We had the A list in the house on Saturday when Mim Grey came to visit the Little Rabbit Barn, accompanied by her husband Steve Vintner and guitarist Nick Kendall.
Thankful for the great food and after some introductions Mim opened with Purple Sky, the opening track from her 2011 album GREY MATTERS. It was from this point on that the few people lucky enough to be in the room were enchanted…
Mim confessed to being nervous at such an intimate gig as the room banter begam with Paul in the front row, allowing all relax into the evening vibe… and so we have Travelling Star, a song written about Mim’s younger days with her friend Lucy. If you watch the video we have released of this song you will be rewarded with a flavour of the evening.
And as if by magic here’s the video from the evening:)
This was the opening track on her 2012 album CHASING TIGERS… and a chance for not only Nick to display his chops on guitar, but for Steve to shine on percussion, or in Mim’s words, Pots and Pans… Magic!
Steve is also a co writer on Mim’s forthcoming album, definitely something to look out for on release… Check out her new web site for information. http://www.mimgrey.com/
Lay Your Head Down was the next treat, written about Steve which opened & closed with Mim playing some beautiful harmonica. Track 4 from GREY MATTERS.
Gonna See you tonight, another Steve Vintner co write followed, and it’s a new song we were privileged to enjoy with Mim joining in on the percussion this time. This evoked the mood of a hot summers afternoon in anticipation of a great night to come…
Nick Kendall produced this next song for the forthcoming (As yet un named) album. Eagle was written about the apparent soap opera of Cori’s life who is Mim’s long time writing partner… She had a lot of laughs telling that story with great affection…
It was interesting to hear of Mim’s inner dialogue as she plays a new song, “should I change this, re-word that”, she muses. That’s what makes these intimate preview gigs so special. We were so pleased to be able to release the video of this one, that’s such an honour from a great artist… We must have done something right at the LRB. And here it is:
This led to another new song, Song for a soldier’s lover… Great …
After some banter about the history of the LRB with the recent covid challenges, we are treated to Chasing That Tiger, Track 2 from CHASING TIGERS… Then, Lazy Daisy written to evoke the wisdom of Daisy, a lady Mim met whilst recovering on a Caribbean island… Take it easy, let it ride, let it go… Good advice indeed… Track 6 from CHASING TIGERS. Some nice slide guitar from Nick.
“More songs about ex boyfriends” Mim tells us to great laughs… Mim didn’t like this guy so wrote a song about him. When he heard it, rather than getting the message he thought it was lovely… More laughs… Billy Boy leads us to the break… Track 9 on GREY MATTERS.
As always, Lyn served up a marvellous spread for all to enjoy, and everybody stayed for the second set, Mim was so pleased… Laughs…
Ok, it’s not Christmas, but that wasn’t so long ago… Mim had written a Christmas song which appears in music charts with a momentum of its own. After hitting number one in a Nashville chart this year, it had to be played tonight, Xmas Kiss. That is one catchy Christmas tune even out of season, it was used on the film FOSTER with Richard E Grant, another £186 earned we are told… laughs…
No Emergency Is a great new song that has you humming the chorus in your head for a while after hearing it… This one passes The Old Grey Whistle Test for sure… Mim comes up with some lovely melodies and Nick gets another chance to shine. She tells us of the night in Oxford playing this song to a crowded bar as emergency vehicles flew by sirens wailing… The irony wasn’t lost on them all…
Harmonica time again, when Mim can finally open the box and find the right one… “Failing eyesight is making things harder these days” she tells us… laughs… Carry Me Home from CHASING TIGERS follows… Beautiful…
Train Wreck, “A song my husband came up with” Mim tells us “What’s he trying to say, is this my life?”… Laughs… Another great new song.
Solid Ground, again another new song is next, as Mim struggles once more to find her D flat harmonica with Paul in the front row coming to the rescue. To be fair, we really had to cram Mim in on a swivel stool and she coped superbly. Think Adele might not have been so accommodating….. Steve covered the delay with terrible jokes we all thoroughly enjoyed and Mim’s harmonica playing is just beautiful, well worth the short wait…
Just As You Are, written by Steve Vintner, has also had some US chart success, unfortunately without the royalties of Just The Way You are… Mim tells us… Laughs…
Ain’t No Body Gonna Run is next with some lovely opening slide guitar from Nick and another catchy chorus to draw you in… Mim really knows how to write catchy melodies.
For the last song after appreciation for Steve and Nick (whom Mim hadn’t seen for a while as he was on touring with 10CC as their guitarist). After some final tuning, we have The Ways Of Love a catchy song about childhood, without mobile phones etc… Track 11 on CHASING TIGERS…
The applause said it all, we could not leave it there. Standing ovation and cries for more of course…
More harmonica as we enjoyed a cover of John Mayer’s Gravity, From his album CONTINUUM, that fairly bowled along… we never wanted this to end, but sadly it had to…
The band really wanted to take Simon Allen (Sound) away with them, such was the quality of the production on the evening. Nick also wanted to take Lyn too… The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach they say… Wow, that was a special night to remember…
Editor:
Thanks to Mim Grey, Steven Vintner, Nick Kendall for a memorable evening. So nice to welcome new artists to Little Rabbit Barn.
Thanks to everyone involved with this production:
Simon Allen | sound engineer
Terry | artist bookings & liaison
Chris | review, Video & Picture credits
J | AV editing
Lyn | artist and guest hospitality
To all wonderful LRB guests and friends who support live music at LRB, big thanks and hope to see y’all next time
We will be ready to welcome a popular return for MORGANWAY and DAN RAZA on 12 March 2022 Congratulations to them for the big win in the British Country Music Association awards (BCMA)
Best wishes, Keep Safe & See Y’all soon
The LRB team
