Greyhound gig postponed - Simon's poorly!

Forget the last news item. The Greyhound gig in Coventry this Saturday will be postponed until nearer the summer.

The reason - lead singer and melodeon-man Simon was admitted to Warwick Hospital on Monday with abdominal pains. They're still being diagnosed but he's doped up at the moment and is likely to need an operation this week. So he'll be in no fit state to perform this Saturday.

The gig at the Bull Inn, Witherley on Saturday 26th April will go ahead with or without Simon - watch this space for updates on gigs and on Simon's condition.

Two old 'Sods to join beer festival line-up

Two former Oddsods members are to join the line-up on the afternoon of Saturday 19th April for the band's beer festival appearance at The Greyhound Inn, on the canalside at Sutton Stop, Coventry.

Fiddle-player Nigel Ward is to step in for Mick Shaler who won't be available for the gig, while founder Oddsods member Bob Brooker, now playing bouzouki and banjo for popular folk and ceilidh band Dark Island, will be the band's sixth man.

The free admission show begins at 4pm and runs until the early evening. The band will be entertaining connoisseurs of a wide selection of ales and they may even try the odd tipple themselves - just to keep the vocal cords lubricated.

Star Trekker Doc Aims For The Top

Oddsods euphonium wizard, Richard 'Doc' Rider is to trek to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in a bid to raise £6000.

In December, Richard and his son Stephen are heading to Tanzania to do the sponsored climb and take part in an International Conference, organised by the charity ‘Engineers Against Poverty'(EAP). The money will help EAP work with industry, government and civil society to fight poverty and promote sustainable development. (Check out their website for further details)

Over the next few months Doc will be inviting friends, colleagues and anyone else that happens by to sponsor the climb. From now ‘til December, he and his family are planning events and rattling a collecting tin to raise the cash.

Look out for news of a special Oddsods gig to help the cause. If anyone has any other fund-raising ideas, speak to Richard or Liz.

Meanwhile, here's wishing every success to our intrepid mountaineers, doing their bit to eradicate global poverty. Keep on trekking guys!

All change for Paddy's weekend

The landlord of the Greyhound in Coventry booked in a wedding for Saturday 15th March - then realised he'd also booked the 'Sods to celebrate the patron saint of good times and no snakes! It would have been chaos!

The good news is - he has another pub. So reset your satnavs folks. We're celebrating St.Pat's at the Bull Inn, Witherley, Nth. Warwickshire (on the A5 between Nuneaton and Atherstone CV9 1RD). There'll be a big marquee, lashings of Guinness and a rare old time.

And if you're looking for something special to wear that evening, why not take your pick from one of our specially designed, stylish t-shirts and long sleeve shirts with a great selection of shamrocks, Oddsods logos and cool pictures of the band?

Go on - prove you're a true fan!

After another momentous year, it's time to look forward to new plans and resolutions.

Perhaps this will be the year of the new album. Or the year we add lots of new material to the repertoire (we have been adding some!) Or the year we eventually get paid for the gig we did last October at Molly O'Grady's!

We finished off 2007 in great style at the Denbigh Arms, Monks Kirby. The room was packed with Christmas refugees and the band (minus Paul who had his own gig in Phuket) was joined by some excellent 'And Friends': Colin Squire (guitar & vox), Martin Bushnell (fiddle), Minty (cello), JP (banjo), Banjo Dave (guess the instrument), Caroline Sampson (recorder and whistles), Jack Shuttleworth (harp and squeezebox) and former Oddsod Nigel Ward on the fiddle (don't tell the taxman!).

We've noticed that the pub now has a permanent notice on the wall by the lounge entrance which says we're there on the last Sunday of every month - so it looks like the regular gig carries on this year.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) sees us back at another regular gig - first Wednesday of the new year at the Ride-A-Cock-Horse Folk Club at the Arts Centre in Banbury and always a treat, for us anyway and hopefully for the audience as well!


Thanks to all who have supported us, followed our fortunes, joined in with our sessions at the Denbigh and at Warwick Folk Festival, bought our CDs (in some cases more than one copy after wearing out the first one!), booked us for their weddings, birthdays, retirements and other excuses for parties, yelled 'more!!' at the end of our gigs, and generally made it such fun to be an Oddsod! Here's to another fun-packed year or many 'alves!

Happy New Year!!!

Thanks for your support - we will wear it always!

Great to see so many friends on stage and in the audience at the And Friends session at the Denbigh last night. Even as Simon languished at home with back pain (actually that's no joke!) we all played gamely on and had a great time.

Thanks in particular to Minty, Colin, Banjo Dave, Bob and Ewan from Dark Island, Jackie and Jackie for performing with us - and thanks to all who turned up. Good to chat to so many people who read this blog and keep up with our news. Feel free to add comments on our news items by the way.

Just to announce that we will be back at the Denbigh on the last Sunday of the year - i.e. December 30th. Well some of us will. It may be more Friends and the Odd Sod but it will be a great night out to fill that blank period between Christmas and New Year.

And as a special treat - here's a very early photo of Mick Shaler. Didn't he look sweet!

Strictly come dancing...

Paul Kenny has been such an inspiration.