Matt & Rowena jump the broom stick!

Pete writes:-

Matt has been on the periphery of The CBB Show for a number of years and it was only when he finally joined us full time in March that he established himself as the final and essential piece of our jigsaw.
For about a year prior to Matt joining, the show was good mainly due to the phenomenal sound created by the band and Mike Hyde’s perfection as Elwood. Once Matt stepped in as Jake, the chemistry between Matt & Mike clicked almost immediately and the sheer energy, passion and talent that emanates from the stage is immense.
Enough to say that he is now an essential cog in the wheel that is the CBB.
Last Friday, Matt got married to Rowena – his undoubted soulmate – and the whole day - ceremony and reception – was absolutely perfect. From St Olave’s Church in picturesque York to the Hospitium in the Museum Gardens to the Ceilidh Band at the reception, it was brilliant.

I would like to say on behalf of all of us in the show, family, friends and fans, we wish Matt & Rowena all the very best wishes for their future.

Swiss role

5am Tuesday 30th June morning and the alarm is not completely welcomed, but, then an important meeting in Dublin awaits Nick Taggart – our new promoter – and me.
We take off from Gatwick on the allotted hour and land in Dublin at 11am and are duly picked up by a potential future business contact. The meeting is a complete success, and we make our way back to the airport for our 7pm flight only to be told that our flight is delayed ‘til 9pm….DOH!
Bed beckons at midnight.

5am Wednesday 1st July alarm goes off again and no I am not experiencing Ground Hog Day, but need to get to London City Airport to fly to Zurich. Jayne and myself intend to spend a couple of days embracing Switzerland….namely, Lucerne… before driving down to Fribourg to meet up with the band on Friday.
Well…..from taking a cable car up 8,000 feet to the top of Mt Pilatus to cruising Lake Lucerne, we enjoyed the area in around Lucerne immensely – Jayne even found a C&A….Double DOH!!!!

Friday 3rd July and we enjoy a leisurely drive through the Swiss countryside taking in Bern and Lake Neuchatel on the way down to Fribourg.
Strangeness abounds…weren’t they speaking German this morning in Lucerne? Then why are they speaking French here? Are we still in Switzerland? Well for the uninitiated – me! – Switzerland has 4 national languages – German, French, Italian & Rumantsch – Greedy & Confusing Lot!
I arrive and immediately start setting the stage and going through line and monitor checks in preparation for the arrival of the rest of CBB – due at 3pm.
Due to some unknowingly rare traffic jams, the guys arrive at 4pm and whizz through check in record time. Time for food…….
As we are headlining the night's shenanigans, the two support bands – The Charlie Morris Blues Band from the USA and local blues maestros, 5 Blind Boys From The Parish, arrive to embark on the epic sound checks. Blimey…each outfit must have played their whole set at least twice….and that was just for checks!
By the time we take to the stage – me donning the hat & glasses again as Jake – the somewhat raucous crowd has swelled to around 2,000 and are very ripe for the picking…..and we did not disappoint!
The set was thoroughly enjoyed on and off the stage and the highlight, for us anyway, was when Mike tried to over exert the stitching in his trousers during a particularly energetic ‘Shake a Tailfeather’ and he ended up exposing his rear end to a gaggle of teenage girls – who had chosen to join us on stage. It was fortuitous that he had not gone commando!!
The back slapping from all and sundry continued back stage for a while whilst sleep beckoned for a number of us….but Zurich was still 90 minutes away.

Saturday 4th July beckoned with Jayne waking me at 6.45am to tell me that we had overslept…..we did not need to be at the Airport until 9.30am!!
Another early day then… The flight home was graciously uneventful, onward and upward to London City Airport!
Early arrival at 11.30am, swift security checks, baggage through is record time, into the cars, flying down the road to join the M25 to Guildford, then wallop! The M25 south was a car park…stationary traffic as far as the eye could see.
As we had a bit of time – not needing to be at the gig ‘til 2pm – we decided to go North, the long way round. With Gay Pride happening in and around London, all routes were at best slow. We finally arrived at 3pm – just in time to sling the small PA up, change into ‘blacks’ as Dave, Leigh, Mike & me were to partake in some ‘reception’ music.
Next door in Marquee, Bondy was feverishly working his way through the late band arrivals, making sure they were line checked and ready for the main gig at 8.30pm.
The Jazz set was extremely well received and after a comforting chat with the powers to be, suitable refreshments and food were laid on prior to the ‘main’ event.
With Gibbo, Richard & Marc away on ‘other’ duties, Roger Cotton, Bev Miller & Steve Heynes more than covered all the required duties.
The gig went extremely well – it does surprise me how raucous a wedding crowd can get when incited by two lunatics in hats & glasses!
It must have been the quickest pack away in history…God I was looking to my sleep.

Just a quick note, I would like thank everyone involved in Fribourg and the Tech Boys at Guildford who made our lives so easy. These guys get so easily overlooked and I from one never forget that without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

Onto the next adventure….

Cheers- Pete.

Photos show Pete with Ronnie from our Swiss agency Show Connection, and the stage in Fribourg at soundcheck time.

Then and now

On the eve of our appearance at The Freiborg Jazz Festival keyboard maestro Ian Gibbons shares his memories of his first visit to Switzerland, and of our last performance there...

The first time I went to Switzerland was in the summer of 1965 when I was 13. We took nearly 2 days to get there leaving at 9.30 a.m. on a coach from school driving to Dover where we took a ferry to Calais, got on a steam train (!) and went overnight to Basel. I remember leaning out of the window of the train watching the cinders fly past. I had a great time in Interlaken and remember it vividly. There is a lot more to this story- maybe some other time- I didn't lose my virginity but I nearly got put in the girls' dormitory as my name had been put down as Jan on the rooming list. Needless to say a place was quickly found for me with the boys!

Back to the present day and The C.B.B. are off to Zurich. It's winter, snowing and a very early leave (4.30 the bloody alarm went off!) and after a safe trip to the airport we boarded the plane on time (well it was Swissair) but due to a frozen cargo door we were stuck for 2 hours on the plane. I slept snored and dribbled as did many others but they eventually sorted a weight distribution problem by shifting some fatties from the front to the back of the plane. Hurrah, off we took.

Arriving at the beautifully clean and snow covered Zurich we were met and taken to the gig, a pucker corporate do i.e. no thought for the band, more about the decoration. For some reason we shared our stage with petrol pumps and various other American diner props but we couldn't see each other. We were to back Steve (Elvis) and we rehearsed his set of approx 25 minutes worth of Elvis hits. Once we were down to the required volume (bloody quiet!) we went to our hotel where I got my own room and not a dorm as on my first trip. An hour later after a quick coffee shower and shave we went back to the gig for food prior to getting on stage and playing 30 minutes of lounge music whilst our guests filed in to sit down for dinner. After bluffing our way through a few favourites with much jamming and instant arranging we then had the pleasure of hanging around for about 2 hours whilst the guests were fed and watered. I have to say that we were well looked after with wine, beer, soft drinks and snacks etc but it was the usual hurry up and wait with not much to do except exchange banter with each other which is always fun and always loaded with sarcasm and putdowns which we musicians seem so good at. If I wasn't so paranoid I'd have enjoyed it! We eventually got on stage with Elvis opening the show, Steve did a great job but the Swiss can sometimes be a bit restrained and conservative it wasn't easy to get them going and they seemed happy to sit and watch. Then again dancing might have been a bit risky given the amount of food and drink that had been consumed. I must say that Steve looked great in his Las Vegas suit and £9.99 wig! The voice was spot on and the leg was perfect. Anyway he did ok; it was then time for a short break for speeches and then on with the show.
So here we are on stage. After the Peter Gunn theme and the brother's entrance there was a stunned silence as the suits took in what was happening. It sank in and we got a round of applause, a few numbers in and they were dancing at the sides and a few people got to join in with the singing as Pete and Mike went into the audience with radio mic's to get them a bit more involved. An hour later we were at the bar being complimented on the show by all and sundry. Meanwhile we were getting on with the complimentary drinks!! An hour after that I was tucked up in my enormous bed reading and looking forward to a good kip.

The journey home was on time and Swissair proved once again that their in flight mag was great for inducing a nod on the plane. The drive home was uneventful but I couldn't help noticing the tons of filth on the side of our motorways made even more obvious by the comparison with those wonderfully clear verges on the Swiss equivalents.

Nice one Ian! - L.H.

'How do you girls walk in heels like these?!?'

Pete has posted an early promotional film of the show from when it was known as SWEET HOME CHICAGO onto YouTube. Have we come a long way since those bygone days of female impersonation? Click here and see what you think...

Cheers- Leigh.

'The future's so bright...'

Well... we've finally severed all 'negative and draining' ties with the previous regime, bring on the future!
Have we got some great dates for you!!!! Coming up in the Autumn we will be playing venues from The Lowry in Manchester to The Eden Court in Inverness and many many more in between.
2010 is looking to be monster! Bring it on!

Cheers- Pete.

Keep on running

Hi everyone, Mike 'Elwood' Hyde here.

I've been asked to write another blog entry into these hallowed pages, on the subject of my most recent achievement - running in the 2009 Bupa London 10k Race on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th May. As the name suggests, this is a 10km (approx 6.3 miles) charity race, held in London. As with the London Marathon, there are lots of amateur runners, club runners, people raising money for charities, etc. There were also some 'elite' runners, the best of whom on the day was Great Britain's Mo Farah, who broke the British record with a time of 27:50.
I've only been running for a few months, and even then only once or twice a week, so this was my first organised race. I was running with a friend, and so we got the train down to London that morning and made our weay across to Hyde Park Corner to register and get on the start line in plenty of time. The race started on Birdcage Walk, went up past Big Ben, up the Embankment, into the City, past St Paul's and back down to finish on The Mall with Buckingham Palace making a fairly wonderful target down the home stretch. Most of the course was lined with spectators, despite the forecasted rain - very little of which actually materialised. It turned out to be a lovely day with near-perfect conditions - fairly cool during the race, bursting into sunshine almost immediately afterwards.
I must confess that, even though I've run 6 miles on a couple of previous occasions, this race was tough. Partly, I think, because extra concentration needed when you're running with a LOT of other people, having to look for gaps to overtake and making sure you don't get your legs tangled with anyone else. Also because of running an unfamiliar course, so you're uncertain of where to push and where to ease off. But I think mostly because you're giving so much more effort, due to it being a one-off big event, so you want to make sure you give everything and run the best time you can. My target had been simple; to enjoy myself and run a time of under 50mins. In the event, I did both those things. We had a fantastic day and I ended running a 48:22, which (incredibly) put me in 846th place out of around 12,500 runners! I'll take being in the top 7% (if my maths is right) of any race, especially one in which the British record gets shattered!
I couldn't be more pleased with how the day went, both in terms of my performance and my enjoyment, though I suspect the two things are linked. This was only the second time this race has been held and I have to say, it was great. The organisation of the whole thing was spot-on from start to finish. The atmosphere was terrific and I don't think they could have made it any better. My plans are to step it up a notch now and run a half-marathon either in the autumn or early next year depending tour schedules etc. So fear not cherished readers, I'll be hitting you all for some sponsorship money soon enough!

Thanks for reading, and if this has inspired you to go out and do something active - my only advice is do it, and enjoy it! You don't have to go out road-running for miles and miles, it can be as simple as going for a walk round the park, kicking a ball about with your kids. Get those endorphins flowing - the weather couldn't be better!

Mike Hyde

Change is good…….

Well, it’s been a while and after all, there has been a self inflicted news black out for the passed few weeks.

Thanks to all involved with the Spring shenanigans, in and out of the CBB fold; the dates have been truly enjoyable and much craziness was experienced by one and all – on and off the stage.

The end of the Spring dates heralded the end of another chapter in the ever growing book of the CBB. We are now very pleased and proud to announce that we are now THE OFFICIAL CHICAGO BLUES BROTHERS SHOW with a brand new UK Theatre Promoter, NICK TAGGART of NETT UK.
Yes, there have been some very necessary casualties in dates and personnel – hopefully there will not be anymore - but then, sacrifices must be made to safeguard the stability and future of this show, which we love.
The date sheet is swelling as we speak and I am very pleased to announce that we will be coming in from some of the provincial theatres and performing in a lot more city centre venues – which will make it a lot more difficult for the old chestnut, “Just couldn’t get to that one!”
No excuses then and the new list will be ‘uploaded’ to the website once all the contractual formalities have been duly completed.

I will close on a saying that is synonymous with a certain President, and is something I truly believe…..

THIS IS CHANGE THAT WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

Cheers- Pete Tobit (producer/president-in-waiting)

Re-make / re-model

If you get 5 minutes over the upcoming Easter weekend and you haven't seen our website for a while then check it out; there's some new gigs including Summer festival dates, and new photos taken at last month's Epsom Playhouse show in the cast and gallery sections- there's even one of me smiling! Really!

Pull up some hot cross buns and have a look- you know you want to...

Cheers- Leigh

The cat (mostly) in the hat goes North...

This weekend saw The Chicago Blues Brothers traversing the length of England and Scotland for a series of three gigs in Newark, Langholm and Glasgow.

Friday was the Princess Theatre in Newark. It's a lovely theatre which had been given a lick of paint since we were here last year. Unfortunately though there's not much that can be done about the low beams in the corridor leading to the dressing rooms, which cause considerable problems to those of us over 6ft! With sound check out of the way, it's off to find some refreshment. After wandering around the streets of Newark with limited success, we settle on a pub down the road from the theatre. It's a little local place for local people, so we receive some sideways glances when our number roll in making noise and sporting our strange, unfamiliar accents. Once we were finished there, it was back for the show. It's Matt's second show with us and the first time he's playing the Preacher and Cab Calloway characters. He does brilliantly, the crowd love the show and are dancing in the aisles within the first few songs. A good night is had by all and we get lots of positive comments and thanks in the foyer after the show.

Then it's off to The Hop Pole Hotel in Ollerton for the night. It's an old Grade II listed building in a small town and we're all in agreement when we arrive that it looks both fantastic and haunted (much to Tracy's dismay!). As the bar is still open when we arrive, we decide it would be rude if we didn't have a drink. It's a Samuel Smith pub, which means that rather than the Carlsberg, Stella & Strongbow you would expect to see, we're met an array of Sam Smith ales and organic ciders, most of which were sampled and all of which were delicious! Then it's bed, followed by a lovely breakfast, then the next leg of our journey, to Langholm (via a services on the A1 to pick up Matt, and Adam who's playing trumpet for the next two nights). I should mention at this point that in charge of our in-flight entertainment was Richard the sax man, who'd brought along a 4-movie dvd set that he's picked up for 99p! We popped on the first movie, which was the very camp 1970's comedy Grand Theft Auto, starring Happy Days favourite, Ron Howard. The next offerring was far more questionable - the early 90's sci-fi drama, Lawnmower Man, starring a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan. By the end of it, most of the band were gripped, while still declaring it one of the worst films ever made. However, several sequels were suggested, such as Hedgecutter Girl, Strimmer Boy and Leafblower Woman... we haven't heard back from Hollywood on those?

Langholm is a beautiful town just over the border into Scotland. There's a river running through the heart of it and the whole place could scarcely be more picturesque. The venue we're playing is called The Buccleuch Centre (no, I wasn't sure how to pronounce it either!). It's a new place and they're really working hard to establish it as a venue for high quality theatre shows and musical acts, and judging by the sort of acts they've got booked to appear there, they might just succeed. It's not a huge venue, but the crowd more than make up for that with their enthusiasm. And barring one small error (where yours truly walked half way on to the stage for the second half, before realising I wasn't wearing my hat!) the show went very well.

We're staying in The Eskdale Hotel just round the corner from the venue and while it doesn't have quite the same character as the previous nights accommodation, it has a hospitable landlord, cheap drinks and hot & cold running pies, so we can't complain! There is however a disco happening in the basement, which attracts herberts and scoundrels from far & wide. But other than Squirrel having to step over one of the on the stairs, we're not really bothered by them.

The next morning we get up for breakfast, which included square sausage and black pudding- we must be in Scotland! Then we've got time for wandering around the local shops and across the town's wobbly foot bridge, before piling back into the bus for the journey to Glasgow!

The journey takes a little longer than it should, because we take a detour to Lanark in the hopes that we'll stumble across a lovely little pub to have lunch in. Those hopes prove misguided, but we do find a rather quaint little sweet shop where a few of us pick up, among other things, a quarter of Rhubarb & Custards! On to Glasgow then and to the Pavillion Theatre. It's a big old place right in the city centre and from standing on the stage I have to say it's one of the nicest I've seen. It really is a beautiful theatre, with a great tradition judging by all the old show posters they have framed around the dressing rooms. Once showtime arrives, it turns out to be a great way to finish our little jaunt as the show goes fantastically well. I keep my hat on throughout and Matt goes from strength to strength. The crowd were brilliant, making loads of noise and nearly raising the roof when Matt hit his party tricks of doing full box splits - how low can he go!

Then after the show it's time to pack 'em up, move 'em out, Rawhide! ...sorry about that, got a bit carried away! Where was I? Ah yes, packing up and getting on the road for the daunting journey back home. The first sign for 'The SOUTH' was met with considerable cheers from the band and we end up making excellent time. I'm at home tucked up in bed by 6:30 and that's the end of this little adventure. My word, I appear to have written a novel! But then, having spent 3 days and 2 nights with the band, LOTS of things tend to happen - you should see the stuff I've left out!!! Now it's roll on Epsom Playhouse on Wednesday!

Thanks for reading

Mike 'Elwood' Hyde

My first night as Jake with The Chicago Blues Brothers

Having negotiated the wonderful Norfolk tractor express way, I found myself in a blustery Hunstanton at around 2pm.
I had a little time till I met Pete, Jayne and Squirrel at the theatre so I took the opportunity to check out some old haunts from my childhood holidays in sunny Hunstanton. £10 worth of 2p's later I was broke, frustrated and ready to throw those stupid slot machines into the sea! Time to meet the guys I think!
We loaded in to what is a lovely little theatre and with the help of the top draw house crew, we were all ready in double quick time. The rest of the band arrived not long after and I was formally introduced to them all (I have met and worked with most of them before) and I have to say the family vibe of the whole show kicked in almost immediately!
After some rehearsals to try and hammer in some dance moves to my increasingly hard head, we all enjoyed the Norfolk coasts greatest export.....Fish and Chips. Then all that was left to do was try and remember what came where and when, get changed and get on with it!
Now I have never been nervous about going on stage- as far as I am concerned the more people the better- but the only thing I do get nervous about is letting the people I am working with down. In an earlier life I fought internationally in a discipline called Knockdown Karate where obviously the objective was to knock the opponent down or preferably out! I was honestly never afraid of getting hurt (that was what I was there for) but I was afraid of letting down everyone that I had been training so hard with and that had given me so much of their time over the months before. This was a similar fear!
As the music started though, any nerves seemed to disappear as both myself and the audience became infected by the music. Mike and I walked on to stage and straight away I felt at home.
There were a couple of dance moves I messed up or completely forgot, and the odd harmony was missing but on the whole we all seemed to gel quickly as a unit, helped in no small way by Pete coming on and ripping the stage apart as the Reverend and later singing 'Minnie the Moocher'.
The show flew by and before I knew it we were taking our bows and being cheered off stage. Sweaty but happy we rushed to the front of house to sign some CD's and meet the audience, who to a man and woman loved the night and congratulated us all on a job well done.
On a personal note I would like to thank everyone of the band for their help and support and in particular Pete and Mike who got me through my first night and I hope on to many more with "The Chicago Blues Brothers". Bring on Newark!!

Matt

London, Belfast, Paris, Zurich…..

Following our successful sortie in Belfast, the very next day found me on the Eurostar bound for Paris to spend some quality time with Jayne. The Paris weather was extremely kind to us as we experienced clear skies and temperatures in the mid teens.
Escapism is certainly good for the soul- however all good things……

On Friday morning at 5.30am, Paris was a million years ago whilst waiting in the cold for Squirrel and Gibbo. Zurich was beckoning.
Check in at Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 was painless as Steve ‘Elvis’ Ballard and the normal ‘A’ Team made our way through to the departure lounge. Boarding was also fairly eventless; however, that’s when the sketch writers from Monty Python took hold of the whole scenario.
The Pilot informs us that the luggage hold had frozen shut and a very heavy container was effectively being held captive in forward compartment. Now.. they can’t get the container off, apparently the weight ratio is off kilter and the weight has to be redistributed. The following statement is not a joke and actually occurred on our flight.
Cue all the ‘larger’ passengers from the front of the aircraft to be redistributed in the rear to balance the weight to enable a stable flight. This happened…..no….really!!!!
Zurich is picture postcard perfect with snow all around, no doubt deep and crisp and even.
The gig is at a local Stadthalle with the attendees featuring a number of government personnel, high profile company hierarchy and various ‘IT’ people (that’s ‘in the know’ people and not mundane computer nerds!)
The gig is brilliant and we are heralded as a total success as we get the majority of the non English speaking audience on their feet and dancing.
A quick mention must go to The Trend Hotel – top place and a definite recommendation for all Zurich bound readers.

The return leg is somewhat event free…except for the 150 mile an hour head winds, dodgy air pockets and the unfortunate event that happened to me whilst try take a wizz in the rear toilets of the plane during the severe period of the turbulence.
Enough said…..

Pete

Belfast or Bust!

The day started pretty well when we all turned up on time at Stansted and then Ryanair decided to fart in my face and turn the start of my birthday upside down.
When you know you have done something but then doubt is cast….you start questioning your sanity. Enough said that150 quid lighter and all personnel and a couple of Fender guitars are ready to depart for Belfast – I was then informed that it would have been cheaper for me to buy two seats for the instruments.

We land to be met by Darren ‘The General’ Boyd and after a couple of minutes we are in our hired bus heading for The Stormont Hotel.
After spending the last few years working with Howard Hastings and the Hastings Group – whose Hotels include The Europa, The Culloden, The Slieve Donnard and The Stormont – I am extremely privileged to have a great working relationship with them.
Tonight’s gig is at The Waterfront in Belfast and guess what……we’re sold out!
The gig is a stormer and made even more special by Sam Davidson – from Rory Gallagher’s Taste, tremendous guitarist and top mate – joining us on stage for the final three songs. Between Sam and Leigh, Sweet Home Chicago took off and really created some magic. I wish we had recorded this one!
Well, all aboard the bus CBB and back to the Stormont for a well needed night cap or three!

Wednesday 25th and half the motley crew are partaking in The Culloden Spa and the rest are scattered between Belfast City and walks up to The Stormont Castle.
3pm and we’re heading out of town to Armagh to a venue we played a couple of years ago, The Market Place Theatre. Top techies at the theatre – Shane, Rodney and Kyle – gave us some great lighting. TOP GIG!!!!!
A major thank you has to go to Dougie from Belfast who supplied all required PA & Backline, thanks Mate!
I won’t even go into my rants at Belfast Airport at the nearest Ryanair Rep. Enough said that they proceed to put hurdles and obstacles in places that effectively catch the proverbial knackers!
Bottom line….CBB will be back next spring to The Waterfront (Belfast), The Market Place (Armagh) and…..The Millenium Forum (Londonderry), Cork, Dublin, Killarney and Castlebar!!!
Looking forward to 2010 already and you’re all invited to join us in the CRAIC!

Cheers- Pete

Photos show (top) a very poorly Mike being comforted by Pete, (middle) a bewigged and coiffured Dave being conducted by Pete and (bottom) the Belfast audience being entertained by Pete in an outfit he borrowed from a passing motorway serviceman.

Next time- some photos without Pete in them! Maybe! L.H.

Will the true Jake step forward…..

I am really proud and pleased to welcome to the role of JAKE – direct from the hit West End production of The Official Tribute to the Blues Brothers and 2 subsequent tours of Europe – MATT HEWITT.

In addition to being a fine singer and tremendous performer, this 3rd Dan Karate Champion brings to the show all his flexibility and agility. Watch out for his cartwheels, back flips and box splits!

Matt takes over the mantle of Jake in the show on the 8th March at Hunstanton. I for one am really looking forward to the next era of The Chicago Blues Brothers, and I know his partnership with Mike Hyde will take the show into a new dimension.

Pete
Producer

One Door Closes and Another…….

Hi Guys,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Mario Megaro is no longer with the production and we wish him well as he forays into ‘corporate’ and ‘wedding’ land!

For the immediate future…..yes you’ve guessed it…..I will make another return as Jake.

As much as I truly enjoy the ‘Management & Production’ aspect of the show, nothing replaces the buzz of standing on stage, in front of undoubtedly the most talented band on the planet! The short term pleasure will be all mine.

When I said short term, I meant it as by mid-March the role will be filled by very talented and capable shoes. The ‘reveal’ of this person will be at The Princess Theatre, Hunstanton.

The show moves on up to yet another level….

Pete

Noise annoys

As a quick follow up to Pete's last posting I'd like to thank him for stepping in and unplugging my amplifier just in time to stop me from taking my Pete Townshend obsession to it's logical conclusion! I took it to Roger the amplifier repairman who left it running for 2 days during which it didn't make one single untoward sound- he replaced some valves and their seatings (the bits they plug into- that's about the limit of my technical knowledge!) to be on the safe side, and it sounded fine at last weekend's gigs, at The Millfield Theatre in Edmonton and a corporate show for the Seddon company at The I.C.C. in Birmingham. The latter was a interesting evening as Pete, Mike, Dave and myself played a set in the foyer as the guests arrived (if you've ever wondered what it sounds like when an old punk like me attempts to play swing and jazz standards this was your chance to find out! Here's a clue- you didn't miss much from me, but Dave played brilliantly) and company chairman Stewart joined us on stage for 'Mustang Sally'- I bet he regrets asking who owed the Telecaster...

Cheers- Leigh.

Southend or Bust!!!

A cold wet Wednesday in January, in the middle of the worst recession the UK has experienced for decades, is hardly the ideal start for any tour, let alone the CBB machine!
With Rod at the PA controls the stage was set and ready for the band in record time. Dave Bunting had the moving head lights rigged, programmed and set in equal haste. All that remains is large portions of Fish & Chips for all – except “chips is good!!!” Leigh!
Following grease excess all round, the band sailed through sound checks. With an almost A Team – Steve Walker on Trumpet for Dave Land who was away on ‘Come Dancing’ duties – the night was set for the CBB onslaught. Now…I could go on about radio mics breaking down, follow spot operators phoning in sick and yours truly ‘mullering’ Steam Roller Blues at sound check amongst a bunch of other stuff….but I won’t. The band was ready!
Ready is a total understatement. The band was cooking, the audience were well up for it and a great gig ensued.
The one blip on the radar was when Leigh’s amp start to make totally random noises….unfortunately at the wrong times. Doh!! Only option, turn amp off, unplug mic and DI the guitar directly to the desk. No-one noticed a damn thing. Was that down to my less than slick transition or Leigh's undoubted talent. The latter methinks!
Bottom line…..Great Gig….very happy punters….invited back!
Hurrah!!!!

Cheers- Pete

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!?? Bah Humbug……

Firstly, here’s wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.

Okay, now that the lunatic season is over, we are about to unleash the fury that is The Chicago Blues Brothers on the unsuspecting mighty British public!
2009 sees us opening the furore at The Cliffs Pavilion Southend on Sea – my hometown!!!

Well more about all that next time- let me tell you about my all-too-time-consuming New Years Eve shenanigans in Belfast…..
Well we landed at George Best Airport, Belfast at 6.30pm on the 31st December (slightly late I thought) for a New Years Eve gig at The Europa. Now, when I said we, that was myself, Pussy Glamore (Tracy Graham, Lizzie Dean & Emma Nelson), Dave Levy (Tracy’s other half) and my missus Jayne.
We arrived at the hotel at 7.00pm-ish and I told the girls that they would not be needed until 10.30pm and I went off to sort my ‘compereing’ duties in the ballroom.
At 7.30 I was told that as dinner was to start at 8.00pm, I had better get my dinner suit on. Away I trotted to my room where Jayne was already getting sorted. As I got down to my pants, ready to get dressed, I got a frantic call from the ballroom to tell me that the piper was ‘piping in’ all the guests to their tables.
Doh! With Jayne putting on my bow tie whilst I pulled up my trousers, I launched myself down the corridor, shoes in hand, putting my socks on. I got dressed just in time for the lift to open and take me down to the ballroom.
On running into the room I got the vibe that after 10mins of bagpipe playing even the hardened Celt would have blood emanating from every orifice.
Step up – in Leigh’s words – Mr Showbiz! Mic in hand I welcomed everyone and went on with the usual compere stuff. 20 minutes later, and desperately looking for a drink, I was told that there was a wedding at the sister hotel – The Culloden – that didn’t have any entertainment and could I ‘do something’. You guessed it, I was in a car speeding passed the City Airport again heading for a gig that I knew nothing about – and by the way I had to sing Frank Sinatra's ‘It Had To Be Me’ as the first song. Not only had I never sung this song before, not known the lyrics, had a vague idea how the melody went, I did not have a backing track for it.
No problem! As I arrived a copy of the lyrics were thrust into my hand, curtains opened, I was introduced and the track started.
Now- looking into the faces of some 500 expectant individuals is fairly daunting anyway, however, this was pure murder. And, basically, in my view that is what I did to ‘It Had To Be You’. After the faltering start, I recovered with my ‘normal’ set of classic Motown and Soul classics and left some 35 mins later to a full dancefloor.
In car back at 9.30pm I got a call saying that the dinner was running early and where was I – 10 minutes away. Just enough time to arrive, pick up a drink, mic and start all over again this time with a 9 piece band backing me- not just any band but ex-members of Rory Gallagher’s band Taste (Richie McCracken, John Wilson and Sam Davidson) and featuring the brass section from The Commitments band!
The next 45 mins in my humble opinion was a ‘back to business’ performance.
The ‘Pussies’ went on after me – with me still on stage running their tracks – and at midnight, I led the countdown, and then sought out a very patient wife, Jayne to start my NYE celebrations, but I was too knackered to drink or eat!
I call the CBB band who are in Northampton having a seemingly interesting experience and I vow never to do another NYE gig again……until next year!!!

Cheers- Pete