New Gear!

FOG's just got a load of new gear - a mixing desk and some performance speakers. A total of 1600w output at full whack. So far we've only had it up to 1200w and that was because Peter kept saying he still couldn't hear it. That was when we realised his hearing aid batteries had gone flat. After we repaired the damage to Chris' practice room walls and windows, we settled for a moderate 300w. Next we had another problem to solve, which we are still working on. Namely that now we can not hide behind duff equipment as our excuse for sounding awful, so we will have to learn to play and sing in tune. There's always a downside isn't there.

FOG on the banks of the Avon

FOG under cover - the canvas helps mute the sound

June 4th, FOG played at the Jubilee picnic at Wyre Piddle in Smith's Meadow on the banks of the River Avon. The audience were the most appreciative we have ever had, as we were in a tent at the top of the bank and the picnicers were down the hill about 100m away and couldn't hear us.

Liz (Peter's wife)
Barking as he is!

David Vincent, who is a cracking photographer (www.wyrephotography.co.uk) took these photos using a long telephoto lens so that he didn't need to get within earshot.

Hot and Cold

No. 1 FOG fan

It was really hot earlier this week practising in Chris' enormous spare room. Being just under the roof, in the heatwave it was pretty unbearable. However all was saved when our No. 1 fan showed up and stayed throughout the practise - real cool!

FOG at t'Mill
Nearly there - looks like a great weekend of entertainment at Wyre Mill Club. The only blot on their landscape (not ours) is the decision to ask us to play on Friday night (1st June at 7.30pm). Ray has just been round to tell me that "It's a sell-out". I think he means that all the tickets are sold, but he could mean he has sold out the members by hiring us!
Anyway, we've been practising like mad and have got a programme of two 45-50 minute slots all sorted out, each with eleven numbers. We even know how to play two of the numbers.
I think Chris asked the question "have we got a number for an encore". That was just before they carted him off in the white jacket 'till he regained his sanity.

Ken Collects His Pension

The band gave Ken a surprise party at the Anchor on 10th May to celebrate his 65th birthday and his retirement. The bad news is that he's not retiring from the band, but the good news is that now that he is not working we can actually make more time to practice! The party was all Malc's idea and he had the foresight to take a Camera - which is why he's not in the photo. That's Suzie, Ken's wife on Ken's left.

Peter's catching Ken up (slowly)

Say's something about the band, with Peter having a birthday a week after Ken's. That makes them both Taureans, but we always knew that the pair of them were a load of old Bull!

The rest of the band (jealous of Peter's youth, virility and energy) generously gave Peter a piece of paper bestowing the honour of being unpaid apprentice. That assumes they have some talents that Peter can learn from.

Meanwhile, Paul & Miranda, Peter's son and daughter-in-law, sent him this super leather bound book all the way from Australia (copy 2637 of a limited edition run of 3000). Legendary Bass Guitar Songs - heavily featuring Cream and McCartney.Who said that there is no culture in Australia.

Peter decides to rebuild his Bass

Peter decided this week to rebuild his 4 string Bass. He had put the 4 string aside when he bought a flashy Yamaha BB605 5 string last year, but decided now that he needs a 4 string to be able to reach across the frets more easily. Peter has only short little fingers. Actually it is rumoured that his fingers aren't all that are on the little side, but we're not going to check that out! Anyway here's a couple of photos of work-in-progress. Apparently, fortified by an excellent Sunday Lunch of Gloucester Old Spot Pork at the Anchor, he claims to have finished the mods. He's put EMG PJX pickups on instead of the really cheap ones that were fitted to the guitar originally. The new pickups should give a really nice tone, but in Peter's hands that's just wishful thinking. They are "active pickups" (for the rest of you read battery powered), which means he can now play even louder out of tune than ever before.

Sorting out music.
We've had a helluva time the last few weeks trying to sort out our music. We all need a crib sheet because with our memories we can't even remember what it is we are playing from when we started the song two minutes ago, so we definitely need the words (for Ken) and other key bits of advice for the rest of us (like "turn the mic on before singing into it" for Malc and "the off switch is on the right hand side - use it" for Peter). Anyway, our music had gotten into such a mess with each of us having different hand amended versions of each song, often in differing keys, result - even more chaos than usual. Peter decided to "sort it all out". Result - identical amount of chaos but also half a rainforest destroyed in the attempt. Ken's been brilliant about it what with Peter rewriting all Ken's songs unintentionally in the process - Ken hasn't thrown a single wobbly. Maybe by our gigs in June things will be better.

FOG play at "Fladbury's got Talent" on February 11th 2012
Well someone had to set the benchmark when the words "Got Talent" is used. FOG were delighted to be asked there to set the benchmark for the evening, by which everyone else was to be judged.
As the curtains opened after the interval, Ken rocked into Black Magic Woman, while Peter and Malc were still trying to work out which was was forward facing. Chris, oblivious as ever banged on, then started to play the drums too. Peter then made the more sensitive members of the audience nauseous by doing a dedication speech inspired by the Oscars, and dedicating "Wonderful Tonight" to all the women in the audience - who were decidedly peeved at having such an unharmonious drone dedicated to them. Fortunately "Paint it Black" at full volume covered the sound of the outcry.
At the end of evening it appeared to be decided that all the other acts were superior to the FOG benchmark as they all got certificates, and FOG only got two for the four of us - we still argue which two let us down.
As the evening raised over £900 towards toilets for the Church in Fladbury (a subject dear to our bladdery challenged hearts) we were only too pleased to be invited.

FOG Plays at the Sight Concern Drop in Centre in Worcester in December
The crazy thing is that they had heard us before and asked us back. We weren't sure at that point whether they were hard of hearing as well as visually impaired. However, when one of them chatted up Ken, we knew for certain.
Luckily, it was the Christmas Party that day and everyone was far keener on the Turkey, Christmas Pud and the Raffle to bother about FOG mangling a few oldies - not to mention ruining a few old songs too.

See the good work they do at www.sightconcern.co.uk