Sunday 16 November 2014

CALLING BASS PLAYERS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE!


Following our relaunch in 2011, the band is going through a real period of growth, adding 11 new players in the last 2 years!  These are exciting times for the band, with a new logo, new (Flowers-style!) jackets for 2014 and stand banners on the way. 

After sell-out successes with recent movie quiz- and English-themed concerts, we have more new directions to travel, with more novel one-off gigs planned.  And no doubt MD Shaun still has some surprises up his sleeve for our Winter 2014 repertoire!

We’re really proud of our harmonious, well-balanced band at the minute, and we have some great, enthusiastic learners coming through.

In the meantime though, we’d love to boost Team MSB by building numbers in the bass section.  Poor Robin gets lonely!

Manea Silver Band aim to offer something fresh in the Fens. 

So if you’d like to be part of a traditional brass band with a cheeky, modern twist and a lively approach to concert programmes, we’d love to hear from you.

Why not have a look at the rest of our website or join our Facebook group and see what you think? Or better still come along on a Monday evening and have a blow with us – all players welcome. Speak to Kate – secretary@maneasilverband.co.uk – for more details.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Oktoberfest in Manea - what's the wurst that could happen?!


There were lederhosen-clad gents  and beer wenches aplenty in the Rose and Crown this weekend, as MSB brought oompah to town in style!

Tony and the gang at the pub laid on a fantastic selection of eight German beers and some stonking sausages for the crowds to enjoy, while swaying along as the band polka'd and valtz'd its heart out!

MD Shaun had his work cut out, juggling playing a cornet part on euph, conducting an increasingly raucous band, making sure enthusiastic volunteer conductors from the audience didn't do themselves any injuries, and fighting with some particularly unhelpful red braces that just wouldn't stay fastened!

We were also very pleased to welcome Mary Rogers of www.lockerleysilverband.co.uk who spotted our German nights on our website.  She came all the way from Hampshire for a blow, just for an excuse to don a Rheinmaiden outfit!

All in all a fun night was had by all, with pub-goers unsurprisingly getting more and more into the music as the night went on.  How many will remember the night clearly remains to be seen...

 
Danke schoen :-)

Tuesday 5 August 2014

MSB welcomes new Principal Cornet Vicky Salisbury

It’s all change on the front row at MSB, as our Principal Cornet Rhiannon-Jane Smart hands over the reins to long-time friend Vicky Salisbury.

Due to work commitments, RJ is now taking on the valuable role of ‘Bumper-Upper’, or ‘Second Hottie Along’!



The lovely ladies joined the band at the same time 17 years ago, under the baton of Peter Cain, who has since sadly passed away. They have been friends ever since.

RJ stepped into the top seat in 2009 when Principal at the time, Clare Hall took on the Musical Directorship. Rhiannon rose to the challenge, working really hard to overcome nerves and lead the section, which at one point consisted of just her!

She has done a grand job, tackling solos such a Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Emerald Skies.“I love being part of Team MSB,” she says.  “I love it when we all pull together such as for our film quiz concert a couple of years ago, playing great music and working hard behind the scenes to put on a great show.”

After taking time out from band to start a family, Vicky is back and loving it.  We dropped her right in at the deep end at her first full gig as Principal, a WWI Centenary commemoration, making her play the Last Post.

“I remember some great times with the band as a kid, such as dressing up and having a laugh at our themed German Nights!” she says. “It’s great to be back.  I was nervous walking back in after such a long time away but it was like I’d never left.  The band is now a lively hub of music, heart and friendship that I absolutely love being a part of! It has a fresh face and is bringing banding into the modern world whilst upholding banding traditions with pride.”

Rhiannon and Vicky are part of what is becoming a great cornet section, with some familiar faces, new recruits and young learners.  Peter would have been very proud of how far they’ve come.


Do you want to be part of Team MSB? Our doors are always open to new recruits and familiar faces! Join our Facebook group or contact secretary@maneasilverband.co.uk to find out more…

Tuesday 27 May 2014

MSB to appear alongside Virtuosi GUS, Cory and Brighouse!

We are incredibly excited to announce that, this summer, Manea Silver Band will be appearing alongside some of the biggest names in banding!

It’s all thanks to our friends at Your Logo Here, who are so impressed with our fresh modern logo that they’ll be featuring it on their display jacket, pictured.  Now Cory, Brighouse & Rastrick, Flowers, Fairey and Virtuosi GUS - to name but a few - will all be seen in the same place as the plucky underdog from Manea!


Your Logo Here have also produced a fantastic set of soft shell jackets (pictured) for the band, which all members will be receiving shortly, so we can display our logo as we play out and about this summer.
Robert, our 2nd baritone player, designed the logo.  He wanted to produce something musical with a real sense of place.  The resulting design uses the lines of the musical stave to represent the Old Bedford and the Hundred Foot rivers. 

These two watercourses border the Ouse Washes, the wetland at the heart of a colossal 17th Century drainage project which centres around Manea and gave us the Fens as we know it.

The featured Whooper swan is also a part of our local heritage, with as many as 7,000 spending their winters here, roosting on the washes and feeding on sugar beet scraps on surrounding farmland.  With their gentle trumpeting call and incredible strength (they migrate 1,000 miles from Iceland to Manea in one go) they made the perfect ‘aspirational’ finishing touch to the logo.

The band is currently trying to raise funds to produce a set of stand banners featuring our logo.  We think its modern look will help us with our fresh modern image and support our ongoing work attracting young players into the brass scene by offering free music lessons.


Can you help?  You can sponsor a banner in your name, your businesses name or as a gift – look here for details.

Thursday 1 May 2014

As the World Cup approaches, Manea Silver Band will treat villagers to a Full English!


A group of Manea musicians will be hosting an action-packed, interactive concert at the weekend, treating the audience to a brassy celebration of English music, from Elgar to Adele.


 Shaun Pope, the Musical Director of the band,said “With the World Cup looming, we wanted to get people in the mood for celebrating England!  Through the ages, England has produced some of the best music in the world. 

“Well-known English music, from proms to pop, always makes for a lively concert, but as usual we will be spicing things up even further. We have a few tricks up our sleeves to make sure the audience to get involved!”

The concert, entitled ‘The Full English’, is taking place in Manea Village Hall at 7.30pm on Saturday 3 May, and will feature talented local vocalist Shannon Buckton. 

The band have also teamed up with Classics restaurant in Manea who are offering an early bird menu of light summery dishes, so you can eat a classy Ploughman's platter before you join the band at the village hall for a Full English!

The band offers free music lessons to learners of all ages.  It is hoped that this concert will raise money to go towards music and other teaching resources for the group.

Shaun said “The event will be fun and informal, and we’d encourage people to bring their own beverages to make it a really sociable event!”

“Brass band music has a very strong tradition in the area.  Manea Silver Band prides itself on taking a refreshing approach to concerts, to get people involved and keep that tradition thriving. We hope this concert will keep people talking about us!”
Tickets are £5 each and are available at Classics restaurant or by calling Rhiannon on 07963 259984 or emailing treasurer@maneasilverband.co.uk.  They will also be available on the door. 

Monday 31 March 2014

MSB enter the Twittersphere!

Follow us @ManeaSilverBand for up to the minute Manea Silver Banter - and watch us make a # of it...


https://twitter.com/ManeaSilverBand/



Friday 21 March 2014

A Warm ‘Welcome Home’ to David Wilson, our new Honorary President!


We are thrilled to announce that David Wilson has accepted the position of Honorary President with the band. 
You could say David is the founding father of modern-day MSB, being the man responsible for reviving the band in 1982.

Manea was without a band for around 20 years after it fizzled out in the 60s, but David had the enthusiasm and passion to restart the band, with a nucleus of 12 youngsters and a couple of adults.
This achievement is something we admire a great deal, and strive to carry forward the tradition of bringing local adults and youngsters together to make music for the people.
David Wilson conducting the band in the 1990s.
Note the youthful euphonium player on the right.
David said ‘Manea Silver Band has a history of producing great musicians.  My son Duncan came from here and is now a professional musician and conductor of Kidlington Concert Brass, a Championship Section Band.  My daughter, Rachel, plays for Norfolk Wherry Brass, who won a place in the National Finals at the weekend.  Neil Waters, a professional musician with regular national radio airtime came from here.  And of course, I remember your current MD when he was this high! [points to knee!].  You never know where music is going to take you.”

Having just listened to us mangle a Queen medley for half an hour, he then added “For you lot, it sounds like the only way it can take you is up…”

Sunday 9 March 2014

CALLING CORNET PLAYERS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE!



We’re really proud of our harmonious, well-balanced band at the minute, and we have some great, enthusiastic learners coming through.  In the meantime though, we’d love to add to our MSB family by building numbers in the cornet section.


Following our recent relaunch, 2014 promises to be another exciting year for the band, with new (Flowers-style!) jackets and stand banners on the way, and more new directions to travel with some exciting one-off gigs planned.  And no doubt MD Shaun still has some surprises up his sleeve for our 2014 repertoire!


Manea Silver Band aim to offer something fresh in the Fens. 


So if you’d like to be part of a traditional brass band with a cheeky, modern twist and a lively approach to concert programmes, we’d love to hear from you.


Why not have a look at the rest of our website or join our Facebook group and see what you think? Or better still come along on Monday evening and have a blow with us. 



Sunday 2 March 2014

First gig of 2014

This morning we were at the brand new Tesco Extra in Wisbech for our first engagement of the season.



Cheers! Elgood's supplied the goods.
It was a market highlighting some of the local suppliers to Tesco, so we provided a programme mostly consisting of traditional British ditties (especially those with a farming theme) with a few imposters thrown in for good measure.

Despite the weather being a little bit British as well, there was a good turnout and during the break, quite a few band members found themselves gravitating towards the Elgood's stand. Not sure why that would have been...

In brass bands there is often a bit of a lull from the end of Christmas to May while they rehearse their summer programmes, so it was quite nice to get out and about early in the year to blow the cobwebs away - not literally of course, and it's all good practice for our super forthcoming St George's Day and May Day concerts. More details about those will be posted soon.

Monday 20 January 2014

Niki is King of the Band!

A big thanks to everybody who braved the fog and frost to come to tonight's AGM. Decisions were made about a new uniform jacket, a child protection policy and the band committee for 2014, which is:

Chairman: Stuart Smart
Secretary: Kate Winters
Treasurer: Andy Maddams
Musical Director: Shaun Pope
Niki Bloom, Rhiannon-Jane Smart & Robert Weedon

These will be added to the website soon.

More importantly, though, we announced this year's very deserving winner for the Billie King Memorial Prize - Niki Bloom, who has been our dedicated band secretary and all-round super person for many years. Big grins all round!

A winner is announced!




Friday 10 January 2014

Notice of AGM

Manea Silver Band's annual general meeting will be held on Monday 20 January 2014 at 8.15pm at Manea Methodist Chapel. All are welcome.


Items will be the committee elections for the year, a decision on uniform jackets and the awarding of the Billy King Memorial Prize ("King of the Band"). We'll be rehearsing as usual before and after the meeting.