performers to whom we can listen.

It’s on tonight in fact; for one reason and another we can’t be there at this one but if you’re looking for somewhere to perform in Liverpool city centre, or perhaps just wanting to hear a bit of live music this evening why not pop down?

Gig alert! We play LIverpool's Bombed Out Church on Sunday 25th May

Do you like any, all, or a combination of these? 

• Warm, cheerful, quirky original songs


• Folk music


• Imaginative covers that put a new spin on the original


• A variety of instruments, including (but not solely): piano, glockenspiel, ukulele


• Two singers; a lady and a chap


• Family-friendly outdoor(ish) events


• Bringing a picnic 


• Paying just a quid to get in (on the door; no ticket required)


• Knowing that quid is going to Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church?

Well, if so, why not come to our gig? It’s on Sunday 25th May at 2.30 p.m. and we are playing two sets of about twenty minutes each with a break in-between for chatting, wandering, playing, snacking and contemplating.

If you’re bringing kids, be aware that they will need some supervision (especially crawling babies and toddlers) as there is a little pond in the middle. However, please don’t worry about them having to be quiet or sit still during performances. If they’re in school, they’ll have enough of that there! We don’t want kids to associate music with “boring”; if they want to run around (provided someone’s keeping an eye on them so they’re safe, as it is, after all, a ruin!) and make a bit of noise, that’s absolutely fine. We’ll even sing a lullaby if any of them are tired!

There are steps (as you’ll probably know if you’ve had Silent Sleep’s “meet me on the steps of the Bombed Out Church” as an earworm), so if you’re struggling to get up them, let us know and we’ll see if we can assist. (That said, we’re not insured to carry prams up stairs, we just like to be helpful. It’d be “at your own risk”.)

If you’d like any more information about the gig, you can see our Facebook page, follow us on twitter, or email us: mossandjones [at] gmail [dot] com.

If you want an idea of the kind of music we do, have a listen to our soundcloud or bandcamp pages.

Please reblog, retweet and share away! Thank you very much!

Moss & Jones (Ruth & Marc)

X

Shepherd's Delight (It's Not Time To Go To Bed): artwork

Ruth’s son drew us a picture based on our song, Shepherd’s Delight (it’s not time to go to bed) which we’ve recently recorded in The Sound Loft studio, Leigh.


We’ve used it as part of our cover art for the single, which, just as in the olden days, will have an ‘A’ side and a ‘B’ side. The artwork for the ‘B’ side will be something quite special, we promise.

The single will be out very soon; we have a couple of jobs we need to do first but it should be available from Bandcamp (and possibly iTunes) by next week.

If anyone wants to review it for their blog, or magazine, or wants to play it on their podcast, or radio show, please let us know and we’ll send you the track for an advance listen.

Also, Ruth’s son is getting paid for his artwork. He might only be seven, but we wouldn’t ask him to work for free.

Gig alert! We're playing Liverpool's Bombed Out Church on Sunday 25th May...

We’re so excited about this gig!

We’re going to be playing Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church on Sunday 25th May, starting at 2.30p.m. We’ll be playing two twenty minute sets with a break in between so you can stretch, chat, wander, eat your butties, or just sit and look up at the sky. We’re planning on adding another song or two to our repertoire before then (including a well-known mediaeval folk song; we just love singing in Middle English!) so even those of you who’ve heard us a few times will be able to hear something new!

One of the most wonderful things about this gig is that children can attend too. We know very well how hard it can be to get to gigs when you have childcare to arrange (or you simply don’t like spending too much time apart from the little ones) so this time… you don’t have to worry; bring them too! All our songs are family-friendly and we’ll even sing a lullaby. Just a little note; do be careful with crawling babies and toddlers to keep them away from the pond in the middle of the church!

It’s a pound each to get in, but every penny of the money will go towards the upkeep of the building.

While you’re about it, please take a moment to sign the petition to save St. Luke’s. You may have heard on the news that the future of the building could be uncertain. We adore St. Luke’s. We’ve been to many gigs and events here and also we are planning to get married here too later this year. It’s something of a shock to us that one of the plans involves turning St. Luke’s into a fancypants “wedding venue”, given that people already get married there just as it is. We don’t need a roof and a snazzy “hotel” to persuade us to get hitched there; it’s already perfect!

So, if you can come, fantastic! Please share the news of the gig everywhere. If you can’t - never mind, there will be other gigs - please share this everywhere because someone else might love to come!

Ruth & Marc - Moss & Jones

Xx

Let Us Demonstrate!

It’s here! Our new four-track demo. Four tracks including two completely new songs, one utterly new tune and arrangement of a folk classic, and one fun cover of a classic.

Please do let us know what you think; we’d love your thoughts! We’re planning to record most of these, and a few other tracks too, in studio over the coming months.

Lyrics and pictures will appear if you click through to soundcloud.

The Beautiful Word - Particles

Hello! Ruth here. The “Moss”, of “Moss & Jones”, in case you were wondering. Anyway, you already know I can’t write a proper music review to save my life but I do occasionally like to tell you about the music to which I’ve been listening.

I’ve been meaning to write about The Beautiful Word and their album, Particles, for ages now but you know how it is. One day leads to another and before you know where you are it’s March.

I first saw The Beautiful Word in 2012 at the Just So Festival (I’ve raved about this festival before, but if you have a child or children, and a tent, and either a car yourself or access to a kind person with a car willing to drop you off and pick you up, you should certainly think about saving up to go along!) and thought they were amazing. (Actually, their music was so sweet and charming, having heard them at a family festival, I wondered briefly if they tailored their songs specifically to be child-friendly.)

After last year’s Just So Festival I was determined to look them up online, and look them up I did, finding them on Bandcamp, where later that year, they released a gorgeous album, Particles.

Stylistically, they’re a mix of indie pop and folk, with gorgeous close harmonies from Emily and Megan who front the band, and arrangements that keep you listening. (And glockenspiel!) They’re a bit arty and I suppose could be described as “twee”, but in a genuinely sweet and happy way, not at all pretentious or “hipster”.

Particles is full of sweet, light songs that bring a bit of sunshine. But don’t be fooled; when I say “light” I don’t mean that they’re all fluff; Eating Me, Eating You, for example, looks through a sweetly melancholic lens at the way a relationship can self-destruct.

It’s one of my favourite tracks; other favourites include May Not be Love (which has an adorable video, too) for, amongst other things, its gorgeous chorus, Pop It, with its incredibly 90s indiepop feel, and Emily, which feels sweet and personal.

The last song on the album Endless Bright, which has a slightly more serious tone than the rest of the album and feels like a fitting finish.

I’ve listened to this countless times; its the kind of album you want to put on on a Sunday morning while you make pancakes, drink cups of tea and slowly peel the veggies for a roast. Sweet and yes, a bit twee, but also musically very accomplished, and for all its sweetness, it sticks in your head longer than anything “fluffy” might.

My (six year old) son loves it too, and you can’t get a much higher accolade than that.

What have we been up to?

Hello everyone! We’ve not been around much lately; partly due to family stuff, winter illnesses and the like but also because we’ve been busy writing songs!

We’ve two completely original songs we’ve already written and will post home recordings here for you soon. There are a few more to which we’re just putting finishing touches. On top of that, we’re also putting together a new version of Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (same lyrics; new tune/arrangement). Finally, we’ve an interesting cover of N Trance’s Set You Free which we’ve played live a few times but we’ll put up on Soundcloud when we’ve a good home recording.

We’re also hoping to get a bit of time in a studio very soon to start work on what will - eventually - be an album called Amateur Astronomy. How exciting!

In the meantime, the other bit of news is that we’re going to move some tracks from Bandcamp (from our collection of - mainly - covers, Candles in Bottles) onto Soundcloud. Our Soundcloud, by the way, is here: Moss & Jones, so make sure you’re following us there!

Much love and cheer,
Ruth & Marc (Moss & Jones) xx