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First edition of the Highbridge Podcast. Introduction to the project and interview with the Reverend Martin Little about the Blues in the Pews music project in Highbridge
A project set up celebrating the history, people, and places in the Highbridge, Sedgemoor Area. A podcast from the people for the people
Podcast ident 0:10
You're listening to the Highbridge podcast celebrating the people, places and history of the Highbridge area in Sedgmoor
Mell 0:28
And a very warm welcome to the very first edition of the Highbridge podcast celebrating the history people and places in the Highbridge Sedgemoor area of Somerset. This season is funded by Seed which is a consortium of community organizations in Sedgemoor comprising of Bridgewater Senior Citizens Forum, Bridgewater Town Council, Community Council for Somerset homes in Sedgemoor, Somerset Film and Young Somerset, which is funded and supported by Arts Council England, Creative People and Places Lottery Funding, and the Arts Council. My name is Mell and I'll be your host over the coming weeks in this first season of the Highbridge Podcast. The main aim of the project is to focus on the people, places and activities in and around Highbridge it's important to remember that history is not just about recording the past, but also recording what is happening now as we create history for future generations. If you enjoy what you hear, do tell your friends and ask them to subscribe to hear future editions for free. So let's continue with the first edition of the Highbridge podcast. According to Wikipedia Hybridge was originally a market town on the edge of the Somerset levels in the UK near the mouth of the river brew and although it's no longer a market town, the market site is now a housing estate. Highbridge is in the district of Sedgemoor and the town of Highbridge closely neighbors Burnham- On-Sea, forming part of the combined parish of Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with the resort town. In the 2011 census. The population of the town was included in the ward of Highbridge and Burnham Marine, which totaled 7,555. It's Saturday night, and I imagine Highbridge and I walking past St. John's Church in Highbridge in, obviously Church Road, and I'm hearing music, not just choral music, but blues music. I think this is worth investigating.
Unknown Speaker 2:44
So it's now after the event and I thought I'd come back in and find out a little bit more information when it's a bit quieter. And I managed to get a conversation with Reverend Martin little. And I started by asking him, what brought him to this neck of the woods.
Rev Martin Little 2:59
Coming to Highbridge for me was the next step in my career really, as it were. So I did my training as a priest in the church of England in Clevedon, so not too far away. And then looking around for my first post as vicar so that means basically running the parish church, doing services, doing weddings, baptisms and funerals, helping in the community and, and contributing really to the community life. So in terms of Highbridge it's partly just providence that an opening came up the priest here had have moved on. And so there was a vacancy around the time I was looking. But more than that, I think what attracted me to highbridge, partly because it's only one church, I used to have four. So you can really concentrate in one community just having a single church. And also think there, there was a friendliness and a warmth about the way the advert was put together. That made Highbridge sound like it knew what it was knew its traditions and valued traditions, but was also really open to do creative things, which is a wonderful mix. For someone like me, who in some ways has a very sort of old fashioned job being a parish priest and being a vicar but another in other ways. The other side of me is, which I guess we're going to talk about is that as is about music and the arts and really wanting to think about the church being there for the whole community, not just for those who would call themselves Christians or who've always gone to church, but as as really are a resource for the whole community. And also, I think a place of beauty. There are they're pretty places in their lives pretty places. And within one place there are nice bits and that's a nice bit. I think we're very blessed here in Highbridge and that we have lots of nice countryside around, but there's a lot of industrial stuff as well which maybe isn't so attractive, but we are blessed than that we have a lovely old Victorian Church, which is one of the older buildings. Although actually we're, we're pipped slightly because the Baptist Church is about 10 years older than the than the Church of England church. So, so really, you need to speak to them if you want the real Jen on the beginnings of churches and Highbridge. But we do have this lovely Victorian church, very well looked after and loved by the community. And it set in quite nice grounds with some lovely old trees. And so it's a place often of stillness and of peace where people can come. And it's also a place where people come when they have a significant thing that happens in their lives. So it might be the birth of their baby, they want to come and give thanks to God for that and have a bit of a celebration. It may be where they come to get married, or where they come indeed to have a funeral. So it's sort of always been there in a way. But I saw I think, come in here and opportunity for the church to be a little bit more than just those traditional things. I think that probably the first thing you notice when you come to Highbridge is the A 38. Just the amount of traffic and people sort of passing through. And it feels a bit er, this is one of the maybe one of the tougher things about Highbridge, it feels slightly forgotten. It's the sort of place that you drive through if you want to get to Bridgewater, you know, it has that sort of thoroughfare feel to it. Whereas actually, when you move here and you live here, you discover it, well, this is a community, this is where people live, it's not just a place you go to on your way to the M5 or whatever. It's actually a place that has people. And those people have dreams and hopes and aspirations, and talents and gifts and all of the stuff that that everyone has. So think it's one of these things that when you first move somewhere, you're looking for what those things are, and you're looking around, you're trying to get under the skin of the place and work at what is it that makes people tick here, one of the things that people seem to enjoy in Highbridge is music. And obviously, during the COVID pandemic, they haven't been any live music, which has, I think, been very hard for a lot of people. But the more people I've spoken to, they they talk very fondly about live music events that had happened pre pandemic. So for example, here in the church, brfore my time, they did a thing called the music marathon, which was a big fundraiser. And they did music that something like 20 hours of think of live music continuous with all kinds of different local artists and that kind of thing. Choirs and people all pitched up and got stuck in. And it was brilliant. It's one of the things that they talk about most fondly. And certainly as I've been getting to know people in the community and talking to them. There's there's lots of musicians around here. And there are lots of people who enjoy, who will come out and support live music as well, which is so important. It's not just a bunch of musicians playing to each other. But it's people who enjoy listening and that whole atmosphere. So that seems like a great fit really, for me because my background before I was ordained. I played in bands for years and used to run gigs in my hometown in Scotland. So I knew how to set things up like that. I think that my, my hometown, there wasn't a great amount happening. There were a couple of pubs that had music. But we wanted to get a bit more happening. So we approached a local venue. And we started a monthly sort of club night. And I got bands from all over Scotland to come and play which is great. So in some ways, you know, it fits quite well with with what we're trying to do here with blues in the pews.
Mell 8:37
Which is a great Tile. I mean, the title just, you soon as you hear it you just instantly go. What's that Exactly mean?
Rev Martin Little 8:45
Well, the title Blues in the Pews just came to me in a flash of inspiration. As I was wandering around Highbridge one day thinking about what could we do what would be a really interesting project and something that would be fun, that would both sort of use the church building, which I think is a tremendous asset with this lovely building, use the church building for something a bit that people wouldn't expect. So the title came to me and a flash of inspiration. I then went home and did what every good person doesn't Googled it. And discovered that. Yeah. I did think of it independently. But some some other people have used that title before, you know, significantly far away from here that it didn't feel like plagiarism. So I did check whether anyone had copyrighted it, but they hadn't far as I'm concerned. It's free. We use Blues in the Pews. It's nice to have a name that trips off the tongue and that makes you think, well that sounds interesting. You know, it is what it says on the tin. We sit in the church pews and we're entertained. Why blues music is an interesting question. Well, partly because it rhymes with pews. It's the first music that I really learned how to play on the guitar. So when I was you know 12 or 13 and picking up the guitar for the first time my dad showed me a few cards, and off I went. And it was it was blues and rock and roll. So you know, Chuck Berry and Little Richard those kind of guys, but then also BB King and Howlin Wolf. And that was the first music that I really learned how to play for myself. And so I thought to myself, well, if if I could do that quite accessibly, you know, when I just was learning the very rudiments of playing the guitar, then there must be other people out there who could get up and do a blues song as well. And a big part of this project is about encouraging people to get up and have a go. So it's like an open mic nights, but it's more of a jam night. So really, the idea is not that you prepare your perfect song at home, and then come and perform it pristinely to the audience, it's more of the theme of you have something in your back pocket, you know, these chords, okay, so blues, and E, we can all get up and jam that, and we can do it together. So it's much more about participation, as much as it is about performance. And again, the blues is a sort of universal language, you know, it's both relatively simple musically, although you can, you can take it to great heights if you want to. But it's also a language that comes from the soul. So people can express your feelings through through singing the blues, you know, whether whether you're feeling bad, and you want to sing about, you know, what a bad day or what a bad time you're having. Or you want to celebrate something really good, or you want to sing about, you know, your, your woman or your mind, or whatever, you know, you can express so much through it. So simply. So in some ways, it was a no brainer to say, well, let's do it as a blues night. And we take it from there.
Mell 11:40
So was music, your first passion, and then you've got the calling? Or was the calling always there and music, just having to be something that was with you at the same time?
Rev Martin Little 11:49
it's a very deep question as to whether music or faith came first, I think I'd probably have to say the faith came first. And you know, like many people, I was baptized when I was little, and I was brought up in the church, but then went away from it for a bit 10 years, in my teens coincided actually, with me learning to play the guitar, and, you know, having interest in other things like girls, and social life and those kind of things, the church so, you know, fades into the background a bit. But I did used to play guitar in church growing up, and we had a little group that led the music for the worship services. And I enjoyed that. At the same time, I was playing in pubs, when I was slightly too young to be playing in pubs, I was playing in a folk band. So, so those two strands were always there. And I suppose I always wanted to be a musician, you know, as, as anyone who's passionate about music, you want to make it as a musician you want to be no such rich and famous, but you want to do that as your your primary job, I think your primary calling. So after a while, you know, it became clear to me that this was going to be more of a hobby and, you know, personal way of expressing myself rather than than a job. And, yeah, so I sort of got into church ministry really, through Well, it's a long, long story. But the short, the short version is that I felt the call from God to to become a Christian, but also to serve in the church. So I began my ministry life in youth ministry. And then I did a little bit of music ministry as well. So I was a musician for a church and Bath for a while, so that the two worlds were always sort of together the music world and the church world. And I suppose, you know, I've always been looking for ways in which I can combine those two. So it's a bit of a chicken egg question for me, which came first? I think I think faith always comes first. But you know, there's a lovely verse in the in the Bible word, Jesus talks about, you know, Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, so, so seek first, you know, God and serving God, but then it says, and all these other things will be given to you as well. So it's a sort of having your cake and eat it in a way, put God first and then wait and see what God does and that that feels like what's happening here with, with blues in the pews. You know, it's a way of, of bringing those two worlds and those two passions together. And it's really exciting.
Mell 14:20
You mentioned about that, that you're aware of the history of the church andthe town. What have you managed to sort of pick up from the people that you've spoken to a bed pastry?
Rev Martin Little 14:33
There are people in St. John's who've been who are real old Highbridge people who've lived here for many, many years. You can think of one lady who worked for Morlands and the you know, the sheepskin and all that kind of thing that that factory when it was there. And so there are people who've lived here their whole lives, you know, others who, who sort of worked in the, there was a dairy I think that was that was again a big employer and the town, So we have people in the church who who worked in those industries, most of which have changed now. And, you know, again, the church has sort of always been there for them. The other big side of the history, of course, is that the school that was here that was St. John's School, which is now, some our neighbors, it's now a private housing. But if you come to Highbridge, and you you stand in front of the church, you'll see that the church, the old school, and the vicarage are all, they all look very, very similar, that same architect and the same design. So really, the church was at the forefront, I suppose, really, of education, and those days of educating, particularly, I suppose the poorer children who wouldn't have access to education. So the erm so thers always been that close relationship. And so of course, many, many people from the town went to St. John's school as it was. And now of course, we have Churchfield School, which is still a Church of England School, obviously, they've moved to a slightly bigger facility now. But we still have a really, really close relationship with Churchfield, which is wonderful. And, yeah, so there's that sense, I suppose of, you know, people, this is a town where people do, they're living, and they're working, and they're dying. And you know, some people have never moved away. And that's a really wonderful thing. Because, you know, you have that sense of continuity. And you speak to someone, and, and they're able to tell you about generations of a family that they've known. And again, often the church has been there for them through all those different seasons of life. So, so that's a wonderful thing and worth preserving. I would say, you know, if,
if I could put a plug in the dear old church doesn't get doesn't get much support financially. But if we want it to be here for the next generation and the next generation, then we need people to give and to help and, you know, running an old building from you know, 1860s is is not easy. So, so there's my plug in appeal. Give generously. Although I have to say Blues in the Pews is completely free of charge, because we've got this wonderful funding from Seed to run it, which is great. So how did you get involved with that? The story of it really, I had a message from the very wonderful Jane McPherson, who runs the Morland Community Hub, which is, you know, a stone's throw really from the church. She got in touch with me had heard that I'd sort of arrived in Highbridge and had had a music background. And she was very interested in that. So we had a lovely conversation in my garden while we were still not meeting indoors, and we chatted about what opportunities there might be to work together, particularly around live music. Jane is a wonderful person who's very, very good at networking, and has a real passion for this community. And so she was very encouraging. And when I mentioned her the idea of Blues in the Pews, she said, sounds great. And she put me on to, seed who have funded Blues in the Pews and are funding lots, lots of projects, around Highbridge and in Sedgemoor. So she said to me, there is money available, now, apply for it. And I thought, I thought, My goodness, I've only been here, you know, three months or something, and I'm already looking for this big, you know, project and applying for money for it and everything. But you know, it was a case of seize the day, because the investment is here now. And who knows when that investment will next come around. So it was really three Jane McPherson who's been incredibly helpful at getting the project off the ground has done some marketing for us and things, which has been great. From there, and I got in touch with Laura and Scott at Seed, who loved the idea and were really, really enthusiastic about it, gave me some advice on on what the Seed were looking for and what the criteria were for funding. And in particular, you know that there's a sense of people, people being able to access the arts, who maybe wouldn't normally have access to it. So one of the things that they identified which chimed with my experience was the in, there is not much happening in Highbridge itself. So you have to go to Burnham-On-Sea, or you have to go to Weston or you have to go to Bridgewater, if you want to see some some live music there are there are occasional things happening, I do believe but but mostly people felt they had to leave the town. So a big thing for us was, well, let's have it happening here. And we've got the venue for it. So let's do it. It's not an exclusive thing. It's more of a springboard the launch night that had in September we were the house band for it Mossflower my little band with my brother in law and Olly the drummer, we did some of our own stuff. We did some blues covers and a little bit of soul and you know mix it up a bit. But it's coming from that basis really. And then we opened it up to see who wanted to do what, now some guys got up and did that too. stuff, which was great. But also there was there was a chap there who stuck his hand up and said, Well, I want to sing. And I said, Okay, we'll come and have a chat. So we had a bit of a chat at the side of the stage. And, and so what do you want to do this so well, it's more sort of rock and roll stuff I do and rock in that. And he said, Do you know, do you know Born to be Wild? And I said, Well, I certainly know the song. I don't think I've ever actually played it before. But let's have a go. And he got up and did it. And it was great. So anything that I mean, we as we know, rock, rock music comes from the blues, most popular music really comes from the blues. So we interpret the blues genre generously as well, I would say. But again, you always want to keep it that accessible thing, we can get together and jam around something familiar. We have generous funding from Seed to do 10 events. So so we'll we'll run it monthly from now until next June, I think it is June or July, I think, where it goes from after that is largely dependent on money, I'm afraid, I mean, we will have a bit of investment to set things up which which will stand us in good stead, I think and we'll be able to run events with the equipment and things. But really, it's a case of how can we make it sustainable. So we've been looking for alternative sources of funding, we, we don't particularly want to, we might have to introduce a cover charge for a donation bucket or something, just to help it pay for itself. You know, it really depends what people want to do, I'm hoping that it becomes a regular fixture. And then once people have had 10 months of it, there'll be keen to keep it going. And so people will support it. It's one of those things, I think in the times we're in at the moment, particularly with the pandemic, and you know, things like that. It pays not to think too far in advance. You know, what, there's, we have a nice thing in the church, if you want to give God a laugh, tell him your plans. And it can feel a bit like that att times. So we you know, we do live by faith. And, you know, we trust that people will support things. But I think, you know, one, certainly one key area I would like to see develop is the involvement of younger musicians. And, you know, musicians who need that performing experience, and they'll be, you know, struggle to find it elsewhere. So I'm really, really keen that we have a sort of younger generation that can come up. And, you know, and take it on, really, so it's not all old buffers, like me that are that are priming the pump, as it were that it becomes something that's owned by the community, in particular by those younger generations. So if there's anyone listening to this, or right there who's a, you know, a young guitarist, or a drummer, or a bass player, or a keyboard player, or singer, or saxophonist, or whatever, and you just would like that opportunity to get up on stage, maybe with some more experienced musicians, and just have a go at performing, I'd encourage you to come along to Blues in the Pews, you'd be very, very welcome. And we hope that you really that the community takes it on. And I can step back a little bit and just sort of be there, providing the venue and making it happen. But really, it's the it's the next generation who take it forward, we're very diligent with our legalities. And with our license. So we have an alcohol license, and we have a full bar available. And under 18's can come if they're accompanied by an adult, which again, that was, you know, very much okayed by the powers that be in the police and everything. And we had no problems at all, you know, it was it was very felt very sort of inclusive, really, but I love that I love the fact that that music is one of those things that brings people together of all ages. And especially having you know, I mean younger, younger kids getting up and playing is a real treat for me. And, and that's what the church should be. It should be there for all ages and all stages and all abilities. And it was a lovely atmosphere it actually not quite like anything I'd ever experienced.
It was sort of, you know, half half church social event, half half blues club, you know, and but you know, that to me is that is that a mixture of different ages and styles and atmospheres and music. That's what that's what makes life interesting. If you search for it's facebook.com/bluesinthepews so you can find us there, there's photos and you know, contact details and bits and bobs. If you want to get in touch with us, it's bluesinthepews@gmail.com which is nice and easy to remember. And yeah, we'd love to hear from you. And then particular thing if anyone has pictures or videos or recordings. It's fantastic to add those onto the site and link link them to us so that we can we can share the love. I think that the best advert for anything like this is just people having enjoyed it and got into it. So we'd love to hear from you.
Mell 24:56
Thank you to the Reverend Martin Little talking about the music project Blues in the Pews, which started in September 2021 at St. John's Church in Highbridge if you get the chance do pop along, it's a fantastic night out and a brilliant atmosphere. Well, that brings us to the end of the first edition of the Highbridge podcast. We hope you've enjoyed it. And do remember to subscribe so you'll hear future editions. In the next edition. We'll be finding out all about the Nornen Project. And we'll also find out more about Seeds Sedgemoor. The Highbridge podcast available on many popular podcast directories distributed as the Highbridge Podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, podcast, Google, Amazon music and tune in.com It can also be found at Sedgemoor media.com and he's hosted and found at Highbridgepodcast.transistor.fm. Also available on your smart speakers. Just say the wake word to the speaker and say clearly, 'Play the Highbridge podcast.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai