FOG is playing at Avoncroft Museum this Saturday

Put Saturday 25th August in your diaries.

Yes, we're back in action. Playing all evening at the WI "SOUNDS AMAZING" festival at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings (that's at Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, B60 4JR if you're coming to support us).

We've a bunch of old favourites, and also a bunch of new stuff that we've been working on.

Tim's just about settled into the band now - so much so that we've all chipped in for a new skin for his drums that will get it's debut on Saturday.

The evening runs from 6pm to 10pm and will feature all kinds of acts, mostly musical, around the grounds together with some stalls selling food and drink. The idea is generally you take a picnic and move around between the acts (always coming back to FOG!)

It's to celebrate 100 years of Worcestershire WI (formerly Women's Institute).

Please come and support them (and us). Tickets £12 (£10 for WI members, bring your membership card).

Venue packed out for FOG comeback GIG!

There wasn't even "standing room only" on Saturday at our comeback GIG at the Piesse of Pidele Hotel in Wyre Piddle on Saturday 29th July, guess people forgot just how bad we are after over two years since our last Gig there.

The audience were fantastic - really encouraging (thanks folks) and really noisy (excellent, no one could hear our mistakes) and sang along to everything (even better, didn't matter that we couldn't remember the words).

Tim, our new beat machine, kept his nerve and didn't once loose his sticks even if he lost the beat. After a popular vote in favour of Tim, we gave Tim his apprenticeship certificate - but warned him of the consequences of forgetting to bring biscuits to the rehearsals again.

Thanks to Graham for hosting us at the Hotel (he serves a mean pint - has Abbott ale at the moment)

Our guest Photographer (John Kellett) took these photos (thanks John)

We did pick up a couple of requests from folks for us to go and play for them at parties. We hadn't the heart to point out that their hearing aid batteries must have run out.

We're in the Piddle Post!

THE NEW FOG CHARITY GIG as above – FOG WARNING – The FOG is about to descend upon Wyre Piddle again… so look out everyone… Having lost Dear Old Chris, they have had to start at the bottom with a young apprentice (hope he can keep up with these old timers…) FOG’s first outing will be to raise money towards the restoration of St Anne’s historic window. Not without reason, therefore, FOG is desperate for your support. Give the Four Old Geezers some much needed encouragement. They will have a bucket (ideally for your contributions) ((and if you give them enough they may go home early)) – If this outing wasn’t enough, they will be the headline act at the the Harvest Supper in the Village Hall on Saturday 30 September, so pop this date in your diary now…

Tim (bang, crash, wallop) Willis

Tim's our new drummer.

He's also the new youngster to the band, reducing the average age of the band by some considerable amount as he has only recently qualified for his senior citizens railcard, whereas the rest of us can't remember what a railway is half the time.

Tim's trying to recreate his misspent youth, recalling the days when he played in a 1970's show band called "The Brass Syndrome" and doing all the clubs in South Wales. That was until the Welsh got their devolution and the first thing the Welsh Parliament did was to vote to deport him.

The highpoint of his musical training was lessons from Pic Withers of Dire Straits fame. Shame Tim can't remember anything he learned from Pic.

All this semi-professional background means that Tim joins Ken as another member who has actually done some serious music in the past. Makes Malc and Peter feel overwhelmed!

Welcome Tim.

FIRST GIG with FOG II - Piesse of Pidele - Saturday 29th July

FOG is back - and we are doing our first proper GIG at the hotel (Piesse of Pidele) in Wyre Piddle on Saturday 29th July.

Come along and hear us and introduce yourselves to Tim, our new drummer.

Especially bring your wallets, because we are doing the GIG in aid of the St. Anne's Window Appeal - to restore the historic medaeval window in St. Anne's Church in Wyre Piddle.

FOG is back

Nearly two years after Chris' tragic death, FOG have formed up again with Tim Willis as our new drummer. Tim is a bit of a foreigner, being as he comes from as far away as Fladbury. He also makes it into the band as the new youngster as he has only recently acquired his bus pass and senior citizens railcard.

The Wyre Piddle Blues

I've been asked for the words to the Wyre Piddle blues by many of you. Not because you liked them, but because you couldn't hear what Peter was singing.

Well - here they are - First sung at Piesse of Pidele on Friday 13th December 2013

Listen everybody, I'm gonna sing you the blues
Bout livin' near the river, and it ain't all good news
Since Squire put the trees there, it's ruined all the fun
Boats used to sail here, now there isn't one
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

We used to have a sailing club, but now the club is done
We used to have a view, but now the view is gone
Now let me tell you out there about what we could see
We used to see Bredon, but now it's only tree
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

A village in the making, was what we had right here
Lorries used to pass thru, thousands every year
Bypassed now they're all gone, people power has won
But now they're building Keytech Two and the country's nearly gone
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

The Anchor was the place to go, for good food and a beer
But alas the owner changes, nearly every year
Just when it's doing well, it's time to say goodbye
But Ian and Andrea newly here, again we're on a high
(Originally: Cos Enterprise just pulled the plug, and once again we're dry)
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

I'll finish on an upbeat, the folks all here are great
FOG proves there's an afterlife, they're past their sell-by date
Carrie keeps us on the go, Graham's real laid back
WYRE wins all the local games, we're right along the track
So why am I singin' you, singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues?

Other verse added from time to time:

At Piesse on 24 October 2014

We've heard about Ebola and how they're a coming our way
We've had the Poles and  Latvians, Lafarge is quick to say
Just send them back to Europe,we don't want Ebolans here
And give us our two billion back, then we in Wyre will cheer
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

And Rosier's surprised us all with the strangest request you'll hear
He's telling everybody and he's talking christmas cheer
A hedgehog's what he's after and that's for Christmas day
The rest of us want turkey, but John he say's "no way"
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

At Tony Peachey's 70th Birthday Party on 26 July 2014

So Peachey's hit the seven- oh, and got his friends around
His garden's full, it' s overflowed, that is what we've found
And Dorset Lady's sitting there, ignoring all the noise
Calling "it's cooler in the river here, come on and jump in boys"
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

And Smithy's taken himself a huff to home he does revert
"A meal is not the same" he says "without the right desert
Fruit and cheese doesn't do for me, I need my choccy fix
At home my fridge is full of it be back in a couple of ticks"
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

At the Wyre Summer Fete on 15 June 2014

The Squire's up to tricks again, this time he's at the mill
A generator now he wants, and we're all payin' the bill
He's taking all the water, there's none there for canoes
Once more he's killin' fun, and the kids again will lose
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

In May 2014

All being over fifty, we note SAGA is to float
We thought they always did so, but in an ocean going boat
FOG, we do our cruising on the river Avon here
Stuff fancy food and dancing, all we want is beer
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

There's problems at the Co-Op which is the latest news
Don't bother us with banking, unless you want our views
There's not a single shop here, so we have no use for cash
Just chuck em in the river, let's enjoy the splash
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

In August 2014

The Russkies have invaded, were all worried about Ukraine
The Scots are soon to vote about taking the last train
But this in Piddle passes by, like the A fourty-four
Cos too much talk of politics to us is just a bore
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin' you, the Wyre Piddle Blues

(c) Copyright Peter Gardner, 2013 and 2014
You may use this material, especially for campaigning for the
restoration of the river at Wyre Piddle to its original beautiful
openness. Please acknowledge this source.

FOG charity work floats

Maybe you've read that stuff at the top of the page about FOG doing Gigs for Charity. Well, an new twist was when we played at a Golden Wedding on September 13th up at Cropthorne Village Hall.

As well as keeping these old geezers in Beer and a fantastic Hog Roast, the audience were just great, and the hosts very kindly gave us £150 (no - no to shut up!), but as a thanks for playing.

£50 went to the Hawthorns care home, and £50 to the Pershore Riverside Youth Centre.
Makes all the practice worthwhile.

What do you mean? You don't believe we practice because we make such a dreadful racket! Well you should hear us when we haven't practiced!

Great Night at Piesse of Pidele

What a fantastic night on Friday 24th October - we played for nearly three hours to the most fantastic audience. They sang along with us and cheered us on. What a fantastic bunch - Thanks Wyre Piddle, and well done to the Skittles team that won and helped with the superb atmosphere.

Don't we scrub up well

Fantastic evening at Dumbleton Hall - which was a posh black-tie job, so your favourite band had to tart ourselves up - and the WAGs looked pretty good too.

The audience loved the Defford Railway Blues, written specially for them by Peter.

Listen everybody, I'm a singin' you the blues
Presidents bash is on tonight, and here is all the news
Since JR quit as HON SEc, and Chris took up the post
Minutes will never be as prompt, JR's proudest boast
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

John Angood's on the go once more, he's on the path again
Be careful you don't walk that path, it's sure to cause you pain
Sharing it with John and Anne, he'll sting you for a grand
But what the heck, it's all for sight, and in a foreign land
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

The Christmas tree will soon be lit, in Pershore's busy street
For PC Easy it's a bore, for others it's a treat
For us old guys, once more again in wind and rain and snow
We're rattling cans, collecting cash, to Acorns it will go
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

Old Grumpy's chasing us to play another round or two
For "Kids Out" is what he claims, we're not sure that is true
'Cos Mark's team wins near all the prizes, almost every year
And Mark is Grumpy's son you know, he holds him very dear
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

Chris did a SOLO HARMONICA here

Now here's the worry for us all, Malcolm's new top man
And everywhere he's worked before has gone all down the pan
One thing we can be sure of though, the meetings will start late
Or even on another day, 'Cos Malc's screwed up the date
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

The Railway is a second home, Rotarians are the Gentry
Even though there's a Scot or two and Past Presidents a-plenty
Steven keeps us Holy and Guido keeps us fed
FOG proves there's an afterlife, but it's time we were in bed
That's why I'm singin' you, I'm singin you, the "Defford Railway" Blues

President Elect Plays at Dumbleton Hall

Mad fools Rotary Club of Pershore have made two big mistakes this year. First is to persuade FOG lead guitarist Malcolm to be President. Second is to ask FOG to play at the outgoing presidents evening at Dumbleton Hall.

Malcolm took over the Presidency on Wednesday (see photo). Chris is Hon Sec of the club, and Peter is Hon Treasurer.

The outgoing President of Pershore Rotary said:

"The new Club President is Malcolm Haden who, prior to his retirement in 2007, had a working career spanning 45 years, starting with an engineering apprenticeship at Needle Industries of Studley, when 20 million needles were produced every week, through to 35 years spent in Garden Tool Manufacture.

A music career over a similar period started with singing Beatles songs with the Sunday School choir and a short spell in a blues band, followed by a 45 year rest before joining local band Four Old Geezers (FOG), consisting of 2 fellow Rotarians and one proper musician. FOG are booked to play at the annual President’s evening at Dumbleton Hall where they aim to prove that ‘Rotary Rocks’.

Malcolm thanked Alan for a brilliant year and for ensuring that being part of Pershore Rotary Club was a real pleasure.

Fund raising for local and international causes will continue to be our main aim, while having fun as a club with speakers, outings and social events during the year.

This year we also aim to reach out to people who share the Rotary ethos, but who do not have the time to join us at our weekly meetings.

If you care about your local community and the problems of the wider world and would like to help us in an informal way, do please check out the Pershore Rotary Club website at http://www.pershore.rotary1100.org/

FOG hits the newspapers!

Brilliant couple of days out at the Cropthorne Walkabout, where we played on Sunday 4th and Monday 5th May (Bank Holiday Weekend). Highpoint for us has got to be the coverage in the Evesham Observer.

FOG have nine GIGs lined up!

We are playing at the Cropthorne Walkabout (twice), the Wyre Piddle Village Fete (as always), the Pershore Rotary Club Presidents Dinner at Dumbleton Hall, the Fladbury Walkabout (twice) and Peachey's Party at the Piesse of Pidele. Just added is a gig at Upton (not the Jazz fest), and Bondy's Wake. We've also been approached to play at the Upton Jazz Festival and Jardine Motors VW Evesham but one or another of the band couldn't do it.

Please don't crash the parties just to hear us, but you have no excuse not to hear us somewhere in the next few months now!

At Piesse of Pidele on 7th February

John again armed with Camera

Piesse of Pidele on 13th December

Liz joins us and sings "These Boots were made for Walking"

Wow have we been busy.

We played at Ecgwins Club in Evesham on 9th December for the Evesham Photographic Society Christmas bash and quiz night. We came second in the photographic quiz!

Anyway - John Kellett took these great photos for our album.

Note the waistcoat - my Christmas Present from Liz.

More new gear

Peter has acquired yet another Bass - while we privately wish he'd learn to play his first one properly, we were intrigued as to why he had bought it, when we knew he hankered after an American Fender.
Peter explained: "I went to GuitarGuitar just before Christmas to try the range of Fenders. Since the one I really fancied (the American Fender Jazz Bass DeLuxe) was £1762.80 rrp, I tried their cheaper range of Mexican made guitar. They were sh** compared to the American one, and so I parked the idea until I won the Lottery. Then last week I went to visit my Mum (94) in Stockton, and my niece's husband popped into see me with some bits of kit that he was wanting to sell, as he's recently been made redundant. This Squier (made by Fender) was among the bits. I told him that I had wanted an American Deluxe, but went to try it out on his Fender amp just to be friendly. I was gobsmacked by the quality of the feel and the pickups - much much better than the Mexican crap. The balance is great, and the neck action beautifully smooth with the ebonite layer on the maple neck. The pickups and the electrics are really punchy, and the Passive / Active switch means not having to worry about flat batteries again - as well as providing the ability to go more gently bluesy numbers on passive and rock on the active. It is their Squier Deluxe Active Bass which rrp for £322.80. It cost me £180 in near new condition. The American Fender will have to wait until as the guys say - I've learned to play it properly!"
You can hear Peter with his new toy at Piesse of Pidele on 8th February at our next Gig.

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!