You-Tube Views of Blyth Blues

Blues Views of the Boneshakers

 

Here's the links to You-Tube footage of the Boneshakers at Blyth Blues Club.

Oh, man, they're brilliant!

 

http://youtu.be/E-wchivLW8g  Crossroads

http://youtu.be/gxoB56vf6EM  Hipshake

http://youtu.be/XJO-NONJ_eU  Need your love so bad

http://youtu.be/jwgVLm--zJ8  Dust My Broom

http://youtu.be/nunbjJaSTC4  Shake Your Moneymaker

 http://youtu.be/IXoW-U56BxM Rock me Baby

http://youtu.be/S9gxkRcy5cY  How Blue Can You Get?

Boneshakers Go Off Like a Rocket at George Stephenson

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The Boneshakers had built up a head of steam for the George Stephenson gig - and it showed, because from the second they exploded onto the stage - engines at full throttle - they took off like the proverbial ROCKET!

 What an amazing show these guys put on.  The whole of the blues/rock music scene are talking about the Boneshakers - and so they should.  To steal the words of Brian Setzer's song:

THESE GUYS ARE RED HOT

With new numbers introduced to their sets like 'Call me the Breeze' and 'High Heel Sneakers', with added deep shine to their performance that made you squeeze your eyes tight shut - and extra LICKS of spit and polish to boot, these lads are glaringly sensational.

NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT FOLKS, THESE LADS ARE HITTING THE HEIGHTS IN THE

WORLD OF BLUES MUSIC

 

Russ (lead guitar and vocals) SHOOK, RATTLED AND ROLLED throughout, and, sweating like a bull at the end of a fantastic performance, said,

"Wish I'd remembered me fan!"

 So do I, Russ! 
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RUSS HIRD

Ronnie (blues harp and backing vocals) HOOTED AND HOLLERED the most amazing blues harp anyone would wish to hear.  With a great big grin on a face now devoid of that famous goatee beard, he said:

"I'm lovin' it, loving it, lovin' it!"

RONNIE SEMPLE

So are we, Ronnie! 

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When I spoke to Dave (Bass Guitar) after the gig, and I told him his performance on the bass tonight was absolutely STEAMING, he said:

"Never mind me bass steamin' - there's steam comin' oot me ears!"

DAVE HILDRETH

* 

Gordon CLICKETY-CLACKED in style on drums tonight, PLATFORMING superb brilliance.

"Aye, great gig, but why did I bring me mother!"

GORDON SMILES

 

Well, your mam, loved every single minute of it. 

*

  

 

 

                                       WHAT A BAND

                                      

                                       WHAT AMAZING TALENT

And if you want to see the band in action, here's some You-Tube links:

 

 5 great tracks from 4 fab guys - fast tracking to greatness

http://youtu.be/Dca_tUdCBxY

http://youtu.be/YvGupNkQm5Q

http://youtu.be/4Vf-q5qqxiQ

http://youtu.be/xZaOTdhIzy0

http://youtu.be/1YWoMYfwTMU

 

THE BONESHAKERS WILL BE GETTING TOGETHER AGAIN SOON - CHECK OUT THEIR FORTHCOMING GIGS ON THE ROCKINWITHTHEBONESHAKERS BLOG - RIGHT HERE  

 

Review: Flying High at the Flying Horse

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The Boneshakers, on the lookout for a new drummer, were auditioning Gordon Smiles tonight, live, during their second set. 

Gordon, a great bloke, ex The Ugly Brothers fame that had lasted 25 years before they split - looking to add to his repertoire as a member of a North East pipe band - had his sights set on playing drums with a blues/rock band - so who better a band  than the brilliant Boneshakers to help him break through onto the blues scene. That's Gordon, pictured below right with his wife Roz and Ronnie Semple's daughter, Gemma.

During the first set, he watched and listened to the Boneshakers do their amazing stuff.  "They're a great band," he said to me, fiddling nervously with the drum sticks he'd brought along with him, "Hope I can do them justice."

Tonight, Russ Hird (lead guitar and vocals) was trying out something new for himself. 
With his newly-acquired Fender Stratocaster with gorgeous mother-of-pearl scratch plate and a brand spanking new strap with his name in huge black lettering, he thundered through numbers like Dust my Broom and You Don't Love Me - with real 'Pride and Joy' in the fantastic sound he reproduced through that great g-e-e-t-a-r.  He sure made that instrument sing.



Ronnie Semple on blues harp did his usual amazing stunts and tricks.  Nobody in the North of England can play harp like Ronnie - and tonight he played that mouth-piece of his with sensational aplomb.  His 'friend', a little green skeleton man he calls 'The Boneshaker', clung to the mike stand in awe of his master!  Ronnie insists that his mascot talks to him!!  Well tonight, I think he'll have whispered, "Go, Ronnie, go - you're a star, bonny lad."



Dave Hildreth on bass guitar chewed gum, tapped his feet, raised his eyes to the heavens and hit the bassiest sounds ever.  He'd said before the gig he was looking forward to playing alongside the prospective new drummer.  "A bass man and a drummer have to hit it off right from the word go - one has to be in tune with the other - or it's no go," he told me. Dave is a 'no-frills' bass expert who tells it like it is!



Barry Ellis of Shanghai fame, still continuing to fill in with the Boneshakers until the lads find their new drummer, kept his head firmly under his baseball cap as always. The guys have been grateful for his workmanlike approach to their gigs.



Time for the second set and Gordon said, "Whoa, I'm bottling it!"  But he got up there like a hero and shook his tail feathers, bringing out his brushes to start Walkin' Blues off to a soft and tender start.  The Boneshakers built up to an unbelievably great crescendo of blues notes and riffs.  Russ's voice was in fine fettle tonight and he sang this one as well as I've heard it sung anywhere.  Ronnie's harp solo interludes were stunning and Dave was sure gettin' in the groove with the new man at the drum kit.

The crowd loved it.  They wanted more from this prospective new member of the band - and they got it.  You Upset Me Baby, a Joe Bonamassa number, went down a storm.  Gordon Smiles drummed his way through this emotional song with such heart, the blues-lovin' audience were almost in tears.
As the crowd roared their appreciation, Gordon said,

"It's the best time I've had wi' me claes on for a lang time." 

The job is now Gordon's (of course it is) from the end of April, but Ronnie was keen to point out,

"Bloody hell, I'm glad Gordon kept his claes on tonight!"

Russ said,

"Yep. Gordon did a great job. How d'you like the new Strat?"

Talking about the Boneshakers great night, he said "Hmm...4-1 - a great night for the toon." - Pardon?

And Dave, a man of few words, said,

"Champion. Gordon'll do nicely"



However, he did also say, "Kebabs, the food of Kings...well Greek and Turkish Kings anyhow."  I reckon he was thinking about stopping off at the takeaway on the way home!

Barry will play his last stand-in gig with the Boneshakers on 17th April.

And so, to Gordon Smiles (and he does - SMILE a lot, that is!) -

'BIG SMILES BACK ATCHYA'

WELCOME TO THE BONESHAKERS

GORDON SMILES - 

DRUMMER EXTRAORDINAIRE

You can see footage of Gordon doing his thing with the Blues-Mad Boneshakers to 'You Upset Me Baby' on You-Tube.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLjlJUh55mM



Shake Hands with the Boneshakers

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Genre: blues/rock

Individually, we are:

            Russ Hird - Guitar and Vocals

             Ronnie Semple - Harmonica and Vocals



              Dave Hildreth - Bass Guitar   

          Mark Henderson - Drums



    

Collectively, we are:

THE BONESHAKERS



WE'RE A FOOT-TAPPIN' LIVELY ROADHOUSE BLUES BAND covering all your 'rip-your-balls-out' rockin' tunes by the likes of Jeff Healey, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd.  All of us have histories too long to go into but we've all played in rock, blues and rock 'n' roll bands for as long as we can remember.  Mark and Dave can even add a touch of funky soul to add to their repertoires! (You can read, 'Meet the Band Members' on this blog)

We've all done the rounds with various other bands over the years but we needed to get out teeth into something a bit 'ballsy' - and out popped THE BONESHAKERS!

We've gone for the gritty blues music none of us have done in ages.  We've only been going a few short months and already we're loving how we're sounding.  Already we're a pretty tight band.

***

We're looking forward to getting our bald heads...(well Ronnie and Dave are bald, for sure - and we think that Russ and Mark might be wearing wigs!!)...hot and sweaty and play exactly the type of material we've been threatening to go back to playing for a long time.

***

Every last one of us is up for it - and we're hoping to collect a few fans on the way.

So we hope to see you at one of our gigs along the way (you can view our 'Forthcoming Gigs' on this site) and hope that we can make some friends too.

Our major musical influences are Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonnamassa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Jeff Healey, ZZ Top, Rory Gallagher, Blackfoot...and more!

***

The BONESHAKERS are keen supporters of local North East bands such as The Scoundrels, the Ragpickers, the Smokehouse Boys, the Gatecrashers, Lyndon Anderson Band, Bessie and the Zinc Buckets, the Bushwackers, Sticky Fingers, the Troubleshooters, the Bandits, Mojo Hand Band

...and so many more, we couldn't possibly fit them on the page!

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IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING, YOU MIGHT LIKE TO FOLLOW THE BONESHAKERS BLOG HERE ON 'ROCKIN' WITH THE BONESHAKERS'.

All you have to do is click on 'follow', join Google if you haven't already (it costs not a dime!) and...voila! 

IT ONLY TAKES A MO'

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FOLLOW THE BONESHAKERS ON FACEBOOK TOO