Moonshots jazz up Hitchin

Last weekend my band The Moonshots played a little gig at The Angel's Share bar in Hitchin. This is our first actual gig, but we have performed at open mic sessions there. This time we were playing for over an hour with another band playing afterwards. Clarinettist Hive account@daniellemurray put this video together. You can see me on the drums, Bob on vocals and flute, and Hive account@purplesinger on piano and vocals. I did sing on one song.

We have played together in some other lineups, but this one is to focus on swing jazz standards. We will throw in some other songs too. I played drums with Hive account@theriverkicks, but that was more folk music and quite different to jazz.

There was lots of music going on in Hitchin that day with karaoke and busking happening in the square nearby. Our friends Hive account@steve.and.anke were playing at the same time as us, but they caught the end of our set.

My kit fits nicely in the back of the car and I can leave some of it assembled for a quick set-up. I do not have cases for the drums, but it is not a long drive. The suitcase has the snare drum, stool and various hardware. The cowbell is a new addition and it provides me with a different sound to throw in. I was using the 'rods' sticks to keep the volume down. It takes three or four trips to carry everything to the venue.

We had special guests in the audience as Hive account@alessandrawhite and Hive account@bitterirony made a long train trip to come and see us. It was great to see them again and I could show them a bit of the town, although Alessandra had been there recently when she played a concert at the church on the same day I was playing at the bar. We managed to miss each other that time.

A few days before the gig I had a drum lesson where we went over various jazz techniques. When I watch the video I can see a few things I need to improve on. Music is an endless journey.

We just do this for fun, but there may well be more gigs to come.