Jacey Bedford's Journal

I spent the solstice weekend on the road with Tanglefoot. First to Beverley Festival for the Saturday where Tanglefoot (predictably) went down a storm. Sunday was the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Absolutely one of the best places to play. The oldest theatre in England still in its original form (built 1788) and full of character. One of my favourite places both as a performer and a watcher. It was a complete sell-out, as expected, with a waiting list for tickets.

The band is in great form for their farewell tour. I'm really going to miss those guys.

The fabulous Canadian band, Tanglefoot, have announced that they will be splitting up at the end of the year and so this tour in the UK will be their last transatlantic trip. I know some of their British fans have already booked tickets for their final gig in December (at the Roxy in Owen Sound, Ontario - their home gig) but for those of us who can't afford a trip to Canada so say goodbye, this is the last chance to catch them:
http://www.tanglefootmusic.com

( Dates behind cut )

Dan M left this morning to head back to Canada via Heathrow airport. t_op  and mylek leave Monday morning to head back to Ireland on the Holyhead ferry (and from there to the USA eventually). I had it all planned. Tanglefoot (all five of them) would be arriving on Tuesday. Unfortunately i got it wrong. I have the Tangledfeet flying into Manchester Airport at 5.00 a.m. MONDAY. They'll get here by about 7.00 a.m., before t_op  and Mylek are even out of bed. I hope they don't want to sleep off jet-lag immediately!

I was rather hoping we might have the opportnity to sort out the leaky roof before I had to put another person in that room. Unfortunately...

Tomorrow morning is going to be a washing mashine kind of morning as we turn around bedding and towels.

I know it wasn't Sunday (because yesterday felt like Sunday, too) but Tanglefoot departs for Canada tomorrow after a hugely successful six week tour in the UK and so today has been one of those rounding up and finishing off kind of days (for them) and a getting barbecue ready day for us, followed by a BBQ this evening with Tanglefoot and friends (12 of us altogether). They'll be back in the UK in exactly 52 weeks and 2 days. I know this because I alrteady have nore than half of the gigs booked on their next tour. I love doing bookings for a band when I have to fight off people who want to book them.

Sad to see them go, though, even if it does mean no more queues for the bathroom in the mornings.

maeve_the_red and D are visiting this weekend, so not much time for posting. We're having a lovely time talking writing... well, talking anything actually... and eating and drinking.

 We went for a walk down into the the bluebell wood this morning (the longest walk I've been on in years) and though my feet are protesting, we had a lovely time and I managed to get a few snaps (nothing fancy). My little camera is an old Fuji Finepix 50i if anyone is counting. Very low tech and portable. It's been way superseded by better cameras for a quarter of the price but I'm still very fond of it.

The wood just below Birdsedge is deeply bisected by the embryonic River Dearne before it gets to South Yorkshire and becomes all industrial.


Here's maeve_the_red and Best Beloved hanging about waiting for D and I who were dawdling behind.


The bluebells are gorgeous at this time of year


Though the wood is pretty damn fine splendid at any time of year.


Tomorrow we are heading north, possibly to see Fountains Abbey, but our ultimate destination is the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond to see Tanglefoot in concert. Whoo-hoo. We got the last tickets in the place. That's the advantage of being Tanglefoot's UK management. We've got the two company seats in the pit  which maeve_the_red and D can have and I'll be up in the gods, almost clinging to the outside of the lighting box.

So I'm sitting here waiting for five hairy jet-lagged Canadians to fall through my front door. Yes it's that time of year again. Tanglefoot is on tour from 1st May to 8th June. the beds are made up, there's an enormous pan of sausage soup (their favourite) simmering gently on the stove and the house is waiting for the patter of less than tiny feet. This year they have a new piano player, Robert Graham. This is last year's lineup:
Tanglefoot (Canada)
Back Row: Terry Young, Brian Weirmier (outgoing pianist)
Front Row: Al Parrish, Sandra Swannell, Steve Ritchie.
I predict five weeks of hilarity, good music, lots of hugs and a sudden upsurge in the sale of English sausages.