Review of Powderhall Arms gig
“On Wednesday night it was my good fortune to find myself at the Powderhall Arms in Edinburgh where the Professors of Logic were performing. The Professors is a five piece band of experienced musicians who have been rehearsing for six months and have just began playing in public. They are very good, highly original and well worth seeking out. The members of the band are Linda Campbell on piano accordion, Alan Grieve on guitar, Wilf Smarties on bass guitar and Sandie Benzie on saxophone. They are fronted by vocalist and fiddle player  Anna Durkacz.
It is hard to pigeon hole The Professors into any particular musical genre. On the face of it you would be tempted to describe them as folk rock but they are too raunchy to fit that title. The bass guitar thumps along and is a major part of the sound, the fiddle playing lends more to hard rock than folk and is hugely complimented by the piano accordion and it’s almost as if these instruments are talking to each other. The guitar lends melody and sometimes a haunting melancholy. Through it all comes the wailing of the saxophone. Anna Durkacz vocals are melodic, punchy when necessary and explore a scale range beyond the ability of lesser singers. She also has a huge personality and confidence. I found the whole show spellbinding.
There is one factor above all else that makes Professors stand out as original and entertaining. This is the songs themselves, written by Anna Durkacz. The lyrics are witty, moving, relevant and poetic. A range of topics from the menopause, the loss of an old dog, working in a monkey sanctuary and a longing for one’s place of birth are just some of the topics covered. The melodies are simply beautiful. I defy anyone to not be moved by the poetic Portobello.
The Professors of Logic describe themselves as a Fantasy Blues Band. If the blues originated to laugh in the face of pain, to work through the drudgery and workload of  tortuously hard days and to give voice to the dispossessed and downtrodden then these songs fit the bill. Anna is singing about you and me and the lives we lead. She is singing about growing older and as she puts it Coming Of Age.
The Professors are performing during the Edinburgh fringe at The Pear Tree at 38 West Nicolson Street at 11am on 20-27th of August. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t go along and check them out yourself. I will be there.  I have a feeling the future is bright for The Professors Of Logic!”
Trevor Hadley. Independent Music Journalist.




From: Anna Durkacz <annadurkacz@gmail.com>

To: trevor hadley <trevorhadley2000@yahoo.co.uk>

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