So, things are picking up again after our time out to review a few things (I’ll post about them another time) but for now…

RG

Ok, so after a year off, we’re back this year with a new member, and also a helping with the launch of a new event in Manchester! Ooooo I hear you say!

First off, the new member!  We’d like to welcome Rob Bane into the Rufus Garside family as our shiny new bass player.  We found Rob lurking about on the streets of Cleveleys, well of sorts.  Rob found his way to us through a good friend of the band, Chris Krawiec, and after working with Gill and I for a few sessions at Chris’ church (St Andrew’s in Cleveleys) we decided to invite him along to audition for the band (more of a formality than anything else as he’s very good you know!) and to meet Luke.  The rest as they say is history and we’re now getting back up to speed with the old material, but also focussing on writing some more of our own, hopefully getting some stuff recorded at last and making sure we keep up with the trends bringing all those worship songs that people just love at the moment!

On on that note, the new event! Matt Lawley-Brown (a Methodist Youth Worker and another good friend of the band) recommended us to headline a new event for the Manchester and Stockport Circuit of Methodist Churches taking place on April 9th.  So, a quick text round, diaries are free and we’re booked to be there.  However, as you all know, we’re lacking a drummer following on from Josh’s departure last year (truth be told, as we had the time off, we didn’t look for one, we just happened across Rob really).  But that’s not all bad news, because Josh, still working with the Vision team and doing his session drumming, will be coming back to gig with us at this event, which gives us the privilege of being able to pay him in his own ministry as a session drummer, and continue in ours as worship leaders! It’s win win all round!

I’ll be posting more information very shortly about all of this, so keep your eyes and ears open and look out for more Rufus Garside to come this year! Whoop whoop!

God Bless Y’all
Andy T

Rufus Garside and the Antiquated Juveniles are a 4 piece group that came together in 2006. Made up of Luke Townley (Lead Guitar & Vocals), Andy Taylor (Keys & Vocals), Josh Potts (Drums & Percussion) and Gill Mott (Guitar & Vocals). Find out more about Rufus Garside.

As you probably know by now, Mr Joshua Potts has moved on from being the Rufus Garside drummer.  He’s now doing a lot of work with the Vision Team in Rossendale (learn more about them here) but is also doing a lot more by the way of Session Drumming.

It has been an honour to work with Josh and to see him progress as he has and we wish him all the very best in the future and his own journey!  Of course, this might mean we can learn new songs other than Delrious? now that we only have Gill “The Mega Delirious? Fan” Taylor in the band! lol..

So, what now says you all .. well, the three current remaining members of Rufus (Gill, Luke and I) are going a bit acoustic with our workings.  We’re planning on breaking things down a bit and doing some low key support work and worship work with the band, and hope to very soon be able to provide you with a track you can download recorded by the very skilled Daniel Stirling at SSR Studios in Manchester.

We’re not disappearing, but refocusing our work and bring a rawness back that we started with.

Anyway, please do pray for and support Josh as best you can, we certainly will.  And indeed, pray for these new grounds with Rufus too, and if you want to book us, get in touch!

God Bless Y’all
Andy T

So, we’ve not updated you for a while and Josh hasn’t bugged you on Facebook, so you’re probably wondering what’s going on, so here’s the quick low-down.

As some of you may know, Melbourne Street Church in Oswaldtwistle (who support the events there) have now changed their name and have a brand new building due to open in September on Union Road (so they’ve called themselves Union Road Community Church), but with the building works and all the usual stuff associated with things like that, we’ve not been able to firm up dates for over the summer, so instead, with people being away at different times, we’re going to be re-launching the event in September, hopefully in the new building but if not for a month or two down at Hippings Vale Community Centre on Harvey Street.

So that’s that, we’ve not disappeared, and in fact we’re working hard to get some events going in other areas of Lancashire, so keep your eyes on the site for updates and if you’ve not already become one, join us as a fan on Facebook and we can keep you updated that way too!

In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted on any other things we’re doing so you can get your Rufus Garside fix!

God Bless to All
Andy T ) x

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However, despite how good the event was, I managed to break the Korg M1 (for those of you who know me, you’ll know that the Korg M1 is my pride and joy and a keyboard I had been after getting for a long time before I managed to get my hands on one).  So, today, I decided to take it to pieces to see what the problem was, and I hit a key that hard (I’m not sure how as I’m sure I’d of broken my finger too!) that a clip on the inside that holds the key in place snapped and made it play the notes round it (it’s an F# I’ve snapped, so I get a dischordant F/F#/G .. wonderful huh!).  Anyway, the good news is, despite the fact the Korg M1 was made back in the 80′s, Korg still readily have spare parts available for it so the new key will be arriving soon! Whilst I was in there though, I thought I’d take a few pics so (for those interested) you can see what makes the Korg make some of those sounds we use as Rufus Garside! )

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I’ll put some more images up when I actually get the keys and repair it so you can see the work in progress (should you be interested!).

Anyway, blessings to all and thanks again to coming if you were there.  Don’t foget though (whether you were or weren’t there on Saturday) we have further events booked for 21st February and 21st March and more to be booked shortly!

We know, we’re really kind and you love us! So here you go, a desktop in a choice of colours!

Right, well, there have been three already, and there will be another three in Jan, Feb and Mar 2009 for sure .. what am I on about? The Melbourne Street Youth Worship Event of course!

It’s held at the Hippings Vale Community Centre on Harvey Street in Oswaldtwistle and we’re the current worship band down there, so come along to enjoy some contemporary, lively and free worship for all ages, and see which guest we get along!

If you want to advertise it, or maybe you just want to show off that you know about it, then download the poster below! There’s an A5 and an A4 version for you to choose from, including one with 2 A5 posters on a sheet to make it easier it you’re printing off a few for a youth group or church! Aren’t we good!

Melbourne Street Youth Worship Event Poster

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Melbourne Street Youth Worship Event Poster (BW)

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Well, here we are, 2009! It’s been quite a year in the world of Rufus Garside.  We started the year wondering what we were going to be doing in 2008 and looking for a direction and doing some soul searching to make sure we were still heading on the right track and decided to put focus on the activities of the band over that of our parent company, David’s Key, to work on the great musicianship we already had.

So, brief run down of the year:

January
We got John Kirby as our new drummer following a chance meeting on Luke’s doorstep
We started on some recordings including a live session at Haslingden High School

February
We did some work in Norden Vocal Coaching for the Pop Idol competition and helped at the Final
We did some more bits of recording to get a Demo CD out

March
Working alongside Andy Gray from Scripture union, we assisted with some Easter WOWs
We worked with Hollins Technology College doing some vocal coaching towards their Pop Idol Final
We started working with Moorhead doing a Music Week.
Gig at the Poplar WMC alongside Relentless Craving and MySpoon

April
We finished the Moorhead Music Week (go on, guess which week it was..)
More recording bits (this was on going really)
And more vocal coaching
John moved on to pursue other areas .. he’s a really good butcher and went back to do some more in that
which meant … Josh joined us a week before we were due to enter the Battle of the Bands at the Charles Napier learning 3 of our own tracks from scratch which was quite impressive!

Rufus Garside at the Charles Napier, Blackburn

May
More recording, more vocal coaching (but this time for Moorhead Pop Idol)

June
A bit of a quiet month for us with mainly practices in, but we also helped at the Hyndburn Pop Idol Final

July
We all helped Gill move house in July, so that was busy busy, but it was the start of the festival season …
Although not playing at, three of us (Josh, Gill ‘n I) went to Soul Survivor Week A in Stafford – that was amazing
And Hollybush Family Camp started which Luke, Gill ‘n I popped along to (with my little MiniMe field fairy Emily)

August
Time off and Greenbelt was on the cards here, with the odd practice

September
Back to everything with a few events in namely:
A mothers union meeting @ St Paul’s Church in Oswaldtwistle to promote our work as a band and company
The ArchDeacons Mission weekend at Hoghton Parish Church, including a garden party at the vicarage!

Hoghton Parish Church Weekend

October
The first of the Melbourne Street Youth Worship Events happened at the start of October with numerous other worship bookings

November
Morning worship at Abundant Life MillHill (not Bradford, not yet anyway!) and Helmshore Christian Fellowship
3 Schools Weeks with Christ Churhc with Canon Street (or whatever their new title is! teehee) in Norden, Mount Carmel and Hollins
The second of the Melbourne Street Youth Worship Events

December
A couple of assemblies in QEGS – not band ones but fun all the same .. on that note, does anyone know the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” just to make Gill happy?
A Christmas WOW with Andy Gray from Scripture Union in a Bamber Bridge School
Followed the next day by a Christmas Praise Party in St Andrew’s School, Oswaldtwistle
The third of the Melbourne Street Youth Worship Events
Cottage Jam – it tastes lovely .. well .. sounded lovely anyway .. we Jammed at Gill’s New Years Bash and were joined by Mr Keith Ayling on the Drums too! Oooooo …

So, as you can see, quite an eventful year, and that’s just band stuff, never mind all the other bits and pieces in the background with David’s Key!  So, for 2009, we have a number of things planned, some we can tell you (such as more worship events for Melbourne Street – dates are available now – see the Gig Guide), some recording and possibly our first EP!

One thing we do need, a bass player, we sound pretty darn good as it is (even if I do say so myself) but if you know a bass player looking to join a local band then give them our contact details, we’d love to hear from them!

Other plans we have, well, they’ll be unveiled as and when we can!  For now though, happy new year to you all and I hope Santa brought you lots of goodies!

Now, where are the rest of them to blog .. Josh, I know you’ll do something, Gill, Luke .. kooooeeee …

Bless you all
AT xx