I realised tonight why i enjoy playing so much...

[timbloke]

I thought i'd share this one with you... just because it really cheered me up...

First i didn't leave work until nearly 7 tonight, because i couldn't get the work i was doing finished. still didn't finish it but thought "bugger this I'm off" but was in a rate bad mood... fed up i was...

on the way home i decided to stop in Sainsbury's to pick up some food, and whilst standing at the checkout i heard a band strike up with once in royal, followed by away in a manger. This really cheered me up, having been in tesco's last night doing it all myself..

then got home, and decided to go and join the other half of Stannington Band, who were playing at a pub not far from me...

This was the most amazing experience to someone new to Stannington, and i'd urge you all to come along next year to experience it...

One pub, full of people aged between 18(ish) and 80(ish)....
One band of about 10....
Loads of traditional carols and the local carols... something i'd not even heard of until this season... but everyone in the pub knew every word, even the unwritten little choruses, the harmonisations.. the lot...

after a couple of hours of playing, they wanted more, and kept singin, even as i left feeling hungry and tired, they kept singing... it was the closest as a bandsman i think i'll ever get to being a footballer, it was almost like chanting on the terraces, and has more than put me in the christmas mood...

thanks to everyone in Stannington for making my year i look forward to succesful years ahead with them

 

[sparkling_quavers]

well what did i say about brass-banding! glad u have found a band you are really happy with Tim...

 

[cornetchap]

Hi Tim,

I used to do this a lot when I played with Loxley Methodist Silver Band, just down the hill from your lot. The band splits into 2 two to three weeks before Christmas and each half is out at least every other night at some pub or club.

As you say there's no better way to enjoy carols in my opinion, plus all the local tune variations, not least the 15 tunes to While Shepherds Watched.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[leisa]

aww....christmas would be boring without bands i think i love when u go shoppin and theres buskers brass group in the centre or when i go to the trafford centre and the SA band are playing carols i know its christmas then

 

[Big Twigge]

We were saying the other day how christmassy it makes you feel hearing a band playing carols.

When shopping in Chester there was a quartet playing christmas carols (well done Aidan....V good!) it made me feel very festive (quite like the holly on themouthpiece.com!) that and hearing "Fairy Tale in New York" drinking mulled wine (thanks Craig) are the most christmassy things....tis great, Merry christmas!

 

[Roger Thorne]

. . . i know its christmas then

or when the Supermarkets start selling Sprouts in vast quantities!

:wink:

 

[bigmamabadger]

or when the Supermarkets start selling Sprouts in vast quantities!

:wink:

Sainsburys are doing 50% extra free! :shock:

We went off round Knutsford last week, just aksing various eateries if they'd like us to play a few carols, and it was great. Most places said yes and one of those that said no came outside with a £10 for the collecting box anyway. Knutsford can be a bit posh so I wasn't expecting much but we made a couple of hundred quid (+one 20 euro note) and everybody in the restaurants seemed to love us.
Christmas was always the time I felt most nostalgic about banding and I'm so pleased to be doing it again this year.
Off out round the pubs again tonight, intend to drink mulled wine and blag a few mince pies...
hangover city.
BMB
xx

 

[Highams]

Every year we get a scratch band together as St.Mary's Brass and play in Wexham Park Hospital Xmas service.

This year the canteen was packed and the porters wheeled in beds, wheelchairs, the lot!

Great atmosphere, though Ozzy Osbourne did not show!

www.euph9.reeserve.co.uk

 

[leisa]

im going busking today!!!

 

[lynchie]

i started to feel festive a couple of weeks ago playing carols on a miniature railway with santa claus driving... it was excellent!

 

[Vickitorious]

Me, my bro and a couple of friends (and don't forget mum) have spent a few evenings carolling in pubs over the last week or so. The atmosphere in some of them is great. We have people making special requests and they sing and clap when we're playing and clap and cheer at the end of each carol. Sometimes people get up and knick the bells and tambourine off my bro and dance and play and join in. Its great fun . We have had (like other years) a couple of requests for happy birthday, but the best one so far has been "can you play here comes the bride for that couple over there, they've just got engaged." So between us, we dished up here comes the bride and a quick verse of congratulations as well! It's excellent!

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

Wow!

I always knew you Poms celebrated Christmas with an overabundance of joy (I mean, you steal all our Soapie stars for your pantomimes!), but...WOW I am speechless!! I have never been so actively involed in a Christmas. I've carolled. I've busked. I done Christmas concerts, but none of them have the feel that you guys are suggesting!!!

I don't even think I've been in such a group. I mean, jyes we enjoy playing. We love to entertain, but I can only recall one time when we were so interactive with our audience.

I am soooooo jealous guys!!

 

[michellegarbutt]

try standing in Santas grotto all day.No heating at all, snow on the ground, A queue full of kids screaming cos they're bored. Mums complaining about the wait to see santa (can't he get through them a bit quicker?) them complaining that there kids haven't had enough time in with Santa then to top it all the most out of tune band I've heard standing outside our door and torturing me for 4 hours. Who'd be an elf?

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

I can top that.

The local mall had it's roof cave in in a recent hail storm. Conveniently, Santaa's Place was directly under all the broken skylights.

Santa has more smoke breaks than work time this year I think. I never saw the Fat Man.

The 1 hr photography lab in Big W said it'd take 4 days to develop my photos because they were doing all the Santa Photos.

Air con's busted. 37 degrees, some danged high humidity level. Except for those who choose to travel 30 hours south, most of us here have never seen real snow, nor ever had a need to stand freezing in it. Instead we roast our little tushies off, or get insanely jealous because some pert little teenager has the perfect rack/rump/abs that we've always dreamed of at the beach, pool, or dam.

Christmas in Australia, folks....experience it now!

 

[super_sop]

Christmas in Australia, folks....experience it now!

how many of us can you put up at a time or do we have do come over in shifts

 

[Maestro]

Christmas in Australia, folks....experience it now!

Call me old fashioned if you will, but I don't think you can beat standing on a street corner in sub-zero temperatures playing carols!.......
Plus the fact that I wouldn't be able to watch the Canaries sitting proudly at the top of the division either!

 

[super_sop]

Christmas in Australia, folks....experience it now!

Plus the fact that I wouldn't be able to watch the Canaries sitting proudly at the top of the division either!

or geting beaten by the mighty everton this avo!

 

[LipService]

Now now boys!

I'm just chuckling at the fact the Chelsea may lose to Watford!

But back to the thread.. I personally would have been more than happy to have experienced Christmas 'Oz Style' this year, in as much that Maestro and I spent Boxing Day at Gatwick Airport seeing off our children and there grandparents as they flew off to spend a month down under.

However, here I am, freezing cold, skint, fed up and missing the children, on top of which I have to listen to the somewhat premature gloatings of a canaries fan....

Oh woe is me :cry:

 

[akwarose]

our band carol round the streets of our local area every year at christmas. if anyone ever doubted how much the people of new bradwell think of their band should have come out with us on christmas eve.It was seriously more like an outdoor street concert, there were so many people coming out to listen to us in every street. the atmosphere is fantastic.
we also play at 6am christmas morning round bradwell. its such a great experience. is any other band crazy enough to do the same?