A very enjoyable evening at Rough Trade East in London’s Brick Lane last night, with author and online editor Barney Hoskyns launching ‘Small Town Talk’ his excellent book covering the life and times of artists through the years in the Woodstock and Bearsville region of upstate New York. Kicking off by reading selected passages from the book, Barney was then interviewed by songwriter, bandleader and author Sid Griffin of Long Ryders and Coal Porters fame, in the company of legendary songwriter, musician and former Woodstock resident, Graham Parker. The evening was rounded off by the Porters (including the charming Neil Robert Herd) and Graham performing excellent renditions of songs written or connected with Woodstock (including You ain’t going nowhere, Tupelo Honey and the anthemic Band classic, I shall be released). Great to catch up with the highly-respected guitarist Martin Belmont, to meet Music Managers’ Forum founder and mediator Dennis Muirhead, plus to see industry notables in the audience including Will Birch. A signing session then took place before we collectively repaired to The Pride of Spitalfields. A memorable night, which for me conjured up the true spirit of Woodstock.
