Well, finally taking a break after a hectic Xmas build up. BB did 2 mega sets of Rock Classics Friday 21st with me trialling my new Roland VDrum Portable kit. Got away with it but needs some tweaking. So good though to be able to arrive/leave with my kit in a bag. Going to be perfect for teaching – get in touch for a drum kit lesson IN YOUR OWN HOME (Or office)!
Last gig of the year on 22nd, on accordion…loads of Carols, hanging by a thread, just “We wish you a Merry Christmas” to go when some sadist suggests “the 12 Days of Christmas”…and it was hammering with rain…such are the trials of the wandering minstrel…
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Just in to Boxing Day…
Filed under Accordion, Bueanos Bastardes, Drums, Events, General Music Stuff I'm Up To!, Performing
December 20th 2012…
Well it’s been a busy couple of weeks…
On the 8th I travelled to Milford on Sea to play drums and piano for a school Christmas Concert for my good friend and exceptional Tenor Colin Judson and his Soprano Music Teacher wife Pippa. The drum kit was an electronic Roland V Drum top of the range kit and I managed to find some very odd sounds that I used during Colin’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) such as a loo flushing, a “boing” spring, and various fighting noises…he eventually collapsed in hysterics as did the audience…watch this space for a You Tube special of this…very funny…
On Monday 10th I played piano for a local Choir The Boiler House singers in their inaugural Christmas outing performing Fairytale of New York. On the 12th I was Santa again at Columbia Rd playing carols on accordion and handing out sweets to children. I did it again this Wednesday there too. I was Santa at the Primary School I teach music at also having to explain that my resemblance to the children’s music teacher was because he was my cousin!!! After yet another Santa and accordion outing on Saturday 15th I am Santa’d out!
My private teaching is still going very well with a new drum kit pupil starting this week that wants more in the New Year – she had never played drums before ever but had dreamt of doing so for 20 years so I am glad to have made that Christmas wish come true!
Today the 20th was great for a couple of reasons – firstly I had the school Christmas Concert that I ran for all children and parents. It was fabulous with each year group singing a different carol…you can hear the four-year olds singing Jingle Bells here – it is just lovely!
The headmistress presented me with a bottle of wine (good choice!) and thanked me warmly – it’s a lovely school…
The other exciting thing that happened today was getting delivery of my new electronjic drumkit which I plan to use in my gig with BB tomorrow night. I also plan to use it for teaching on as it is very portable so I can even do lessons opn it at people’s homes as it can be transported by bike!!! Click below to see it in action…
I will be reporting on tomorrow’s gig in my next blog entry (unless of course the Mayans are right and tomorrow 21st December 2012 is in fact the end of the world – at least I’ll be gigging as it happens!)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all – Barney Musician
Filed under General Music Stuff I'm Up To!
December 4th
Well, Danny’s and Sheena’s birthday bash on Nov 24th was a belter! A great pub called the Lukin in Fitzrovia with really helpful staff and a straightforward pub bar. Danny had the place booked out so it had a house-party vibe about it which was nice. He had booked musical double-act “Chefs de Party” – Adrian (aka DJ Saffrolla) and I (aka Bongo Barney!) – so we rocked up with my P.A. and mini-percussion rig and his Mac and his new Numark controller for what turned out to be a great night (you just gotta get the ladies on the dancefloor…).
DJ Saffrolla worked the decks while I banged my bongos and at one point I was handing out percussion instruments to the faithful and Saffrolla cut out a few times to platform a solo Samba band sound!
-
- My basic rig – simple, but powerful…
-
- DJ Saffrolla dropping beats…
-
- Danny (birthday boy) on the bongos!
-
- and again…
-
- and again…
-
- The crowd!
-
- Pretty lights and stuff!
-
- Technology and stuff…
On Wednesday 28th Nov I had my first Santa gig of the season – at Columbia Rd E2 where they are opening every Wednesday eve in the lead up to Christmas. I took my accordion down and strolled around hohohoing while playing carols and handing out sweets to enchanted (but on 2 occasions traumatised!) children. The photo gallery run by Seamus Ryan pulled me in to take my photo and got this!
Available for parties, grottos and strolling!
Then on Friday I did a Barney’s Barn Dance for Hackney Carers Centre in Dalston rounding off their AGM and lunch meeting with some “DoSiDo-ing”, “Northen Stars” and a Circadian Dance – here they are getting in to the swing of it – literally…
This week relatively quiet in terms of performing but lots of teaching as usual and still preparing Christmas carols with the children at the Primary Schools I teach at in preparation for the Christmas Carol Concerts (Shakin’ Stevens, you have a lot to answer for!!!)
Coming up I have a gig this Saturday 8th December playing piano for Pippa, opera singer and wife of my good pal, Tenor Colin Judson in The New Forest, for her school’s December Concert then on Sunday off to Brighton to see the lovely Elizabeth Hansen, a fantastic singer and good friend I have gigged with before and hopefully again soon .
À tout à l’heure !
Filed under General Music Stuff I'm Up To!
Barney Musician 