Libyan troubles, Supporting your local indie record shop, Billy Bragg, Wet Sounds and Margins Festival

Well, it's been quite a weekend.

For a start, keep yourself updated with the awful situation in Libya right now - this link is particularly good and seems to be regularly updated faster than any other source of current news - please share - http://revolution2.moonfruit.com/

Regards independent record and music shops needing our support that in turn benefits the musicians - Avalanche record shop in Edinburgh posted this. We need to think as a community.

Sunday I caught up with a dear friend who I'd been meaning to catch up with for too long. We met at the gorgeous Hillhead bookclub for the boutique vintage and craft market Granny Would Be Proud to have an exciting little snoop - there's so many fun and cool things there and very affordable! You can have a bit of fun dressing up for a vintage style photo, try some delicious cupcakes, some very dainty and quirky hair accessories and vintage glasses frames, some delightful and grin-inducing fun at Bunny's table checking out her Tennents, other beer and various sweetie jewellery, not to mention the big variety and quality of vintage clothing, china and jewellery in the last place you'd find damp and dust. It's a lovely thriving craft movement that should be visited and supported. Neither is it all girly driven, with things for the dapper chap too. Not all the same stall holders are there every time, it's normally twice any given month, so do check it out. The Hillhead Bookclub restaurant/bar is a converted old cinema, with gorgeous interior and intimate while also very family friendly atmosphere, tho' this might have something to do with the organiser supplying a lot of minutae to this particular event

Fred, the gal behind it all is moving to Manchester where it sounds like she's found a fantastic and equally quirky venue for her growing GWBP boutique empire where even the chefs in the restaurant will be tailoring their food to fit the well thought out theme of the craft market. The attention to detail at the one in Glasgow was certainly admirable and really a pleasure to experience.

After that, I cycled my trusty ridgeback over to the North Woodside leisure centre for Wet Sounds, a totally immersive music and sound experience. I was glad I turned up a little later as apparently it was hoaching at 5pm. I turned up around 7pm for another 40 minutes, which if I'd known it would finish 20 minutes earlier than it's advertised time, I probably would have made the effort to be a tad earlier myself. In saying that, it was a pretty cool experience, with subtle blue, red, and green alternating stage lighting shining down from the upstairs changing rooms, with some lighting underwater - one participant likening it to the film The Abyss. A little discontertingly, about 4-5 scuba divers were under the water with big packs on their back - I didn't really pay them much attention to see whether they were wearing actual underwater speakers on their backs, I was more distracted by the sounds above and below water, trying to experience the separate, the combined, while realising my swimming lungs ain't what they used to be. :)

But grab yourself a float under your legs, lean back, scull and occasionally bump into other contented and slippery individuals. The sounds itself were a mixture of collected everyday as well as film samples, with continuously evolving soundtrack. The only part I recognised was the typing scene in The Shining where Jack Nicholson is aggressively chastising his meek wife Shelley Duvall for disrupting him. This was under the water, with a sinister drone above. The lighting had changed to an eerie blue. Yep, I loved it. :) It's £10 so I recommend you make the most of it if you can catch one, and stay in the water the whole 3 hours until you're resembling something from Cocoon.

The whole of Burnt Island were there, I just focused on Rodge for once.

(Yes, it's another iPad drawing :)

The Adorable Dan Wilson/Withered Hand (iPad Drawing)

So after the swim and a duly enjoyed snicker bar, I wheeled off to the third and final night of the Margins Book and Music Festival at Stereo in time to catch the headline literary legend Tom Leonard speak truth and beauty - 'it's a part of being free and honest' - commanding attention with his gravelly vernacular. Afterwards, the bands were on including Where We Lay Our Heads, Burnt Island and the hugely engaging and beautifully humorous songs of Dan Wilson aka Withered Hand who delivers his songs with equally self-deprecating joviality.

It was only £1 quid to get in, and if I'd had any cash to spend I would have invested in ANYTHING on the Cargo Publishing/Margins Fest Merch Table. It looked like a candy shop of desirables. The Year of Open Doors, Withered Hand and something from Alan Bissett sounds like what's going on my Birthday wish list.

Meanwhile I have to say I can't help but be pretty chuffed that after drawing the excellent and inspiring Billy Bragg, he wants to buy one of the pictures, as well as giving me some lovely publicity on his facebook page which has garnered a lot of attention and some highly entertaining commentary - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150092698692471&set=a.249499147470.158205.44905697470&comments

I can't wait to share a presspit with someone knitting their experience :)

The actual concert was a rescheduled one because of our epic snow storm where Billy was trapped on the motorway south of Blantyre for about 10 hours. It was a brilliant concert, with Billy invigorating and encouraging rather than pontificating. Very entertaining and absolutely inspiring, I really was buzzing with positivity afterwards. Billy and his right hand man Grant on sound were solid chaps, great to meet them as well as his pal Nicola. After offering me a beer, and some good chat on drawing, the Clash, and 'snow in a can' they went off with his rider of beers to visit the Glasgow University Occupation at the ex-Hetherington Research club. Top bloke.

Billy Bragg is a master of words. So this is the wordy one.

Paper/Watercolour Drawing

He is also a man of poignancy.

Paper/Watercolour Drawing