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Morning all....
It's November 11th, bit nippy outside but supposed to get pretty cold soon, just
thought i'd give a brief update and say hello.
Drove up to Preston a couple of weeks ago to unchartered territories....venue
called '12 bar club'. For some reason was expecting a tiny wee venue as in
London 12 bar but it's pretty big, probably holds about 2/300. Arrived at the
venue at 5 only to be told by 'Jonny' ( the charismatic Mr 12 bar) that we
should return at 7 when he had, had chance to make himself beautiful...figured
we needed to get beautiful too so all back to the Holiday Inn, where i
dived in the bath, turned my ipod up loud and started on the (don't ever touch
for fear of bankruptcy) minibar, best way to prepare for a gig. On the topic of
ipods, probably one of the greatest inventions man ever made for folk on the
move, i'm getting so much pleasure from it, especially when gigging. Playing
your fave stuff in the bus/hotel room etc really sets the vibe (one hopes!)
Jonny not only runs the venue but
doubles as a very conscientious soundman on occasion, he did a great job, as did
the barmaid Sarah who put a smile on Dave's (aka BBD) face after the show......
We played great and aired another new song called "Dont tell me"
which rocks like a mother(not mine!), we've already booked to go back, loved it.
It's 12th Nov now, i'm in the studio and Neil is putting guide guitars down on
'Heroin' and 'Vanilla', sounds f**king awesome! BBD is eating an all day
breakfast sandwich from the local shop....in the list of ingredients is 'full
breakfast mix??' and chicken?? Christ knows what the crap that means?
He'll probably be in the toilet til weds......
Ok, so back to Preston....had a few hours to kill the next day and could simply
not be this close to Blackpool pleasure beach and not go, my dad used to take us
there when we were kids and the excitement filled me again just like it used to,
Nik won a 7 foot orange shark (he named Fergal...go figure) and Neil and i were
the only ones brave enough (or rich enough..£9!) for the big dipper, man they
got some scary rides there, i mean i will go on anything....but jesus....especially
as we didn't leave the bar last night until Neil was wearing a skirt.....i love
it though, i love Blackpool, i love it's tackiness, we all had fish and chips
and prayed that it hadn't come out of that sea...i have never seen such filthy
water, this country is a disgrace in so many ways.
Back in the bus and over to
Nottingham, haven't seen Barry for years and it was great to see him again,
smashing little music venue. Barry also had 'The Tubes' playing down the road at
the Rescue rooms, this both thrilled us (can go see them before we play) and
filled us with dispair (everyone will be at the Tubes gig). Had a soundcheck and
ran down to the Rescue rooms and got there just in time to see the band go on.
Fee Waybill came on stage in white y fronts, nowt else, just white M&S
pants, fantastic. Sound was great, songs were great..i mean.. i think it's
probably not to everyones taste but we loved them, the female singer came on in
a G string, gyrating around the stage and simulating naughtiness as several
hundred middle age men surge forward at one time, blokes are so easy eh?
Mel leans over to me and asks if we can get one...... ( a naked dancer that is)
i say nothing, just give him the look and we run back to the Running horse to do
our show.
As we predicted, not the biggest audience but a very appreciative, lovely
audience and a great time had by all, we'll be back next year....
So, the recording has begun.....right now we're just in pre-production, getting
guides etc, we're talking to a producer and hoping we will have him on board
very shortly, all being well...plan is for end of Feb release.
Hope to see some of you in Sunny Southend on 26th & apologies for postpoing
the show last week, totally unavoidable.
TH x
R.I.P Paul (Curly) Vickers,a great and cherished friend who left us far to soon.
Neil, Mel & Tracie xx
Hello,
Although I’m writing this on the 24th Oct I think it may be a while before it
goes up on the site, apologies for this but the guy who was running the site had
big computer problems and lost all of the files, we now have the problem sorted
and someone else working on the site so hopefully all will be well and a little
more active.
We played the Borderline 30th Sept, pretty good turn out and always a good time,
for those who didn't know...Matt is no longer with the band and although we had
auditioned a few players we decided eventually to go it as a 4 piece for now, i
could feel a few spaces that he used to fill but actually Neil did a blinding
job and i don't think it lacked at all, we aired 2 new songs "Heroine &
Vanilla", i feel like we're writing some of our best stuff lately, i
suppose the new ones are always the faves but im feeling very excited about this
next album, which i might add.....should be in your shops by March!!
I went to the Classic Rock awards earlier in the month, that was at Cafe de
Paris in Leicester Sq, my dad (IH) was up for the classic songwriter award,
which he much deservedly won, was a great night...quite a few legends gracing
the room, inc....Jimmy Paige, Yes, Motorhead, Deep purple, many more...... I
spent most of the night saying "who's that dad?".......most of them
still look great, like fine English gents, I think music keeps them
young.......I think doing what you want to do with your life keeps you young
(unless of course it kills you!), most folk don't actually do anything they
enjoy doing, that must make the soul weary.
This last weekend we played the Marrs Bar in Worcester and the Vic in Swindon,
never played either before and had no idea what to expect, The Marrs is a nice
venue, good sound and right in the centre of town, could have been busier but
was good none-the-less....I suppose until we get more radio/tv/national press
we're relying on the net for exposure in this country and that is kinda
limited, a girl from Boston opened for us and was fabulous, very sweet unusual
vocals and played some interesting stuff......www.Jennifermatthews.com
The Vic in Swindon was great, the folk there we're really nice and it makes
everything so much more pleasurable, the venue is pretty small but still gets a
great sound and apparently they are doubling in size in Feb, good move....I
think they can really make it work. We played exceptionally well...if I say so
myself, played a new song "Don't tell me" for the first time, only
wrote it a week ago.....F***in loved it. We will definitely be going back.
We have almost written the album and the four of us are working really well and
hard to get this finished asap, hoping to capture a moment in time and not take
forever recording this time, in fact I can promise it wont take as long as
'Race'........
So, all good in the camp and looking exciting
Cheers
TH
Mornin
all
Have just returned from Sunny Sheffield, it was Mels' birthday (Bass player) and
his folks are all up there so we drove up Sat night to surprise him...ended up
in some sleazy rock club headbanging at 2 in the morning as was Mels' want,
special offer on the JD oiled the proceedings nicely and only aided the
digestive harmony that graced us on Sunday. Never eat after 2am in
I
gotta say that this choice of venue was not mine....but to see Neil slide
across the dancefloor on his knees is priceless. (very slick mover) For
some reason all the hotels in Sheff were booked so we ended up staying slightly
out of town in a place called the Globe i believe......they asked if we wanted
anything special for breakfast, we said no, just figuring it would be the
usual....when we got down in the morning it was a massive platter
of..........biscuits.......digestive biscuits, jesus.....so the B&B sign
must have meant bed and biscuits. Oh how we laughed?? I thought i'd seen it all.
£55 quid for a freakin biscuit.
We were up in
The following week we played the 100 club in Oxford St, 6 foot flames were
supporting that night, these guys are great, i've seen them quite a few times
now and they really are worth seeing, got some great songs and the performance
is great, the industry in this country is so screwed. That was a Sunday
night, we never played a Sunday before and now i know why, the gig wasn't
exactly rammed and we were all pretty disappointed with the turnout but i guess
we now know why no band ever wants to play on a Sunday...suppose it's hangover
night?? Both bands still put full effort in but it aint much good for morale eh.
" Whatever doesn't kill us will make us stronger".......
We're almost ready to start recording the album and we intend to have it
recorded by Xmas!! We got a few new ones to play at the Borderline on the
30th....this is going to be a big night, we have our label coming over
from France and intend to make it great.....i'm hoping for a full house
like last time so get your arses down.....you may be in for a few
surprises......
Ok,
so that's it folks.....I'm hoping to see all of your lovely faces a week on
Friday.
Love TH x
Greetings .......
Hope this finds you all well & enjoying the
summer.....floods/droughts/electrical storms etc.........all good fun eh?
'Twas during such a storm that my computer said it's final goodbye, wasn't a prolonged affair, one minute on next minute off.......blank screen & nobody in, of course i had backed everything up... NOT.....of course the info stored can be retrieved....NOT, not easily anyway....my little brother Jesse is quite an expert at Macs but he's 3,000 miles away....what a bloody pain in the arse! I have everything stored on there, everything band related, photos.........oh well, i now have a shiny new Apple laptop that i know nothing about yet but have established write & send so....hello again.....where were we.......
It's been a while so i better
rewind & say a few words about our trip to USA last month, we had decided as
the funds were basic that we'd have to do the shows acoustic so sadly we left
Dave & Matt behind & the brothers Gabbitas joined me with their acoustic
guitars, most of the songs are written this way so most of them lean pretty well
to acoustic. We spent a few nights in
We played a bar/venue called Jakes & then did the Music For Middlesex
charity show again, much bigger affair this year. We had worked our tits off
making the acoustic thing work & it really did, it sounded great & we
even threw a couple of new songs in, new & old in fact, one song called 'Marylebone'
resurfaced & will no doubt be included in the next shows....haven't played
that for years & found a renewed love for it.....
I'm just realising that i haven't really mentioned Dave Shaw yet......Dave is
our new drummer & a bloody fine find, i knew he was out there somewhere
& in he walked all trouble free, young, eager & he's a fantastic player
....he even makes his bed in hotels rooms....unlike some who just throw it out
the window....at minor expense to the band. So, am waiting for that drummer
bubble to burst but so far so good. Anyone who saw our recent shows will i
think, agree.
So we came back from USA & did a few dates with IH, started in Sheffield at
the Boardwalk, unbelievable technical issues again saw us all panic & get a
20 second soundcheck but it all turned out good & we played brilliantly, as
i have said before....when the band is all on form & you are not worried
about anything you can just get lost in the songs, it's a beautiful feeling,
probably one of the finest feelings ever.....it doesn't always happen, if
someone is screwing up the lights/sound/audience/ instrument/vocals!!........any
little thing can wreck a show for us sensitive souls but when it flows it flows
& it did & we were happy, not least with Dave who was thrown in the deep
end & played a blinder.
Watched IH's show afterwards & loved it, the American band were fantastic
& so we told them again & again & again over several large
ones back at the hotel.........the drive back to London the next day was a long
one indeed.
Worthern village hall was the 2nd show we did, i went to this show last year & loved the atmosphere & found the whole affair pretty impressive, but as i was just saying about those little things...the lights were bloody awful & that pretty much ruined it for me, i was almost effin blinded & it really pissed me off, when i mentioned the crap lights to the crap light bloke he said he was sorry but was a "soundman, not a lightman", i tell ya, you just can't get the staff these days......think dad had a similar thing going on & had a subtle word with him from stage, something like "leave the effin lights alone will ya...put em on red & leave em", seemed to do the trick.
The next night was The
Buttermarket, now many years ago i used to live in Shrewsbury, many years ago i
used to occasionally come clubbing at the Buttermarket, i was just wondering
what & who would crawl out of the woodwork tonight.........i coulda been a
bloody farmers wife by now!! Perish it...
Much to my surprise this turned out to be a great gig, it's a shame they don't
do more of a music thing there because it's a great music venue. A couple did
crawl out of the woodwork, one guy i went out with when i was about
15........didn't recognise him!!! Saying no more.
Final show was the brook in
Southampton, great show, great venue, well run, great lights, great sound, good
people.........played great & wished it was the beginning not the end of
this wee tour.
Dad however was relieved it was the end as he had just travelled all over
As you can see from the gig page, the 29th July Borderline gig got messed up
& doublebooked, (so glad Clear Channel have taken over!) and has now been
moved to Sept but we're going to do the 100 club on August 7th & we have a
blinding band supporting us, '6 foot flames', i know it's a sunday but it's
gonna be great so we're hoping to see some of you there, also up in Sheff in
July, with new songs and new drummer.............i'm really looking forward to
these gigs & trying out some new songs. We have about three quarters
of the album written & i'm hoping that will be 100% over the next few weeks,
we have heaps of new ideas & are gonna be rehearsing alot & trying to
knock them into shape, Looks like we'll be going over to France to do a few
shows also, about time really.....sign a deal, release the album & don't
tour???? Hmmmmm.
Ok, i better go & learn how to use this computer & hope that the other
one releases all its files!!
I hope you're all having a great summer, you might as well eh?
Love & peace.......TH x
Morning
all
Once again it has been a while...i know there seems to have been little going on
lately & the reason for that is we have been kinda suspended in limbo!! We
were offered the possibility to go on a major tour support throughout Europe
& UK, all Arena dates & very nice it was too. Unfortunately the guys in
the headline eventually decided as their set was getting longer & longer
that it wouldn't be possible to take support!! This meant that since January
we've been unable to commit to anything else so we could be available throughout
May etc etc.
Now that tour would have been a beautiful thing for many reasons and anyone in
the business knows all those reasons & not least because it would have been
such a great experience but such is life & it was mighty fine to be asked so
we lick our wounds & get on with where we left off........
We are in the process of booking some dates & i for one can not wait, i
really can’t stand not gigging & it's been a couple of months so i'm
itching to get out. So, the gig page should look a little less challenged very
soon!! Possibly gonna go & play in
Auditions have begun for our new drummer, we're not in a panic coz we have
options & the last few dates with Richie Newman have been great but it would
be nice to get a permanent player....any hot drummers reading this should get in
touch if you want to come down & have a go.....they seem few & far
between though.
We're also about to start recording some new song ideas & hoping to start
the next album soon, this one will not take so long i promise & we're very
excited about the new songs....
Ok, well I’m off to an evening with Boy George ......should be a laugh eh?
Sorry this is brief but there isn't much to write about 'Hurry up & wait'
Love
TH
Greetings all.....
Mmm, let's try & cheer up the grim git of a month that is January.......
Apparently 'band' in French means erection.....this was recognised live on air
on the 7th Jan as we were interviewed for Radio Europe 2 in Paris with an
audience of 2 million, we became the Tracie Hunter Erection...the DJ...'King
Arthur' was a very funny chap, we were on for an hour & performed 2 songs
acoustically, was actually quite amusing... in a French Howard Stern type way?
We all went for a Chinese meal afterwards & i retired to my room at midnight
which was lucky as there were some pretty nasty hangovers next door in the
morning. I ate breakfast alone!!
My mate Ian got me the ipod &
speakers for Xmas & i gotta say it's one of the best inventions when on the
rd, takes up no space & you got all your favourite albums with you, as we
all know....music can really shape your moods & it makes hotel rooms more
bearable & makes hotel staff find us unbearable as will be revealed later.
We played the 'New Morning' venue in Paris the next night, it's a great gig,
nice venue, good sound etc, Richie Newman was with us on drums and played a
blinder, we were staying in a Best Western hotel right opposite the venue, well
handy for changing etc. I hadn't taken any spare clothes for a change, just what
i needed for the shows, i'd packed what i thought were a pair of black thigh
boots for the gig and when i got them out & put them on i was struggling
trying to pull one of them up.....could not believe i'd only got one thigh boot
& the other although similar heel etc came below knee....what a pratt!! Was
not a pair...little things like this can ruin your night ya know, especially
when posing!!!!
As i said the show went great,
the venue holds 500 & was perhaps a little optimistic for a new release
& January an all but it was a good size crowd & the album was selling
well, only thing is.....the record company were selling it not us, see, that's
the beauty of a record deal, you only actually get a tiny percentage of your
hard earned album sales now but you hope upon hope that the label will keep
their promise & let the world know who you are & that's the stage we're
at.....having said that, so far the label have been pretty impressive
& we're all very happy with the situation. We also have a very fine
Parisian promoter Dominic working with us & taking us for profiteroles at
5am.....hunky dory.
Anyway, after the gig we went to a local bar for a couple then back to the hotel
for a couple more, set the ipod up & had a few in my room
307.....receptionist dude phones up & says 'keep it down' so we turn it
down, then he calls again & says the same thing only in a more irate tone,
so we turn it right down, then the next door room starts banging so we go to
another floor, 205.....Niks room....same shit, the guy calls & says ' i know
what you are doing, you are simply moving the party to another floor, you have
to be quiet' (freakin Poirot!) so we go back to 307 & leave the music
off & just chat, then he calls & is screaming down the phone in his
french accent 'you people are not normal, why can't you be normal people?'. This
cracked us up...how normal is talking? Gave up in the end & went to bed but
was expecting him to call & say 'stop breathing so loud'. I mean, we have
been noisy before in hotels but this wasn't bad & it pisses me off when
you're paying a fortune for the bleedin' room & Mr Best Western is bathing
in Cavier & building these places with paper walls. One of these days i'm
gonna stop moaning about hotels.....
I've just realised that i haven't mentioned Jools Holland's 12th Annual
Hootenanny yet, what a hoot that was....TV didn't really do justice to how
fabulous the studio looked & the atmosphere in the place was great. Working
alongside Sam Brown & the girls was great, that girl has the most incredible
voice.... sends shivers down my spine. For anyone that doesn't know i was doing
backing vocals for part of the show & what an honour it was. Saw Mavis
Staples for the first time, think my dad has been a long time fan of Mavis, she
gave us her album & dad & i listened to it in the car all over Xmas,
lovely uplifting stuff. It was a great night & i think IH stole the show, i
know i'm biased and all that but had anyone been at the show they would have
thought the same thing, every person got to their feet as soon as he started
'Roll Away The Stone' & it truly was a moment.....like i said to him...'You
are the daddy' & i aint ashamed to admit it. Jools was a jolly nice chap
& all in all a great time had by a very talented bunch of people, now i'm
hoping next time i'm on Jools i wont be singing back up.....
Last Friday we played the Borderline in London (support by Kelly's Heroes who we
really enjoyed), once again a fine performance from Sir Richard Newman, nothing
major went wrong for a change & the set seemed to go by so quick which
usually indicates a good gig, the whole band were just rocking & the only
bastard was that we weren't playing again the next night & the next night,
on that topic we have been offered a few tours in various countries & will
also be touring UK shortly so please keep your eye on the tours page....we'll
get any new info up as soon as we have it. I'm really excited about the new
songs & can't wait to have the next album written.
I don't know any more than
that.......
Peace
Tracie Hunter Erection...
