Friday 21st September 2012 Colorado Southern at Chatfield’s Sports Bar, Littleton Denver USA

Jacqui and I were taking a holiday in the USA and had arranged to see Dan in Denver.  Dan said “Come along to my bands gig on the 21^st “;  “Actually one of guitarists is having an operation so you might have to deputise – and its our first night with new drummer!”  We arrived in Denver on the Thursday evening.  Denver is 7 hours behind the UK so although we were tired from the journey, we woke early the next day regardless and were up and about by 9 am. After a day exploring round Parker where Dan lives,  he ran us over to the gig about 25 miles away on the South West side of Denver.  Chatsfield’s is a typical American bar with a sizeable stage (by UK standards) at the front as you come in from the car park.  Rick had already arrived with the band’s gear in his big MPV and set up was coming together.  Dan introduced me to the guys in the band: Dennis (Telecaster & Dan’s pink Strat into a Crate valve half stack), Rick (Les Paul and Fender Twin), new drummer Robert and  Larry (Strat into Marshall half stack) now recovered from his operation;  and teed me up to come and guest on ‘Johnny B Goode’ in the last set.  As the band were setting up Jacqui and I were introduced to Christy and Betsy  (Rick and Dennis’s ladies) and we all wisely elected to drink water through band set up!  Rick was also in charge of an old Peavey PA with at least 3 monitors.  Dan was soon set up and showed me his Ibanez plugged into his  Mark Bass 1x12 combo amp.  Very compact and light amp and a very good loud sound from something so small.  There was a problem with Rick’s pedal board which absorbed some time and attention.  Meanwhile Dan and Larry were having a shot of something strong so they would be tanked up and ready to go. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem solved but sound check would now have to be minimal with a bit of adjustment on the fly!  The band opened up with “Whiskey Rock and Roller”.  Not as loud as I expected!  I suggested a few adjustments between the opening numbers.  More treble on PA,  bring up Dan’s bass and Larry’s guitar a tad and even more top on the PA.  After a bit of fiddling, they settled into a well balanced American rock groove at the right volume for the hall.  The soundscape is interesting.  Dennis has quite a toppy guitar sound (as you’d expect with a Tele).  This fits well with Ricks more middley Les Paul sound.  The new drummer in the centre sounded good and not overloud;  and then you had another contrast on the left between the trebly sound of Larry’s Strat and Dan’s deep bass to complete a full and wide soundscape.  Rick and Larry do most of the vocal duties,  with Rick focussing on rock and Larry doing the less heavy country / blues numbers.   Dan and Dennis occasionally join in on chorus’s and there are snippets of harmony, but the genre doesn’t really call for big harmony arrangements. The bar was fairly full with a mixed crowd:  some eating,  some listening and several doing bits of dancing from the off.  Good applause at the end of numbers!   

 

 

 

Jacqui, Christy,  Betsy and I had bagged a band table and we had a waitress dedicated to the band and its followers to take drinks orders.  So I started on the beer – ‘Coors Light’ the local brew.  By the third set I was sufficiently relaxed to take Ms J for a spin on the dance floor and I had another one or two after that.  By the start of the 4^th set it was getting on for 7am UK time and I was feeling a tired and just getting a bit chilly.  So when I was called up to join in an extended Johnny B Goode I was a bit taken unawares – straight off I forgot to give Jacqui the camera.  Rick kindly lent me his Les Paul (and pick).  I strapped it on;  it was quite low slung but not really polite to adjust it.  I gave it a strum and it sounded good so off went.   Dennis started and I picked up the opening riff with him.  I think I play it a bit more like the record but it didn’t sound too conflicted with two lead guitars playing slightly different lines so we pressed on.  As we got to the verse I came into some familiar territory as I heard Dan belting the vocal out,  so I put in my ‘patent’ open A with added C/G notes to the basic riff to countrify and  underpin Dennis’s playing higher up the neck. 

The low slung guitar meant I had to keep my head down so no chance to look up for band signals,  but the solo came where I expected and Dennis and I doubled and traded solos through a few 12 bars.  I thought we got it pretty good despite the booze; in fact the Les Paul played really well allowing me to try out some quite fast licks!  After a few more verses and solos it was all over. 

I handed the guitar back to Rick,  mentioning that his pick was in the strings, and strode through the crowd for a rest,  pausing to “hi five” Christy who said: “Awesome Rocking” or something similar.  Rick immediately forgot where the pick was and the intro to the next number was interesting ‘til he found it tucked in the strings.  The remainder of the set passed quickly and it was pack up time at 1am Denver US time = 8am UK time.  The band had been very well received and a couple of guys came up to buy them a round of drinks!   By the time the band got loaded and we got back to Dan’s it was approaching 3 am and we were well due a long sleep – today being another tomorrow or something like that!   Actually after that night we adjusted pretty well to US time and the rest of the trip went well.  We spent a great few days with Dan looking round Colorado,  visiting bars and quilting and guitar shops.  On the Wednesday Jacqui and I took an AMTRAK train over the Rockies to Sacramento to see the 150 year celebration of the start of the Union Pacific railroad which forged the first rail line through the Rockies.  With temperatures in the high 30’s we had a fine time in Sacramento.   Also couldn’t resist visiting Folsom Prison while we were in California.  All too soon it was over and we were back in the grey wet UK.  Well,  I have now achieved one of my ambitions - to perform in the USA!

  

The Checkmates at the big Lindfield Charity Bash

Raye had booked us up for this gig in the knowledge that Graham would be having a big operation to remove a tumour in the chest.  The operation was a big success but it was understood it would be several months before he was fully fit again.  So what was agreed was that another band “The Trojans” would be booked as well as “The Checkmates”  for a big Lindfield Charity Bash.  We would borrow the Trojans gear and each band would do 2 sets.  We were positioned as headlining so we would be on second and finish the night with the final set.   The minimum I would need is just a guitar!

On the day I packed a Bose in (just in case!) and decided to take my Roland GT10 FX,   DIgitech harmoniser and Roland GR33 synth;  oh and my Audix OM5 Mic and stand (just in case).  So the car was quite full as Jacqui and I set off about 3pm on a beautifully sunny day for Sussex.   We arrived about 5:45pm and,  ‘cos we had agreed to meet the others at 6:30pm,  Jacqui and I had a drink in the White Horse.  Its been ‘done up’ but it was a bit nostalgic ‘cos I used to take my dad in there in the 90’s.   As we came out the pub we saw Raye arrive and had just said our greetings when Graham and his missus Janice rolled up.  Superficially he looked fine,  but Janice said he had spent most of the previous day at hospital with shortness of breath.   Graham admitted he wasn’t in best shape but as a trouper he wanted to do the gig!   We wandered into the hall and met up with the Trojans.  They seemed to be led by Amanda and it was her well used Carlsbro PA that was set up for vocals. Rick the roadie showed me his Fender Chorus which he had kindly brought along specially for me to use (their guitarist and his AC30 would be heading off back to Somerset immediately after their second set).  Graham had the use of the bassists Laney stack with a 4 x 12 cab on each side of the drums.   After they had sound checked,  we plugged our gear and mics in and had a run through.  Even though I have a Fender Chorus at home, I had trouble getting a good sound out of Rick’s.  This turned out to be due to a mismatch of output settings on the GT10 and once I fixed that and pushed up the middle on the amp quite a bit,  it sounded fine.  The basic mic sound was OK and I had my own control over it from tone controls on the harmoniser.  As the stage was very busy with leads guitars mics etc,  I decided to abandon the idea of using the synth in the first set.   We sound checked with bits of “Wonder,  Blue Suede, Summertime Blues and Apache” and retired happy enough to have a beer,  a sit down and a chat with the other band.  I showed Amanda a list of songs we were going to do.  There were only a couple that were also in their set (Apache and Blue Suede Shoes) and she agreed they would avoid them. After a beer it was show time.  The gig had sold out and the hall was full!  The Trojans opened their set with a bunch of Shadows instrumentals. 

 

 

 

Good lead sound with an old Fender strat through a new AC30.  Then Amanda came on and they did a few female rocking pieces starting with Stupid Cupid. Towards the end she went on the drums and her father came out to sing a couple of classics like “Jezabel”.  We Checkmateers slinked off to the dressing room to get our outfits ready and get motivated.  We left the shirt change so we could come on the stage to re-arrange the gear.  Raye and Graham were soon ready but coming back onto the dark stage amidst a sea of wires it was a bit hit and miss for me and it took me a few minutes to get sorted.  We quickly popped back to the dressing room to don our green shirts and returned to open with “Eyes”.  The sound was a bit weak initially but we got it right towards the end of of the song.   The audience didn’t mind – they were singing along loudly and gave us a wonderful welcome!   We carried on with “Cathy’s Clown – Bye Bye Love”.  By now I had made some further adjustments to the vocal sound so we were able to carry on through the set with a tight performance,  strong vocals,  good relaxed banter and no noticeable mistakes!  Next up was “Blue Suede” which went very well and was well received.  Then we did “I Believe and Raining in My Heart” as two short slowies to get the romantics our on the dance floor.  As we came to Apache I signalled to Raye and Graham that I would be doing the Shadows walk.  I put the guitar on the edge of the stage and jumped off,  jarring my knees a little!   I put the guitar on and off we went. 

 

 

 

This was quite amusing for the audience,  but I was also able to judge the sound while I was out there – definitely brighter than on stage,  but about the right volume and mix.  As I finished I got a fantastic reception – a wonderful round of applause that made me forget about the knees.  I resumed with the boys reminding the audience that the Shads were Sir Cliffs backing band and setting off into “Move It”.  This immediately filled the floor and carrying on with “Summertime Blues” continued the dancey atmosphere.  We did “Red Sails – Them There Eyes” as two of the Checkmates hits from the 60’s and then gave Raye a drum display opportunity with “Wipe Out”  I had chosen “Make Believe” as the finisher for the set.  I checked Graham was up for it and we gave a strong closing performance of it with the audience singing along lustily.  I did miss the synth strings in this one but I don’t think anyone else was bothered.   Our finish timing was perfect for the start of the buffet and the Trojans had the great idea of playing a set of Shadows numbers as a wonderful backdrop to the meal.   After a while Amanda came on to do her bit and we retired to the dressing room to take stock.  Graham was still suffering a bit but said he would carry on - he felt worse sitting around but felt better on stage!  The Trojans finished their set and then they cleared a lot of their gear from the stage.  For this set I had to set up my mic stand  and untangling my FX pedals from the mess on stage did disrupt settings ‘cos I couldn’t get the guitar or mic to work initially.  I eventually traced the problem of the mic to the harmoniser knob which had been fully twisted clockwise to cut out the mic thru signal.  In the dark and confusion of wires I couldn’t find why the guitar was so weak, so I turned the amp up and we opened up with “Walk Don’t Run”.   We carried on with “Slow Boat” and looking around the floor I spotted the problem.  Oddly enough it was the opposite problem with the guitar – the GT10 volume had been twisted fully anti-clockwise to minimise the guitar signal.  These things happen as gear is moved around on a busy stage.  There was nothing I could do until the end of the number,  but then I was able to fix it.  So “Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” went better.  Now it was time for an abridged version of “Let There Be Drums”.  We didn’t go on the floor,  but Raye was able to satisfy some audience expectations by playing Graham’s Bass on-stage.  I messed up the count in and run up to the final section but we covered up OK and basked in the well earned applause at the end.  “Halfway to Paradise” went surprisingly well. This was a number I had been rehearsing at home and I was pleased with my vocal performance even though the audience was singing along nearly as loud as the band!   We rattled through “Saw Her Standing There” and “Shakin All Over” and then dedicated “Route 66” to Raye’s missus Val.  Coincidently it  was her 66^th birthday the next day so we did it as “Route 36”.   Next up was “American Trilogy”.  The band was a bit loose on timings but we got through it in good order with the audience singing along.  I missed the synth again but substituted a strong guitar solo for the flute bit.  We were beginning to tire a little,  but we pressed on to the big finale with “Lucky Old Sun” and Raye came out front for the big finish with “Early in the Morning”.  I set off speeding the end up a bit earlier than normal and as we got to the final beats we were racing at top speed = much faster than normal - oddly enough the audience loved it!  

 

 

We encored with “Eyes” earning more applause and shouts for more;  but we were concerned for Graham and decided to stop at 11:45pm leaving them wanting more!   All in all a great night considering the circumstances.   Pack up was easy and we did our goodbyes and got Graham off by about 12:15am.  Raye and I got off shortly after and Jacqui and I settled in for the long run home to Suffolk,  it was about 2:45 am when we got back and it took a good couple of days to recover!

An Acoustic Test

Speaking to Nigel recently about the possibility of occasional acoustic gigs inspired me to rehearse a song I used to do in the 70's - Woodstock.  The Mathews Southern Comfort version.  A video test was the next thought - I'll risk allowing comments!

The Searchers at the Apex

We booked to see The Searchers several weeks ago and suddenly it was upon us.  Jacqui and Sue from next door accompanied me to the Zen Noodle bar for a pre-gig meal.  We enjoyed that so much we were a bit tight on time getting to the Apex.  It was sold out and we just managed to settle in our seats as the opening sequence commenced.   The band took to the stage amid much lighting and fog and opened up with "Sweets for My Sweet".   The band had a good balance underpinned by a powerful drum performance from John ? a relative newby to the band.  I suspect he may have modernised some of the drum rhythms and tempos were on the fast side - but very effective at driving the show along.  Lead guitarist,  John McNally (one of the originals),  was playing a Rickenbacker 660 12 string through a Fender twin and got a truly great sound using a degree of echo and chorus -  making it a little reminiscent of my own on-stage sound!  Frank Allen toting a Rickenbacker bass was set to a much bassier sound than most Ricky bass players would go for and fitted in the mix perfectly;.  Spencer (ex First Class) on Fender Strat through Fender Twin completed the line up.  In my opinion the vocals of the band weren't quite right to start but with a few songs passing they gradually gelled better.  The PA was a bit lacking in top end which didn't help the vocals,   but I'll give them full marks for an appropriate level of sound at this relatively small venue.  The act was wonderfully well rehearsed with Frank Allen leading as MC and John McNally chipping in with remarks like "he's up there" meaning the artiste being discussed had passed away - wonderfully effective banter that set the audience well at ease.  They played a lot of Searchers hits and other originals, even including a few B sides and more recent numbers. The basic band sound was subtly augmented by strings on the ballads.  I couldn't work out how -  were they were playing to a click track or was Spencer was generating them as Midi notes from his guitar chords? However it was done is was effective and not overdone!   A surprising highlight was Spencer's rendition of Roy Orbison's (he's up there) "Running Scared" - a fantastic vocal performance that rightly secured the biggest round of applause of the night.  The band originated in Liverpool and had many a tale to tell and it was thoroughly appropriate that they signed off with Spencer doing another great vocal on "You'll Never Walk Alone".  The encore was a brief medley of the hits with sing-a-long sections for the audience.  Overall a very professional show from musicians who are getting on a bit aimed perfectly at an audience who are also getting on a bit.  A great night chaps - well done!

Steeleye Span

Closest I get to a gig nowadays is to go and see a band, and this weekend I saw Steeleye Span at Bury Apex. Folk rock in general and this band's particular history of lots of change in line up gives them quite a license to vary instrumentation. Guitarwise we had the obligatory acoustic guitar and another fellow was playing a strat! I’m not sure what foot processor he was using but the it was through a small Peavey amp and sounded just perfect for this style – more like a commanding electro-acoustic than an electric sound. Peter Knights (one of the originals) played great violin and the bassist looked like he was using a Warwick bass and amp to get a very deep sound well below the fight for the middle frequencies. Liam Gennocky on a smallish kit completed the rhythm section. These talented musical chaps were able to swap instrumentation to add clarinet, flute and Korg piano to the musical palette when needed. But for me the vocals stole the show. Despite coming to the end of a longish tour, Maddy Prior sings high and pure. But she is often joined by up to 5 other voices (they all sing) filling a wide vocal range. Occasionally singing accapella (Gaudete being the highlight) you can appreciate the quality of their pitching. The reason I say this is because, although the level and balance was spot on, the PA sounded a bit muddy to me. To my ears the vocals would have been better placed with a sparkle of top end in the mix to give them presense above a crowded middle. Professionally relaxed and entertaining, they played a wide selection from their back catalogue including an interesting first set playing pretty much all of "Now We Are 6" from the indulgent 70's - riddles and interludes included! Throwing in a couple of Xmas songs towards the end and encoring quickly with the big hits "All Around My Hat" and Gaudete" was very professional and well appreciated by the sell out crowd including me and Mrs J. An evening made even more enjoyable by my indulgence in a pint of "Bartram's Bees Knees" brought in specially for the folkies?

The Checkmates Reformation Plan

After the Checkmates gig, Graham and I swapped thopughts on doing some more gigs in 2012. We were delighted when Raye bought into the idea as well. Of course anyone who knows me knows I have to have a master plan, so here it is:

CHECKMATEERS DEVELOPMENT CAMPAIGN 2012 +

1) BACKGROUND
Following a discussion Adrian and Graham had about the possibility of doing occasional gigs together with or without Raye, this document has been drafted to set out a development campaign outlining aspirations / issues to secure buy in by the parties.
2) STRENGTHS
Adrian and Graham have many years experience playing in and operating bands leading to ‘know how’ in:
· Playing and singing
· Vocal harmonies
· Repertoire selection sensitivity to audiences
· Showmanship and bantering
· Music Tech
· Sound quality
3) MISSION
To efficiently put together a musically versatile and entertaining small combo capable of successfully playing a wide range of club, dance and function gigs.

This ‘band’ will gig occasionally as:
a) “The Checkmates” with Raye as now
b) A version of the “Checkmates” without Raye if he is not available
c) A Rock’n’ Roll group – specialising in pre 1962 repertoire e.g. “The Rockmates”. Graham can use double bass and Mog a semi-acoustic?
d) A versatile group with a quality repertoire mix from the 50s-60s-70s eras + function and some contemporary e.g. “The Beatmates”
Raye needs to “Buy In” to this concept if we are serious about using the “****Mates” name!

We are in it primarily for enjoyment so let’s cultivate a democratic band culture around a good atmosphere of mutual respect and tolerance.
4) MARKET
Social clubs, dances, functions. The band is aiming for a few (say up to 9 ) gigs per annum. Gigs to be sourced from existing contacts e.g. direct with clubs and promoters or people who know the band members; or via agents. The band doesn’t mind travelling for gigs. Band fees are not too important but we should aim to at least cover costs with concessions for good causes.
5) REPERTOIRE
a) Specialising in 50s-60s-70s eras. The existing Checkmates repertoire can be built on with classic songs from those eras: e.g. Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Searchers, Hollies, Animals, Eagles, Queen etc. Band members should put forward some of their favourites for inclusion in the repertoire and feel free to veto a few artistes / songs they particularly don’t like.
b) We want to develop an additional repertoire of about 20 Dinner Dance and Country Function songs I.e. low key guitar instrumental features and do some vocal waltzs, foxtrots, samba etc
c) We are up for bringing in some contemporary hits e.g. Take That, Comic Relief!
6) PERFORMANCE:
a) We want to be slick in performing.
b) Strict Set Lists vs Freeform: Propose we combine the best of both worlds by having some fixed sequences of several numbers coupled to a freeform approach to reading the audience and exercising the repertoire.
c) The vision is to gig using a double Bose L1 PA; but we have loads of music equipment between us so gigging even large venues will not be a problem.
7) KEY ISSUES
a) Default is existing 3 piece format – but we can increase band size if there is a good case!
b) If Raye is not available, we want an experienced, versatile drummer (ideally with some vocals) to dep for occasional gigs. Graham contacts? Can Raye recommend someone?
c) Getting gigs. Propose we source several in Sussex at known venues (e.g.Hassocks Social) to exercise the concept before taking it further afield – Graham’s existing contacts?
d) Timing: other than taking selected Checkmates opportunities that may crop up, it is proposed we make the new band a project to commence from Spring 2012
8) OTHER ISSUES TO ADDRESSED AS WE TAKE IT FORWARD:
a) Stage Wear: Black trousers, shirt / waistcoat policy?
b) Props: Wigs and Other Dressing Up Stuff?
c) Web Site, Photo’s and Marketing Collateral.
d) Demo CD DVD: We have the gear to record the band at home or in a hall
e) Agents and Gigs: Each member of the band to look after their contacts for gigs and agents.
f) Practice and Rehearsals: Efficient Approach: The aim is to achieve a clear understanding of a song before the band meets for rehearsal. Song arrangements to be set out in writing and communicated along with sound tracks for home practice first. Then aim for a handful of constructive whole band rehearsal sessions based on individuals having done their homework.

Checkmates Re-Union King Edward Hall Lindfield

After several months off the road it was time to do the Checkmates re-union gig. Although I had done quite a bit of practice to backing tracks, I didn’t feel that match fit guitar or vocal wise. Nevertheless I ramped up the practice in the week before and was reasonably confident by the weekend. Jacqui and I spent the Friday afternoon with Dan and Michele dining at the Park Hotel Wymondham and I was all fired up for the gig on the Saturday? That was until I remembered it was a 40th Wedding Anniversary actually on the Sunday this year! Never mind – on Saturday I took the time to set all the gear up in the conservatory and make sure it was working. Next day we set off after lunch and had a good trip down arriving in Lindfield about 4:30pm. Jacqui and I stretched our legs nostalgically on Lindfield common for 20 mins or so then I parked up at the hall. The anniversary celebration was in full swing but Bryan and Carol welcomed me in and offered food. Raye was next to arrive and by then we had the curtains closed so we could set up on the stage without distracting the guests dining in the hall. We had about half the gear in when Graham arrived boasting a hernia – so I had to help him in with his bass amp which (mercifully) was just his Trace Elliott 2 x 10 combo. Set up went pretty well and I had the Mesa Lonestar as guitar amp and Bose L1 as PA all ready to go by about 6:30 pm. It was a smaller scale event than previous years with about 60 guests so we were aiming for a smaller sound. I had taken advantage of the test set up the previous day to set the T5 mic equalisers fairly flat (apart from some bass boost). Raye’s mic was quickly diagnosed as faulty with hardly any output so I set him up with my spare SM58 Beta. I also set up a SM58 for speeches! I left the Bose master about “5 to midnight” i.e. 45% of full power meaning that we were going to be relatively quiet compared to previous years. Once I got some volume on I went round the three mics and checked them all personally. No tweaking, other than volume, was needed. We ran through a couple of numbers behind the curtain - you couldn’t tell how it would sound in the hall but it reinforced the need to be on the quiet side to be safe. My MP3 player needed a bit of attention to get it to play the background music play list but I persevered and then we took a break for an hour of beer drinking and buffet indulgence before our 8pm debut. Jacqui had gone off to see one of her friends in the village but she was back by 7:30 pm. Raye’s missus Val had also arrived and Janice (Graham’s other half) came in about 7:45pm. The band gathered in the dressing room to don the green shirts and discuss the addition of the Anniversary Waltz as second number in the show; and the introduction of Summertime Blues and Walk Don’t Run into the repertoire. I didn’t have the music for Anniversary Waltz, but Graham did! So I copied the chords out in my spidery handwriting thinking that would do! It was soon show time and we gathered behind the curtains for Bryan’s introduction. As he finished we opened up with “Eyes” to a good reception from the 50 or so in at the start. This went reasonably OK. Interestingly, because Raye was using a decent mic, you could hear him quite strongly for a change. Only snag was he joined in on my harmony line rather than holding the lead line on the doo wappy doos. My harmoniser covered it up to an extent, but it meant that the 3rd above harmony was a little too pronounced in the mix. Also the echo was a bit strong? I quickly realised this was because we were running the T5 mixer relatively low, but the echo unit outputs into the analogue input straight into the Bose L1 which had been left at last New Years Eve volume! I made a few adjustments while trying to announce “Anniversary Waltz” and we set off into that with Bryan and Carol dutifully taking to the floor. Needless to say I couldn’t read my handwritten chords and had to busk it! The echo was still too heavy but I couldn’t get away from the mic to pull it down. Anyway, with the focus on Bryan and Carol, it all went down OK and I took the opportunity to fix the PA proper as Graham announced “Stand By Me”. This was going well until, as we approached the guitar solo, I realised this song wasn’t on my rehearsal list and I couldn’t remember the starting note for the solo. Never mind I thought; head for G and it will fall into place from there. So I went for the G at the right time and although it was in tune I could tell in the first few milliseconds it didn’t feel right? So I slid up until my fingers found the D it should have been. From then on the fingers remembered it well. Next up was “Heartbeat”. I had re-learned this during my time off to make the middle 8 link chords more like the record, but I hadn’t remembered to tell the others and I could see the guys were gonna do the old “doo wap” version. Well we hit both versions and it kind of seemed to work out OK – phew! As we picked and mixed our way through a selection of vintage material, it gradually gelled better and by the middle of the first set we were singing and playing well with a good balance. I did a great Shadows Walk inviting Bryan and Carol to join in on toy guitars with "Apache" and we played “Summertime Blues” as though it had always been in the repertoire. We brought the set to a close with “I Believe” which we bantered as being ‘Ibuleve the pain relief gel us old Checkmateers were advertising at the moment!’ Unfortunately Graham forgot the arrangement and in the confusion we ended up shortening it by a verse so it wasn’t quite the big finish we aimed for. Still the crowd was happy and we went off to a great round of applause. After a break for more food and speeches we came back on for set 2 in our blue shirts. We opened with “Lady is a Tramp” featuring Raye. I switched the key to A to suit but then promptly made the mistake of looking at the guitar finger board and losing my way a bit. I don’t think anyone noticed though and I nailed the solo! We played the end pretty much as Raye had asked for so he was a happy drummer. We then played through the Checkmates greatest hits (other than Eyes!). These I had rehearsed; and things went really well through “Slow boat” and “I Wonder whose Kissing Her Now”. “Red Sails” opened up well and, although I knew the solo inside out, I expected Graham to do it a verse later – so I muffed that. (Jacqui said she didn’t notice when I asked her later so maybe not too bad). The rest went well and we played a fine “Walk Don’t Run” considering we hadn’t done it before together! “Move It and All Shook Up” went well filling the dance floor. We just finished “Halfway to Paradise” when Raye caught my attention saying ‘time for “Drums”’ So, suitably announced by Graham and myself, off we went into that – it’s always amusingly different and this was no exception. Graham and I got in a muddle on the synchronised tom tom rhythms out on the floor, but we laughed it off! Then Raye had a bit of trouble getting on his back to play the bass guitar and tom tom. Graham and I finally got back on stage to play out the piece in good order and, even though it took Raye 3 attempts to catch his bounced stick, we earned a huge roar of appreciation as we finished. Time had marched on so Bryan suggested we cut our final set down if we wanted to. So we did about 30 minutes of mainly rock’n’roll starting with “Saw Her Standing There" (with Graham and myself wearing Beatle wigs) followed by a tight "Great Balls of Fire”. Next up was “Bye Bye Love” I was quite pleased with this because I worked some extra guitar riffs in the verses without distracting myself from the vocal too much. We did “Route 66” as a request for Val and followed with “Shakin All Over”. Then we slowed things down for “American Trilogy”. Graham couldn’t remember the start and we got a bit confused in the ensemble verse, but after that all went well. I even managed to switch to the flute sound for the solo successfully! We got a lot of shouts for ‘more’ as we finished so we encored with “Lucky old Sun – Early In The Morning” Raye went out front to play snare and cymbal for both numbers and we sped up nicely to a climactic finish – earning a great roar of appreciation. Raye shook hands with ‘his accompanying musicians Adrian and Graham’ and Bryan made his goodbye speech; then we were off to get changed. I was a bit achy after toting the Godin for about 2 and half hours, but it hadn’t been so bad that I’d had to pick up my reserve lightweight PRS Hollowbody. No time to relax as we set to packing up before we ran low on energy. Eventually we had the gear in the cars and said our goodbyes. Raye looked a bit shell shocked as he got off home but Graham and I were still buzzing and exchanged some thoughts about doing it again occasionally. Then it was in the car for the long run home. Actually that went very well. I stopped at the services for a toilet break but, that included, we did Lindfield to Bury St Edmunds in about 2 and half hours. Pretty tired and achy on the Monday as I got to work about 11 am. Finally, as I set about this blog I realised we hadn’t taken any photo’s - I had forgotten to give the camera to Jacqui!