PEMBROKESHIRE MUSIC SHOW with BB Skone
Sunday - 7pm.

Music played on the show of Sunday 25th August was by Ella Guru, Cherie Morgan, Last To Fall, Rayguns, Guy Maile, Red Beat, Meic Stevens, and Raoul Speek & Roy Jones.

Hot Buttered Skone of the week: Welsh Argentinian Guitar Duo, Burnetts Hill Chapel, Martetwy on Tuesday 27th July.

Guest on the show Sunday 1st August is DJ Eugene.

BB features regular sessions from local artists. If you are a member of a county band or are a soloist, contact BB at bb@radiopembrokeshire.com to arrange an appearance or to have your music played.

For Facebook users, join BB Skone's Pembrokeshire Music Show group to keep up to date with the local scene throughout the week. The comprehensive Gig Guide can be found there or elsewhere on this site.

Join the free 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire newsletter by CLICKING HERE and press send. Or receive our weekly e-mail by sending an e-mail to newsletter@radiopembrokeshire.com and put just the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line
 

BB SKONE’S “BROWN SHOES DON’T MAKE IT” MUSIC AWARDS 2009

Once again it has been a wonderful exciting and busy year for music here in west Wales and the choice of who wins what has been a difficult one. As usual this is very much a personal opinion – many of you will disagree with me. That is as it should be. The awards have always been a bit of fun ever since I began them back in 1992, my primary aim being to raise awareness of the joy to be had from music here in west Wales and raise the many musicians’ profiles in the hope that they may achieve wider recognition in a world that seems, sadly, to be obsessed with the plastic pap served up on shows like Britain’s Got Talent and the X Factor.

So here goes. Have a wonderful musical 2010 and keep listening to BB Skone at 7pm every Sunday on Radio Pembrokeshire.

BEST RECORDING: Lots of exciting stuff released officially and unofficially as usual although, being a Luddite or maybe that should be a Don Quixote, I have discounted that stuff released as download only – which means last year’s winner, Euros Childs doesn’t get a look in. Honourable mentions go to the Animal Jack Band (who would win Best Video if there was such a category), the Stingrays for their marvellous retrospective, and The Numbers Racket for an album that was well worth the wait. But this year’s award goes to a recently released album The Day We Ran Into The Sea by Paper Aeroplanes. Absolutely stunning music from Sarah Howells and Richard Llewellyn. I’ve followed both of their careers with unabashed fandom (!) through Cartoon, Epik, Jylt, Julie Murphy’s band, to Halflight, but this is their best offering yet. Can major label interest be far away?

BEST VENUE: So many to choose from. Last year’s winner, Burnetts Hill Chapel, still sprinkles stardust on all who appear there. Tenby De Valence Pavilion is revived under new director Victoria. The Queens Hall seems to be going through a patchy period but will return in 2010 stronger I’m sure. Pembrokeshire County Council owned and run Theatr Gwaun never promotes itself strongly enough and St Patrick’s Hall in Pennar doesn’t have enough gigs. So this year’s award goes to the refurbished Torch Theatre, Milford Haven – two great spaces to enjoy music in welcoming surroundings where gigs always start on time! Amongst those I’ve enjoyed there this year areThe Crook Family, Show of Hands, and Bellowhead.

BEST GIG: I’ve been moved by many great gigs all over the county this year – these include Chris Smither in Narberth, Oysterband and Chix Wiv Pix in Tenby, Billy Bragg in Cardigan, but the best for me has to be yet another vibrant, passionate, and witty show from Bellowhead at the Torch theatre.

BEST FESTIVAL: West Wales has more festivals each year which add as much economically as they do musically to local communities. Aberjazz in Fishguard has greatly improved but the award goes for the second year running to Tenby Blues Festival which not only had a great line-up but actually sold out many of its shows this year despite the atrocious weather conditions on the weekend in November when it took place.

BEST BAND/ARTIST: I didn’t see as much local music live as I’d hoped. Both Sugarbrute and Bagpipe Whiskey operate at the cutting edge and take chances which I very much like. Ted Crook’s Blues Highway continue to excite but the Award goes to The Crook Family for some stupendous shows early in the year. They delivered the imaginative songs off their last album, From The West, to great acclaim though I fear they will no longer be performing in 2010. Tell me it isn’t true!

BEST LIVE SESSION ON RADIO PEMBROKESHIRE: Once again it was good to hear artists come into my primitive studio and have to extend themselves by doing something a little different. Those who succeeded most were those who weren’t afraid to experiment – so hats aloft to Jonski, The Zoomers, All Spice, and Bagpipe Whiskey in particular – although the award goes to Newport’s Lowri Evans for some beautiful understated tunes from her last English language album.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Victoria Smathers, Director, Tenby De Valence Pavilion for beginning to turn around that was, lets be frank, a pariah of a venue despite its obvious advantages. The De Valence has the potential to be Pembrokeshire’s premier live music venue and with Victoria at the helm it might just realise that potential.

BEST BANDANA: Er, Ritche Westmacott of Ella Guru and Elephant Gerald wins again – probably because he is the ONLY bandana wearing musician in west Wales. He epitomises all that is good about local music – he may not technically be the best but as Little Richard once sang “he’s got a lot of what they call the most”. Go see him in the New Year.

Next week's guest on Sunday 1st August - DJ Eugene.

Music played on the show Sunday 25th July was by Cherie Morgan, Last To Fall, Ella Guru, The Rayguns, Guy Maile, Red Beat, Raoul Speek & Roy Jones, and Meic Stevens

Hot Buttered Skone of the week: The Welsh Argentinian Guitar Duo @ Burnetts Hill Chapel, Martletwy on Tuesday 27th July. Tickets: Pembroke Book Shop.