The Band

In the Sand

The BedRock Diary 2000

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL BEDROCKER'S OUT THERE - MAY YOUR FESTIVE SEASON BE PEACEFUL & JOYOUS.

WE HOPE THAT 2001 WILL BRING YOU ALL THAT YOU WISH FOR YOURSELVES.

Well, my declaration in last week's page that we had played our final gig for the year proved to be hopelessly wrong. No sooner had I loaded the page than we were beseiged to do "one more", this time for the LTA crowd who were planning a Christmas party. Being the committed sort of guys that we are, Pete put his leave plans on hold and Mike interrupted his romantic pursuits to give the town one last "Hurrah!" for the year. Mind you, this was an offer it would have been difficult to walk away from - all the "benefits" were just soooo good! Besides, Grant McGillan is just such a persuasive individual. Anyway, we made the Riding Club this afternoon and rocked the folk for five straight hours. At times there were in excess of 200 people there and the caterers were well "out on their feet" long before the Witching Hour. The evening, however, ended sadly with the tragic death in a motor vehicle accident of one of the young party-goers as he and his two passengers were making their way in thick fog. His two passengers do not appear to have suffered any serious injuries although they have been hospitalised. Bedrock were only acquainted with the young victim for a few short hours but he was immediately likeable with a relaxed and friendly personality. Rest In Peace, Francois and, to the Prinsloo family - our thoughts are with you all. And on that sad note, Bedrock bids you all farewell for the 2000.

Sunday 10 December 2000

What a way to end Bedrock's activities of the year - a good, old fashioned party at the "Place Of Happiness"!! We took a risk on the weather and erected a modest stage outdoors, advertising the free event as a "bring & braai". For those of you who don't know what that means, it's a time-honoured tradition in this part of the world where we have a prediliction for burning meat on open fires. "Bring & braai" means you bring your own meat - and whatever you'd like to eat with it - and cook it yourself. Great stuff. Cook and eat at your own leisure whilst enjoying liquid refreshments of your choice, accompanied by great "live" musical sounds. Our risk with the weather paid off although the wind gave our shade-providing gazebo a torrid time. Anyway, with the folks pouring in steadily we got into the music just after midday. The first set was fairly calm and "civilised". The highlight of the day, of course, was the presence of three "guest" musos - Dan Shout (alto saxophone/clarinet & jazz piano), Myles McDonald (trumpet) and Simon Bates (tenor saxophone/flute)from the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town. We couldn't get our guests in the shadows for too long so gave them the stage at our first break for an impromptu jam. What a treat that proved to be for the good folk who were lucky enough to be there. In our second set we combined with the guys and really got things going with Tull's "Locomotive Breath", complete with piano intro and flute accompaniment. From then on it was one way traffic - the party had well and truly started!! "Mustang Sally" (with a bevy of "backing singers"!), "Gimme Me Hope Joanna" and "Johnny Be Goode", all got the treatment. We also marked the occasion by pre-releasing five Bedrock originals on a "bootleg" tape. All five tracks will be on our next CD but Kenny suggested that we "leak" a taste of it before the real thing. Thanks to all those folks who joined the fun and lashed out twenty bucks for this novel Bedrock momento. Predictably the party carried on and on, as did the band. Okay, okay, so things did get a little rough with Kenny well and truly holing Eddie's snare drum...a typical lead guitarist breaking everything! Come sunset and the band fell silent, turning their activities to the bar and pool table - what a wonderful way to relax after another hectic gig. "Party Animal Of The Day"? A new recipient - non other than Uncle Dick - hope you enjoy the Apple Sours! And so the curtain comes down on another year in Bedrock's life, a memorable year with the release of 'La Cantina' as well as a further 12 gigs "under the belt". 2001 certainly promises much in store for the band so keep watching this site and thanks for your support throughout the year.

Saturday 02 December 2000

Could there be a more appropriate way to round off our "official" activities for the year than with a gig at 'The Don'? The answer - No ways! And so it was that we were back at our favourite venue today to see out the year - except for next weekend's "private" Bedrock bash at our desert hideaway. Today was pretty good. Not a huge crowd but the weather came good & the vibe was pleasantly relaxed. Great to see all the high school kids - and recent matriculants - home for the hols. We kicked off with an instrumental jam before moving into one of favourites, Status Quo's "Don't Waste My Time". We slowed the pace down after that until the second set. Our next batch of supporters' shirts have arrived and are selling well - there, again, it's free entry to Bedrock gigs if you wear your shirts so it's a hard "investment" to turn down! What was interesting today was that the party crowd had some opposition for a change - three total newcomers who dominated the dance floor for most of the afternoon. Those of you who were there will know what I mean (nod, nod, wink, wink!). The response to our new material was very positive which is great for the band - gotta keep trying, you know. Next weekend is our own (the band's) Xmas party - should be a good one as we will be joined by some visiting musicians, including Ichabod's former keyboardist and saxophone player, Simon Bates. Also along will be Dan Shout & Myles McDonald of Cape Town's Five Of A Kind jazz outfit. Should be a good jol - if you're coming this way and would like to join the rave, give one of the band members a call. Until then - cheers.

Saturday 04 November 2000

Ah, the 'Band In The Sand'...hot weather, cold beer, braai fires, touch rugby, potjiekos and bikini clad young maidens. Dream land for some? Maybe, but not Bedrock!! Yes see, all those things were present at this, our most recent gig. The occasion was that annual tradition of the local Rugby Club's - the Potjiekos Competition. This year it embraced, a darts compeition, touch rugby contests and, finally, an evening dance. No, you're wrong. Bedrock did not play the evening dance. Bedrock played the afternoon "background music whilst you stir your potjie and guzzle beer" session. Neatly planned. That way we get to also drink cold beer in the heat of the day and still get to party at night whilst some other muso has to do the work! Pretty sussed, hey? Anyway, it was a very laid-back afternoon in the beer tent with one of our "guest" singers, Andre Pretorius, nearly getting "Midnight Special" right (at last - I hear you say!). Ja, Andre, good one. Let's see how you go next time. Thanks to all those folks that supplied the band with refreshments and, as always, for the support. Gee, isn't 2000 closing fast? Just where do the days go? Anyway, enuff from me for now. Keep reading, keep watchin' and, most of all, keep rockin'. Chow for now.

Saturday 07 October 2000

"I used to be a good girl until I met Bedrock - just ask my mother!" - TW

What a statement from such a party girl. And we did just that - we did ask her mother! What did she say? Well, she kinda confirmed it. She says that there is some correlation between the change in her previously quiet, reserved, under-confident daughter to one of the party pack leaders of today. Oh well, never under-estimate the Bedrock influence, I guess. Anyway, folks, that statement was made at this afternoon's gig. Boy, did it give us a laugh. The easiest part was "asking mother", seeing as how she was bopping and grooving a mere two metres away. That's the beauty about the Bedrock crowd - it has representatives of all generations in it. The joy of versatility, I suppose. Back to the gig. Well, after the night's gig a few hours before we really didn't think too many folk would make the Don this afternoon. Not only had the Bedrock crowd had a very late night but there were other distractions - the community's biggest off-road race of the year was in progress and, tonight, the Recreation Club is host to our friends from Nababeep, "Tropical Heat". A really busy social weekend again, as you can see. I'm pleased to say, though, that, as usual, our supporters did not let us down and a fairly reasonable crowd gathered at the Don. We got straight into it and were pleased to see a number of new faces there, mainly folk from out of town who are here on contract work. Welcome guys - and your wives and girlfriends - Bedrock looks forward to entertaining you again during your stay here. We played three sets, quaffed a few beers and "sipped" the odd pumpelmussen or two! Nothing really special happened - it was just a nice, laid-back afternoon. Five o'clock we turned the old mixer and PA off, allowing the folk to get settled before the Western Province game. Next week drummer Eddie goes off on a well-earned two weeks leave whilst the rest of us keep at it with new material. For those folks waiting for supporter 'T' shirts - don't despair they're on the way. We also hope to have our Merchandise window open on this site shortly...we've just got to sort out a couple of minor technical hitches still. And the new CD? We're composing madly, I swear! Next gig - Oranjemund Rugby Club, Saturday 04 November, from 14:00 onwards in the beer tent. As they used to say, "Be There or Be Square". Cheers.

Friday 06 October 2000

Hey, Anzelle, Happy 21st Birthday from the boys in Bedrock - may you have many, many, very many, more!!

And man, did we celebrate it! I tell you what, this was a night of firsts for the 'Band In The Sand'. For a start, it was the first time we've ever played a 21st. Jeez, and you thought we'd done it all. Actually so did we - until last night! The other "first" was that we've never, ever (even with our timekeeping!) started playing for a gig 15 minutes before the midnight hour. (Hey, guys, maybe we should dust up the Grassroots' "Midnight Confessions"?) There was old Mike moaning and groaning about how exhausted he was (typical bachelor), Kenny was worried that the pub might close before the band started up, Eddie...well...he was just "sommer", and Bassman...well, he just wondered what it would be like playing through the night and onto the next day's gig without a break. The reason for the late start? Well, you see, the 21st venue was the local AmDram club. "So what?", I hear you whisper. Well, there was a variety show on that night you see. In fact, a MOTHER of a variety show because it run for about 3 1/2 hours. We wanted to play on the stage but it's just not done for a rock band to share the platform with actors and actresses...the audience can't hear their lines. So, being the ultimate gentlemen, we allowed the show to conclude and clear the decks before we got going. It didn't take long and, brother, did we hit the "instant party" recipe. Within minutes the stage was a throng of teaming, party-ing bodies, passing the celebratory eats and drinks around with the Birthday Girl setting the pace. We even had go-go girls. Well, sort of. Put it this way - they were the closest you'll get to go-go girls in Oranjemund! We did fairly rock along, keeping our breaks to five minutes so as not to disrupt the festivities. Before we knew it, it was 02:30 and time to wind up. Guys & gals - thanks for the party. So glad you all went so HUUUUGGGGGEEEEE! See at the "Don" later today (it's Saturday 07 October already) and let's really see who's got stamina! Bye for now.

Saturday 23 September 2000

Another Saturday night, another Bedrock gig. I mean, what would a Saturday night be without the four geriatric desert rockers doing their thing? This time we were back at the local Hockey Club for, what was originally intended to be, an evening's entertainment with two visiting hockey teams from Windhoek. Somewhat unsurprisingly our visitors cancelled at the last moment so the 'Munders were left to party on by themselves. No sweat...'Munders can make a party out of anything - even a bad situation! Anyway, with our intrepid bassman glued to his television set to witness Western Province pulverising the Gauteng Lions (who?), it was left to the rest - Kenny, Mike & Eddie - to get set-up. As usual they did a stirling job with our bassman having nothing more to do than walk in and start playing. I tell you, doesn't this band just spoil its members so well! "Rockin' All Over The World" opened the first set declaring the band's intent from the outset. The groupies were quickly into the swing of things, the presence of a number of matriculants and high school scholars adding a welcome fresh dimension (youth!) to the composition of the audience. (Yeah, and didn't we surprise them with our rendition of Blink 182's "All The Small Things"? And you kids thought we weren't in touch with NOW. That'll show you!!) Anyway, the evening fairly rocked along and the well manned club bar kept the refreshments going whilst out host, Brown Man, policed the door. Mind you, this is the first gig we've played where the people got a signature (Brown Man's) on their wrist instead of a stamp!! Sorry, Brown Man, it's still worth nothing!! Inbetween the music it was a good night for Bedrock 'T' shirt sales - thanks, Winston, for scooping up four of them for friends and family...apart from being one of the trendiest dressed okes in Gauteng, you'll attract chicks like flies (yeah, right). Just because it hasn't worked for us doesn't mean it won't work for you!! Oh ja, the "Party Animal Awards" went to Darryl, for another sinitillating display of how to let your hair down, and Anselle for leading the charge at the beginning of the evening. Didn't that 5th Avenue Cold Duck just taste so gooooddddd??? Well that's it for now...got to go practice...I mean it's only a fortnight to our next gig. Talk about pressure! To all you crazy party animals out there - keep hanging in. Cheers All.

Saturday 02 September 2000 - 60th gig!!

What an occasion - Bedrock's 60th gig since the band formed way back in '94. Who would have believed all those years ago that we'd still be around today? Certainly not the two survivors from those times, Pete & Eddie. Are we good for another 60? Jeez, what a question - of course we are! Anyway, back to the present...Saturday morning we woke up to what looked to be inclement weather and the startling revelation that it had actually rained in the desert overnight. These occasions, you must understand, really throw us. You see, it's not supposed to rain in the desert (much) so that when it does it confuses us all, cats, dogs, humans...the whole shooting match. "Still", as I said to myself as I stood before the shaving mirror looking for someone my Mother might recognise, "it doesn't happen very often and, besides, we did say to Fanie we'd play indoors on this occasion." I tell you, what an inspired decision. Anyhow, and to cut a long story short, we set up indoors and were ready to play by half past midday. Yeah, right. You see, Oranjemund had a very rough night on Friday night. Not because of the rain, mind you. It was just a big party occasion, Friday being payday and all. Besides, this is a mining town and you know what miners are like when they've got "ching" in their pockets...BAD, BAD NEWS!! "I know exactly what's gonna happen", opined Pampelmous as he mused over his first beer, "the bastards are going to pour in here at five this evening just as we start our last set and want to piss off." Prophetic words? You bet! Right on, in fact! Come five o'clock the whole town and it's neigbour thought the Riding Club was the place to be. And so, being the People's Band we played on...and on...and on. Lekker. The karaoke crowd were in full swing and there was SERIOUS competition for the PARTY ANIMAL OF THE DAY award, so determined were people to claim back the mantle from last week's winners. Once again the band proved themselves to be beyond fear or favour - so much pumpelmussen was sent up to influence our decision making process that we could probably have opened our own bottling works! Did it sway our thinking? No way, Jose (as they say in Scottish movies). At length the winners were identified (double award this week) - Christa Keyser & Tammy Weideman who really were in a league of their own on this occasion. Then there was also an award made to Jack - welcome from Keetmanshoop, Jack. Nice to meet the missus too. You got a prize for having your first dance in Oranjemund - keep it up! Maybe you can give Christa & Tammy a go next time (after the missus has left, that is). Finally, thanks, again, to all those great folk who pitched up...I'm afraid to ask but I guess the party lasted all night, right? Right!! Say no more...

Saturday 26 August 2000

Now that's what I call a pretty good gig! Not that it started off too promisingly, mind you. Despite our optimism that "summer is on its way", the fog just didn't dissipate and a cold breeze blew sporadically. That makes it a full week of lousy weather. Still, since when has the weather been allowed to interfere with a Bedrock bash? Never! Besides, the coolish weather allowed the band to parade their incredibly fashionable "Tafel Lager" sweaters - man, was this a fashion statement or what? Anyway, a mighty big thanks to Namibia Breweries for their donation to a group of devout Tafel consumers. Always good to see local music enjoying support from the business fraternity. Being a public holiday people started to drift in quite early - apart from the golfing fraternity who had to finish off their Saturday morning competition before "Getting a life". One of our old favourites, 'Black Magic Woman', heralded in the bash as the first set took us through a number of popular tunes, mainly classics - Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff', Quo's 'Paper Plane', Santana's 'Put Your Lights On', Cream's 'Sunshine Of Your Love', Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Red House' and Lynyrd Skynryd's 'Tuesday's Gone'. That set things up nicely as the afternoon advanced towards the kick-off of the SA versus Australia TriNations game. We cut our breaks really short to squeeze in as much "happiness" as possible before the rugby. The second set (by now the groupies were getting well into their stride!) started off with ZZ Top's 'La Grange', followed by the Wilburys' 'Handle With Care', Police's 'Every Breath You Take', Grand Funk's 'Some Kind Of Wonderful', Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' and a whole lot of others. Quick break and then one more set before the oval ball's appearance. This set really cooked, dominated by ear-bashers like Tull's 'Locomotive Breath' (yeah, yeah, yeah, we know a lot of you would like that one on our next CD - we'll think about it), Offspring's 'Why Don't You Get A Job?', Blink 182's 'All The Small Things', Blur's 'Song Two', Free's 'Wishing Well' and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's 'Blue On Black'. Of course, Bedrock originals spiced the various sets up - songs that you're beginning to know like 'Freedom', 'Rockin Roll Man', 'Bronto Saw Us', Babalaas Blues' and 'The Loser'. During the rugby game we managed a quick three songs at interval and then rounded off with a clutch of tunes to see the darkness in. The day's lowlight (other than the weather) was, of course, the rugby result. Highlights were, however, the stunning performances rendered by Neil Courtney-Clarke and Darryl Weidemann on this, Neil's farewell to our little town. Each armed with cardboard guitars they provided a rendition of 'Sweet Home Alabama' that would have been the envy of the originators. Go well Neil - and thanks for all the great support in recent years. (PS: See if you can't organise some Bedrock gigs for us in Europe, won't you? We won't cost too much. Not small venues, though. Thanks, mate.) It delights me to say that the band were far tighter today that in recent weeks and it showed. Our soundman, young Stewart, got his fingers just right with the settings and Eddie's drums were just "killer". Good day. Good gig. And so the show goes on. Next weekend - "Op My Stoep" at the local Riding Club. See you there.

Saturday 29 July 2000

Wow! Well it seemed like a good time to put the CD launch hangover well and truly behind us, and where better to achieve that than at our old haunt Don Esteban. All we had to do was hope that the balmy hot spell would prevail and that our usual loyal supporters would pitch up in droves. As it turned out, we got it half-right on both counts! The weather sort of played along until mid-afternoon when the temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees and the crowd...well, not the best we've ever had numerically speaking but not bad - considering how many folk were out of town. The biggest flop of all, of course, was the thumping the Springboks received (yet again) from the Australians. Then again, the cricket's not going too well either now, is it? Nor the soccer. Nor the golf. Nor the hockey. Thank God for music to cheer us all up. Anyway, back to the topic of Saturday afternoon...Most impressive of all was the fact that the Bedrock groupies who were going for it BIG TIME on Friday night - and whom we really didn't think would be too bright and bouncy on Saturday - were there in force...full of brightness and bounciness!! Just goes to show that you can't keep good (young) bodies down!! On the other hand, with stalwart groupie Tammy out front the groupies don't have much choice other than to get down and get with it. It was good to see most of the members of the visiting Windhoek hockey side showing their faces, too. Hope you enjoyed what you saw and heard, guys - just hope you drank enough to make us sound better than we do when the listeners are sober! There was, of course, another "first" for the the band when a green alien, wonderfully attired in a Bedrock Support's shirt descended on the gig. "Green with envy" wasn't the half of it. I'm not sure what the green man thought of it but it was spotted with a lighter flame in its "hand" - if that means what it does on earth it obviously approved! Maybe it'll come back next time with a few of its mates. (Anybody know the words to the Byrds' song "Mr Spaceman"?) By the way - what did it drink? Peppies? Anyway, apart from the presence of ET's pal, the afternoon turned out to be quite a pleasant occasion all-in-all, even if the band - for some inexplicable reason - seemed a bit rusty. Mind you, we know that we have these days from time-to-time. And besides, the audience couldn't tell anyway. That's it for now - chat to you all again soon. Oh yes - we'll be upgrading this site shortly to include sound bytes and a merchandise section so keep popping in...it promises to get a whole heap more exciting soon. Chow.

And they came from the four corners of the village, trekking along the paths that would lead to Oranjemund's first "Woodstock". They came from all walks of life - managers, supervisors, labour union officials, artisans, apprentices, housewives, contractors, visitors and onlookers - all intent on one thing...to be present for the Bedrock CD launch. And, boy, was it launched!! They poured in there, all those people I've told you about already. They climbed on their tables, they adorned themselves with Bedrock 'T' and the whole atmosphere was one of unbridled excitement. In a town which has just about it "all", here was a genuine first - and who better to achieve it than the Band In The Sand. Indoors the hardworking barmen, Bumper, Dirkie and Carel struggled to keep up with demand as the call for alcoholic beverages never waned throughout the night. Outside, in the glow of the hot embers of open fires, caterers Leon and Antoinette slaved tirelessly to feed the queue which just never seemed to shorten. And then there were two Bedrock wives, Solange and Heather, who had the mightily responsible task of running the Bedrock merchandise table. Without the services of these good people the evening would just never have taken off as it did. Foremost on people's minds was to get a glimpse, and hopefully a purchase, of what the evening was all about - the 'La Cantina' CD. As they did the four modest members of the band, with broad smiles and bright flushes, were pressed into autographing CD covers ad nauseum. Fame at last! If only our Moms could have seen us! Ja - or those mean old headmasters who said we'd never be anything all those years ago. What do you say now China? Probably the same thing, truth be known. Anyway, I digress. After the first couple of hours of selling, chatting and signing, the intrepid foursome got to their instruments and the real party began. The lads took the audience by the throat, hitting flat-out from the word go. With Offspring, ZZ Top and Status Quo all in the first set who was strong enough not to get rockin? Nobody that we saw, that's for sure. From then onwards the band rocked on and on and on until the wee hours of the morning. Eventually, at about 03:00 on Saturday morning, with the gigmobile packed, our intrepid bass player made sure he'd go out with a bang. You see, he got the gigmobile well and truly stuck in the sand when he tried to take a shortcut. Do you know how much fun it is pushing a fully laden combi in the desert sand at 03:00 in the morning after plenty of hops? You must try it sometime - if you dare! Still, no harm done and with the mighty body of men that were pressing pushing and a bit of 4 X 4 pulling, the gigmobile was soon extricated and disappeared up the road into the darkness. The CD's are selling well and everybody who bought one seems to be enjoying their purchase. If you'd like to join the fun drop us a note - look us up under the CONTACTS section of this site. Now we're into serious practising again having landed another six months at - yes, you guessed - 'La Cantina'. We're also working hard on our next CD due for release later this year. This should be a real gem, packed full of original Bedrock compositions. Watch this space to see how it's going. Finally, a huge, huge thanks to all those of you who attended the launch and, to those of you farther afield, thanks also for your good wishes and orders. The Bedrock success story rumbles on and looks forward to writing another chapter in the band's history. Chat to you again soon.

Hey, was it good to be back at La Cantina or what! Yep, for the first time in many moons we were back at one of our favourite haunts, the start of something more regular again. Okay, so the timing wasn't great - last weekend before pay day, a long weekend with a public holiday on Thursday which meant lots of people out of town and, unusually for a Bedrock gig, the weather wasn't the greatest. Did it make any difference? Not a chance! All those Bedrockers we know so well turned out in force and, by the second set, the tone of the day had been set - in more ways than one! I guess most people were just in the mood for a good party and they certainly made no bones about getting what they wanted. This was Mike's first taste (as a member of the band) of the La Cantina experience and, to tell you the truth, he looked pretty mesmerised for the first couple of sets as he tried to make head or tail of what was unfolding before his eyes. (We told you what they were like, Mike!). Publicans Neil & Uta - with plenty of support from their helpers - kept the refreshments flowing and plenty of (good) chirps were exchanged between the band and the audience - as well as between the band and the band and the audience and the audience! Next stop is Friday 16 June when the band's debut CD - aptly titled 'La Cantina' - will be launched with the appropriate fanfare. Be sure to get your copy - only 80 dollars cheap. What a bargain.

Hi there, all your good folk out there. Missing the Band In The Sand? Ja, we're missing you too. We've been a little quiet lately putting the finishing touches to our debut CD, titled "La Cantina". Those of you who follow these pages will know that that is the venue that really launched us a couple of years back. It's still a populat local waterng hole and we're still going to be "doing it" there, don't worry! I digress. Back to the CD...well, it's finished...all 13 songs of it and I must admit - as immodest as it may be - it doesn't sound too bad at all. The present position is that we're waiting for the copyright aspect to be concluded - wouldn't want to find ourselves on the wrong side of the law now, would we? At the same time the provisional jewellery box cover is with the printers in Cape Town - obviously we can't conclude this aspect until the copyright details are clear. Then, hey, we're clear to go market. The CD has 13 of our most popular covers so, hopefully, all you party people from DE and elsewhere will dig what's on it. For those of you who haven't had the chance to attend one of our gigs, we look forward to seeing you sometime. If you're prepared to buy the CD "blind" as it were, we trust you won't be disappointed. CDs may be ordered through our website - just check out our contact e-mail addresses. If that doesn't work, a quick e-mail note to pshout@mweb.com.na should do the trick! And now? Well, we're busy with our own material for our second CD and, naturally, we can't neglect the "live" side of things. So, it's all "go". Keep watching these pages for the next nail-biting installment!!

You know, one thing that has always fascinated me has been the fact that, so often, an impromptu party is so much more successful than a planned one. Haven't you found that? Amazing, hey? Anyway, I guess today's gig basically fell into that category. You see, we had nothing planned until we discovered that our last departed lead (male) vocalist, Charlie "Hunk" Piggott, would be visiting from Germany for a week. Hey, hey, hey, now if that wasn't an excuse for a party then what was? A quick telephone call to our old mate, Brown Man, quickly secured the local hockey club premises as the venue for a Sunday afternoon three hour Bedrock blitz . And so it came to pass that, straight after that morning's hockey games and post-match formalities, Bedrock got on with it. Sunday afternoons, admittedly, don't always seem to be the best time of the week for a jol but, hey, in Oranjemund, ANY time is PARTY time!!! More importantly, all those who were there were in for a party and so the atmosphere was there to be enjoyed. We got going with a few numbers before calling Charlie up to wild applause. He said he was a bit rusty not having sung or touched a guitar since leaving us all those months ago but, honestly, one would never have guessed. His rendition of "Summer Of '69" was as powerful as he's ever done it and he even played guitar on "Sweet Home Alabama". Every time we let Charlie stand down we'd give him a break for a few songs before recalling him, just to remind him that he was "back home"! And as I observed before, doesn't time fly when you're having fun? And time certainly flew this afternoon. Before we knew it we'd been playing three-and-a-half hours and the "blitz" was called to an end. Whjat a great party it had been and it was tremendous having Charlie back in the fold, albeit temporarily. Keep it up Charlie - the "touch" is still there. Naturally none of this would have been anywhere as enjoyable without all those great Oranjemund supporters of ours - thanks, guys and gals, you always make it so worth while. 'Til next time...keep partying!

Hey, what a day to have a huge jol on! No folks, this definitely wasn't an April Fool's Day prank...this was for real! Once again the "Party King" of Oranjemund, Fanie Smit, popped up with the idea of having a "Milleneum Jol" from midday on Saturday, 1st April to...well...how about midday the following day for some people)? And so it came to pass that we shared the stage at the event with another popular dance band, "Tropical Heat" from Nababeep. That's right - it's a place name Na-ba-beep...nothing to do with April Fool's! Anyway, Nababeep isn't exactly the centre of the universe and is a little settlement which lies just outside the metropolis of Namaqualand, Springbok. That's in South Africa, by the way. No, I promise, for those of you who aren't familiar with these environs those are real place names. I swear. Anyway, "Tropical Heat" certainly are a credit to Nababeep and it was a pleasure to share the stage with them, although it was a pity that the intended third band, from Cape Town, didn't make it after an accident (nothing serious) on their way up. The big marquee was erected for the occasion on the arena at the local Riding Club and, boy, was it hot. Eventually the marquee's sides came down just to cool the throngs inside from the heat which was causing serious alcoholism within!! Apart from the two bands, our local Master Deejay - Lofty - was on hand to occupy the breaks between the bands performing. As usual with Fanie's functions, the day was meticulously well organised. For the price of a fifty dollar (Namibian - not US!!) ticket people enjoyed non-stop live and recorded music throughout the afternoon and night, two meals, good company and lots of fun. Show me a better bargain anywhere else and I'll restring my guitar! Anyway, over 300 tickets were sold for the event and well over 300 meals were served - so, just about anybody who's anybody in Oranjemund was there. It was, of course, Mike Millad's debut with the band - welcome, Mike - we hope you enjoyed Saturday and that the old nerves aren't too frayed! It was a pleasure to get back into action after our Christmas lay-off and even better to have quite a lot of new material to perform. The new songs went down well and we really enjoyed playing it - especially all the loud, raunchy stuff! During the course of the evening we did a bit of fooling around with the guys (and a doll) from "Tropical Heat", their lead singer Renier joining us on "Every Breath You Take" and our Pampelmussen Pete giving an instantly forgettable rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun" with them. (Come back the Animals - all is forgiven!). The beauty of playing with a band like "TH" is that their music complemented ours - neither band plays the same material. They are predominantly a boeremusik based dance band. Bedrock is rock at a fairly healthy volume level. All tastes catered for. What a pleasure. Well, that's about it for now - must get back to my daytime job! Keep an eye on this page for more exciting updates as 2000 unfolds. 'Til next time...

Hi there folks. Well, it's a delight being able to say that Oranjemund's foremost rock unit is back in operation, having survived the exodus of a trio of valued members and friends during the last quarter of 1999. Still, they say that quality endures and let's just hope that this is the case with the "Band In The Sand". Sunday before last we finally got down to holding auditions to decide whether we'd add to our number (three!) again or whether we'd press on as a trio. All those who applied to "audition" with the band pitched up in a very disciplined fashion for their "turns". Some came as budding vocalists, others as instrumentalists and yet others...well, they just came for the experience...I think! Still, we spent the morning with the "applicants" and witnessed a wide-ranging contrast in styles and talent. There were even a couple of ladies who had applied - I mean, what self-respecting woman would want to be seen dead with this motley assortment of males (apart from the bass player, naturally)? Oh well, as Charlie Piggott would have opined, "There's no accounting for taste". At the end of it all, and after a lengthy period of introspection and reflection, we decided that we would add a fourth person to our band and that lucky person would be none other than Mike Millad. Mike is a talented lad who's been around for a while and is probably best known in the Eastern Cape (Grahamstown) for his abilities. (If you want to know more about him check out his details and cv on this site...it'll be available in a week or so). Isn't it strange where the nicest folk pitch up? Mike plays guitar and wind/brass instruments and has a voice that's not too shabby, either. Anyway, welcome aboard Mike - we hope that you have many, many happy hours and gigs with Bedrock. Having settled on Mike we're now right back into the swing of gathering new material, as well as introducing Mike to our established stuff. Although it's always sad to lose established members of a band, nobody can deny that "new blood" always brings fresh ideas with it - and that is surely healthy for any outfit. This will, unsurprisingly, be the case with Mike and we look forward to his creative contribution in the near future. The gigs are rolling in and we look set to kick off our 2000 campaign in Kleinzee on the 25 February - could one think of a better spot (other than Oranjemund) in which to do this. Thereafter our old friend Fanie Smit has plans for a massive "jol" at his club on Saturday 01 April, so that's something exciting in store. Other than that, we're hard at practice and will - when we take a break - be updating the website shortly. To those of you who keep "hitting" the site - thanks very much. To those of you who have just discovered it - please come back. And to all of you who are guilty - please sign the guestbook if you've not already done so! By the way, we're now listed at http://www.powerzone.co.za if you want to keep up with our gig schedule. Do yourself a favour - come along to one of them and let yourself go to all your favourite classic rock sounds. It'll be a sandstorm, we guarantee!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU GREAT PEOPLE OUT THERE - MAY 2000 BRING YOU GOOD FORTUNE, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. Phew! Well the festive period is rapidly falling behind us and we're all well into the New Year by now. The Bedrock family did various things - drummer Eddie and his good lady hived off to relatives in Cape Town for Christmas and New Year, Pete and family were in Oranjemund for Christmas but spent three days over New Year at that isolated spot on the South African West Coast known as Noup and lead guitarist Kenny and family...well, they kept the home fires burning and did an outstanding job as proxy parents, looking after all those young ladies and gentlemen whose parents were out of town! Kenny, I told you that pumpelmussen would give you fortitude, if nothing else. Oh ja, it was Kenny's birthday last Sunday - congratulations and may you have many, many more and may your fingers grow ever longer and subtler. Recent Bedrock "departees", Ken and Jen Malherbe, spent most of their Christmas scurrying around packing boxes of their earthly posessions preparing for their New Year uplift. Fortunately they managed to squeeze in a very good farewell meal with the band at the local 'Desert Inn' before their departure. And, as for Bedrock, the band. Well, we've been concocting our new plans for the year. This coming Sunday will be an exciting day when we "audition" six people who have shown an interest in joining our line-up. Some are girls, some are boys, some are singers, some are instrumentalists, some are all (most?) of the foregoing! The hope is that, by Sunday evening, we will know what the new Bedrock line-up will look like. The Work is already coming in and, whereas we'd hoped to go into hiding for the first three months or so of 2000, it looks like we'll be back on the road before then. There'll be many exciting things coming up shortly, not least of which will be our revamped website. Inthe words of my local dentist - Watch this space!

All Music Produced by "Criminal Records" at "Dining Room Studios"

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