Happy Fathers Day

To all Dads in the UK celebrating Fathers Day today - Have a good one!!!

Ready When you Need Me Pete!!!

The guitars are tuned and I'm ready for the call from Pete, if Simon or Pete himself needs a couple of nights off from the tour. I've been practising like mad and can comfortably play Kumbayah. Just hope they have it in their new set!!!

The Boys Are Back!!

The Who hit the road on Saturday for a fifteen month world tour and not just The Who but the In The Attic roadshow as well. An enormous amount of money will be raised for charity ( it is expected to be in the region of $10,000,000). Petes Double O charity will benefit and also The Teenage Cancer Trust, the Michael J Fox Foundation (Parkinson’s Research), the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (for underprivileged children), the Robin Hood Foundation (which funds and supports innovative poverty-fighting organizations in New York City) are amongst some of the organisations which will all benefit from special Who shows in the coming year and beyond. My Father died with Parkinsons so this is of particular interest as is The Teenage Cancer Trust not for any personal reason, just that the principle of it is spot on. So who will win the smashed guitar table? Me I hope. Here is the link to new Who website and also where ITA will be webcast. www.thewholive.tv

What Do I Post?

I've tried posting a short clip of video from Casbah Clubs Southend gig but the lip sync on You Tube was not good. I wanted to post something, so here's a couple of photos I took at the Biggin Hill Air Show. Biggin Hill was an airdrome used extensively in the second world war. They have an air show every year and I went last Saturday. Jill was buried with work so I went on my own and got sunburnt as it was very hot. The fighter is a Typhoon.

Bermondsey by Gary Stockton

Hi to everyone, friend and fellow Blogger Gary Stockton has produced another lovely song, dedicated to his Father and has called it Bermondsey. The photo is of Gary and here is the link to IAC where you can enjoy it. http://iacmusic.com/songs.aspx?SongID=24335&ArtistID=28606

Mikey and Casbah Club Part 2

A few more photos from the gig in Southend-on-Sea last Sunday.

Mikey & Casbah Club @ The Riga Music Bar Southend-On-Sea

Well, what can I say. Mikey was brilliant, playing eleven songs and getting fantastic support from the crowd. Mikey was his cheerful, charismatic self and there was great rapport with the audience. Mikey looked lovingly across to Rene during Plasticine. Best song? All of them!!!!
After a very short break, Casbah Club came on stage and gave a blistering set. Having Bruce Watson join them has given an added dimension and they are all very talented and gel well. But the star of Casbah Club is Simon T who is a fantastic front man. Sex Change was electric. My ears are still ringing!!!!
Bloggers there were Marietta (and her Lovely Mum), Charlotte, Ben Reeve and Tom. Apologies to anyone else I've forgotten. One thoughtful touch was Mikey and Rene came in to say hello to us all in the pub next door. Much appreciated.

I still can't work out how to place the photos where I want them.

Moth

Whilst watching In The Attic, Jill called me out to see this Moth. Thought it worthy of a photo. After a quick search on the internet I found this info about it:

The spectacular Emperor moth is Britain's only resident member of the Saturniidae family. It is reasonably common over much of Britain, occupying moorland and open country.The males, which have bright orange hindwings, fly during the daytime in search of the greyer females, which fly at night. Both sexes are on the wing in April and May.The fully grown caterpillar is green with black hoops containing yellow wart-like spots, and feeds on moorland plants such as heather (Calluna) and bramble (Rubus). Wingspa 40-60mm. This is a female.

Bank Holiday Weekend

Well it was a busy weekend what with one thing and another. But managed to catch some bands in the process. Saw Angst perform for the first time in ages and they have just grown, in physical terms as well as musically. A very busy week ahead. I'll leave you with a picture of Nicky on Bass and a short video of Angst taken on my digital camera, hence the poor sound quality. See ya!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSgASVZs2to

ABC

This is a short video of my lovely Grandson Callum doing his alphabet back in August 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tnEkp5H-rI

Still Having a Sort Out

Continuing having a sort out and came across the photo on the left of my Mother, Brother and me at a wedding. I must have been about ten years old so it is circa 1961. I'm the taller of the boys and my brother is wearing the Beret (no he isn't French) My Mother is very non pc in the fur coat. The photo on the right is of us all in November 2005. I'm on the left.

THE WHO

Had a bit of a sort out today. Found a concert programme from Pop Proms which was held in July 1969 at The Royal Albert Hall. On the Saturday (5 July 1969) The WHO played and were supported by Chuck Berry. On the same day just across the road in Hyde Park, The Rolling Stones performed a free concert in memory of Brian Jones. This was the concert where they released hundreds of white Butterflys. Went to both concerts. Don't get days like that anymore!!

The other photo is of a concert programme for The WHO tour in 1979.

Do We Or Don't We

Jill and myself run a Disco /Karaoke for a bit of fun. We have done some amazing gigs and some not so amazing. We don't advertise apart from our website and have never wanted to be too busy with it as there are other things we want to do. So we don't market it and just do the odd one now and again. The problem is, whether we do a gig or not it still costs money i.e. CDs, insurance, etc. We now have other projects we wish to do. So the question is, do we sell the gear to finance other things or keep it to do the odd gig now and again?

Walking On The Grid (2)

In a previous post I mentioned that Gary Stockton had written a brilliant song called Walking On The Grid which featured many Bloggers in it. Paul B has now made a video to go with the song and it brings Garys song to life. Watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Od4_PPczs

Great stuff Gary and Paul!!!

Happy Mothers Day

To all of you reading this, make the most of your Mothers. Yes, they can be a pain sometimes but one day they will be gone, either mentally ( like my Mother or passed away) and then you'll miss them like mad. Love 'em to bits, pains or not!

Walking On The Grid

Fellow Blogger and friend Gary Stockton has written a song called 'Walking On The Grid'. In Garys words ' it is about the experience of reading Pete Townshend's online novella "The Boy Who Heard Music" and bumping into some pretty cool people along the way'. Gary has kindly mentioned me in his song so I guess I am one of the pretty cool people that he has bumped into on the way. So a big thank you to Gary, whose songwriting is brilliant. Here is a link to Garys IAC site where you can listen to the song and read the lyrics http://iacmusic.com/songs.aspx?SongID=18600&ArtistID=28606 Hope everyone out there is well. Mark

A Poem

I'm so tired, but I sit here looking
Nearly midnight, the laptops cooking
Voted for Rachel, looked on her Blog
Read about the poo from her dog

The Birthdays been, another year nearer
Life becomes so much clearer
As you get older, wiser and old
Trying to find that pot of gold

So I've filled in a bit more time
Having trouble making this rhyme
Brains not working, cells expired
But I sit here looking, I'm so tired

Goodnight

Birthday Boy

Yes, another year passes by. I still think as if I'm about thirty years old. Time just flashes by as one gets older. I have a theory that age is like a rollercoaster. On the way to forty it's like going up the rollercoaster to the first drop and once past forty it just flashes by so quickly, to the time the coaster comes to rest. But the main thing is to have as much fun as possible before it stops. Well that's enough of the philosophy. Time to enjoy the day. Hope that you all have a good day. Will let you know what I did later.

Nearly Back To Normal

Lots been going on, but nearly back to normal. Had a great time at The Vibrants gig a couple of weeks ago and sung with The Q Tones over the past weekend. A couple of photos for now.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Just a quick post to say I'll post something more substantial as soon as I get the time.
Hope everyone out there in Blogland is OK. Mark