It's Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me.

As I posted recently, most Tuesday evenings I wander down to the local for their open-mike night. Regulars, for the most part, play a variety of both originals and covers - blues, folk, 50s, 60s and 70s. Lap steel guitars, banjos, mandolins, acoustics, electrics, keyboards and even full bands are dragged out. The quality varies, but the passion is there. Always. These folks do it because they love the music.

It's a fun evening. I get to chat to friends, have a pint or two, and listen to some tunes. Every now and again something special happens and the music transcends the time and place. And those performances are the ones I long for.

It's inspired me to pick up my own guitars and play more often - a habit I'd long fallen out of. At the moment I play an hour or more every night, re-honing my skills, learning new songs and toughening up my fingertips. It's a lot of fun.

I've also been inspired to listen to a lot more 50s rock. A couple of rockers play a 50s set, which I thoroughly enjoy. Mark jumps up and sings a couple of numbers. And he's good. He's gotten me into Charlie Gracie who I'd never heard of before, but had a few hits here in the UK. Fabulous and Butterfly are wonderful songs. My listening at the moment includes a couple of fantastic 50s compilations, as well as albums by Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent.

I knew some of these songs already, but I feel like I'm hearing them with fresh ears. And there have been some surprises along the way. Elvis Presley's B-side, Mess of Blues, is just amazing, and should have been a hit.

Hey, hey, my, my - rock 'n' roll will never die.