DragonDrop.org: Full of DragonDroplets

( 12:39 PM ) Matt

Been up to all sorts this weekend. Friday night I played at Community at Bar Med. Great night . There was me on't percussion, Nick on Keys, Tim on guitar jamming along to 3 dj's : Graham Douglas, Mark Holland and John Hebden. Funky house mainly, some really fresh stuff in there. Good mix of people, good vibe, two thumbs fresh. Up for some more of that!
Saturday,Thonrborough Festival in Masham. This was ace. We got there about mid day, Eirene was doing some face painting, in the kids area

I went for a wander to check out some music. The best stage by far was at the back of the Bruce pub - outdoor rig supplied by Allan Smyth Audio Visual (little plug there, but well deserved, the sound was top quality - really well engineered by Mr Sanders! - the new void rig rocks!)
Saw Peace Through Superior Fire Power

who I've not seen for years (last time was at rason deter many moons ago) great harmonies, rocky kinda stuff. The bass player was sporting a fantastic T-Shirt ;) Pottered around, saved my first pint of the day till about 4pm (well done me pacing myself!) Theakstons XB - top juice.
Went and had a look at The Smokestacks

(or 'we smoke stacks' as someone thought they were called) really enjoyable stuff . One of the ways I gauge music is "would I have it on my walkman or in the car" - a resounding yes. Funky kind of stuff, great lead vox, really interesting sounds, well written stuff.
Also saw Tigerbomb on that stage.

Top stuff. Not sure about Dan's chick shades!
Shortly after that we went into the town hall - 'the big venue' - to watch Mullholland.
Full on rock music, guys giving it all they got up on stage, a spectacle of raw tallent... and cakes. At the back. A unique merch stand if ever I saw one!

Went and set up camp in the campsite that Matt B sorted out 5 mins walk from town, right on the river. Had Scottish Al with us. Tree surgeons are worth their weight in gold when it comes to setting up camp. Before long he'd sourced a dead tree and had hacked it up for firewood. There were about 6 vans and 20 tents - a good number of happy campers!
Our (Dalmatian Kebab) gig was at 9pm. The town hall was a strange venue, the sound (supplied by Ripon City Music) was in my humble opinion way off the mark [Edit instert - on reflection, I wouldn't say it was 'way off the mark', more, 'not as good as it could have been' - it was afterall provided gratis by RCM, so some PA is better than none] -. A small PA with just one monitor on stage. Just 2 small bass cabs and 2 tops. As a result, I couldn't hear myself play. (I know a good workman shouldn't blame his tools but..) as a result I had a rubbish gig. Other people said it was OK but I didn't enjoy as I was straining to hear myself and all I could hear was a 1/3 second delay of some of my sound off the back wall.
After the gig, managed to catch a little bit of Scapegoat Kelly

Harrogate masters of funk didn't disappoint. (again) I didn't get to see their full set due to escorting the kids back to the camp site. A very late night for them - straight off to sleep (in clover) and we had a drum and a laff round the old camp fire.
The weekend was to raise awareness of the henges at Thornborough. A result I would say.

Came back yesterday and spent 2 hours making a curry. Nice round off to the weekend!

Stumble It!

Hi Matt - re: the Dalmatian's gig... it was really nice to have you out front (despite the boys trying to distract you and invade the stage ;)) and you sounded really good - I agree with you about the sound, it was muddy, you couldn't hear Ben, didn't really notice Dave either, but YOU on the other hand came across really well.

So :op

# posted by em : 3:37 PM

ripon city music!

is that the two bob lot who put the crap system into BMH for battle of bands?

also why has it taken you two hours to make a curry?

did you go to bombay?

scapegoat kelly hg1!

# posted by The Guv : 7:41 PM

It took me 2 hours cos I made it from scratch!

And I haven't been to bombay(even though it's call Mumbai now a days) for almost 2 years now.

# posted by Matt : 12:51 PM

Thornborough Free Festival (it was free!) was our first attempt at putting something like that together, i think we did ok (?)
Cheers for all your help. I agree about the sound in the hall- blame the soundman(i think he's a bit traditional in that department!)no offence. Nice.
I hope you all now know your 'henge' frome your 'flange'.

# posted by albatross : 4:37 PM

Yes indeed - I think that it was all really well done considering it was unfunded and free, only 1 mont of real planning and then all the problems of the morning.. well done! Sure there are things that when you look back you think "could have done that bit better" but it's all par for the course and gives you a head start next time round! hats off to ya! (who ever you are!)

# posted by Matt : 5:41 PM

hang on a minute you were slagging it all off earlier now your saying well done!

hello!

?????????

# posted by The Guv : 7:27 AM

Hello!

I wasn't "sla(eugh I hate using this word)gging it all" off, just the fact that I wasn't happy with the sound onstage!

My upmost praise is withstanding :)

# posted by Matt : 9:28 AM

oh yes you were!

and now you have realised the organiser's have been on your site you have changed your tune and are trying to blow smoke where the sun don't shine!

nobusjockeyus!

your like wind watson! smelly and every directional!

ha ha ha ha!

# posted by The Guv : 11:18 AM

Ohhh no I wasn't (cue pantomime) "sla***ng it all off" please re-read.

As for tune, smoke sun.. I�m confused! - more so by your wind analogy - the wind is quite often omni directional and is not smelly! (nor am I for them matter... most of the time)

# posted by Matt : 12:39 PM

oh yes you were!

and oh yes you are!

you even told me face to face that it was and i quote 'bloody rubbish!'.

you had heaps of praise for your bum chum smythers though!

ha ha ha!

# posted by The Guv : 1:40 PM

Ohhhhh no I wasn't.
I did say our gig was rubbish. I loved the rest of it though!

is a singular sentence classified as 'a heap'? I'm not so sure. Well done Smythers, well done Ripon City Music well done the fair people of Masham, well done Timewatch, well done all the bands and support crew, well done everyone who SUPPORTED the cause!

# posted by Matt : 1:53 PM

i must say i really do find gushing praise now at this late stage rather amusing.

admit it wato you've been rumbled!

and using well done all the time will certainly not hide the fact that you really thought ripon city music were very poor.

it's the second time recently that you have complained about them.

i might write a letter to phil willis and ask him if he likes hedgehogs scratching his bum.

be a man wear pink!

wahey!

# posted by The Guv : 2:14 PM

What part of
"top quality", "really well engineered", "top juice", "a resounding yes", "really enjoyable stuff ", "Top stuff", "happy campers", "A result I would say" etc etc don't you understand!

It sounds like you are just trying to start some kind of fight, I'm not playing!

# posted by Matt : 2:22 PM

Thanks to everybody who helped out on June 4th to help start the first Thornborough Free Festival and made it a truly amazing day.
However,I feel I have to say that if anybody is to blame for the poor on stage sound on the Ripon City Music stage it was me, though I wont apologise,as this is the first time I've tried to provide equpment for 4 differnt stages simultainiously with a limited group of unpaid volenteers,with three van loads of blagged and borrowed kit sorted on the streets of Masham 1 hour before bands are due to start' before tring my best to coordernate four different venues at once, so I don't think We did to bad a job.
Without Ripon City Music, whos name I was using to lend some sort of authority to the festival in return forthem lending me 3 pa systems,3 mixing desks, 4 guitar cabs,2 bass amps,2 keyboard amps,2 acoustic guitar amps,2 drum kits,6 monitors (2 of which were borrowerd for another Stage!and 1 of which blew on the day-hense sound problems)over 20 mics and stands and countless leads there would have been no festival- Simple as- so there!
As for the Engineers, they also gave their time for free, with bearly any break all day- with admitedly limited equipment they did a sterling job, Its just a pitty they didnt have the forsight to change the integral structure of the Town Hall to improve the acoustics- Selfish B######s!
Matty Jacobs
Festival Organiser

# posted by Matty Jacobs : 2:32 PM

me start a fight........ never!

why don't you get back into bed and get out of the other side and try and find your sense of humour while your at it you grumpy old bugger!

can i come on your boat?

# posted by The Guv : 4:04 PM

Mr jacobs i'm sure you did a fantastic job as always.

Im only pulling wato's leg, although by the tone of some of his responses you would of thought i had poked him in the eye!

Ha Ha!

Be good to see you playing at the next FIRE as well if your free?

Tally Ho!

# posted by The Guv : 4:10 PM

Piss off you sad tosser- unless you want a real fight, You'll have to tell me the who you are first though.

# posted by Matty Jacobs : 4:16 PM

Why was the guv not there? Or was he hiding?

# posted by McParty : 4:38 PM

now now mr jacobs swearing and threats of violence this is a family show!

reason i wasn't there mr mc p is that i had to work.

tough job but someones gotta do it.

# posted by The Guv : 4:58 PM

well sorry, All I can say is Ive barely slept for 2 weeks and Ive aged ten years over the weekend- you cant blame me for being a bit of a grumpy tosser. Threats of violence retracted.

# posted by Matty : 5:19 PM

Well I had a truly fantastic day to say the least; I personally visited all of the stages an spent time enjoying the bands that played. Being one of the few that turned up early enough to help with set up I have a good understating of the amount of work and effort that went into the project. Considering one of the stages broke down on route and a replacement had to be knocked up in a very short space of time, from wooden pallets a piece of tarp and a van, I think the organisers did an exceptional job. I say credit where credits due!. The equipment supplied was of quality and so were the musicians who played (ALL FOR FREE), In all honesty the sound in the Town hall was not too good (on stage), however it was a very large area to fill with only an hour or so of sound checks before the first bands commenced there performances. Every one I have talked to about the day said it was a truly amazing day had by all, with no nonsense or trouble. I personally just wish people would pull there heads out of there asses and realise the potential of the events that are happening and stop criticizing little things that don�t really matter on the whole!.......

One Love� No nonsense��

# posted by Dirt Boy : 5:37 PM

Will let you off Guv. As the work paid off. Awesome night in the Late Lounge!

... again!

# posted by McParty : 5:52 PM

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by McParty : 5:56 PM

I should like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the festival last Saturday. Thanks to Matty and his numerous insane friends and aquaintances (myself included) everything went off well. As for 'sound niggles' in the main hall, well what do you fucking want?! It sounded fine to me, and as God's number 1 religious cleric at the event (the Pope was 'engaged' with a pair of Russian lap dancers at the time. Apparently) I should damn well know. I spent much of my evening yelling and howling at people from all parts of the main hall. It is small-minded to criticise what you do not have the imagination to understand. Hail Mary.

# posted by BleedingNun : 6:06 PM

It's them Bleedin Nuns! what have I started. Got the catholics involved now and all sorts. To answer your question "what did you expect".. I don't know! I just commented on the fact that I wasn't that happy with my stage sound / set (I wish I'd not now!) sh*t happens. And I agree "It is small-minded to criticise what you do not have the imagination to understand." But I don't uderstand why you put that. PS.Gutted I missed your set. You guys rock. Hail taxi.

# posted by Matt : 6:22 PM

I just want to say we had a top gig and though the festival [if a little rough around the edges] was quality and enjoyed by everyone I spoke to about it.

so there.

good work Matty & chums, see you next year for more of the same!

PTSF

# posted by Anonymous : 12:57 PM

Yeah.... with you there Dicky. Its not anyones fault that the hall was as it was. Those types of rooms are always tricky. The best way of getting a good sound in my experience is having it packed full of people and I'm sure that although anyone who performed on that stage will agree that on a selfish level we would have liked the room packed, the sun was shining most of the day and it is hard to peel yourself away from the sun.
It was great fun to be a part of and i'm sure there isn't a band out there that wouldn't be more than happy to do it again!

Well done all involved!
Steve K - Mulholland

# posted by Steve K : 4:45 PM

Just as a side note ... Paul Middletons band seemed to get a good sound on Stage 1.

As another side note, I think you are all really soft, and I will fight you all.

At the same time.

Jim M

# posted by Anonymous : 10:21 PM

Dirt Boy .... whoever he fucking is.
What a fucking Lazy Faggot. His band would be ok if they got a lead singer.

# posted by NUMP-T : 10:24 PM

Just on this thing about Scapegoat being the masters of Funk. They simply are not. The only thing Funk about them is Dan Turner. The odd nice bit of Bass, and copying a few Funk tunes doesn't make 'Funk'. You got feel the funk in your bones man.

These guys just play so flat, I mean they got absolutely no 'hip squiggly'... wassup wid dat?
Hang the guitar player, get a drummer who practices with a metronome, shoot the frontman (twice)and for fucks sake.

Next time they play, just watch where there attention really is. Frontman (attention on himself), Guitarist (attention on guitar [ffs]), Drummer (getting right into it but missing rock solid heart of funk), sax player (he should go round with the bucket), Keyboard player (obviously struggles to remember what day it is nevermind that he supposed to enjoy this thing called music), Bass player (same as drummer), trumpeteeeeer (got funk).

Dont get me wrong, all of them are nice guys (sometimes) but dont call them the masters of funk, because they, as a band, couldn't smell funk if it was shat up their noses.

# posted by FUNK IS IN THE BONES : 10:42 PM

Is it Dan Turner? Have I got his name right... or is it Webster... Yeah I think its Webster...

# posted by FUNK IS IN THE BONES : 3:22 AM

I agree with most of your sentiments, but I think they may cause offence. I don't think they are meant to be a serious band so chill out dude.

There are obviously vast differences in musical ability in the band and its obvious where the downsides are.

Anyway masham was good and SK did their best gig. The sound was fine for them in the town hall as well as Paul Middleton et al.

# posted by Maya Love Hippy : 3:27 AM

I like Scapegoat Kelly

Graham

# posted by Graham Charmless : 12:56 AM

Enough said...

# posted by Nazi : 12:57 AM

Welcome to this spiritual incest site

# posted by Jack Napier : 12:58 AM

#I agree with you about the sound, it was muddy, you couldn't hear Ben, didn't really notice Dave either, but YOU on the other hand came across really well#

Arselicking cocktease

# posted by Dogshit : 1:00 AM

#it was really nice to have you out front#

You dirty bitch

# posted by Dogshit : 1:02 AM

http://www.cockrockdisco.com/CRD2/menu2.html

Nice site Dogshit

# posted by Catch it : 1:03 AM

Thornborough festival... what a load of shit.

Full of drug addicts smoking pot or whatever, and fucking hippies everywhere.

Ichi

# posted by Kabooom : 1:05 AM