Following a few gigs recently, in various formats, with diverse guest musicians and under various aliases, the two of us who were previously in "Black Parrot Seaside" (Geoff Veasey and Arnold Chave) have now finally agreed on a new name. We can confirm that our new name will be " The Grit Tray." It is hopefully one we can hang onto for a while.
We had previously selected "Buzzard's Luck " as our new ID, until one of our (many!) ex-musicians gleefully directed us to that band's website! Turned out they existed already: a bunch of Good Ol' Boys based somewhere in the USA. We don't want any copyright issues with them, and originality has always been our forte, so our last appearance as Buzzard's Luck was last weekend, at Bedworth Folk Festival. ( As we were billed on their posters as someone else, that also caused a fair amount of further confusion).
We then discussed the viability of becoming "Corncrake's Misfortune" or, " The Great Widgeon Catastrophe," but decided that with our luck, someone else might suddenly and simultaneously also decide what great, quirky names they were. Not so much chance of that we felt, with us becoming " The Grit Tray."
Since 1975, Black Parrot Seaside (B.P.S.), in all its various guises, and with two albums, (one on vinyl), behind us, has been our musical home. O.K. we went into hibernation periodically, but as a Rock band and later in several folk formats, we'd kept the same name going since then. It was Dave Sampson who initially persuaded us to reform the Folk band itself once again in 2006, for what was intended at that time only to be a one-off Air Ambulance Fund Raiser. We had so much fun we kept it going for another six years. During that time we played many venues but finally split up again in June of this year. Two of us were determined to keep playing, doing much the same kind of material, and we wanted to retain the ornithological theme. If you visit the erstwhile BPS website (which is still running-but we have no access or input into it) you will see lots of puns and references to all things avian, because of what has always been viewed as a fun name and a fun image.
"The Grit Tray " seems particularly appropriate to us, because of the rudimentary (but essential) function such a piece of apparatus has to perform in the bottom of say, a Cockatoo or Macaw cage. Do I need to spell it out any further? Oh all right then. Whilst our time together has mostly been very enjoyable, sometimes in the life of any musician, a little s*** must happen. Yeah, we've been up there, on the Perch of Destiny, squawking merrily, or gnawing at the Cuttlefish Bone of Opportunity. Occasionally though, it has felt like we've been scratting about instead amongst the sanded papers, looking up angrily as something runny, mostly white and no longer wanted, has fallen down upon our heads.
Here's a Senior Management joke. A head teacher was walking across Trafalgar Square. A passing pigeon suddenly voided a very large lump of doodoo from height upon his bald pate. The Head stopped, shook his fist upwards and shouted " Yes! Go ahead! Everyone else does!"
So that's the imagery. Something useful and functional. Something still very much parrot-related. Something which is (literally) prepared to take the er, rough, with the smooth. And it abbreviates nicely to TGT. Which will help keep down the costs of business cards.
Since the split, our current set list is still changing and evolving. At one gig recently, (for the first time since we all began playing together in 1978), there was not one song we performed which was our own. And every song was one we had not ever attempted as a four-piece. However, our intention remains largely to continue to perform a mix of Traditional Folk, acoustic material we like, some Blues and our own (mostly) Comic material. By popular demand, as it were. We can guarantee that plenty of Old Black Parrot Seaside tunes will still be included! And who knows? Maybe ...one day...the Macaw will arise once more?
Once again...thanks for reading. And keep tuning in.
