tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41594361290267968922024-03-05T05:53:08.542+00:00 Lost in Spriggan MistLost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-14867715766855337342019-04-08T11:39:00.001+01:002019-04-08T11:39:27.993+01:00Nuns and Judo.<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Sigh! I rarely talk about the day job on this blog . But the “firm” keeps changing supervisors and changing boundaries and yet again I’ve been asked to list my skills and Courses I’d acquired (via email although I was sitting 10 feet away) by another supervisor who has been tasked with collating said skills.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
So I started my email back with<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
“In my quest to make me look the least attractive as possible so not to be used anywhere but in my current role I have let the following courses all lapse”<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I then proceeded on a 20 minute rant of every occupational course I’ve held or attended I then ended it with<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
“At sports day, at Primary school (Circa 1977?)…I once held a gold star for The Angel Race but I cheated, you see I had really curly hair at school (I know right?) and I looped my curls around the rubber ring on my head (hence Angel Race), worked a treat ,I was able to sprint with it. I feel better for having ‘fessed that. It’s been playing on my conscience for 42 years.”<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Now I feel doubly better having confessed that to the wider public. I’m not proud of my misdemeanour but in all fairness it meant at the time that I beat Michael Tomkins! I’d never forgiven him for Judo throw he did on me a few weeks earlier. It was on the concrete by the water tap in the playground. It was way before I’d embarked on the road to Kickboxing glory. All I wanted was a cold drink and queued up nicely in fear of retribution by Sister Alphonsus . The head teacher Sister Alphonsos was as scary as a big bag of holy scary things. I mean it was about that time Hammer House of Horror had brought out an episode called “The Black Nun” and it scared the living proverbial out of the seven year old Bazza at the time in a convent school in Portmouth. I mean you’d see these Nuns appearing to float down the end of the corridors and this Nun on the programme would turn and she’d have no face! ….. like blimey! I’m sure even the teachers shat themselves going from A to B in that old 19th century building . Funnily enough Convent school and Nuns had a different effect on my brother who still remembers the young Sister Anna Marie very fondly, but that’s for another blog the like that would be found on a less reputable platform!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Anyway there I am cute Bazza in my Nazareth House uniform grey shorts and all, awaiting my turn at the tap and along comes Michael Tomkins and decides he was going before me. I remonstrated and next thing? I was staring at the sky flat on my back as Tomkins guzzled at the tap. I remember telling Mother Dearest. The next day we were both summonsed to The Head teacher’s office. Miss Hall our teacher (who looked like the love child of Scooby doo’s Velma and Banana splits’ drummer Bingo). Said “Barry! What have you done To Michael ?” as we both rather embarrassingly filed out of the class to the dreaded office of…..yes Sister Alphonsus. Michael was told never to use Judo again outside the Dojo. I mean he was a green belt! That was like Bruce Lee status in the playground at Nazareth House. He never did do it again. I looked him up on Farcebook not so long ago and he is living in Australia now! Ha! That’s what you get for being a bully, sent to Australia! No not really, he seems like he grew into a decent chap and probably doesn’t even remember the incident. But for me? Bullying and injustice are what spurned me on to be a World champion Kickboxer…not Michael Tomkins you understand no ! but Miss Hall! I wasn’t ever going to be pulled out of class again. Why did she think I was in the wrong? Not Golden boy Tomkins! I’d never been so embarrassed, well…. at least not since Gail Clarke decided to show me her knickers earlier in that school year. Wouldn’t of been so bad but she actually didn’t have any on! that was most confusing to a 7 year old Bazza. <u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-83436079343864861372019-03-05T12:43:00.001+00:002019-03-07T13:28:10.968+00:00After Four Years and all I write about is a kazi!I used to write this blog so avidly back in the day how did I ever have the time ? Recently at a dinner party in Norfolk the blog I wrote on Thursday 4th of April 2014 <a href="https://hotmachero.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-hot-water-again.html" target="_blank">In hot Water Again</a> was brought up.<br />
Detailing my Prowess with all things DIY featuring an 11 year old Aaron and I in what could only be described as a sketch from Laurel and Hardy. It's hailed as my finest work , Litrature wise not DIY I hasten to add.<br />
<br />
So I set about finding said blog and realised the last Blog I actually posted was way back in March 2015!!!!! I 'd almost by passed Ann-Mari's time in the band and the arrival of Neil!!!<br />
I'd so like to write this blog again I mean lots have changed but I have so much more comic material now with the dawn of my kids becoming adolescents , the arrival of Jadoo's Jingles and Hels (and her ace Vlogger over arf Tommy) and of course Mother Dearest is still a prolific chuckle magnet!<br />
<br />
So maybe I will write some more Blogs if not just to diarise the life and times of a band that has risen from no where to well.... no where really, but a better no where with some lovely people following it that are in a the know and know where our no where exists.!<br />
<br />
So that dinner party! and why were my DIY skills being discussed? Well Shazza Davey long time fan of the band (funnily enough discovered us after this blog ground to an unceremonious halt) invited us to a dinner party at her house in Norfolk with some other friends of hers. Sue who we had met at a gig in Fakenham last summer and her husband Daz who have to say was very entertaining. We were celebrating friendship and how friends look out for each other..oh that and the fact Shaz had managed to finally fix her Toilet seat . A lovely sea scened toilet seat . Now we 'd had the commentary for a few days on Messenger from Shaz about how this seat was not playing ball and kept falling off and she finally managed to secure it with the use of copius anounts of Araldite and a spell she managed to whip up in the cauldron inn the next room ( any other blog that would sound offensive wouldn't it?) Everyone used her toilet and Shaz was in her element Food went down well the chat was funny, intellectual and her toilet seat was bearing the brunt !....but then it was time for me to go to the throne room .<br />
<br />
Now reader, I'm going to spare you the detailed narrative but needless to say it was a sit down session and I'm rather erm heavier than the other dinner party guests. (I have big bones ok ?)<br />
Anyway I'm half way though the job and about to do the paperwork.....no job is finished without the paperwork right? when I heard ...tink! the sound of a metal bolt hitting the floor I looked down at the screw that secures the seat to the pan was on the floor.....as my exposed bottom slid sideways on a now insecure seat . Shit shit shit !!!! I thought ( lucky it wasn't a few moments earlier and it really would of.........well you know what I mean!) I'd killed Shazza's toilet seat. I picked myself off the floor trousers round the ankles . So I kind of sorted myself out and proceeded to lay under the toilet trying to re attach the renegade and offending seat without alerting the dinner party that I had just nearly worn said toilet seat like a gurning ring! I tried and tried and I'm not sure if it was the Port I had drunk I couldn't re attach it . I admitted defeat and came gingerly down the stairs ( I had pulled me trousers up by then ...obviously!) and presented said bolt! A few minutes later myself and Darren were both laying under the bowl like too surveying mechanics on a car wondering how we were going to do this. After a bit of faffing we secured it and we can safely say that the seat is secure ...Bootiful as they say in Norfolk and "That's a deckchair said the Norfolk girl ( last summer's erm escapade) "and now my toilet seat that you have broken now Bazza"<br />
<br />
I decided that maybe I need to lose weight again...... but I also decided that it wasn't something to rush into and much after eight type mints were consumed after all DIY is a very strenous activity!<br />
<br />Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-90003032242836546022015-03-18T15:13:00.000+00:002015-03-18T15:13:33.701+00:00Stupid Spriggans<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yep… there is an element of stupidity in Spriggan Mist….not as much as The Dolmen (they are plain barking ) but none the less an element that can't be ignored and has to be shared.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I have actually written about the early days of Ann-Mari being in the band, knocking on the wrong door when coming to rehearse at our house…Not only the wrong door but the wrong road…but her latest escapade trumps this by miles, about 300 miles to be exact. Apart from being the lead singer of Spriggan Mist and a highly acclaimed fitness proffessional and consumer of three shredded wheat, Ann-Mari does some garderning just for those extra pennies which enable her to buy the shiny stuff that she is famed for.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We had lent her a little trailer for her gardening tools some time ago as her convertible , even with the roof down just wasn't big enough.She decided she needed to upgrade to a bigger trailer so after embarking on the trailer quest on ebay she bought the answer to her needs and returned our little trailer to us and set off to Chatham in Kent where said trailer was waiting for collection no doubt dreaming of all the forks and spades she could load up in this big baby! Except when she had battled the M25 and got to chatham two hours later, the trailer she had just payed hard earned cash for was exactly the same as the one she had just returned to us…the dimensions were of the overall trailer not just the box. I bet the journey back was a very long one, but at least she went on the right day!.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Kim our newest Spriggan decided she would set off nice and early for a slate painting workshop on a Tuesday night only to be a week early, how keen was that? But before you all cry Foul! That I am poking fun at my bandmates travel mishaps, only today did I have one of those stupid Spriggan moments whilst driving wifey's car. (The Sprig mobile is in fact at the menders with several things being wrong with it). Whilst happily driving along it kept beeping at me, just after I went up a hill. Hmm I thought maybe we are in need of diesel, (flashbacks to another stupid Spriggan moment when I filled the sprigg mobile up with £74 worth of unleaded on Valentines day a few years back …) but the alarm kept going…so I started to talk to the car (we all do it)</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"What's wrong ? </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beep beep beep</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Why are you beeping at me !</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beep beep beep</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You have diesel, no lights illuminating , give me a break!...what ?</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beep beep beep</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">What do you want from me ? Aghhhhh!</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beep beep beep</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This went on for several miles I finally realised it sounded like the seatbelt alarm I checked my seatbelt, all ok, I was the only one in the car …then eeerily, I thought that maybe the ghost in the passenger seat might not be wearing one. So in a flash of realisation I moved my rucsac off of the passenger seat and it finally stopped ! Huzzah …… how stupid of me …..it was the bag on the passenger seat all along.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.2438468933105px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bit excessive that Maxine has put a sensor in her car warning about not putting bags on the seats though!……. jeeez!</span></span></div>
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-85676568799586702362014-05-14T17:42:00.000+01:002014-05-14T23:08:36.685+01:00Colin's New AngelWith the sound of Max's white Les Paul still belting out the last strains of her now ever popular Purple rain solo in my ears from Spriggan Mist's 5th birthday. I think it is time to lift the lid on the newest member of our band don't you?<br />
<br />
So many of you have met our new singer Ann-Mari. She has settled well into the crazy world of Spriggan Mist. From the word go she has caused a stir in our neighbourhood. On our second meeting she parked her car up in the nice little cul-de sac in Bracknell and armed with her new Spriggan Mist lyrics bounced up the path full of excitement to meet up with Max and I to practice some Ghostly Tales songs. She knocked on the door of the house glancing at her watch as she did and yes she was right on time 8pm as we had arranged and as the door opened she saw a rather annoyed young mother trying to console a now crying baby just awoken by Ann-Mari's enthusiastic knocking! Establishing that she had not only knocked on the wrong house but had indeed knocked on the wrong street she made her apologies advised the now quite cross young mum with said howling baby that it does actually get easier as they get older and retreated arms aloft as quick as an Italian Commando back to her car. One phone call to me and one bout of side splitting laughter later she arrived for our practice and soon she was singing away…. with a glass of Red Wine of course. I'm not suggesting for a moment she is alcohol driven ….but she does like a beer for breakfast when camping! (a bit of Spriggs' trivia there )<br />
<br />
But this was not the only mistake with numbers Ann-Mari has made since joining Spriggs' only the other day I received a text from her out of the blue saying "Sh1t Babe!!!!" Well I thought that’s odd so I sent her a text back saying "Sh1T babe to you too" I mean blimey that's not on! Clearly it wasn't meant for me.<br />
<br />
But how far are these mistakes going to go ? Ann-Mari is a fitness instructor, that is what she does day in day out. what happens if she gets that mixed up !?? Right in the middle of Faery Queen say…<br />
<br />
".Yeah we'll survive if you dance the night with the .....work it work it 2, 3 4, 5…good and again …2, 3, 4, 5…..good job !!!"<br />
<br />
Can you imagine the carnage at Dolmen camps as the faithful are bouncing to Spriggan Mist rockin out and then suddenly breaking out into grape vine or some snazzy Zumba moves!!!…how far does it go ? I mean what's next Mark Vine in lycra! …!?!?!? Duncan Wilde in leg warmers? blimey he'd look like one of them padded rugby posts wouldn't he?! !!! ?? Or Taloch in a pink Onsie..erm…oooh..erm ...awkward silence<br />
<br />
Although relatively new to the band she is a veteran of three Dolmen Grove events now and has certainly made an impact…..She was introduced at the Enchanted Market in Berkshire, then in Cornwall where when it was decided we were moving where the bands were playing Duncan from DG Hants and Dave from DG Cornwall were carrying either side of a bass cab and Ann-Mari trotted past them carrying the other identical cab on her own !!! With a bright smile ……and then in Weymouth whilst sitting outside her tent having made soup for her friends and family Oaken from DG Essex came over and said " Errr your camping table is on fire!"<br />
Ann-Mari laughed it off thinking, strange man... "No it's really on fire !" Oaken insisted !!! As he looked down at her little camping stove on the plastic table as it started to disappear into a bubbling melting mush of blue plastic" How we enjoyed the smell of burning plastic wafting over the campsite.<br />
<br />
So as mentioned we have just had our 5th birthday bash as a gigging band …It's actually nearly 6 years ago Maxine penned the first Spriggan Mist songs, clever little ditties that she wrote on a guitar banjo ….We never thought that they would ever get heard by anyone until Karen Kay heard the tunes on Myspace and we had to form a band very quickly as she asked us to play 3 Wishes Faery Fest 2009. Maxine had played all the instruments on those first recordings and we needed musicians entrusted to turning her music into a live act...<br />
Here we are 5 years later ….and what a transformation Spriggan Mist have made<br />
<br />
So one thing is for sure life in Spriggan Mist is certainly going to be even more eventful now and of course now we have the three girls in the band. We could call them Colin's Angels couldn't we….well you never see Charlie in Charlie's Angels…do you ever see Colin in any band pics? I rest my case….<br />
Does that make me Bosley?<br />
<br />
Anyway I will keep you all updated with Ann-Mari's escapades …as I'm sure there will be many!!!!Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-55012441565813792432014-03-15T12:57:00.001+00:002014-03-15T13:00:30.171+00:00Mother Dearest and the Bear incident.<div class="MsoNormal">
So we played The Big Untidy at The Rising Sun Arts Centre in
Reading. It’s a very appreciative intimate crowd there. They sit and listen
intently to the music which is quite refreshing in some ways. I’m not quite
used to the … “I’m not going to applaud until the last note drowns from human
hearing” vibe but as stated it’s nice that those carefully worded gems you have
pondered over for months are finally appreciated by the people sitting in front
of you…… then there is Mother Dearest!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She sat herself in the front row, in the middle, so all the
solo acoustic performers that play to a sound of a pin drop could witness the
full Mother Dearest experience. Whilst melodic masterpieces were twinkling out
into the room all you could hear was the crunching off walkers finest crisps
coming from MD’s hamster pouched mouth sounding like a regiment of guards in
the trooping of the colour!!! All we needed was a bugle (more about that later)
to top it off!!! I mean it was so quiet, you could even hear the sound of her
unscrewing her mini bottles of wine….all 10 of them!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a very talented solo acoustic performer that came
all the way from deepest darkest Northamptonshire called Lew Bear. He sang a
song named after a horse called “Merry Tom Lane” hmmm very good song but really?
a horse called “Lane”!!!! He also sang a
song called “Ripples” which was definitely Ripples and not nipples as my lovely
9 year old daughter whispered to us…… So if you are reading this Lew Bear,
please except my apology for my Mother and Daughter <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Lew is building up to starting a song his fingers caressing
his acoustic guitar all eyes were on this musician who had connected with his
audience who were mesmerised by the magical sound he was making….then it
happened just as Lew was about to sing Mother Dearest let out a blood curdling
burp!!!!! Lew steadied himself from falling backwards of his stool, the whole
room looked to the centre where MD sat there and said …”Excuse me!” like a pro
Lew carried on his song trying to hold the laughter in , no doubt now knowing
that Mother Dearest was definitely on the white wine just from the smell of
burp wafting across the floor. Well I thought Ann-Mari was going to have a
seizure!!! The rest of us were holding our heads wishing the floor would open
up and swallow ….her!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My son Aaron witnessed this event up close…he actually told
me that as she lifted her glass to her mouth the renegade burp just slipped out,
it actually made her wine bubble!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aaron also said we
did get bugles from MD to complete my trooping of the colour analogy but
thankfully that was masked by some more enthusiastic strumming by Lew as a
slight botty puff released it’s way to the now outraged audience behind her and
rendering them fit to only stare into the distance. as Lew Bear sang a song entitled "Mad old girl" Very apt I thought.!<o:p></o:p></div>
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-30203546266449961522014-03-06T07:04:00.000+00:002014-03-06T15:00:35.813+00:00Locker Room Liaisons 2 So I've been writing this blog on and off for seven years now.I draw your attentions to the blog I wrote way back in February 2007.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://hotmachero.blogspot.co.uk/2007/02/locker-room-liaisons.html" target="_blank"> http://hotmachero.blogspot.co.uk/2007/02/locker-room-liaisons.html</a><br />
<br />
I was found in an awkward moment in the locker room at work on that occassion..<br />
<br />
Many office and building change , Two bands and three CDs later .I find myself yet again back in that very same locker room in another compromising position with my Tai Chi/Qi Gong instructor and good friend Sifu Boggie.<br />
<br />
Picture the scene , It's stupid O'clock in the morning before work you wander into your locker room blurry eyed and you hear from behind the lockers <br />
<br />
"Spread your legs …ride the wild horse"<br />
"Like that ?"<br />
"Yes ok …now pat the horse high!"<br />
<br />
You open your locker and hear<br />
"Let your snake come up through the middle …keep it soft you don't need to be rigid"<br />
<br />
You'd have to investigate, wouldn't you …? And my colleague did …his head peered around the lockers to see me squatting in full company uniform,in horse stance, Boggie behind me pushing my shoulders down making me sink lower. He didn't see two martial artists, oh no... ..he saw two 6 ft well built blokes with shaved heads and goatees sweating slightly in a very compromising position and now caught like rabbits in headlights .<br />
<br />
I jumped to my feet and stood leaning against a locker Boggie put hands in his pocket and looked to the ceiling …it only made it worse …..Awkward silence…I smiled nicely at our voyeur !!!<br />
<br />
"Erm …nothing to see here? …I said unconvincingly He dissappeared back to his locker after a long eye roll and a smirk…….Not again I thought …. Boggie looked at his mobi saw it was time for breakfast…. And innocently said<br />
"Do you want a sausage?….. ( a loud crash of items being dropped out of a locker round the corner ) he did qualify that, followed by "With your egg on toast" but alas the damage had been done.Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-72039537478163658612013-07-09T08:35:00.000+01:002013-07-09T08:35:23.015+01:00The story behind Soul Retriever<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So in the
twilight of The "Lambert" influenced Spriggan Mist a second band
was being amassed. A weird position this, the old band and the new running in
unison. We had cobbled together a group of Pagans from friends of friends and
the odd advert on the Muso websites. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bex Rennie turned up at rehearsals appearing somewhat bewildered and confused as to what she was doing there. We asked for a recorder
player to replace Gill's flute. The flute was not really the sound we ever
wanted but it worked at the time. The recorder was what Max always wrote Gill's
parts on after all. Bex brought with her the Cello and this proved to be a very
useful if not at times a frustrating addition to the Spriggan Mist sound. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We
needed to replace Dave. Again a friend of the Band Rie Townsend suggested her "friend" Gary Hemmings could play a bit of guitar and he brought with him an
amazing array of guitars. Gary was not Dave Lambert but he had a certain harsh
rawness about his playing that we had concerns about but thought he'd grow as time
went on. A likeable chap whose on stage persona was the ying to his yang
offstage personality. This rawness added something to the early days of the re
incarnation of Spriggs' it also made Maxine pick her game up to another level
on guitar as it was clear Gary was not the kind of guitarist needed for some
styles we required. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After a few drummer changes and auditions Colin Garratt was
found. He was one of two drummers we saw on one night. They set up next to each
other and played one after the other. You had Colin the older guy unassuming
with a drum kit that was older than the other drummer who was young up and
coming and flamboyant. The younger lad was very good but….Colin gave him a
lesson in less is more. Rock solid and turning on the flair when needed
but also holding back where required, Colin for me breezed it. The song that made our
minds up? Shaking a Deadman's hand….more about that later.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So we had
the line up and it was apparent that all of a sudden we were more rocky more
edgy and dare I say it more popular with the energy we had on stage. We needed
a CD however to reflect who we were now and Maxine had a load of songs
that needed recording. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This is the story of the second CD Soul Retriever.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Without
Dave's recording ability we had to look at studios and originally we were going
to record with the Dolmen's Josh Elliot but Rie who kind of became our manager
wasn't keen on the idea of us "traypsing " down to Dorset when we
could record in Reading. We set about looking at Studios when we discovered
Vamp just off The Oxford Road. Vamp is a small studio but Sam Barter was a
pro he really did do us a great deal and what proved to be a great job too.
We set aside three days to record, telling the band to be available for those
days in March 2012 .This proved to be an issue but more about that later. It
was a blistering hot weekend and when not recording we sat in Sam's yard and
eat and drank and generally had "band" time </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Soul
Retriever</span></b> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So this was the
title track. Now a huge discussion as to where this sat on the album took
place. Personally I wanted Life's Ride first, Maxine wanted this first and was
adamant so it went on first. I seem to remember it writing itself almost. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Max seemed
to just play it one day wanted me to sing in a raspy voice and then compliment
it with the softer "where are you now" bit.I have always found that
bit difficult but pulled it off for the recording well I thought. I think Soul
Retriever was written as a reminder what this album or even Spriggs' was about.
You see we had lost our way with Dave. This isn't criticism of him but I
think Max wanted to write these kind of songs and she felt that some of the
events leading to the split had weighed heavy on her soul. This song, this
album was the soul retriever hence the name .We wanted to be back on track. The
cover beautifully designed by David again showed a "Shamanka "
retrieving souls and Sebastian the Spriggan on the otherside catching souls
with a net…….</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The song
features Max's new found lead guitar skills a little ditty that
goes around and around, Bex adds her backing which she does on live versions.
The chanty "Soul Retriever" bit actually features Colin singing too.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Originally
Gary had put a bit of guitar in that bit but it was cut from the final
mix it just didn't work.</span> <o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Life's
Ride </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now this song
had been knocking about a long time before this lineup came on board. In fact
it became the opener for Spriggan Mist's live shows. Max wrote this about the
ups and downs of life really but the thing with this song was it featured a
bass solo. It's a simple little bass bit, roots and thirds with little progressions
to each that goes around twice leading up to the guitar solo which Dave used to
be very proficient at .Now up until the recording of this it was just bass
drums and little incidentals from Max on guitar. After recording my track, on the third day ( a day that was to become the infamous third day ) Max and
Bex went back into the studio and recorded a sax and recorder piece over it
turning it quite funky. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So that solo. Live, Gary had trouble with the second
half of the solo and kept going off key so Max sat with him for ages and
together they worked it out and 9/10 he started to hit the right key. On
recording day Gary did all his bits on the afternoon of the second day I seem
to remember. Most of the songs believe it or not Max Colin and I recorded
them live with very few overdubs. I attribute this to Colin's rock solid timing
and our tightness as a band. On the afternoon Gary pulled off the solo and
remains his highlight of the recording as the high pitched whining guitar
wiggles it way back to the verse. The rest of Gary's contribution in this song
was considerably turned down in the mix as during recording his
pick was constantly hitting his pick ups when he was strumming and this
ruined his track a little. He wasn't able to come back and re do it on the
third day so Sam was able to mask somewhat.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now most
Spriggs' regulars know that we start this live with a rolling rumble on the
bass and drums as the instruments come in one by one. We recorded it like this
but Sam had the idea of starting it without and cut it out and we agreed that
on the CD sounded better</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Shaking a
Deadman's hand </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A few years ago
Mark Vine posted a poem up on The Dolmen Grove forum. It's based on a true
story of a collapsed Anzac trench in WW1 where a dead soldier's hand was
sticking out of the dirt and as the men went over the top to battle they shook
it to bring them luck .Originally it was part of a set of lyrics written for an
album called Soldiers for The Dolmen that never came to fruition. In fact The
Dolmen's Eternal Soldier came from the same stable ie for that album and from
Mark vine's lyrics as Shaking a Deadman's Hand. So I asked permission to use it
and Mark thankfully allowed me to use the lyrics. I then set about playing a
few chords on a Mandola and set it to a simple tune. I played it to the band a
year earlier and Dave said it was really a solo acoustic song and our then
drummer Shaun Finch said that the military style drumming I wanted on the song
would not sound right and very corny. So it got shoved onto a back burner until
Max and I got full control of the band. This song got Colin the gig in the band
. He got what I wanted straight away and together with Max's guitar brought my
idea to life. Bex underpins the song with Cello and Gary unfortunately apart from
the opening few notes is actually faded out in the verses . He tracked quite
badly on this recording and added very little to the song. So a decision was
made to leave him out apart from in the chorus and you can just here him. So
after Colin recorded his drums he asked Sam if he could record another set of
drums to make it sound as if there were a few drummers ie like a military
marching band. So this is what he did. To Sam's amazement Colin's drumming was
so exact with the first track he had to slightly take the second track out of
time a fraction just to give the illusion of two drummers. I recorded this on a
Bouzouki which was mic'd as opposed to direct input (we tried that and Sam
wanted to try to make it warmer)</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The intro
with drums and recorder which is now played live was a much later addition of
Max's doing.</span> <o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gypsy
Witch</span></b> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Max wrote this
one from a recorder "riff " she had played with years before. She
played with the ditty on guitar and out came the tune. I'm not sure that this
isn't a partial look into her ancestry but then she'd be able to tell you about
that. I know I struggled with the double A notes in the verses for a while. I
knew that this was a fast mover and it was possibly the most folk rock on the
album so tried to get that folky bounce in my base line and then started
walking to give it some movement. Bex has a cheerful recorder piece. Now this
is where the seems fell apart for Gary. When Sam played this back on that third
day he said that I must be off key as everything sounded wrong. Max and Bex
told him that this was unlikely and slowly took tracks out …Gary had tracked
out of tune. Max had to learn the rhythm guitar piece and record it there and
then. She did want some Sax in the track but had no time left due to this
delay. If you listen carefully you can hear some sax she managed to record . </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Selina</span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first song
fully written by me to feature on a Spriggan Mist recording. I never knew this
would divide people's opinion as it has. Selina was written following a family
holiday to Cornwall. We went to The Bodmin Gaol Museum and on a specific
floor Aaron our little boy stopped at the door and started getting a bit
worried . He really didn't want to go on to the floor. He was ok all around the
museum but this floor freaked him out no end. On the wall was a plaque
and it showed a picture of a woman called Selina Wadge. In 1978 Selina Wadge
was a 27year old , single woman, who was charged with the wilful murder of her
illegitimate child, Henry Wadge, aged about two years, by drowning him in a
well in a field at Tresmarrow, near Launceston. She had been an inmate of the
Union Workhouse at Laurceston for about a year. She left the union with
her two children aged five and two respactively, to live at her father's house
at Trebant, about seven miles off. She and her two children were taken
into Launceston in a farmer's cart and left in the town. She was seen walking
out of Launceston shortly afterwards with both children towards the field in
which a well is situated, and which is about a mile and a half from Launceston.
The field is close by the high road, and she was seen about 500 yards from the
field. She was at the union again in Launceston, but with only the elder child
with her. On inquiries being made by her sister and others about the younger
child the Selina stated that the child had died since she had last been in the
workhouse, that the cause of death was an abscess and a throat complaint, that
a doctor had attended it and that it was buried. On the afternoon of the same
day she went to the house of a relative and told him that she had buried her
other little boy at Alternun the week before, whereupon the boy who was with
her said, " He's in a pit, mother," upon which she replied,
"Hold your noise, or I will give you a slap." That night the
prisoner slept at a lodging house, where the landlady asked after her baby. and
she replied that it had died of a throat complaint at her mother's, and that
the doctor had told her it would soon die. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On the
Saturday she went into the union again, and on the Sunday (June 23), in the
presence of the matron of the workhouse and several other persons who were
called as witnesses, she stated that one James Westwood had taken the baby from
her and put it in a well, and that be had threatened to drown the other boy as
well, but that she had run away from him with the elder boy.<br />
Subsequently, however, she confessed that she herself had put the child into
the water, that no one was with her at the time except the elder little boy,
and that he began to cry.<br />
James Westwood was called, and said that he was engaged to be married to
Selina, but that he was at Morwenstow and Kilkhampton during the week ended
June 22.<br />
The body of the child was found in the well by a policeman , and the medical
evidence showed that death was caused by suffocation, and the appearance of the
body was that of death by drowning. The prisoner seemed perfectly unconcerned
throughout the trial. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The jury
found the prisoner Guilty, but recommended her to mercy. Sentence of death was
passed in the usual form.<br />
, was executed within the walls of Bodmin Gaol for the murder of her
illegitimate child, at Launceston, There had been no other execution in
Cornwall for 16 years, and this being consequently the first since the
abolition of public executions, there was a good deal of curiosity as to the
proceedings, but the curious were disappointed, for the execution was conducted
with the strictest privacy, even the representatives of the Press being denied
admission.<br />
The only persons present were the Governor of the gaol (Captain Colvill), the
Under Sheriff, the county clerk, the gaol surgeon, two warders, Marwood
(the executioner), and the chaplain. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
condemned woman had previously admitted the justice of her sentence, and was
resigned to her fate. She was sobbing as she<br />
approached the scaffold, and required assistance, but otherwise did not make
any demonstration. Her final words as she walked to the gallows "Lord
deliver me from this miserable world" She died almost instantaneously and
without a struggle. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mark Rablin, the
paranormal expert and senior guide at Bodmin jail has on many occasions been
asked by children visiting the jail with their parents who the lady in the long
dress is that they saw crying in the jail cell. He also recalls that some
pregnant women visitors often get very emotional when on the 3rd and 4th floor.</span>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Maxine plays
this strained screaming guitar that for me makes this song. She picked up on
the feel of the subject matter perfectly. Bex's backing vocals also create a ghostly
moody effect. During mixing I explained to Sam I wanted a cold feeling on the
track , reverb on my voice and on the instruments and he delivered brilliantly.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My brother
David? Won't listen to the song, he has left it off his ipod. Finds it too depressing.
Played it to a colleague in the office ? She pleaded with me to turn it off and
cried it was too sad. Recently Colin's wife Sara has also admitted she doesn't
like the song due to its subject matter. We never play this live anymore
I feel we can't get the feel that it has on the CD and every time we did play
it live something or somebody went very wrong .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Some love it personally I feel
I have done my job as a "writer" told the story and touched people's
emotions be it emotions some don't want to feel.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Don't
look back</span></b> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This song was
written by Maxine for a gig we played in 2011. It was
The Pagan Federation's 40th anniversary we played at The Archangel in
Knightsbridge London . It was a masked ball with Orpheus as a theme. Maxine
wrote "Don't look back "about the most famous story in which Orpheus
figures is that of his wife </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurydice"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Eurydice</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (While
walking among her people, the Cicones, in tall grass at her wedding, Eurydice
was set upon by a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyr"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">satyr</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">. In her
efforts to escape the satyr, Eurydice fell into a nest of vipers and suffered a
fatal bite on her heel. Her body was discovered by Orpheus who, overcome with
grief, played such sad and mournful songs that all the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">nymphs</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and gods
wept. On their advice, Orpheus travelled to the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">underworld</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and by
his music softened the hearts of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hades</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Persephone</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (he was
the only person ever to do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him
to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back
until they both had reached the upper world. He set off with Eurydice
following, and, in his anxiety, as soon as he reached the upper world, he
turned to look at her, forgetting that both needed to be in the upper world,
and she vanished for the second time, but now forever. The Cello comes into its
own here. Maxine originally played the Cello part on a midi keyboard to
give Bex an idea of what she wanted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The song does tell the whole story , so is
quite long. The main riff Maxine played on so many occassions live just
wouldn't work for her when recording the song. It was like that little red
light would stop her playing. She got there in the end. Live this is
played slightly different the chorus is rocked up somewhat but this was
an addition to the song well after the recording .</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Kultural Karma</span></b> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Now
this song had been knocking around since about 2007.Maxine wrote this when
still in the covers band Stone Jesters. I have heard so many singers sing this
over the years come and go. I never in a million years imagined I'd sing it as
I could never sing and play the bass line at the same time. In fact we started
playing this in the "Lambert era" Dave used to play the bass and I'd
just sing it. It kind of fell by the wayside by the time the "new lineup
" came along and then one day whilst I decided to really rock out with it
on root notes and Bex picked up the old bass line on Cello, it worked and
remains a must in the Spriggs' live set. Little gem for you….during recording I
made a mistake in the lyric …"Chinese dancing dragon , drunk on a
wagon" For some unknown reason I sung, "Dunc on a wagon" I
remember doing it on one of the three times I sang it and I thought nothing
more of it thinking it would end up deleted until we got the finished CD and
there it was. I now sing Dunc on the wagon whenever the occasion arises that
our friend (and occassional Spriggs' roady) Duncan Wilde is in the
audience. T</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">he
song itself is about life (I think) My take on it is things will be what they
are and is a celebration of diversity and a resignation to that fact..Maxine
will probably have a more deeper explanation. One of my favourites on the CD is
a real rocker live too.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Electric
Life</span></b> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One of the
songs Max wanted to include with the old lineup but was met with a lack
of enthusiasm from them. It's about how we rely on modern technology and
surround ourselves with gadgets and modern technology.It's a reminder that
sometimes we need to go back to basics and ground ourselves The
song starts with Bex on recorder and ends with her on Cello. The last note
being a long Cello one. The Cello is an old instrument and signifies a return
to the old . Another rocker this .Love the structure of this song and Colin's
bass drum goes like a machine gun </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ostara</span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A song for the
Pagan celebration of Ostara, a lot of people's favourite song from the album no
less .</span><b> </b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
recording is kind of incomplete. You'll notice that live that there is a
lead part but on the recording there isnt. This was the start of the realisation
that Gary's style of playing wasn't what we required. He couldn't put a
lead part on this and due to time constraints Maxine couldn't go back and put
another track on .Features Bex doing backing harmonies ends the album on a
positive note. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The album
proved to be the undoing of Gary. We aren't entirely sure why Gary tracked so bad at the
studio. Lack of rehearsal due to work commitments maybe ?</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Girlfriend
pressure ? Who knows? No where to hide in the studio but his performance
on the day for whatever reason was marred by bad timing an anoying click where
his pick was hitting his pick ups and nervous uncertainty. Maxine had to re
track a great deal of his performance which was a real shame.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We had to
let him go. Our relationship with Rie his now girlfriend was strained over a
throw away comment she made on Facebook upsetting quite a few pagan
friends in Weymouth. It was obvious Gary was stuck in the middle even to
the extent that on recording day he was expected to go to a moot and you could
see he was almost clock watching. As usual after a band conflab it was
decided it was down to me to tell Gary we would have to let him go,
and new guitarist should be sought </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ironically
it was on the day that the CDs arrived that I told him. I went to his
house called him out and gave him his copy of the CD and gently as
possible told him we had to part. It was the hardest thing I had to do in
the band as he was a really good friend. He took it very graciously and a
little turbulance occurred from some quarters but we got throught it…</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By the
launch of the CD in Portsmouth we had a new guitarist in place .
Simon Martin and he would bring with him a bag full of riffs and licksand more issues down the line....</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A new Cd a
new guitarist Spriggs' were rockin.</span> <o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-14263097170664514762013-05-28T23:33:00.000+01:002013-05-28T23:33:19.023+01:00The Making of Caught In A Spell<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There
will only be a few reasons why you are reading this. I hope it's because
Spriggan Mist have got big enough for you to be interested, but it's more
likely that you were involved in the making of this CD or you are related to me
or a bit morbidly I'm no longer walking this earth, cos musicians are always
better after they've gone aren't they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now
this is my take on the proceedings ok? So if you were involved or are mentioned
in these memoirs please don't be offended and remember any inaccuracies are my
own as are my views. If you haven't fallen into that category I hope you enjoy
reading almost as much as the CD. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
released </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Spriggan Mist's debut album </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Caught in a Spell in June 2010 at 3 Wishes Faery Fest at Colliford
Lake Country Park. Now before I get into the story telling let me explain why
this was the chosen place to release it by explaining a little Spriggan Mist
history. Spriggan Mist was the brainchild of my wife Maxine. We had been
playing in a covers band for a couple of years and bored of playing someone else’s
music she started to get these little folk tunes in her head and we recorded
some rough tracks down on a portable recording device (for you techies out
there think it was a Boss BR900-CD) and Karen Kay The Faery Queen of 3 Wishes
Faery Fest noticed the tracks on a hastily put together MySpace page and asked
us to play at the festival. I think the name Spriggan Mist drew her more than
the music but none the less she gave us the chance. With six months to practice
and get a live set together we had to find a group of musicians ready and
willing to do it as Maxine played all the instruments except bass on these
tracks, we also needed more songs to fill a 45 min slot. So over a few months
we amassed the Caught in a Spell line up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maxine
Cilia -Vocals Guitar ,Sax, recorder</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Baz Cilia - Vocals , Bass</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dave Lambert - Vocals, Guitar, Violin</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Gill Lambert- Flute, Keyboard</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Andy Wilkin - Percussion </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It became quite evident that Dave was going to be an influence on proceedings,
immediately Max and I could see that here was a very competent guitarist with
singer song writing capabilities and due to our inexperience we allowed him to
take hold of Spriggan Mist and stamp a little bit of him on it. At the time of
creating the CD this wasn't a problem a few strains and cracks appeared a year
later but that isn't for this piece of writing although I'm sure you will see
that in a way the signs were written on the wall from the time of Caught in a
Spell's birth. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
remember Max and I being impatient and driven from the outset which really at
times grated I'm sure on the older more settled in what they do Dave
,Gill and Andy.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Things
came to a head in November 2009 when during a rehearsal I suggested we needed
to have a CD out soon and suggested rather bluntly to Dave who had the ability
to record it although had never taken on a task such as this before that
it needed doing now!. I got a frosty response. I remember Dave sat slumped in
our music room and clearly saying to me that this wasn't something to be rushed
and that if he was doing it would be done on his terms and when he wanted or
get someone else to record it. Now I don't think that this was a petulant attempt
at being a control freak (As I saw it at the time by the way) now I kind of
feel Dave was out of his comfort zone and was trying to get it all boxed in his
mind. But none the less seven months later with band intact we produced a nine
track CD from his home studio which we are all very proud of and this is the
story…. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 1 The Park</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This was written by Dave and was on a set of songs that he gave us on a
Cd to listen to. What's it about? Not sure Dave would never let on but I feel
it was part auto biographical and personal so didn't pursue the issue.
Originally entitled Dog Sh1t park, it was slightly re arranged for Spriggan
Mist. Now the first obstacle was that Dave wanted drums in this track. Andy
Wilkin was a percussionist, the only drummer we knew was our then 8 year old
Aaron. I remember the recording of this as if yesterday .Dave came armed with
various mics and chucked a set of head phones on the little boys head and
took about three takes of the song. Aaron was drumming to a guide track that
Dave had put together. It was recorded on Dave's portable recording soundscape
system I think. This was nicknamed the beast. It was built by Dave and Gill and
housed all sorts of digital menageries Dave says that he didn't have to
do much to the drum track, a bit of compression but what you hear on the
recording is what Aaron drummed. The rest of the tracks were laid one by one in
Dave's studio. We went along to his house in Lightwater Surrey over a period of
a few weeks and laid the tracks as and when. Most of my tracks were laid in the
morning before work, I was in work clothes for most of the recording. Not very
rock and roll!.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
wrote the start poem from the feel I thought Dave was trying to capture. I had
to do that bass run which I must say I struggled with live as I was doing this
alien thing called singing in harmony so had lots of things to do in my head ….Dave
original track didn't have a sax so Max was all over that with her Sax…now if
you listen to the track carefully you will hear some background ahhs and oohs.
Dave was very clever here. He recorded the whole band at different times
singing Ahs to a keyboard note. He had us do an ah for each note and programmed
them in somewhere somehow. This allowed him to then play a chorus of ahhs without
us being there in perfect timing and harmony. Listen to the track behind the
sax you can hear it rather subtle yet very necessary. Needless to say live this
never happened but never missed either.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Finally
the sound effects I'm reliably informed Dave went around recording the
footsteps on gravel , birds and other sound effects. The scraping at the end?
Andy rubbing his drum sticks on his congas. Why? Cos he could ? </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 2 Earth Calling</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This was Maxine's tune, one of the first she wrote. The original is
almost unrecognisable and was one of the one's Karen Kay would have heard from
a crudely recorded and put together EP called Konditions of Change….(more about
that another time). This was re arranged by Dave . Do I like this
version…..hmmm yes of course would I like to play it again with Spriggs' hmmm
yes but with a mixture of Max's composition and Dave's. So why was it
rearranged? I felt that Dave and Gill just couldn't get the syncopation that
Max seems to do effortlessly. Gill is a classically trained Flautist and she
never jammed, read everything and I think that Dave felt there must be a better
way to present Earth Calling. He did however add that amazing start with synth
and electric violin. The synth was always played by midi pedals live. One of the
highlights of the album for me that intro and I remember hearing it and being
blown away. Earth calling meanders away and to me sounds a little too folky for
my ears but that’s where we were at the time and still has Maxine's
quirky signature written all over it that Spriggan Mist are known for. I get to
lay down a heavy bass line in this with a bit of wah on it. Maxine actually
plays a banjitar on this. An instrument sadly dropped from the live performance
due to stage ease. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 3 Indigo Child</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maxine wrote this about our little lad Aaron. Indigo Child was
recorded on a demo a long time before this recording was made It is the
first track on the CD you hear Maxine singing with that distinctive Kate Bush
esque. Apparently Dave made Maxine sing this really quietly when recording it.
Dave is doing backing vocals for this a task soon passed to me post Lambert era
.Dave added the guitar solo and the chord structure behind the solo from a song
of his called Anneliese. It remains one of the favourites of Spriggan Mist fans
and we always see people singing its lyrics. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 4 Dragut's Eye</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I wrote the lyrics to this in September 2008 at work on a rainy Tuesday
evening the first day back from holiday in Malta. I didn't show these
lyrics to anyone they were the first lyrics I had ever written and was
rather shy of them. Then when we did the Konditions of Change EP I showed them
to Maxine who put the melody to my words. Often confused as a love song it is
actually a protest song about how Malta, a country I grew up in and hold
citizenship for. Whilst on holiday I was in Kalkara when to my shock and horror
the medieval bastions at Vittoriosa had been hacked into and monstrous
glass modern day apartments had sprung up in the gap that had been made.
I was told that some Manchester United players had purchased some of them
(couldn't confirm this ) but it was happening all over Malta. I've always loved
the Great Siege of Malta and General Dragut was a Turk who tried to sack Malta
in 1565. He met his sticky end on Malta. So it's about others envy at trying to
take Malta as their own and even now although "She" is not
being fought over with the use of arms foreign investors have slowly
"Ripped her heart out with every brick" The bell you hear at
the beginning was recorded by Maxine on her mobile phone at midnight in a place
called Marsa. We wanted as many bell tolls as possible from an authentic
Maltese church bell without any street noises and I believe it was our last
night on the island before recording and we were running late with about 10
seconds to midnight our hire car screeched to a halt in the pjazza in Mara and
Maxine recorded it on her mobile phone. The end phone conversation is between me
and an old friend Anglu Farrugia in Maltese we are talking about me coming to
Malta and a bit of banter etc…Dave's idea but recorded by me on me mobile. So
although a song about old values being eroded by modern development modern
technology well and truly used. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 5 Faery Queen</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Arguably one of the most requested songs Spriggan Mist do. Dave
Lambert's song. The "album recording" is a much slower softer song
than how it has evolved over the years but this was how it was written. It was
written especially for 3 Wishes Faery Fest. Apparently the little poem that our
then 5 year old Brianna reads is a representation of all the band members…Dave
would never tell me who any of us were ..am I Apple , Elder or Rowan tree? I
don't know. The use of Brianna in the role of Faery messenger was ingenious.
There is a story behind the song. Dave once told me it’s about a medieval
army retreating from battle . Blood stained and bruised their numbers so
depleted they retreat into a small wood where the Faery messenger calls to them
and takes them to the faery realm. They know that at dawn they will have to
face their enemy and they will inevitably die but for that night the Faery
Queen throws them a wonderful party for which their worries are far away.
The bass drum is Aaron's. Andy works overtime on his congas and the flute
recorder duo by Gill and Max giving the track an oldie woldy feel in contrast
with the electric guitar riff Dave bangs out. Me? I just hold the steady bass
line and sing backing…in contrast to my part now where I sing it live. Then
there is the arpegiator…an electronic sequence of notes this caused many a
heartache live …with timing etc. But on the record sounds great.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 6 Waiting for a dewdrop to fall</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Probably one of the prettiest songs written by Max. She wrote this
during a training session at work one day. She read these lyrics out to me on
the phone just as I had come across one of the parents, Clive Elkington on the
school run with a tripod and a camera pointed at a bush. I asked him what he
was doing and he said…"I am waiting for a Dewdrop to fall" He wanted
to catch the dewdrop falling off a leaf. I relayed this story to Max and
by the end of the day the song materialised. Dave is on the violin for this Max
gives a great vocal performance and Gill's flute interchange with the
violin is very well worked. This is the only track I play fretless bass on. I
loved playing this song live but sadly has fallen off our sets these days.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Track 7 Spriggan Dance</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Way before the Lamberts and Andy came along I penned Spriggan Dance.
Maxine was away so I decided I would attempt recording it on my own just
bass and over laid vocals I had a few ciders and thought it was the business. I
excitedly played the track back to Maxine the next day and was told how it
was…..pretty awful…it was actually really bad so it was stored to the back of a
file somewhere until Dave and I were
doing a ." This is the most awful thing I have written session" and I
played him Spriggan Dance and won the competition although a song of his with
included the lyrics quiche lorraine came a close second. Anyway he took a copy
of it and using my melody and some of my words created Spriggan Dance as we all
know and love it now. Maxine however wasn't always a fan of the song. She bowed
down to the band’s enthusiasm to do the song but don't think she really bought into
it. Probably grew on her over the years and her sax play on the track really
sets the end bit off perfectly. We don't often do the beginning talk over intro
anymore favouring to drop it to add to the flow of the set ….but sometimes it's
resurrected. This is the only track I’m ever allowed to play slap/pop bass on too.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Track 8 Faery Dust<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Written about our little Brianna who from the word go
completely embraced the whole Fae deal, Maxine wrote this for our first appearance at
Faery fest. Is a song of two contrasts you have the twinkling of Max’s guitar
with her high near on Angelic vocal performance with Dave’s psychedelic guitar
playing. This is in my opinion where Dave and max worked best. Max would come
to the band with a song and Dave would add something to the song. I got the
feeling Max was happier with that arrangement than Dave and certainly in latter
weeks I saw Dave trying too hard to write songs for Spriggan Mist which lead to
a back log in material from Maxine. One wonders if Dave had allowed Maxine to
write the material and he assist in the arrangement the Lambert /Cilia
connection would have worked for longer but then I think the partnership had
run its cause musically. The unusual thing about this song is the guitar solo
carries on behind Max’s singing creating that aforementioned psychedelic feel. Probably was and is one of my favourite
bass lines to play live.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Track 9 Solstice <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maxine wrote this and couldn’t sing it. It sits on the
bottom of my range so was off the scale for her . This track is probably the
most openly “Pagan” of tracks on the album.
Very tribal I set out to have a very low rhythmic bass line with a rumble
in the chorus, Max provides the backing and the percussion done by Andy just
put the T in tribal. Dave dishes out the violin solo for the last time on the
track. The quiet bit on this track is my favourite bit of singing on the whole
album (as in my favourite bit to sing that is) Maxine and I actually sang this
at a summer Solstice ritual at 3 wishes Faery Fest in a middle of a circle…no
instruments ..just us and it worked , a
gift to The Holly king maybe …the song ends the album with a real triumphant
noise of instruments which brings a reprise to the footsteps from the first
song completing a never ending circle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The artwork was done by my brother David we gave him the
idea of Sebastian the Spriggan being caught up in handcuffs made of mist but he
changed this to the plant/branches idea. The booklet within contains artwork originally
used in backdrop projections at one of
our gigs ,all beautifully done by David . He wasn’t entirely happy with the
final print in his eyes it came out too dark. For us it was and still is
perfect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Within a few months Andy decided that with all his blues
commitments and the realisation of the fact Spriggan Mist needed a conventional drummer
he would leave Spriggs’ The Lamberts decided a few months later that it was time
to go. Not sure Gill really enjoyed the band thing totally. Don’t get me wrong
she always gave 110% but got the feeling she wouldn’t miss it when she left.
She did however apart from playing the flute did key in sound effects and
lighting from behind her little box of tricks a fact not always apparent as she
hid at the back. As for Dave, it was a
bitter sweet affair. I think both Dave and Max needed freedom to write their
own thing Max had grown frustrated that she had so many songs to get out, I had
started writing too and Dave looked like he was trying to write for a band that
was moving away from who and where he was going.. I believe Max and I empowered
him with our drive and enthusiasm to produce a work of art that he hadn’t ever
done before or since. In return we
gained a lot of experience from him and learned a few lessons too. Without a
cross word and a mutual respect for each other The Lamberts and Cilias parted
company. With Caught in a Spell only a year old and with the CD well into
profit ,Spriggan Mist were Max and I again. Time for a bit of soul retrieving <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-56746720106424203282013-05-09T10:16:00.002+01:002013-05-09T10:16:15.497+01:00Game of Thrones -liveThis was recorded on a camcorder at The Enchanted Faerie Ball in Rochester 04/05/2013<br />
<br />
Maxine and I are big fans of the series and the theme tune ,so when we found out that a friends daughter Kerry Ingram had landed a the role of Shireen Baratheon we were very excited<br />
<br />
In fact it was Kerry's Dad Derek Ingram who originally suggested on a school run one day that we should cover the song....so after a bit of jamming,,,,here it is!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sNdPGR73Z7o" width="560"></iframe>Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-43517165939517148172013-05-06T23:58:00.002+01:002013-05-09T10:17:35.520+01:00Video of Kintbury Witch live-performed at Rochester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CSoo4otmXt4" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-14066359416229258132013-04-04T07:09:00.000+01:002013-04-04T07:09:20.559+01:00In Hot Water Again !Hate is a horrible word…I often hear people say I hate this and I hate that …It is a word I have irradicated from my day to day vocabulary along with words Michael Buble…I don't say that anymore either!<br />
<br />
<br />There is a a time though where you just have to say it….Hate that is…not Buble …although I can see the use of the word Buble as an adjective….<br />
<br />
Don't be a Buble ! <br />
<br />
You complete Buble ! Etc..etc.. <br />
<br />
But no, Hate I reserve for those unbearable things in life that you just cannot stand or tolerate…..yes I'm talking about DIY!!!!! <br />
<br />
I Hate DIY! <br />
<br />
Now Spriggan Towers is having a new Kitchen fitted ….This involves the military operation of a cast of thousands before the fitter can fit the kitchen. There is the tiler, the plasterer and the candle stick maker, all jostling to get their bits done inbetween the sparky visiting and tutting with hands on hips sharp intake of breath as to the size of this hole or the other …shocking behaviour…<br />
<br />
But this morning at 0630 hours Wifey told me to get out of my pit and go take the rad in the bombsight formerly known as the kitchen of the wall so the plasterer can plaster behind it….Now I had tried doing this the night before but to no avail..Jason the kitchen fitter even told me how to do it and I couldn't put the cap on the bit etc.. …I'm not DIY minded…Jason on the other hand can do anything...even brain surgery if it was done with manly hammers chisels and screw drivers…but for me it doesn't happen, but no Wifey wanted it done..how hard can it be ? I thought .So armed with my adjustible spanner , my half inch cap with two washers and my trusty sidekick Aaron my 11 year old I started to undo the nuts ….water started to spurt out at every angle….ok checked everything ...righty tighty lefty loosey …valve turned to zero …..tried again…water spurted everywhere…..so one ranting phone call to Wifey later who was at a safe haven of work and I was back looking at said radiator….I turned to my Tonto..my Robin….and said .."Son we are going in and we are going to undo it….water will come out…it will….but stay strong and I'll try and get the cap on"….Aaron took a deep breath and then I did it off the rad came ..out came the water gushing onto the floor..surf was up!!!……….it was like molten lava except not red or smoking but it was hot ,,,,and I was struggling to get the cap on shouting " Ooow oooow oooh s' hot!!" Aaron in a flash of inspiration picked up the mop and rammed it onto the pipe ..dislodging my struggling sausage fingers trying to get the cap on …sending said cap spinning across the floor …."Nooooooooo!" The water carried on gushing ..I scrambled to the the cap , but not before we both stood flapping our arms spinning around screaming ...wondering what we were going to do next as water spurted everywhere ,,,It was a scene Laurel and Hardy would of been proud of….finally I got hold of the cap and screwed it in place. The water stopped we were safe ..said radiator was put to one side and we proceeded to clear up copious amounts of water as quick as we could as we were in danger of being swept away by the current….<br />
<br />
<br />
.…Of course one has to update one's status on Facebook as to how I survived the Bracknell flood..... Then come the post mortems don't they… One of the Super Mario brothers (aka Mother Dearest) obviously looked up from her bottle Pinot Grigio ….no that’s cruel it was only about 7 am…she would still be on the Newky Brown at breakfast ..and replied to my status about switching the water off and should of done this and that..honestly what right back seat plumber ..didn't see her there did we? at stupid o'clock in the morning with her spanners! oh no....then sister dearest (the other super Mario Brother) chipped in kind of semi in my defence....(thanks Sis)<br />
<br />
Tonight I take out some ballistrates from the stairs...simples...I mean what could go wrong there ?Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-11662518774381611902013-02-15T22:05:00.001+00:002013-02-15T22:05:36.501+00:00The Rune Raido<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The rune
Raido.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Little
did I know when I drew you inverted from from my Rune bag did I know that the
literal interpretation of such a cast is "Car problems or travel
problems"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I thought it
a more artistic sort of metaphorical journey I should be looking at and the
whole reading was drawing my attention to this so I'd be fore warned so that I
could be more attentive ……think again Bazza..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Public
transport has always proved to be a bit tricky for me. You see having grown up
in Malta there are no trains or tubes ,which by the way lends the question as
to why in some Maltese language phrase books you will find…"Excuse me how
do I get to The train station?" But no... it's easy ,you get on a bus from
your town or village and all busses go to Valletta and back. You know where you
are, simple. So I had to go from Uxbridge to Ickenham the other day and knew
all busses from the stop I was standing at went to Ruislip from which Ickenham
is enroute. So the bus arrives and on I jump sit down and out comes the phone,
well you have to check out your facebook don't you ? imagine my dismay when I
looked out the window and found myself heading out into Buckinghamshire well I
didn't know that that the H in H31meant Ruislip via Harefield ..did I ? So half
hour later I was back at the stop I had started at. I'll never get that half
hour back ….ever ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But that was
only half my plight this month.Had to go to Ealing for an important appointment
the other morning, this time by train and a friend of mine after the school run
dropped me off to catch the train. Now as we arrrived outside Bracknell Station
the London bound train was just pulling in so I quickly got out of the car
zipped through the barriers jumped on the train and settled into my seat
smuggly thinking ,no standing on a cold platform for me today! So almost
immediately my mobile pinged again…..ah Anglu in Malta was chatting via email
to Darkmagi in Dorset. I was cc'd in, so as I chuckled away at their emails
safe in the knowledge that I was a long way from London I engrossed in
Facebook and emails. I even text Wifey as I passed Staines and told her I was
waving ….I thought we'll reach Clapham junction soon …then it hit me…..it
wasn't Clapham junction I needed it was Ealing Broadway …and in fact I needed
to go to Reading then in on the paddington bound to Ealing Broadway!!!!!
Umpteen stops and changes later as I negotiated my way through the web of which
is the tube map I finally made it to Ealing ..hardly a pot of gold at the end
of a rainbow type of place I have to say..but nonetheless I got there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Then
yesterday Valentine's Day …..yes the first after our handfasting ,I was doing
the Dad's Taxi bit in The Sprigg' mobile and I get a phone call from Dunc, from
The Dolmen Grove Hampshire and I carried on chatting on my hands free as I got
out and proceeded to fuel said Sprigg' mobile up with unleaded……after £70 worth
of it going in, I remembered that actually my van takes diesel….A four hour wait
for recovery , a journey to High Wycombe , a two and a half hour wait in a
garage and £220 later I was at the Petrol pump filling up with over a £100 in
Diesel. Gutted is not the word.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Morale to this story ..pay more attention to
your Runes and pay attention to one of the Spriggan Mist songs which Wifey so
beautifully penned a few years ago..Electric Life…..The mobile phone has been a
constant in all these stories …..maybe I need to bury it in the bottom of my
pocket….maybe I'm too attached ….anyway would love to sit and chat , but my
mobile is ringing…ahem</span>Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-73037547651030301692013-01-30T07:58:00.003+00:002013-01-30T07:58:39.375+00:00Photos of Suzie Walker's 50th gig <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeQ5YYQsnDPIdPxHKKy0E9BMmX0-eAc2_J4gnXTGHmEnc9z0gHBzD9J8ToxHijdmt27aoSjg14UAhUmPaNYD3KrO869cBSUl9B9V6VzF8nj-OStxENqlMFEK4tv09ORW45jrTB5M3gqVp/s1600/sprigs-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeQ5YYQsnDPIdPxHKKy0E9BMmX0-eAc2_J4gnXTGHmEnc9z0gHBzD9J8ToxHijdmt27aoSjg14UAhUmPaNYD3KrO869cBSUl9B9V6VzF8nj-OStxENqlMFEK4tv09ORW45jrTB5M3gqVp/s320/sprigs-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
All photos taken by John Steane<br />
<br />
Martin Apsey's first gig with The Sprigs'<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29MbQD9FP_50RZhDVraif5hYr1usXJH1-fFVhTYYB8aGZNWQYyq8B4pdnJiKDIyiT-v2XWgcodbDX06rgkt9wk-9lIVIgvrPKshCERnjNgrBLNOelIu0UBV8QF6hZS2k1neubwxPUedN4/s1600/sprigs-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29MbQD9FP_50RZhDVraif5hYr1usXJH1-fFVhTYYB8aGZNWQYyq8B4pdnJiKDIyiT-v2XWgcodbDX06rgkt9wk-9lIVIgvrPKshCERnjNgrBLNOelIu0UBV8QF6hZS2k1neubwxPUedN4/s320/sprigs-16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The obligatory "where's the drummer?" photo<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXECQcW2kZuVrgeTRInv0tKgMRVc7K0zttkdldzkDlhjRe5B4VkB146ok-O1UCqcVWj8K8MIut8-9jOFGQW8wzQqDkyFL1BRy1B1mEvYcmOJCsrzuxfuxu-Ef51a6wfwByMO9y1S5dPg1/s1600/sprigs-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXECQcW2kZuVrgeTRInv0tKgMRVc7K0zttkdldzkDlhjRe5B4VkB146ok-O1UCqcVWj8K8MIut8-9jOFGQW8wzQqDkyFL1BRy1B1mEvYcmOJCsrzuxfuxu-Ef51a6wfwByMO9y1S5dPg1/s200/sprigs-24.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHcdClGCeNw5ztfwQ3XzCNhnJpG0cy2DAeL_K3mY6EqxtZGcjtkPs2IAz15Uh3g3ko_t5j52_XlVX5UHlAmcRTF1T1ObOlF9KwJlMYlH_SvzRrXOG7o7p-2Vj39b16pd-FjgC5XLcdTR6/s1600/sprigs-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHcdClGCeNw5ztfwQ3XzCNhnJpG0cy2DAeL_K3mY6EqxtZGcjtkPs2IAz15Uh3g3ko_t5j52_XlVX5UHlAmcRTF1T1ObOlF9KwJlMYlH_SvzRrXOG7o7p-2Vj39b16pd-FjgC5XLcdTR6/s200/sprigs-22.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Max rockin with her new Les!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqvXs0UajzYNCRPLHacbjbT-n97pHWTC5Wgv_pFUfOXlxneZ_nkcw71CE-p_WSH5q-mREnIcj6usM31Cg3F3NH2G_AhsmfTpNIXWfxFhFG0VWWs4OPWEyvXv3mlNoQvqySfr2ZEYQocst/s1600/sprigs-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqvXs0UajzYNCRPLHacbjbT-n97pHWTC5Wgv_pFUfOXlxneZ_nkcw71CE-p_WSH5q-mREnIcj6usM31Cg3F3NH2G_AhsmfTpNIXWfxFhFG0VWWs4OPWEyvXv3mlNoQvqySfr2ZEYQocst/s640/sprigs-34.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l0zunrehhbeCCVcSE1pobakEdhCKXRrTmb6jcto9V3DAsQyvjN7pPD8TT2TLPva6v3GvnesQsqc-r5VvDzVYZU2NMzcBQ2jb9Gb37sOSkdSG9oFiatYL-t2sLYVd91bpFZQERAww2AzO/s1600/sprigs-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l0zunrehhbeCCVcSE1pobakEdhCKXRrTmb6jcto9V3DAsQyvjN7pPD8TT2TLPva6v3GvnesQsqc-r5VvDzVYZU2NMzcBQ2jb9Gb37sOSkdSG9oFiatYL-t2sLYVd91bpFZQERAww2AzO/s400/sprigs-28.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMVvR2Kk3TNe4kCzBsAItTkabaXsN4iS8Ftd8dBsIAkeLD9RSIWk9eKTqIJ5DDN3vUMeoGvKkPYQIdwvO6__uKFdnhjqSAk5HGlvjFsWVfqOFQnmU8IgUrNNbFe25h2wGwnW-Cj2H1QFU/s1600/sprigs-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMVvR2Kk3TNe4kCzBsAItTkabaXsN4iS8Ftd8dBsIAkeLD9RSIWk9eKTqIJ5DDN3vUMeoGvKkPYQIdwvO6__uKFdnhjqSAk5HGlvjFsWVfqOFQnmU8IgUrNNbFe25h2wGwnW-Cj2H1QFU/s320/sprigs-31.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUixAUFhDk8EwHnnIIDaCcoDwdiQcltAjFciADfe4sAKdPrMF0WIUetYNpcpxVAotHKZzop41nLI9kHLPP8k2iQD26fREHBzIIiWmd2oNFr7_-5gXRKG4s_vRE3ta5IAfg__THpO578TE/s1600/sprigs-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUixAUFhDk8EwHnnIIDaCcoDwdiQcltAjFciADfe4sAKdPrMF0WIUetYNpcpxVAotHKZzop41nLI9kHLPP8k2iQD26fREHBzIIiWmd2oNFr7_-5gXRKG4s_vRE3ta5IAfg__THpO578TE/s320/sprigs-38.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUDCQIYQwnTuSxcmg_AQuby1J-j9pGK7pYlN4l3vw9RDAyrpFLPSELCIXFlni8A7riqPhBNDxPZ3qo7DxczG_1t3rYx3D2yw2YYxhG1gdk4zAwYHfIo_fWgFEY22NhF_Abl6GZtUEwkz9/s1600/sprigs-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUDCQIYQwnTuSxcmg_AQuby1J-j9pGK7pYlN4l3vw9RDAyrpFLPSELCIXFlni8A7riqPhBNDxPZ3qo7DxczG_1t3rYx3D2yw2YYxhG1gdk4zAwYHfIo_fWgFEY22NhF_Abl6GZtUEwkz9/s320/sprigs-36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Rockin .....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOdViORAoveXvgen84wB-Sb6rJ7JUlExrCG6XLhS0i_jI9JmGqlBk2Gt9IppPTeZqUL2VnLcezZyYQW_fvmi8UpYCdljuI3MMYBjAQw4ufmP1jJN26z8_PXIdB4ErlecTN8ItOzHz6NMg/s1600/sprigs-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOdViORAoveXvgen84wB-Sb6rJ7JUlExrCG6XLhS0i_jI9JmGqlBk2Gt9IppPTeZqUL2VnLcezZyYQW_fvmi8UpYCdljuI3MMYBjAQw4ufmP1jJN26z8_PXIdB4ErlecTN8ItOzHz6NMg/s320/sprigs-40.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gkDxRGNjrLIp0YNZ7uhDcEJCEzOw-K_4kNMy1UWEKQ1TL_43nDd_VI4Cs-FcvDKyDeWF_yO83tS1eOgcyEl_BGQ_XUuPZ6P-Q1p5P24pvIm4pbiM_54upezUhA89tXIU-TJslt1KtAin/s1600/sprigs-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gkDxRGNjrLIp0YNZ7uhDcEJCEzOw-K_4kNMy1UWEKQ1TL_43nDd_VI4Cs-FcvDKyDeWF_yO83tS1eOgcyEl_BGQ_XUuPZ6P-Q1p5P24pvIm4pbiM_54upezUhA89tXIU-TJslt1KtAin/s320/sprigs-42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
still rockin<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt648h41ii5TCQuYVoKqdp7EvJAcajOi2ULBg-pmamDE-0TJqDkxyfZXiIeWSV8uBwlKpZmWWNZEsDrZZ91HfYUH-hAeYKsQlEK27uNuDjrkCfOZzei_Qr1z3gNCn0ywOa_kyWxi7AqDq3/s1600/sprigs-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt648h41ii5TCQuYVoKqdp7EvJAcajOi2ULBg-pmamDE-0TJqDkxyfZXiIeWSV8uBwlKpZmWWNZEsDrZZ91HfYUH-hAeYKsQlEK27uNuDjrkCfOZzei_Qr1z3gNCn0ywOa_kyWxi7AqDq3/s320/sprigs-41.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and some more<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDM1AutXRQ-64YsIYmlG6wu1unrrPS2SHwz9nbsg0URdPh0XzVTy-rl1DiCZm4gNBTLnykiBLAqO3uJbFlDdceu_VkRiy1TIe5dX0oqhvKqz8D-CW1ont6IHO5Qgr_dmMadFbNJTWnzji/s1600/sprigs-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDM1AutXRQ-64YsIYmlG6wu1unrrPS2SHwz9nbsg0URdPh0XzVTy-rl1DiCZm4gNBTLnykiBLAqO3uJbFlDdceu_VkRiy1TIe5dX0oqhvKqz8D-CW1ont6IHO5Qgr_dmMadFbNJTWnzji/s320/sprigs-43.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFeX6lfCk-S2F10alp1vS2-T3_hin6tps9Woc0ud5tVzpsxOxxwYI6LX-1cQdS5Xn-gmyMIUdF_tKQdwLI0nJa4mhU2XkUyd4DghCdIkl7ac2M-Qsbj5lMvRudbig1im97xVpdSQ45Q1O/s1600/sprigs-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFeX6lfCk-S2F10alp1vS2-T3_hin6tps9Woc0ud5tVzpsxOxxwYI6LX-1cQdS5Xn-gmyMIUdF_tKQdwLI0nJa4mhU2XkUyd4DghCdIkl7ac2M-Qsbj5lMvRudbig1im97xVpdSQ45Q1O/s400/sprigs-46.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The New line up!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNbE8WWRJN1Bh9WgVM2cCJpKQXpqeFqAzYok3Brgimj49EeBzM7jweqtJhBXH8aHs71Dmg6hWtAMrEvEop7PtK696FBiwC0iON4dOK-xVGLbhdBBVkOMUjrB0XjSki-nip2QGIxDTRxF7/s1600/sprigs-48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNbE8WWRJN1Bh9WgVM2cCJpKQXpqeFqAzYok3Brgimj49EeBzM7jweqtJhBXH8aHs71Dmg6hWtAMrEvEop7PtK696FBiwC0iON4dOK-xVGLbhdBBVkOMUjrB0XjSki-nip2QGIxDTRxF7/s320/sprigs-48.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Artura on stage in Faery Queen<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXamC3e96SRIaxaP0b7l2f_L3XI9iBSabojPA8Q9S-tgrlo2i6K35wxPMi5tJCJ1UKCmNs-89FzeDN_R5XVdvBedFs5TTJkJ15yF9J8jG-YZhQ1HAp96jQHzz8ob2VZ60wtRzQ-23kC2F/s1600/sprigs-61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXamC3e96SRIaxaP0b7l2f_L3XI9iBSabojPA8Q9S-tgrlo2i6K35wxPMi5tJCJ1UKCmNs-89FzeDN_R5XVdvBedFs5TTJkJ15yF9J8jG-YZhQ1HAp96jQHzz8ob2VZ60wtRzQ-23kC2F/s320/sprigs-61.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMDkxME8wKJv5Ge80ivQGBrIFE_xdRSjC1PA9uPh3XPuI7i_6oLVQLuQHWd4nFoD1_5lqW14s-Bk3xWg_N29Zx2x1_eAw3J7j7hqrBi4BLJdMos59YZ4HBPGsw7DUSNddqsxBC5ebx0tY/s1600/sprigs-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMDkxME8wKJv5Ge80ivQGBrIFE_xdRSjC1PA9uPh3XPuI7i_6oLVQLuQHWd4nFoD1_5lqW14s-Bk3xWg_N29Zx2x1_eAw3J7j7hqrBi4BLJdMos59YZ4HBPGsw7DUSNddqsxBC5ebx0tY/s400/sprigs-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Suzie is on far right!<br />
<br />
Great night!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-67483274172007273202013-01-29T16:44:00.000+00:002013-01-29T16:44:17.277+00:00Road Rage, Head butts, Crushed fingers? , Just another Spriggan Mist gig! <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You couldn't
make it up if you tried. I have been accused of embroidering the truth on these
pages more times than I care to mention but the tale I embark on today in the
word of Angelica Pickles is the " Truth the whole truth and nothing but the
truth so help me Bob." </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now if you
are back from googling Angelica Pickles I will explain…….</span> <o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We were
playing at a 50th birthday celebration at The Bedford in Balham, South London
so we loaded up the Sprigmobile (six seater crew cab Tranny). The party
was Max and I John and Bex, Aaron our 11 year old and Martin.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Colin our
drummer prefers to travel on his own, for reasons which after reading this blog
will become apparent why</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> So the
afternoon started with John our Roady, driver, photographer , soundman , and
general all round hero leaning down to pick up something that needed picking up
at the same time Aaron our 11 year old son, video , lighting, roady type person
leaned down to pick up the same said item which needed to be picked up
and promptly in Laurel and Hardy style bumped heads with John ……much to
the amusement of Sprigs' Recorder Cellist Diva Bex who had a self admitted monk
on , who chuckled with laughter as Coco and Biffo rubbed their
heads…cheering her up no end. I wonder what we need to do when she really has a
strop on ….decapitation maybe? ….yes that will really be a hoot and make her
roar …..!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But this was
an important gig . It was Martin our new guitarist's first one with us so
we swung by his place with John driving the Sprigmobile picked up our new
axeman and his amp and weapons of choice and before you know it we were
trundling towards Balham..To be fair the journey was uneventful until we got to
Wandsworth. The Sat Nav told John to go right …but it didn't tell him about the
man mountain of a cyclist in all dark clothing and no lights that decided to
overtake The Sprigmobile and to be fair John did see him last minute and
a catastrophe was averted. The cyclist however was not amused and followed us
into a turning that the Satnav hadn't told us to go down and like an annoying
wasp around your ice cream this cyclist wasn't going away.. intent on arguing
the toss with us. John gestured him with his thumb to "jog on" …with
this the mad bloke started furiously cycling after us around the back streets
of Wandsworth.John tried to shake him..but he would catch us up on the
junctions and then we'd pull away and he'd peddle like the clappers to catch us
up again . Hats off to him he kept with us for a good 5 minutes …John
considered heading for the motorway to see how well he'd do then but we
eventually stopped and out I stepped to speak with a fully juiced
"Lance Armstrong"….and what a sight it must have been me in
full Sprigs' stage wear complete with tails stepping out of the van to confront
a very red faced and sweating 6ft 3 shaved headed Londoner with the
obligatory Chelsea manager's coat on. Between the two of us John and I managed to
persuade this bloke that John wasn't gesticulating to him that he had a
masturbation problem and that everything was cool and hand shakes ruled
the day. So with strict instructions not to, a) kill any cyclists and b) not
wind up any more of the Local community, John fired Sprigmobile up again.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We did the
gig Martin came through flying colours, and as I loaded up the van at the end
of the night I thought to myself finally we have a guitarist that can play good
, looks the part and we would happily have a pint with, happy days! ….with the van
loaded Martin and I were the last to jump in the Sprigmobile. Me in the
front happily slamming my door not knowing that Martin whilst getting
into the back behind me had his hand on the door stantion. He said
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My heart
sank as I lead our new guitarist back into the venue in understandable
pain. It sank further when due to that pain Martin passed out in the toilets
where we were applying cold water then ice. After getting his colour back and
threatening to shove my mobile in my nether orifice if I even thought about
taking and posting a photo on Facebook he came to and we were on the road
again. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">After that we had to deal with Aaron fainting too which resulted in us making off without paying
for a bottle of water from a nearby Italian restaurant . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On a positive
note…thankfully it appears Martin has no broken bones and he'll be back
shredding it up soon.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Colin as dry
as ever upon hearing of his bandmates plight came out with these gems ...
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">" At
least he can't give you the finger" and</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">"Now you know
why I travel in my own car"</span> <o:p></o:p><br />
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-28607904634980313482012-12-21T10:52:00.000+00:002012-12-21T10:52:19.347+00:00Dolmen Grove Yule Ball 2012 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR89EoceYmL83nxae5702Utz-wTNdh_D9iozq6qPz0NVj9R5KFSB3ztgceliP2iinM3OKzb6lLElLqwJMQ75MXwFwM7Mb_ksfFzEJ0qHmKPdceE9259G4Fn-3cG_PUDHS08Qjal66MextH/s1600/sprigs-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR89EoceYmL83nxae5702Utz-wTNdh_D9iozq6qPz0NVj9R5KFSB3ztgceliP2iinM3OKzb6lLElLqwJMQ75MXwFwM7Mb_ksfFzEJ0qHmKPdceE9259G4Fn-3cG_PUDHS08Qjal66MextH/s200/sprigs-3.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Some cool Photos taken by John Steane at Spriggan Mist's last gig of 2012<br />
the Dolmen Grove Yule Ball at The John Gregory Weymouth<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeWiwFwrmNb-uFBoPJpOw80pWXcGBOdaZB6iIfJz1CjNtiSHaXrIetAQJ6kccDLf3KzNAtEzbrP5HIHLm3yQtSOWEFz9ucI0z3NL093k-BFq8DfP6Z1QBrA0PLtnEr-8ZTWLftWPuRN9c/s1600/sprigs-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeWiwFwrmNb-uFBoPJpOw80pWXcGBOdaZB6iIfJz1CjNtiSHaXrIetAQJ6kccDLf3KzNAtEzbrP5HIHLm3yQtSOWEFz9ucI0z3NL093k-BFq8DfP6Z1QBrA0PLtnEr-8ZTWLftWPuRN9c/s320/sprigs-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24icrTyIwC0hWRU2DufwkvmcZNOKk2L4LBYwUfD8VWuLpZCrOUv-pB4vdZf46x5s9CmwVzboGqDsku5s7uVkNksVUPlJaCcAAhYArwxb_t-4NdiXs6c_M6xdF7y2aiaqDKqcwK9CGqdmZ/s1600/sprigs-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24icrTyIwC0hWRU2DufwkvmcZNOKk2L4LBYwUfD8VWuLpZCrOUv-pB4vdZf46x5s9CmwVzboGqDsku5s7uVkNksVUPlJaCcAAhYArwxb_t-4NdiXs6c_M6xdF7y2aiaqDKqcwK9CGqdmZ/s320/sprigs-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Max belting out the last "Indigo child" looks like I'm about to topple back into Colin's drums!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I can be serious ..honest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOSTUYFUbM1a1k7ZdJAoFyiiN6RBfef0vegMJjFKwIdhYhjMn6KboFpiCoEwZfOWb4m9FTjWW6O0_7Y35H3-A1HKkg5iPZobwWIHwemSE1KbarptpgME2CX0TDPehyVZBTd2TKnpyNQNQ/s1600/sprigs-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOSTUYFUbM1a1k7ZdJAoFyiiN6RBfef0vegMJjFKwIdhYhjMn6KboFpiCoEwZfOWb4m9FTjWW6O0_7Y35H3-A1HKkg5iPZobwWIHwemSE1KbarptpgME2CX0TDPehyVZBTd2TKnpyNQNQ/s320/sprigs-16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WfYMYgTwc0OTPqTJa9fj18pQQf-RJgnoRqARVM8wdUg7P2aYDKnwHW-8ZkplPs5cwIf7M3Tc5pp7ABFNSA8I6RWq7Fm9EUZV4giT2SD2Vdtw32TbGJ1oYmn415SpSnv9ZsyUniP-Ylbd/s1600/sprigs-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WfYMYgTwc0OTPqTJa9fj18pQQf-RJgnoRqARVM8wdUg7P2aYDKnwHW-8ZkplPs5cwIf7M3Tc5pp7ABFNSA8I6RWq7Fm9EUZV4giT2SD2Vdtw32TbGJ1oYmn415SpSnv9ZsyUniP-Ylbd/s320/sprigs-20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uh1r39uXUhTmTDlVArHlpTHYgUnD3ByJURnfNxn2dE5g_EkrW7eRxRSbXoeU-GRgdFq-MF_H2HdzR4rk23XQkRr9E_TM6KOX5gZc2HwW06WM8FTkLL37Ys0VN0nD-g0f8igCqBN0QZuo/s1600/sprigs-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uh1r39uXUhTmTDlVArHlpTHYgUnD3ByJURnfNxn2dE5g_EkrW7eRxRSbXoeU-GRgdFq-MF_H2HdzR4rk23XQkRr9E_TM6KOX5gZc2HwW06WM8FTkLL37Ys0VN0nD-g0f8igCqBN0QZuo/s320/sprigs-45.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Max with a sax...and that amazing stage outfit!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeQ-0voiiO_l36AIA7cpDQIi52ncWZBdetIU5LF02LLfOt3MAGkIdyqlpsc_2rk1KA3R1K_fVUHb4hWjOFvreAi7LNGM1fFQq07KmUhqh2H9MWfRl2fKOIdp0cYO9EmraGVTq0Ea9Dckz/s1600/sprigs-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSeQ-0voiiO_l36AIA7cpDQIi52ncWZBdetIU5LF02LLfOt3MAGkIdyqlpsc_2rk1KA3R1K_fVUHb4hWjOFvreAi7LNGM1fFQq07KmUhqh2H9MWfRl2fKOIdp0cYO9EmraGVTq0Ea9Dckz/s400/sprigs-34.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Love this Photo ...speaks volumes of where we are on stage these days..no moody faces just having a ball!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPiNMRCuuSZTE2OeloIvHtji4hvyXmDl86CwKSAWR2RzR1euyANf3tKjpcDQpdOOpZDH8FVVv6VetVVawpa3_Ko-0bdF74nA-GyZYLqwVoZOCb_STiMPX-WxKow4Jf-oicqcDBi0S_Sjs/s1600/sprigs-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPiNMRCuuSZTE2OeloIvHtji4hvyXmDl86CwKSAWR2RzR1euyANf3tKjpcDQpdOOpZDH8FVVv6VetVVawpa3_Ko-0bdF74nA-GyZYLqwVoZOCb_STiMPX-WxKow4Jf-oicqcDBi0S_Sjs/s320/sprigs-25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Erm what was I saying about moody faces lol!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eRUoaI1c2Vl7hN2mh-4gODnLiLjPjdLm1saCuyPDwFxmBua-6obtWKYtcZuI0-fjzZJaMMRurWWevH52mHWApJVmB1NlKCO0h6qZEVzLDAnqxdmn9KT7OWQb-emCGLgzJ2E9Dag6PrWW/s1600/sprigs-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eRUoaI1c2Vl7hN2mh-4gODnLiLjPjdLm1saCuyPDwFxmBua-6obtWKYtcZuI0-fjzZJaMMRurWWevH52mHWApJVmB1NlKCO0h6qZEVzLDAnqxdmn9KT7OWQb-emCGLgzJ2E9Dag6PrWW/s320/sprigs-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0o9k9CtdvkWXksPvan9xHdPLvnsK6lrVLnYICdOrZ3pdfEqrZ8k-4HMCsJETsGj-mLslxes95ieS0tl8nitWv85T2SqBPVqU0w-k72BLlVvU-bTXWcmG44npKUDlDz8dGDqRAMjqOnQym/s1600/sprigs-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0o9k9CtdvkWXksPvan9xHdPLvnsK6lrVLnYICdOrZ3pdfEqrZ8k-4HMCsJETsGj-mLslxes95ieS0tl8nitWv85T2SqBPVqU0w-k72BLlVvU-bTXWcmG44npKUDlDz8dGDqRAMjqOnQym/s320/sprigs-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Simon hid round the corner most the night<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbJ_x1uqG2ZOeiCUFMGYwFWfuET6LbZc9_oBfanht5BZjd4qWROiRDDO9hWMiz30j-soyGwCDleXkAu8M02dbAZldvga4jE2Bazv6zICotsKfmeywuWXoOTYFroLg-Qk8QZU-aYEEoQnu/s1600/sprigs-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbJ_x1uqG2ZOeiCUFMGYwFWfuET6LbZc9_oBfanht5BZjd4qWROiRDDO9hWMiz30j-soyGwCDleXkAu8M02dbAZldvga4jE2Bazv6zICotsKfmeywuWXoOTYFroLg-Qk8QZU-aYEEoQnu/s400/sprigs-32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The girls in full pelt ...anyone spot the drummer in any of the pics?<br />
Great night!!!Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-73417465429110018392012-12-19T12:40:00.000+00:002012-12-19T12:40:06.625+00:00Mother Dearest is at it again Mother Dearest (MD) lives in sheltered accommodation. Twas quite a sedate lovely kind of place. Grannies sitting knitting (shreddies no doubt) conversing about Granny type things like ..how young Police officers are these days and how they used to leave their doors wide open when they were young….<br />
<br />
<br />
Now Christmas lunches at this establishment have always been conservative affairs. Sitting around with the after lunch port and lemon or maybe a nice sherry whilst Bing or Nat crooned their Christmas songs before they were wheeled back into their sweet little Granny homes……<br />
<br />
Then the MD moved in …….this year we thought it odd when we got this message on face book <br />
<br />
"Slightly piddled at Xmas funkI'll.go and lip on the sofa hee hee" <br />
<br />
Wifey was dispatched with Brianna to go check what was going on….and when they arrived there they found all the inmates having a right rave !!! Bottles of wine open empty bottles all along the floor in amongst some passed out Grannies ….after dodging the line of Grannies asking the way to Amarillo..They found MD "Fissed as a part"…Brianna lectured her Nanna not to get to drunk and Wifey made a quick retreat before she was strapped into the infamous dentist chair…yep it was that kind of Party…<br />
<br />
Her Facebook updates continued throught out the night (and these are copied and pasted to keep authenticity) <br />
<br />
"Absoletely trasgehed now" <br />
<br />
"Still going folks nevefhad sucha .binge dtrinjk" <br />
<br />
"Here Hee I'm sure you fo Steopj" <br />
<br />
"jjjuuuuuusssssst <br />
<br />
Ggggoooooooooooooooooooottttttttttt" <br />
<br />
"7bottled later ans sdull going" <br />
<br />
"jus got back home had a reaaaaaally brilliant day can't believe I drunk sssssso much wine and didn't get mullllered" <br />
<br />
"good nighttt I am going to sleep now seeytoui all at the moot at the Boot xx" <br />
<br />
"Bringing s newcnemberv" <br />
<br />
Now I'll leave you dearest reader to be judge and jury….she claims she was not drunk..but when I called her at about 2200 hours she said she was one of the last three standing except she couldn't stand as she was too drunk…she did make it home into her cell eventually... with all the other inmates…probably still asking the way to Amarillo no doubt….Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-84716114906637563152012-12-17T16:45:00.000+00:002012-12-17T16:45:39.339+00:00A Creamier Brandy Sauce<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So it's
silly season again. "Yes I am a Pagan" I seem to answer all the time."Yes I
celebrate Yule" …and "Yes I like Christmas!" Is that not having your cake and
eating it? (what a stupid saying that is by the way…what are you supposed to do
with cake?...look at it? ) Well yes it is….and?</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I have no
spiritual association with Christmas anymore, apart from Rum that is! My
spiritual time is the Winter Solstice…Yule….but then I did grow up with happy
memories of waking up on Christmas morning getting pressies and eating
Christmas dinner until being so stuffed you can't move and then boxing day when
your house smells of Brussel sprout induced farts and you are in full swing of
new toy bliss !!!!!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You know
Jesus was probably a really top bloke too. I mean he loved a camp and he
definitely loved wine ..he turned loads of water into it after all, so reckon he
would have been quite a "Down with the boys" kind of geezer
rather pagan like in fact... ….so although this time of year has absolutely no
association of his birth really, if Christians around the world want to
celebrate the birth of their Christ around our Yule time and create such
positive energy and emotion around the world ..so mote it be …</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This time of
year brings the best out of humanity….thinking of the Christmas truce in
WWI….and good will to all men…and loads of washing up for Mums but it
also brings out the worst too …Cliff Richard…need I say more! ….Oh and work
Christmas parties!!!!!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Last year I
didn't go to our office meal.. as the restaurant it was held at?.. I well,….kind of had an
encounter with the chef and unfortunately administered a little Mr Slappy a few
weeks prior and thought upon seeing me, everyone's brandy sauce might just
get a little creamier..and although contemplation of revenge on some of my work
colleagues by proxy was sweet….I decided not to show my face . This year
however with said chef was long gone so I decided I'd go but always feel it sensible
not to drink at such occasions.ThisChristmas meal was pretty standard procedure this year and
certain chains of events happen, sort of like a protocol at these things ..like top boss paid
for loads of drinks…can't fault that very generous, that cued the thoughts in
our heads (well at least mine)…oh actually he is a good bloke and didn't really mean to be a pain in
the backside the rest of the year …then there is the obligatory depressive
drunk..life is boring they are old and boring nothing going for them
apparently….the over the top Christmas cheery person that reminds you of Graham
Norton …no I really do not want to wear a paper flippin crown on my head!! The
organisor spreadsheet in hand …"No! you ordered the prawn cocktail not the
onion soup" ……management as much as they try to integrate there is always
a riff raff side and the management side of the dinner table and never ceases
to amaze me that by the main course you would be mistaken from thinking the
management side was the riff raff side such is the juvenile behaviour and or topic of conversation!!!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Then there
is me…usually as loud and brash as you like in the office ..sitting wondering
what I am doing there! Most of the people around me are good decent
people some I'd be happy to associate out of work ..some not but I couldn't
help looking down at my glass of diet coke and wish it were a tankard of cider
and …that my boring clothes would change to "Steam punk" garb…and
that I wasn't surrounded by "muggles"! A fish out of water and
no desire to be anywhere but in that water. Just over 24 hours later there I
was, in my Ol' Horny hat…tails etc. with Wifey in her bestest basque surrounded by
the coolest people ..Pagan people…it was like coming home..bliss</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">….and no brandy
sauce in sight!!!!!!</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-20109103954207199772012-12-12T21:17:00.000+00:002012-12-12T21:19:25.074+00:00Live at Pinewood Cafe- Gig for AlexPhotos from our fundraiser for Alex Elkington last month.<br />
Notice the back projections ..Artwork courtesy of Darkmagi as always<br />
Projections and lighting by Aaron cilia<br />
Photography John Steane<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeMNfWiFbjrvF7jGsRzv3EMpvqe725BdfT5nw0Mfpxyif72pmwCPp50-xW6o1FXOWraTzHe64auf32SNFOJkP1dbiRGwTdJP_eaGd5HmRv7OazAVGRZSW3qDm_Ox7nyqyufhkaQOjOBdL/s1600/sprigs-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeMNfWiFbjrvF7jGsRzv3EMpvqe725BdfT5nw0Mfpxyif72pmwCPp50-xW6o1FXOWraTzHe64auf32SNFOJkP1dbiRGwTdJP_eaGd5HmRv7OazAVGRZSW3qDm_Ox7nyqyufhkaQOjOBdL/s320/sprigs-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Grant and Aurellie from The Fire Antz..how loud were they? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmR44wbcvpTIMQ5duw8OCSBAyPug7K8oUwFlQMT2BpGnpjME9CI10RO-IHRBQAoIlMKxfzU2Mb5GSp8AhotVhXYHie8IIMwe7opjKA6uGR8Hcielhmq_B37iKi9LsGWtom2VjbqX5-_c2/s1600/sprigs-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmR44wbcvpTIMQ5duw8OCSBAyPug7K8oUwFlQMT2BpGnpjME9CI10RO-IHRBQAoIlMKxfzU2Mb5GSp8AhotVhXYHie8IIMwe7opjKA6uGR8Hcielhmq_B37iKi9LsGWtom2VjbqX5-_c2/s400/sprigs-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAermLzsFivVNSjOijsaJ71Be80C5VV8IgPWWkZBa6kYwMKAutpFLxm_IKb5TJCQJPr6r_jp5ryM0byFgDyf3rz_7uUFOsQxldsV0BQvIAvd4U0NnQkdFeMj4-mDBPA8Bue0joxOpX93vC/s1600/sprigs-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAermLzsFivVNSjOijsaJ71Be80C5VV8IgPWWkZBa6kYwMKAutpFLxm_IKb5TJCQJPr6r_jp5ryM0byFgDyf3rz_7uUFOsQxldsV0BQvIAvd4U0NnQkdFeMj4-mDBPA8Bue0joxOpX93vC/s320/sprigs-20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Bex with Sebastian<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa7_11zFzBFwJ6sbsOlnGELXCNH-EudXJNzshDvg6UGGgxn0ej4w2MRI446gkBiW6Qvd5oksSSXAukqrJIUEVVMBaO6G1LJ-cJlnSsF5ieQMixoFesAsXVmvYp2Q03C3QHSIBOs0lX8fg/s1600/sprigs-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa7_11zFzBFwJ6sbsOlnGELXCNH-EudXJNzshDvg6UGGgxn0ej4w2MRI446gkBiW6Qvd5oksSSXAukqrJIUEVVMBaO6G1LJ-cJlnSsF5ieQMixoFesAsXVmvYp2Q03C3QHSIBOs0lX8fg/s200/sprigs-34.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfksaujVmhhwv6gNZ9UWBPZxO_BJUSP9iUjqJeeElAhgV2i2OXaQWoFuS_4-4auiwPUbvQcMxNw1iDSD6TLg-Bw41bmoD32YlAnqE579H6gOKcUAruYdL4gN7UzhLs0W3Yln6eMrgMw4sz/s1600/sprigs-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfksaujVmhhwv6gNZ9UWBPZxO_BJUSP9iUjqJeeElAhgV2i2OXaQWoFuS_4-4auiwPUbvQcMxNw1iDSD6TLg-Bw41bmoD32YlAnqE579H6gOKcUAruYdL4gN7UzhLs0W3Yln6eMrgMw4sz/s400/sprigs-35.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
Max on the Sax........<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_-OYxO5DyLbbbJfXlr755HMFmxX2CJhYFm2Aqz9vLp8a5deoRuwBfTar8hnRW7zKF7s6tZZZhU0o-ZZmhjzCL2LDf2wmoJ4atXBAiTOILK4nwq822iOvd3RGpcD2D2vaBhShJUuhti-H/s1600/sprigs-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_-OYxO5DyLbbbJfXlr755HMFmxX2CJhYFm2Aqz9vLp8a5deoRuwBfTar8hnRW7zKF7s6tZZZhU0o-ZZmhjzCL2LDf2wmoJ4atXBAiTOILK4nwq822iOvd3RGpcD2D2vaBhShJUuhti-H/s400/sprigs-19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyda1o6vYpRWlVPDc1fHOfmcTGB8JODq9GBj03K-z7rwz-7vNYMBiqjGNbqG3vJImMc9UtH6TMtjVqKyUSHy6QOhwKk9hL2moQ7MYHLQ6MAeDrFozo2-9zQHOIoMQsRYsemOoDZ3KnqNV1/s1600/sprigs-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyda1o6vYpRWlVPDc1fHOfmcTGB8JODq9GBj03K-z7rwz-7vNYMBiqjGNbqG3vJImMc9UtH6TMtjVqKyUSHy6QOhwKk9hL2moQ7MYHLQ6MAeDrFozo2-9zQHOIoMQsRYsemOoDZ3KnqNV1/s200/sprigs-26.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Spriggs'..in the red<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Baz<br />
<br />
<br />Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-34527114224277112552012-12-12T15:44:00.002+00:002012-12-21T10:34:50.703+00:00New Spriggan Mist Gigs<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">09/02/13 </span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Spriggan Mist
Presents The Dolmen <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">featuring
Anthea Neads and Andy Prince <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Pinewood Bar and Cafe,unit 8 Pinewood Leisure Centre</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> Wokingham Berkshire RG40 3AQ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/294155654018657">http://www.facebook.com/events/294155654018657</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Tickets<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <a href="http://www.eventility.co.uk/events/spriggan-mist-presents-the-dolmen-plus-guests/pinewood-bar-and-cafe/wokingham/rg403aq/156673">http://www.eventility.co.uk/events/spriggan-mist-presents-the-dolmen-plus-guests/pinewood-bar-and-cafe/wokingham/rg403aq/156673</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">21/04/13 Pagan future’s Belostra 2013 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> The
Bedford (Pub/Theatre)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> 77 Bedford Hill Balham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> London SW12 9HD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
</span><span dir="LTR"><a href="http://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/id1.html">http://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/id1.html</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">04/05/13 Rochester’s 1<sup>st</sup> Enchanted Fairy
Ball </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR"> </span><strong><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">The Royal
Function Rooms, </span></strong><strong><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<strong><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;"> 12 Star Hill, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1XB</span></strong><b><span dir="LTR"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR"> <a href="http://enchantedgementerprises.weebly.com/event-tickets.html">http://enchantedgementerprises.weebly.com/event-tickets.html</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">11/05/13 Magical Faerie festival<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Findon, West Sussex<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <a href="http://www.magicalfestivals.co.uk/#/tickets/4537808752">http://www.magicalfestivals.co.uk/#/tickets/4537808752</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">26/05/13 Dolmen Grove Essex Beltane
Picnic 2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Hadleigh Round
house Hadleigh Country Park Hadleigh Essex<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">01/06/13 </span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">RouteMonster Fest</span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">, </span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">(Date TBC)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hill Farm Jouldlings Lane, Farley Hill, Arborfield,
Berks, RG7 1UR<b><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">22/06/13
The 3 Wishes Faery Fest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span dir="LTR" lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mount Edgecumbe House and Country Park,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Cremyll,
Torpoint, Cornwall PL10 1HZ</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/3WishesFaeryFest">https://www.facebook.com/3WishesFaeryFest</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">20/10/13 Pagan Future’s Samhain Celebration 2013 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The
Bedford (Pub/Theatre)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> 77 Bedford Hill Balham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> London SW12 9HD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align: left;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
</span><span dir="LTR"><a href="http://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/id1.html">http://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/id1.html</a></span></div>
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-80740957521796903792012-12-11T22:08:00.001+00:002012-12-11T22:08:51.520+00:00New Spriggan Mist photo by Glyn Dewis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObM3iUUeIs60QN32T96ByHjXxbQiirE5MwAgK5zVBx0I7m7nAl2cz6OYx79OMLWhPMsRrhCY9NR0vBL1iChQHrYrYUikX1qQ0MAV4XMX9I528gE_O9MvufNfrLL2kgNTlzZgwuA2e9Gnd/s1600/Sprigs+cart+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObM3iUUeIs60QN32T96ByHjXxbQiirE5MwAgK5zVBx0I7m7nAl2cz6OYx79OMLWhPMsRrhCY9NR0vBL1iChQHrYrYUikX1qQ0MAV4XMX9I528gE_O9MvufNfrLL2kgNTlzZgwuA2e9Gnd/s400/Sprigs+cart+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The New Spriggan Mist Photo by Glyn DewisLost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-70737756670756950692012-12-10T19:38:00.002+00:002012-12-10T19:38:46.518+00:00Only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Birthday
club is a unique and exclusive set of friends that meet on our friend
Mia's birthday every 8th December. It's been meeting for about 10 years and has
taken part in various different venues and undergone various guises and a few
different personel,but in the main the same 10 or 11 faces meet up on the 8th
or the Saturday nearest. All friends of Mia's but we very rarely meet outside
of the Birthday club….</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This year it
was decided we will not venture out but instead pile round to Mia's and
take part in a murder mystery night So dear readers I was that evening
Terence Shrimp and Eastend boy made good in the photography world through
dirty dealings running for a gangland boss Champagne Charlie…but
this is where it all went wrong my character had to be a cross between
Michael Caine and Frankie Howard…now Mia had omitted to tell me the Frankie
Howard bit so I had prepared myself all week to be a bit of an Eastend
hard boy…maybe a bit Phil Mitchell but upon reading my brief on the night I
retired to the bathroom to run through several lines of "Don't
you throw that bloody spear at me " I decided I sounded more like
Alan Carr " and saying "You were only supposed to blow the
bloody doors off" in a camp voice is never a good thing to do especially
in the confines of a WC….but much to the amusement of the table I persisted and
by the end I had more camp than Butlins going on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This year I
was duty driver so the guy next to me David who as forementioned I've
known for 10 years I only meet once a year at the Birthday club … we sat and
watched this table of would be thespians including Wifey degenerate into a
cacophony of laughter and mayhem whilst we remained stone sober.
Champagne Charlie the gangland boss was played by none other than Paul…now Paul
nice bloke is as far removed from an Eastend Gangster as Bambi... proceeded to
crash his way through his role and several bottles of wine in the process! As
the food was served the game unfolded and due to the alcoholic sub plot
…David and I wondered if it was the plot that had been murdered and between
Wifey and Paul they looked like prime suspects…but it was I (trying to look
sweet and innocent) that was accused of placing a sausage role in the light
shade in the front room …as if! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So by the
end of the night with mystery solved …Plot murdered ..13 bottles of wine
drunk…much merryment and laughter we said our goodbyes for another year ,
but I wonder what next years birthday club has instore. Over the years we have
done Bowling followed by various types of food Chinese, Thai,
American Burger Noodle bar posh black tie do in a hotel…..murder
mystery night ..so what's next? Who knows? </span><br />
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-83374072770525526092012-12-07T12:26:00.004+00:002012-12-07T12:31:59.767+00:00Something had to give!!Can you believe i haven't blogged in a almost a year!!!!
I've missed it I really have ..<br />
<br />
What a year we've had at Spriggan Mist..new album...over 20 gigs... new guitarist....and yet I haven't written one sentence about it all..shame on me<br />
<br />
That is due to a number of things mainly time. So the podcast which really took up a lot of my time away from the band has to go....
My time has been taken up with band stuff..rehearsals gigs and you know I still have to hold down a full time job and a family and keep some level of fitness as I am now in my forties ...so something has to give and time to do these shows or windows of opportunity to do them are getting smaller....its all time that needs to be given to other musical projects and working out ..so i'm going to stop doing the podcasts ...<br />
<br />
Thank you for the support from listeners and artists alike I have enjoyed the journey
So the revival of my blog is here...Simon our guitarist remarked that he'd been reading some of the old blogs and he seemed surprised that they were actually funny!
but then this is a man who had to admit at a last gig I was a genius....he he he nuff said!<br />
<br />
So what can you expect from now on ..on this blog?<br />
<br />
Music reviews?<br />
Interviews with cool musicians?<br />
Inside information on everything Spriggan Mist?<br />
Mad ramblings of a pagan bass player as he negotiates through life?<br />
The secret of how Mark Vine (the Dolmen lyricist,author ,poet..etc..) manages to keep his liver intact?<br />
And the truth as to why Taloch keep a spare pair of underpants handy when gigging?<br />
and if Paul Mitchell is ever going to giver me back my favourite black weird fish jumper!!?<br />
and that Cliff the Bard of Avebury isn't actually a Scouser but off mic speaks BBC English!!!<br />
<br />
yep all here in this blog
back in a few days<br />
keep reading keep replying....
Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-8007791094583997672012-02-09T16:37:00.000+00:002012-02-09T16:37:44.239+00:00Sprigs' Loud and Proud !!!!Had a funny week so far…a midweek gig (on a school night too) well not a gig as such but an Open mic/jam night jobby at a local pub. As we were a band they put us on last which transpired would be after all the solo acoustic acts and very melodic and intricate classical guitar pieces and after most people smelt their horlicks before bedtime being poured. So we decided to start softly with the romping stomping Shaking a Deadmans Hand followed by Indigo child..then our most rocky of versions of Faery Queen ,Electric Life and Spriggan Dance!!! We played very well too I thought ..ok my voice cracked up like Joe Cocker on woodbines ….we were without the band resident Diva Bex who happened to be working so we didn't have the more folky quaint sounding Sprigs out…oh no ...we had full on…..ROCKKKKK!!!!!!! <br />
<br />
Not sure it was our best choice of set in the circumstances but nonethe less we enjoyed ours selves and we did hear some muffled requests for more from the back …the resident band seemed quite happy to take back over the mics and played a very slow version of free falling …should have been called free floating really. It was a first for Sprigs performing in jeans and t-shirts…..a good job too..as these were Muggles , Ol' Horny, black kilt and highway man's Jacket would have been a bit too much for them me thinks although two geezers in the corner wanted more at least they shouted for more...….but it wasn't just the gig …..other strange things happened to me too<br />
<br />
I was walking through Uxbridge Town Centre the other day and this weathered old Irish woman came up to me holding sprigs of plants held together by foil and said to me with her clutching hand outstretched <br />
"Lucky Heather?" <br />
I replied back "Oh pleased to meet you I'm a rather unlucky Baz!" <br />
She started mumbling something about some curse and smart arses ..funny woman. <br />
<br />
So the big Berkshire gig with Mad Magdalen and The Dolmen is upon us on February 18th ! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-MfGlgY4M9l8YX-LsyNrv91YEj9uXCYZinzcxFTWiT2VMqu3znoke1Oz79-kfS0dEsJOuOwA-gZ_-d2NcxA0g6h6zncCxKETmPPTvAFGoD_im0ZDF1VsAjyT3XDEOjzyLHdEHUzyg02b/s1600/Earthy+Folk+Flyer+2+copy+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-MfGlgY4M9l8YX-LsyNrv91YEj9uXCYZinzcxFTWiT2VMqu3znoke1Oz79-kfS0dEsJOuOwA-gZ_-d2NcxA0g6h6zncCxKETmPPTvAFGoD_im0ZDF1VsAjyT3XDEOjzyLHdEHUzyg02b/s320/Earthy+Folk+Flyer+2+copy+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Our first Spriggan Mist presents without the Lamberts ….so we thought we'd add more pressure and create an all day enchanted market at the venue….and then we thought we'd add an "Acoustic Stage" to run through out the day and then amplify it a bit …now we have one of the biggest projects I've been involved in going on . You all need to come down to Bracknell FC Larges Lane Bracknell Berks for this event should be a storming night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MDFL0OKSWUJBnR5GndYVxWGte2GRNIbSgviYiOHiC-BerH9Tgd_SGQL1LLnxM8jZrTVSkxEhi7Gu-ELlj-9leOdwCB_4aHGo6JY93BzOi9W7j9srTRyu0pq57o9V0fdjqZlOIIdMl89A/s1600/Feb18+Enchanted+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MDFL0OKSWUJBnR5GndYVxWGte2GRNIbSgviYiOHiC-BerH9Tgd_SGQL1LLnxM8jZrTVSkxEhi7Gu-ELlj-9leOdwCB_4aHGo6JY93BzOi9W7j9srTRyu0pq57o9V0fdjqZlOIIdMl89A/s320/Feb18+Enchanted+Market.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But for now I'm left to ponder ..will we be welcomed back to the open Mic againLost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-72808591661529314362011-12-14T08:30:00.000+00:002011-12-14T08:30:09.825+00:00Puss and my boots!Ok now I'm going to possibly upset my Wiccan friends here but I'm not a feline lover at all……now I wouldn't harm one in fact the trigger point for me writing this blog is the fact that I saved a little black cats life the other night …indeedy ..I walked out of the office slammed the door firmly shut behind me in complete deliberate defiance and a stance of I am finished at work and I'm buggering offski . When I saw a young black cat with a day glo yellow collar run into the busy London road ahead of me….foresight told me that car versus cat had only one outcome and it wasn't going to be pretty….<br />
So I raced ahead to press the button on the zebra crossing my face contorted like Sly Stallone in Rocky, as I reached out with my finger hit the button turned the lights red cars came to a halt pussy was safe! The cat wandered off. I was happy that the cat still had all nine lives intact , so skipped down the dark steps to the car park to my van and then on the last step the same little black cat launched itself at me and used my ankle as a scratching post accompanied with a hiss ….I yelped unashamedly like a girl and turned to give it my bestest Johnny Wilkinson !!! But the little black cat was off into the distance and I swear to the gods it was sniggering!!!!!!...! saw it again today in the carpark Sifu Paul Boggie Brighton called it over I grabbed a big stick and hid behind a car like Coyote awaiting Road Runner . To my amazement the cat climbed into Boggie's arms and purred like a goodun ..but it looked at me and I could see the hatred in its eyes I pointed my two fingers at my eyes and then at the cat " I'm watching you Pussy!<br />
<br />
Recently I've been called many names ….my new boss ( I have moved back to an office..) called me an enigma…..which I thought was charming …I mean do I really look like a botty wash out?....I was also called "alternative" by a mum on school run….quite like that.... but I've never been called a plonker like we called Mother Dearest the other day when at the B and B in Weymouth she went to leave her room so she opened the door and out she trotted into pitch darkness…..she scrambled along the wall looking for the light …."what a dark corridor" she thought so she went back into her room realising she had actually walked into the ensuite bathroom and not the corridor at all ?!?!?!? duh!!<br />
<br />
We were all down in Weymouth for the last gig of the year …The Dolmen Grove Yule Ball.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbPlmT_8GssGKaB_NtmLUOOxV14umXK6kIuzipspm1_IG5P_RsZxpnybYsUj_B5Hsb6KZDdFJWvEvnLt18st1KcgkQnV-bmorVkFLSe7fZXnoZAYxd_fASAlfITrVcfgQvPD5Iwnh7ALX/s1600/image-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbPlmT_8GssGKaB_NtmLUOOxV14umXK6kIuzipspm1_IG5P_RsZxpnybYsUj_B5Hsb6KZDdFJWvEvnLt18st1KcgkQnV-bmorVkFLSe7fZXnoZAYxd_fASAlfITrVcfgQvPD5Iwnh7ALX/s320/image-27.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
On the night everything went well….although I had a bingo caller breaking through my bass amp being picked up by my remote bug. Every so often I'd here the numbers being called ..so back on a lead I went. Would like to take this opportunity to thank Taloch and The Dolmen for all the support they have shown the band in 2011....you have been brilliant!Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159436129026796892.post-4943843234451617622011-11-14T11:27:00.000+00:002011-11-14T11:27:07.961+00:00Boozey Bob and Mother Dearest....hmmm!ok I'm going to let this video open this blog!!!!<br />
<br />
<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M-obU2NOc7c?version=3&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M-obU2NOc7c?version=3&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Well although we were without our Bex on recorder for this, you can see the energy Sprigs' are generating can't you? It's been a wickwicky (gyrates hand like in a record scratching motion in the air..very 80s but you get the drift)wicked few weeks and I think the new band with only a few gigs into this latest morph have every reason to be very very proud!!! gig requests are coming through nicely , a cd in the planning with the wonderful Josh Elliot from the Dolmen recording and producing, new website a musical project in the offing too phew....Bloody work is getting in the way....in fact I've changed department.... going back to an office it will give me more time off with family and more time for the band.....On a personal note i am very likely to be involved in another radio project too ..but more about that later probably next blog....<br />
<br />
So what have I have been doing since the last blog? gigging!!!! working sleeping (sometimes) certainly eating ....but i have also started training...oh yes indeedy need to shed a few pounds ....losing my boots off the top of my van........hey it can happen to anyone!!!!<br />
<br />
but enough of this drivel ..you want to know the nitty gritty of what Mother Dearest has been upto don't you? well I can tell you she hasn't failed to dissappoint...we've tried to introduce her to a more pagan way of life....well she has taken to that like a duck to water ....except water is the only liquid that is safe in MD's hands ....like a true Pagan she drinks like fish....she will deny it of course..but Rie our band manager will testify that MD will sink a bottle in the time it takes to say an Awen!!!! it's costing me double the amount of petrol though...well I feel compelled to go back to where we take her the next day to apologise ....as it is I'm shy to show my face in Tesco after she anounced to the store in a loud voice "I'm so tired I've been screwing all day" well she had ...but it was a flatpack nothing to do with a six pack!!!!. <br />
<br />
Of course she'll maintain her recent tumbles to the ground...and there have been several are not alcohol induced.....the first of which was an unfortunate chair that gave way under her at Basingstoke gig ...but the second was in her front room whilst on her laptop.. surfing...literally ...she fell off the laptop onto the floor....I kid you not!!!.....I'm considering a Mother Dearest Fan club page on Facebook a bit like Mark Vine's Boozey Bob one...<br />
https://www.facebook.com/groups/52853335364/<br />
<br />
In fact she is coming with us to The Dolmen Grove Yule Ball..perfect!!!!! Boozey Bob will be there!!!!now there's a thought <br />
<br />
For now I'm going to leave you with Dance yourself Dizzy...no not the Nolans!!! sprigs of course <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27562298"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F27562298" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/spriggan-mist/dance-yourself-dizzy-live">Dance Yourself Dizzy (Live)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/spriggan-mist">Spriggan Mist</a></span>Lost in Spriggan Misthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13696630326257141382noreply@blogger.com1