I'm late - but I hope it's worth it to the reading public.
Once again
we have a whole lot of stuff to work through again……………… all of it I hope will be of some interest to
you.
Let’s start
with SLAMFEST and would you believe
it, we’re less than a week away from when the Festival is due to start, and
less than two weeks from Rock Rotherham Saturday! Yikes.
Most of the hard work has now been done, we could do with more cash, but
we can fight on.
OK what do
we need – BANDS BANDS
BANDS WE NEED YOU TO READ THIS BIT we need you to get the word out there,
you’ll find am link to some fliers that you can download – the front is the
general announcement – the rear relates to the various venue line ups. Please down load and where ever you go,
especially Tramlines next weekend pass them out. GO HERE TO DOWN LOAD THE FLIER
I know, I
know, it would be nice to have you come and collect loads of pre-printed
fliers, but I’m sure that you would much rather have our resources used to
promote the Bands of Rotherham and District by staging more Festivals like this
than printing tomorrows litter, especially when everyone could print twenty
copies or so and the impact would be just as good.
Check on
Facebook for the Event that includes you and share it with your friends and fans.
BELIEVE
IT OR NOT YOUR COMPUTER WILL NOT BLOW UP IF YOU PRESS THE SHARE BUTTON ON
FACEBOOK
If you are
playing Tramlines next weekend, please
give Slamfest numerous shouts during your performances. Let’s
have the Town buzzing with live music and music lovers.
And finally,
Bands please check out the information that is for you HERE it would be helpful
if you know your on stage time.
We still
require Stage Managers for a few of the Venues.
If you would like to help out and get the Festival flowing then please
contact Mick urgently HERE
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS. Bucket
collectors – Programme Sales people – and just generally helpful people. There’s a T Shirt in it, for those who come
forward and discounted burgers. You need
to contact Jane HERE – and again
it’s urgent. What a way to enjoy a day
that promises to be a day that musicians and the music lovers of Rotherham are
going to find hard to forget.
Volunteers may be lucky enough to get one of these T shirts
Mick is a
qualified First Aider, but it would be good if anyone out there who is a Qualified First Aider or a member of the St
Johns Ambulance Brigade and could put themselves on duty throughout the day
as a Volunteer could come forward.
Yes Slamfest
Rock Rotherham Saturday and Chill Out
Sunday at The Queens in Rawmarsh is really taking place – it’s going to
happen – we don’t know yet how the music lovers of Rotherham and district will
react but it’s down to us all now to make it all work and for the Bands to make
the most out of the event.
We also have
a range of stunning T shirts to
celebrate the various Stages and the artists performing, including a special
one to celebrate the Myke Barritt
Memorial Punk Concert at the Bridge.
Check them out HERE
Any
questions then please contact Richard direct at 07805699476.
But let us
not forget the other events in the week.
The FOF Theatre Presentation ; Pocketful of N’owt and the other Guys
from Hull in a special show ; and who
knows Roy Blackman might turn up for his CD launch Party as well: ALL THESE EVENTS AT MYPLACE + all the usual sessions.
And if
you’re not playing Slamfest there’s an Open Mic thingy going on at the
Woodland’s Club, Clifton, for Charity.
It runs all day. In fact if
you’re looking for a chance to play then you can also get to play at The
Exchange and or The Imperial Building.
As you might
expect the sceptics and the knockers are winding up their criticisms which all
makes for an interesting life. Mick and
I are aware of the weaknesses, and we’ve gained valuable experience for next
time, but for now let’s just enjoy the FULL
WEEK not just the Saturday.
So what have
you missed?
My weekend
started on Friday night at The Bridge where Rotherham hosted a World
Premier. Yes a World Premier that
received all the usual publicity that Arts events in Rotherham get, on
Facebook.
Stan Skinny’s “The Tesco Chain Store Massacre”
was one of the best one hander productions I have seen, and that’s fine praise
indeed, and includes “Shirley Valentine”.
Fifty
minutes of laughter with well observed comedy set to verse; no longer will I be
going to the “fresh foods counter” or the bread department without wondering
just what the assistant has done to my food and I’m sure we have all come
across the Little Hitlers called Team Leaders, Section Heads, Department
Manager etc . who create their whole World from their Retail life role, and
consider themselves “hip” by using a word like “comprehendie”
Closer to
home of course we witnessed Gav Roberts doing the Penguin Dance, and most
impressive it was too.
I take my
Masher Cap off to Stan Skinny, assisted by his Brother, for a fantastic evening’s
entertainment. With a decent Sound
System and proper lighting in a Theatre environment, this is going to be a big
hit, and should be taken on the road to the Edinburgh Fringe – this show would certainly not be part of the
dross which makes up much of that Festival.
And if he
doesn’t bring the show back to Rotherham soon, perhaps I’ll be able to twist
his arm to bring it back for the Rotherham Fringe in October.
As it
happens I was in need of cheering up on Friday.
Yes, the Mashing Machine left home.
For six years we have travelled the County and Country together, and not
once did the Taylor complain to me about my making it sound like a Littlewoods
Catalogue Special. A sad day
indeed. But the price to be paid for
wanting the Slamfest dream to happen. The good news is that it has gone to a good
home, and as a special treat you can hear the first song written and performed
on the Mashing Machine by the new owner can be found HERE and HERE
Saturday and
it was off to Beanfest. For those who don’t know Beanfest has been
around now for four or five years. The
early events happened at The Star in Rawmarsh to celebrate the life of Rob
Crook - they even allowed the odd
acoustic act to play in those days – but now it’s all solid rock with a bit of
roll. The Festival which remains a free
event and all money collected goes to Charity, now plays at The Parkview in
Swinton which offers a perfect setting for Festivals.
Forward
thinking meant that the boys of the Festival had arranged for a big marquee so
even the weather couldn’t put off hundreds of Rotherham and district folks
coming out to support their Bands.
I was told
that the name of the Band playing when I arrived was The Masturbators, the programme says that they were Mask of Virtue
– so was the person who told me making a statement? Whatever they certainly had the folks
bouncing up and down.
On the
inside stage I got to see View from S62
– ah lads it’s good to keep our youth yay – not sure if much of the audience
were old enough to remember many of the
classic rock songs played. Great version
of Gino (Dexy Midnight Runners), even I was singing along.
Back outside
and a Band that I had been wanting to cross the path of for some time. The
East Street Band. I’ve seen Steve
Gasgoine, (the lead singer) in a few guises, solo acoustic blues, folk to name but two, but this was a different Steve – and how he
found the energy to bang out forty minutes of this high tempo Bruce Springsteen
tribute. Brilliant stuff.
But back to
the reality of the future and the creativity of the new bands and before
risking a soaking, I caught some Volume
Zero. Super heavy metal –
heavy. Not pretending to know anything
about genre, but the musicianship was brilliant and despite the apparent
anarchy of the music – it was together!
Am I supposed to say that?
Congratulations to all at Beanfest for
an amazing day of Free music. All power
to you and I’m already looking forward to 2013 when who knows, they might just
let the Mashers do a spot again.
More
pictures HERE
All this
activity was having an effect, even by the time the Sutherland Road Crew had
turned up to pick the Masher up on Sunday morning for the trip North to The Natures World Festival, the ankles
and pain in the legs had not passed. But
hey – perhaps I should suffer a little for my art.
From Noon
until 6:00pm a great afternoon of high quality Folk music and a dance to.
And of
course it’s great to meet up with so many Northern based Acoustic Rotherham
folk………. Love it.
The Mashers
had a full complement of two, with John Masher bravely standing in following
our usual extensive rehearsal of just five seconds – but I don’t think anyone
noticed – the lack of rehearsal that is.
Of course no
Masher performance is without it’s drama.
This time the “make do” do guitar while a plug in, does not have a
pre-amp so the sound system could not pick up a thing from me……….. so Pete from
Keystone Acoustic sacrificed his own guitar to be Mashered. Yes, we were half way through “My Old Guitar”
when it became clear there was something wrong with the tuning. Laugh, I nearly died when Pete came forward
at the end of the song to inform me that the guitar was tuned to dropped
D!!! which is a bit like talking in
foreign language to me.
But it was
fantastic that apparently the audience knew my songs, a sign I believe that we
need more new material!!
Great times
and a lovely afternoon. And I got to
rub Sue’s knee all the way there and back in back seat of the car…………. What more could I wish for. I don’t think Barrie noticed…… or did he?
More pictures HERE
So that’s
what you didn’t see……………………. Or most of
you.
There’s a
new kid on the block, one who has already made a laughing stock of yours truly
amongst certain members of the Arts Community in Rotherham – one Opus
Hatch. You can find out more about this
very ambitious person HERE it's the link on the listings page on the right.
It seems
that Opus needs a few things to make his life complete, so if any of you have
any of the items please get in touch
OPUS HATCH –
THINGS APPEAL
Hello
everyone. This is an appeal on behalf of a very good friend of my good friend
Opus Hatch. We need props. We are trying to purchase what we can, but we are on
a very tight budget. So if you could find it in your hearts (and in your
cupboards) to have a quick rummage and see if you have any of the items in the
list below which you could donate, we would be eternally grateful until the end
of time and beyond. Please message me if you have any of what we’re looking for
and I will send you details of where to send or drop off. Thanks.
The list:
• 5 old
mobile phones – non functioning for prop use
• 2 Police
style Notepads with pencils
• Hawaiian
Shirt, brightly patterned preferably yellow, size medium.
• Sunglasses
– cool ones
• Plastic
Fried Egg or plastic fish fingers
• 2 x 6 pack
12 oz disposable coffee cups + lids
• Clip Board
• Cardboard
parcel boxes – used various sizes
• Plastic
brinks glasses
• Plastic
plates
• Lap top
bag
• Small
Bouquet of plastic flowers
•
Auctioneer's gavel
• 3 or 4
Auction paddles – ping pong bats will do
• 10 ping
pong balls
• Blank
canvas box framed
• Playing
cards
• Around 100
coloured plastic counters approximately 1 inch round
• Handbag
• Photo
frame
• 2 non
functioning laptops or netbooks for prop use
• Laptop bag
• Tacky pimp
style fake gold jewellery – with chunky rings and a dollar sign medallion if
possible
• Security
arm bands
Message Opus
HERE
So looking
ahead to the coming week – all the usual sessions and Clubs are in play, and
next weekend, well, once again we’re spoilt for choice. Seafest over at Scarborough, and the Folk
Festival at Stainsby while if you live in the Huddersfield there is a great
Folk Against Fascism Concert on Saturday night starring my old mates Cracktown
and Three Sheets t’ The Wind + many others.
And Papa
Legba’s are busy this weekend.
On Friday they play the Harlequin in Sheffield and on Saturday play The
Bridge (a week early because of holidays).
Rock on!!!
And of
course closer to home over in Sheffield it’s ……………………………………………….. Tramlines
Festival…………. Wow the music just
goes on and on and they have a fantastic and well financed and supported City
Centre Festival. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – if
you’re going, down load and print off a few of the Slamfest fliers and leave
them around the venues that you are visiting.
You can find
links to all the coming week’s fun on our listings page HERE
And please
stay tuned to the News Letters and the rest as Slamfest gets under way next
week. All the news will appear HERE
So whatever
you’re doing, have fun, support your local artists and keep it live.
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