Jim Stax

Bri....STACCATO SET

Buy a dictionary... It's a book with words!

NME is runny and is rarely ever right.

Stick that in your 'worst lyrics' thread you japesters

Comedy genius... It's all in the...

timing!

NME LOVES ITSELF AND ONLY ITSELF...

Should rename it the 'Docherty Express'

Yeah

What an excellent line-up......... eclectic & well balanced

whew

But did anyone notice Alan sneaking in there....? Cheesh, He's like a Anti-Folk version of the drummers outside M&S! (Not really)

I'll take that one...

I would say a band that has played Aberdeen several times, only in Drake's. Bands that love (d) the wee place and had no great ambition to play elsewhere until they had filled our l'il old building... Took the sign down today

And

There are another four acts being confirmed as I t...y...p...e! 7 acts all together plus multi-media visuals and god knows what else!!!

Jim

Nae need adding the 'art virgin'

J

GOING TO WORK ON A SECOND SHIFT

AT ABERDEENS CASTLEGATE!

Live music and visual arts on Easter Saturday

A second Shift is to be held at Aberdeens Castlegate by popular demand following the highly successful launch of the live music and visual arts event in October.

Shift 2 is scheduled for Saturday 26 March when it will add to the citys attractions during the Easter weekend and again coincide with the change in the clocks, as did the first event.

Councillor Jim Hunter, Chairman of organisers, the Wider Castlegate Group, said: Weve been encouraged by the very positive response to the initial Shift and by requests that others be staged. The next will also be another important step forward in developing the Castlegate as a cultural quarter and as a venue for a wide variety of events.

Well over a thousand people of all ages, including families, attended the first Shift afternoon-and-evening of free entertainment and creativity. It was supported by Aberdeen City Centre Partnership and Aberdeen City Council, with funding from the Scottish Executives City Growth Fund as part of the Energising Aberdeen initiative, as Shift 2 will be.

There is clearly tremendous potential to build on the success of the first event, said Lindsay Gordon, of Peacock Visual Arts. Shift 2 will be a variation on the multi-media theme to ensure that it continues to evolve and its appeal grows, to the benefit of the city as a whole.

There will also be free entry to Shift 2 and the focus will again be a marquee specially erected in the square. Plans are being made to increase the number of bands which will appear between 2pm and 9pm.

The headline act will be 65daysofstatic from Sheffield, on their first appearance in Scotland. An instrumental alternative rock band who use computers, samplers and electronics to create a melodic, beautiful and furious sound, they were number 25 in DJ John Peel's Festive 50 2004 favourites.

Also lined up are DRAT, an Irish 4-piece group, with simple melodic guitar lines, looped by lo-fi gems and delicate vocals, laced with dirty keyboards and sharp lyrics; and Glasgow-based Aberdeen duo, Le Reno Amps, who rely on vocals and guitars alone and are rooted in the blues with a punk aesthetic, while veering boldly into country.

Further details of the programme, including additional bands performing, will be announced soon.

/

-2-

The Wider Castlegate Group represents businesses, organisations and the local community, with La Lombarda Restaurant, Peacock Visual Arts and Drake's Productions, the Aberdeen-based alternative music and arts promoters, among those involved in organising the event.

/Ends

17 February 2005

Note to Newsdesks: more information on the bands booked to date can be found on their websites:

65daysofstatic -www.65daysofstatic.com

Drat - www.doubledrat.net

Le Reno Amps - www.lerenoamps.com

...

Staccato Set... OH!

Is my memory correct?

Clive Ravensby(I played drums)

Sidca

then finally...

Opaque opened the doors to unkown dimensions of the human mind' date=' body and soul![/quote']

Think so.... Opaque skewed my perspective on reality forever though!

those were some of my favourite nights too.

-"the taxi parachutist"...

Fuck yeah!

Oh how we came sooooo close to Drakes being the new Rollerland!

God bless having a giant bar in yer flat!

Yeah but

I was thinking a little Sax action from mr 'Lips Johnstone' (not named after his ability with reed based instruments) woulda made it better.

Oh

G U MEDICINE lifting the roof of the place to not enough people! Mighty noise!

Other memories include (many that I can't speak about, mmmmmmmmm) all the times when we closed the doors didn't kick anyone out and all got pished to our own choices of music. And then the few public stragglers that were left looking happily bemused as we told them that we have been closed for two hours! God damn I miss my bar But everyone that came in

Just one of mine from one particular week!

OPAQUE! Terrifyingly wonderous!

Can only be described as... Not sure what actually.

www.simbiotic.info ???

Thats the one I was going for. Still can't find the info but I can stop looking now. Good and cheap!

J

Yup

I'll get one for you. PM you with the details. Just got to find the invoice... erk!

Jim

rrrraaarrr

to be honest

i think everythings going to be just fine

because we are in the process of doing some cool stuff

that will change everything...

and to be honest

there's more of a 'scene' online than there is out on the streets

and all this 'bitching' that goes on mostly comes from people who are part of the online community that evolved from a message board... which turned into two message boards... and we all know what the second one was..

and now here we are... with a ton of forums and people posting shite all day long... and sometimes good stuff (especially on the AUBL and HMG forums)

but anyway

Local bands play gigs

that's cool

venues put on live events regularly

that's cool too

all the people involved work damn hard to keep it going

and thats the cooles thing of all

its about time you miserable lot took a timeout and accepted everything that has happened in the past and started looking at where you are going to take yourself in the future

i'm not bitter about drakes closing down and neither are the staff (which they have mentioned on threads all over this site)

i've loved that place as much as the next guy

and i will miss it

but whats happened has happened and there was nothing anyone could do about it

so me thinks it's about time for some positive change

cos i'm sick... sick to death of this conversation

YEARS! years this same argument has been going on

scene this

scene that

fuck the scene

who cares about the 'scene'

it's an online scene - thats all it is and you all know thats true

you see..

we care about the bands and the musicians and the venues and the promoters and all the people who are interested in seeing local bands' date=' organising events and having a good time.

we have also started caring a lot about bands from all of the UK

(as our moorings gig listings will suggest)

we've worked our tiny little asses off to bring bands from around scotland, england, wales and even the odd one from brazil and the USA to aberdeen this year

just so you can have the chance to check them out...

we have a couple of great bands playing this saturday in fact!

the lineups are varied (at least i think they are)

and if people perhaps too the time to check this shit out

instead of wasting time talking and arguing and trying to be all 'check me i'm ace'

then it would be much better

wouldnt it

[/quote']

YIP! AND DOUBLE YIP!

Jim

Mystery Lounge

I don't suppose it ever really died, it just went a big conceptual and philosophical space in the sky... You never know though!

Was great musical carnage!

Loved it... The more fucked up the better! It was like inviting my mates back to my flat just to bombard them with a sonic onslaught! Oh the times, the times...

Ooooooh...

I dont think that a good kicking (poor review/message board slagging) does a young band any harm' date=' quite the reverse, I believe if they have even the slightest crumb of self belief they go away, practice some more, and come back better and with some attitude.[/quote']

Can i go see bands and give the kicking now? Can I can I can I (pants like a dog)...

Constructive critique in the name of art!

J

No' date=' it certainly isn't. Dr Drakes was never created for reasons of profit. It was created because some like-minded people who were passionate about local music efforts wanted to provide somewhere for other people to enjoy their music too. Pure and simple. Dr Drakes was not rapidly heading down the financial tubes or anything drastic like that, it was a simple case of an option of getting out the 10 year lease for the building scot-free coming up, and those with their necks on the financial line deciding that it was time for a change. Maybe it could have happily soldiered on for the remaining 7 years of the lease, but meantime those good folks would be severely personally restrained in their own finances and things they could go do with their lives. I personally am glad they took the option to free themselves from such a large (160K) financial commitment! Dr Drakes was never a regular business, it was never about making money off local talent. It was an arts thing, it was about providing the creative opportunity for people. If anyone visited Dr Drakes and knew the people behind it even a little, they would know that profit was not something they were doing it for.[/quote']

I love you...

Mmmm' date=' I lurv it when you get angry!!!

[/quote']

Shuks... I miss those smoothe flute noises you used to make... Soothed me.. Now look!

As for speculation about Drake's closing... There is an element of truth in everything that is said and a helleva lot more that is no ones business. And to be honest I would prefer closing than to succum to mediocrity, and there is truth in that! We did what we believed in up to the end and beyond and closing holds no blame (except Nick for leaving). You could point at the PRS a little if you want though, they didn't help... Oops, can of worms! Ah well... I am allowed a voice now that I don't have a venue and have to be nice to everyone, even though I will be always (unless you constantly try to blag gigs!)

Watch...

Are u in sidca? Just wanna know cause what is happening with them after rory went to pish-hole??!!?? I want to see sidca again cause i fucking love it......

The Sidca boys took my son. They have him in a barn somewhere and are forcing me to play with them or else they will make him listen to their cd for 40minuntes solid... What can I do? I have to!

A gig soon...

Jim

Was gonna quote Mr Spellchecker... Quite long so I won't..

Just would have added...

AYEEE... Can I be in your gang?

Top message young man!

Jim

This implies that we' date=' or any other promoters, make a living from promoting bands. I wish! Sharon and myself (and many others, you know who you are) love music, we love new music, we love extreme music, we love bringing bands to Aberdeen that would otherwise pass us by, we love listening to new Aberdeen bands that push the boat out, we get excited by these bands, we get excited by good music no matter the genre. We love doing this and all we wish is that people go out and listen to something new and/or different. We would love it if money could be earned!

I am not posting here to insinuate a selflessness. I have never given a fuck about negative opinion. I do however care deeply about music and Aberdeen needs a slap! Please do not call promoting alternative music a 'job'...

I think there should be a private promoters forum where we can unload our gossip... Oh the stories that could be told.

Also.. to anyone that ever turns up to a gig and grudges a few pounds of a donation so that bands can get paid petrol money for the effort' FUCK OFF!!!!!!! No seriously... FUCK RIGHT OFF OR STAY IN YOU MISERABLE SHOWER OF SH.......!!!

(That felt good)

And Ross ONYERSELSON [/quote']

(Shaz does all the work by the way, but I'm sure you all knew that)

A note empirical knowledge!

Bare with me, there is a point!

As an artist living in Aberdeen first hand experience of contemporary art tends to be very limited, getting better though. On the occasions when I have travelled around the country, and farther afield, to see exhibitions I am very rarely anything but uninspired.... My creative energies are alway envigorated by direct contact and stimulation. No amount of books, magazines tv and video are any substitute for direct physical and psychological stimulation... If you want to make music your life then go see it in all it's shapes and forms, learn and be inspred by watching and listening. This will support the local scene and may lead to fat heap of new and improved great bands!

Jim

isn't that their job? i understand your point' date=' but the fact is, if you don't like the music playing at a gig, it's hardly going to be money well spent is it? i mean, if a band you really dislike were playing, going to the gig is just pointless.[/quote']

This implies that we, or any other promoters, make a living from promoting bands. I wish! Sharon and myself (and many others, you know who you are) love music, we love new music, we love extreme music, we love bringing bands to Aberdeen that would otherwise pass us by, we love listening to new Aberdeen bands that push the boat out, we get excited by these bands, we get excited by good music no matter the genre. We love doing this and all we wish is that people go out and listen to something new and/or different. We would love it if money could be earned!

I am not posting here to insinuate a selflessness. I have never given a fuck about negative opinion. I do however care deeply about music and Aberdeen needs a slap! Please do not call promoting alternative music a 'job'...

I think there should be a private promoters forum where we can unload our gossip... Oh the stories that could be told.

Also.. to anyone that ever turns up to a gig and grudges a few pounds of a donation so that bands can get paid petrol money for the effort' FUCK OFF!!!!!!! No seriously... FUCK RIGHT OFF OR STAY IN YOU MISERABLE SHOWER OF SH.......!!!

(That felt good)

And Ross ONYERSELSON