heather wrote:With the ongoing public catfight between current and ex-members of Tom Sawyer continuing on the
TNMS forum, here's a nice wee look back to happier times as the band rehearse YYZ!
Sadly I didn't manage to make
Sawyer's Ferry gig last Friday but I've heard some good reports (along with the usual silly nitpicking) and overall the gig seems to have been a success.
Click this link to view the video:- Tom Sawyer - YYZHeather
A bit rough but not bad I guess Heather, cheers for posting that. Thanks to Andy Craig for travelling over to Glasgow from Edinburgh that day to test out his new vid cam and posting that up on Youtube.
This is more like it I reckon though....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGNlpCRTE64(Also check out my new recording of La Villa Strangiato on the website
www.tomsawyer.org.uk !!!)
Defo happier times for the band. It was a crying shame Tom Alexander couldn't manage the commitment at that time as he had Ged down to a tee give or take (within 90% at least) and even had a little look alike factor going esp if he'd had long hair.
Re: the nit picking (again purely my opinion but one defo shared by many Rush fans here in the Newcastle area as most bands' gigs are free entry hereabouts) - I do think folk are very entitled to criticise when they're paying £10 or £12 a ticket to watch cover bands like us. In fact, if we can pick holes in it ourselves then we have to expect it from others. I rec'd a lot of similar (and worse) feedback via the Tom Sawyer website about our last few gigs we played in 2008 (esp Cardiff) and sadly I found I couldn't disagree! The occasional spiteful remark can be ignored but not constructive criticism. The rest unfortunately is history (or cat fighting
).
Re: the online tiffs on various forums - please don't forget folks, any unrest on my behalf has been mainly over the online character deformation attempts on me and such lies by Steve Turnbull - not about the band/music itself etc..! Comments about my playing/ideals I can handle no probs. Those are a matter of opinion purely - but him going around lying and telling the world I'm a violent crazy person - well that's plain well out of order. Exactly what that was meant to achieve anyhow we can only wonder - who would care other than me (even if it was true - which it isn't!?). Apologies to anyone who's found it all as annoying, childish and tiresome as I have.
As for the bands though - at the end of the day I believe and work to the notion that most people will give a band the benefit of the doubt first time round but after 2 or 3 shows at that sort of ticket price and ya still hearing the same clammers happening - nah!
It wasn't going to last one way or the other - the audiences were bound to start diminishing (in fact were).
I'm one third of what was Tom Sawyer (its founding member, the only one in it from the start in 2002 and the one who gave both the 'Sawyer' boys their jobs in the band) and naturally I'm therefore the biggest nit picker when it comes to Rush trib'ing (and now even possibly demonised for it!?
). I'm surprised at how forgiving many Rush fans actually are and if there were more Rush tribs about I think it would be different. However, I'm pleased to report that I'm personally over the moon with the new RUSH UK line-up. Carbon copy of Rush? - er, NO (its not possible!).... but I'm sure everyone will agree that the lads handle their roles extremely well once seen, as Rick and Conal are superb professional musicians (its quite awesome to watch Conal sight reading the music for Rush songs in rehearsals if he hasn't had a chance to work on them prior to us getting together - and him actually playing them spot on as we go along! Fantastic stuff!).
Britains got Rush talent! Happy times are here again for sure and the past is firmly in the past I'd sincerely like to think.
Looking at it optimistically - TS has spawned two Rush tribs for folk to enjoy, Allan and Steve got what they needed which was a more laid back/occasional affair and I have what I wanted all along - a fully committed band ready and able to go anywhere at anytime to entertain the Rush audience.
See ya in Oct!
Lerxst Cowell
