Reports
Subject:
UK4 - Thanks to everyone - especially Chris
Date:
26 Mar 2001
From:
Bob Thomas
I'm now well on the way to recovery after the weekend and I'd like to say a big
thank you to everyone who was there and who made my first rmmga get-together
such a great experience.
From the second I walked through the door I knew that it was going to be a
fantastic weekend - and so it was. I've never learned so much, played so many
great guitars, drunk so much beer or made so many great friends in such a small
space of time as I did over the UK4 weekend.
From past experience I know how much work it takes to put something like UK4
together and I'd like to especially thank Chris Rockliffe for all the effort he
put into organising the weekend and all the work he put in over the weekend to
make sure that everyone was having a great time.
To Chris and everybody else - thanks for a great time and your friendship - see
you next time round at UK5 if not before!
All the best,
Bob
Subject:
UK4 Survivors, an apology
Date:
Mon, 26 Mar 2001
From:
Alan Marshall
I am so sorry, dispite only having around 5 more people than at UK3,
and the weather being cooler, the duration of the sessions, and the
uncontrolled thirst of th US contingent, the beer ran out just on
midnight Sunday. This didn't stop the more intrepid ones lasting
through to 6.00am, though this was disappointing, as on Saturday, a
couple of us lasted until 10.15 am!
An average of around 40 people each day managed to drink their way
through 88 Imperial gallons (that's over 117 US gallons) of beer and
lager plus a further 20 UK gallons of wine plus an assortment of soft
drinks, tea and coffee. It is obvious from these figures, that the
ladies at the event are all lushes! I suggest we charge them double
next year! The only males to suffer this discrimination being Magnus
Paterson, who managed to stay up to 4.00am, Friday, having started
drinking at 5.15pm, only to be up again at 9.30, and continuing like a
man who had never tasted beer in his life, and, of course, Guy Snape,
who as usual, drank his own weight in beer each day!
No, really, I love you all, even a certain Welsh lady who decided that
I have a magnificent, if slightly bruised lunch box.
I hope this is the first posting to reach the group on UK4, so that I
can say a real big thank you to all who attended. I won't single
anyone else out, as you all made it what it was, a slightly (well very
really) fuzzy, warm and fun weekend.
I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.
I'll leave it to others to report on the details of the meet, I'm too
bushed , no make that Knackered at the moment, having had about 7
hours sleep over the 3 days to keep on typing just now.
Best Wishes, -
Alan
(Chief brew master and meter maid)
Marshall
Subject:
Re: UK4 Survivors, an apology
Date:
Mon, 26 Mar 2001
From:
Pat Martindale
Alan,
Thanks are due to yourself, Chris and Fiona for organising such a great
get together. I know a lot of effort went in to finding the venue and
all the million and one things that needed sorting out.
Despite the shortage of beer and the culinary pyrotechnics on Sunday
morning I am sure I am not alone in thinking what an excellent time we
all had. Perhaps at the next one (when is it Chris??) we should ask
someone to give us a fire fighting workshop.
Everyone put heart and soul into having a good time and I'm sure UK4
will go down in gathering folklore as being one of the best.
As usual I came away with fond memories and a ton of inspiration.
Thanks to all who came for the good humour, good music and great
company.
(Them sausages were a bit burnt though:-))
Pat Martindale
Subject:
UK4 Survivors, an apology
Date:
Mon, 26 Mar 2001
From:
Shirley Worrall
Hello there, exhausted UK4ers :)
What an utterly brilliant weekend that was! Many thanks indeed to
Chris, Fiona and Alan for their organisational achievements. (I vote
for booking Hargate Hall again right now for next year's bash.)
It's never possible to draw up a comprehensive list of highlights for
an event like this. However..... that won't stop me from sharing some
of the bits that particularly stood out for me, so that I can re-live
them again tonight before I have to get back to work in the morning.
On the new guitar front, this weekend was absolute bliss. Many, many
thanks to Simon from Brook Guitars, based in Devon, England
(http://www.brookguitars.com/)
for bringing over such a beautiful
collection and trustingly allowing us to play with them all weekend.
(Incidentally, many thanks also to the very patient occupants of that
sitting room suite for letting us use it for the guitars - that was
very much appreciated, Zena, Joan, Linda et al.) I already knew that I
liked Brook guitars, but I could never have had the opportunity to
just sit and play with various body styles and wood combinations for
hours and hours in any other circumstances. I just couldn't believe
how easy they were to play - amazing action! - and how sweet they
sounded. Enormous thanks also to Michael Dunnigan for arranging the
visit. (Michael made the elegant Brook website, and he owns a
collection of extremely attractive green Brook guitars!) I'm already
planning a trip down to Devon for a further drool in the workshop
there. I'm already thinking walnut/cedar - between now and then I just
have to decide on a body size and save up the dosh... :)
The other new (to me) guitars that just blew me away were Jamie
Kinscherff's
(http://www.kinscherff.com/)
two gorgeous guitars. Jamie
came all the way from Texas with Jim Whelan! I was very excited when I
read that they were coming, partly because of all the great things
I've read here about Jamie's guitars. Those of us in the UK often read
on the NG about lovely American guitars that we'd not normally get the
chance to play, so for me it was a real treat to get the opportunity
to play these two. They were both absolutely stunning: vibrant,
resonant and gorgeous to look at, with beautiful, light actions.
Throughout the weekend I kept seeing people huddled in corners with
Jamie's guitar in their arms and disbelieving looks spreading across
their faces :) Thank you very much indeed to Jamie and Jim for coming
over, and for bringing those lovely guitars with you.
On the musical front the weekend was an absolute killer too. Chris
Rockcliffe had an inspirational idea, which involved drawing names out
of a hat on Friday evening in order to come up with random pairings
for musical collaborations, which those of us who participated
performed on Saturday and Sunday night. It was a great idea, and
brought together people who would probably never have thought of
playing together in other circumstances. It was great to hear old
friends playing again, and also to hear new friends playing for the
first time. As is always the case at NG bashes, those of us who are
nervous players were greeted with warmth, support and enthusiasm.
The guest players were a joy and an inspiration as always, including
the wonderful fiddler (Graham Clark) who came along yesterday evening
and blew everyone away! Thank you very much indeed to Lee Collinson,
Wizz Jones, Zena Tubman, Doug B. Smith and Dave Wood. In fact, the
only miserable note in the whole weekend was when I dashed anxiously
up to the utterly phenomenal Dave Wood after hearing him play at the
Saturday night bash, clutching my money in my sweaty little hand in
search of a CD - and it turned out he's never recorded anything! I
truly hope that he soon does, because if he doesn't then I think my
car will soon need new tyres as it'll be travelling up and down from
here to Devon in the hope of catching some gigs...
Some other magical moments I particularly enjoyed were the brilliant
recording workshop given by Bob Thomas and Henry Smithson, the
electric guitar lesson from Pete "Lovely Bum" Gay, hearing young James
Tucker (only 12 years old!) play with such confidence and ability at
the Saturday night bash, playing on the swing in the garden and on the
slide in the funhouse, singing daft harmonies with Brenda, Zena and
Alan to accompaniments from Greg Neaga, Michael Dunnigan and Chris
Rockcliffe in the small hours of this morning (the best fun I've had
in years - it was an absolute blast!), catching Magnus playing through
a really beautiful Richard Thompson song in the bar last night before
the festivities began, hearing Dave Wood's ethereally beautiful tune
written as a tribute to James Taylor, hearing Henry playing
Elizabethan Serenade and other utterly beautiful things in open G on
the upstairs landing on Friday evening, persuading Chris Rockcliffe to
do a few of his beautiful Geordie songs late last night and finally,
winning first prize in the raffle :))) (Many thanks to Joan for
selling me the winning ticket. I told her at the time that it was the
winner, but I don't think she entirely believed me!) As always,
though, the best bit of all was just seeing old friends again and
making some new ones. There really is nothing quite like these NG
bashes, where everyone is just there for the love of the guitars, and
the real joy of spending 3 days with like minded people immersed in
fun and music (and beer, of course). Roll on UK 5!
Best wishes, Shirl
Subject:
UK4 and Dave Wood Recording
Date:
27 Mar 2001
From:
Michael Dunnigan
Hello again to the UK4 lot and let me say thanks to you all for making it an
unforgettable experience. It was a huge eye-opener for me and inspirational
players and guitars were all over the place! Wow!
Dave Wood and Simon from Brook Guitars don't actually get the newsgroup as yet,
although Simon is righting that ASAP, but I'll be passing on any comments made
on this NG to them so they can see what everyone made of their guitars (in
Simon's case) and their performances (in Dave's) where appropriate.
On that note, Simon was talking to me just before he left on Sun and said he is
going to try his best to urge Dave Wood to make some kind of recording - and
help fund it as well, if necessary! Apparently Dave's a bit difficult to pin
down on this though but I think it might inspire him if he knew what was being
said here about his performances. So I'm going to collate the feedback on Dave
and send it to him via Simon so he can use these 'reviews' to make Dave see
sense and get something on CD.
Drop me an email or post something here if you want him to hear it.
Cheers,
Michael Dunnigan
Subject:
UK4 memories
Date:
Tue, 27 Mar 2001
From:
Magnus Paterson
Well, if the truth be told, I have fewer memories than I
should, but that's just due to the massive loss of brain cells,
rather than any lack of memorable moments!
The only reason the beer lasted until midnight on Sunday
was that we had a delayed start on Friday because of
incompatible CO2 connectors for the lager, and lack of
sterilising facilities for the beer taps. Still, we made up for
lost time as best we could.
Oh, yeah, music and guitars. Let's see. Yes, they were
both present. Oh, OK then.
Our guest players were, as indicated on the survivor thread,
a real treat. Lee Collinson, apart from playing his set, did
another at the "folk night" as well as a tunings workshop
and much of the breakfast cooking. We should invite him
back. He fries a mean mushroom.
Doug B Smith was in fine form. He depressed me completely
by playing my Armstrong for about half an hour and making it
sound like it never has before and probably never will again.
Wizz played a stormin' set on Sunday night, and had a fund
of great stories about his experiences playing over the years.
He and Doug are touring together just now, so if you get the
chance GO AND SEE THEM. I know I'm shouting.
The luthier presentations were fascinating. Jamie Kinscherff
had forgotten his colour transparencies, but when, at the start
of his talk, he said he'd forgotten his slides, several people
offered him the use of their bottlenecks! You could tell it was
a guitar get-together just from that. Jamie also graciously
allowed me to play his own High Noon guitar in part of my solo
spot on Sunday, and it was a real treat. Well, for me at least!
Thanks, Jamie; you're a gentleman.
Shirl is absolutely right about Dave Wood. The man has
an incredibly delicate touch that draws you right in, and it
leaves plenty of space for dynamics. Some lovely slide
stuff in there, too. One of the weekend's high spots for me
was having my playing (briefly) mistaken for Dave's. As if!
Dave, if you ever record anything with that lick you put
together on my guitar, I want an acknowledgement on the
sleeve of the CD.
The Brook instruments were nice to play, but someone
(no names but his initials are Chris Rockcliffe) has a warped
sense of humour. Now I am and always have been a supporter
of Heart of Midlothian football club, but Chris had me sharing
a room with Michael Dunnigan who is a great guy and a good
player but is (a) a CELTIC supporter and (b) has three Brook
guitars ALL OF WHICH ARE GREEN. Good Grief.
No matter how much alcohol I throw at my addled brain, I'll
probably find it hard to forget the "duet" Nigel and I played
as a result of the random draw. In the best Celtic traditions
of ignoring the rules (or even the guidelines), we drafted in
Pete to play lead, and Henry on bass. Nigel suggested the old
60's hit "I Only Want To Be With You", so with a few minutes
to go before playing, we decided to figure out lyrics, chords,
arrangements, you know the sort of thing. Well, the lushes,
sorry, I mean ladies, on the balcony obviously thought it was
singalong time, went totally mental, and wouldn't let us go
without playing another one. Problem was, we only knew
that one. In a moment of inspired genius, Nigel suggested
"Mustang Sally", and we charged through that without too
much mishap. Best fun I'd had vertical for ages. Pete never
wants to play "Mustang Sally" again, though.....
What else can I say? Great music, great food, great beer
(while it lasted) and *great* company. Roll on UK5.
Cheers,
Magnus
Subject:
Re: UK4 Survivors, an apology
Date:
Tue, 27 Mar 2001
From:
"Nigel James Tucker"
Well, I for one really enjoyed the weekend. As you all know, I am the MC for
the Saturday folk club sessions, and it is a lot of fun. The new people that
came along were very welcome, and we had some fantastic guitars from our
friend Jamie Kinscherff, www.kinscherff.com, and a very nice set of guitars
from Brook guitars at www.brookguitars.com. A big welcome to Simon from
Brook, who stayed up all night Saturday, and all day Sunday, fuelled by
coffee, for the 4+1/2 hour drive back to Devon. Nice one mate!
We had a charity raffle, that raised about £ 100, with prizes donated by
Lucky Bags, Wizz Jones, Lee Colinwood, and others. There was also a superb
travel guitar, won by Shirl, I'll let her describe the joy of owning such a
beauty.
A big thank you must go out to Chris Rockcliffe, and others who helped
organise the event. THe beer did indeed run out, but I did notice some
people, no names ( Magnus, and me) drinking wine in half pint measures.
Still, it keeps the vocal chords running better.
Some suggestions for next year:
1. Keep the venue, it was superb.
2. Lets have more early nights- well at least start jamming earlier.
3. Don't say I didn't warn you all about going to bed early-you were all
told, but you didn't listen.
and lastly, I would like to remember the statement by Jim Whelan, those of
you who were there will know what I mean. I think he could be right!! ( Only
joking guys, honest.
Best wishes, Nigel Tucker
Subject: [UK4] Hello, my name is Al...
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001
From: Al Evans
...and I'm an RMMGA Gathering addict.
Cea and I made it back home safely to Austin about 5:30 yesterday
evening (which, of course, was by then after midnight "our time").
What an amazing time it was. Seeing old friends, making new ones,
drinking excellent English beer, and playing music. And setting the
kitchen on fire...
Highlights? They're all highlights, there were no shadows, but...
Saturday night, when Ronan's lady friend Brenda chastised the lovely
Jamie Kinscherff for failing to mention the Irish in his presentation
that afternoon. You shoulda seen the look in his eyes! Sheer fear!
Brenda is NOT the sort of lady you want to be on the wrong side of. To
Jamie's credit, he did find the only possible solution -- he apologized
profusely, gave her a hug, and assured her that, were she not already
attached, he would be in love with her. But I bet he never again
forgets to give the Irish their due!
Dave Wood's version of Norwegian Wood. Wow. We made him play it several
times. I know it's already been mentioned, but it was absolutely one of
the best things I heard all weekend.
The fact that both Pat Martindale and Shirley Worral consented to play
with me on a couple of my own songs!
Old Speckled Hen. I would've brought a barrel back with me on the plane
if I could've carried it on.
The kitchen fire. I didn't help start it or put it out; I just wandered
in, looked at it, said, "yup, that's a fahr all right," and went
outside for a smoke. It was early in the morning, and I know my limits.
Lee Collinson. A great player (damn good singer, too), great fun to
hang out with, and cooks a mean English breakfast. Knows more tunings
(or "chunings") than anyone I've ever met.
Chris AKA "clipboard man". You could whack him upside the head, and he
still wouldn't just relax and have a good time. He put an incalculable
amount of time and energy into making sure everything went right. And
it did. Righter than right.
Meeting some of the local players. I didn't get to talk to them all,
but I had a long conversation with Perry Huntsman and Jim Davie. What
great guys! We ended up discussing the possibility of substituting a
four-pound sledge for a subwoofer in a teenager's car.... To give you
an idea -- Jim has 18-year-old twin boys, and he's still one of the
most mellow and fun-loving people I've ever met!
I could rave on forever. I think Charles summed it up best at the Texas
Gathering, when he said that these Gatherings are all different, but
they're all the same. That's the absolute truth. The places and the
music are different, but the people are the same, regardless of accents
and other irrelevancies. These are the finest people in the world.
Hanging out with them for a weekend, drinking and playing music,
definitely WILL alter your world view for the better. It's hard to be
pessimistic or cynical about the human race when you're having this
much fun.
I think I'll hold on to this particular addiction -- it beats the hell
out of any day-to-day reality I've ever seen.
--Al Evans--
Subject:
Re: UK4 Survivors, an apology
Date:
Sat, 31 Mar 2001
From:
Charles Park
Where am I? WOW!!!!!!! What a time.
I still have 800 messages to go so there may be some redundancy later
on.
We got home last night just before midnight, quite exhausted from all
the flight connections and the tonnage we were carrying through miles
upon miles of airport terminals. I only had three minor heart attacks
and one very small panic attack. The girls just didn't seem to care.
They were sure they had all the loot first and then I was taken care
of. Linda threw me over her shoulder and toted me for a couple of miles
at Heathrow.
Later on I told the girls that we would not take as much luggage next
time and also curtail the spending sprees. Their answer was "screw you,
we'll just get one direct flight next time no matter the cost".
Well the mind reels at that thought and I feel another panic attack
coming on.
I need a bit of time to clear the cobwebs so as to relate our wonderful
experience. Once again all these diverse personalities thrown together
is a success. Life is good.
Charles ( I'm so broke I can't even pay attention ) Park