El Greko on Teesside - 31st January

Subject: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 09:56 AM

El Greko's long awaited Teesside club debut is next Monday 31st at the Stockton Folk Club. That's held at the Sun in Knowles Street. Start 8.30. Small but sensible admission charge (so you can save your £s to buy as many of the guy's cds as you can carry!)

It's a fine old club with a great atmosphere, plenty of the famed "knurdling", and some top quality singing from the excellent residents & regular singers like Derek, Steve & Helen, Mick, John, Dave, Cris, John & Joy, Steve & Sue, etc etc and not forgetting club organiser Ron Angel. Sundry Wilsons and friends often drop in too and a good time is invariably had by all.

And yes, the regulars have already been indoctrinated with some of El Greko's fiendish choruses over past weeks so there's no excuse...

Be there or be somewhere else! But don't miss it!

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: nutty
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 10:46 AM

I second that .....he's a "must be seen " guy

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: C-flat
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 10:53 AM

I hope to be there.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 05:50 PM

I do thank El Geko for doing a performace on my birthday - but I'm on the other side of the world....

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 05:55 PM

Ooops.. :-)

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 06:50 PM

Trodden in sumfing mayte ?

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: The Unicorn Man
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 07:45 PM

Ohh away he is great man.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Col K
Date: 27 Jan 05 - 02:46 PM

He is highly recommended

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Moses
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 03:22 AM

He is indeed.

Have a good one, Papa G, sorry we can't be there. We'll miss you at Snorbens on Sunday but we're still the lucky ones cos we get to see you most weeks!

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 04:59 AM

I'll fill in mose!

tonight, revise Stan Rogers's Barratts Privateers before you get there

at the legion in St Albans

Sound that Horn

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 02:33 PM

Sound that horn, and it'll be heard all the way up there in Stockton I'm sure. (Plees don't tees!)

We're told George's really looking forward to the Sun gig and promises at least one surprise for the assembled multitude. And the customary knurdling will still be permitted (if G promises not to write a song about it!).

"It's not the setting Sun..."

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 12:07 PM

that makes my face look red



If he does 'Angelo,' be sure to have the lighters at the ready

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 02:01 PM

Will do, Breezy! I'm sure it's on his "99 list".

And I'll try to make sure the punters don't leave Emptyhanded (ie buy plenty of George's CDs!)

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 11:45 AM

Only one day to go now - safe journey George! See you there.

"Sing for me Elgreko" !

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 11:58 AM

let your fingers dance and voice soar high then low

will be thinking of him at the Spotlight tonight.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: My guru always said
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 12:28 PM

Oh you're gonna have a Fabulous time!!! Enjoy those choruses & send him home safely, he's only on loan you know!!

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 01:24 PM

So that's his alibi for missing Mary's birthday do, is it? Have a great time, anyway!

Kitty

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Edain
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 02:20 PM

I'm up in Durham, I know the X1 bus goes to Stockton but I think it stops before the club would end. If I can find a way to get back afterwards I'll try and pop down, sounds like a great night.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 07:56 AM

Praps someone at the club'll give you a lift back Edain, hope to see you there.

Only 7 hours to go now - George's got the winter wraps off the geetars and filling up the antifreeze for the long trek north...

Do come if you're within shouting distance of Stockton. Should be a great night.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: nutty
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 08:14 AM

George did indeed get the wraps off and is in the area. I've just spent a great weekend at Helmsley with him but I'll be there for more tonight.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 02:12 PM

and only one to go!

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 06:53 PM

Oh well, fair swap - we got Dave and Anni for the last 2 songs of the evening at Herga, as they're staying with Johnny and Joyce for their booking at Sharp's tomorrow, and arrived in Harrow just in time to finish off our club night....

Kitty

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: nutty
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 07:19 PM

Just got back from Stockton where George performed outstandingly.
Can't understand why , after all the singing we did at Helmsley , he still has a voice and I don't.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: Col K
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 08:55 PM

Great night was had by all.

Well worth the trip across the Pennines to see George again.

Col K

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: C-flat
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 02:46 AM

An excellent night! George is a rare talent, combining clever and provoking lyrics with honest, un-forced melodies and delivered with laid-back ease.
It's clear to see why he is gaining such a reputation and why so many others are singing his songs.
Having had a drink with him, I can also say that he is a nice guy too! (Bastard!)

Good to meet Nutty and ColK (again), looking forward to doing it again!

Thanks to all!

C-flat.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 05:36 AM

Looking forward to George's return, glad to hear positive comments.

We do appreciate how fortunate we are in having such a unique talent at our clubs.

Now to get to work on his choreography for Saturday.

George will be appearing as the headline at our Spotlight club in St Albans on 27th February at the Royal British Legion.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 12:32 PM

Indeed it was a particularly fine night at the Sun. Folks travelled from far and wide to swell the already healthy club ranks, and the whole evening went swimmingly, from the opening knurdle through to the final cadences of "Sing to me Angelo", a treat.

Pace Nutty, don't feel jealous - my theory (for what it's worth) is that ex-pat Greeks must have summat in their genes to make 'em immune to the "Helmsley Frog" - and grr, he was still in good voice when we finally packed him off back home late this morning!

But Teesside is the richer for his visit - and he won many new admirers. "Everything you said he'd be and more", Ron enthused at the ending of the day. So he's been invited back (date to be fixed).

Great to have seen you all there.

And most of all thanks to George himself for everything. A unique talent, no mistake.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: breezy
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 03:15 PM

'Canta me El Greko'

I really do like this song, it just is.

And he's going back up to you lot again on Friday before I'll have to revive him for Saturday night to do the choreography bit.

Subject: RE: El Greko on Teesside - 31st January
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 03:49 PM

You are all too kind; but I did enjoy myself tremendously, both at Helmsley (the only choruses that beat Herga's Wall Of Sound) and in Stockton. By the time it got to "Angelo" I was high on adrenaline, and let rip - it's fast becoming one of my favourite songs to sing. (Write 100 times: "I must not overexpose 'Angelo'").

Sorry to have missed Mary O'Connor's 80th, Kitty, and doubly sorry to have missed Dave & Anni too. But I should be there for Robb next Monday.

After what was an exhilarating and rewarding long weekend though, the powers that be saw fit to send me a timely reminder: Driving back to my host's for the night, I succumbed to fatigue, despite having recognised it and having stopped for a quick walk around the car 20 mins earlier, and I had a "mini-sleep". My passenger's shouts woke me up to find myself on the opposite side of the road (thankfully no oncoming traffic near us, and none behind); I corrected immediately, but only split seconds from disaster.

No more long-distance late-night driving for this sleepyhead, then. Strictly local billets for anything further than 50 miles from home.

There must be a song in that - "Only a wink away" perhaps?....

But the same powers that be seemed to be satisfied with simply teaching me a lesson so far, and no further penalties were extracted - this time. I owe someone; certainly my passenger, but I can't help feeling there's more due.

All's well that ends well though. Big smile, big sigh and move on.

A big thank you to Ron Angel for inviting me in the first place and to everyone who turned up, not least the many 'catters!