We Have Moved

hello all
I have now moved my blog to http://www.jkmanagement.co.uk

I have yet to post for 2010 but coming very soon....

Best wishes

Red Stripe

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 !!!!!