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LINKs & Chains
The Charity
Events
One of the results
of the 'Events' that we have put on at the Corton Inn has been the way
the occasion has also become a rendezvous for musicians of years gone
by. This, I think, is a really good thing for the Parkinson's
Project as it supplies a broader variation in the type of entertainment
that we endeavour to put on at these functions, plus it provides some of
the old alliances an opportunity to get back together, if only for a
one-off bit of fun and to raise a little money at the same time.
Those who are
familiar with my list of past bands or have read my book will know that
Terry Seeley and I were in a line-up unofficially called 'Barkis', a
band born out of 'Barabbas' & 'Kiss' which in turn, disbanded in 1972
We lost touch and
didn't have any contact at all until a few months ago, 38 years later.
We reconnected via 'Facebook' and Terry asked if he could get involved
in the Project and made himself available for whatever he could do.
Not only that but Terry's band 'Coupe Deville' offered to play at 'Event
3' and, remember, those are 3 more guys who I've never met and don't
know me from Adam... but typical of the support we've encountered.
The weekend before
the gig I got an email from Terry explaining that due to medical reasons
his drummer couldn't make that Sunday but he and the other two in the
band still wanted to play so could I find them a replacement drummer for
the night.
Enter one Tim
Marriot, a fine drummer and the man who took over from me in the band
'Whippet' back in 1991. With only a set list e-mailed to him a day
or so before, Tim and Terry met at the bar on the day of the event.
Nobody there in the crowd knew the circumstances and I don't think
anyone believed it when it was eventually pointed out at the end of
their set. Tim put in some time and did a little homework and
delivered a stunning professional performance that any fully rehearsed
drummer would have been proud of.
Of course there's a
lot of professional pride involved in all these types of get-togethers
but all these people put their time, effort and talent in with such
enthusiasm it staggers me every single time. One's faith in human
kindness is restored if it was ever in doubt and to be considered the
catalyst of it all is deeply humbling.
It wasn't until
after the event that I realised there as a common denominator running
through the line-up and it was 'Whippet'. Each of the five acts
had a member of the trio in it.
Opening the show
was the wonderfully superb tribute band 'Steemy Dan'. They played
one of their very first gigs when they appeared at 'Event 2' (April
2009) and were very impressive but after a lot of hard work and the
addition to the line-up of a rhythm guitarist who compliments the
amazing 'Jake' Jacobs perfectly, they have progressed to 'awesome'.
It was a joy playing with Jake in 'Whippet' because he was such a fine
player but now he is an extraordinary guitarist, taking every solo note
for note, as they were originally recorded by an endless list of
virtuoso's recruited by Fagen & Becker. Jake still manages to put
his unique personal stamp on them.
'Whippet's' bass
player and owner of 'Tides Reach Studios', (but no relation) Lee Jacobs
was in two of the bands that Sunday. His first one was the second
act of the day 'The Lullabys'. Underlining the point I made
earlier about diversity and variation, this group of musicians changed
the pace and style and I heard many compliments about them afterwards.
I know very little about them, which made it all the more special that
they came along to play. Lee was doing a promotional tour
with them and it was an exercise in exposure of course, but, once again,
thoroughly professional and generous.
Next up, The
Parkinson's Project Band and yours truly is the 'Whippet' connection.
And well... what can I say about this lot? I love these guys and
all the players that have passed though and might again. Think of
the Parkinson's Project Band as a kind of carousel that you can hop on
and hop off whenever you feel like it. Jump on, enjoy the ride,
when you jump off, there'll be someone else eager to take your place.
It's not and never
will be a regular band, at least not until I'm unable to do it anymore
and somebody else takes over but the heart is tangible. The unity
of wanting to do the best we can in the precious little rehearsal time
we can arrange is terrific. 'New' members soon become buddies and
it's that spirit of 'all for one and one for all'
Following us, the
aforementioned Tim Marriot and 'Coupe Deville' who, despite stepping on
stage with an unfamiliar drummer, didn't hold back and sounded great.
Closing the show were 'The 45's' and Lee's second appearance of the
night. This good, tight 8 piece had the diehard revelers on the
dance floor and proved to be the ideal way to finish a great day.
The sound guys
deserve a special mention because they didn't just do a great mix but
carried out the whole task of changing 5 bands with such aplomb, I was
almost tempted to go back on the road again. Thank you guys.
And thanks also to
my old mate Pete Healey who, along with his band 'Rockit' drove all the
way up from Ipswich with all their gear and sat watching, but ready to
play if they were needed. Now that's special!
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