old news28th March 2006On Thursday 9th March I joined Robbie McIntosh, Geraint Watkins and Paul Beavis at the Centre Stage in Bournemouth for a reunion of the band that toured Germany a couple of years back and recorded the Funsbury Park CD. It was a wonderful night in a great venue. Billed as the Robbie McIntosh/Geraint Watkins Band, the line-up works superbly well, with Robbie and piano virtuoso Watkins firing off each other. On Saturday 11th March Ady and I had a double-header. The Rosetta Life Band played a short set at singer Helena’s 40th birthday bash at the Old Down Inn, Emborough, Somerset in the afternoon with Robbie McIntosh and pianist Julie Lewis completing the line-up, after which we headed on up the A37 towards Westbury-on-Severn for a cracking fundraising gig with the Ben Waters Band at Westbury Parish Hall. We returned to Storyville Happy Jazz Club in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday 16th, our fourth visit to that splendid establishment. Thursday night was kind of hard work after a day’s travelling, but Friday and Saturday nights were a riot. The place was rammed and the Finns were in fine form. Helsinki is a beautiful and fascinating city, and we’re out there again in August. My first gig back in Blighty was with the Ben Waters Band at Farnham Maltings, Farnham, Surrey on Thursday 23rd March. We used to play there quite frequently but have left it alone for 18 months or so, and it certainly paid off. The gig was sold out, and we had a rare old night. Ben flew out to Barbados the next morning for a gig-cum-holiday, the lucky blighter, The Steamer Ducks and Brahms & Liszt gathered at the Hardy Hall in Dorchester on Friday 24th, a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation. Robbie McIntosh was on coruscating form, as ever. The B&L line-up featured Tim Broad on guitar, Nick Gomer on harmonica, Simon Swarbrick on fiddle and Ady Milward and me in the rhythm section. We recorded a CD’s worth of classic blues with B&L recently, and it’s turned out really well. More news as it develops. On Saturday 25th I played at Haselbury Mill near Yeovil, Somerset with Roger Bastible, Mutter Slater, Tim Broad and Paul Fancy. It was another fine night of rock’n’roll classics, blues and r&b. I’m playing with Mutter Slater again as Little Dixie regroup at the Three Horseshoes, Burton Bradstock, Dorset on Friday 31st March. The following morning at the crack of dawn we’re off to Heathrow where we’ll meet Ben Waters on his return from the Caribbean, after which we all fly out for an 8-day jaunt in Germany with the wondrous folk at Sound’s Promotion. As usual, the Thursday night jam sessions continue at Finns, Westham Road, Weymouth. New and established bands and solo artists are encouraged to take to the stage, and there’s at least half a dozen bands out gigging now that started off playing a few numbers at these sessions. If you want to book yourself a slot, get down there before 9pm and have a word with me. PA and backline is provided. Chris Lonergan |
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