Southwell Rotary Club

Last night we performed at the Saracen's Head Southwell, for the annual Southwell Rotary Club Christmas Dinner. What a wonderful audience.

We sang around the tables as they had their meal, then after a short break, we did a more formal set, including all the idiocy and silliness that we are well known for. During this set, the Rotarians were "hijacked" by the Lions Santa Claus, who went around the tables collecting for charity, while we provided a festive backing by singing Jingle Bells.

I was especially pleased to see Santa, as it gave me an opportunity to give him my presents list and save a stamp.

We would like to say a big thank you to William for inviting us, and for the wonderful hospitality we were shown.  Also a big thanks to the receptionist at the Saracen's Head who kindly opened a room for us to warm up in.

This was our last performance of 2009.  We are all looking forward to a break over Christmas before we start learning new material for 2010.

Merry Christmas everybody

Busy busy busy.

Thursday evening saw us entertaining a group of people at the Gotham (nr Nottingham) community centre at an event organised by the Womens Institute.

Mick had left his hat at the Cornmill pub, so we made him wear a Santa hat! We had a whale of a time, with the audience joining in with the Christmas songs at the end, and then the ladies gave us a salad dinner, some cakes and a pot plant each (!)

Sunday 13th we were at the Cornmill again, but this time we had ladies quartet Elixir guesting with us, in an absolutely packed pub. A highlight was when we sang Happy Birthday to a youg lady called Helen who was celebrating her eighteenth birthday - happy birthday Helen.


We performed our Christmas package, complete with Jingle Bells, which the kids reallly seemed to appreciate, and once again the staff were absolutely fantastic. 

Elixer were really good, in fact considering this was their very first time singing in public, they were amazing.

Mandy, thir lead joined us in our final song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, helping Mick out on the tenor part, which rounded off a really good afternoon.

  

Guests and Food!!

I'm very pleased to announce that we have a special guest appearance at the Cornmill, Beeston on December 13th.

New ladies quartet Elixir will be joining us. Although all Elixir members are seasoned barbershoppers, this will be the very first time they have ever performed in public in this configuration.

Both quartets will be singing Christmas songs as well as their normal repoirtoires, so if you're in the area, drop in and say hello.

Now, besides the excellent food, good surroundings and Special Blend, there's yet another reason to visit the Cormill!

Our normal performance times are between 2.00pm and about 4.30.

The venue address is
Swiney Way,
Beeston,
Nottingham, 
NG9 6GX

Lions Party Southwell

An excellent afternoon spent entertaining the over 60's at the Lion organised party held in the Southwell Minster School.

On the bill were the Lions themselves, who sang some songs from the thirties and forties, and then the Palace Singers from Newark who got the audience singing and were really enjoyable, with one of the most active musical directors I have ever seen.

Besides doing our regular spot, complete with jumping off the stage and dancing with some audience members, we aired our Chrismas package for the first time this year, and then sang a selection of carols with the Lions. A highlight was when we told the audience it was Rob's birthday, and without any prompting, the audience sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

I have to say that we get much more enjoyment and fun singing for an appreciative audience like this then we ever get from singing in barbershop competitions or even to a barbershop audience. This is where we feel "at home", and where we get a genuine rapport with the audience. Additionally, we are very aware that because of mobility and health problems, this particular audience is limited in it's choice of live entertainment. We feel humbled and honoured that we were enable to spend an afternoon with them and give them a few smiles. 

After the show, we adjurned to the excellent Saracens's Head,  to check it out in readiness for our forthcoming appearance there at the Rotary Club annual dinner (actually, we just went there for a pint!!).

Our next performance is with the Major Oak Chorus at a Freemasons dinner at the Goldsmith Street Masonic Hall in Nottingham, and then it's a WI event at Gotham (near Nottingham) on the 10th December.

 

Cornmill Beeston

Another great afternoon at this superb pub.

We sang for about 2 hours then we were fed a wonderful lunch by our hosts Andrew and Sharon.  A lady came up to us and told us it was her husbands' birthday, so we trooped to his table and sang Happy Birthday, and then When I'm 64, which his family loved!!

One of the highlights (for us) was in the dining room when we sang The Lion Sleeps Tonght to a couple of tables with kids - always the hardest audience to please. It was great seeing their grinning faces.

We are back at the Cornmill in a couple of weeks on December 13th (2.00pm to about 4.30), and we hope to have as guests, a brilliant new ladies quartet who will be making their debue appearance. We are also planning to include a few Christmas songs, and may even persuade Mick to wear his Christmas hat (he looks like a proper Santa's little helper)!!

Nov-December appearances

Hello everybody


We are at the Cornmill Beeston on Sunday 22nd November and again on Sunday December 13th, from 2.00 till about 4.00 on both dates. If you are in the area, drop in and say hello - the food is delicious and Andrew the landlord and his staff will make you really welcome.

On Sunday 29th, we are at Southwell Minster School at the Lions Christmas Party. This is a party for the local over 60's, and we are proud to be singing with a whole host of other groups, including (so I am imformed) the Southwell Rugby Club!! Can't wait to see what Mick makes of that!!

Other than these performances, we are singing for the WI, the Rotary Club (again in Southwell), and the Free Masons (with the Major Oak Chorus). All are Christmas events so there will be much Ho HO Ho'ing and hopefully Christmas Cheer.

Although we are now fully booked for November and December, we are available throughout most of 2010, so if you are interested in booking us for your event, please email me on ron@special-blend.co.uk  and we'll happily discuss your requirements.

Quartet Championships 2009

What an enjoyable day.

Although we didn't qualify for the next round (we are a performance quartet - not a specialist competition one), we increased our scoring by some 3% over last year, and were highly commended for our performance of the ballad "I'll Be Seeing You". The judges didn't like our interpretation of the uptune "Ain't Misbehavin",  because we sang it in swing time - just like Fats Waller used to sing it.

Maybe it was a bit too advanced for them. Luckily, when we sing Ain't Misbehavin  to everyone else, they love it.

Many many thanks to our supporters who travelled all the way from Nottingham to cheer us on, especially Mandy, Karen and Nigel, and the members of Revised Edition quartet. Guys, we really really appreciate your support. 

Anyway onwards and upwards. Yet more invitations ot sing in and around Nottingham, and I'm delighted to confirm that we will be singing at th Cornmill Beeston again on Sunday November 22nd, and Also December 13th.
Both of these appearances start around 2.00pm, and we will be singing around the pub until about 4.00

The December one will be special, because we will be performing our Christmas package, and hopefully have another quartet giving a guest appearance.

If you are in the area, it would be great to see you. Andrew and his staff are really good, and the food is superb.

It's that time of year again

Once more into the breach - it's time for the British Association National Competition again, this time to be held in Birmingham. Hopefully, this year we'll be able to compete without sore throats, coughs, sneezers etc. Our aim is to improve on our scores from last year, but the competition this year is enourmous - 45 quartets competing- all on 1 day!

At least we'll have a good day out and hear some fine singing, and for the first time in our history I'm not driving, so I can partake of what we hope will be a celebration drink later.

Our diary is now full for December, but we are happy to take enquiries for 2010 - why not contact us - we may not be as expensive as you think!!

Latest News

Following our successful appearanceat the Corn Mill gastro pub in Beeston, I am delighted to report that we have been requested to perform there for  two more dates. More news once the timings  have been confirmed.

Things are Hotting Up!!

Rob - our bass is still in Nashville Tennessee at the Sweet Adelines (Ladies Barbershop - some people get all the luck!!) World Championships, so at the moment the quartet is a trio, but he returns on November 1st, literally just in time for our performance with the Major Oak Chorus at the Albert Hall in Nottingham that evening - it will be interesting to see if he can stay awake!!

November 15th is the date for the British Quartet Championship Preliminary Competition (commonly known as Prelims) at the Birmingham Conservatoire, so everything is now on hold until we have performed there.

Following that, we have loads of appearances at weddings, Womens' institute parties and also a Rotary Club party. Sadly these are all private performances so the public cannot be admitted, but if you are interested in booking the quartet in 2010, please get in touch and we'll see what we can do.




We have also got permission from Nottingham City Council to give ad-hoc performances in and around the city centre, so who knows - you might see us singing on a street corner near you!!

The Corn Mill - Beeston

We were pleased to have been chosen by Andy and his lovely wife Sharon, the pub managers, to entertain their customers at the relaunch of this fabulous gastro -pub.

We performed three 30 minute spots around the packed pub whilst the diners enjoyed their lunches, and were particularly appreciative when we were offered lunch "on the house", and delicious it was.

Everyone seemed to enjoy our singing, and we received several enquiries from diners about singing at their various events.

Along with the quartet, a group of lady Morris Dancers from Loughborough were dancing outside in the car park, and were really enthusiastic in the way they used their short staffs - I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them!!

All in all, a really good afternoon and we look forward to a repeat performance in the coming months.

If you want to visit this pub, then click here for more information

The Major Oak Chorus opened the days entertainment at The Big Wheels Big Day Out at Nottingham Castle on Saturday 26th September, 2009. Special Blend is pictured performing in front of the chorus and were given a rapturous reception by the onlooking throng. With a bit of pomp and ceremony, the Lady Mayoress duly arrived, by rickshaw, and joined us on stage to make the official opening speech which was followed by a rousing performance of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. As we were singing a cameraman from Central News took some footage and we had our 10 seconds of fame on the local TV network !!

Special Blend and some of the guys from the chorus headed up towards the arena and gave an impromtu performance which went down so well one of the organisers asked us to sing in the main arena...result !! (Well the clowns had just finished and the organisers asked us to fill in) the crowds loved it !!

And then there was four. Special Blend continued to sing for a couple of hours more at various sites around the castle grounds. We decided to go the the main entrance and sing to the people entering the castle which was amazing. A huge crowd of people stopped to listen and we thought we were in trouble when a policeman came walking up to us, but he smiled, winked and walked on.......what a day to remember !!

And finally, the weather was sunny all day and the organisers were very impressed, last year 14000 people, this year 21000. Big thanks to all our mates in the chorus, espescially the guys who came and sang with us in the arena. Just a wonderful day singing and fantastic crowds !!

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The Big Wheel’s Big Day Out

Our next public appearance is at the Big Wheel's Day Out at Nottingham Castle, along with the Major Oak Chorus.

We are appearing at the opening ceremony, at about 11.00 am and performing in front of the Lord Mayor Of Nottingham, Councillor Jeannie Packer.

The festivities start at about 11am. Come and check us out - it's free!
The quartet will be performing a couple of songs about 11.15, then I'm sure there will be some "ad hoc" singing after that.

Joules Clothing Store Opening at Stamford

Stamford has been Blended!!



Three of us arrived in Stamford on time, but Chris was stuck in traffic and appeared about 10 minutes late, running across the road with his shirt hanging out!

The quartet was asked to sing outside the shop, as it was incredibly busy inside, so we stood on the pavement and entertained the passers-by, atracting attention and ushering people into the shop.

As a stage, the pavement was only about 2 meters wide, but as Mick said,it was very long!!

Acrosss the road, there were several offices, who opened their windows and leaned out to have a listen!

Just down from the shop were some traffic lights, so we also entertained the motorists, most of whom wound down their windows and listened until the lights changed. It was incredible, how many smiled, and even clapped before they drove away. A true Barbershop Drive-Through!!

Dominay (hope I've spelt that right) and her staff were really nice, and although they were rushed off their feet, still found time to keep us supplied with drinks and pop out every now and then to have a listen. Love especially to birthday girl Sarah, and to the lady I was dancing with on the streets of Stamford - strange things happen at a Special Blend appearance.



Thanks also to Karen, who acted as our "roadie" and photographer.

An extremely successful evening for both the Blenders and Joules. Once again, many thanks to all their staff.

Next Appearance

We are proud and pleased to have been selected to provide the entertainment at the opening of the latest Joules clothing shop in Stamford, Lincs. Website http://www.joulesclothing.com/

If you wish to attend, the address is 9A St Mary's Hill, Stamford PE9 2DP, and we are appearing from 6pm to 8pm

As it's a clothes shop, we'll have to make sure we are very well presented, and Mick has promised to trim his moustache and nasal hair especially.

Available for Hire

We have several spaces in our performance diary available, so if you think you would like a Barbershop Quartet to perform at your special event (party, BBQ, Corporate event or show) just get in touch.

We can perform either and/or comedy, love songs, background music (weddings/ christenings), a full blown show package, or a mixture of all the styles.

We have performed in such diverse venues as a seaside pier, a Polish Cafe, in Churches, at Stately Homes, shops and showrooms. small family parties, BBQ's, Pubs, formal theatres etc. etc.

Please just get in touch to discusss your requirements.
We just love to perform!!

Beer n Barbershop in ass.with Macmillan Cancer Support

Beer n Barbershop was a great success, both for the Major Oak Chorus and ourselves, and the audience seemed to like the new routine, "I Only Have Eyes For You". Now it's off to Llandudno for the British Association Convention and National Championships.

Good luck to everyone, but especially the Major Oak Chorus and our brother quartet, 4 Blokes Singin', who are performing with a stand-in Tenor, Mr Dale Kyneston from Telford, who has more gold medals than you can shake a stick at!

Beer n Barbershop in ass.with Macmillan Cancer Support

Well we did it!!

The new song was "I Only Have Eyes For You", and we performed the full choreography. The audience were laughing their hearts out, so it was very well received. Because of illness, our brother quartet 4 Blokes Singin' were unable to appear (get well soon Chris), so we got to sing more songs than originally planned.

I know several of our friends were there taking pics and videos so I hope someone will be kind enough to send them to me so I can post them here.

The Major Oak Chorus were absolutely fantastic, and I'm sure it will do well at the National Competitions in Llandudno this weekend.

A fantastic evening.

Beer n Barbershop in ass.with Macmillan Cancer Support

Beer 'n Barbershop event at the Bread and Bitter pub in Mapperley Nottingham tonight, where we will be performing, without a safety net, our new comedy song with the most complicated choreography we have ever attempted , for the very first time (gulp).

Hopefully it will all be OK.

This weekend we are in Llandudno with the Major Oak Chorus for the national championships. Friday evening our brother quartet 4 Blokes Singin' are competing in the national semi finals, and we wish them the very best.

I suppose we will have to sing and drink beer all weekend.

How we suffer for our art!!

Special Blend on Facebook

Being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, we are now on Facebook.
Click here to see our page, and join the Special Blend group!!

Beer n Barbershop

We are all hard at work rehearsing our new package for the Beer 'n Barbershop show at the Bread and Bitter, Mapperley.

Our latest song is a closely guarded secret at the moment, but our choreographer thinks it's easily the funniest thing we have done, so we can't wait to perform it to an audience.

This show is doubling as the dress rehearsal for the Major Oak Chorus, and our fellow quartet, 4 Blokes Singin'.

Just think, barbershop in a pub that serves real ale - it just doesn't get any better than that!!



For more details of this event, click here

Some of the Audience at Le Printemps

Le Printemps - Derby

Wow. What an excellent evening. This event was for the EDUCATION FOR ALL charity and organised by Lily and Mike. The place was full of musicians, and students and what a reception we got!

Several people came up to us and said they had never heard Barbershop before, and how much they enjoyed our performances. I suppose our musical style makes a change from groups, and amplified music.

We were clowning about as usual, and once again had the audience laughing with our versions of Bye Bye Blues, When I'm 64, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah and of course Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Mick spent a lot of time taking photos of the audience (don't ask), and we were honoured to have a couple of highly experienced musicians complement us.

We sincerely hope that Mike and Lily raised a good sum of money for their charity, but, hey, we had loads and load of fun.

The final comment must come from organiser Mike who said.......

"You have put a lot of love into peoples' hearts tonight".

Lincoln Music Festival

A very enjoyable evening, with 6 quartets entering the contest, including Storm - one of the top two ladies quartets in Europe, so the winners were never in doubt.

We were placed third, but by an adjudicator who by her comments knew nothing about the Barbershop style of singing, so the whole thing was a bit of a lottery really. Anyway we had a good evening out and the crowd (who were far more knowledgeable about our style than the judge) seemed to really enjoy our two songs. This was very heartening as for the first time in this competition, we sang two "straight songs" (non comedy). Then it was back home, via the pub, to get ready for an all day coaching session with the Major Oak Chorus.

A singers work is never done............!!

Latest News

After a long layover, we're back!

On Friday 13th March (lucky for me - it's my birthday!!) we are competing at the Lincoln Music Festival in the Barbershop Quartet competition. We understand that there are six quartets competing, including our great friends KLEA Vision and also Storm who are contenders for the British, and possible the World Sweet Adelines Championship, so it will be no disgrace to come second to them, although we are much prettier :-)

On Sunday March 29th, we are taking part in "La Printemps" in aid of Education For All , a very worthwhile cause. If you want to come and see us, entry is free and it's at Bar One, 1 Newlands Street Derby DE1 1JD (near Friargate) , from 4.00pm till late.

Appearances

So far, we have been booked for the following appearances in 2009.

March 13th, we at the Lincoln Music & Drama Festival which is a favourite annual event of ours. There is all the fun of the festival itself, followed by a good party - who could want for more????

At the beginning of April we are singing for the Bramcote Wine Making Circle with the Major Oak Chorus and 4 Blokes Singing, and in June, at a date to be arranged at the site Moorgreen Show in the open air amphitheatre.

Happy New Year

Back again after all the excesses of Christmas.
We now have an intensive programme of learning new songs ready for the Lincoln Music and Drama Festival in March.

Hopefully I'll remember to post the application form in time this year and so avoid a last minute dash to the organisers office to get it in on time.

This year, we are planning two new songs for the competition together with a surprise item for the afterglow. Can't say too much about it, but I can say it will be unique if we can pull it off!!

We are now taking bookings for 2009, so if you want a fun quartet and quality singing, contact us (see the contact details on the RHS of this page).