A trip down memory lane....

I know from previous posts that the readers of this blog LOVE old pictures, I always get such a response from posts like this, so when I was looking through some pictures the other day for something in particular I scanned a few in for your enjoyment!

I thought I'd give you a bit of insight into what life was like being in a band and on the road. It was a long time ago, it was fun but sometimes the long hours on the road in the van with a bunch of blokes just all got a bit much, but mostly it was fun!

I love this one of me and Paul

On the road on our first ever trip abroad many many many years ago

Our second trip abroad to the rather glamorous location of Nice, however sharing a room with 6 other blokes wasn't so glam!

When you travel with a band most of your life is spend in the van, it's like another member of the band!

You do get to visit some lovely locations though, that is definitely one of the upsides!

You do spend a lot of time just passing the time though, one of my favourites was table football, bet you didn't see that coming!!

Backstage is for downtime and getting out of sweaty clothes after a show, I do love this shot, just shows how hard the guys worked that night and how hot it was!

I really love this shot, getting ready before the curtains open, people don't often see this. I also love that dress, is was an apricot silk organza but was so delicate it just starting falling to pieces :o(

And last but not least an onstage shot, this was one of my favourite dresses ever, it came to a sticky end when I tore it on the drum kit, how sad is that. This was the point I started to have dresses custom made for onstage as wrecking vintage ones saddened me so much!

I do hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane!

Bah!

I was hoping to post lots of sewing adventures this weekend but yesterday morning I woke up with a stinking head cold, so instead I've spent yesterday and so far today in PJs, feeling slightly sorry for myself.

So instead I will post about a couple of true musical greats that passed away this week.

Sorry both of these aren't videos as such as both tracks were looong before video - or shorties as they were known then - were popular but they are great great music!

First up Johnny Otis, if you don't know about this guy, read up about him, what a guy, he worked with a lot of greats, was a real innovator in music and did some amazing things in his life. He's a real musical hero of mine and my husbands, he just touched so much music that we loved.




Next up and probably better know generally is Etta James. What a gal and what a voice.

I love this song, I actually sang it with my band many years ago, but could never recreate that wild Etta James feel!



I'll be back fighting fit soon, I would have carried on with sewing this weekend but I have so much work on at the moment, I need the energy for that!!

I'm ok, I'm here, don't panic he he!

Well I must be the worlds worst blogger, where did this month go?

I'm so sorry I went missing, I seem to be apologising for this a lot lately, life just got stupidly busy and it's the end of the year and I'm tired.....

So what have I been up to, well I made my 2 dresses, yes I promise I will take pictures, but I haven't yet, but I did make this

Out of this! However the complicated neckline looked bloody awful. Really didn't sit right, so I had to work with it, I did ok in the end and got lots of compliments which was nice, I promise I will put full make up on & the jewellery I wore and take a pic, honest!

I then added a black velvet top to the dress made out of this, that didn't fit. The skirt fit so I just adapted it to the new top half. I got lots of compliments in this too, promise I will take pics.

Then of course I went to the Rhythm Riot, did I have fun, yep, did I take pics, nope, I really am the worst type of blogger ever, I do interesting stuff I just get all excited whilst I'm there and well, I forget! Perhaps I should quit blogging, or just get my act together anyway.

I saw some great bands at the Rhythm Riot, including these guys Lil Mo and the Dynaflos who I've never seen before they were fabulous live! One of the best bands of the weekend.




oooh I tell a lie I took a couple of pics on my phone, first up this is in the chalet with my friends, and it was only 5pm on the first day, those glasses had/have huge cocktails in, talk about peaking too soon!

And I got some fabulous new saddle shoes from Rocket Originals, they are gorgeous and a slightly amended style, and I have to confess they are even better than their first ones!  Here is a pic in the apartment at Pontins, note the very luxurious carpet ;o)

Just before I went to the Rhythm Riot I finally found out what is up with my knee, remember how well I was doing exercising then I had a pesky knee problem that stopped me in my tracks. Well I thought a bit of physio and all would be good. Sadly not, I need an op, I have torn my cartilage, I guess it explains the pain, but it's blumming annoying well and painful! So now I just have to wait, apparently I shouldn't have to wait to long but still it'll be too long for me I'm sure. The Rhythm Riot didn't help on the knee front, getting drunk and thinking I could dance through the pain is not a good idea, let me tell you now you can't, I nearly didn't make it downstairs it hurt so much, that'll teach me, or will it?!!

Post Rhythm Riot has been recovery, it's true, I used to go to these events, come home and go out that night, now it takes me a good week to recover, it's shameful!

So there you go, I've been up to a lot, just forgot to take photos, shame on me!

Talented Friends!

Ok this is a bragging post, I have very talented friends and I'm going to brag about a couple today I do hope you don't mind! I'm so proud and sometimes you forget if you are surrounded by these people and then sometimes you think, these people are my friends and they are amazing, I need to shout about this!

First up is my very good friend Bloater, or known professionally as Big Boy Bloater , he's just about to embark on tour with Imelda May as her support band, then he kicks off his own tour in Feb.

I love this promo shot of him!

I've known Bloater and Lisa (his wife) FOREVER, we are old, it's true, actually Bloater isn't old, he's the young fella, he's 40 soon, mmm that'll be quite a night ha ha!

They are really good friends who saw us through some of the worst times of our lives, we've had some of the best nights of our lives with them - New Year's Eve 1999 comes to mind, oh dear - and I couldn't think of nicer people this could happen to, oh and they're pretty good next door neighbours too. Bloater is such a talented musician, you just have to look on his website, if you see high praise from people like Jools Holland and Mark Lamarr you know you're pretty good. Anyway things are really taking off for him, and I'm so proud!

If that's not enough Lisa is going out on her own with a 5 piece band as Lil Lisa Jane, I was at her first solo gig and it was marvellous,  can't wait to see more! I hasten to add Lisa played Sax for years with Bloater's original band, so she's not a newbie to the stage.

They were also responsible for my worst hangover from hell after my birthday last week, those are friends I like to keep, you can see this woman would mix up some hellish cocktails can't you?

And if that's not enough, my good friend Sue from Pennychoo Cards! I haven't known Sue anything like as long as Bloater and Lisa but I feel like I have, you know one of those people you meet and you just click with, you can have grumpy old people conversations straight away with them, but then roll around laughing the next minute, well that's Sue!

Sue is a very talented designer and I mean big time talented! She's done all sorts of work for many many amazing people. But I wanted to show you some of Pennychoo's christmas card designs, I bought some straight away, I love her work, I don't think I've ever seen anything she does that I don't like in fact, I know sickening isn't it?

So here are some of her Christmas cards, love em all!

From the Boibles range
http://www.pennychoo.com/boibles-shop.html

From the Eggnog range!
http://www.pennychoo.com/Eggnog.html

So there you have it! I of course have other very talented chums, but I just felt the need to shout about these for now. Sharing the love :o)

Old Photos again!

Hi all, hope you're all well!

I'm hugely uninspired at the moment I'm afraid as I still have a lot going on, it's financial stuff - not interesting - but leading to a lot of stress, plus I feel ill again today, totally stress related I'm sure, so all in all you can imagine my inspiration factor for blogging is pretty low!

However having said all that, at the weekend I spent time sorting through all my photos, putting them into sections, so I can start scanning them in to save and also I need to start getting them in albums, oh the shame!!

I know how much you all liked the post of old photos before so here are a few, less random, all the same time but with a little story behind - you know how I like my little stories ha ha!

As you know many many years ago I was a singer and had my own band, if you want to see a really amateur video you can below! It also shows at the end the fraction of a good time we used to have! Excuse the sound it was totally amateur!



Anyway the photos I'm going to share today are from a tour we did in Italy oooh many years ago.

We were given directions to the town square where we were to call the organiser and he would come and meet us. We arrived at an Italian town square bustling with life at 9pm, we rang and Angelo came to meet us, we had never met him before but what a nice guy - he now organises the Summer Jamboree in Senigalia but at that point was only organising small local shows. He took us to his house in the Italian countryside, we ate, drank wine and had a ball.

Next morning it was time to get our act together as we had work to do. But before we left for a sound check we took a few pictures! Even loading a van can feel glam in the Italian countryside in the sun!

I know how hot the whole tour must have been as this is about the most tanned I've ever been in my life! I could sure do with a bit of that sun now....

I wish this next shot showed the scene better, but the stage was outside, from where I was singing I could see the sea and all around us were fields of huge sunflowers, how much more of an idyllic setting could you get to perform in?

Then of course there is the obligatory huge eating session as with all Italians, I don't think I have ever eaten so much before a gig in my life or in fact with so many other people!

By the time it came to the gig it was dark and we could no longer see the sea or the sunflowers, but boy it was a great night, it was warm, people really enjoyed themselves and that's what makes a great gig. It was one of the most memorable places we've ever played.

Ah good times, I can feel the sun on my back even writing this!

My Previous life, intrigued? You should be!

Well you all know me as either just me on this blog, or as Mrs Notorious Kitsch or some of you know me personally!

Here we have another bit of me, I really thought twice about sharing but I am kinda proud and it was a really fabulous time in my life.

I used to be a singer in an R'n'B band, for years and years, we toured around the UK and Europe and basically had a ball! We were called Red Peters and the Solid Senders and here we are on video!

The sounds quality is pretty poor but you get the idea. We had such a ball, such a laugh, looking back it was fabulous and I wouldn't have swapped my time doing it for the world! I got to work with some talented, fun and hilarious people. There were some wild times and there were some times when we were just in a minibus for whole days on end! Life on the road, fun but hard work

I love this first one, partly cos I remember the after show party, whoops! But partly cos it shows us just being on tour, great memories!


I was encouraged to share these by both Helen who runs Pin-Up Parade and Natasha who runs Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing, thanks ladies for reminding me about my 'previous life'!



If I remember rightly the place caught fire the night this was taken, we ended up doing part of the show outside in the snow as in our youthful enthusiasm we thought it was rather romantic and the show must go on! We were allowed back in to finish the show, it was quite an eventful night!

I hope you enjoy!