Our blogger McTaggart is singing blues this Friday night in a free concert at the Working Men's College in Camden.
He'll be writing about music and how it can help people for the blog next week. In the meantime, if you'd like to hear him and other performers, the concert is free to all.
As well as the blues band, the concert will feature drumming, piano, country, jazz, world music, choral music, classical music, guitar and harmonica...so there is something for every taste.
When: 7pm, Friday 30th November
Where: Working Men's College, Maurice Hall, Working Men's College, 44 Crowndale Road, London NW1 1TR
Nearest tubes: Mornington Crescent and Camden Town
The story begins with the Summer of Love 1989 September 9am Hoxton market. A convoy of us heading for Energy Rave. I had already taken my first E. Buzzing. It seemed that we were driving for ages. When we got there it was kicking. The locals were watching in amazement. It was blinding. Paul Trouble Anderson was playing, I had my second E, dancing the night away. Sunday was upon us, 16 hundred people, all buzzing.
All of a sudden the DJ announced that there was a fire around the back of the air craft hanger. Someone had set the cars alight. All of a sudden there was a fire engine driving past. The man on the back was ringing his bell, it was like something from trumpton. I was laughing so much. It was on the front of all the Sunday papers.
The Summer of Love was great but let me tell you, too many parties and too much taking drugs takes its toll. I ended up taking too much coke, I lost all my weight and my confidence went. By the time summer 2011 came, I was in detox. A guy called Dougie came to see me about a room in SHP. Of course I said yes. SHP is a hostel in Highbury New Park.
After about 6 months in the hostel I found an organisation called Squeaky Gate music production with is in Shoreditch. Squeaky Gate is group that helps the homeless. The course involves using Garage Band where everything is done on a computer. Back in the day you had to use a four track mixer a drum machine and a sampler. Squeaky gate has been good to me. Last year I made a 3 minute track. It's a housey sort of tune. I would recommend it to anybody. You can listen to it on Sound Cloud.
Funk House
