Bank Holiday Photoshoot

Nicky Dega, our newest band member, tells us about yesterday's day of photos, videos and bandter!

On the 29th of August, Down for the Count headed to The Joint Rehearsal Studios in Kings Cross. For nearly all of us, it was the first time we had been to these amazing studios and we got to use the largest room, the Sound Stage for the whole day. This time we were not recording any songs but using it as a background to take some lovely new pictures and two new videos. As a new member in the band, this was especially exciting for me as it will be nice to be on the website with the other band members.

In the morning (after getting a little bit excited at the possibility that Eliza Doolittle was in the same studio as us!), Steve's girlfriend Linda very kindly took lots of pictures of the band performing, some head shots and everyone's favourite 'hanging out' shots!

In the afternoon the real work started when we recorded videos for Lady is a Tramp and Superstition. Mike and Amelia took charge of the camera, shooting people individually from lots of angles, which meant that we could sit and enjoy watching different members play.

Although it was a really fun day, it was long! DFTC got there at 10am and stayed till 8pm, meaning that some of us did try and catch some sneaky naps in between takes!

The new photos will be appearing on the website in the next week or so, and the videos some time after that.

Paul & Diego's civil partnership with Down for the Count

On Friday 29th July 2011, Down for the Count provided the music for Paul & Diego's civil partnership in Surrey. Here is their account of their day.

We decided to have both our civil ceremony and reception at the same venue as we had guests from England as well as Ireland and Italy – a multicultural affair! We asked friends and colleagues and looked hard online for a pianist to play during reception drinks and ceremony and a jazz band to play during the meal. Eventually we came across Down for the Count who were flexible enough to provide both and, based on their reviews, we thought they were the best option for us.

Mike also kindly agreed to play some background piano music as we arrived for reception drinks. As we had two relatives singing some Irish folk songs during the ceremony, Mike provided piano accompaniment, which made for a very touching, haunting experience. The songs included The Hermit Song and The Hiding Place by Liam Lawton and, especially for the Italians, Nella Fantasia by Ennio Morricone. Mike was already proving to be a consummate, talented musician at this point. The vocalists also commented on his professional and personable manner, which made it easier for them as they only had about 20 minutes to rehearse before the ceremony!

The 6-piece band played two 45-minute background jazz sets during the meal and two 45-minute dancing sets. As we were very busy coming up to the wedding, we hadn’t really had time to sit down and decide what songs/music we wanted, so we made a few requests and asked Mike if they could provide a mix of their best pieces.

Their performance was outstanding, exceeding all our expectations. One of the guests commented that she couldn’t believe a jazz band could be so talented and so young at the same time, as you would normally expect such flair from an older band. They played some classic pieces and, of course, our requests, which included Have I Told You Lately That I Love You for our first dance. Another request was Valerie, Amy Winehouse style. The singer belted out such an amazing rendition that, as it was our first dance and we were quite nervous, at one point we thought it was the Winehouse CD playing!

The band then played and sang some electrifying dance pieces, which got everyone dancing. They continued to play until 10 pm, when the DJ began. We must admit that by that point the atmosphere was so exhilarating that we wished we’d booked them until the end!

Between the piano music during reception drinks and ceremony and the jazz band later, Down for the Count were with us throughout the day. We were absolutely blown away by them. They scored top marks in every area, from professionalism and flexibility to talent and stylishness. Mike was incredibly efficient and organised throughout the process and he was a pleasure to deal with. We would recommend this band for anyone who wants to give their function, wedding or party a special edge.

Thanks again!

A Trip to New York City

Amelia tells us how a trip to New York inspired our most recent public concert

Three months before Down For The Count’s annual live concert at Winslow Public Hall, Mike and myself embarked on a rather elaborate research trip to New York City, sadly not paid for on band expenses.

We had chosen to theme the event around NYC and put on a show of classic swing and Rat Pack tunes; we hoped to evoke the atmosphere of a night ‘on the town’ and so felt we should probably have one, or several, and experience both the glamour and grit of the Big Apple.

Day one, feeling less than fresh from the plane ride, but with excitement and adrenaline to see us through, we planned to dive straight in and visit one of the most famous and notorious jazz clubs, Birdland. We approached the venue with slight apprehension not knowing quite what to expect – should we have booked a table? Have we missed the start of the show? Will the drinks be really expensive? Will they know instantly that we are tourists and turn us away?

We arrived at the unassuming single doorway (a net curtain hiding any view of what was inside) for the ‘earlybird’ show. We were instantly welcomed and shown to small table. The show was clearly popular with anyone looking to dine early and be entertained by the fantastic house band, and not quite knowing the set-up, we asked the very British question ‘is it ok to just have drinks for now??’ We were pleased to hear the enthusiastic answer of ‘sure’ followed by several fantastic cocktails (pomegranite mojitos – lush) and an endless supply of tap water we didn’t have to ask for. I could completely get used to that all-American level of service.

The club was very simple with a darkwood polished bar, deep red velvet curtains, small tables lit by a single candle and black and white photographs of jazz greats adorning the walls. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed and the band continued that feeling as they simply stepped on stage, expecting no applause or announcement, and just started to play.

The band were The Louis Armstrong Centennial Sextet, and as the name suggests, played a great set of Dixieland and early jazz. With no bass, instead a tuba to provide the bass line, they really evoked the era with an almost marching-band feel, and finished their set with ‘Dinah’ which had nearly all band members sing along, clearly knowing the music inside out, and truly loving it.

Inspired by what we’d seen stateside, we set to adding as much NYC flair to Winslow Public Hall as we could. We printed classic black and white images of jazz greats and framed them in ‘expensive’ ornate frames (from Poundland) and made hanging paper chandeliers from gorgeous gold glitter card for the stage. The tables were simple – dark red tablecloths (Birdland had velvet, we had linen-effect paper!), with deep red candles. Whilst the bar drinks menu was decidedly less fancy, with wine instead of cocktails, drinks were poured from beautiful bobbled glass jugs and topped up with ice from the fab chrome ‘Big Apple’ shaped ice bucket.

We hope we gave our guests as close to a New York night on the town as we could in Buckinghamshire, and whilst Down for the Count may not have the kudos (or budget!) of Birdland, we hope we gave people a night to remember all the same.

Three (rather special) days in the life of Down for the Count

There is little doubt that one of the best 'perks' of being in a function band is having the opportunity to perform at some extraordinary venues. This summer, we've played at some amazing locations - and so far three have stood out in particular.

On July 15th, we performed at the home of English cricket - Lord's. Not wanting to get too excited, we arrived expecting to be playing in a tiny function room miles from the pitch - so you can imagine our surprise when we were shown to the performance space, the debentures lounge in the Mound Stand.

We had spectacular view of the pitch and the famous Pavilion (just a shame there wasn't any cricket on!) and we were also fed some absolutely delicious Indian food.

The event was a corporate event for InfoSys, in aid of the Make a Wish Foundation – we performed some lounge jazz music as the guests were arriving and having drinks, before launching into a short dancing set to finish off the evening.

A few weeks later, we were booked for Anthony and Becky's wedding at Pinewood Studios, just outside London. This venue was simply amazing - on a quick pre-performance stroll, we got a glimpse of the outdoor stage where they were filming the new Johnny Depp film (rumour has it that Mr. Depp was there himself late in the evening) and the world famous 007 Stage.

We were performing in the ballroom at Heatherden Hall - a Victorian country house in the grounds of the studio, which has been used in hundreds of films including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and From Russia With Love.

We started off performing as a saxophone and piano duo, providing background music during the wedding meal, before three 45-minute sets with our 9-piece function band.

The wedding itself was absolutely superb, and the guests were a pleasure to play for - it was one of those weddings where we felt like part of the party!

Then a week later it was a quick hop up the M40 for a wedding at the world-famous Bodlean Library in Oxford. Mike had spent three years studying at Oxford but had never actually been inside the library!

This wedding also had a special twist - we were asked to recreate the "All You Need Is Love" wedding scene from Love Actually for the bride and groom, complete with some secret musicians hidden amongst the wedding guests ready to jump up and surprise everyone! Simon, Claire, Nicky, and our lovely violinist Rebecca all dressed as wedding guests to blend in and took their seats 15 minutes before the service - armed with cover stories in case any other guests tried to start a conversation! Then as the bride and groom were about to leave, Nicky started singing - with everyone else standing up and joining in for the chorus.

After that we were playing outside in the stunning quadrangle, whilst the guests enjoyed drinks and tours of the library before sitting down to dinner. To celebrate such an early finish to a gig, we headed to a lovely pub for a beer and dinner, to celebrate three successful gigs!

A busy summer with Down for the Count!

Summer is usually the busiest time for a function band, and we've been extremely busy with weddings and other events over the past few months!  July saw a performance for the Make A Wish Foundation at the quite spectacular Lord's Cricket Ground, along with two trips the length of the M4 and several other weddings!  It doesn't ease off from here, because on Saturday we're off to the world famous Pinewood Studios and then have a huge wedding on Sunday (where we are providing music for the wedding ceremony, a jazz band in the afternoon and our 9-piece function band in the evening!)

Lord's Cricket Ground - as backdrops to performance spaces go, this takes some beating!

We've also been back to the Limehouse Studio to record some fantastic lounge jazz music with our new singer Nicky Dega - you can hear the new tracks here!

Nicky in the vocal booth, and Steve playing his imaginary guitar....

Our New Year's Resolution for August is that we're going to start making more use of all this modern 'social media'!  So make sure you follow this blog along with our Facebook and Twitter pages, as we hope to be updating you more frequently with the antics of your favourite Jazz, Rat Pack, Swing, Motown and Soul Function band!

Another looooong drive down the M4 and across the Severn Bridge into Wales

Rosalind and Oliver's wedding day with Down for the Count

On Friday 15th April 2011, Down for the Count provided the music for the wedding of Rosalind and Oliver Lambert in Marlow-on-Thames. Here is their account of their special day.

We hunted high and low for a band with a broad repertoire, high quality vocals and instrumentals. None quite matched up to Down for the Count. We found it very scary hiring a live band - if it went well, it would be amazing and so much better than a DJ, but if they were late, too loud, not up to scratch the whole day could be ruined.

From our first enquiry through many follow-up requests Mike was helpful and efficient every step of the way. He also managed to liase with me, the bride, and my Mum, keeping secrets where appropriate!

Our wedding wasn't until 4pm, so our guests had plenty of time to get there and get ready. We also had plenty of time to get ready, which was great for the bride and bridesmaid, but allowed the groom to get a little nervous about his speech and our first dance.

Our guests assembled from around 3.30pm with Mike playing a selection of romantic songs from our favourite musicals on the keyboard. Before we knew it 4pm had arrived and the bride entered to "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" which everyone felt was very appropriate! The ceremony flew by, we hardly heard our vows, as we were concentrating so hard on what we were saying. Mike played "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" and "Ave Maria" while we signed the register, which was wonderfully calming. Once the ceremony was complete we made our way outside to Handel's "La Réjouissance". I'd like to say we remember that bit but we were a bit overwhelmed by that point. However after a quick sprint Mike joined his bandmates in the next room, to play a favourite of the mother of the bride, Louis Armstrong's jazz version of "Here Comes the Bride" from the film "High Society". This was secret Mike had kept from the bride, and a very lovely surprise it was too.

The jazz band continued to play as we drank champagne and had photographs taken in the sunshine. After dinner the rest of the group had assembled to form the full 9-piece function band and we were ready for our first dance, "The Way You Make Me Feel', specially arranged and learnt at our request. This was the most nerve-racking part of the day, as we had practised with the recorded version but obvioulsy hadn't heard the band. Their performance was spot on and kept to just three minutes, as requested. The original is over five minutes and therefore far too long to keep dancing for!

The dancing continued all evening, with a bit of something for everyone, including a few current songs on our iPod while the band took their breaks. The dancefloor was heaving all night and everyone enjoyed the music immensely. They wrapped our evening up for us with a final dance of "Rock With You", after which we left everyone else to dance a little longer, and we headed down the road in a personalised london taxi!

A huge thanks to everyone in Down for the Count, especially Mike. We hope you choose to invite them to perform at your wedding - whichever part of the day you want them for, we know they can cover whatever you might want, just as they did for us!

Rosalind Lambert
July 2011

Photographs courtesy of Brown Box Photography

A Busy Weekend For Down for the Count

Max Fagandini shares his thoughts on another weekend in the life of a busy function band!

Ah, to be paid for doing something you enjoy. Well, we enjoyed it at least – Mike was probably tearing his hair out with the stress of organisation. This most recent string of gigs featured the delightful playing of several dep players, some of whom were playing with the band for the first time – but of course, they all pulled it off with aplomb and the band sounded great. So a massive thank you and well done to Rhiannon Drake, Jonna van den Berg, Jamie Hone, Meridyth Dickson and Rob Cossins for their sterling work.

Thursday 23rd March saw the band heading up to Oxfordshire for an Oxford University Press conference at Eynsham Hall. Upon arrival at the hall (and yes, having a Streetvan parked out the front of this historic manor did look a tad incongruous) it was confirmed that we would be playing outside, and so with several fretful looks at the gathered clouds we begin to set up for the evening. Thankfully, however, the rain held back and we didn’t have to witness the soul-crushing scene of all of our electrical equipment fizzling its way off this mortal coil. The gig went marvellously, with the band sounding as tight as an inappropriate simile and the lovely Rhiannon singing up a storm. The third set started unusually, with a request from a guest for the Andrews Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – as sung by her own, former-Las-Vegas-showgirl self. A first-rate performance, I might add.

The following day was Down for the Count’s triumphant return to Don’t Tell Fred, the Sheen-based restaurant and bar. Slightly shorter hair and a notable absence of door-related monologues signalled that tonight’s tenor sax dep would be Meridyth Dickson rather than the esteemed Jamie Hone, another Down for the Count first-timer who proved to be just as talented as her Walthamstow-bred compatriot. The gig had an even better turnout than its previous iteration – the crowd included several more members of the Ballard family, including one who had come over from Brazil just for this gig [citation needed], and a Fagandini or three as well. Celeb-spotters were disappointed when Clare Balding failed to make another appearance, but were soon put in better spirits by the swingtastic and soultacular (both words trademark Down for the Count) music. Many thanks to everyone who came along to support!

The third day of this musical odyssey brought the band to Micklefield Hall in Hertfordshire or, more accurately, an elaborate marquee just outside the hall. A quick and easy set up was followed by a leisurely dinner on the dainty sandwiches provided by the caterers and a sudden realisation on Mike’s part that the groom had wanted some horn parts for a rendition of All You Need Is Love. A frantic attempt at working out the key proved successful and the horn section was happy to step up on stage to accompany the groom and best man for their short Beatles tribute. The rest of the evening went off without a hitch and provided a fittingly positive ending to an exhausting three days.

The band’s got a number of these strings of gigs coming up over the next few months – it’ll be a lot of work, but if they end up half as good as this weekend was we’ll have nothing to worry about.