Committment / Slamfest and Jack's Rake Reviewed.

Yes, the Blogs are reaching you all a bit late recently, my apologies but……….    Well you don’t want the excuses.

Much that one like to think that energy batteries will run and run, it’s not the case in reality and sometimes especially when submerged b y a load of figures and notes, one just needs to walk away and take stock.

And so it was. ……

First lesson of the week is that around every corner getting a Festival together lays a nasty hole, normally requiring that it be filled with money. 

Our Commercial Fund Raising Team are doing well given that Rotherham Art Events does not as yet have a track record, but there is little doubt that we are hampered by the big promises made by others not so long ago to deliver major music events in Rotherham and failed………  

Slamfest, with no public funding to date, will go ahead, of that Mick Hill, the Committee and I are determined.  Which is why the loved and treasured Mashing Machine is to be sold so that all the set up expenses of Rotherham Art Events can be covered meaning that we can push on.

The Mashing Machine is a Taylor 810CE, currently available new for £2,600 at Dawson.co.uk  where you can also find the full spec of the guitar.  The only difference is that machine heads are black and not gold coloured. 

More details and ball park figures and deal can be got by Emailing Dickie HERE

And what a week of events is being planned  23^rd – 29^th July  from a Special Festival Nellie Folk with what we hope will be a great turnout of Rotherham Folk singers and culminating red hot Rock Rotherham Saturday (sixty + Bands, ten + stages plus loads of surprises) and Chill out Sunday at The Queens, Rawmarsh, with some cool chill out acoustic music.

The full Slamfest details are HERE, Rock Rotherham and Chill out Sunday details going up HERE, and all the information about Rotherham Art Events can be found HERE

It’s not too late to get involved.  Advertising from £25 and opportunities to Sponsor Stages and Events throughout the Festival.   You’ll need to speak to Lisa HERE

Volunteer to help us set it the Show up, everything from brain to brawn required.  Email your details to Jane HERE and she’ll put you to work. 

This is just the start folks, if this one all runs to plan – well happens – then we’ll be able to look forward to more in the Years ahead.

Rotherham Art Events backs Rotherham Artists with more than fine words, and what’s more we are all inclusive and our Door is open to all.

Now, while I’ve been doing my thinking, I’ve been listening to “Jack’s Rake”,  no don’t be silly, Masher Towers is not big enough accommodate the Band, I’ve had to make do with the CD also titled “Jack’s Rake”.   I’ve been looking forward to listening to the CD for Months and I’ve not been disappointed.

On the technical side, my congratulations to the sound geeks, they have managed to capture the big band sound absolutely perfectly, in fact it’s probably one of the best engineered CDs of it’s genre that I’ve listened to. 

The standard of playing was always going to be high, but the level of musicianship reflects the last two live Gigs I saw which were near perfection to my uneducated ear.  Even the vocals, often the weak point at live performances, (probably because the singers are straining voices above the Band to be heard) were relaxed and a delight.

The track list reflects perfectly the Band’s traditional Celtic roots yet infused by the more contemporary rhythms of the music contributed by Mark Pugh and Rob Whale. 

Well the CD certainly had my fellow dog walkers wondering what I was doing as I danced around my walking stick (don’t tell the DHSS).

I’ve been lucky enough to watch Jack’s Rake developing over the past three to four years, they’ve been fantastic supporters of Acoustic Rotherham and Dickie promoted events, and I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending that that you go out and grab this CD with both your hands, and pay the tenner I suspect that will be demanded.  The CD is worth every penny and there are a lot of mouths to feed.  Contact Mark HERE via his the Facebook page.

I’m keeping everything to the essentials for this one, so swiftly on into this week.

Yes, you’ve missed Nellie Folk, a typical high Summer gathering of the very best people I know.  So I didn’t stay to torture them with a song, leaving my handful of fliers and heading out again into the wilds that is Rotherham on a Friday night.

Thursday is looking a particularly heavy day of events.  The early reports from The Travellers at Brampton suggest that Left Handed Andy’s new Open Mic is finding a new audience.  I wish him luck.

And Friday, mustn’t forget this one, Chicago Innocence, with support from the Surrogates will be playing an event as a Rotherham Art Events Fund Raiser, at the Titans Rugby Club, from 8:00pm get in by 7:00pm if you want a moan or even find out more about RAE.  Tickets are only £3 so it should be a great old fashioned Friday night out.

And a reminder that this Saturday it’s Papa Legba’s Saturday at The Bridge, with a word for this month’s support, “Waiting for Eddie” a young Band with a big future and well worth getting in a wee bit early to listen to.

Check out the full week’s Dairy HERE

Whatever you’re doing this week, have great fun, support your local artists and KEEP IT LIVE.