A Good Night's Recording

Last night David and I recorded vocals over some tunes I had laid down backing for.

The photo shows my ancient version of Cool Edit software with a backing track and four vocal tracks for "Dirty Old Town". So - that's one track for the new album that you know about! The album will open with a sizzling version of Billy Fury's "Last Night Was Made For Love". I enjoyed doing the backing tracks for that one as I added timpani drums and a choir! Still have to put some guitars on as yet but we now have about 5 tracks nearing completion and the next few ready to start. Watch this space!

Looking for Sympathy

Well, that's what everyone else thinks anyway. After getting over his operation, John went and walked into a door post carrying a speaker with the result that the hospital thought at first he had broken his collarbone. Then they decided not but the x-ray showed calcium deposits on his shoulder tendon. A 20 gallon injection has now hopefully put that right and we can get on with the new album! Some recording was done over Christmas by John and David - look this is dedication, folks... recording whilst wearing party hats...

I'll release the track listing soon but it has a distinct 60s feel to it and is likely to be a bit more upbeat than the two previous releases!

New Blogger site for the Band's Blog

As promised a photo from our gig at St Anthony's Social Club in Preston before Christmas.

I've just finished transferring all the blog entries from the old site as it has been giving me a bit of bother recently when trying to login to it. Besides, with that I had to write all the HTML myself. Blogger does all that for you!

So if anyone was wondering why there appeared to be lots of entries uploaded yesterday that's the reason - there was! I can now stop adding the date too as it will now automatically be correct!

Serenading the Celebrities!

17 December 2006
A bit of a slow recovery from the op - I had totally underestimated it I'm afraid. We are back in action now; we played a social club in Preston on the 10th and I'll add a pic of that once Jeannie has had her film developed.

Here's one of David and myself serenading actresses Caroline Munro (Spy Who Loved Me) and Ingrid Pitt (Where Eagles Dare) whether they wanted it or not...

Operation

12 October 2006
Well the threat of this has been over me for a while but now it's done. I had surgery on my nose last week to correct a couple of things that have made it very hard to breathe properly for the last couple of years. Too early yet to see whether it will affect the singing voice, but David is hoping I get one... huh? Anyway that's what comes of starting the last entry by saying we had a breathing space... It's early days yet but things are looking good!

New Sound Clip

1 October 2006
A breathing space now to start to put a new CD together. Also a chance for us to learn a few new songs again. We are doing a St Patrick's Day gig next year so want to have a full set of Irish material ready for that. Current sample track to listen to is Whisky In The Jar, recorded only around an hour and a half after we decided on doing it!

(Note: sound clips will change over time)

Chorley Steam Fair

3 September 2006
Talking of rain... (see below) we had a really wet day yesterday in the North West and we were playing in a marquee in a field at a steam fair in Chorley.

The car approached the marquee sideways and one side of the car is now mud coloured and I think the entire car is a little wider than it states in the handbook...

However we had an excellent night again with the steam and tractor enthusiasts - a far bigger audience than last year and we have to say thanks to Jack who booked us and looked after us all evening.

Mind you, I think next year we are going to have to make the roadies stick to water... We managed to get the cars off the field at the end of the night even with a little more sideways manouvring, but had we been unable to then Fran and Jeannie could have floated home quite happily!

Witton Parks and a Garden Party

27 August 2006
We braved a bit of rain again at Witton Park yesterday for the launch of Blackburn's Walking Festival. Some hardy folk gathered to set off on a hike and the Lady Mayor and Mayoress attended to wish them well.

Witton is a good venue for us, there's an excellent courtyard with cover for us in case it gets wet. We moved in and out of our little room a few times during the day but managed to have a good time!

David and John played a private garden party the other weekend which was a very enjoyable and informal affair. Feedback has been very good - the best sort actually as we gained another booking out of it!

Meanwhile the pressure is on to produce another CD this autumn. We have added quite a number of new songs to the repertoire this year so there should be no problem finding enough material. The problems will be in deciding what to leave off it!

Wedding Party

30 July 2006
We played a wedding yesterday out at Guys hotel and restaurant complex. What an enthusiastic audience! There was a large Irish contingent and our rendition of "Fields of Athenry" was requested several times until at the end, all the guests crowded around us and all sang it with us!

Best wishes for a long and happy married life go to Vicky and Jim - we couldn't find Jim at one point so Vicky grabbed me to help cut the cake... Thanks also to Chief Bridesmaid Rachel for the superb arrangements - everything we needed was laid on without fuss, to Steve the Best Man and the Ushers for help in moving equipment for the bit when it rained and we relocated in the pavilion - and the bit when it stopped and we came out again!

Also nice to see my little Flower, Gemma, again - Gemma & Will, we'll see you in March at the next Staining gig!

And lastly, thanks to the Guys Court crew, who were excellent and to the dancers on the canal towpath, who gathered to watch and enjoy themselves! The band had a ball!

Repeat Booking at Witton Park

21 July 2006
We have a repeat booking from Blackburn's Witton Park after our appearance in May! The local Council are launching a Walking Festival on Saturday 26th August and we will be playing in the Courtyard from 11:00am to around 4:30pm!

Feedback and a new Sound Clip

20 July 2006
I've uploaded a new sample track today - Cliff Richard's ballad "Miss You Nights", that David and I recorded on Tuesday afternoon, about an hour after he first suggested it as a possible Bentgrass track! It's a keyboard oriented one rather than guitar based. We like it - hope you do!

An email from liverpool.gov.uk this morning to Jeannie, David's wife:

Hi Jeannie, Just a quick "thank you" for supplying the band on Sunday. As always, the feedback for Creeping Bentgrass was great. One lady said "I wish I had booked them for my 60th". Please thank all members of the band for me. Next years date is Sunday 15th July (and possibly 14th too - further to confirmation).

Best wishes ...

Jeannie passed this on with the message "Don't go getting too bigheaded!! Make a note in your next year's diary!"

The band could not function without the help and support (and diaries!) of Jeannie and Fran, our roadies extraordinaire, who are shown here at the GLOG night in June, taking a well earned break from attending to the bubble machine, smoke machine, lights, selling CDs, cassettes, answering queries and ensuring we are kept well watered whilst we just prat about strumming and singing a bit...

Another email received after Sunday said:

Just to say really enjoyed your music today. Loved listening to all your songs, but particularly your "all around the blooming heather" took me back to happier younger times. Thanks for a really nice day, definitely one for the memory book!

Croxteth Park

17 July 2006
Yesterday was our 5th annual appearance at Croxteth Country Park near Liverpool. A tad quieter than previous years, but possibly because the weather was just so hot it took some real commitment to be sitting under the full glare of the sun.

A huge thank you to those who did turn up, there were certainly a lot of you and a special thank you to old school chum, Jackie, who spent most of the day sitting with Fran - God knows what dreadful gossip about me was passing both ways...

We drank an unbelievable amount of water during the day to try to keep cool and I'm afraid my hat stayed on all day - a bit of an advantage I suppose as it obscures my ugly mug a little! That good effect might be outshadowed by the appearance (for the 2nd year running) of Bob's legs...

Birthday Garden Party

4 July 2006
David and I picked up a Birthday Party gig whilst we were at the Myerscough Open Day (see a few photos below).

It was a very special occasion for an 18 year old and we hope everyone at the party enjoyed themselves as much as they seemed to! Oh, and that trifle was simply gorgeous...!

The 16th/17th July weekend seems to have been a popular one this time - we've had to turn down 3 bookings for that weekend so far! Get in early folks! We were particularly sorry for the staff and pupils at St Bernadettes School in Bispham for whom we have played the last 3 years. They moved their day back so as not to clash with the World Cup but now it clashes with our annual trip to Croxteth Park near Liverpool! We hope to see you next year on your normal weekend!

Garstang Light Opera Group Fund-Raiser

25 June 2006
Last night was always going to be one of the best nights in the Creeping Bentgrass calendar! The evening was a fund-raiser for the Garstang Light opera Group (GLOG) and that means some quality guest singers and artistes for us.

Shelagh Cooney joined us to reprise her contribution to "The Fields of Athenry" which we released on the "Kites" album in 2005. The three-part harmony sends shivers down my spine even as we are singing! Then her husband, Peter, played guitar for a spot by Marion Gaughan, followed by a couple of songs from Shelagh and finally Frank Worthington joined us with a pair of thick black-rimmed spectacles to sing a few Buddy Holly numbers.

It was nice to meet up with a few folk who had come to join us after seeing us at the Myerscough College Open Day a few weeks ago. They joined in the dancing with gusto and seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Rain Stops Play!

22 June 2006
Last Sunday we had our first rained off outside gig for 4 years! I must have been tempting fate with the pic of the rain on the photo below!

It was a shame but we were under a gazebo which in the end collapsed under the weight of water collecting on the roof! Luckily the water missed the equipment but there was a lot of it and we had to switch off straight away for safety! We have no desire to rename the group "The Blue Sparks"!

The last time we had to leave a gig early because of rain was at the Kendal Windows on Art festival in 2002 - and even then we carried on in the Brewery Arts Centre, as we were booked to play at a few different spots in the town. Thanks to everyone who turned up at the event on Sunday - there were some hardy folk in coats and under umbrellas!

Alan Reeves

9 June 2006
It was with sadness that we heard of the death last week of Myerscough lecturer Alan Reeves.

Alan was a lecturer in Arboriculture (trees) at the college and was a keen musician and folk enthusiast. He played with us once or twice, being seen here at a rather damp Myerscough Open Day in 2002.

Alan, Bob and I came together along with Helen Fenton to play for Christmas carols at the college one year at the instigation of the college chaplain. Alan had a ready supply of words and even some little-known alternative tunes for some carols which had a folky feel to them and which went down well.

A few days later we were asked to play at a party and David happened to be there and asked to sing along - Creeping Bentgrass was started!

Sleep easy Alan, you will always be one of the good ones!

Heskin Hall and Myerscough College

4 June 2006
A busy weekend this weekend but a brilliant one! On Saturday night we played in a huge marquee - complete with dance floor - at a Steam Rally out at Heskin Hall near Chorley.

On Sunday we played for around 6 hours at Myerscough College's Open Day, meeting up with lots of friends and generally having a good time! After a dubious start, the weather picked up and we all came away sore with sunburn! Jeannie had been out and bought a couple of "props" - cowboy hats for the country set and Mexican hats for when we play "Dance The Night Away" (and the soon to be included "La Bamba"). They did stop my head from being sunburned!

Jeannie also decided to thrash away on the tambourine during a few numbers on Sunday too and very good at it she was too... David said he wasn't surprised and said he had bruises to show...

New Songs and Lighting

28 May 2006
A productive day! We bought some lights and light stands this afternoon so that (1) we can see what we are doing in rooms with no lighting and (2) audiences can tell where we are...

Also David and I had a thrash at a few more new songs. There's a Garth Brooks one called "The Night I Called the Old Man Out". That's a fast "New Country" rocker - really good fun to play and I have some good guitar riffs to get my fingers round! The other week at Witton Park we played Don Williams' "You're My Best Friend" for someone who we know will be at Myerscough's Open Day next weekend so we've made sure we've got it sorted out properly instead of the off the cuff version we played before!

Myerscough Open Day is now definitely on - we were worried about power supply but that's been sorted out now. You'll find us down the side of the Plant Centre - round the corner from where we normally are on these Open Days, but still on the way in from the car park so we should be easy to find!

More Feedback

18 May 2006
Just thought to share some of the feedback we have received after the last couple of gigs. The hand-made card came after the wedding on the 4th May and says:

Very many thanks... Your entertaining, professional and friendly approach helped to make the evening so enjoyable and everyone thought the music was just perfect.

Thanks again, Sheila and Clive

After Sunday's appearance at Witton Park, someone took the trouble to find us on the web and emailed in:

I was at Witton Park in Blackburn today, and heard you singing "bunch of thyme", it took me back 12 years and I was more than pleased to sit and sing along with you. I was most reluctant to leave and would like to say you are very entertaining.

Thankyou. Lindsay

Witton Park Gig

14 May 2006
A splendid day, today, playing from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Witton Park in Blackburn. This was our first visit to Witton Park, but hopefully not our last as the organisers were very enthusiastic about a return visit next year! Watch this space!

We played from one of the buildings off the courtyard at the top end of the drive and despite the rain, a supportive audience gathered to sing along or listen. A number of new tunes got tried out too - I unleashed my solo version of the Christina Aguilera hit "The Voice Within" early on in the day and it went well enough to repeat it later on! Also tried out a fast new country song, "I Try To Think About Elvis" which was released by Patty Loveless a few years ago.

Bob's mandolin playing went down a treat as usual and we had a number of people singing along to their favourites from either folk, country or sixties sets.

More Weddings

7 May 2006
Last Thursday we played at another wedding and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves! We had a guest spot from Laura, who sang "Love Changes Everything" and "Constantly" and also managed to secure the services of the bride as one of the backing singers at one point!

The Elvis hit "The Wonder of You" has shown itself to be a firm favourite with audiences - lots of opportunity for joining in with the "Whoa-oh-oh-ohs"!

We picked up a further gig for Sunday 14 May at Witton Park, Blackburn - we'll be playing in the courtyard from 10:00am and through the afternoon. Come and say hello!

Feedback

13 April 2006
We received an email from Chrissie and Alex whose wedding we did (see below) :

Thought you'd like to know as well that everyone has said that your band was
brilliant! Thank you so much. There were a few people/events that made the
day extra special and Creeping Bentgrass in the evening was definately one of
the best moments, so thank you.

Love Chrissie and Alex xx

Wedding Party Gig

2 April 2006
Last night we played a wedding party for a lovely couple I know from work. So there were lots of people there that I knew and we had a great time with lots of people dancing, a guest spot by the lovely Liz, who sang "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", and a trio of go-go girls to help out on "Johnny Remember Me"!

All best wishes go to Chrissie and Alex for a long and happy life together!

Our next booked gig is another wedding and it's going to be the summer months before the usual crop of public gigs comes around. We've picked up some new ones this time too with a summer fete out towards Caton near Lancaster and the gig last year at the charity Steam Fair will be repeated and we also were booked to play at another similar event - exact details of places and dates on the band's main home page as soon as I get them!

An Audience with Creeping Bentgrass

19 March 2006
Our all-invite event "An Audience With Creeping Bentgrass" was held last night at Staining Village Hall, near Blackpool and what a fabulous night it was. Around 100 people turned up for music, dancing, food and drink and there were a few reunions, a few guest appearances and lots of friends gathering to support us and enjoy a very convivial night!

Staining has a large stage and we were able to make the most of the space so that I didn't have to do my usual hiding behind the keyboard. We set the keyboard at an angle and used an extra mic stand. Of course, that meant I had to remember to suck the tummy in a bit but I'm sure no one was caring anyway!

We had a bit of a surprise ourselves as the stage was invaded by the glamorous ladies from Garstang Light Opera Group, who did a bit of backing vocals for us, totally unexpected as we played the Beatles' hit "Please Please Me". We had dragged them up earlier to join us on "Johnny Remember Me", the 1961 No 1 hit by John Leyton!

No doubt some other photos of friends and audience will appear on John's Monthly Update for April.

Rehearsals

26 February 2006
A rehearsal this afternoon in my living room - I'm glad I have understanding neighbours!

We ran through all the new stuff as well as a few that we haven't played live for a while. Things like "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Honky Tonk Woman" got added to the repertoire. We like to have lots of new songs every year and our total repertoire quite happily copes with a 6 hour gig without repeating now. - Well, without repeating that is until someone asks for "Amarillo" again...

So we now have a running order for our first couple of gigs. The first is our "Audience With Creeping Bentgrass", a self-financed gig as a season warmer in a couple of weeks then we start on the first of our weddings for 2006 a couple of weeks after that!

Mondo Cult Magazine Review

24 February 2006
Ah, at last I have a copy of the brand new American magazine Mondo Cult in my hands!

This magazine's first issue has the last ever interview with Fay Wray, the original King Kong heroine. I thought I'd read all there was to read about this gorgeous actress but there was something new here! And in addition to Kong, there are reviews galore - of film, DVD, book and music releases including a mention of a band quite close to my own heart and the main subject of this website!

Jessie Lilley, the Editor-in-Chief, has a deft touch with the pen - or word-processor. I enjoyed the magazine and felt a pang of regret that it's only (as yet) to be published twice a year. Jessie's review of our first album is reproduced below (click the link to see the entry for 18 December last year) and we have already received orders on the strength of the review. Thanks Jessie - let me repay the compliment. Visit the Mondo Cult website and order a copy whilst stocks last!

New Keyboard

11 February 2006
It would take a lot for me to ditch the Yamaha PSR630 keyboard that has stood us in such good stead on stage and on two albums. But I did succumb to a bit of temptation and bought a Korg PA50 keyboard to supplement the Yamaha a few weeks ago.

I'm spending too much time on the road for work currently to have got used to its features yet but there are some nice sounds and if I can find space in the car for both keyboards, plus two or three guitars, I might do a bit of a Rick Wakeman style double keyboard bit! Don't start holding your breath yet though...!

More new songs

5 February 2006
David and I had a session to add some new songs to the repertoire today. We normally go for the crowd pleasers and Elvis's "The Wonder of You" will allow a bit of joining in with the background vocals! Also we tried out Bobby Vee's "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" and Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" amongst others.

Update

10 January 2006
Happy New Year folks! We are a bit quiet at the moment but we are planning a big shindig locally in March. We are staging "An Audience With Creeping Bentgrass" for an invited audience.

I've just spent an exhausting night with the family printing out bits and cutting them up on the guillotine for the invitations to the event. These will be going out towards the end of the week.

We are also waiting with bated breath for the arrival of the brand new American magazine "Mondo Cult", issue one of which carries editor Jessie Lilley's review of our first CD (see below for details). The magazine launches coast to coast in the USA this month and Jessie is seeking overseas markets also. Mondo Cult - you heard it here first!

Myerscough Gig

30 December 2005
I know it was a week ago but we had a brilliant time playing for the Myerscough College staff after their Christmas lunch. We started out 5 years ago at a similar event and we have all since left the college so it was a good "comeback"! David kept getting hugged and kissed whilst Bob and I, at the back of the stage, were thinking we'd have to try some new aftershave... Backing musicians need love too...!

Keeping On... Album Review

18 December 2005
It's three months ago so I'd put to the back of my mind that Jessie Lilley, who runs Ingrid Pitt's Yahoo Group, bought a copy of our first album all the way from Hollywood USA. But then today this review bounced around the Internet. Jessie, we're glad you enjoyed the CD - thanks a million for the glowing review! It's included below...

I poke around in hollow logs and behind outhouses looking for music.
I've found pure trash and sparkling gems along the way. One day
whilst rummaging under some rocks in the Blackpool area of England,
I got tangled in some creeping bentgrass...

As is usual with independent production, not everything is perfect,
but my complaints here are a matter of taste. My ear for production
is different than these lads, and in truth, there's nothing wrong
with what they've done. I just prefer a slightly fatter sound that
this 14 track CD can give. The music now, that's another story.
Covering cuts from "Love Is All Around" to "Great Balls of Fire,"
these guys are pretty damned good! There's a track of the D'Abo
classic "Handbags And Gladrags" made internationally famous by some
fella named Stewart and Bob Snape puts his mandolin to good use on
a "Boys of Blue Hill/Harvest Home" medley. The trio (Snape, David
Lancaster & John Burke) lends its vocal talent to "After the
Goldrush" in clean three-part harmony that alone is worth the price.
All in all, fans of rock, ballads, traditional Irish and just plain
old pop will not be disappointed, but you've got to order it
privately from England, so pay attention to the website address
above. Go get it.

-Jessie Lilley

You can get it from the Creeping Bentgrass Homepage.

Royal British Legion, Clitheroe

11 December 2005
Well, we've been a bit quiet of late but then David and I have both had this wretched flu that's going about. Something to do with drinking bottled water - Evian flu??? No, no, no - before the lawsuits arrive I don't mean that!

Anyway last night we were coughing and bopping at the Royal British Legion Club in Clitheroe. They like their bingo there so we played all our favourite numbers! (Oh my God, he's not sobered up yet...)

I bought a new black shirt with all sparkly bits running in lines all over it. Looked very "showbiz" I thought. Everyone asked me if it was raining outside... and when I took it off I found I had a chest full of tiny black sparkly bits that are hell to get off! (Volunteers please apply!)

We have now all three of us left the employ of Myerscough College where we met and formed the band at Christmas 2000 - exactly five years ago, wow almost time for the first comeback tour! And so it will be, because we are going to be playing at the college on Thursday 22 December for the staff Christmas shindig!

New Pic

22 October 2005
Jeannie (David's wife) got a bunch of photos back this week and couldn't resist this one! This is during "The Wanderer" and for some reason he's taken to singing "I tear open my shirt to show 'Johnnie' on my chest"... But I can assure any ladies who might be in our audiences that we adhere to the traditional orientation! Not sure if that's north-south or east-west. You have to be careful as so many ordinary things seem to have hidden meanings these days!!!

Cantabile

2 October 2005
Last night David and I went to a concert given by a singing group Cantabile, made up of four members of Garstang Light Opera Group (GLOG). They gave us a sophisticated evening of show tunes and standards and operatic arias and it was absolutely wonderful! Well done to David, Louise, Marion and Alistair, who were ably accompanied on piano by Ivan.

Podcasting

30 September 2005
Sorry - we've been a bit quiet of late! This is traditionally the time when we start to work on a new album up to Christmas. Lots of spare dates for those who want to book us!

Yesterday I was in Leeds for work and was asked to make a "podcast". This turned out to mean someone shoving an i-pod under my nose and telling me to speak for 3 minutes. This could be on any subject I was assured so of course I wittered on about the band. A very short time later they had added some bits of music from the mp3 files I had on my laptop and this should be available on the web soon. I'll let you know as soon as I hear! It was a bit wierd talking off the top of my head without any preparation but I suppose it makes it fresh and spontaneous!

Heskin Hall Update

11 September 2005
Realised I hadn't said anything about the gig last week. Bob was booked with his celeigh band "The Old School Band" so David and I did this one on our own.

A small but quality audience gave us a lot of support and we sold a few CDs and tapes and took another couple of bookings so we felt as though we had done a good job!

Meanwhile Jessie (see below) enjoyed the sample of "Handbags and Gladrags" and a CD has gone off to Hollywood, California!

Heskin Hall Steam Fair

1 September 2005
Saturday's gig will be at a charity Steam Weekend just outside Eccleston Lancashire in a field between Bygone Times and Heskin Hall. We'll be playing from around 7:30pm in a marquee.

Sample Request

17/8/2005
Especially for Jessie Lilley, who runs Ingrid Pitt's Yahoo Group, I've uploaded 40 seconds of Handbags & Gladrags which can be heard by clicking the link here or on the main Creeping Bentgrass page.

Note: these sample soundbites change and it may not now be the one current on the date of this post)

Cleveleys Gig without David

14 August 2005

A bit of a facer first thing this morning - David has been poorly and wasn't able to make the gig at Cleveleys. A quick conflab between Bob and myself and we decided to go ahead and do it on our own so as not to let anyone down. I normally sing harmonies so am not used to singing all the time and anyway, my voice isn't as strong as David's, but I let the mic provide the volume and I think people enjoyed it! But David we missed you, my old mate, so hurry up and get back to normal! We have a bit of a break for a couple of weeks until September 3rd in Chorley. This one will be David and myself as Bob has a gig booked with his other band.

Cleveleys Gig Next Weekend

12 August 2005
We are looking forward to playing at the Jubilee Gala at Cleveleys this coming Sunday (14th August). We should be on the Promenade probably opposite Beach Road where we were last year.

We got a brief mention in the Fleetwood Weekly News & Chronicle as part of an article advertising the Gala day. "Ever-popular" it called us! Well come and make up your own mind! We'd love to see you. We will be playing from sometime after 10:30am and right through the day if the petrol in the generator holds out!

We will have the two CDs with us for those who want a souvenir. See our main page for details. They can be autographed at no extra cost! Surprising how many people are too shy to ask direct and ask Fran or Jeannie if they will ask us to sign them! Don't be scared of us folks - we're just three old geezers enjoying ourselves!

Extra Help on Washboard!

1 August 2005

Agh - I am still hoarse after Saturday night's gig! But what a good night! And a bit of a surprise as we gained an extra musician for a couple of numbers - on a washboard!

The GLOG contingent was there and a few other guest spots were performed with us. It was definitely worth getting a sore throat! Next gig will be Cleveleys Promenade on the 14th August. Keep fingers crossed for good weather!

Private Gig the coming weekend

26 July 2005
We have a private gig this weekend coming. A garden party and again it will be the third year we have done this one. There will be a lot of friends there and we are looking forward to it.

I've been at the keyboard again working out yet more new songs for us to do. You may hear us in the future doing The Beatles' "Eight Days A Week", Cliff's "Please Don't Tease", Billy Joel's "My Life" and that 1960s icon "Young Girl"!

Croxteth Park Gig

19 July 2005

Wow! What a fantastic day Sunday was for us! Hopefully for the audience too. Liverpool has to be one of the best places to play live music as the audiences get into the music with you. 12,000 of you turned up apparently. There were other attractions going on than the band of course but at times we had a fair proportion of folks in front of us.

Thanks to the impromptu dancers, the lady who bought us a beer (we played for 5½ hours under scorching sunshine), Paul who brought us a few cans of ice cold soft drinks, and of course our own road crew, Fran and Jeannie who surpassed themselves with the video camera. The sound quality is superb and we are thinking of putting a DVD together with some interview bits and other footage and photos of some of our other past and present musical activities. Oh - and we've been booked for next year! 16th July 2006 at Croxteth Hall!

More Sunburn!

15 July 2005
Bring a torch with you to Croxteth - after the sunburn last week we may retreat into the gazebo on Sunday! I've lost that many layers of skin off my earlobe that if the sunburn hadn't made it swell up in the first place it would now be paper thin...!

Yeow! Sunburned!

11 July 2005
Haven't seen Bob today but after yesterday's stint in the bright sunshine David and I look a bit like lobsters... Jeannie had a big jar of aloe vera (Hello, Vera!) in her office - after liberally applying that we turned from lobsters into two Incredible Hulks... Don't make me sunburned... you wouldn't like me when I'm sunburned...

VE Day Gig

10 July 2005

Played our third year at St Bernadette's School fete - in uniform for VE Day. Well, for a while anyway - the uniforms jackets were far too hot to wear for long! I look alarmingly like Captain Mainwaring on the photos...

An exellent day - Blackpool had an airshow so every now and then we were treated to a formation of helicopters or the odd WWII warplane over our heads. Unveiled a new song again - Gene Pitney's "24 Hours From Tulsa". This had been David's favourite karaoke piece so I bowed to pressure and worked out an arrangement for the band. Catch us next week at Croxteth Hall for another rendition!

New Guitar!

6 July 2005
Am in trouble with the missus! Just bought a new Fender Stratocaster guitar in a glorious rich cross between red and maroon!

Catching Up

1 July 2005
Sorry - I've been a bit neglectful recently! Just too busy! Well CBG are in the middle of a series of summer gigs at the moment. Myerscough College Open Day is where we premiered our version of "The Green Fields of France" and we must have got it right because audiences go very quiet and applause is very loud whenever we do it! The words do send a cold shiver down the spine!

Also at Myerscough I shoved the words for "The Young Ones" under David's nose and we did it straight off without even a rehearsal - we know from experience that any songs we can do that with become firm favourites - and given the words we might make that our theme song!!!

We played at Larbreck Hall Caravan Park again for the third year running and received a warm welcome. David had a cold and was speaking with a croaky voice but his singing was spot on, even if he couldn't talk the day after...!

The Staining gig also went down very well - looks like the Bowling Club there may book us for a night in September - keep an eye open for that. And we have now had confirmation about a club gig in Clitheroe in December - not sure yet whether this is open to the public or affiliated members or what... more to come!

Notice of Gig in Cleveleys

20 May 2005
We've been asked back to do the Promenade gig in Cleveleys after last year's success - 14th August is the date!

GLOG Gig Report

15 May 2005
Excellent night last night doing the gig for GLOG! All the new stuff went down ok and we had a bunch of backing singers for "Johnny Remember Me"!

New Hollies Number

8 May 2005
A rehearsal today - we've long wanted to do a Hollies number - we've now got "Look Through Any Window" sorted!

Notice of Public Gig 14 May 2005

4 May 2005
A bit short notice but see the notice of a public gig on 14 May at Claughton Village Hall - our nights for GLOG are always good fun!

New "Death" Song!

2 May 2005
David's come up with another "death song" - they are something of an obsession! If you come to see us just watch out for songs with a death in them... Anyway this is an Irish folk song called "The Green Fields of France". John's found the words, David's bought a CD with it on, all we have to do now is learn it...

CD Prices Standardised

28 April 2005
We recently decided to standardise the cost of the 2 CDs and they are now both available at £8.00 plus p+p. There's very little profit for us in this - it's more a case of having something available for fans and something that people can take away from gigs that might prompt their friends and relations to book us for another event! The fun is more important than the money for us!

St George's Day 2005

28 April 2005

We had a superb night playing for St Bernadette's at their St George's Day event. Almost the entire audience were on the dancefloor - it really helps when the audience participate!