It's only January, but the wires are humming with more calls than Mark Hughes' phone!
Just had confirmation that we're booked to play Macclesfield Beer Festival on Friday & Saturday 8 & 9 May.
This will be the 4th consecutive year that we have played the Festival, which must be some sort of record, and the format will be as last year i.e. the Screaming Beavers supporting us on the Friday, and us doing the honours for them on the Saturday.
Obviously, there will be more information nearer the time, but scratch it into your diaries while they are still new, and you can find them!
Friday, 9 January 2009
Friday, 2 January 2009
FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE WINDMILL!!
Well, that's the end of one set of festivities - time to think about the next set and, for us, that means Friday night at The Windmill at Whiteley Green - a beer festival featuring at least 9 wonderful Storm Brewing beers, and the mighty Dazed & Confused - who could ask for more (don't answer that!)??I'm guessing we'll be on around 9:00-ish, but the fun starts before that, so feel free to arrive, sample the goods, and myabe even have a bite to eat beforehand - a link to their website is attached(for those who have not ventured out into the wilds of Adlington before!) Link to Windmill web and a map to help you get there
We will have Matt Rose on bass with us again but, apart from that, it's the usual line-up - fresh and re-invigorated after a nice long Chistmas rest - oh, and a week at work :-((
Sunday, 28 December 2008
SO THAT'S IT - NEARLY ANOTHER YEAR GONE!
The massive 2008 gig list was completed last night (well this morning, actually!) when we played to a completely packed Ship Inn - of course, both fires were lit (in case anyone felt cold!) and with around 200 people crammed in, the place rapidly became a little like Dante's Inferno!
Not that this mattered, because we had the best of times, and it appeared the audience did as well. The occasion was primarily to celebrate Ben's 60th birthday, but there were quite a number of people who came along just for the sheer hell of it - what better way to celebrate that strange period between festivities - and, of course, it was the weekend (even though we've just had about 4 weekends in a row!
As well as the usual madness, there were a number of high spots in the evening that are worth mentioning - as reported elsewhere, our regular bass player (Matt) has swanned off to the Far East to buy himself a tie (I think that's how you spell it!), so we had to bring in a deputy. Of course, the deps name was Matt (to save confusing us!), in this case Matt Rose - a good friend, and now official demi-god! Matt had never played, or even practised, with us before, and all he had to go on was 2 CDs of the set lists hurriedly put together to give him some idea of what we did (even though the keys for most of them were completely different!) To say Matt did well is probably the understatement of the century - he was absolutely brilliant and, if we hadn't embarrassed him by pointing out that he was a D&C virgin, I really don't think anyone would have known! Matt - you are a legend, and it was a privilege to have you with us! Matt will also be playing with us at our next gig on Friday 9 January at The Windmill Inn Beer Festival at Whiteley Green (near Adlington) so if you want to see him in action (and probably a little more relaxed!), get yourselves down there (more details, with directions, in a short while).
The second high spot also involved the Rose family because, when Hugh's bladder got the better of him at the end of the second set, we press-ganged Nev Rose (Matt's Dad!) onto the drums, and he bashed his way through "You Really Got Me" before we forced him to perform his party piece - "Wipe Out"! For those who don't know this track, it has probably the hardest drum solo known to man (or me anyway!), and Nev does it with his own band (Revolution). Hugh refuses to do it because he was emotionally scarred in a previous life when his band mates all buggered off to the bar, leaving him to play an extended (i.e. about 10 minute) solo at 100 mph! However, Nev's rendition was brilliant, and all the better because he wasn't expecting to do it - I met him outside Tesco this morning, and he still looked like he was recovering!
The third high spot involved Professor Andy Smith, who received some sort of Guitar Hero computerised gizmo for Christmas which means he can play tunes without his guitar! He gave a virtuoso performance of several rock classics by waving his plectrum around in the vicinity of his groin - not a pretty sight, but the sound was good! We did ask how he felt about having spent so much money on his 17 or so guitars, when he can now do the same with a small box (no offence, Andy!) and a bit of computerised plastic!
So, we're ready to pull the curtains over the window that was (still is, actually) 2008 - 29 gigs in a year is a record for us and, considering we said we would limit ourselves to a gig a month, it says a lot about our ability to plan and control our diaries! As everyone knows, we do it for fun, and if it stops being fun, we'll stop doing it - we'd love to have more time to practive new numbers, but sometimes it's not possible. Having said that, we've probably added 6 or 7 new songs this year, which is pretty good going, and there are some more in the works - honest!
Not that this mattered, because we had the best of times, and it appeared the audience did as well. The occasion was primarily to celebrate Ben's 60th birthday, but there were quite a number of people who came along just for the sheer hell of it - what better way to celebrate that strange period between festivities - and, of course, it was the weekend (even though we've just had about 4 weekends in a row!
As well as the usual madness, there were a number of high spots in the evening that are worth mentioning - as reported elsewhere, our regular bass player (Matt) has swanned off to the Far East to buy himself a tie (I think that's how you spell it!), so we had to bring in a deputy. Of course, the deps name was Matt (to save confusing us!), in this case Matt Rose - a good friend, and now official demi-god! Matt had never played, or even practised, with us before, and all he had to go on was 2 CDs of the set lists hurriedly put together to give him some idea of what we did (even though the keys for most of them were completely different!) To say Matt did well is probably the understatement of the century - he was absolutely brilliant and, if we hadn't embarrassed him by pointing out that he was a D&C virgin, I really don't think anyone would have known! Matt - you are a legend, and it was a privilege to have you with us! Matt will also be playing with us at our next gig on Friday 9 January at The Windmill Inn Beer Festival at Whiteley Green (near Adlington) so if you want to see him in action (and probably a little more relaxed!), get yourselves down there (more details, with directions, in a short while).
The second high spot also involved the Rose family because, when Hugh's bladder got the better of him at the end of the second set, we press-ganged Nev Rose (Matt's Dad!) onto the drums, and he bashed his way through "You Really Got Me" before we forced him to perform his party piece - "Wipe Out"! For those who don't know this track, it has probably the hardest drum solo known to man (or me anyway!), and Nev does it with his own band (Revolution). Hugh refuses to do it because he was emotionally scarred in a previous life when his band mates all buggered off to the bar, leaving him to play an extended (i.e. about 10 minute) solo at 100 mph! However, Nev's rendition was brilliant, and all the better because he wasn't expecting to do it - I met him outside Tesco this morning, and he still looked like he was recovering!
The third high spot involved Professor Andy Smith, who received some sort of Guitar Hero computerised gizmo for Christmas which means he can play tunes without his guitar! He gave a virtuoso performance of several rock classics by waving his plectrum around in the vicinity of his groin - not a pretty sight, but the sound was good! We did ask how he felt about having spent so much money on his 17 or so guitars, when he can now do the same with a small box (no offence, Andy!) and a bit of computerised plastic!
So, we're ready to pull the curtains over the window that was (still is, actually) 2008 - 29 gigs in a year is a record for us and, considering we said we would limit ourselves to a gig a month, it says a lot about our ability to plan and control our diaries! As everyone knows, we do it for fun, and if it stops being fun, we'll stop doing it - we'd love to have more time to practive new numbers, but sometimes it's not possible. Having said that, we've probably added 6 or 7 new songs this year, which is pretty good going, and there are some more in the works - honest!
It just remains for us to thank everyone who has booked us and put up with us during the year, our regular supporters who, for some reason known only to them, turn out to listen to us and join in wherever we are (Colin Stanway, you know who you are) - we look forward to having more groupies in 2009 (somebody has already threatened me with that!) and, finally, a big Thank You to our wives and partners who put up with so much hassle, and tolerate our "hobby" so uncomplainingly - we'd be lost without you!
A HAPPY 2009 TO ALL!!
Thursday, 11 December 2008
2009 GIGS - ALREADY!!
The machine that is Dazed & Confused never sleeps - we've not even put the 2008 cat out before we're ushering in the 2009 gig milkman!
A couple of January dates for your diary:
Friday 9 January at The Windmill in Whiteley Green (near Adlington) - they've got a beer festival on (in January??) and we've been asked to entertain the punters. As ever, the decision will be whether we get on early before they start throwing things, or wait until they are a bit mellow and receptive - I guess the choice won't be ours!
Saturday 17 January at The Spinners' in Bollington - another first for us (I don't think we even played in Bollington before!), but as an honorary resident (2 years in the mid-80's), I'm sure I will be welcomed back with open arms!
But before all that, don't forget our pre-Christmas bash at The Bruce Arms on Crompton Road in Macclesfield on Saturday 20 December, and our post-Christmas bash at The Ship Inn on Beech Lane on Saturday 27th December - both will be good old party nights, and we should have at least 1 guest bass player with us for the second event!
A couple of January dates for your diary:
Friday 9 January at The Windmill in Whiteley Green (near Adlington) - they've got a beer festival on (in January??) and we've been asked to entertain the punters. As ever, the decision will be whether we get on early before they start throwing things, or wait until they are a bit mellow and receptive - I guess the choice won't be ours!
Saturday 17 January at The Spinners' in Bollington - another first for us (I don't think we even played in Bollington before!), but as an honorary resident (2 years in the mid-80's), I'm sure I will be welcomed back with open arms!
But before all that, don't forget our pre-Christmas bash at The Bruce Arms on Crompton Road in Macclesfield on Saturday 20 December, and our post-Christmas bash at The Ship Inn on Beech Lane on Saturday 27th December - both will be good old party nights, and we should have at least 1 guest bass player with us for the second event!
Sunday, 30 November 2008
END OF NOVEMBER - IT CAN'T BE TRUE!!
It's pretty obvious that everyone has been missing these updates, if the avalanche of comments is anything to go by.....
Anyway, I'm still going to update you on what has been happening in the last month:
Anyway, I'm still going to update you on what has been happening in the last month:
- Dave has been on holiday - hard to believe, I know, but it's true! This time it was sailing in the Greek islands with his kids - a great time had by all, and they came back in one piece, which is the important thing!
- Paul has also been away - unfortunately on business, and he can assure everyone that the delights of Sao Paulo and Hamburg are not what they might be cracked up to be!
- Chrissie has survived an audit (not of her personally - God forbid!), and then spent a week undoing all the good work!
- Matt might be going to Tanzania with work over Christmas - he hopes so, we hope not! At present, the money doesn't seem to be forthcoming so, hopefully, the December gigs will still see him strumming his fretless thing!
- Hugh and Andy have kept doing what they do!
4 gigs knocked off since the last posting - the Jolly Sailor on 6 November - really good night with a huge number of people in the pub; our debut at The Hollins on 21 November - I think we surprised a lot of people who had not seen us before and, again, they were crammed in really tightly by the time Chris (the landlord) came back from watching Jools Holland (wrong choice, Chris!); a private Brewery gig on 27 November for the Dads from St Albans School in Macclesfield (who had a great night - well they would, wouldn't they!) and, finally, last night at The Ship Inn. As ever, this was a cracking gig, and the new songs (Pretty Vegas, Message In A Bottle and Money For Nothing) are now really starting to sound as though we know them!
It was great to see our old band members Frank Witt & Paul Hambley at The Hollins (and Gary Knight at The Jolly Sailor), and all of them commented on how much they missed us. It's to be hoped they don't all want to come back at once, because it will make for a very crowded stage!
Our December gig list is more or less set now - 4 December, back at the Jolly Sailor (for Sarah & Glenn's wedding anniversary!), 20 December at The Bruce Arms and 27 December back at The Ship Inn (this is for a birthday party, but I'm sure others are allowed in!). So, if you fancy starting or finishing your festive celebrations with a good night out - come along and join us!
2009 gigs are starting to come in, and we have at least 3 lined up for January - more details to follow in our festive blog edition!!
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
GIG UPDATE!
Oh my Lord, it's getting complicated keeping up with this gig business!
Looks like the Ronnie's gig on 2 November is off, because someone (not Matt, no definitely not Matt) ended up getting us double booked with some other band! We've set him the challenge of getting us in when there is nobody else on - let's see what happens! Matt has a new beefy, sod off bass amp (not in tweed, surprisingly enough!), so he needs to be able to show it off - perhaps that will be the incentive he needs!
So, the gig list for the rest of the year is updated on the right - for those too lazy to look there, here's a summary:
Looks like the Ronnie's gig on 2 November is off, because someone (not Matt, no definitely not Matt) ended up getting us double booked with some other band! We've set him the challenge of getting us in when there is nobody else on - let's see what happens! Matt has a new beefy, sod off bass amp (not in tweed, surprisingly enough!), so he needs to be able to show it off - perhaps that will be the incentive he needs!
So, the gig list for the rest of the year is updated on the right - for those too lazy to look there, here's a summary:
- Thursday 6 November - Jolly Sailor, Sunderland Street, Macc
- Friday 21 November - The Hollins, Black Lane, Macclesfield
- Thursday 27 November - Private party
- Saturday 29 November - The Ship Inn, Beech Lane, Macclesfield (tbc)
- Saturday 20 December - The Bruce Armas, Crompton Road, Macclesfield
- Saturday 27 December - Private party
- Monday 29 December - Private party (to be confirmed)
The last 2 gigs we played earlier in the month went off well - Sarah's dad's party at the Moorside in Disley was a hoot - a 60th party with people of all ages enjoying themselves! The next night we pitched up at the Broken Cross Beer Festival, which was a real education - not quite what we expected! Anyway, between us and Gizelle, we managed to get people up and dancing, although I suspect some of them were a bit stiff in the morning! Matt managed to devour 3 portions of hog roast, so he was well pleased!
So, next appearance is back at the Jolly Sailor on 6 November - some new stuff to practice, so get down there!
Saturday, 4 October 2008
OCTOBER, AND IT'S STILL BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!
So, another month rolls round and, looking out of the window, it is blindingly obvious that Autumn has arrived! However, for Dazed & Confused, one month is pretty much the same as another - more music to play and more fun to be had, and this month is no exception!
Having said that, we've got this weekend off - one of us is away sailing (in this weather!), one of us is in a caravan in Wales (in this weather!), and one of us is dying with a stinking cold (in this weather - no hold on, that doesn't work). Anyway, it gives us a chance to gird our loins for next weekend when we do a double header in Disley on Friday 10th (private party) and then the Broken Cross Beer Festival on Saturday 11th.
Not sure what the plan is for the Beer Festival (other than to play music and drink beer!) but there is a link to their website, which give some more information
Broken Cross Beer Festival website
Looks like you can start drinking at 12:00 noon, but we're not on until the evening, so it could go one of 2 ways - we'll bring the body armour and tin hats just in case!! Also seems like there's somebody else on with us as well (well, hopefully, not actually with us, as it could get a tad confusing!) - she looks a feisty lady, and as if she could eat us all for breakfast, so we'll have to watch out for her (good job there's a hog roast on!)
So, if you're at a loose end, and feeling thirsty next Saturday evening, why not mosey on down to good old Broken Cross and have yourself a real good time y'all - yee hah!
Having said that, we've got this weekend off - one of us is away sailing (in this weather!), one of us is in a caravan in Wales (in this weather!), and one of us is dying with a stinking cold (in this weather - no hold on, that doesn't work). Anyway, it gives us a chance to gird our loins for next weekend when we do a double header in Disley on Friday 10th (private party) and then the Broken Cross Beer Festival on Saturday 11th.
Not sure what the plan is for the Beer Festival (other than to play music and drink beer!) but there is a link to their website, which give some more information
Broken Cross Beer Festival website
Looks like you can start drinking at 12:00 noon, but we're not on until the evening, so it could go one of 2 ways - we'll bring the body armour and tin hats just in case!! Also seems like there's somebody else on with us as well (well, hopefully, not actually with us, as it could get a tad confusing!) - she looks a feisty lady, and as if she could eat us all for breakfast, so we'll have to watch out for her (good job there's a hog roast on!)
So, if you're at a loose end, and feeling thirsty next Saturday evening, why not mosey on down to good old Broken Cross and have yourself a real good time y'all - yee hah!
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