Blue to the Bone

Goodbye Blue to the Bone

2009-05-10T23:44:00.003+01:00

After 6 (happy) years together the folks in Blue to the Bone are calling it a day. Together for around the last 6 years they have had a great time playing around Britain to lovers of the blues. Although going their separate ways they will all continue playing with respective musicians in different projects. The website will be no more following their last gig at the Bell Rock Blues Festival in Arbroath on 22nd August but Shirley will be keeping the myspace site ans the name as she will be continuing to record and perform with John from Mr Spider. Please come and support us in our last 2 gigs in this current line up - Dundee Blues Bonanza on 28th June and Arbroath on 22nd August. Thanks to all our fans and supporters over the years. It's been a blast!

Bill

2009-03-04T01:41:00.001Z

Latest news

2009-02-08T00:42:00.002Z

The band currently have no future gigs planned for this year(apart from the annual appearance at the Dundee Blues Bonanza at the end of June). Bill, our fabulous harpie, is currently not available to do many gigs with us at the moment and other band members have busy lives at home up until March. We are having to keep it relatively local over the next few months. We will also be calling on the services of our guitar friend John from Mr Spider as second guitar to fill the gap that Bill will leave. In honour of Bill and his many years of playing fantastic blues harp I will shortly be publishing a Warholesque photo of him (which he hated) but we loved! Thanks Bill!

A Happy New Year

2008-12-28T20:54:00.002Z

Shirley was really fed up that she couldn't do the last 2 gigs due to a severe chest infection. However, she is now on the mend and looking forward to the first gig of the New Year at Whistlebinkies Cellar Bar in Edinburgh on 3rd January. She was also really glad that the band managed to carry on and do the Xmas gig at the Top Pub. It is always fun and she was there in spirit if not in voice!

Remnants

2008-12-21T22:06:00.002Z

Flu decimated the line up for the 2008 Top Pub BttB Xmas Party. Shirley and Dane were abed whilst Bill, Tommy, Murray and Seoras tread the boards for Hector and Cath. Fantastic night with an eclectic mixture of music. Those there had a blast.

Wishing Shirley and Dane good health and everyone a Merry Christmas.

Seoras

Latest news

2008-12-14T12:20:00.002Z

We are looking forward to our annual Christmas bash at the Top Pub, Innerleithen this Saturday. While the band has been relatively quiet our singer has been busy recording and working on original material with John from Mr Spider. They debuted some of their stuff yesterday at Dexters in Dundee and it was well received - one punter even telling our singer that she was the best vocalist he had ever heard! - Dundonians have got such good taste! It's good to get back to acoustic, laid back blues and hopefully this will be the start of regular performances by the twosome. For the purposes of the duo, John and Shirley have amalgamated the names of their two bands and are called the Blue Spider Two - not very original but what the hell, they had to come up with something quick! If you want to hear one of the songs go to myspace.com/bluetothebone and listen to Man of Means - this is an original song by John. Meantime, onwards and upwards for Blue to the Bone.

Quiet October and other news

2008-09-28T23:47:00.004+01:00

The band are not playing in October due to holiday and other commitments of band members. We have a few things lined up before Christmas, including a return to the Courthouse, Peebles and Whistlebinkies in Edinburgh. We are also getting requests to do band workshops which are also fun. Our singer also has an interesting sideline with John from Mr Spider and will be recording with him over the next few months. Our bass player has set up jam sessions at the Plough Inn at Yetholm in the Scottish Borders and these are going well. Everyone welcome! We also have more live stuff that will be going on youtube shortly. We should have been at the Callander Blues Festival next weekend but for a mix up with holiday dates where a certain person will be sunning themselves in Tunisia rather than treading the boards!

In full flow!

2008-07-20T15:15:00.002+01:00

One of the many pictures that can be viewed on DBB website soon. Pictures by Stuart, drummer with Wolftrain.

Dundee Blues Bonanza

2008-07-20T14:53:00.002+01:00

Just reporting back from the Dundee Blues Bonanza. We had a blast playing at the Bond on the Saturday evening. Also loved Robert Benn from Detroit who played on Friday and Sunday nights. John O'Leary, ex John Dummer Blues Band and Savoy Brown, was also a star attraction. We are disappointed that there continues to be criticism from one quarter about the status and popularity of the Dundee Blues Bonanza; criticism of the headlining acts and the fact that the organisers don't book "name" acts. We believe that the whole point of DBB is to keep it at street level and make it affordable for everyone. I've had plenty experience of paying loadsamoney to see a name act who has inevitably disappointed. Anyone who saw Robert Penn could not deny his ability - he was hot! Of course events like this can always learn from others and make improvements each year, but it still remains a mammoth task of organisation and co-ordination. The irony of all this is that we have had to reluctantly withdraw from playing at the R n B Festival at Colne - they are a big festival and we were getting paid far less than at Dundee! So, big doesn't always mean better. Anyway, we are still loving our music and putting out feelers to newer venues like the fantastic Red Shoes Theatre in Elgin (formerly the famous Two Red Shoes, with bands like Pink Floyd and the Beatles playing there in the sixties!) and the north of England. Thanks again to all our supporters for coming out in big numbers and loving our music. You can view some our stuff on old blog postings, on youtube and we now have a myspace site which we are developing with original material.

Latest BttB news

2008-05-04T19:31:00.003+01:00

We have had a quiet period recently, due to other profesional commitments of some band members. Things have perked up recently with a return to Whistlebinkies in June, that great cellar bar off the Royal Mile,which is always jumping on Saturday evenings. We also just got word that we have our second big festival in 18 months at Colne, Lancashire in August. We have had offers from across the sea but nothing firm yet. We are also welcoming our new bass player Dane, who is one helluva quick study! and we're looking forward to having young Tommy on guitar over the summer as well.

Happy New Year and latest news

2008-01-02T23:25:00.000Z

Happy New Year to all our friends around the globe and particularly to our faithful fans who pop up everywhere we go. Due to additional professional commitments of some band members we are booking mainly from March this year. In addition we will be rehearsing and recording in January and February. Another personnel change in the band means we are searching for that extra special bass player. We had a great pre- Christmas gig at the Top Pub in Innerleithen (we think this is our second home now!)and had Warren guesting on trumpet. He's a Royal Marines bandsman and they don't come much better than that. Hopefully he can join us on selected gigs when he can. As many of you know it is difficult keeping a band on the road these days but we aim to make this year even better as we continue to develop our individual style. We also continue to be available for band workshops. As the song goes - it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.....

BttB at The Top with Stevie

2007-10-28T15:14:00.000Z

Fab gig on Saturday 27th October in The Top Pub, Innerleithen. Great atmosphere in Hector and Cath's wonderful pub. The session was extra special because Stevie, harp wizard from the USA (Uther Side of Ashington) was in town and joined the band for several numbers. Here's a photo of Stevie in action on the night.

What are we up to now?

2007-09-20T22:36:00.000+01:00

Great news from our camp - our new bass player Bob is going down a storm. We have had a relatively quiet period with holidays etc (although we did have a mad but great rainy outdoors gig in Innerleithen during their festival in August where we were more worried about being struck by lighting than electrocution!) and we have two great gigs coming up - Whistlebinkies in Edinburgh on 21st and Callander Jazz and Blues Festival on 29th September. Where does the bloody year go to we ask ourselves? We are in the process of booking up for festivals next year, including, hopefully, the big one at Colne in Lancashire. We have also had interest from across the sea; Blues Festivals in Holland and Chicago - so keep an eye on our gig list for 2008. We've also had word from Canada, Dublin and France (not the most likely blues outpost!). We're also working on new material from funk to delta to homegrown self-penned stuff. Shirley's bought herself an electric fiddle - so watch out! A new recording will be in the offing in the New Year, mainly more acoustic blues/jazz and obscurities!

Guilty

2007-07-22T15:28:00.000+01:00

Rockin' out at Dundee Blues Bonanza

2007-07-07T12:21:00.001+01:00

Dundee Blues Weekend

2007-07-01T17:38:00.000+01:00

Just back from Dundee Blues Bonanza where we played a storming 2 sets at the Gauger on Saturday. Our faithful fans said it was the best they had ever heard us. So there is life in the old dogs yet! Also got the chance to hear and spend time with the electrogoddess from Texas, Tracy Conover. She has got to be one of the best guitarists of her style coming out of America. She's in Britain for a few more days so check her out. As usual had lots of laughs with our old friends and met many new ones. We were definitely cooking with gas yesterday and long may it continue. And to our friends at Dundee who have the mammoth task of organising this great event, thanks once a gain - we had a ball!

Recent band developments

2007-06-29T10:38:00.000+01:00

We have been so lucky to have Tommy standing in with us over the summer as we have been a band member down. He is an amazing young musician and we do appreciate his willingness to play with us old codgers! But hopefully he is learning something too. While we are keeping an eye open for an additional/stand-in band member we are playing as usual but will be concentrating on recording and rehearsals in the autumn period. We are, of course, still available for gigs of any shape or size!

Dundee Blues Bonanza

2007-06-25T17:42:00.000+01:00

Really looking forward to our fourth Blues Bonanza. One of the best free street level Blues Festivals in the world, you can expect live music over 3 days in over 30 bars and clubs. We love the Friday night at the Marquee and this year it has Lil Jimmy Reed from Alabama and Tracy Conover from Texas. We are supporting Lil Jimmy later in July at Peebles and that should be a great night. At Dundee we are playing at the Gauger in the Seagate (one of Shirley's many old haunts when she lived there!). It has great acoustics and a great atmosphere so please come along and support us.

New Coat of Paint

2007-04-28T14:38:00.000+01:00

Whistlebinkies 17th March

2007-04-24T00:50:00.001+01:00

Yet another great gig at one of Edinburgh's few blues venues on St Patrick's Day. The joint was jumpin! We have been working on stuff by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and other new material and this venue loves it all. Can't we bring back Preservation Hall too?

Back from Burnley

2007-04-24T00:41:00.000+01:00

"Back to black" is how we feel after our weekend at the Burnley Blues Festival..........we did our short set on the main stage and then onto our 90 minute set at Oliver's Bar later in the evening. It's great to be amongst musicians and friends who love the blues. We met a lot of old friends and made many new ones, particularly from the blues clubs and other venues in the north of England. Doing this kind of thing reminds why we do it - it's all about the music and nothing to do with image! We loved Earl Thomas, Michael Messer and the the drummer from Johnny Mastro and Mama's Boys was immense! As for other blues festivals in the UK all we can say is....bring it on!

BttB on Main Stage - Burnley

2007-04-11T13:08:00.000+01:00

I'm Ready Video (Hawick)

2007-03-31T17:08:00.000+01:00

Good for your age

2007-03-01T01:42:00.000Z

Christmas at Top Pub

2006-12-20T00:18:00.000Z

Blue to the Bone play their famous pre-Christmas gig at Innerleithen's great St Ronan's Hotel on 23rd December (known to locals as the Top Pub) - not just because it is the top pub in Innerleithen geographically but when this place starts jumpin' there's no stopping it! There will be guest musicians during the evening and Blue to the Bone will, more than likely, show their versatility by playing everything from Muddy Waters to Jimmy Vaughan to Richard Thomson. (And Shirley's still hoping the band can get the classic Oreole's "What are you doing New Year's Eve?" together in time.) So come on down, get your dancin' shoes on and prepare for a night of blues, boogie and soul!

Burnley Blues Festival 2007

2006-12-01T19:00:00.000Z

Glad tidings of comfort and joy...........there is a god! As mentioned in a previous blog we have been attracting interest from the big blues festivals in the UK and we have just been offered two spots at Burnley in April 2007. Keep watching for more info!

Whistlebinkies

2006-11-15T18:42:00.000Z

Our 5th appearance at this Edinburgh music hot spot. Getting to be a regular gig. Despite some technical problems with the sound in the first half, it was a very enjoyable gig with a good, and very supportive, crowd. It's always a comfort to have a sound engineer on hand and without Chris to deal with the in-house PA we might have had less fun - but he was and he did and we did.

New developments

2006-11-05T13:10:00.000Z

Blue to the Bone have sold huge amounts of their new CD "Guilty" in the last 5 months. It was produced on our own label 'bluemusiccat records'. If you want a copy (£10 only) please contact us on the website. We are also going to make some improvements to the website including new photographs (Peter Fry, local musician and photographer will be helping us out once again), developing sale of downloads and creating a new poster. We have found that the band name lends itself to the reduced BTTB which is memorable as a logo and we will be developing this for use in future merchandise and publicity. We go into the New Year after a succesful (but tiring year!) with renewed energy for working on new material and playing further afield. We have already had interest from soome of the big blues festivals in the UK. We are always grateful for feedback so please get in touch. Thanks to all those who have supported us in the last 4 years.

Gig at "Blues and Beyond" Club, Cupar

2006-11-05T13:01:00.000Z

We played our first gig at the Cupar Club on Friday 3rd November. It is now housed at Elmwood College in Cupar. First band up were "Mud in your Ear", so it was a chance for some of us to catch up with old friends - Gary Martin and Alan Jones - and to make new ones - Snakehips O'Donnell (he's got great teeth!). They played a great set, really authentic and soulful, and featured some class, harp, guitar and piano playing. We played 2 sets and the Cupar crowd were on the dance floor for most of the night! We had a great time and I think we went down well. The PA sounded great and we felt satisfied with the evening's work. Thanks to Bryan and his friends for organising such a great club and for "keeping music live". We hope to be back again soon.

Blues Workshop at Kelso

2006-11-05T12:50:00.000Z

Blue to the Bone did the second of blues worskhops at the Cobbles Inn, Kelso on Sunday 29th October. It was well attended by young musicians (and some more mature!) most of whom attend the JAM workshops that meet at Abbey Row in Kelso. The band rehearsed a new song "Chicago Bound", played some of their set tunes and invited participants to join in in a "jam" style. Band members gave advice and instruction on their instruments and vocal/mic technique. This will be one of many in the future and if we can improve the publicity it will be even more successful next time.

Blog Resurrection

2006-11-04T16:04:00.000Z

Sheesh, our Blue to the Bone blog has been sadly neglected. To begin its resurrection I've integrated the blog into our web site bluetothebone.biz. Looks like it's part of the whole now. All that's needed now is for us band folks to post some stories.

Top Pub gig

2005-05-23T22:35:00.000+01:00

Really enjoyed your Top Pub Gig. When are you coming to Peebles? - "Peebles Boy"

2004-10-30T10:26:00.000+01:00

Bill blows that harp!

Whistle Binkies

2004-10-30T10:07:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday 26th we did a 45 minute set. Really nice atmosphere in the pub on their "new bands" night. The set went really well. Really nice to have someone doing sound for us.

The first post.

2004-10-30T10:00:00.000+01:00

Wow, blogger.com really make it easy to set these blogs up.

Blue to the Bone are a 5 piece blues band. Welcome to our blog.

Seoras