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Post by patrick on Mar 24, 2013 20:26:13 GMT
Hi Forum users...Some food for thought or not as the case might be.
As you will all no doubt be aware, Jethro Tull Fan Conventions ,whilst remaining popular overseas both in Europe and to a lesser extent the US, have lost their way here in Britain. Sad state of affairs. I was fortunate enough to attend every Convention held in England bar one back in the 1990's and thoroughly enjoyed these events not least because it gave me and my mates an opportunity to catch up with friends and talk Tull all day. This was also an opportunity to buy or trade rare posters, records , videos etc. These events also proved to be musically very rewarding with several members of Tull past and present either performing or just turning up to see what all the fuss was about. Also saw the first ever Tull tribute band Seismic Ring at a couple of these 'gigs' and both Dave Greaves and Steve Dundon remain top friends. Great memories.
Sadly, great as these events were, they proved financially tricky and there lies a big reason as to why nothing has been organised in recent years. Maybe things will remain as they are and British Tull fans will continue to miss out on such Conventions but lets at least talk this through a tad further in the idle hope that something might just come out of it.
So what are we looking for...Well for starters a promoter and a venue...Yep big ask but if you don't ask you don't get. There are certainly some forum users who do have some contact with ex Tull members who might be interested in coming along. Martin Barre will be touring again in the Autumn so maybe Martin would be interested in an extra performance. Dave Rees will always support such an event with A NEW DAY manning a stall and helping to promote. I have been in contact with the Tull acoustic duo Prof Panglos and Non Rabbit who are interested in working on some kind of event with Cold Flame. So that is an offer of two tribute acts being involved.
Okay just be rambling on a Sunday evening after rehearsing Nothing is Easy but food for thought anyway chaps. Cheers..Patrick.
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Post by maddogfagin on Mar 25, 2013 8:48:26 GMT
Hi Forum users...Some food for thought or not as the case might be. Patrick - I'll PM you in the next couple of day about the above.
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Post by zobstick on Mar 25, 2013 12:58:33 GMT
Hi Patrick
Great post by the way - time to kick some ass!!
For what it's worth from an organiser of a couple of said events, I have long felt that the UK Convention became something of a victim of its own success!
What do I mean by that? Well, it got to the point where it was getting harder and harder to find something unique and different to present that would be "better" than the last time! I got a little concerned that we were losing our focus ie a day for the fans to get together with like-minded folk to share a beer and chat. Our focus was getting very much on the live music, and which band members we could get along. I shall never forget the fiasco of the Gravesend sound-checks where we were forced to banish the fans from the main hall for too long - how can that be right at a convention!
You are dead right though - it's about time the UK had another event, I for one wouldn't mind playing a part, but I am not in a position to spearhead it anymore! To be honest, an event around a Cold Flame gig somewhere in the Midlands wouldn't be far off the mark, would it??
All the best.
Zob
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Post by patrick on Mar 25, 2013 16:51:32 GMT
Good stuff some responses already...
I got a little concerned that we were losing our focus ie a day for the fans to get together with like-minded folk to share a beer and chat. Our focus was getting very much on the live music, and which band members we could get along. I shall never forget the fiasco of the Gravesend sound-checks where we were forced to banish the fans from the main hall for too long - how can that be right at a convention!
Valid points these which I would fully agree with. The Convention idea surely must revolve around fans mingling with fellow fans whilst perusing merchandising stalls and having the occasional drink or three. Some live music yes but not at the expense of everything else. Of course should there be someone like Martin for example who fancied playing at the event then who would turn him down.Ditto someone like D.Palmer who has turned up at a few more recent Tull gatherings but never in England which is a great shame. At this time in Mick Abrahams career after recent illness, I think he would also get a tremendous boost from such an event. After all he remains held in very high respect by Tull fans the world over.
You are dead right though - it's about time the UK had another event, I for one wouldn't mind playing a part, but I am not in a position to spearhead it anymore! To be honest, an event around a Cold Flame gig somewhere in the Midlands wouldn't be far off the mark, would it??
That is kind of you to suggest Zob but my starting this thread was not to promote Cold Flame at all but more to highlight something that has been missing from a Tull fan's yearly calender in this country. Like many fellow Tull fans, I still enjoy talking about the band's past, present and future with fellow fans knowing that in the not too distant future such opportunities will cease. It has occurred to me that a mini Tull Convention involving Cold Flame and a couple of other acts of Tull ilk in the Midlands could be a partial answer and certainly a venue like The Robin 2 in Bilston,Birmingham might host it but that would not in my view be a Convention, would it ??
Anyway lets keep talking and see what happens.....P.
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Post by steelmonkey on Mar 25, 2013 18:06:13 GMT
A friend's memorial service prevents from going to the USA fest in Colorado and an ocean and small bank account separates me from Tullianos and possible UK convention but man do those events sound great......I would see ' a Cold Flame' set as a huge bonus and i really would go without expectations of Tull or Tull alumni on site. In 1988 a friend and I organized a mini, mini, mini Tullfest in SF on Thanksgiving...the invitations called it 'Thankful for Tull' And it was great....scrapbooks passed around, VHS and Beta tapes played and friends made.
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Post by Tull50 on Mar 25, 2013 19:00:43 GMT
In Tullianos (Spain) we have been doing 10 years of conventions attended by almost all the members and former members of Jethro Tull, our case and Italy (Itullians) is a little different because we are an association and members pay a small annual fee (30€), you can get in touch with Tullianos and I am sure you can guide the way we do conventions, always free entry. This year this confirmed the presence of Martin Barre and his band, also tribute bands Spanish or Italian, would be a bit long to explain how it is possible to do this with as little budget but is possible. If you contact with Tullianos'm sure we can lend a hand Down contact page
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Post by patrick on Mar 25, 2013 19:29:51 GMT
Good evening Tull50 and thank you for your worthy contribution to this thread..
Several years ago around 2005/2006 I received an email enquiry from the guys at Tullianos. Would Cold Flame come and play at one of their Conventions. For some reason or other we had to decline the invitation - a huge disappointment to this day. I applaud the efforts of both the Spanish and Italian fan clubs in particular for the sterling efforts they have made over the years to support the music of Jethro Tull through such successful annual events. In 2005 we were the guests of Ittulians at their Convention along with ex Tull members Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker and the fabulous Tull tribute band Lincoln Quartet. The whole thing was fabulous from start to finish and the hospitality afforded us by Aldo and his team will always remain with me as a very treasured memory.
The advantage of course of these European countries is that they have dedicated fan clubs for Jethro Tull which makes the organisation and coordination of Convention events much easier to put together. In the UK there is no fan club as such putting this country at a disadvantage when setting up a national event.
P.
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Post by Tull50 on Mar 25, 2013 20:31:53 GMT
Good evening Tull50 and thank you for your worthy contribution to this thread..Several years ago around 2005/2006 I received an email enquiry from the guys at Tullianos. Would Cold Flame come and play at one of their Conventions. For some reason or other we had to decline the invitation - a huge disappointment to this day. I applaud the efforts of both the Spanish and Italian fan clubs in particular for the sterling efforts they have made over the years to support the music of Jethro Tull through such successful annual events. In 2005 we were the guests of Ittulians at their Convention along with ex Tull members Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker and the fabulous Tull tribute band Lincoln Quartet. The whole thing was fabulous from start to finish and the hospitality afforded us by Aldo and his team will always remain with me as a very treasured memory.
The advantage of course of these European countries is that they have dedicated fan clubs for Jethro Tull which makes the organisation and coordination of Convention events much easier to put together. In the UK there is no fan club as such putting this country at a disadvantage when setting up a national event.
P. Good evening Patrick You're right, the advantage is that we are constituted as a non profit association, and it has many musicians among the members, maybe you know Jose Ignacio (Un Tal Jethro) Gabriela Guardiola (Tundra) or others like Judith Mateo will also be this year in the convention, with Ponce de Leon, one of the best flutists Spanish (Mago de Oz), among all dedicate some of our time to make this possible each year, non-musicians also contribute their professional expertise. Also important is the good relationship with the municipality where the convention is organized, can give the auditorium and even subsidizing in part the convention. Relations with other fans associations also help to contact the musicians, and I can not forget our president Albert Villanueva, who spends much time coordinating and directing all, without people involved as Albert the convention would not be posible. Aldo is in Itullians like Albert in Tullianos. I would love a convention in the UK, I'm sure that would make an effort to attend You can call me Remy
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Post by patrick on Mar 25, 2013 21:01:00 GMT
Thank you Remy...but hey what you describe is just so typical of what you find all the time in mainland Europe. A sense of purpose camaraderie and team work within local communities and a willingness to fully support as a community such a project from start to finish. Would that such passion and joie de vivre existed still in good old Blighty.
Hmm sounds like I am knocking us Brits. Mais non...just Recognising some positive qualities in our friends across the narrow seas.
Talking about a new Tull Convention in the UK for 2013..come on Forum users your comments please !!!!!
Be seeing you...P.
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Post by maddogfagin on Mar 26, 2013 8:39:00 GMT
Patrick
A great idea. As long as there is some kind of accomodation for the travelling fans (motel/travel lodge type of establishment etc) which was something that we didn't think of years ago - we were younger and more likely to be 12 hours at the convention itself and then the travelling to and from the venue would make it an 18 hour day ! We didn't care when we were all younger ;D
As I mentioned in my PM to you; my old address book is now way out of date and people have moved on. To compensate for that the date for any Convention would have to be set well in advance to allow for taking time off from work, and such like, but I would welcome the chance to meet up with so many fans who I've "talked to" here on the Forum and in many ways I hope that I will get the chance to see the many friends we all have made here.
I'm still in touch with Mark and Kevin Collins, and their respective families, who did so much work on the earlier Conventions and I hope that they in turn have the contact info for many others.
I will contact them in due course to let them know of your ideas and no doubt I'll find others who along with a host of others will support any efforts to get a Convention of some sorts off the ground and up and running.
As for the small subscription to help out with running costs, as mentioned previously, that to is a good idea.
All in all, it's something we here could all embrace with enthusiasm and I look forward to further ideas and developments and I feel sure we could get something together.
Graham
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Post by zobstick on Mar 26, 2013 11:57:33 GMT
And to think we thought we were old farts back then, eh Maddog!!!
I suppose we could do something around a Cold Flame or similar gig - it wouldn't necessarily need to be at the venue itself as long as it was somewhere close by. A decent sized pub with a seperate function room would suffice I guess. That would allow the convention organisers to concentrate fully on convention activities, leaving the music to others! I guess I am advocating a Hillingdon/Feltham type event initially - which would be no bad thing IMO.
It also needs to be remembered that UK Conventions have always been proud to support charities - most notably the NSPCC, and to that end, there will be little or no funding to kick things off. We would be reliant therefore on up front funding which will probably dictate things to a large degree.
Just a few thoughts - there will be more to come as I continue to dredge the memory banks!!
Zob
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Post by steelmonkey on Mar 26, 2013 16:21:44 GMT
I'll buy some 'on principle' tickets from afar and only ask for full report in return. Or establish a scholarship fund for impoverished Tull fans found studying the APP lyrics while waiting in line at the Salvation Army.
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Post by nonrabbit on Mar 26, 2013 18:19:11 GMT
I'll buy some 'on principle' tickets from afar and only ask for full report in return. Or establish a scholarship fund for impoverished Tull fans found studying the APP lyrics while waiting in line at the Salvation Army. I'm not quite there...... yet You and I will have to have a virtual convention - hang on that's what we've been doing all these years ;D
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Post by steelmonkey on Mar 26, 2013 20:46:21 GMT
Good point...any Tull site carries the implied risk of incarcerated pedophile with computer priviliges eyeing little girls with bad intent.
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