Hi Kate
You wanted to know about the Kashmir?
You can go to the website which is www.kashmirklub.com to get an idea.
I try to get along there as often as I can, which unfortunately is all too
rarely in recent months. It's a small place in the basement of an Italian
restuarant just off the Marylebone Road in London. Any folks from abroad
been touristing to Madame Tussaud's or the Planetarium? You were sooo nearly
in the right place!
There is a guiding philosophy to the venue which is to have a place where
music exists for music's sake. So there is no money involved. You don't pay
to get in. The artists don't get paid to perform. The compare, the sound
man, the guy who organises and books the talent - they don't get paid
either. The PA was donated for the price of a 'shout'. No money.
You might think that the whole thing would be totally 'amatuer' in quality,
but nothing could be further from the truth. The quality of the performers
is mostly good, and very often completely stunning. The size of the venue
means that the atmosphere is very intimate, and you can pick up the most
subtle of nuances in a performance, not least because the audience is there
to listen and not talk. Several of the performers there have told me that
they love playing there beacause they can try out the most delicate songs,
and know that they will be heard and appreciated. This is helped by the fact
that the PA sound is extremely good.
Azeem was the person who intruduced me to the Kashmir, for which I am
eternally grateful. I was getting to the point in my life when I was
beginning to think that I was actually falling out of love with the first
love of my life. I work in a recording studio, and listen to music all day,
everyday. I thought I had just had my fill. Actually, it just turned out
that I'd just had my fill of certain kinds of music. Many a night at the
Kashmir, I've had a wonderful feeling of rediscovery - of that excitement
and emotion I used to feel with music when I was younger!
The place is getting a powerful 'word of mouth' vibe to it these days, and
so I suppose that's how people like Sheryl Crow come to play there. I bet
she really appreciated the opportunity to play to a small, attentive
audience, with none of the normal commercial trappings associated with
'stardom'. Unfortunately, I missed that night. Dammmn!
atb,
Martin. In London.
