ChameleonSimon

I use TVCatchup - Never Miss A Show Again There's also a version for the iphone / ipod touch, allowing you to watch any Freeview Channel from your phone. Totally free, and legal as far as I am aware.

I use O2 PAYG mobile broadband, and in most UK cities (including Aberdeen), the 3G signal is just as fast as your home broadband. I download a lot of artwork files and never had any issues with limits etc. If you use Quidco (the cashback site), O2 modems are effectively free right now (you get 30 back if you buy one). Hope that helps!

Are you sure about Brian Jonestown Massacre not playing? The band were definitely on-site, I bumped into them several times. Btw, I think The Robbers are Formula One boss Eddie Jordan's band.

Ian, Im so glad that youve corrected this. Ive lost count of the number of times that people in Aberdeen have told me that a studio owns recordings. Of course this is absolute rubbish and flies in the face of all common sense. As you point out, the law says that the ownership of the recordings and master tapes remains with the studio, until payment has been made in full. Even if payment isnt made, there are other laws in place which prevent exploitation of master tapes, such as first mechanical, which requires the song writers to give permission for the first commercial release of their works (this only applies for the first release, once in public domain, most songs can be recorded by anyone as long as the correct MCPS license is obtained and royalties paid). As I say, I dont know why so many people up here get this wrong, I can only assume that theres a lecturer at a local music college talking out of his arse ;-) And btw, in stating the above, Im not in any way having a go at Exile. Mark does a lot for the Aberdeen music scene, and Im sure that most of the complaints on here are simply down to the age old problem of communication breakdown between band members

Yeh, I dont recall David Icke ever being an actor. He was originally a professional footballer (goal keeper for Coventry City and Leicester?), and after an injury, went on to become a journalist and tv presenter. He was sports anchorman on BBC2 for several years, presenting world snooker championships etc Its difficult to understand Icke unless you read his books and / or go to his lectures (which last approx seven hours). The whole lizard thing is what the tabloids pick up on, in order to discredit him, but I suppose he only has himself to blame for that. Its a pity, because David Icke is in fact one of the worlds most knowledgeable speakers on world events (he was certainly one of the first people to present an alternative view on 9/11 and the death of Diana). Id urge anyone to ignore what the tabloids tell you about Icke, check him out for yourself and reach your own conclusions. You can see a clip from his latest DVD here: Freedom Or Fascism: The Time To Choose - NEW 3 Disc DVD

There are usually a couple of these to be found on www.autotrader.co.uk - go to the van section and search on 'police'. There's a dealer in Glasgow who specialises in these, can't remember his name, but he deals through auto trader and mainly sells them to bands. Also worth seacrhing for post office / royal mail vans, which have 6 / 7 seats at front and a secure bulkhead at rear. Similarly, you'll find these on autotrader. Hope that helps. Simon

I need to get a 12 string Takamine repaired, the neck has split. It was previously repaired on the continent, but was only glued back together. Repair didn't last very long. Apparently it needs to have dowels inserted. Any ideas where to go?

Yes, going to be a good night - and there are tickets still available from One-Up. For those that don't know, Shed Seven had fifteen consecutive Top Forty hits in the late 90's including Chasing Rainbows, Disco Down, Dolphin etc. Rick's new band will be playing a selection of Shed Seven favourites plus new material. www.rickwitter.com

It was never going to be Northside supporting, they are no longer together, however the singer has a new band called Silent Partners www.silent-partners.info who were pencilled in as support for Rick Witter, however it proved a logistical nightmare and they are now playing Drummonds on Sat Oct 8th instead. I think.

Don't know about Blockbuster, but Amazon is certainly very good. Four DVD's a month for 7.99 or six for 9.99 + a further 10% discount off any DVD's you decide to buy. All the DVD's on the Amazon site are available for rental. Two big advantages; firstly, no late fees, so if you don't get round to watching your movies for a week or two, no problems, and secondly you avoid the trap of going into Blockbusters for DVD and coming out having spent a tenner on a family size tub of icecream and huge bag of maltesers!

Cafe Drummonds has announced details of their new Battle of The Bands competition, starting in September. The winners will get 3'000 to spend on their band, which they can take in equipment, studio time, album release, tour support etc, whatever they choose. Instead of a weekly knock out, the competition will take the form of a league table, published on www.cafedrummond.co.uk, each band will play twice, giving them a chance to move up the table. Full details are posted below, applications forms available now from the bar. HOW IT WORKS 1) 30 BANDS WILL BE ALLOWED ENTRY 2)ALL BANDS WILL BE PLAYING 2 GIGS 3)ALL ROUNDS WILL BE JUDGED BY A MINIMUM OF 3 JUDGES 4)ALL ROUNDS WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING CATAGORIES A) MUSICAL ABILITY B) SONGWRITING ABILITY C) ORIGINALITY D) STAGE PRESENCE E) AUDIENCE REACTION 5)A MAXIMUM OF 10 POINTS WILL BE AWARDED IN EACH OF THE 5 CATAGORIES (BY EACH OF THE 3 JUDGES) 6)NO ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE MADE ON THE NIGHT OF THE GIG ALL POINTS TOTALS WILL BE DISPLAYED ON THE CAF DRUMMOND WEBSITE (CAFDRUMMONDS.CO.UK) 3 DAYS AFTER THE GIG. IN THE FORM OF A LEAGUE TABLE 7)AFTER ALL BANDS HAVE PLAYED 2 ROUNDS THE TOP 6 BANDS (BASED ON POINTS) WILL BE SEEDED. THE NEXT 12 BANDS (BASED ON POINTS) WILL JOIN THEM TO FORM 6 (ONE ROUND) HEATS 8. THE SIX BANDS WITH THE HIGHEST POINTS WILL THEN FORM 2 ONE ROUND HEATS 9) THE TOP 4 BANDS ON POINTS WILL COMPETE IN THE FINAL 10)THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE 3000 WHICH CAN BE IN HARDWARE, RECORDING TIME AND RECORD RELEASE OR A MINI TOUR WITH A DRIVER AND A VAN ALL OF WHICH WE WILL HELP TO ORGANISE. OR MAYBE JUST A HOLIDAY COMPETITION TO START SEPTEMBER.

Bands usually go on at 8.45, 9.45 and 10.45. They draw lots at soundcheck to determine running order. Door tax is 1.

There's a very good dvd on the market called 'The Da Vinci Code Decoded', which examines the 'facts' behind Dan Brown's book. Dan brown basically lifted most of the ideas from some very serious research carried out and written about by various academics. The DVD includes an interview with a couple of researchers who spent much of their lives examing the hidden messages in Da Vinci's paintings, only to see Dan brown 'steal' their work and make millions from it. I've been reading books on this subject for the past ten years or so, I suppose it took someone like Brown to bring this theory into the mass market. Most of the information in Da Vinci Code comes from a book published either in the 70s or 80s called Holy Blood, Holy Grail. It documents the true mystery of a priest in Rennes Le Chateau in the south of France who stumbled across a secret relating to the Holy Grail while renovating an ancient church. He went from being a humble priest to a multi, multi millionaire overnight, probably by blackmailing the Roman Catholic Church. He died in mysterious circumstances, apparently taking his secret to the grave. or maybe not, because one of the things he spent his money on was a very extravagant church, which researchers have discovered conatins many hidden messages in it's paintings / stained glass windows etc. People have spent years decoding the messages and they lead to the same conclusion about the Holy Grail as mentioned in Dan Brown's novel. And the name of the priest? His name was Sauniere. Now where have I heard that before...

Okay, I've finally given in and decided to buy an MP3 player. Can't decide between the iPod or Creative Zen (both 20Gb). What I like about the Creative is that it plays wma files, most of my music collection is already on my computer so this makes the transfer easy. I'm told the new iTunes software will convert wma to MP3, but has anyone done this and if so is it an easy process? Really can't be arsed to reload all my cds onto the computer again. If anyone has experience of both these players and formed an opion as to which is the best, please let me know. Thank you.

www.cafedrummond.co.uk

Much confusion. According to the Drummonds website, the gig is tonight (10th) not tomorrow.

Depends. Often when you buy a cd featuring drum samples etc., you are also buying the license to use them on your recordings / releases. In reality, who's gonna know if it's a sample or not. But if you're thinking of using this info to blackmail a friend, then go for it, must be worth at least a few pints to keep quiet.

Was indeed a very good night. I'd been wanting to see both Emma and Jo for some time, but was unsure how it would be at The Moorings (especially with them on the same bill as Inept 303). Pleased to say they both sounded superb and the audience response was excellent. Emma is a very talented writer, as is Jo, who is also a great performer. Very much enjoyed Inept 303 too, not my musical style, but good to watch. So well done Flash and Cloud for putting on such a varied night.

The press release reads something like this... Mark Burgess, front man with legendary Manchester band The Chameleons, plays a solo acoustic set at the Moorings Bar in Aberdeen on Wednesday July 28th. The Chameleons were one of the most influential, angst ridden, bands of the 1980s. Their trademark textured guitars, haunting melodies and passionate vocals, giving inspiration to the likes of Oasis and The Verve. However, commercial success always eluded The Chameleons. Their career was dogged by in-band squabbling, nervous breakdowns, drug and alcohol problems and the groups refusal to play the music industry game. They split in 1987 after the death of their manager Tony Fletcher. Although the band was no more, their reputation was kept alive by a string of new artists citing The Chameleons as a major influence. Noel Gallagher even sang one of their songs while collecting his first Brit Award, and the New York Times declared them as the only significant band out of the UK since The Beatles. In the year 2000 The Chameleons briefly reformed, playing a massive sell out tour of Europe and the United States and recording a new studio album before splitting, once again, in turmoil and anger. With The Chameleons, it seems that the desperation expressed in their music was all too present in their real lives. Mark Burgess is now performing as a solo artist. Hes recently completed a four week tour of America, and is playing dates in Europe before travelling to Scotland. The Moorings is a warm-up show for Mark's appearance at the Shetland Festival. He'll be playing acoustic versions of songs spanning his twenty year career. Entry is free.

Anyone listen to Radio One last night? They were broadcasting from Aberdeen as part of Go North and A.K.A. The Fox won the 'demo derby'. Vic Galloway said the band's show at Drummonds on Wednesday was his favourite gig of the festival. He described them as a cross between Electric Six, Happy Mondays and Public Image.... The band are playing Glasgow King Tuts on Thursday July 1st and will more than likely be organising a mini bus / coach. So if anyone's interested in going down, speak to one of the band or pm me.

Go North gigs are on June 9 and 10. Not sure of all the stage times, but I know that A.K.A. The Fox are closing the Drummonds show on Wed June 9th. Apparently they're on-stage at 12.15am, so Drummonds must be closing late for the event.

The full line-up for Go North has today been announced on the official website. For some reason, I can't cut and paste the list into this post, but the link is: www.goevents.info/

And I see Channel Four are repeating the 'Importance Of Being Morrissey' tonight, I think at 1.45am. Fascinating documentary, well worth setting the video for, if you missed it last time.

The single is called 'Irish Blood, English Heart'. You can see the video at the following link http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/morrissey/artist.jhtml