September 2006

Broughton Gifford, Parade Gardens and Chippenham
Every year, a small group of players entertain the locals at The Bell, in Broughton Gifford. This year, we opted to play indoors, as the weather was so rotten, but the atmosphere was great. Highlights this year were John Harvey's solo on the carrot, and Larry playing the bell in 'Liberty Bell'.
Our final concert in the Parade Gardens was on one of the nicest afternoons of the year. The park was packed with people out to enjoy the last few rays of the summer, and they were treated to an excellent concert along the way. Some even took the opportunity to pick up a copy of our new cd, entitled 'Aquae Sulis', and at the very reasonable price of just £10. We even have a special offer at the moment: Two cds for the price of 2...
We never seem to have great weather when we play at John Coles Park in Chippenham, and at our last concert of the summer, we had a heavy downpour. Members of the band swore that it was a lovely day when we left Bath, and sure enough, when we arrived back, the sun was still shining. Nevermind. Those who stayed to listen to the band enjoyed themselves, even if they were a little wet. Those who didn't missed out, but they'll just have to take our word for it.

August 2006

Bistol Park and Parade Gardens
Our first event this month was in at Brandon Hill Park, high above the city of Bristol. Our conductor for the day was our very own solo cornet player, and resident comedian, Mr Larry Coles. We had a good sized crowd (and an enthusiastic dog) out to enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Our second concert at the Parade Gardens was taken by our deputy conductor (and birthday boy) David Baker. We played through a selection of numbers, to suit all tastes of the audience, including a memorable "interpretation" of the Flugel solo 'Crazy' by Larry Coles. It certainly brought a tear to the eye...

July 2006

Victoria Park and Memorial Gardens
This July has been very hot, and these concerts were no different! A last minute change of plan saw the concert in Victoria Park moved from the bandstand to the Botanical Gardens. We were a little concerned, as, although it was a lovely sunny day, there had been a rumour that there may be some rain. And sure enough, as we reached the end of the first half, the skies opened! It was very refreshing though! The short shower soon passed, allowing us to start the second half on time. However, just as had happened in Chippenham earlier in the year, we had a thunderstorm during our last piece - Cranberry Corners USA. Perhaps we should check the forecast before playing it next time!
The Co-op sponsored concert in the Memorial Gardens in Oldfield Park was also a very hot day, and both the band and the audience hunted down all possible areas of shade. There were a few key members of the band missing, so we were thankful to everyone who came along to help out.
We have recently said farewell to Bex Shorrock on 2nd horn, who starts a new job in London next month, and to Sarah Altman on solo cornet, who has just moved to Cheltenham. We wish you both the best of luck for the future.

Band Social
Following the success of February’s “post-Christmas” meal, we moved from French cuisine to Italian, and had a lovely meal in Caffe Uno. Next social possibly to include rounders match? Watch this space…

June 2006

Chippenham, Parade Gardens and Widcombe Rising
After a weekend of glorious sunshine, the clouds started gathering over Chippenham as we played in the bandstand, and sure enough we had a heavy downpour and thunder accompaniment to Cranberry Corners USA to round off our set. Thankfully we were under the shelter of the bandstand – well, most of us were (the basses may have got a little wet!)
Another weekend of beautiful weather, and our first appearance at the Parade Gardens this year. May the rest of the summer follow this example.
Only the training band (plus a few others) attended the Widcombe Rising last year, due to a prior engagement. But those who did go reported back of a great party atmosphere, and so when invited back, both the main band and the training band made an appearance this year.

May 2006

A mix up in the dates for the Weston-Super-Mare contest meant that several key members could not attend, and so we were not able to represent the city of Bath at this event. We will be back next year though!

April 2006

CD Recording Session
April kicked off with a recording session at the University of Bath. Charlie Flemming of Reality Recordings arrived on the Friday afternoon to set up, and by 7.30 we were just about ready to go. We managed to lay down a couple of tracks and still get to the pub shortly after 10.
There were one or two bleary eyes at 9.00 the next morning, but with the addition of percussion, the overall sound was great. There were a few even blearier eyes on the Sunday morning, but a strong coffee and slice of cake saw us through to the finish shortly before 1.00. This was the ideal opportunity to get a photo of the band, and so in the break between rain clouds we assembled on the ampitheatre by the lake. All that was left then was the small task of packing everything away... and finding a well-earned Sunday lunch!
We would like to thank Charlie Flemming for his hard work and enthusiasm for the whole weekend (and subsequent editing), Andy Symes for helping with security as well as playing bass, and everyone else who came to help out. We all had a great, if somewhat tiring, weekend, and look forward with anticipation to hearing the finished product!

March 2006

Memorial Concert and Area Contest
A concert in memory of Geoff Humphries, a former member of the band, was played to a full audience of Geoff's friends and family. The concert was well recieved, and in return, a very generous donation was made for the Peasedown Methodist Church and for the band. A tribute to Geoff Humphries.
The band worked very hard for the second section area contest in Torquay, and although it was a little disheartening at times with such a complex piece being difficult to get under the fingers, and with several players missing, a good performance was made on the day. Everyone seemed happy that we had tried our best, and we were awarded a respectable 9th place with 180 points. We would like to thank Dave Baker for all his hard work both in conducting the band, and in editing the music to suit the band.

See also Dave Walker's pre-contest interview on theMouthPiece.com

February 2006

Social event
With a very busy schedule before Christmas, there was little opportunity to organise a social event then. Although the decorations have long been stashed away, February saw the Bath Spa Band Post-Christmas meal. We had a lovely meal at the Cafe Rouge in Bath, washed down with a glass or two of wine. Definitely a success, just have to think what to do for the next social event! Pictures are available here.

January 2006

Contest rehearsals
Rehearsals are now in full swing for the West of England Regional Championships, to be held in the Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay on 18th March. We will be playing Howard Snell's Images of the Millennium, and are pleased to announce that deputy conductor Dave Baker will be leading us, to enable MD Dave Walker to help out the bass section. The adjudicators on the day will be Alan Morrison and Steve Pritchard-Jones.