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Well what a night Fridays (22nd July) 'Alternative' Black Country Night Out turned out to be at The Lamp Tavern, Dudley. ABCNO debuts for Birmingham based Poet/Comedian/Actor - Laurence Inman who had the crowd in stitches with his observations on life (we'll definitely be booking Laurence back a.s.a.p) and a successful literature debut for Bridgnorth based Jeff Phelps who has a wonderful book out called 'Painter Man' just published by Birmingham's Tindal St Press Publishing.

The gig also saw Wolverhampton based singer/songwriter Alex Vann make his debut at The Lamp (Alex had previously been launched on the ABCNO shows via our first gig in Wolverhampton at The Newhampton Inn in June) and once again played an excellent set of songs. Alex is appearing at the next two ABCNO shows - The Newhampton on Fri Aug 5th (along with Jeff Phelps) and then back again at The Lamp on Fri Aug 19th - do not miss.

The night had a lovely twist to it that put an 'oh so sweet' bit of icing on the cake. The story begins a few months ago when the GOJO' MUSIC web site was launched. I was contacted via e-mail by Johanne Savoie - a French/Canadian lady based in Vancouver who produces an Internet web site called GOJOTV - http://www.gojotv.com/ - Johanne contacted me after initially investigating our site via the similarity of the name.
Johanne is an accomplished actress/singer/commedienne - performing since she was six years old who has appeared on TV and Radio in Canada and is also a regular performer at Vancouver's Comedy Store Club. Her GOJOTV site is a multi media based project she has been building up in her spare time that features music/radio, film/video, comedy/satire and political/social commentarys. We exchanged e-mails pretty regularly and Johanne added a link to our site on her web pages and we returned the favour gladly (see the links page on the GOJO' MUSIC web site). She told me that she'd endeavor to pay us a visit if the chance in her busy schedule made itself available (Johanne also holds down a job working for a Canadian based airline company). Well, on Friday morning (22nd July) I received an e-mail from Johanne informing me that she was landing at Manchester Airport that afternoon around 2pm (after a 14 hour flight from Vancouver) and was intending to travel down to Dudley from Manchester for the show!!! She apologised for the last minute contact but said that if there were no delays and the train journey could be arranged in time once she'd landed she'd endeavour to travel down to us.

Well, Fridays show as it happens was being recorded by a local based Pod Casting Radio Show - Black Country Pod Casting - presented by Laurence (Lozz) Hipkiss. I'd e-mailed him and the lads (i.e.) Brian Dakin/Billy Spake Mon, Greg Stokes and Gazz (Olly) Oliver to tell them about Johannes plans and said to Lozz that Johanne would be a great scoop for his radio show (interview etc, - helping him raise the profile of his show and including him in our promotion / networking and so on) while she was over here (if she turned up - because let's be honest none of us thought she'd make it on Friday and would perhaps try and get down to us just to meet up for a weekend on Saturday). Well, it takes a special kind of person to fulfil plans of that kind - you need a bit of guts, dedication and devotion, a bloody big heart and that old pioneering spirit, and well, Canada was built by people of that ilk - people of adventure and this little lady's got it all. She came walking in The Lamp with a rucksack on her back around 9:30pm on Friday evening - we were all gobsmaked!!! She got a rousing reception from the crowd once Brian Dakin announced at the start of the second part of the show (9:45pm) that the girl with the rucksack just plonking herself wearily down on a stool with a refreshing pint of Bathams Bitter had travelled all that way to pay us a visit. After her 14 hour flight, she travelled by train from Manchester at 7pm to Wolverhampton at 8:30pm, then got a local train to Dudley Port (Tipton) at 8:50pm, then was directed to use the number 74 bus from Dudley Port train station to Dudley town centre, then walked from Dudley bus station to The Lamp (following directions from two local bobbies on the beat).

I had said to Johanne in an e-mail exchange a few months before that if she really wanted to experience a true bit of Culture in these shores she had to get down to us - because we had so much to offer - 'fowke secund ta non' (or 'folk second to none' for the uninitiated to our dialect) and we still have some pubs left that serve real beer (I think this is the bit of info that drove Johanne on - ha ha). The reception the people in The Lamp gave to Johanne made me even prouder than I already am about being 'of these parts' - she was bowled over by it. I asked Jo if she wanted to do a quick spot - but she was pretty shattered and just wanted to chill out with a beer - which was understandable. She commented on the standard of performance at the show and said that the respect paid to the poetry and literature spots by the crowd was awesome. It's something special this monthly gathering of ours.

After the gig when we were breaking the PA down etc, a few people were milling about talking whilst waiting for taxis and so on, and Jo was sitting on stage with Olly while he was picking along on a guitar. She started singing a Joni Mitchell song called 'River' - Olly played along on it and the rest of us... well we just stopped what we were doing and listened - she has a great voice. I said to Lozz "you've got to get her in the studio tomorrow for an interview and we'll record a couple of songs with her". I asked Jo if she was up for it on the Saturday afternoon - she said "yes - great". So, Saturday lunch time me and Olly met her in The Lamp (she stayed there the night - B&B) - she was in the bar waiting for us with a pint of Bathams (bless her). So, we had a couple more pints and a chat (putting the world to rights etc, etc) to loosen up (as you do) then went around to Lozz's for him to record Johanne.

Jo recorded an interview for the show and two tracks with Olly - Joni Mitchells 'River' and The Eagles 'Desperado' - that will be broadcast on the radio show (date to be announced).

We had one last pub treat for Jo before she left in a taxi to Wolves station for the last train to Manchester on Saturday night - this was The Beacon pub in Sedgley and a few half's of Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild - she loved the pub.

Johanne is a lady that has travelled widely - been many places and met many types of people, but she was knocked out by the hospitality and friendship she received. She's asked me to apologise to Graham Turley for not being able to make it to his barbecue on Saturday night. She left us with a heavy heart and a Tipton Town Football Club badge (c'mon the Toon) and said that in all her visits to England over the years she felt for the first time that she'd found a place that reflects the picture painted in her imagination many years before of what she hoped England would be like - that's a testament to you the people she's met in the Black Country region over this weekend.
She had to return to Manchester for Sunday owing to business there and returns home to Vancouver on Monday. She had a great time and so did we - and has asked me to pass on her love and best wishes to everyone she met and she'll be posting a message on her web site about her time here when she gets back so don't forget to visit http://www.gojotv.com/

Once again many thanks to you all for making her time here so memorable and enjoyable and she's coming back a.s.a.p - to perform for us at an ABCNO show next time.

What a weekend.

Gary O'Dea