Overton Jam Night

The Overton jam Night is held at the Memorial Institute on the last Wednesday of the month. Entry is free, no membership is required.

We host musicians who want to jam with strangers and friends alike, bands who want to offer a few numbers, the occasional soloist, and pretty much anything else in between. The success of the night is really down to a range of things. Hugh sorts out the in-house P.A. This isn’t just a couple of amps on the ground, balanced out to sound good. It’s a full on piece of kit rigged out special for the stage. Sound is monitored all the way through for best results from the desk that’s in the audience, not some mixing desk at the side of an already crammed performance area. We find this gives new performers, in particular, the confidence to have a go. More experienced musicians have told us how great it is to be able to trust the set up to do justice to their music.

We’ve had a real mix of people come along. It’s great when part of a band turn up, perhaps their bass player or drummer couldn’t make it. We can usually find someone to fill in, so we introduce them to each other and let them get on with it. It’s been great so far! We’ve got some people who are, shall we say, less polished than others. With the community vibe that’s amongst the regulars, and I mention Tricky the bass man in particular here, we make sure everyone gets a go if there is time.

We’ve got local legends up on stage, people known in the local music scene for their skills. This has brought about some of the best live performances you are likely to see for free in your village. The standard of music is really very high. Even if some of it might not be to your taste you know it’s played honestly and with a good heart.

The staff at the ‘Stute are great. They have been very supportive of what we are trying to do and gone out of their way to make things happen. They keep jolly all night, even when we are still packing the kit away at mid-night.

But the thing that really makes it work is the audience. People enjoying a night of live local music with good beer and the like. Supporting new people, celebrating old hands, cheering us all on. It really is a great night out and we’d love to see more people.

The Overton Jam Night is held on the last Wednesday of the month (NOT August or December). We start at 8:30 ish. People can turn up and see how it goes, or contact us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OvertonBandJam) with any questions