Our Show at Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho Celebrating Fifteen Years of the Red Stripe Band!

I am just listening back to the soundtrack from our sell out gig at Pizza Express Jazz Club on Sunday 25th October. It is fifteen years since I formed the band back in 1994 and I thought we should mark the anniversary in style. We had the entire gig recorded and I have a rough mix on my pc. We also had four cameramen filming the whole night - it was a great party atmosphere - gonna look great once the edit is done. We are going to release an anniversary DVD with some special features like all DVD's have - some footage from the past - interviews etc etc The audience was absolutely fantastic ! Really great - just a typical Red Stripe party night - jokes , hilarity , boogie woogie , glamour and energy - lots and lots of it ! Having listened to the whole gig again - I got taken right back into that lovely Soho club with its low ceiling and small stage - intimate - just how we like it !! I will put up some pix in due course but the best I can do at the moment is one of us relaxing afterwards. But I will include a "four hands on one piano" piece which I performed during the show with my boogie brother and good friend Robbie Peaple which went down a treat !
I have put it on our myspace page - it is the last song in the list called "four Hands on one Piano!!" and here is the myspace link:
www.myspace.com/theredstripeband

and a few other links for good measure:
www.red-stripe.info
www.band-for-party.com

Band-for-Party.com

I often have lunch with a old colleague of mine who used to manage bands and he advised me to set up a "microsite" which deals with private bookings and provides all the information needed for clients who want to book the band for functions whether these be weddings, parties , corporate events or university balls (excuse my French!) So... that is what I have done - it is called www.band-for-party.com and I am very pleased with the new microsite.
It gives all the info required by a private booker including a full playlist , video clips and links to all our other sites on the net.
Another friend of mine who is an expert web marketeer - Simone Luciani - has helped with the design of the site so that it is correctly configured to received requests and enquiries . He is also managing our online marketing with google and facebook.
We have had quite a few enquiries already and they are building.
It goes without saying that word of mouth is the best way of spreading the news but online marketing is an essential part of any band's business strategy
Well that's all for now.....

Jazz After Dark

Well we had an absolute ball last Friday (September 11th). We managed to cram six of us on the stage - not quite all on the stage to be precise. Richard on bass was standing off the stage and my piano was also off stage. The horn section was right behind me and if I wasn't careful I would get a bell end in my ear ! But that I am afraid is what makes this place. Not only are the band on top of each other but the audience is too ! There is seating (apart from the VIP area) in the front area for around 30 people but that is tight. But it means that during the course of the night you can get to know everyone. We started off with an empty table for six which was reserved. I created a bit of expectation as to who the mystery guests were - on their arrival nobody was disappointed....! Six leggy blonde Latvians on a birthday night out - perfect! We also had a couple from Finland , four from France, Two scots, four Irish girls and some Brits - just one big international party knees up !
I have always said that our nights at Jazz After Dark come the closest to what the old Barrel Houses must have been like in New Orleans back in the day - with no boundaries between musicians and the audience and girls and alcohol a plenty.....it is amazing that we are still doing it nearly 100 years later
It is Rock'n'roll at its best - nowhere to hide - right in amongst it!!
If you ever get the chance to get down to see the band at this little unique soho club then please do !!

Website: www.red-stripe.info
Photos: www.flickr.com/theredstripeband
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Red-Stripe-Band/30160044451
Youtube: www.youtube.com/redstripe69
My Space:www.myspace.com/theredstripeband






www.jazzafterdark.co.uk

West End Live Leicester Square Sunday 21st June

Well I have just got home after finishing the bottle of Veuve Clicquot we ordered at All Bar One in Leicester Square after our gig. The show went off VERY well - have just posted up a load of pics on our flickr site-www.flickr.com/theredstripeband.com
but above is one pic of me with the compere for the day - Mr Christopher Biggins.
The square was packed and we did a great rendition of Caldonia to open up - we were the first band on for the day - previous presentations were by the West End Shows like Jersey Boys , Thriller etc
We had a half an hour slot. The most poignant memory for me was the homeless girl who I recognise from Soho standing in the front row. Every night she sleeps in a different doorway and is heavily into crack. She was waving like mad in the front row and looking straight at me. I couldn't ignore her.
All in all a great day and my meeting after the show with Omar from the biggest entertainment agency in India went well - so perhaps we will be on our way to India soon........

Jerry Springer in Soho

Well, I don't like to say it but "it would only happen in Soho". I had invited an ex-employee and friend who was a very very attractive young girl to attend with me an evening with Sebastian Horsley (google him) He is a Soho Neighbour of mine and I have read his rather entertaining book "Dandy in the Underworld" I make a habit of reading books written by people I know. It was at the Union Club in Greek Street - part of my fascination was to visit the Union club as I had never been inside having viewed it from the outside for years.
Well , we both enjoyed the night - Sebastian perhaps needs a few lessons in performance but nevertheless has a good message - he is totally honest for a start - even though some of his views might be frowned upon.
Anyhow - once the show was over , we ventured to my local Jazz After Dark, and sat down with a vodka and tonic - after congratulating Lewis McLeod (google him) on his newborn.
And low and behold - who should walk in Jerry Springer - I kid you not !!!
Very bizarre and slightly surreal it has to be said......
He sat down with his companion and enjoyed the music
Well I never did - we had a great night catching up and talking about a lot of commond ground and Jerry seemed to enjoy himself too.....
the end

only in soho............................

Brand New Party Promo DVD

Party Promo


So we all pitched up to a deserted warehouse on a friday night in Dagenham, Essex (naturally - where else!?) Spirits were high and the bottle of Lanson and cans of Boddingtons were augmentative (is that a word?) to those spirits !
We were lucky to have secured the services of the young and very talented film editor Richard John Taylor (http://www.richardjohntaylor.com) who has done some brilliant work on East Enders and countless feature films.
He had a clear idea of what was needed - I wanted to capture the energy of the band to give the viewer a little insight into our show...
Gemma and I did quite a bit of messing around which he caught well. Often during our shows, I will stand on the piano stool (well it is actually a drum stool) and keep playing the piano. The band always take the mick - so when I jumped up on the stool during the shoot , they were shouting out less than appropriate comments which , as you can see, made me chuckle !
Everyone reacted perfectly to the wrong note on the intro to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" - I especially love Ed's grimace !!
Richard did very well to finish with a shot of my jump from the piano(drum!)stool
All in all a good few hours work and a very nice curry in Canning Town afterwards washed down with Raspberry flavoured Sambuca (yes Raspberry flavour - whatever next ...?)
I think the results speak for themselves - enjoy !!!!!

Rex Rheni

We have just got back from a week on the beautiful Dutch Riverways aboard the Rex Rheni and had an ABSOLUTE ball ! Four shows in five nights which were a mix of talks by yours truly about the history of our music and instruments and songs from the decades from 1920's to the 1950's. Sold a stack load of CD's and ate and drank very well. The sun didn't stop shining and the crew of the ship were VERY VERY accommodating - they couldn't do enough.
Naturally I have a lot of photos and videos. The ship had 25 crew and around 100 guests.
On the second night we all went into the little town of Enkhausen where we were moored to try and find some nightlife - we chose the Non-Irish pub which was one of only two places still open - being only a small town.
A lovely young dutch barmaid joined us on the razzle - dancing gave way to silliness and I ended up sucking a glass of spilt wine from my t-shirt on the way back to the boat.
You might be able to make out Martin and Erica doing some "break dancing" together:



We spent our last day in the lovely city of Amsterdam - and partied into the early morning after our final performance.
Up at 6.30am Sunday morning (ouch!) for a drive back to the UK via the euro tunnel and on to a private 21st Birthday party in a lovely Oxford Hotel.
Now recovering..........

Stretch Limo.....

Well, it seemed a sensible thing to do at the time - sold up in Surrey - left accountancy - Sep 2002 and so I cashed in my endowment on my mortgage and bought a really solid investment- a stretch limo! So I entered the world of the Lincoln Towncar - ten a penny in the US but stretched and sent to the UK to service the hen parties and stag nights. I wanted one to go to my gigs in - so I bought one. It wasn't long before I recruited a budding driver in the shape of Richie Christmas - who I met at Blase wine bar in Walton where I played for six years on a wednesday.
I bought him a genuine cap in New York and here he is holding the door open for me when we took the trip down to Cannes to the annual music industry conference known as MIDEM. It was a long way to go in a limo and we turned a few heads at customs at Dover ....


I had the limo sign written "Red Stripe" and we had such a great time - in a small town on the way down we were going down a very narrow street and it was getting narrower and narrower but little Christmas( my driver) wasn't freaked out at all - he just kept driving - no problem - he is now driving HGV's on the continent - he was born to drive.
Many a night he took me to gigs and got me home in one piece sometimes with a bit of a detour depending on who was on board.....



And I made a lot of friends too - when we were down in Cannes , one night we took a couple of girls to Monaco for the evening and I recently bumped into one of them in Limassol - it is good to keep in touch


We used to run competitions to the Red Stripe Mailing list and the winners would come to a gig in the limo with Red and champagne on ice - here are a couple of lucky winners.....



Then there was the "limo bitches" as they liked to be called - we had quite a few nights out drinking more champagne - in fact buying the limo was to create my love of champagne. It really is a nice way to travel - DVD , stereo, champagne on ice and kind lighting - I used to arrive at my gigs not wanting to get out !!!



There are a thousand and one stories I just can't reveal publicly but do you know what - after a couple of years it became a bit boring ! Being driven around in a stretch limo became boring !
So it had to go and I lost a packet on it but it was worth EVERY PENNY and I thoroughly recommend it - - live for the moment !
Goodnight Zebedee....

Tommy McCardle's Birthday Party

Most of the people using the internet right now won't remember "Brookside" the innovative Channel 4 soap of the eighties - let alone the villain of the piece Tommy McCardle. He was brilliantly acted and put the fear of God into you believe me. So when I attended a New Year's Day soiree at a mayfair neighbour's flat this year, I saw the face of McCardle and indeed spoke to him but wasn't able to place him - perhaps the twenty five years which have passed blurred my memory somewhat.
It was only when being invited to a birthday party last night at one of Soho's famous private drinking clubs that I googled Malcolm Tierney and discovered that he indeed in a previous life had been Tommy M. He is doing very well at 71 years of age and still full of acting spirit.
Tommy McCardle's Birthday Party - only in Soho !! It would make a great song title

Seven Seas Club Limassol Cyprus

We all got on the very early morning flight from the lovely new Terminal 5 at Heathrow bound for Larnaca. We had a TON of luggage and on arrival the rather miserable check in girl wasn't having any of it - even though we had a special "letter" giving us extra baggage allowance. Never mind - we got through after payment of a small bribe to BA. The guys tucked into the free booze on board and on arrival in Larnaca we got in a minbus and went straight to this BEAUTIFUL club which has just been built http://www.7seaslive.com. We were all knackered as you can imagine after a 4.00am start but that is rock'n'roll! The first night went off a treat - we were up on the bar dancing - Martin with his tenor, Erica with her baritone and me with my "strap on" and the bar staff were chucking shots of tequila at us . When we got back to the villa - I just had to jump into the (non-heated) swimming pool - 10 degrees - pretty cold but very refreshing. This became a bit of a ritual although only Erica and me did it at night (jumped in the pool that is.....) We were looked after VERY well by our Cypriot hosts - a substantial drinks rider each night, villa with pool and the use of a BMW 520i. Eddy the entertainments manager was the perfect host and really looked after us. Let's hope we will return one day. I took a little video just before we left the island of the club and stage below. There is loads more photos and vids to follow - our entire show on the Saturday night was recorded using an HD camera.....

Dutch Riverway Cruise

We are really looking forward to this "holiday" - playing on a beautiful River Cruiser travelling from Amsterdam for five days. In association with SAGA holidays , we will be playing a different show each night including all our favourites as well as our own new tunes !!!
All details on how to book are in the page I have scanned in
It leaves on 28 April 2009
Book now to avoid disappointment !!!

Our first Wedding of 2009

We all trundled out beyond Guildford in Surrey last Saturday night just as the storm started, to play at a Wedding Reception at Loseley Park in the Tithe Barn - a lovely venue for sure!
We had been recommended by the lady who did the flowers because she had loved our show at her 40th birthday party some months ago.
We were superbly looked after with a great meal and accompanying wine. The evening went off very smoothly - we got the ipod from the best man and put the dance music on around 7.00pm. It also had the first dance on it which was "Chasing Cars".
Our first set kicked off at around 9.00pm and we rocked - everyone was in good spirit by that time and the dance floor remained packed throughout!
After a short break we played our second set with all our off stage antics - Erica (baritone) was great and got up on one of our bass bins during her solo in Tequila whilst Martin and I were rocking out on the dance floor - him on Tenor and me with my Keytar!
The bride and groom loved it and sent an email the next day which was great:

"Dear Neil Just a quick note to say thank you to you and the band for making our reception so special and memorable. Everyone commented on what a fantastic band you were and how great the set was. Your genuine enthusiasm and love of what you do really comes through and we'll definitely recommend you to as many people as we can! The great reception topped on a brilliant day.
Thanks again.
Alex & Amy"

Makes it worthwhile!



WARNING

I must point out that in no way am I suggesting that "licking an electric piano" is a safe pasttime - under no circumstances should it be tried by an amateur - I have had several years experience and am able to carry it off without injury either to my tongue or the tongues of those nearby.............

Tokyo 2004

Not much happening in cold dark London so I pulled out some old footage of a gig I did in a small club in Tokyo in April of 2004. I had a ball for ten days - mixing with the locals and playing all over the city.

The clip is an excerpt from Good Golly Miss Molly which I was hammering out on a gorgeous Yamaha grand - every club had a beautiful piano for obvious reasons.
I also stayed one night in a capsule hotel after seeing Palin do it on TV. You leave your shoes in a locker in reception and then get a gown - leaving all your clothes in another locker on the floor of your capsule. Then you have to find your capsule ! After a few drinks that ain't that easy - I was on the upper row but managed ok.
Very cheap and small but enough room for a TV at the foot of the bed on a small ledge. I have some video footage of the entire experience and maybe I should put it up sometime.
The trip inspired a song on my last CD "Tokyo Blues Guitar" and also inspired me to record a version of "Red Stripe Boogie" in Japanese! I got some boys from the local jive band "Ban Ban Bazar" to help me translate it after a gig one night and wrote it down phonetically - it worked very well.
I have a mind to do some promotion in Tokyo on the back of the track but for now I am concentrating on the UK market.
Enough for now. Enjoy the video.