Our thanks to Natasha Wescoat for allowing us use one of her paintings as the theme for this site.
The picture we have used is called "Lacy Tree" and is just one of a series of paintings on a similar theme.
If you want to see more of Natasha's work, have a look at her website by clicking the photo below. It's a visual delight and
there is a good selection of prints for sale.
This is a quote from Natashas' website
"I'm inspired by the lighter side of life. Through trying times, I've found myself coping through art and through creating things that made me happier. Brighter subjects that brought me back to life. Now, through my work I hope to be able to do that for others. I want the viewer to feel the movement, energy, and life coming from the artwork. I want my art to force people to smile again. We all need a little sweetness. A pick-me-up when the world gets too heavy. We can't be serious all the time." - Natasha Wescoat.
Artisan Technic
Just like going to the doctors - but worse. I've had the Crafter about three years and have played it for at least two hours a day over that
time. That makes 2hrs/day X 365 days X 3 years = 2190 hours playing time. The up-shot of this is that some of the frets were getting
very badly worn.
Ed Young at Artisan Technic has just done a great job dressing the frets. It's playing really well and I'm very pleased with it.
If you need any work doing on your guitar, contact Ed, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with his work.
Audio Spares
I've just bought some extra DI boxes and cables for Folkengates and had superb service from Audio Spares. Ten items in total, all well packed
delivered quickly and all at a good price. If you need any cables, leads etc, give them a try.
31 Days
31 Days is a guide to what's on in Shropshire. It covers all of the Arts and most of the popular venues. Take a look to find what's on near you.
PMT Birmingham
We have just upgraded the PA. We went to see Dave Sherrif at PMT
in Birmingham who gave us some solid advice and spent a fair bit of time talking to us and showing us bits of equipment.
It's a great shop, so if you are looking for some new gear and a good deal, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Click
the link and have a look at a great range of equipment at really good prices.
Soul Jewellery
We have just celebrated Clare's birthday and like most blokes, I'm not very good at buying presents. After a search
around the internet, I found a shop called "Soul Jewellery" that had something that I thought Clare might like.
A smooth online purchase and quick delivery all go together to make them worth a mention here. They have a good range of
jewellery and gave a first class service. I've got a feeling that Jan will be pointing me in their direction in the near future.
The Chindit, Wolverhampton.
Last year we played at the Open Mic night at The Chindit in Wolverhampton.
Our thanks to Pete and Jez for looking after us, cos we had a great night out. Jez and Pete are two thirds of "Sons of the sod" and played three traditional folk songs on mandolin and guitar.
Their other guests played a good collection of songs, some of which I'd forgotten about, and it was nice to hear them again.
Click on the photo for more info on "Sons of the Sod".
Eagle Music
One of my favourite music shops is Eagle Music in Huddesfield. My Tanglewood 12 string guitar ( and Jans 5 string Banjo ) came from them.
It's a great shop with Knowledgeable staff and a good range of instruments. For the past two years they have held a Deering Banjo Day. Lots of instruments to play and always some
tips, and some great players to watch. In 2008 we were treated to The Kruger Brothers ......Absolutely Fantastic.
Strings and Things
This is a link is to Paul Cumberfords great shop on Ebay,
"String Slingers". He sells everything that you might want for a guitar or guitarist at good prices and
gets it to you quickly.
At the moment I'm using D'Addario XL Chromes Jazz Light tape wound strings, bought from Paul.
StatCounter - Web Site Tracker
Although I look after two websites, I'm not that techy, but I had
wondered how many people were looking at the site. I found this company, and the WebStats are tremendous. I don't
know the details of who has looked at the site, but I get a total number of visitors and whether they are returning or it's the first time. -
a bit geeky but interesting .
This website is designed and maintained by Howard Bell. All the content is the property of Francis-Bell and may only be reproduced with permission from Clare or myself.
