Dylan and Magna Carta

These are the most recent works thus far on this blog. They were watercoloured only about a month ago, but sketched last year. Again, the setting is Toni's Place, an informal music venue in Newton Park, Port Elizabeth.

The first batch of drawings were done at a concert early last year by two guys, from East London I think, who did rather pleasant covers of Bob Dylan's music. The oke above was one of the patrons.

I can't recall the guys' names, but they certainly brought an interesting dimension to the music. Sadly, because these pages are still bound, scanning is difficult, what with the metal loop. Hence the seeping in of light (bluish on the left, here) on some pictures.

It comes back to me. The guy on the right played an electric guitar most of the night and rarely sang. But, having just listened afresh to Dylan's Blonde on Blonde album, it is significant what a wonderful sound he was achieving with lightly clipping electric guitar on those albums from the mid-1960s.

The audience, of course, always provide sketching fodder. Here, a cross-section of visages.

Interesting to see young people, like this girl, at the show, since Dylan would hardly be deemed "hip" by most youngsters.

I rather enjoyed the still life of bottles, carafes and glasses with the musos in the distance.

Throughout the show they projected images of Dylan onto a screen, which I made the focal point here.

An older patron.

And another.

More listeners.

Fast forward about six months and Chris Simpson, the main man behind Magna Carta, was back at Toni's, this time accompanied by another youngish oke, Nick Hall. This is Simpson, with possibly Hall's mug suggested on the right.

Nick Hall mainly played acoustic guitar, but on one song he played a bit of mandolin.

Simpson was in top form. Here he plays a bit of blues harmonica.

Nick Hall played a couple of solo slots, including a rather evocative version of Dylan's Senor, in which, just as he sang "disconnect these cables" he did just that, unplugged his acoustic guitar, and walked among us, singing with no amplification.

I rather like the edgy lines in this study of Chris Simpson.

I did this on the back of that sketch pad, which was, I see, imported from the UK.