28/01/2010
Some sad news, The Elevators have decided to call it a day and will be performing for the last time on Saturday 6th February at Stechford Social Club.
RealTobacco have been rehearsing and putting the finishing touches to their live set. It is sounding bloody good man.
Full Circle is going back to a cover duo performing songs from all eras now that the Elevators have split and they are going to include songs in their set which the elevators and Daz's solo set lists.
Daz has decided to concentrate more on 2B40 and Full Circle now that Will doesn't have his band anymore. The duos are more fun than doing it on your own.
Talking about 2B40, the next few weeks are pretty busy with a few gigs to play, so the lads are really happy and looking forward to playing tribute to Ali and Robin Campbell
18/10/2009
Can't wait until 6th November? Got tickets to Francis Dunnery's end of tour party gig at The Walls Restaurant, Oswestry
He is touring his new album see below
There's a Whole New World Out There
Francis Dunnery and the New Progressives
FDCD009
Produced by Francis Dunnery
SONGS:
CD 1
01. Whole New World
02. Kiss Like Judas
03. Holiday
04. Old Man and the Angel
05. Animal Life and Water Life
06. Calling To You
07. Still Too Young to Remember
08. Hunting The Whale
09. Back in New York City
10. Staring at the Whitewash
CD 2
01. Underneath Your Pillow
02. Sister Sarah
03. Glad and Sorry
04. Let Us All Go
05. Charlie
06. Yellow Christian
07. Murder of the Planet Earth
08. Love Will Tear Us Apart
09. Still Life in Mobile Homes
10. Feels Like Summertime
CREDITS:
Francis Dunnery - Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards,
Tapboard
Tom Brislin - Pianos and Synthesizers
Jamie Bishop - Bass Guitar
Paul Ramsey - Drums
Brett Kull - Guitars
Dorie Jackson - Vocals Phil Campbell plays guitar on 'Holiday'
Luke Machin plays guitar on 'Let Us All Go'
Theo Travis plays flute on 'Still Life in Mobile Homes'
John Mitchell plays guitar on 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
Simon Rogers plays guitar on 'Kiss Like Judas'
Additional Musicians on 'Feels Like Summertime'
Peter John Vittesse - Keyboards
Flamman - Guitar
Tony Beard - Drums
Nathan King - Bass Guitar
Additional Recording at the Gulley Flatts Substation Studios
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Brett Kull
except 'Feels Like Summertime' which was mixed by the Dalai Lama and his brother Terry.
Sleeve Design and Layout by Jacque Varsalona
Produced by Francis Dunnery
22/08/2009
West Bromwich albion take on Ipswitch Town today. Come on you Baggies
17/08/2009
Had a cracking night on Saturday, did a solo gig at Netherton Liberal Club. I was changing the songs around in my sets all night to suit the audience and I think I won them over as I had nearly everyone in the room Singing and Dancing most of the night. The entertainment secretary Paul was exstatic when I played his favourite tune Gold by Spandau Ballet. The beer was my favourite Banks's but I wasn't allowed any coz I was driving. They put some good entertainment on down here, next weekend they have got a Beatles Tribute band on and in a few weeks time a Mod themed band. Another thing I liked was the fact that nearly everyone there was an Albion fan and we won on Saturday so spirits were high. Can't wait to go back and play for the Black Country folk again.
13/07/2009
A great weekend for Daz and Will, Daz had a nice compliment off a young lad at Brandhall Labour club saying he was the best singer he'd heard down there and Will's band The Elevators played at The Picnic in the Park at Warley Woods in Sandwell. They were the only act to get an encore and apparently had everyone singing along with them out of a 7500 strong audience.
02/07/2009
Full Circle are learning and recording some new songs and they are sounding fab. The first being Love Is The Drug by Roxy Music. Second is Do You Think I'm Sexy by Rod Stewart and lastly Patience by Take That.
2B40 are busy rehearsing for up and coming gigs, unfortunately they are all private parties, seems that's where most of the work is coming from these days as the social club circuit is dying and the pubs seem more interested in serving food than entertaining the locals these days
Retro80 are recording more demos to put on the website including All Of My Heart by ABC, Is There Something I Should Know by Duran Duran and also Save A Prayer also by Duran Duran
Johnny Green is in the proccess of giving me his gig guide so I can post it on the gig guide page
RealTobacco are putting the finishing touches to the new songs and hopefully will have them posted in the next couple of weeks
On a more serious note, I am off work at the moment with a throat infection (too much singing?) but am not to dis-heartened as I should get my new car in a few weeks time A Xsara Picasso Wicked Red colour mmmmmmmmmmm nice.
Please leave me a message on the guest book page, especially the person from Sunnyvale in the US? Do I know you? are you one of my friends from LastFM?
Love and Piece, Daz XXX
18/06/2009
17/06/2009
Nev and myself finished recording a new song tonight called "Morning blues" It is the first song played on my home page. Hope you all like it, We do. It was an old song Nev wrote years ago about a musician who's down on his luck?
Last night Will and me finished recording a demo of Comfortably Numb a classic Pink Floyd track. It is the second song played on my home page. Will's solo is fantastic I shall have to start calling him Willy Gilmour lol.
10/06/2009
Well Will and myself have finished our 10 track CD of UB40 classics and are starting on a Full Circle CD now. Last night we started recording Comfortably Numb and thought we'd wrap in up in a night. NO Will just couldn't get his lead guitar sound right. LOL this track alone will probably take a fortnight to record????
04/06/2009
Had a great night last night, Went to the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham to see 10cc live in concert. There is only Graham Gouldman left out of the original line-up but I take my hat off to him and bow down in praise for the job he and his fellow musicians did. All in all they played for 2 and a half hours with a 15 minute break. It was great to hear all the old classics like I'm Mandy Fly Me, Good Morning Judge, The Things We Do For Love, Rubber Bullets, Donna and basically 10cc's whole back catologue. I thought I was going to be dissapointed as I am a huge fan of 10cc and didn't think they could pull it off without Eric Stewart but their new singer Mick Wilson was the gewel in the crown, wow I was in awe of him. Not only did he have a fantastic voice with brilliant range but he played a mean guitar and keyboards and percussion (a bit like myself LOL). I found a review from the gig in York and it basically reads exactly the same as the Birmingham gig so I'm adding it to the bottom of this Blog entry for anyone who want's to read it.
A Night At The Opera for 10cc
Tuesday 5 May 2009
The announcement booms out asking everybody to take their seat, Val and I are tucked nicely in the stalls as Graham’s Guests for this show and we wait with anticipation...
“The Curtains Up and it’s time to do the show”
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WILL YOU
PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE
MR GRAHAM GOULDMAN”
The Curtain lifts and on to the stage walks the lonely figure of Graham to be greeted by 4 bar stools, 4 Microphones and 4 Acoustic Guitars and an encouraging warm welcome from his home town fans.
After a brief introduction to old and new faces, we are then treated to a mini Acoustic showcase of Grahams song writing talents for various artists in the sixties, beginning with a solo performance of PAMELA, PAMELA, before announcing RICK FENN to the stage. The duo then perform HEART FULL OF SOUL. Each song brings with it a memory and Graham shares these with us creating a cosy and reflective atmosphere within the venue.
MICK WILSON makes up a trio and BUS STOP is performed superbly. Last but certainly not least Graham introduces KEITH HAYMAN as a replacement for MIKE STEVENS for this UK Tour, who orchestrates the wonderful backing vocals of NO MILK TODAY. Keith has a lovely aura around him and has a silent charisma which is underplayed. The local Manchester crowd were at this point somewhat confused and muted as to the schedule of this 10cc show which Graham sensed, and announced
“DON’T PANIC YOU WILL SEE US BACK LATER FOR THE FULL 10CC SET“.
The four then launch into LOOK THROUGH ANY WINDOW followed by FOR YOUR LOVE, exit Mick, Keith and Rick leaving Graham to conclude with a solo performance of LOVE’S NOT FOR ME…… Curtain down at 8pm, Lights up…..ice cream!
Refreshments out of the way, the audience settles again as the Son Of Man starts to bellow out over the P.A. lights fade, curtain up and WALL ST SHUFFLE reverberates through the army of large speakers that front both sides of the stage synchronised with a vast lightshow.
All the usual hits follow with enormous applause THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE, GOOD MORNING JUDGE, I’M MANDY FLY ME, DONNA, THE DEAN AND I, SILLY LOVE, ART FOR ART’S SAKE, before a sensitive version of OLD WILD MEN to the rocky rendition of THE SECOND SITTING FOR THE LAST SUPPER with one or two lyrics having to be changed to pacify the present times we all live in. Rick Fenn is soon hitting the perfect intro notes to FEEL THE BENEFIT 13 minutes of pure heaven……
A lot of Photographs for the tour souvenir programme were supplied by myself Dave Jarvis to Glen Dower at the tour promoters FLYING MUSIC and to Graham himself via Emma at Miracle Artists. Signed “To David Thanks for all you’ve done. Graham Gouldman 10cc”
WAX gets a reprise with BRIDGE TO YOUR HEART, a track which Graham tells the audience is a great favourite of all the boys in the band, although for Val the song lacked an edge without Andrew Gold on lead vocals .
Silence descended as Mick Wilson snared the audience with his truly captivating display of I’M NOT IN LOVE.
The show went too quick “MORE MORE MORE”
READY TO GO HOME was the first song of the finale but we were going nowhere …with bums still on seats Mick challenged the audience to get up and dance to the upbeat tempo of the final song of the night RUBBER BULLETS.
Backstage after the show, we mingled, before the band rushed off for their Chinese, but not before being dubbed affectionately as the old wild men of rock.
We then slowly made our way out of the Opera House and Val and I bumped into Merton Paul a close friend of Graham and his family, we had a lovely chat before the cold night Manchester air gripped us, which did not deter the awaiting gathering of fans at the stage door, hoping for a fleeting glimpse and maybe an autograph from the band.
Val and I then started to hunt the city streets to locate where I parked the bloody car……..
Valerie Aldred and Dave Jarvis
17/05/2009
Got some great songs to go on the website soon, also the work is starting to flood in for next year which is what we wanted. I'll put the gigs on the gig guide when I find my diary?
I can tell you that we are booked twice in at Shard End Social club in February and August for the UB40 by 2B40 show and at Greenlands Social in Longbridge for the Full Circle Show.
Looking forward to August 30th where UB40 by 2B40 are performing a Reggae night for Emma from Oldburry to celebrate her daughters Christening. Gonna do a mixture of UB40 classics and some other reggae greats from the likes of Bob Marley, John Holt and more.
Will In The Studio
01/05/2009
Can't believe how well this website is doing since launching it mid February we've had almost 1000 page views.
The phone rings on a daily basis with enquiries, so if that keeps happening I will be happy.
I'm playing a solo gig at The Sportsman in Tipton this Saturday. I have never played there before but it should be ok as I have a few friends coming along to support me. I am performing a bit of everything so I am taking my synth along. Expect a bit of Kraftwerk, OMD, Gary Numan along side Elton John, David Bowie, Billy Paul. Oh and of course I will be doing some UB40 too.
Will and myself are busy in the studio trying to get all our UB40 songs on to CD Still waiting for that first booking to come through? We knew it would be slow starting a band up early in the year as everywhere is normally booked but I reckon we will get really busy next year.
Full Circle is going well and we have a few gigs in the diary. The last one we did at Yardley Wood Social was ace, we blew them all away with our choice of songs and put on a very proffesional and polished performance. It's a great feeling finishing a gig on a high, only problem is you can't sleep when you get home lol.
I recorded Me and Mrs Jones last night and put it on here, I think it sounds great, I hope everybody likes it.
Until next time
Daz x
