Check the details in full by following the links before.
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John Otway and Wild Willy Barratt first achieved notoriety with an eye-watering performance on Old Grey Whistle Test and subsequent hit single ‘Really Free’ in 1977.

Otway’s heady mix of blind ambition and rank incompetence was to keep this microstar shining for almost two decades.

Wild Willy Barrett is one of the most accomplished multi-instrumentalists working today, playing acoustic classical guitar with an original style and virtuosity few could match.
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Jan Harper, of Wihtyar Tree Essences will be running free introductory sessions in Newport next week.

On Tuesday there will be four one hour sessions that you can go along to at either 10.30, 12.00, 1.30 and 3.00 being held at Merlins in Holyrood Street, Newport.

If you love tress and would like to learn more about healing energy from trees and the benefits they can bring, either turn up for one of the free talks or call Jan on 520205 for more info.

It appears that Geri Ward chose her words carefully when asked by John Waite for a simple Yes or No, as to whether they would be paying musicians who were still owed money.

We lost count of the amount of times he asked the question, listen yourselves (after the jump) to see how she answered.

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One morning an ordinary man who minds his own business awakes to find a police inspector at the foot of his bed.

Inspired by Kafka’s The Trial, You Don’t Need to Know That is an exhilarating collision of comedy, drama, slapstick and puppetry.

Gonzo Moose is a Bristol based touring comedy company established in 1999 by Artistic Directors Mark Conway and Paschale Straiton who trained together at Circomedia, the UK’s premier centre for circus with theatre.
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The latest position being advertised for crossing patrol is to work outside St.Boniface School to assist children crossing the road.

You’ll be needed for half an hour a day between 2.15pm and 2.45pm during term time.
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It reminded us of Ventnorian, Wendy Marshall who many of you will know, picked up the IW Radio People’s People Award for Crossing Patrol Person of the Year in 2007 last year.

We caught up with Wendy a while ago to talk about her work and the awards.
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Album launches are always proceeded by media exposure, and for Ventnor’s Bees this comes in the form of a very special mix which will be hosted on Radio6 from 9pm on Saturday night.
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Check out the walks below by clicking on the links.

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Last year, our youngest VentnorBlogger, Alpha, braved the rain and wind and walked the last four miles as part of the school section of the walk.
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On the 4th May Elizabeth Hutchings and I escorted a group on the Tennyson Trail walk as part of the IOW Walking Festival.

“A walk full of literary and artistic interest. Taking in the birthplace of Sir Vivien Fuchs and the homes of Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron.”
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The design on the bag was the product of a competition held at Niton Primary school where the whole school put forward designs, which were then judged by the school’s Eco team club.

There were two winners of the competition. The writing at the top was designed by Philip Morris in Year R and Justyce Cox for the lower drawing in Year 3.

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There are still some tickets remaining for Camp Bestival, which takes place in the gorgeous location of Lulworth Cove. With the backdrop of a stunning coastline, Camp Bestival promises the same Bestival love and joy with music, comedy, theatre and various other hi-jinxs, but with a real emphasis on inviting the whole family.

We know that we can rely on the Bestival crew to pull together an eclectic line-up and with Camp Bestival this isn’t just limited to the music lineup.
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What better way to finish of a cup final day than at a football ground?

The Chancers, who have been confirmed for the Isle of Wight Festival and Bestival this year will be performing new tracks and will be welcoming Tim Parkin (The Bees) and Heather McCullum (Hugo Frusslinky) onto stage to join them. (more…)

When the Isle of Council threatened demolition of the skate park last month, unless someone came forward to take sign the lease and take control of it, many people rallied round and got involved.

When a request went out to Island bands and musician to get involved in a fundraising CD, such was the response that the first volume is already full with a second in the pipeline.
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A welcome return visit for Ashley Hutchings’ Rainbow Chasers, who sold out at Quay Arts last year.

“The Guv’nor”, as he is affectionately called, is joined by three highly talented musicians, Joe Topping (guitar and vocals), Jo Hamilton (viola, guitar and vocals) and Ruth Angell (fiddle, guitar and vocals).

Together they perform a repertoire of self-penned songs of the highest quality and sophistication, drawing from a broad range of ideas and influences.
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This week, there is another great lineup as The Development Suite presents … Making Waves.

On the bill tomorrow night will be a plethora of Island musical talent with Carousel Era, Al and Scott Watson, Nath Williams and Jord Pennant are no strangers to playing The Venue, and return for what looks set to be a great night of local live music.

Indie darlings Goodbye Stereo will be back again and joined by Ex-BoyRacer and Paul McCann

As usual all bands will be recorded and interviewed and you can hear the results on Live and Local Show on Sunday nights on IW Radio 102/7fm.

All this for only £3.

Kicks off at 7.30pm and you’ll need to order your pumpkins for 11pm.

It must be over a year ago since we originally suggested to the Ventnor Town Council that it would be a good idea to record their bi-monthly meetings. We felt that these recording would be of great benefit to those couldn’t make it along to meetings, enabling them to catch up on the discussions that the councillors had about matters in the town.

We raised the question again at the Annual Town meeting a couple of weeks ago, and the subject was discussed last night, at the Annual meeting of the Ventnor Town Council.

It is with great pleasure that we can inform you that in principal, the councillors agreed to have their meetings recorded and available on VentnorBlog for the public to listen to.
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Born in Seattle, USA and brought up in the UK, in Northamptonshire, alto saxophonist Allison Neale plays strongly in the melodic West Coast style of the 1950s, reminiscent of Art Pepper and Paul Desmond with whom she is often compared.

The Allison Neale Quartet, which features Dave Cliff on guitar, Simon Thorpe on bass, and Matt Skelton on drums, play at venues all over London and around the UK on a regular basis.

Allison is also involved in other ongoing bands and projects, including the contemporary Brazilian ensemble Caratinga and a quintet with trumpeter Gary Cavanagh.

The debut CD by the Allison Neale Quartet “Melody Express” was released in early 2004 on 33 records.
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