Mama Stone's, new live performance venue in Wellington, Somerset could easily become addictive

Last night, 18th December 2008, Mama Stone's, the new live performance venue at Wellington, Somerset, rocked to the sound of some fine local bands as Mama Stone's new folk and roots evening 'Acoustic Roots' got under way - an evening of live music that is hoped to become a regular event on the second Thursday of each month.

One of the great things about the folk music scene is meeting people you haven't seen for long time and I was pleased to see Richard Wood, a fine fiddler, playing with Tony Woollard and Chas Jacob as the Iron Dukes, setting the evening off to a cracking pace with some great traditional tunes and a few songs.

Jamie of Under One Sun was there and I took the opportunity of catching up with the exciting work he is doing with the local Wiveliscombe radio project, 10Radio 105.3fm on www.10radio.org on Sundays 10am to Noon, repeated on Thursdays 6 to 8pm.


Another interesting aspect of the night was Mama Stone's itself and I have to confess that I suspect that one visit was not enough to do it justice.

I liked Mama Stone's and I liked it a lot. It is just the sort of place that I would like to have in my local town and I think, if it was, it could easily become very addictive. To me, it's the sort of place where one could go and chat, take a coffee or a beer and listen to some great live music with friends - or even make some great music. They also have recording studio facilities in the building and provide artist development courses so there's a lot of musical know-how on tap.

If a room full of folk music fans and performers were to be asked to describe their ideal folk club meeting place, I suspect they would describe a place like Mama Stone's. Its free and easy atmosphere, the low lighting and the colourful wall paintings that really give the venue its flavour.

So, if you like a good open mike folk music evening (any artists interested in playing are invited to call on 01984 656526) and if you live in Wellington, Taunton, Wiveliscombe or surrounding areas or even further afield, why not check out their gig guide and what's on at Mama Stones in Wellington, Somerset. The plan seems to be for a mixture of free nights and paid for events with bigger bands being booked as demand grows.

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online author and folk musician