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.

Fancy fretwork at The Tump

Pete Willow has been asked to host a night of lively guitar pickin' at The Tump Music Club in Brinklow on Thursday 6th December.

Guests for the evening are finger-pickin' wizards Pete Smith and Chris Williams. Click here for a taste of what's to come. Says Pete, 'I'll just strum a couple of numbers and then join the audience to watch the masters at work!'

The music kicks off at 8.30pm at the Royal British Legion, Heath Lane, Brinklow. For more details, call the organiser on 02476 714370.

The CAMRA never lies...

The band was given a great review for our performance at the Birmingham Beer Festival organised by CAMRA last month...

On Friday evening, we saw a fantastic performance by Coventry-based 'Oddsods', a mix of Irish, Scottish and some 'English' folk, interspersed with some jovial banter with the audience. We have never featured a folk band at the festival before, but it was nice to see that most of the audience knew the words and joined in with the likes of 'Dirty old Town' 'Fields of Athenry' and 'Whiskey in the Jar'. If you want to find out more about the band, visit their website www.oddsods.net or myspace entry www.myspace.com/oddsods.

The full Festival review is here. Cheers guys!

Get it in writing!

The original item in this part of the blog has been removed following an agreement as part of an out-of-court settlement with a venue that had been in breach of contract.

The contract was verbal. While we achieved a settlement, it took months of hassle to sort out. Our advice to any band offered a booking by any commercial venue is to get the agreement in writing. If the venue refuses a written contract, don't accept the booking.

Updated 28 July 2008

Online press kit - our shameless endorsement!

We've just added another string to the bow for our online promotion. The Oddsods have their own online press kit!


PCWillow has been set up by Pete and Chele as a service to help improve coverage for bands and musicians.


Says Pete:

The design of the press kits reflects years of frustration I have had - as a columnist and festival programme writer - trying to get some clear information (or good quality photographs) from some of this country's top bands.

Here's a link to the PCWillow home page - this explains how the press kit works and other media support services available. And here's a link to the press kit for our good friends, Joe O'Donnell's Shkayla.

If you're a musician, promoter or venue organiser looking for better media coverage, why not get in touch?