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NEWSLETTER 28 (2 July 2019)

Hi XXXX! Surprise!!!

Here it is: the first FiddleBop newsletter since September 2017. Yaaaay!!!

Lots has happened in the almost-two-years since the last FiddleBop newsletter. Both bad and good. So first: let's catch up with the news.

Back to September 2017 then... Jo and Dave had just moved from rural Oxfordshire to a remote barn in glorious green hills near the Brecon Beacons. We were busy rearranging furniture, mowing the grass, and acquiring some rudimentary DIY skills. (And trying to acquire some rudimentary Welsh. We're still trying.)

FiddleBop (comprising Joanna Davies, Dave Favis-Mortlock, Roger Davis and Martin Crowder) was as busy as ever. With gigs here and there (but not everywhere), and Jo and Dave commuting to gigs from Wales.

But then, like lightning from a clear sky, like the proverbial "bolt from the blue"... the bad news.

Not long after the newsletter, FiddleBop suffered from a parting of the ways. The final gig for the first version of FiddleBop was at the Walnut Tree Inn, Blisworth, on 3 December 2017.

But wait! Here's the good news! (Tho' I wouldn't be surprised if you've guessed it already, given the Sherlock Holmes-like calibre of our readers.)

As the saying goes, “The king is dead, long live the king”. Yes folks, we have a new FiddleBop. From the ashes of the old FiddleBop, a new band, phoenix-like, has arisen!

Version 2 of FiddleBop is now ready and gigging.

So who comprises this nouvelle FiddleBop?

Joanna Davies of course, on rhythm guitar and vocals; along with Dave Favis-Mortlock, on violin, viola, flute and vocals.

And two newbies.

• Paul Stevens, on keyboard and vocals
  
  “Even without a pointed hat, it's easy to see that Paul is a wizard! Keyboard wiz Paul Stevens joined FiddleBop in mid 2018. And his playing is magic!
  
  Well-travelled Paul has played keyboards in lots of bands, in many countries and even on the high seas (the "Moonlight Sonata" on the Southampton to Brittany ferry, to be precise). He is equally at home playing jazz, blues, ska, rock and pop. And the man sings too, both solo and in harmony.
  
  When not tickling those ivories, Brecon-based Paul can be found relaxing in his urban garden (we loved the beans, thank you Paul), or singing in his community choir. He is also an accomplished potter.”

• Graeme Lamble, on fretless bass guitar and vocals
  
  “Graeme is the newest member of FiddleBop, having joined us in late 2018. And it's a joy to hear his honey-smooth bass lines underpinning our music!
  
  Here we have a man who can turn his hand to many things. Graeme is a guitarist and a drummer as well as a bassist, and he sings too! He plays in several other bands, including the acclaimed Much Ado Band folk dance band.
  
  Mid Wales-based Graeme is also a luthier ("Lamble Guitars"), and made the guitars and the bass which he plays. And he is also a picture-framer, a roofer, a carpenter, and a builder.
  
  The list goes on... Where does he find the time to do all this?”

Welcome to FiddleBop, Paul and Graeme!

So what does the new FiddleBop sound like? Well, compared with FiddleBop (first version) we’re a little wider, a little broader. And I’m not talking about my waistline here, folks.

Yup, the new Fiddlebop has expanded a bit, in terms of both repertoire and mood.

FiddleBop’s Gypsy jazz roots mean that we can still, most definitely, be hot unto cooking. We'll get those feet stomping and get that heart thumping (in a good way, of course) for the traditional Gypsy tune "Dark Eyes", when we're searing though Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night In Tunisia", and for our funky version of oldie-but-goodie "Sweet Georgia Brown". Yaaay! But FiddleBop-neu also has a sweet and chilled side: such as our delicate instrumental explorations of John Coltrane's exquisite "Naima", or our tender and nostalgic close-harmony vocals of Sir Paul McCartney’s "Here, There, and Everywhere".

Curious? Then — until we get some recording done — the best thing to assuage that curiousity is come to one of our forthcoming FiddleBop gigs.

Almost finally: we're all excited about FiddleBop v2! But, of course, it's a mistake to go forward without acknowledging where you've come from. (If you think that sounds like some deep and ancient wisdom, you're wrong. I just made it up.)

So Jo and I would like, most sincerely, to thank Roger Davis and Martin Crowder for all that we've learned from them over the years. (However, we're still trying to forget some of Martin's jokes.) And we'd like to thank them, too, for all the fun and laughs which we shared, at uncountably many FiddleBop gigs (now why does that remind me of the Rollright Stones?)

Ta v much, and the very best of luck, Roger and Martin!

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Thank you!

OK, that's the lot for now. Next newsletter in a couple of months! Until then:

Welwn ni chi cyn bo hir, mewn gig FiddleBop, XXXX?

(In English: See you soon, at a FiddleBop gig, XXXX?)

All the best!

Dave

Future FiddleBop gigs!

This list of gigs is correct at the time of writing, but the list on our website is always up to date.

The gig!	When is it?	Venue, occasion, whatever...	Where is it?
Free entry	5 pm, Saturday 10 August 2019	Brecon Fringe Festival	Pilgrim's Tearooms at Brecon Cathedral Cathedral Close Brecon Powys LD3 9DP 01874 610610
Benefit gig for Hay Cat Rescue Free entry, donation requested	8 pm, Saturday 17 August 2019	The Globe At Hay	The Institute of Art and Ideas Newport Street Hay-on-Wye Hereford HR3 5BG 01497 821762 @globeathay TheGlobeAtHay @IAI_TV TheInstituteOfArtAndIdeas

For the latest and greatest, most up-to-the-second info on FiddleBop's small doings (do you really want to know?), see our Facebook page. All the best!

The FiddleBoppers (Jo, Dave, Paul, and Graeme)

Website: https://fiddlebop.org
Email: info@fiddlebop.org
Twitter: @fiddlebop

info@fiddlebop.org  01982 560726  07968 950870 
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