David Nigel Lloyd and Jill Egland play the to the poet in me at Jags Coffeehouse - By N.L. Belardes

Jags coffeehouse. I don’t frequent it much over on Truxton Avenue. But when I do step inside I’m always convinced that it just may be the most interesting-looking quaint coffeehouse Bakersfield has to offer. Dagny’s is streamlined, with big picture windows and a boxy room that looks out from a street corner. The Syndicate is small, has windows that are too dark but big fluffy couches that are comfy. Supreme Being up by Bakersfield College is just too far away for me. Border’s Seattle’s Best is too corporate as is Starbucks…





What makes Jags interesting is its nooks and atmosphere. The spiral starcase outdoors is very French... It’s tucked away, a cottage among cottages, with lots of plants and knick-knacks, a staircase to an stylish old building as if you’re ascending steps to a coffeehouse in Santa Barbara, not Bakersfield with its boxy unappealing architecture. And the coffee is good too. I had a “Hockey Puck” which is a blended Oreo latte… Matildakay was there too, and we didn’t actually come for the bonus of drinks and her choco-brownie, but to see David Nigel Lloyd and his Celtic Bluegrass and sung poetry style as performed with Jill Egland.

I kicked it with Matildakay on a couch and we talked about the local music scene while David Nigel Lloyd played in a nearby nook where there was no room at all to fit inside. He should have played in the room where we kicked it. But then maybe he was where he was so folks outside could listen in... The doors were open and some folks lingered in the picturesque outdoors while the music continued.

I tried to call Kenny Mount of local rural rock punk band, the Filthies to come and listen. He’s a big Celtic music fan, plays a bit o' thee bagpipes, and is the guy who got me to go listen to Whiskey Galore, one of the best Celtic bands in the nation. (By the way, I need to get in touch with Kevin Briley from Whiskey Galore! He's back in town to wreak some havoc).

As for David Nigel Lloyd’s style. I listened to him play acoustic while Jill Egland sung and played the accordion. The music was perfect for a coffeehouse atmosphere. The storytelling poetics was easily captivating, and while I stood and listened, I could easily see the incredible Lloyd fingerstyle and command both musicians had over their chosen style.



I do feel this music is played a little too much for the over thirty crowd. Yes, I'm over 30. But there’s a crowd for Banshee in the Kitchen and David Nigel Lloyd I noticed at Dagny’s that is far-removed from the local hipster crowd, but needs to perhaps cross-pollinate...

I recommend getting involved on myspace.com to tap into the Bakersfield scene. I discussed such with the new owner of Jags, Mimi Cartwright. We had a nice chat about her intentions to find local artists, candlemakers, and crafty folks to let some of their works shine at Jags.



Packing out a coffeehouse with the large crowds from the Bakersfield music scene would be great. I think David Nigel Lloyd should open up for the Filthies. Lloyd certainly has an incredibly prolific background that even includes punk music. Data-mined from his site, here's some of his prolific history:

The Dogs, The Wat, Pudenda, The Wat (reformed), Bump Cars, Wild Oscare, and BLaM

My first band was by necessity, a band of the immagination; it was 1969 and none of us could play our instruments. The strange genius kid of Central High School in York PA back then was Dan Wilson. He and I were the core of this (mostly) imaginary band called The Dogs. In 1971 I moved to LA and played in a California neo-skiffle band jokingly called The Wat, a group of friends really. After living in Canada for a few years where I was starting a band cleverly called Pudenda, I returned to LA to reform The Wat. The Wat was for a few years a wonderful recording project which mutated into Wild Oscare and then BLaM with a brief side-trip called Bump Cars. Bump Cars' "Born to Screw" climbed to number one on Brandeis University's student radio station. BLaM had a great run through the twilight of LA's new wave club scene through 1981.

A Tale of Two Cities: Eddy Detroit and De De Troit
but their intended order is (1) Basic Values, (2) Eddy Detroit and (3) De De Troit. Click on the icons for the illustrated tale.

In 1982 I joined the De De Troit Band. I was working on my first album, DARK AGES, and the prospect of being a hired gun in somebody else's band was attractive. De De (Denise Semiroux [sp?]) was from Detroit but was living a few houses up the street from me near Melrose and Normandy.

Despite the short distance from my place to hers, there were several musical connections which had to be made first before I could take that short walk, some happening simultaneously.

The characters of this story run the gamut: De De and Eddy are both cult figures now. Several local players encountered ascended into the land of musical success. One was even inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Most of the stages on which we performed have sunk into history.



Oh, and there's much more on Lloyd's website, including song sheets, folk music history, and more... You can listen to some of Lloyd’s songs, like "Bold Johnny Barleycorn" from 1998’s How Like Ghosts Are We.

A local music legend, yes. Worth checking out? Certainly...

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Monday, September 05, 2005. You can leave your response.