R.I.P. Terry Gilder

Terry Gilder is with us no more.  Hasn't been for a couple of years.  A good fella who always came through.  Generous to a fault.  Dogs loved him.  Loved his music.  Great bass player.

Requiem indeed.

Another gig

Nancy has been playing with a 'weekend warriors' outfit for the past six or so weeks. They are playing a gig this weekend (Sunday the Seventh of August, 2011) at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel on Port Road. The show is from about 1pm, five 'weekend warrior' bands, $15 entry.

On Friday night, apparently, the band she's is in 'clicked' into gear and started to belt it out. I think some of them were presently surprised. Should be an interesting gig.

Back in Black - RIP Bon

ACDC played in town at Adelaide Oval, a lovely cricket ground surrounded by pavilions, surrounded by expanses of public parklands and a river, overlooked by our most prominent cathedral. A cultural event. 42000 in the grounds, probably about 6000 or more scattered in mini-crowds in different convenient locations in the surrounding parklands or river bank. The cathedral was ringing its bells as the sun sank.

What can I say about the gig itself, except that it was worth the trip, loud enough to hear clear and alter the perceptions later (people were lining the street half a kilometre away as we caught the taxi home), and well and truly worth the effort?

Not much, except that Acka Dacka was better i thought than when i saw them in the early nineties, as good as Brian Johnson is the crowd still misses Bon (thirty years since he left us), and that through the crowds outside were various smatterings of the various band scenes I've touched over the years. Was it totally coincidence that we settled down on an edge of the parklands bordering King William Street as it winds up Cathedral Hill, were grooving to 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' in the festival atmosphere of black tee shirts and hard rock with the city going on about its business of a Tuesday night not more than five metres behind our backs, when we realised that the gathering on the hill a few metres beneath us was a smattering of the musical core of The Gaslight Tavern Crowd, whom half we knew and in front of whom we'd played some of our best shows? Or that I'd seen the guys in the various throw together bands they continually make up play most of the music that the Rock Gods were playing on the other side of the fence in the stadium? Or that I was wearing my Gaslight Teeshirt under the leather jacket? Who knows?

Good way to spend a Tuesday evening with 50000 of my fellow citizens. Indeed.

The Haze

It's been almost a year since I last posted here. Nancy hasn't sung in the duo for several months as Steve's other interests meant he wasn't interested any more. I just bumped into Garry who plays in Harvest who are the band Steve had been playing in, apparently they are still going fairly strong. In our busiest year we played 22 or 26 gigs, they are playing over 30. Good luck to them.

Me and the missus are still keeping the idea in the back of our minds of getting a band together again some time, with the emphasis shifting back to original music. It would be like starting over, in terms of equipment, getting - to - know - you with the band, hunting gigs, rehersals, etc. Not sure if we're quite up to that as yet, if for no other reason than that I enjoy having my weekends back too much!

I still pick up the guitar occasionally, so all is not lost.

I'll add more as it comes to hand.

Sunday - August 3 - Sandy Creek Pub

Frolik are playing Sunday 3rd at the Sandy Creek Hotel from 2pm.

Sandy Creek is about 15km outside of Gawler on the Lyndoch/Tanunda Road. Don't blink...

Friday the 13th Gig at Freeling coming up

Frolik has been quite busy since I last posted. They've played twice at the Cumberland, and also at Burra and Rynie in the country. By all accounts, enjoyable gigs.

This Friday the 13th they play at the Freeling Hotel from around 8 pm. The Freeling mob like them and there's a few heading up from Adelaide so it promises to be a good night.

Frolik Video - Burra Hotel - 18 April 2008

Nancy and Steve played up the Burra Hotel again on Friday Night. I tagged along, managed to get a couple of videos at short notice. That's why the lighting is pretty crap. You might want to darken you room before watching the videos below.

Chasing Cars (first set)

In the second and third sets the pub filled up and Nancy and Steve cut loose.

Four hours later and it was only the regulars left. I grabbed a few photos, will put a selection up here sometime during the coming week (time permitting).

Promise I won't be so long between drinks in future!

Frolik Gigs in 2008

It is my pleasure to keep you up to date with where and when Nancy and Steve will be playing with their class duo act in the near future. Put the dates in your diary and check them out if you get the chance...

Upcoming Folik Gigs

29 February - Excelsior Hotel, Brompton 7:30 - 11:00

2 March - Cumberland Hotel, Glanville 4 - 8

6 April - Cumberland Hotel, Glanville 4 - 8

25 May - Cumberland Hotel, Glanville 4 - 8

I watched them play at the Cumby on xmas eve. Good turn out. Lots of dancing. Good fun.

Brief update

The Negotiators finally folded, rather than put off an inevitable slide into obscurity we took the plunge!

There was a brief coda when Nancy Steve and myself joined up with Mark (drums) and Garry (bass) under the banner of The Haze to play at Greg's 50th in early December 2007. I think it was a pretty fun gig, perhaps my last.

If we get together an original band, which is the eventual plan, we'll do our best to let you know of it.

Frolic Rock

Nancy and Steve have, with the recent demise of The Negotiators, renamed their duo act. They are now known as 'Frolic'. I hope to keep you all updated with where and when they will be playing.

I went up and watched them play at Burra on September 14. Amazingly, I wasn't the only one to make the trip up from Adelaide just for the occasion! There were a total of five of us. Not bad for a duo to have a following that's willing to go that far. I think it meant a lot to them that we all made the effort. I know we all enjoyed the show. So thanks all round.

My own thoughts were several. Firstly, that they're pretty good performers. I don't much like midi based pub entertainment as a general rule, always seems like a humanised juke box full of fakers. Not Frolic, however! They really rocked it out within the limitations of the midi situation. The audience loved them!

Which leads me to my second point - as fun as it was and as good as they are at performing, Nancy in particular belongs in front of a band with a show like the one she puts on! The computer based music of the midi just doesn't have enough guts for what she does. That's just my opinion, but after enjoying Frolic and can see why people would come and see her regularly fronting a band.

So, you might be interested to know that Nancy Steve and I are playing with a couple of other blokes, Gary (Bass) and Mark (Drums) with the aim of playing a gig someone has asked us to do in December. So, I managed to get away from rock'n'roll for all of a couple of weeks before turning up to turn it up again.

It's a very hard game to leave!

Metamorphosis

Hold onto your seat.

The Negotiators are dissolving (have dissolved, actually, by the time this post was actually posted). Outside interests, other commitments, musical evolution, all played their role in the eventual process. Maybe we'll talk about it one day...

But it's not all over. Nancy and Steve still play in the Negotiators Duo. Click here for details of their next gig at the Excelsior on Friday August 31st. Then they play up at Burra on 14th September. It's an ongoing thing.

I gather Barry is returning to the dreams of suburbia and the needs of those close to him.

Chis, well, watch this space. The music ride is certainly not over for him. Will try and keep you informed.

Steve follows his passion. Besides the Duo gigs with Nancy he's seriously jamming with a couple of other bands who play hard gaslight rock.

And me? I hope to play more on the classical again, get a few musical thoughts of my own out there. Might even become part of another 'originals outfit', perhaps working with Nancy and a couple other faces that many of you, dear readers, might recognise.

And a special thanks to Nancy, Mark, Ben, Dave, Terry, John, Sox, Rob, Steve, Barry and Chris (and all the others who jammed with us at practice, on stage or just plain old rocked up to play with us. You know who you are).

It's been a hell of a ride so far. Watch this space to see what happens next...

Duo Gig - Aug 31 at Excelsior

The Negotiators Duo is playing next at The Excelsior Hotel, Hawker Street, Brompton on August 31st. They kick off at around 7:30 pm. Stumps is usually by midnight. Good Friday night out.

And if you didn't know, the food there is pretty good in quantity and quality for a reasonable price (and no, I don't get anything for the plug - I've just enjoyed the couple of meals I've had there).

Sunday Rehersal

We had a rehersal session this arvo. Together about three and a half hours with two decent breaks. No new material as such (except for an impromptu 'Black is Black'(! )). Ran through Lady Bug Love for the first time in a year - very jazz.

Jean Jeanie, Tear Us Apart, Time of Our Lives, Whole Lotta Love, Evie (Pt 1), R U Gonna Be My Girl, Paint it Black, It's Only Rock'n'Roll, Honky Tonk Woman, I Feel Fine, Hard Day's Night, Eight Days a Week, Rock'n'Roll All Nite, Midnight Special, Gotta Get Outa This Place.

As you can see, nothing too new. But is good as there was a growing solidity to what we did today, more of an edge. I know for myself that it is always valuable to go over and over stuff until it becomes 'internalised' and gels. Everything flows better, the music has a spark. Is good.

Duo Report - Excelsior and The 'Bridge

The Duo played last Friday at The Excelsior Hotel (Brompton) and on Saturday at the Hamley Bridge Hotel. Both gigs sounded like they pulled off okay.

I was there before the start at The Excelsior and there were about three dozen in the pub already. Sounds like it didn't drop beneath that in numbers for the whole night, some of the new songs Steve and Nancy introduced sounded like they went down really well. Of particular encouragement to all was the fact that a few old friends of the band dropped by through the evening.

On Saturday night they played out at Hamley Bridge. Again, several dozen through the evening, with pretty boisterous local crowd. Worst thing to happen was that front of house speaker almost got knocked over - need to keep an eye on setting a stage boundary a bit more clearly.

Not sure where or when The Duo play next (though I heard mention of Burra at band rehersal this arvo). I will let you know when I know.

Duo of Duo Gigs

The Duo (Nancy and Steve) play at the Excelsior Hotel, Brompton, this Friday Night. Bit of a party with some of those who were at The Finsbury Hotel last Saturday with The Negoitators.

Then, on Saturday, they play at the Hamley Bridge Hotel, Hamley Bridge. It's about an hour the other side of Gawler from Adelaide. Good country pub rockin'!

Brewbar Gig - 23 June 2007

On Saturday night The Negotiators played in the Brewbar at the Finnsury Hotel. It was a private show put on to celebrate 'Craig's' fortieth birthday. If the last gig was 5/10, I would have put this one a shade over 7. No really bad stuffups, some really good music, an audience partying on and the band having fun. Mixed in with that, cameos and audience interaction, nice venue, decent hours (7:45 pm start), and a bit of chaos as we blew our first ever main fuse. It was a good evening!

Again, I taped parts of the show. I'm only posting now because it was only last night that I got to listen to my recordings from the third and fourth sets. What I heard on the tapes (despite its quite different sound qualities compared to the actual performance - it was, afterall, only recorded on a walkman through the inbuilt mike on el cheapo tapes) only confirmed what I thought at the time, which is what you read above.

There were around fifty people there for most of the evening, a few more at peak and a few less at start and finish. A pretty cool and friendly crowd who got into the evening. I understand that quite a few were regulars at The Excelsior where The Duo (Nancy and Steve) has played several times. Not a coincidence, I understand. They enjoyed themselves, and made for a good audience.

The venue could have coped with maybe four or five times that many people. It was one big low wooden room with an island bar in the middle, decent size stage at one end. Comfortably lit and wooden pannels, it also had a similar decore colour scheme to our previous show - Club 168 (a sort of deep-peach-rose). I'd say it had less atmosphere than the pool hall, but what would you expect - it was a function room. The pool table, by the way, was in use through the evening.

We played four sets. The longest break we had was when the power blew half way through the second set. It happened at the perfect point in a song (ie. end of a verse). What is it with electricity recently? The Barman Mr Fixit in the main (gambling parlour) section of the hotel was so rush rush that he didn't say a single word or heed the barmaid after she'd alerted him to our plight. I'd say he was damned rude. Anyway, he got the power going so all is forgiven.

Musical highlights of the evening included (for me, anyway) the psychedelic bit in the middle of Whole lotta Love and a couple other numbers, Evie, Prisoner of Society and Rock'n'Roll (our encore) going off, an audience who went the distance in (Am I ever gonna) See Your Face Again, a cameo by a 'guest' drummer (thanks, Leonard) for Honky Tonk Woman and All Right Now, a folksy guitarist/songwriter/singer who wrote and sang a song for the birthday boy (as well as interactive version of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life) and at least a dozen people doing 'the aeroplane' in our penultimate song!

The sound was heaps better. Sharon lurked on the mixing desk, and provided encouragement and an ear in the audience when it counted. We did a few other things a bit different. Steve's amp was miked so that we could put it through foldback and thus all hear it easier. I think that allows for an improvement. It also allows front of house control of the guitar volume - not a bad thing. Depending upon the practicality of it, we might also like to consider miking Barry's bass and my rhythm guitar so that all can hear all. That would be a novelty for a rock band!

Areas of the show that will do with improvement are our all round co-ordination (miking amps through foldback could really help here), a bit of a heavier sound (not necessarily my own personal opinion), more thought into the dynamics of the ensemble.

As for myself personally, I really need to nail down those chord changes in the score or so of songs where my brain doesn't really know what my fingers should be doing at some point! That's just a matter of practice. Will do.

Finally, there was a real classic moment that happened. We'd just played 'American Idiot', and Nancy was saying something about the words 'fuck america' in the song. You can hear on the tape the voice of a guy, who was nearly six foot, tall, shaven headed and expressively dancing much of the evening. He starts singing 'Short Memory' (a song by Midnight Oil, listen to it if you can!). So appropriate a vignette to the way the mindset is of so many of generation X these days.

Must go. I'll let you know the next confirmed gig date when I'm told what it is.

1000 Profile Views!

I guess this is something of a milestone, like the thousandth post or something. Has taken me about three years, and the biggest batch of viewers has come over the most recent year. I seem to have shaken off the statcounter on this blog, so I actually don't have a clue at the moment about who is looking at what for how long. And you know what?

I don't care.

The fact that YOU are reading this is enough to make me want to keep going!

Loading Gear

As I write this I'm watching the light play on the Adelaide Hills as the sun sets on Saturday 23 June. The Negotiators play at the Finsbury for someone's fortieth later this evening. Private show.

I spent a couple hours this afternoon helping steve get the band's gear down to the pub. It's a pretty big job for one person so I was pleased to assist. I got to his place around 2:30, and the last of the gear was on the stage in the pub by just after 3:30. Yes, we get to play on a stage for the second gig in a row!

To give the uninitiated an idea of what's involved, the following is a bit of a list of what has to be moved into the van then into the venue then set up then dismantled then packed back into the van and then moved into its storage place until next used.

P.A. system

2 x front of house speakers (heavy) and stands
3 x foldback speakers
1 x mixing desk (heavy - fragile) and fold up table
1 x CD player and CD collections (fragile - for intervals)
6 x microphone stands
2 boxes of mikes and cables
3 bags of cords and cables

Lighting

4 x boxed lamps (fragile)
1 x light rig poles
1 x 'magic light projector' (fragile
5 x extension leads plus powerboard

Musical gear

2 x music stands
1 x guitar rack
3 x guitars
1 x effects box
1 x Marshall speaker box (wheeled)
1 x Marshall head
1 x Bass amp
1 x Laney guitar amp

Drums

1 x Bass drum assembly
1 x Stool
2 x cymbals and stands
1 x snare drum
1x tom drum

General

1 x 'Negotiators' sign

To give an idea of the contents of the boxes and bags - there's something like 6 mikes and associated leads. Terry once measured the length of cabling on stage when fully rigged. Came to something like 200m. It's a lot of gear!

Barry and myself each bring our own instruments, and I bring a crate of 'goodies' which also acts as a stand for the Laney amp.

And yes, I am aware that I put the drums under a different category to 'musical gear'!

Sunday rehersal at Steve's

I've just got home after a four hour rehersal with the band. It was a good session. We worked through a bit of new material and brushed up the worst of what we did at Club 168 (for a gig report, click here). Sharon stayed for part of the afternoon, she was also of the opinion that this sounded much more like us (and much more likable generally).

This is important as there was a bit of a mixed response within the band to our most recent public performance. Readers of this blog will know what I thought. Steve and Nancy were pretty horrified full stop. Barry and Chris were a bit more acceptant, but were obviously relieved to be back on song today.

It was good to have a show that was fairly crap. We were bound to have one after returning from such a long break. Probably better it happened when and where it did rather than at one of our more regular venues (if we have any of those left).

We next play on Saturday at the Finsbury. Apparently it's a private show in a separate room from the main bar. I guess that if any fans turn up they might try and talk their way in, but I can't guarantee it...

I'll let you know how it went, and when our next is.

PS - you'll note I've slightly reorganised the links on the right of this page. Have included part of my growing collection of tab/chord sites, as well as a bit of a consolidated view of different aspects of the band. I'll update these items as time passes.

Duo plays Burra (again)

Steve and Nancy ('The Negotiators Duo') play at the Burra Hotel (again) from about 8pm on Friay night, 8 June.

They always seem to have a great time there, and the crowd seems to be consistently large. I think the locals appreciate the fact they have an act of this performative character play at their mid-north local. I hear there's a few of our suburban friends/fans heading up for the night also. Having seen a couple of The Duo's gigs, I can vouch for the fact that it's a much more rock'n'roll type experience than any other midi duo I've seen doing the suburban rounds (except perhaps for the irish leprachauns who I saw about seven years ago at the Brecknock).

If anyone who's there for the gig reads this post, I'd be real interested to read your comments about it all.