Look it was hard work OK!
View Larger Map
Click ‘larger map’ for tour route – back May 22 but checking mails along the way.
Yep, I’m off with the wonderful Mr James Hunter and his very fine band for a little Spring time jaunt around quite a lot of Mainland Europe. That’s May sorted then.
So lucky the last 2 nights to be laughing so hard. Last night thanks to Barbara Nice at the Bear in Bearwood, just across the road from the now deceased off-license where I saw Christine McVie and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys hanging out way back. Anyone who gets 100 people letting off helium balloons on Bearwood Hight St whilst singing ELO tunes is fine with me.
I think it was only the second time that Barbara has done this show. Here’s a review from when she premièred it in Leicester last year.
Tonight it’s been on line humour. Jon Bounds seems to have launched the Birmingham end of the Meaning of Briff on Twitter and I don’t know if it works if you don’t know the City but if you do then please go read, enjoy and add.
I’m thrilled to be invited to contribute next week to the Digbeth is Good blog. Mentioning to Barbara last night, post balloons, the proposed Beorma Buiding in Digbeth she mentioned that she had written a play about the Beorma people some time ago, reminding me the name ‘Birmingham’ comes from “Beorma ingas ham”, meaning “home of the people of Beorma.
So hoping Nicky Getgood gets well quickly and catches some of the weekend and that everyone else has a fine St Patrick’s time wherever you are, including you lot in Texas.
Dubber the Outrageous!
Published January 28, 2009 Copyright Debate , Creative Republic 8 CommentsTags: Andrew Dubber, Birmingham UK, Copyright Debate, Creative Republic, John Mostyn
All cool here with lots of interesting little jobs for both agencies – worked with our first contortionist last week at an office party in the Jewelry Quarter!
Meanwhile have been horrified and amused at some of the comments on Andrew Dubber’s New Music Strategies blog which I am sure is his intention however I’ve risen to the bait and proposed that the next major public event for Creative Republic should be a debate around some of the issues that Andrew raises in this particular post. He has accepted the invitation to debate, to my delight and I’ll be posting details soon for what should be a lively yet hopefully informative and entertaining evening in town – around the end of Feb.
First vote of the year
Published January 6, 2009 Uncategorized 1 CommentTags: Birmingham UK, Created in Birmingham
Happy New Year All,
Birmingham is developing a fine tradition in having some of the best blogs and bloggers around. This one clearly being an exception! In order for this to be recognised nationally it would be fab if you would take a brief moment and go to vote for the Created in Birmingham blog in the 2008 weblog awards. We are up against the Daily Mail so all hands to the pumps or all fingers on mouses, whatever just go do it – every day as surprisingly you can vote every 24 hours!
Another couple of busy winter weeks some highlights being:
Michael Wolff workshop hosted by
Creative Republic at Fazeley St StudiosMichael Wolff gives a workshop in charm without trying before he starts on the subject at hand.
Creative Republic guests gather at Fazeley St Studios
The Lunar Society Annual Dinner at The Council House with guest Sir David Arculus who turned out to be a local chap done extremely well. Diplomat in the extreme but had a lucky break way back when chairman of IPC magazines which during his period started a mag called Smash Hits which went from 0 to 1m copies a week within a year!
Nutcracker at The Hippodrome, finished now but can’t believe how much I enjoyed it. Brilliant inspirational dancing to great tunes you know played really well. BRB in full effect.
Intense impromptu birthday partying at The Spotted Dog with some fine musicians in the house Irish music in Spotted Dog from Nicky Getgood on Vimeo.
Mama Matrix at The Rainbow were a joy too. As above we can’t host the video on this version of WordPress but for a Gypsy punk folk psychedelic treat just click here
And not forgetting the Custard Factory team who lured those Fleet Foxes to their first ever Birmingham gig. It was a blinder and if you missed them here’s a hint via Letterman of what a top live show they do:
Then we’re hot!
A wonderful evening in the mind blowing splendor of Worcester Cathedral last week when MOD organised the music for the Lord Stafford Innovation Awards. Top players Vo and Joe Fletcher and Ric Sanders got the music just right for the occasion. Here’s their view of the evening:
Meanwhile our very own smileymic got to meet the Sugarhill Gang last month. Here’s the video that won him the honour:
Just had a lovely cup of tea with the ever cool Ranking Roger to round off the day.
Another quiet spell for this blog as last week was really busy which I blogged a little about here and this week I’m off on a course with some very nice people to learn some stuff – wish me luck!
I’ve been wondering how to blog some things that come to mind from the past due to something current. No big deal but little memories that might amuse some readers. So I’m going to flag them up ‘Memory’ and those with no interest in modest snippets of popular music history can just pass on by.
Thinking of it today as I see Derrick May is in town tomorrow night at The Factory 13th B’party. My old mate Neil Rushton released Derrick’s ground breaking records in the UK at the very start of Techno when Neil and only a couple of others from the UK saw what Derrick, Kevin Saunderson and Co were doing in Detroit. I had the honour of taking Herbie Hancock to London’s Heaven in ‘87 where the whole Acid thing had kicked off to hear Derrick DJ and see what Techno was about and then to introduce them in Herbie’s Mayfair hotel room later.
Derrick was so high post show that when he came to Herbie’s suite he literally ran up the wall to around 5′ from the ground and then horizontally round half the large room. A surprised but always cool Herbie asked Derrick if he’d be interested in working on a film score with him but it was all too much for Derrick who needed more space and fled the room to run through Hyde Park I think.
Nice to see them both still around and both doing what they love.
