Grey Cooper Blues Experience

Grey Cooper Blues Experience - March 2007 News

MARCH 27TH - BLUES EXPERIENCE SPLIT CROWN SHOW INTO 3 SETS ... read for details

Last night the band turned in a 3 set performance at The Crown in Totley. With JRT on keyboards they opened up with a pasted up version of Canteloupe Island to appease the jazz diners then got serious with a hard hitting blues roster of Kind Hearted Lover, All Your Love, Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had and Rain. Full set details to follow..

MARCH 24TH - NEXT GIG AT THE RIVERSIDE, GREY COULD PERFORM RARE 4 PIECE SET

Word from Blues Experience HQ is that with Uncle still unfit and JRT unavailable, Grey is going to play The Riverside as a four piece. This could be a rare opportunity to see him work all the guitar moves in a stripped down line up! The full set is on the agenda, with a strong whisper that Grey's recent composition, the Ebminor blues 'Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind' will appear!! More news to follow..

MARCH 18TH - BAND REFRAME MUDDY WATERS SONG INTO NEW FUNK GROOVE

On both weekend gigs the band soundchecked with and performed in the set a version of Muddy Waters 'Everything Gonna Be Alright' in Bb and with a dynamite new funk groove laid down. For the Lincoln gig the band kept the straight 1,4,5 classic 12 bar structure, using the format of moving to the 4 chord in the 2nd measure. Ali Heath Cook came on stage (especially when the groove kicked off) and shared the vocal with Grey. Other highlights included Too Funky James laying down plenty of heat with trumpet solos on the recently rehearsed Got My Brand On You. It was the first time that Too Funky James and Doctor Sax had worked the songs in horn section too.

At Trippets the band opened up with All Your Love in Am and notably, Mark 'Main Man' Laksevics had reframed the bass groove for 'Everything Gonna Be Alright'. This time round Ali took the whole vocal through the song. Interestingly, the band chose to use one of Grey's favourtite moves by rooting the groove on the 1 chord and taking the structure timing from the beginning of the vocals.

Next gig at The Riverside on March 24th.. Full set list for friday and Saturday to follow

MARCH 16TH - FUNK MONSTER "JRT" AND SIMON "TOO FUNKY" JAMES GUEST IN LINCOLN

The Blues Experience travelled to Lincoln ready to play at the Perspectives Bar (above The Falcon)with rumours that Simon 'Too Funky'James had hitched a lift in Mark's (bass) car. The guest appearance of the 'flat cap funk brothers' from the 'Grey Cooper Love Party' not only applied their own slant to the Blues Experience sets, but also played the blues/jazz associated with the band. Grey was his usual awesome self delighting the audience and sending Dr Sax onto another planet! Ally Heath-Cook (on her birthday)sang Grey's delightful catchy composition of 'Dreaming' which now features at every gig - listen out for it! 'JRT' loved every moment on keys and did his usual cool funky body moves whilst 'Too Funky' gave the brass a 'beef up'and played cd's in the intervals which maintained the mood. Mark and Stevie on bass and drums worked hard through the night and thought the gig was tremendous! The band is now preparing for the gig at TRIPPETS WINE BAR, TONIGHT, 17TH MARCH 2007

MARCH 16TH - FUNK MONSTER JRT REPLACES UNCLE ON BOTH WEEKEND GIGS!!

Love Party keyboard player JRT has stood in at the last minute to replace Uncle for the Lincoln gig and Trippets Wine Bar on saturday 17th March.. 'it's awesome! I'm laying it down!' said JRT during a phone conversation with Grey on thurday evening. Rumour has it that Simon 'Too Funky' James will be turning up to guest on trumpet and valve trombone later tonight. Set list and gig report to follow..

MARCH 16TH: GREY COOPER BLUES EXPERIENCE ADD LAST MINUTE LINCOLN GIG

On friday March 16th the band have taken a club gig in Lincoln.. at Perspectives Bar (above The Falcon).. Love Party keyboard player JRT will be standing in for Uncle who was injured last weekend. No word yet on how this will impact on performing the new material at last saturdays rehearsal.

March 11th - FULL SATURDAY REHEARSAL UPDATE!! BLOW BY BLOW ACCOUNT..

Songs worked:
Unnamed groove in G
Can't Seem To Get You Out of My Mind
Got My Brand On You
Lonely Street Blues

The band turned up for the all day saturday session in good spirits. Doctor Sax drove in with Grey just before midday, with Steve and Mark arriving soon after. The session kicked off with a blues based riff progression in G and after working it for 15 minutes or so the band took a recording and put it in the bank for possible future use.

The next hour was taken up with formatting a smouldering minor blues with a twist called 'Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind' Got My Brand On You is a Muddy Waters lyric that Grey has reworked in A using a voodoo beat going into a 2/4 time. Watch out for the progressive turnaroud sequence on the ending!! Mark, Steve and Grey were really swapping ideas, discussing moves and working this song hard. Another clean format acheived. Lonely Street Blues is a totally original song by Grey that has been developed in the recording studio and features some slick structure with a straight 4/4 feel. Uncle turned up while the band were working this. Grey plays a bottleneck solo in this song and it features a progressive ending chord sequence of E D A F#minor A, based on an idea Steve came up with in the studio. Grey came out with some 'sweep picking' for the outro and Uncle switched from his piano sound to strings..!! The band wrapped up a hard working session at 5.30 and intend to put the material into the next gig at Trippets on March 17th..

Intensive rehearsal planned this weekend

The full band plan to rehearse this saturday at Yellow Arch studios in Sheffield. Whisper is that Grey will be trialling a version of Got My Brand On You (using a voodoo beat mechanism) and developing a new funk/blues for Ali Heath Cook to sing as a guest at gigs.

March 5th: Grey Cooper Blues Experience.. Band still in discussion over new album!

Discussions are still going on regard the new album, tentatively titled 'Radar Room Blues'.. Whisper is that the band could be recording early as April.

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