Nick Courtney

ROGER COURTNEY'S OPEN MIKE MUSIC CLUB
EVERY THURSDAY AT THE BARN - THE MILTON ARMS - PORTSMOUTH.
Hello from Nick Courtney at The Barn in Portsmouth,
5 Years ago I inherited a folk type Club from my Dad when he died which I moved to a new venue called the Barn (behind the Milton Arms) in Portsmouth.
I re-vitalised the club by making it more attractive to younger musicians and a wider audience and then re-opened it in his name so that he would always be remembered.
It is now called "ROGER COURTNEY'S OPEN MIKE CLUB"
The Club is listed in the "Unsigned Guide" as one of the venues to play if you are touring the South of England and Bands and other performers have come from as far as Australia to play there.
I put on 2 Bands every week as Special Guests for an hour each and then provide an Open Mike session for all the musicians who are in the area to entertain the large, friendly and receptive audience with at least 2 songs each.
I also let kids of all ages come to the club and perform which helps banish any fear they have of performing in front of an audience which in turn also helps them become more socially confident. It is not a youth club and the younger performers are only a very small percentage of the varied and mixed age groups that frequently attend. Under 18s must also be accompanied by a parent.
The Club is a non commercial independent venture which means there is no money available to pay bands or performers and admission is always free of charge. Performers are of course welcome to sell their own CDs on the night
A good quality sound system is provided, all you need to bring is your instrument of choice and yourself.
If you do not play an instrument but would like to sing simply bring along your favourite backing tracks on CD and we will do the rest.
If you enjoy music, as a listener or performer, come along to ROGER COURTNEYâ€™S OPEN MIKE MUSIC CLUB on Thursdays and have a great night out! Doors open at 7pm, get there early to get a seat or to get your name down to perform.
BANDS, SOLO ACTS, DUOâ€™S WANTED - The first two hours of every week is available for any solo act duo or band to perform for a full 1 hour to our large, friendly and receptive audience. If you interested in this special guest spot, please send a Demo CD to Nick Courtney at Sweet Memories Record Shop, 101 Fratton Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 5AH - Telephone 02392 837730 - Mobile 07952 967948 or simply tell me your myspace so I can have a listen.
http://www.thursdaymusic.co.uk
EVERY THURSDAY AT THE BARN IN PORTSMOUTH
JUST BEHIND THE MILTON ARMS PUBLIC HOUSE
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HALL OF FAME - PAST PERFORMERS ARCHIVE
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WHO WAS ROGER COURTNEY ?

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AN EVENING WITH LEE ROGERS REVIEW & PHOTOS
AN EVENING WITH PAUL SIMMONDS REVIEW & PHOTOS
AN EVENING WITH 3 BLIND MICE REVIEW & PHOTOS
HALL OF FAME - FAMOUS VISITORS AT THE CLUB
POETRY BY NICK COURTNEY (Songs without Music)
Comment from a Dave Loughran, a performer at the club who entertained us with an hour Special Guest Spot
"I played a gig on 31st August and I have to say, it was the best gig I have ever done!! The reason for this, is that the promotor Nick Courtney is a very clever man.
Unlike all these pretentious acoustic nights in London! Nick has a formular that works like a dream. The place was packed, the vibe was amazing, it was fun more than anything and the audience were very appreciative of the music.
And it is FREE entry. There were some great acts followed by the "Jazz Raffle".... it's worth going just to see that!! The Barn 'Milton Arms' Portsmouth.... AMAZING! Cheers Nick.. I look forward to my return" DAVE LOUGHRAN
http://www.myspace.com/daveloughran
CLICK HERE for a video featuring Roger Courtney Live at the Railway Club in Portsmouth, a few years before he started his own Club which now continues in his memory at the Barn, The Milton Arms in Portsmouth.
Comment from a Lee Rogers, a performer at the club who entertained us with an hour Special Guest Spot at the Barn and again at The RMA Tavern for "An evening with Lee Rogers" in November 2006
"I think what Nick is doing down there is a pretty unique situation.....he takes kids of all ages and helps them banish any fear they have of performing in front of an audience (I am not sure if he realised that or if that was his mission, but I noticed it straight off in the barn the first time I played in Portsmouth), but most of all, it makes these kids more socially confident and gives them alot of worth to themselves which I think is lacking in society these days, its important they know how great they are, and that performance and songwriting is not a competition, its an act of soulbearing, openness that we dont ever really catch a glimpse of in everyday life. Took me a while to learn that. Anyway to put a cap on this, I just want to extend a thanks to you all for making me and the guys who were with me feel very welcome, and to say keep up the good work" - LEE ROGERS
http://www.myspace.com/leerogersmusic
Comment from Rossco, a performer at the Club who went on to become a Band Manager and one of Portsmouth's top promoters of Live Music
"Looking back Nick if it wasn't for You and The Club I may never have really started. I think what You do with The Club and Helping Musicians and Fanatics is amazing. The fact that I haven't played there for nearly four years and It's still packed with the same old faces and a lot of new ones, really is a credit to you and your team who make The Barn a great place to perform. I will never forget the barn and all the brilliant people that make it what it is.
Kind Regards as always, Rossco.
http://www.myspace.com/captainrossco
Comment from a regular at the Club
"I would like to say thanks for having such a great club running. i have had the worst two years of my life but your club has provided me with a happy, friendly place to go and introduced me to some of the greatest people i could imagine. it is a wonderful thing you have there. thankyou!"
Comment from Becky Jerams (one of the best songwriters I know)
"I think The Barn has had a huge part to play in building up my confidence and giving me experience playing and performing, I don't know where I would be without it and I have made so many wonderful friends too"
http://www.myspace.com/beckyjerams
Comment from Jay P (Number 1 in the Indiestore charts 3 with his debut release)
"Its great to hear things are really progressing with the Barn and your projects, without maybe knowing it and with your love for music, your inspiring loads of young musicians to do what they want to do, so really well done and keep up your brilliant work."
http://www.myspace.com/1jayp
Comment from Andy Matheson, after his Special Guest performance
I look back on the set and think..it started well...nice guitar sound..vocals OK... people being reasonably attentive.... It ended up with pure chaos..noise...and lots of particpation... It could only be the Barn on a Thursday!
http://www.myspace.com/andymatheson
Comment from Tim Hassall after his Special Guest performance during his tour of the UK
Just got back from Portsmouth where I met so many good people, cool musicians, and generally had a blast. I played this spot called the Barn, it has the best vibe. As good as any open mic in London, but with way more heart and â€œreal listenersâ€. it was the cherry on the cake of exploring a new city.
http://www.myspace.com/timhassallmusic

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