Planning ahead, as all farmers like to do...(pause for gales of laughter to die down)...I see that the gig for 8/10/2011 (aka The Pianist's Significant Birthday Gig) will be blessed with a unique celestial event.
Quote from the excellent Spaceweather website ( http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=08&month=10&year=2010 )
"Every year around Oct. 8th, Earth passes through a minefield of dusty debris from Comet Giacobini-Zinner, source of the annual Draconid meteor shower. This year, forecasters expect Earth to narrowly miss several of the debris streams, resulting in no appreciable display for 2010. Next year, however, could be different. On Oct. 8, 2011, Earth will have a near head-on collision with a tendril of dust, setting off a strong outburst of as many as 750 meteors per hour. People in Europe, Africa and the Middle East will have a front-row seat for what could be the strongest shower since the Leonid storms a decade ago. Mark your calendar..."
Shooting stars and twelve bar blues. Who could ask for more?
Welcome to the website of the Thomas Lord Old Gits, mid-Hampshire's answer to Chumbawumba and Earth Wind and Fire, except that we're not an anarchic workers' collective, we're not American, and we do covers.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Another drummer - No 5?
Last night we said a big Old Git hello to Mick (inevitably "Mick the Sticks"), who joined us in the shed for a rehearsal. Eventually - once he'd found his way in the dark and asked at a couple of nearby houses. Lucky he didn't get the traditional "We don't talk to strangers in these parts" routine that Hinton Ampner is famous for; instead he was directed straight to Shed 3b.
Mick seemed ideal. First, he has one syllable in his name. Second, he knows what he's doing. Third, he helps to reinforce the more senior element of the Old Gits against the numerous youth members spending all day like txtg on t8 ph3ns innit.
We ran through half the set, trying to point out our idiosyncratic approach to several numbers (viz House of the Rising Sun), so the poor fellow might not be back next week.
Mick seemed ideal. First, he has one syllable in his name. Second, he knows what he's doing. Third, he helps to reinforce the more senior element of the Old Gits against the numerous youth members spending all day like txtg on t8 ph3ns innit.
We ran through half the set, trying to point out our idiosyncratic approach to several numbers (viz House of the Rising Sun), so the poor fellow might not be back next week.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Monday's rehearsal
Well, we had a bit of a gathering on Monday. We were a bit short on numbers: the much-anticipated new drummer couldn't make it, nor could Dave. One yoof is still playing entierre la salchicha , so the remaining five of us did a run-through of the set list, just to clear the cobwebs.
It turned into 'open drum nite', where we all (except the one who was feeling a bit male-PMT) thought we'd have a go spanking those skins. It's not as easy as it looks, is it? Tessa did best, it was decided, although she collapsed with exhaustion halfway through her turn. Johnny 'hot fingers' Flindt managed one half-hearted track on the high-hat, before heading off to bed. (Since then he has collapsed with the first uber-cold of the season, so we'll let him off.)
A couple of oldies tried; the problem arises when, after a few bars of tapping along successfully with the beat, a wave of confidence strikes, and you try to introduce another part of the kit. Result: disaster.
We eagerly await next Monday - the new drummer perhaps?
It turned into 'open drum nite', where we all (except the one who was feeling a bit male-PMT) thought we'd have a go spanking those skins. It's not as easy as it looks, is it? Tessa did best, it was decided, although she collapsed with exhaustion halfway through her turn. Johnny 'hot fingers' Flindt managed one half-hearted track on the high-hat, before heading off to bed. (Since then he has collapsed with the first uber-cold of the season, so we'll let him off.)
A couple of oldies tried; the problem arises when, after a few bars of tapping along successfully with the beat, a wave of confidence strikes, and you try to introduce another part of the kit. Result: disaster.
We eagerly await next Monday - the new drummer perhaps?
Monday, 20 September 2010
The Somewhat Unexpected Gig
So, harvest is done and dusted - what there was of it, and just as we're all getting frustrated by the lack of Band action, there's a Blues Brothers moment - John on the doorstep: "We're putting the band back together - for this Saturday night"
It would appear that an old booking had been somehow neglected, and needed to be honoured. Well, with two guitarists/vocalists going "There's lovely, you" in north Wales, and the drummer going "Racing pigeon trouble at t'mill flat cap ey up" somewhere not inconsiderably north of Alresford, it might, for lesser bands, have been a crisis.
But not for the Thomas Lord Old Gits. Dave popped down to 'drummers'r'us' and produced Glenn. Vocal duties were shared out among two slightly sneezy snotty Faireys, Charlie had to play his Linda MacCartney-style solo what seemed like dozens of times, and Dan played superbly to cover for his missing siblings.
Glenn was the star, spotting the stops and starts, endings and diddly bits impeccably. Actually, we were all stars - we filled the floor at the fantastic Worthies Club, and left them baying for more.
Who'd have thought it, eh?
It would appear that an old booking had been somehow neglected, and needed to be honoured. Well, with two guitarists/vocalists going "There's lovely, you" in north Wales, and the drummer going "Racing pigeon trouble at t'mill flat cap ey up" somewhere not inconsiderably north of Alresford, it might, for lesser bands, have been a crisis.
But not for the Thomas Lord Old Gits. Dave popped down to 'drummers'r'us' and produced Glenn. Vocal duties were shared out among two slightly sneezy snotty Faireys, Charlie had to play his Linda MacCartney-style solo what seemed like dozens of times, and Dan played superbly to cover for his missing siblings.
Glenn was the star, spotting the stops and starts, endings and diddly bits impeccably. Actually, we were all stars - we filled the floor at the fantastic Worthies Club, and left them baying for more.
Who'd have thought it, eh?
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Band in mothballs
The Thomas Lord Old Gits are still taking a sabbatical while harvest continues to fail to start properly.
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Happy Track Days...
People are often asking "What's it like to be presented with a mile-long straight and an Aston Martin to drive on it?" Impossible to describe, but this is what it looked like:
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
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