FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR SONGS

Danced in Moon shadows,
Was always the now,
Random decisions,
Dictated the how.

Improvisation,
Nothing was too planned,
Serendipity
Ruled high in their band.

Away with faeries,
They played all night long,
Lived their festival,
Their music so strong.

Never made money,
They rode on the storm,
Everyone wondered
How did they keep warm?

Joined up in struggle,
Solidarity
Kept them together,
New chords flowing free.

One day an offer,
Slapped on their table,
Million dollars,
Smashed up their fable.

Somehow thoughts of fame
And fortune went wrong,
Their band fell apart,
They played their last song.

Great while they lasted,
They lived out their dream,
Morphed into nightmare
By corporate scheme.

Capitalism
Had crept through their door,
Messed up their idyll,
They played nevermore.

The wealth and the riches
Had got in their way,
Forsaken their songs
Nobody did play.

And yet their spirit
Glimmered all along,
All of them still missed
Their favourite songs.
Got back together,
Where they did belong,
Forty years later,
Their feelings so strong,
They put behind them
The greed that went wrong,
They found their reason,
The sake of their songs.

Harry Rogers in the Red Bedroom 2nd January 2023.

THE GIRL IN THE GARNET COLOURED DRESS

The Duke, Creek. Road, Deptford
Scene Red, L I V E @ The Duke in Creek Road, Deptford, November 2013

Such a beautiful little girl,
In her garnet coloured dress,
The perfect image of serenity,
Carrying a pile of taboon bread,
From her grandmother’s oven,
 Gold coins glinting on her cap,
Smiling at lemons in the sunshine,
With assured stillness of her head.

 She stops before
Crossing the road
She crumples to the dusty ground,
Another collateral obscenity
An Israeli ricochet
Brings her down

Are we crying yet?

Are we crying yet?

Are we crying yet?

Are we?

Harry Rogers, In the old study, Sunday 16th September 2012, updated 11th May 2021.

SCENE RED RELEASE SINGLE FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM

This track from our forthcoming album is called Chasing Fireflies.  We hope to finish the album soon and release it on Deep River Records.  Meanwhile we in the band hope you like this.

CHASING FIREFLIES

I sit out on the deck
Watching your children play
Chasing bright red fireflies
In last rays of the day
Old knees worn out now
Else I too would chase
Pleasure comes from sunset
Lighting up your face

Spent a long long time
Chasing fireflies
Spent a real long time
Chasing fireflies
Now there is no time for
Chasing fireflies

There are things I would
Like to do on the day I die
Just for the briefest moment
Hold a bright red firefly
Listen to the nightingale
Singing as it flies up high
Know that you are smiling
As we say goodbye

Spent a long long time
Chasing fireflies
Spent a real long time
Chasing fireflies
Now there is no time for
Chasing fireflies

Harry Rogers, Pencnwcau, 2014

Scene Red T Shirt 2017

Nigel Mazlyn Jones and Scene Red Live at Newport Memorial Hall 30th September 2017

Screenshot (125)This is a special event which sees Nigel Mazlyn Jones back in West Wales for the first time in many years.

 

Nigel Mazlyn Jones On Tour Autumn 2017

Fri Sept 22nd No 8, Launceston / Sat 30th Sept Newport Memorial Hall Pembrokeshire plus Scene Red / Sat 14th Oct Shammick Acoustic unplugged Combe Martin, Devon / Thurs 19th Oct Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs / Fri 20th Oct Katie Fitzgerald’s, Stourbridge / Sat 21st Oct Hermon Chapel Arts Centre, Oswestry, Shropshire – Updates see http://www.nigelmazlynjones.com

Nigel Mazlyn Jones, acoustic guitarist and lyricist, is a veteran of the first wave of British acoustic warriors, along with Roy Harper, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Mick Softley and Mike Chapman. He returns to the front line after a five-year breather, invigorated and enthused, to bewilder and bemuse your singular and most excellent delight.” Richard Allen, Shindig!

Biography

A veteran of the ’70s acoustic music scene, NMJ weaves sounds and atmospheres with 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars and the kind of ecologically aware political commentary championed by his peers. Since 1976 he has been entrancing audiences on the live and festival circuits as well as on radio and TV. Nigel is the real deal, a battle-hardened survivor for his art, enthused, principled and still breaking the envelope. Well known on the UK festival scene, he has often toured UK and European major venues supporting the likes of Barclay James Harvest, Renaissance, Camel and Bob Geldof whilst collaborating with Steve Hillage, Banco de Gaia, Roy Harper, and Guy Evans of Van Der Graaf Generator, on various projects.

Nigel has recorded eleven albums. His first two albums, the majestic Ship to Shore and the world-weary Sentinel, have been re-released and are rightly regarded as classics of the genre. His recent release Raft echoes his early work featuring 12-string dexterity to the fore embellishing some great tunes and poignant lyrics of hope, love, wonder and exasperation at humanity. Guest players include Guy Evans, drummer-percussionist with Van Der Graaf Generator, and Rog Patterson on fretless bass. Nigel loves the natural world and once worked in conservation with the great apes at Gerald Durrell’s Wildlife Trust. Living near the Cornish coast natural influences are woven into his music creating an artistic reflection of the raft on which we all individually sail. As Nigel notes: “Like this planet, rafts are fragile.”

What the Press said about Nigel live:

MOJO “There is a complexity to his approach, ferocity edged with a brittle beauty, joy of living pervades often rainbow lit.”

UNCUT “Since the mid-70s NMJ has quietly been making some of the best acoustic music in the UK.”

F’ROOTS “A first-rate producer of acoustic brain food.”

Selected Album Reviews

MOJO “Beautifully woven folk rock”

UNCUT “… lyrical inspiration, daring instrumental tracks that shine. 8 out of 10”

SHINDIG! “entirely original acoustic folk sound, some of the best acoustic music in the UK”

R2 (ROCK’n’REEL) “An undoubted musical maverick, there is something profoundly elemental about his music”

SHINDIG!Ship to Shore, NMJ’s 1st album from 1976, is one of the great UK 70s singer-songwriter albums. Easily holding its own alongside the likes of Roy Harper, Nick Drake and John Martyn, Ship to Shore captures that free-spirited innocence and optimism which momentarily eclipsed the commercial considerations of the music industry”

UNCUT reviewing a 2014 reissue of his 1976 album Ship to Shore

Ship to Shore was a breath of fresh air in the fallow folk years of 1976, a distinctive combination of sincere songs, shape shifting acoustic guitars and glissando techniques. A well-known figure on the live circuit he featured as guest act for many bands.”

LINKS:

www.nigelmazlynjones.com

Press photo downloads: http://www.nigelmazlynjones.com/pages/contact.html

www.facebook.com/nigelmazlynjones

YouTube video NMJ and Phil Beer live 2015 Bacon Theatre Cheltenham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbW239x9b8k

SCENE RED

Tales From Dolwion front image final edit

Possibly the most underated band in West Wales Scene Red have been playing most of their gigs in LONDON for the past few years.  Based at LTS Recording Studios in Llanon this band play their own brand of indy rock/funk and are ready to release their second album in time for xmas 2017.  The band comprises the following members, Harry Rogers – Vocals, Rabbie McAdam Duff – Lead Guitar, Andy Duff – Bass Guitar, James Fereday – Drums, Joy Fereday – Saxophone.

 

 

Piccadilly Sunday Conversation (Scene Red Street Mod Mix)

This is a special Harri Boy Rogers home mix of Piccadilly Sunday from the Scene Red album Tales From Dolwion featuring extra vocal tracks featuring a dialogue between Harri Rogers and Maggie Nicols.  It tries to recreate a street conversation between two young West End mods in Soho in the early 1960’s.  This is best listened to on headphones…..

 

Hunting Lizards In The Long Grass

HUNTING LIZARDS IN THE LONG GRASS

WAKE UP IN THE MORNING

THE SUN IS SHINING BRIGHT

GROWN-UPS ARE STILL SLEEPING

ANOTHER DRUNKEN NIGHT

 

GET SHORTS AND SANDALS ON

A SLICE OF BREAD AND HONEY

OUT THE DOOR WITH FISHING NET

AND A JAM JAR ON A STRING

 

GO DOWN TO THAT WASTE LAND

NEXT DOOR TO THE HARBOUR

WHERE THE BOATS ARE BOBBING

AND ALL THE FLAGS ARE FLYING

 

GREEN BACKED BEETLES GLEAMING

THE SEAGULLS SHRILLY SCREAMING

HUNTING LIZARDS IN THE LONG GRASS

WHILE DREAMS ARE DAILY DREAMING

 

I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE NIGHT BEFORE

ON MY OWN OUTSIDE THE SALOON BAR DOOR

 

WITH A BAG OF CRISPS AND A GLASS OF LEMONADE

THE WAY THEY LEFT ME ON MY OWN AGAIN

 

ON MY OWN AGAIN

ON MY OWN AGAIN

 

CORNFLOWERS BLUELY SWAY

GRASSHOPPERS CLICK ALL DAY

HUNTING LIZARDS IN THE LONG GRASS

WILL TAKE THE PAIN AWAY

 

BACK TO THE BUNGALOW

EVERYONE IS UP AND DRESSED

LOOK AT THE JAR OF LIZARDS

THEY SEEM MILDLY IMPRESSED

 

HUNTING LIZARDS IN THE LONG GRASS

ALWAYS TAKES THE PAIN AWAY

HUNTING LIZARDS IN THE LONG GRASS

ALWAYS TAKES THE PAIN AWAY

Copyright: Harry Rogers, Aberbanc, 9th October 2011

An All American Boy

I finished writing this song lyric on 28th February and a week later this happened… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17330205 .

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

THEY POSTED HIM OUT TO AFGHANISTAN

HIS DAD HOPED IT WOULD MAKE OF HIM A MAN

LIKE IT HAD FOR HIM OUT IN VIETNAM

RISKING LIFE AND LIMB FOR UNCLE SAM

HIS GIRLFRIEND AND HIS MUM WERE REALLY SCARED

EVERYBODY SEEMED AS IF THEY CARED

 

HE WAS

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

 

HE SPENT MANY WEEKS FIGHTING WITH THE TALIBAN

GOT A NEW TATTOO THOUGHT IT PROVED HE WAS A MAN

GREW A BEARD THAT MADE HIM LOOK LIKE CHARLIE CHAN

THEN HIS GIRLFRIEND WROTE HE WAS IN THE DUMPER VAN

THAT’S WHEN THE SITUATION BEGAN TO GET HIM DOWN

THAT WAS WHY HE RODE HIS JEEP INTO KABUL TOWN

 

HE WAS

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

 

DRINKING ILLEGAL HOOCH WITH THREE OTHER GUYS

HE LOST ALL REASON ANGRY TEARS FILLED UP HIS EYES

PICKING UP HIS M16 HE RAN AMOK IN THE NOONDAY SUN

SHOOTING SHOPPERS WILLY NILLY FIRING ON THE RUN

A SNIPER WITH A LAZER SIGHT AIMED A BEAD OF RED

SLOWLY PULLED THE TRIGGER AND SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD

 

HE WAS

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

AN ALL AMERICAN BOY

Copyright: Harry Rogers, Aberbanc, 28th February 2012

Scene Red rehearsal video “SON”

I wrote this after hearing that friends had lost a son in Afghanistan.  I could not really reflect their anguish at such a loss so I decided to write a poem based on feelings that I might feel in a similar situation.  The lyric follows and has become a song that Scene Red are rehearsing for the upcoming recording session.

SON

Son, as I stand here, all alone

Looking down, upon your stone

I remember passing out day

You’d grown so tall, and oh so brave

You looked so smart, so very proud

And the band was playing, very loud

I stood with your mother, by my side

Both of us swollen up with pride,

But a feeling niggled, deep inside

In my heart of hearts I knew someone had lied

I knew the donkeys had lied to the lions

In pursuit of new fires for their irons

 

Son, it is very hard to take,

Son, I know I made a big mistake,

Son, I knew the war was one big fake

Son, your mum and I ache and ache

We’ll never, ever, get the chance

To see you dance your wedding dance

Son, oh son, my lovely son

Son, oh son, my lovely son

 

When you were still a little boy

I brought you a bright shiny toy

I thought you’d have a lot of fun

Playing with your new toy gun

Now I know what I must do

This is the promise, I make to you

Whenever I meet fathers and sons

I’ll tell them all, smash up your guns

Fathers and sons – smash up your guns

Fathers and sons – smash up your guns

Do it now – do it – for my son!

Copyright: Harry Rogers – Aberbanc 3/3/2010