NEWS
February 6th 2012:
A full scale rehearsal has been booked for Feb 12th to run over the potential song list for this year.
Keys player Shane Gould has been in his woodshed learning up parts to some 40 songs and is now ready to share his skills with the rest of the band! Hopefully some warm up gigs will be arranged before the band flies out to Louisville in May and Washington in September. So far, they look like the only British band to be making the trip to the Capital so far.
Doubts about drummer Lee's availability for Washington may mean a dep is brought in but time will tell.
January 13th 2012:
Exciting plans are underway to mark Wingsbanned's return to the famous Liverpool Beatles Week in August.
To celebrate Paul McCartney's 70th birthday a concert will be held on Friday 24th August 2012 which will feature Wingsbanned plus support and one or two guests yet to be announced.
Johnny Heywood said, "It's very exciting to be going back to Liverpool and we plan to make this night one of the best. I can't wait!"
Winsgbanned last played this Festival in 2008 and as a result of this were invited to play the Abbey Road Festival in Louisville, USA. It is hoped that the band will play a few gigs whilst in Liverpool. To be announced!
January 4th 2012:
A Happy New Year from Wingsbanned!
After a period of inactivity, the mighty Wingsbanned Machine starts to roll as The Abbey Road Festival looms on the May horizon. This will be the bands 4th year and the stakes are higher than ever with more great bands once again and headliners Jefferson Starship playing on the Saturday night.
Sadly, keys/sax player Amy Gibb has had to withdraw due to work commitments. This is very sad news as Amy was a great hit last year and such a great addition to both the musical and social side of the band.
Her place will be taken by multi talented Shane Gould who has started rehearsing already and plans to learn the entire Wingsbanned catalogue by Valentine's Day. Shane will not be wearing any of Amy's dresses sadly but will find his own identity and add a more "Wix" appeal to the band.
This year Wingsbanned will play the Macca albums, Band On The Run and Venus & Mars at special concerts in Louisville.
August 26th 2011:
The Nash Arms was rocking last weekend when Wingsbanned pulled into town. Or at least 4/5ths did. However, keyboard, vocalist, sax player, chanteuse Amy J. Gibb texted the band to say she was stuck in a stationary train somewhere between Chesham and London. It seems that some kids (God bless 'em) had been seen playing on the railway embankment and that was enough for a 40 minute delay before power could been restored. This left the band with a very late starting time looming and in the end they started one number without her only to have the door flung open and Amy appeared with big band pals Richard & Tony who had also been on the same train.
Minutes later the set proper started and it was a cracker. Some of the best of McCartney alongside some of the album tracks that Wingsbanned likes playing earned them 2 encores and hopefully converted a few fans along the way.
The vocals were strong as always and Martin Fleming's lead guitar soared above it all. Lee Herbert on the drums powered the band along and locked in with Johnny's Rickenbacker Bass guitar. Brother Ian moved from guitar to the bass when Johnny was on the piano and took the lead vocal on Medicine Jar.
Amy's keys and sax was the icing on the cake and all felt that the band played as well as they did some 3 months before in the States. It would be a crime if the band didn't play more often so steps are under way to get this going.
August 25th 2011:
The band played that rarest of things - A British Gig last weekend at the Nash Arms. Initially it was a warm up for the 2nd USA jaunt of the year but problems with the Festival led to the sad decision not to make it this time. Still, the gig was so good that more will follow! A review will follow soon and there are a couple of snaps on the gallery.
July 8th 2011:
Johnny, Martin and Lee have been in the recording studio again and have a few songs available on The Large Portion website. This is really Wingsbanned under a non-Beatles related name. Here is the demo, warts and all. www.largeportion.webs.comJune 17th 2011:
Our good friend Rick Armentrout has taken some fantastic pictures from Louisville and you can check them out here. Meanwhile, the band has confirmed that they will be playing in Washington DC, Sep 1 till Sep 5th at the Abbey Road On The River Festival, Gaylord Hotel. This is the second year that the festival has run in DC and promises to be a cracker. Check the site here.
A rare British gig will take place on August 19th at the Nash Arms, Chesham as a warm up for DC.
June 14th 2011:
Some new pix from the States have come in courtesy of Beatles Tribute Fanz. Check out the gallery Here
June 8th 2011:
A very nice man named John shot some footage from the Band On The Run set on Saturday night in Louisville. Watch it here:
June 6th 2011:
Prior to flying out to the annual Abbey Road On The River Festival, there had been a severe flooding problem in the Kentucky area which spread to other states too. That was the first worry that nature was trying to stop the band. However, it dried out well enough as time went on.
Next, a volcano in Iceland erupted, spewing out it's dust into the stratosphere and threatening flights from Europe (for the second year running). This was only a girlie attempt by unseen forces and didn't bother the Wingsbanned pop group in the South East of England though a couple of the Scottish bands making the trip had a few days of worry!
Finally, upon landing in Louisville, Kentucky on the Wednesday evening, tornado warnings were issued and flights after the bands were delayed. Indeed, the weather threatened the whole festival for a couple of days before turning out "right nice".
It seems God is a Beatles fan after all.
A video has appeared from the bands second gig on the Fountain stage - Smoke On The Water from the "British Invasion" set.
June 1st 2011:
The band have just returned from the Abbey Road On The River Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. A fabulous week was had by all and some pix have appeared already. Check out the Gallery.
April 26th 2011:
Johnny, Lee & former Wingsbanned guitarist, Gary Davis performed as The Self-Righteous Bros in Uxbridge earlier this month. The venue was the General Elliot and though it appears the band are playing in someone's living room, it was a pretty rocking gig. Photos are by Paul Dubbelman. Gallery
April 6th 2011:
Listen in to Liz Dugan's radio show, ONE AFTER 909 on Monday night at 9.10pm on Bellarmine Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. This coming Monday, the 11th, she is doing a feature on the Abbey Road Festival coming up in May.
It's available on the internet. Check it out - www.bellarmineradio.com
March 25th 2011:
Rehearsals are being stepped up to get a full range of four different sets of material for 2011. This means that poor Amy has had to learn about 30 songs from scratch on various instruments but that will teach her to be young, as the others observed. If she'd been 20 years older then a lot of these songs would be part of her and she would know them already. So there!
New photos have been placed on the gallery here.
See Abbey Road On The River's web site for the USA dates in May. here
February 10th 2011:
Some changes have taken place in the Wingsbanned Camp this month. No, no, not chord changes. Personnel changes. Again.
Martin Fleming, drafted in last year on keyboards is promoted to lead guitar. This ensures accuracy of the closest degree to the original guitar parts laid down by various Macca sidemen over the years not to mention the proper chords to Beatles songs up till now the subject of much in-band speculation.
In on keyboards and wind instruments is the very fabulously talented Amy Gibb. Displaying a far greater musical skill to anyone else in the band, Amy brought her mighty Korg keyboard, clarinet and Melodica to a rehearsal and not only fit right in but really filled the sound out with proper orchestral parts which the band had missed last year. Welcome, Amy here!
Click on Pic to meet Amy. Rehearsals now
start in earnest for some warm up gigs
in April followed by the Louisville Festival in May and now plans are going
ahead to bring the band out again to the States in September for the Washington
Abbey Road On The River Festival.
January 7th 2011:
As the new year begins and the band are turning their attention to the May Abbey Road Festival in Louisville, another video has surfaced from 2009 - Band On the Run from the Fountain Stage. Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alTW4hbCESU
This year the band is planning to play a variety of different sets. As well as the usual "Best of Macca", there will be a "Wings Over America 1976" set plus the whole Band On The Run album and a set of acoustic songs. The problem with the latter is access to acoustic guitars as the boys are loathe to carry 2 guitars each plus suitcases onto aeroplanes. Last year saw them partake in hand to hand combat with stewards to keep the precious guitars out of the luggage holds!
October 4th 2010:
More from the Abbey Road Festival in May.
Saturday May 29th was another beautiful morning and the band decided to hit Walmart's for a little shopping. As this wasn't very rock & roll, Johnny stayed back at the Festival Site and had a burger for breakfast - infinitely more R & R, and checked out some early starter bands. Whilst innocently minding his own business, he was accosted along with pals, Drew and Mandie (from Stan & Mandie Duo) to be expert judges in the Karaoke Contest a la X Factor or any one of the other "talent" contests.
Big fun, too and Drew was so confident and natural that it was reckoned he should have had his own chat show. All the contestants were pretty good and included last years winner who was favourite to repeat her success. Johnny foolishly sat in the sun and ended the afternoon with a face like a tomato.
Joining up with the returning shoppers, the Wingsie boys hit the dinner table and ate enough for a starving third world country. Burping their way back to the Archibald Room, they prepared a "best of" set which was well received. This was better than the previous two gigs and all seemed to be coming together. Ian Herbert was determined not to lose his voice this year after a bit too much rock & roll excess and he was true to his word, singing like a bird. If last year he had been a little under prepared, this time out he was a true rock god!
After gig festivities included hearing Whiplash, a teenage band blasting out excellent versions of classic rock with true balls and swagger - excellent! By the early hours, Wingsbanned could be found once again in the bar with band pals, Janna & Rick. Even Johnny, notoriously shy of late night drinking was joining in.
More to follow.
July 30th 2010:
Here is Let Me Roll It again from the Lawn Stage but from Rick's angle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCIVWWNtggA
July 27th 2010:
Two more vids from the Lawn Stage courtesy of our good friend Rick -
July 26th 2010:
Another couple of videos have appeared on You Tube.
Good version of Letting Go from the Lawn Stage on the Friday complete with Gary's popular comedy brass lines - Letting Go
My Love from the same gig with introduction of martin as "Linda". - My Love
July 23rd 2010:
More from the Abbey Road Festival in May.
The Friday morning was beautiful and sunny and the band breakfasted at Craving's, a marvellous place which they'd found the year before. A quick walk to the town centre then found the band stocking up with unhealthy quantities of alcohol and they were joined by Rick & Janna who proceeded to buy the entire stock of the shop. On the return walk, they got requests from passers by as to how they could join the party, so loaded down were they by booze.
However, that had to wait because at 4-45, Wingsbanned were back on the Lawn stage. This time, the piano had been sorted though there was no sustain pedal so Johnny could have another moan. The audience was busier - overall attendance must be up and the ssound was good. A punter called for Magnetto & Titanium man and though it wasn't on the set list, the band launched in to it. Very good it was too! Rick videod Band On The Run and it can be seen here.
Heat seemed to be taking it's toll. Lee confessed he'd not been at his best and Gary was suffering too. However, a shower and vast quantities of food saw the boys all right and they whiled the evening away watching bands. Hal Bruce performed a medley of every Beatles song from every album! Staggering!
July 6th 2010:
A few more videos have appeared from the Abbey Road Festival.
LONG TALL SALLY - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2headMPsDyc
LET IT BE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ_04XucToo
BAND ON THE RUN - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvA8gQka7w
June 21st 2010:
Time for a review of the Abbey Road On The River Festival 2010.
On Wednesday 26th May, the band met at Heathrow Airport to fly to Louisville via Newlands. That flight took around 8 hours and was very pleasant and effortless. Sadly, upon arrival at Newlands, all bags had to be retrieved and re-checked in to fly the remaining leg to Louisville. The problem was that the flight wasn't due for another 9 hours! Let me tell you, there isn't 9 hours of entertainment in any airport and between the hours of 9pm - 6am, there aren't even any chairs without arms in Newlands so that you can lie out and snooze. By 1am the band was so tired that Ian was flat out on the floor of the airport and the others were trying to sleep upright - this really doesn't work.
Still, we eventually landed on time and after checking in at The Galt House and making a quick "hello" to the organisers the boys grabbed a couple of hours sleep. Except for Ian who felt it would be better if he waited till after the gig. Total travel time was 25 hours so to add another 6-7 hours without sleep seemed a trifle beyond the brave.
The first gig was on The Mighty Lawn Stage at 8-45 and was most memorable for the worst piano sound in recorded history. The keyboard itself had been re-programmed by another band and no-one knew how to change it! It was like a rinky-tinky child's toy piano but even that had more depth & warmth than this piece of crap. What can you do? Soldier on, son and that's what the boys did. The set was mainly the Wings Over America set and was okay but probably the poorest of all the shows.
The audience was great and it definitely was busier than last year. There were fewer bands this time but the quality was high. Johnny, Lee, Ian and Martin had honed the vocal harmonies so that they felt they would stand out this year but in actual fact, all the bands had great 3 part vocals. What was noticeable was that many bands chose non-Beatle material from the first day and that was unlike previous years when groups would tend to play other songs on the last day.
By midnight USA time the boys had crashed and were sound asleep. To be continued.....
June 10th 2010:
Another video has popped up on You Tube courtesy of Beatle Tribute Fanz1. From Friday 28th May, The Lawn Stage - Let Me Roll It and you can check out some great quality footage but usual standard playing! HERE
June 8th 2010
From the Courier-journal, Louisville.
Wingsbanned big pals Rick & Jenna were interviewed by the Louisville Courier-Journal as part of the Abbey Road On The River Celebrations. Thanks to these two guys for their company, sing-a-longs and videos. It wouldn't be the same without them!
Rick and Janna Armentrout have driven the 632 miles from Pensacola, Fla., the past three years.
"You hear the same songs the whole weekend but you never get tired of it," Rick said, adding that there's a family feeling among all the fans.
Last year, the Armentrouts met Wingsbanned, a band from Nova Scotia, Canada. "It was their first time in the States, so we wanted to make them feel welcome," he said.
The first footage has already gone up on You Tube. From the first gig, Thursday 27th May at the Lawn Stage - Silly Love Songs. The band had travelled for 25 hours and had managed 2 hours sleep. Still, here are the results. HERE
June 4th 2010:
First couple of pix are up on the Gallery. These are from the band's 5th and last gig which was at The Fountain Stage and featured Classic British Rock songs.
During the five days of concerts, many performers experienced voice problems and Johnny has spent his entire life in pursuit of the answer to such problems. Read what the smart ass has to say on Just Johnny.
June 2nd 2010:
The band has just returned from the Abbey Road On The River Festival in the States. This is the second year that Wingsbanned has played this, the biggest Beatles festival in the World. With five gigs in as many days it was a whirlwind of sunshine, music and good vibes and many new friends made amongst the fellow musicians there.
Highlights were the Sunday night gig on the Fountain Stage and the Classic Rock Set on the Monday which earned comments from the festival sound crew who'd been working there since Thursday and heard 65 bands play thousands of songs. Some of the better moments will appear in video form soon on this site.
Thanks as ever to Gary Jacobs and the Abbey Road team for putting on this wonderful event.
May 19th 2010:
Rehearsals continue in St Johns Studios to bring the band up to speed for the visit to the States in one week. The volcano in Iceland has been sealed specially to avoid any more ash clouds fouling up the air waves. Planes have been converted to run through the existing ash without crashing so it looks like all will be well.
Some new (well, old really) songs have been included such as Paperback Writer and Magneto & Titanium Man and some other cover tracks have been learned for the Summer Of Love Concert featuring the music of 1967. Martin has bought the Fender Strat with a synth pick up fitted so that he can play keyboards on his guitar if he chooses. He really is a one man orchestra and such a dedicated musician. We all love him.
May 11th 2010:
Meet Martin Fleming - latest sucker, I mean recruit to join the Wingsbanned boys. He has spent the last three weeks working five hours a day learning parts both on keyboards and guitar synth so that he be a one man orchestra. He'll no doubt want to play lead guitar at some point and sing too, so we'll be keeping an eye on the arrogant sod!
Martin Click here
April 30th 2010:
Oh no! Anne-Marie has had to pull out of the Abbey Road Festival in Louisville due to circumstances beyond her wealth. At this late stage, disaster appeared to be looming and the boys were formulating a set list based on guitar tunes. Suddenly, like a giant demi-god of heroic stature, a figure appeared on a flaming meat ball saying, "I am a giant demi-god of heroic stature and will play keyboards and guitar synth to aid you in your hour of need."
Well, actually it was Martin Fleming from the band My Generation! and he was more than happy to don a blonde wig and one of Annie's dresses. He sings too and plays neat guitar so the band are sorted and fly out on the 26th May unless that big mountain in Iceland burps again.
April 14th 2010:
The band has re-grouped and is now starting rehearsals for May's Abbey Road Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Amongst the usual classic Beatles & McCartney tunes will be a selection of Classic British Rock songs and a few Summer Of Love Grooves such as Itchycoo Park for the Proposed 1967-themed concert. Also in discussion is the return of the acoustic section of the concert in order to accent the mighty Wingsbanned 4 part harmonies. In the event of not being able to borrow an acoustic guitar, the band will just play their electrics and see if it's spotted by anyone.
January 5th 2010
Whilst in the States back in May. Wingsbanned were interviewed by local TV News team WHAS and you can laugh at their mumblings here. What they didn't show is Lee's black eye after making an anti Scottish comment to Johnny and the subsequent court hearing. WHASBroadcast2009.mp4
December 21st:
Some more sound bytes are now up on the Sounds page Click here
November 23rd:
Wingsbanned's Showcase appearance at The Crofton Club is in The Stage this week. The main bit - - An act with a good few more years of collective experience, Wingsbanned pay very impressive musical homage to Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles outfit, Wings. If they only covered Wings’ songs, you suspect some audiences may get a little restless - not that tracks such as Band on the Run and Live and Let Die don’t make for great listening - but their set list also includes Fab Four classics, so there’s something for every Macca fan. They’re a great tribute act, fine musicians and gel perfectly on stage. Interestingly, they don’t perform Mull of Kintyre - perfect, surely, for that late-night, lighters in the air singalong. www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/26280/inspirations-entertainments-in-association
October 28th:
As recording and mixing nears completion, here are a couple of tasters of the forthcoming album.
Got To Get You Into My Life Hello Goodbye Click on each track or right-click and "save as". More to follow.
October 16th
Recording News The boys and girl have been holed up in St Johns Studios for the last 3 weeks gaining nice studio tans whilst recording the Wingsbanned CD. Thirteen tracks are being worked on and three are totally finished, bar mastering which will be done elsewhere. This time has been well spent especially as producers Lee & Johnny are not letting anyone "get away with it" and this has revealed a serious lack of knowledge of parts, keys, chords and words hitherto un-noticed! If you want to make a musician squeal then isolate his particular part in a song where, without the rest of the band blaring over the top, he/she can no longer hide. Very good stress therapy! A few backing vocals by Ann Marie and about the half the keyboard parts are all that is left to be completed and the band hopes to have the CD available by a series of Showcase events lined up next month.
October 8th:
More Videos From USA A couple of video's have appeared even now from our May jaunt to the States. Both are from the penultimate gig on the Sunday night where the band played for more than 2 hours without a break, far into the night. A smattering of British rock classics found their way into the set such as - Whole Lotta Love/Rock & Roll - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4e7d3dcVS0 Hi Hi Hi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpOiZid7yk Thanks to the quilt girls for this post. See y'all in May.
October 5th:
Wingsbanned New CD (Part 2) Johnny, Lee & Gary have been ensconced in St Johns Studios, Berkshire laying down vocals, basses, pianos and guitars. Only a handful of backing vocals remain to be done and a couple of Ian's bass lines but he's been flat searching so we can forgive him (a bit). Sadly, all Ann Mari's parts will have to wait a bit as the poor girl can only schedule some recording time in 2 weeks time due to commitments. Then we can air some samples to see if it works! Onwards & Upwards!
September 21st:
Wingsbanned New CD This weekend saw the band locked away in Blue Moon Studios, Banbury recording tracks for an album to be released shortly. Thirteen tracks have been selected and work began on Saturday morning with drummer Lee Herbert doing first take "keepers" on all but one song and that only went awry when he misheard Johnny's vocal instruction over the microphone. By 4pm he was finished and that included an hour off for lunch! This is an unparalleled feat of musicianship as the rest of the band who were only playing along as a guide succeeded in playing perfectly none of the 13 songs. Lee can expect to get paid (one day) and has certainly increased his chances of being kept on for the American festivals next summer. Starting this week the band move to St Johns Studios where all guitars, vocals and keyboards will be laid down to complete the album. More news to follow.......
August 13th:
Ann-Mari rejoins Wingsbanned There has been a change in line up in the band. Best wishes go out to departing keyboard player Bob Adams who has decided to hang up his piano for ever. After playing with Wingsbanned he felt there was nowhere else for him to go in a playing capacity. Hmm, whilst that may not be completely true, we would like to welcome back Ann-Mari Elgar who brings her brand new keyboard and same old voice and a whole lot more besides. Ann-Mari will make her debut (again) with the band at The Victoria Club on the 28th August and if she doesn't make a complete pig's ass of it, will be around to do lots more. The second American trip has been scheduled for May 2010 but for longer and a third stint is being discussed for September 2010. Ann-Mari said "I knew I had to join this line up after I heard the incredible harmonies we were making - such a blend of voices!" Drummer/vocalist Lee Herbert added, "Oh thank God - I don't have to sing all the high notes anymore. I can stop taking helium balloons on stage with me."July 21st:
Abbey Road On The River 2009 Part 3 Bob & Johnny walked across the Louisville road bridge in the hot morning sun whilst the others slept off the previous night's excesses though Ken, a former band member and big time pal appeared for breakfast at the best place around - "Cravings" where eggs and steak is the order of the day. By 1-30 the band kicked off it's first slot at the Fountain Stage and delivered a very powerful performance. Johnny wore his trade mark ear plugs which helped with the voice and showed no sign of the hoarseness which was to inflict so many of the performers this week. Ian Herbert had befriended Rick, Jenna and Kristy and forced them to attend all Wingsbanned gigs and to video as much as possible. For the band, it was an afternoon of relaxation, burgers, booze and bands. Some great acts were playing such as Backwards and Gary Quinn before the next show which took place in the Archibald Room inside the Hotel. Sadly, this was poorly attended and the band struggled to raise itself to the dizzy heights of mediocrity! Call Me Back Again was performed for the first time as it was important to vary the set as much as possible. Bruce from the Sun Kings befriended the band afterwards and said some nice things so a note was made to go and hurl abuse at their show later on! With that, it was another night of depravity for the real rockers and a relatively early night for Bob & Johnny. Day 2 was complete. More to follow.........July 1st: Abbey Road On The River 2009 Part 2 By the afternoon of the first day of the Festival stages were still being set up and there was a little concern that all would be ready. However, wonders were worked and a couple of bands started a lunchtime session of a rooftop in the City Centre and then the brilliant Hal Bruce kicked the main event off with a set on the Lawn Stage. Itchycoo Park from Scotland went on before Wingsbanned and did four songs from the set list necessitating some quick substitutions! However, the band played well and some of the material from this set are on the video links below. Crowds were still fairly sparse on this first day but after all, most locals were still at work. Johnny felt a little hoarse which was worrying after only an hour's singing and wore ear plugs on each subsequent gig. In conversation with German band Lucy In The Sky, it was agreed that the hot, humid weather was not having the expected good effect on voices as they had also suffered hoarseness after a relatively short time! An evening's entertainment was spent watching other bands then Bob & Johnny retired and left the others to some serious rock & roll debauchery. The first day was complete. More to follow.......... June 19th: Yet Another From The Lawn Stage Let Me Roll It - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCO1lC4HN00 Also some more pix are on the gallery today. GALLERY Different vids from the Lawn Stage: My Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF6fhN2aZjk Letting Go - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXk5nWRhtSY Live & Let Die - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ6XSJACkxY From the Lawn Stage at Abbey Road On The River, 23rd May 2009
June 10th: Another short Vid: Maybe I'm Amazed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61AgSmiZD8 June 9th: Yet More Vids: Got To Get You Into My Life - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IlsXbWmdG8 Letting Go - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-T3DG0bnV0 Band On The Run - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKg5swheLbU&feature=channel_page From the Lawn Stage at Abbey Road On The River, 23rd May 2009 Jet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXtMzKUfAqw From the Fountain Stage at Abbey Road On The River, 24th May 2009
June 8th: More Vids A couple more Videos have surfaced on You Tube. Smoke On The Water is from Sunday's Late gig on the Fountain Stage where we played for 2 hours and Live & Let Die is from The Lawn Stage on Saturday afternoon. Live & Let Die - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYWWRZSasYU Smoke On The Water (Featuring Ken bannister on guitar - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgRQmdHMt5s June 3rd: Abbey Road On The River 2009 Now the dust has settled and the pix & videos taken by many people begin to flood in, the band can look back and congratulate themselves for a job well done. Rehearsals prior to the festival had been patchier than intended so it was hoped that busking would be kept down to a minimum. Wingsbanned met at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday 20th in the early hours hoping to upgrade their tickets to first class as they had a "mate who worked there and would help". In the end only Lee & Ian blagged the upgrade and sipped champagne all the way across the Atlantic whilst others settled for packaged American Airlines food. Still, there were movies on offer and the 8 hours was whiled away in relative comfort. the plane was barely half full and the boys spread themselves out over more than one chair. Changing at Chicago to a smaller jet which terrified Ian who described it as a "tiny" plane and "very likely to crash" due to movement in the air. Hardened travellers like Bob who works for British Airways and Johnny who flies single engine propeller planes enjoyed his discomfort. "Big girl's blouse", explained Johnny. One hour later the band was in 2 taxi's heading to the Galt House Hotel in down town Louisville. It appeared that the venue was a long way from being ready and the concerned faces of the organizers reflected this. With nothing to do except wait for the start of the festival the following day, the band adjourned to a steak house where portions would have fed an average British family for a week. Johnny and Lee each had a whole chicken plus side orders and even these two greedy guts couldn't finish it all off. Fortunately, the restaurant bagged this all up and Wingsbanned could enjoy chicken for breakfast or late night snacks or indeed, feed the hungry of the Louisville Streets for a couple of days. The more rock & roll members headed for the bar whilst Bob & Johnny retired for the night into the two suites supplied by the Festival. Johnny avoided alcohol all week (unheard of) in order to keep his voice intact and Bob was anxious to get proper rest before the concerts which would number 7 over 5 days. The heat was relentless and dehydration was a concern. More to follow.............
June 1st:
Some footage of the band is now up on You Tube. This was from the Fountain Stage at the Abbey Road On The River Festival, Louisville, Kentucky. The soundman seems to have given Johnny a "lisp" that isn't there in real life but it was a good gig, the Sixth of the Seven we did.
Let Me Roll It/ Spirits Of Ancient Egypt - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsnGCuZDnR0
Maybe I'm Amazed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcZUT8_izQ4
My Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhFWZmCCUnE
Live & Let Die - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQA3BJqQpQg
May 28th:
Wingsbanned have just returned from The Abbey Road On The River Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, jet lagged and exhausted after playing seven gigs in five days, appearing on ABC TV and local radio and generally living the rock & roll lifestyle.
Ian, Lee, Gary, Bob and Johnny did themselves proud and made many new friends and admirers while there. There will be many pix to follow plus some great video footage which will be available when sleep has been caught up on.
Some of the interviews appeared here - http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=10412369
April 20th:
Wingsbanned played a new venue (for them) on the 28th March - The Victoria Club, Aylesbury. Despite severe access and parking problems for the Wingsbanned 7-ton truck, the venue was a delight. Sadly, there was no lift to reach the 1st floor but the boys took it all in their stride, laughing off any discomfort in hauling the gear up 50 steps countless times. Due to a timings mix up, the band started some 15 minutes late.
Fortunately, the audience was in a good mood and got into the band from the opening salvo of Got To Get You Into My Life followed by the Venus & Mars medley. This set the scene for the evening and the band played 3 sets mixing McCartney songs with other pop/rock classics. Ian Herbert did his best Elvis (a-huh, huh) vocal on Suspicious Minds and brother Lee did Sweet Home Chicago and All Or Nothing.
Johnny's 22 month son, Johnny Junior had been taken to hospital earlier that day having been diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia so his mind may have been on other matters and Johnny and Sarah spent the rest of the night in vigil at the bedside. However, all was well and the next day the little man was up and about and able to come home.
The club were so happy with the band that they sent a very nice e-mail the next day and here it is......
Dear Johnny,
Well, this was the first time for Wingsbanned at the Victoria Club, and you did not let us down. I have to say you are a talented group of musicians and you did not, for one moment, lose pace...And the audience was with you, all the way! I hope you found the Victoria Club throng friendly, and the staff helpful.
March 19th:
The band began regular rehearsals this month at St John's Studios in Slough which is owned by Bassist/vocalist Johnny Heywood and is excellent for sorting out songs and getting the notoriously difficult harmonies right. After a few visits there it was on to full scale dress rehearsals in Staines and the report is "everything is tickety-boo".
Finally, Hi Hi Hi and Helen Wheels have been added to the set. The former was banned by the BBC back in 1973 for "drug" references which could only have been heard by a "man from the BBC from a different generation" but we did notice a forum on the Abbey Road On The River website asking that, as we called WINGSBANNED whether we would be doing any other banned Wings songs such as Give Ireland Back - another banned by the Beeb but this time for "political content". Out view is that it should have been banned for being a really shit song and no, we definitely won't be learning it.
The band is due to make a lot of noise in a musical context on March 28th at the Victoria Club, Aylesbury. Rock & as they always add, roll.
March 9th:
Back on November 8th 2008, Wingsbanned played a couple of sets at The Hillingdon Athletics Club to a packed audience. This club is really buzzing and the reaction was wonderful despite it being one of the wettest nights imaginable and the band got soaked getting set up
However, these muso's are a hardy breed, especially when they are getting paid and it was straight into the opener, Got To Get You Into My Life, Macca's thinly veiled ode to wacky baccy and then followed it with a mixture of Beatles numbers interspersed with everything else from Elvis to The Searchers to Led Zeppelin and back again. This "throw everything at the wall & see what sticks" approach kept people on the dance floor and seemed to be a success though anyone expecting a Macca Tribute only would have been puzzled.
As always, someone asked for Abba and for a moment it was considered till the image of 5 middle aged men covering Dancing Queen brought them to their senses and a nice rocker was served up instead.
With only one more outing before the end of the year, it was nice to find such a hot bed of rockular activity and the boys look forward to a return visit.
February 2nd:
Sad to say that May's visit to the States has been shortened by a week due to the cancellation of the Cleveland Abbey Road On The River Festival 2009. This is due to illness within the ranks of the organisers and without going into detail our prayers and blessings are with Gary and his family in this difficult time. It's to his credit that the Kentucky Event is going on as planned and Wingsbanned will be flying out for about 8 gigs in May.
Several warm up gigs are planned so check the gig guide for details between now and then.
On 27th September 2008, the band played at The Morning Star in Datchet for the first time since the Liverpool Beatles festival the month before. It was a reasonably large venue though the stage area was a little cramped for 5 people especially with 2 sets of keyboards but Johnny stood behind his piano and did away with the stool and Bob squeezed into the back with his bum sticking out the door. Ian Herbert stood behind a pillar and it was only when he came forward to sing Medicine Jar that he became visual. A fine job he did too and in fact the singing was of the highest standard all round. The harmonies were extremely tight and with three lead vocalists in the band it was no surprise.
The venue demanded an extra half an hour after the full set was finished which Manager Sarah negotiated skilfully and a set of rock classics came out the woodwork. This was where guitarist Gary excelled and on songs like Owner Of A Broken Heart, he revealed his true standing as a rock god. Credit to Ian & Bob who had not prepared these numbers but slotted in easily. Lee sang Sweet Home Chicago and All Or Nothing and Johnny covered In A Broken Dream and Wishing Well plus others. Finishing with a bit of ACDC's Highway To Hell which showed the complete scope of the band they finished tired but happy and were rebooked for January.
This cross over of numbers is an area the band will continue to explore especially on gigs where the requirement is not solely Beatle related.
December 22nd:
A Round up of The Liverpool Beatles Week 2008 Part 4
After the Derby Square gig in front of a vast sea of people as far as the eye could see, the band got bussed back to St George's Boulevard to pick up the cars and get back to base. There was barely time to shower and change before taking a much reduced amount of gear back into the City centre via two taxis to the Cavern Club for the final appearance.
No piano numbers for Johnny this time and only one keyboard for Bob - this was a lean, stripped down rocking version of the band. Bob's other keyboard had not liked the damp heat that is so prevalent in the cavern and had refused to work so he was taking no chances.
The sound was a little off putting and seemed to suffer from a plethora of bass frequencies so Johnny turned the bass "off" on the house amplifier and all was well. The Sound Man hardly put anything into the PA speakers as the stage sound was so loud - well, that's how it goes with a drummer like Lee who plays harder than any other man alive. Mind you, that's what gives WingsBanned it's power.
Johnny had remarked earlier about the number of singers who appeared to be losing their voices as the week went on. By the 4th gig on the trot he was joining them.
"Hmmm, yes, I was definitely running out of talent there," he confessed as the band stepped up a gear into Long Tall Sally. "We really pushed it towards the end."
It was a real rock set - no piano numbers and no switching round of instruments. The crowd yelled for more but the band had none left to give. John Lennon Tribute Act MARCUS was in the audience and the band had enjoyed his set earlier in the day at the Adelphi American Bar. Marcus was playing so many gigs he didn't know what day it was but this man has an incredibly accurate voice and looks more like Lennon then Lennon. Click the link and check him out.
At the front of the crowd were a couple of Belgian promoters who handed Johnny a flyer for a Festival in October and Johnny read out the details. Meeting up with them later, they booked WingsBanned for the 2009 event.
Then it was all over.
The boys took the gear back to the apartment, showered and changed then hit the Town. Main event was the Summer Of Love Concert by Hal Bruce and others and this was a fab selection of groovy tunes from around 1967. It was really gear! After that, some band members went to bed and others who will not be named such as Lee, stayed out till breakfast then went home down the M6.
Terrible jams plighted the return journey and Johnny's vehicle stopped off for a break in a service station only to meet up with the others by coincidence and one more final meal was enjoyed.
December 3rd
A Round up of The Liverpool Beatles Week 2008 Part 3
Drummer Lee Herbert flew the flag for debauchery and depravity last night in an attempt to beat the World Record Alcohol Intake. This, understandably, took all night and thus, Lee was not available for a band breakfast in downtown Liverpool mid morning.
By afternoon the band had grouped at a special parking place in St George's Boulevard where a mini bus then took a very long drive round to Derby Square. Joey Molland was finishing his set and he was followed by the excellent Peppeland who were terrific despite having severe keyboard problems. They went down very well and left the crowd gagging for more.
It really looked like rain but it held off miraculously as Wingsbanned took to the stage in front of a sea of people as far as the eye could see. Johnny Heywood announced this as "gig of the decade" and he was in great vocal form as the band played a varied set starting with Hello Goodbye followed by Got To Get You Into My Life.
The audience was with the band on every song, singing and clapping without much encouragement. Most of them had heard the Beatles songs all day but the 70's Macca stuff went down a storm. Finishing off with Let It Be, the crowd sang as one giant choir and there wasn't a dry seat in the house (if it had been a house where there were seats)!
Even Gary Davies was seen to move onstage which astounded his fellow musicians. Normally Gary moves only if targeted by rotten fruit throwers but today he was just happy. Ian Herbert, not renown for dynamic gestures was also in the mood to move and this may have been because he realised he could be seen on giant video screens around the Square. See gallery for pix from this gig.
After 45 mins the boys finished their encore and fled the stage. The weather had stayed dry(ish) and the band had played to their biggest audience ever. However, there was no time to relax because they had time only to get loaded up and head back to the Cavern Club.
Much later on that night, Johnny met Kevin from the Flashback Band who stopped his taxi in the street to compliment the band. This was easily returned as Flashback were one of the best bands on this year.
November 10th:
A Round up of The Liverpool Beatles Week 2008 Part 2
The second gig of the day found the band packing up their gear from the cavern and walking it through the Streets of Liverpool to The Adelphi Hotel in search of the ballroom where a series of "solo albums" was the centre of attraction. WingsBanned had been asked to play the "Venus & Mars" album and this was no small request. The range of material, styles & instruments meant that a lot of homework had to be done and sessions had been held in Johnny's studio right up until a few days before the band came to Liverpool.
It was mainly down to keys player Bob Adams who sorted out the orchestrations and all the non guitar solos! Indeed, one particular track, "You Gave Me The Answer" was initially deemed impossible due to the instrumentation but Bobby Boy recreated all the clarinet, strings and brass parts leaving Johnny to play piano and Ian Herbert filled in the bass guitar line. The final song on the album, the "Treat Her Gently/Lonely Old People/Crossroads" medley, was only run through three days earlier and was the one that had the boys most moist at the thought of botching it.
Anyway, the band deposited the gear in the tiny band room and whizzed off to feed it's collective face at a nearby take away. Returning to the Ballroom just as Instant Karma finished off their fabulous reproduction of Lennon's "Imagine" album, there was a quick change over and the band launched into "V & M/Rock show" but curbed their normal desire to follow it with "Jet" as the some "fans" had complained that other bands had not been anorakly recreating the albums with analy retentive accurancy. That was not a criticism that was going to be levelled at The WingBanned Boys and the 3rd song was, therefore, "Love In Song".
Johnny stayed at the piano for the next two songs, the Noel Coward styled "You Gave Me The Answer" and the pumping rocker, "Magnetto & Titanium Man". If you can sing these two songs then you can sing anything as McCartney's vast range, both tonally and pitch plus vocal stylizations has no peer! "Letting Go" is the song most voted for in a Macca wish set list and WingBanned did a storming version shaking the Hotels foundations (well, maybe just the stage).
The Herberts stepped up next to sing the leads on the next two tracks. Lee covered "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" which Denny Laine used to sing and he hit notes that only he can reach and no-one else would want to. This song spans almost three octaves and Lee did it effortlessly. Brother Ian, on only his second ever Liverpool gig sang the rocking Jimmy McCulloch song, "Medicine Jar" and he just keeps getting better every time. This song also has a few notes that others would need a ladder to get to but not our Ian. Just his tip toes.
Johnny finished the album on piano as "Call Me Back Again" was up next and if your voice survives that one intact then hospital treatment is often advised. Sadly, there was no break as "Listen To What The Man Said" followed on and this was one that the band had attempted in previous years and given up on due to the complexities of the vocal harmonies. Those days are over as nowadays the band has musicians who can actually play! Gary Davis got to rock out with an over the top version of "Crossroads" and the band heaved a sigh of relief. The hard bit was over and they could now relax and just play.
A few more songs from the repertoire and off they went. Some bands were checked out and some members went to bed whilst others( no names) flew the flag for dirty stop outs and debauchery. All in all, this was a bloody great gig and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
September 26:
A Round up of The Liverpool Beatles Week 2008
Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday 23rd August, a full day before the first gig gave the band time to relax and check out some of the other bands. For Lee Herbert, this was almost a full time vocation as he experimented with a sleep deprivation and alcoholic intake mixture. It was a success too though he is not able to recount it now. Next up for Lee is a brain cell loss count - caused by a sleep deprivation and alcoholic intake mixture.
Some of the bands that impressed were Flashback with great vocals from Kevin and The Blue Meanies who rocked the Adelphi bar far into the night. The crowds were great, the venues ran as regular as clockwork and this promised to be the best Festival yet.
Saturday afternoon and the first glich popped it's unwelcome head up. The streets had been closed to all traffic in the inner city due to the massive Mathews Street Festival which had just begun. This meant that no cars or taxis could get within a quarter mile of the Cavern Club, Wingsbanned's first gig. Johnny took the gear as far as he could in his car but it needed the whole band plus assorted friends and relatives to assist in carrying the gear into the club. With two keyboards from Bob and another piano from Johnny, this was no small task. On arrival at the club, some were close to exhaustion and the incredible heat of the Cavern takes no prisoners. There was barely 20 minutes to rest before they were on.
It was the first time at the Cavern Front stage and it was quite different from the larger rear stage. Definitely more intimate with the audience just a few feet from the singers' faces but a great atmosphere. Kicking off with the Wings Over America set the band quickly settled and was able to concentrate on putting on a show. Johnny had dyed his hair specially for the occasion but had chosen a spray on type. This was a poor choice as after 15 minutes, it began to run and he ended up looking like at tart at best or a pantomime Capt Hook. After this gig, he went "natural" on the hair front.
Vocally, it was a great show. Ian Herbert made his debut and carried it off like a professional which caused him to expect payment but he was soon put right on this by the Band Manager and purse strings holder, Sarah Pate. Bob Adams, also a Beatles Week Virgin admitted first night nerves and was pleased he was at the back of the narrow stage and could quietly be sick into a bucket without putting off discerning punters. He had brought 2 keyboards with him (and felt every kilo of weight bringing them down the stairs) but one of them refused to work! Perhaps they had not reacted well being carried rough-shod through the back streets of Liverpool. Perhaps the heat and humidity had got to them but anyhow they did not work! Being the trooper he is, he simply fudged it one keyboard and no-one was any the wiser.
Guitarist Gary had no such problems and set up his gear plus a microphone to sing his very essential backing vocals, unique to the band. Maybe the excitement got the best of him but he never actually uttered one syllable into said mike throughout the gig. Well, no-one asked for their money back so it must have been all right. He did play a mean guitar though.
Drummer Lee laughed off all worries and hit the skins so much harder than any other drummer that the sound man rubbed his hands in glee and turned off all the PA faders linked to the kit and sat back. Lee's voice is one of the wonders of the modern World. How he can sing so clearly, so high and so smoothly especially after staying out all night and drinking the Cavern Bar dry, is a mystery to the band. Still, as he says, "someone has to fly the flag" and he's the boy to do it.
No more hic-cups and the boys pronounced the first gig as a success and had them all nicely warmed up for the Venus & Mars show later that same night.
From the cavern Club, the band had the same equipment to haul over to the Adelphi Ballroom and fortunately, the same friends helped out. the gear was left safely and then dinner was consumed.
MORE TO FOLLOW.......
August 28th:
Phew! Liverpool Beatles Week has just finished and we are recovering. We have quite a few pix still being prepared and will go on the gallery shortly. Gig reviews will also follow.
We have been invited to the Abbey Road On The River Festival in May 2009 in Kentucky and the Mons Beatles Festival in Oct 2009 so we're excited about those.
More to follow................