Humming a happy song as we walk down the road, it occurs to the Bluesbunny that it has been about 30 seconds since his last beer. Time for another beer and time to use that now tired excuse that we were only in the Liquid Ship to listen to the music. It is another Free Candy Session with Kyle Cuthbert, Hooligan and Larry Guild.
New to the Bluesbunny ears is Kirkcaldy's Kyle Cuthbert. He picks up his guitar and starts to play. On hearing him, the first thing to strike the Bluesbunny was the sheer manual dexterity of this guy. We first thought that he was doing some sort of warm-up but the fingers flying over the fretboard thing is a normal feature of his act. Guitar pyrotechnics - well, we like that sort of thing. His voice proved quite distinctive as well and was proved particularly effective on "Magic Farmer". It might have been the ale but should we be forced into categorising his music then we would have to say that acoustic prog-rock would be a more appropriate label than folk.
Next up is Hooligan. You would not have to be Einstein to work out that he was a musician just by looking at him. Give him a guitar and a stool and he will play what might be classed as urban version of the good old country blues. His vocal style proved to be rather stylised but memorable. If you want a comparison, it crossed the foggy mind of the Bluesbunny that Hooligan vocal style sounded like Dick Shawn (LSD in the original and only true version of the movie "The Producers"). Nevertheless he was a relaxed performer and he had no problem selling "Bigger than your Old Man" to the audience. "Hang Me a Man" certainly did the business for our ears too. Worth checking out if you get the opportunity.
Larry Guild is the final performer of the evening. Now here is a man who takes his music seriously. He even has a music stand with him claiming that he needs it to play his new songs. Larry is from Coatbridge and that is just fine with us. Unassuming in his presentation, it is abundantly clear that he can play and sing a bit. "Morning Sun" was a particular pleasure. His songs tell stories in the way that Ralph McTell or John Denver would and his voice is clean and clear. He knows how to use it effectively. It does not take long to convince the audience of that. There is a subtlety to him that might take a bit of effort to appreciate especially in the live environment but if you open your ears then you will be impressed. The Bluesbunny has happy ears.
No more music and no more beer. Fearing the onset of unhappiness, the Bluesbunny heads out into the darkness seeking the solace that only chicken pakora can bring.