Well having finally got Word Press to start working again its time for a new Blog.
It’s taken along time to write this as I have started many times but never got the chance to finish
I wrote one last week all ready to post but then decided that it consisted of far too many of my opinions and quite honestly who am I to foist these on people?
Seems to me that the Internet is already full of people quite happily doing this in the misguided belief anyone cares.
So I will try and stick to facts
Well the most significant thing to report is that The Clan returned to the Cambridge Rock festival in August and a good time was had by all. Our second time there, the first being in 2011 and we are proud to be associated with the event. It’s a well-organised, friendly event run by music lovers for music lovers. Saturday night headliners FM were excellent and other standouts, apart from us of course, were Chantel McGregor and a very young band called The Rooz (as in Kanga rooz). I did hear quite a few people saying there were too many blues bands on the bill and that may be true depending upon your musical tastes, from my point of view I must admit that I was quite surprised and perhaps slightly disappointed by how many bands played multiple cover versions in their sets, but overall 100 bands in 4 days is not bad for a festival.
Clan News – After a considered review of our objectives the band has decided to concentrate on playing gigs in “Music Venues” rather than everywhere and anywhere as we have been doing. The upshot is that we will probably play less but the gigs we do play will be better.
We will of course continue to write and record new material. In fact I have started recording some new demos already so watch this space.
Recent gigs which both re-affirmed our decision have been Hogs ‘n ’Heifers in Bentham and The Witton Chimes in Northwich.
The good ‘uns continue this week at The Jolly Nailor – Atherton – Friday 19th Sept.
Ok what else – well I could easily start ranting but instead I will just mention a few observations,
It seems a long time ago now as it has taken me so long to write this but no sooner has the Commonwealth games thankfully finished but unbelievably more athletics began. The BBC must have been ecstatic about this; they are the only ones that were though. I mean realistically how much athletics do most people want to see?
Needless to say the football season is now back in full swing, did it ever finish, we can look forward to endless coverage of experts telling us all about it in addition to the hours of actual games. I won’t be watching.
I’m not sure about you but I have been doing quite a bit of driving around the country recently and I do believe that the motorways are becoming more clogged all the time. I don’t have a solution but something needs to be done. I may have mentioned recently I did get a train from London to Liverpool and it was quick and on time. Only downside is the cost – maybe if they made it more comparable with the motoring cost for a similar journey it might get a few people on the train and off the roads? . Just a thought. Oh sorry this was written before the fares increased recently. So much for that thought.
As you know I like to read biographies of musicians regardless of what genre they are from and I have just finished one by Paul Stanley from Kiss. Whenever I read music biographies they talk about the background to some of their music so I always have the urge to hear it (again), my recent read being no exception. So the blame is on Paul Stanley for me working through three Kiss Alive albums. It actually makes them more interesting when you know the background although having said that and even allowing for when it was recorded and the immaturity of the band at the time Kiss Alive is still not a great listen. Alive II is a slight improvement due to the fact that many of the songs are from the co-written Destroyer although the studio side (side 4) is not good as even Paul Stanley admits. The third one is definitely the best of the bunch as by the time it was recorded the band had grown older and wiser and had also replaced Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (lead guitar). Certainly this was a good move as their replacements appear to be much better musicians. It has more “hits” on it as well. Ultimately though Kiss are best experienced as a full audiovisual package.
They do have the right idea though, play catchy sing-a-long songs and present them in a fun entertaining show. Isn’t that what it is all about? People just want to have fun and go home with a smile on their face.
My major listening over the last few days has been another old favourite of mine UFO. I’ve been a fan since the early 70s when I first saw them on Whistle test (they were actually at the roundhouse – it was on film). I own pretty much everything they have recorded in their various line-ups. For a lot of people guitar hero Michael Schenker is UFO but for me its vocalist Phil Mogg who defines their sound. I’ve seen the band many times in their various incarnations and the current line-up is still very much UFO. Their output is prodigious as well, not a band to rest on their laurels and just churn out the hits year after year. Obviously live they do play many of the old classics but they always include newer material as well which I think is great.
Anyway I am not going to carry on or I run the risk of this never being posted.
So apart from saying I can’t believe it is 37 years ago today since Marc Bolan died,
Keep rockin’
Be back a bit sooner next time
Craig
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