Area 51

A51 guitarist at Falmouth Week

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:06:50 +0000

JUST a quick note to let you know you can catch some Area 51 tunes at Falmouth Week.

Gareth sings! At the Copperhouse, Xmas 09

While the full band is having a break from the live scene during August, Gareth is stepping out on his own.

Leaving the amps, five guitars, effects pedals and other assorted gear behind, he'll be strapping his trusty Tanglewood acoustic guitar to his back and heading over to Falmouth Moor on Thursday (August 12).

Gareth will be playing for an hour between 1 and 2pm. Head over to garethbartlett.co.uk for more info, or click here for the related news item on his site.

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So you know what we’ve been doing this summer…(new ventures, websites and jams!)

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:46:59 +0000

WITH the band taking a month break over the summer, the band are embracing the opportunity to explore different musical avenues.

Mike and Rick can be seen playing in The Bubble and running their weekly Thursday jam night at The Prince of Wales in Falmouth, while Harry has returned to the US of A.

Gareth on the other hand has been writing some new material and is in the middle of arranging some solo acoustic shows for later in the year.

He has a new website at garethbartlett.co.uk which has some of his own songs on there (plenty more to come) as well as some video and a continuous stream of news.

So why not head over there and have a look - www.garethbartlett.co.uk

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Copperhouse 18/6 gig postponed

gareth — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:14:25 +0000

Gareth and Harry rock out at the Copperhouse in 2006

FOOTBALL fever has once again gripped the country - and had a bit of a knock-on effect on the live music scene.

The band's gig at the Copperhouse in Hayle, scheduled for June 18, has been postponed due to the World Cup clash between England and Algeria.

We are working with the venue on a replacement date, but until that is confirmed the next date scheduled date at the Copperhouse is September 17.

To bridge the gap, we've got some pics and videos from past Copperhouse gigs to keep you amused....! And do NOT miss the Dancing Cowboy at the bottom of the page!! It's a classic!

Gareth sings! At the Copperhouse, Xmas 09

The first year of Area 51: Note Gareth's longer hair!

The boys with bar staff at the Copperhouse last year, supporting Jack Daniels' birthday

Gareth at the Copperhouse, Christmas 2009

The famous Copperhouse Cowboy pulls some funky moves as the band performs Radar Love!

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Gig Pics: Bunters, May 20, 2010

eric — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:51:30 +0000

MANY thanks to NoisesOff, the band photographers who took a selection of pics at our gigs at Bunters in Truro.

The guys are doing their best to help local bands by taking pics and working to get them on the radio, so check them out at www.myspace.com/noisesoff

For more photos from Bunters, see our Pics From The Road gallery here

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Gig pics: Miners Arms – May 28, 2010

eric — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:28:02 +0000

WE had a GREAT night at the Miners Arms! The bar staff were superb and the crowd was really up for a fun night!

Sunglasses became the theme of the night - as bar staff suddenly dug out a massive collection of sunnies after spotting Rick wearing his onstage!

And it was tequila shots all round at the bar afterwards (thanks for the free drinks!) - but the most incredible sight was the guy who took it one stage further - by snorting the salt, downing the 'quila and then squeezing lemon into his EYE!! Hardcore!

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Musical tips

eric — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:24:37 +0000

JUST an update to let you know what some of us in the band are listening to and perhaps point you in a new direction.

Following on from the magic that is Slash's new solo album - of which both myself and Harry are fans of - I've been getting into Alter Bridge.

Myles Kennedy was by far the standout singer on the former Guns n Roses 6-stringer's album, belting out two tracks, and Alter Bridge is one of his "main" bands, in which he is joined by Creed guitarist, Mark Tremonti. So explosive guitars and vocals. Great stuff.

The track Brand New Start is a good starting point, from the Blackbird album. You can hear it here on youtube.

Might just be worth you checkin' 'em out. A new, third, album should be coming soon....

Let us know your thoughts if you check 'em out!

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Gig Pics: Bridge on Wool 08/05/2010

eric — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:58:47 +0000

A selection of pics from Bridge on Wool in Wadebridge from May 8. Will say briefly that it was a fantastic night. Everyone had a GREAT time, with a superb crowd. (More pics from that night HERE)

Now we're hoping to see a few of those faces, singing just as loud, at Bunters on May 20. That's the big one! Chris Gray, former engineer with The Police, is doing our sound! Woo!

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Gig Pics: Watermans, 29/04/10

eric — Sat, 01 May 2010 11:05:32 +0000

Here's some photos from the Watermans gig.

Special thanks to Chris Gray of Troubador Studios in Falmouth for being our sound engineer for the night - he did a superb job!

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Gig Thoughts/Pics: Gig Bar, Marazion 23/04/10

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:08:14 +0000

THE first gig back for the full new lineup of A51 went without any major problems.

Well, that is if you class almost deafening the early-arrivers at sound check with ear-piercing feedback as a 'minor' problem.
We're sorry...!

The night saw the introduction of two new songs (and a couple that have dragged out the cupboard after a long time left off the setlist)...>

The first up was All Day and All Of The Night by The Kinks, which saw new bass player Rick Hewlett take lead vocals.
A great track which the whole band enjoys - and it came together by accident one day in rehearsal.

The other is the Foo Fighters' Long Road To Ruin.
Both songs went down well with the Gig Bar crowd and will return in future gigs, even though the setlist will be varied more often in future.

We've uploaded some fan pics taken on the night, which are available now in the Pics From The Road album here

:: Next up, it's Watermans in Falmouth on Thursday, April 29...

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What the hell we’ve been doing…and a new bass player

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:16:28 +0000

IT'S been far too long since our last update - but it's time to say why and explain a few things!

Starting with: Gareth's undergone major hip surgery (perhaps from using the heaviest guitars known to man, or maybe from doing the Hard to Handle shake once too often?!?) so has been out of action for the past three months - both on stage and online.

He's had to learn to walk again and is having regular physiotherapy, but has this week rejoined the band for rehearsals.

While he's been off the band has waved goodbye to bass player Eric LaFrogne, after around a year with A51.

Eric made the decision to leave last year but thankfully decided to continue for as long as necessary until the band could find his successor.

Harry, Gareth and Mike thank Eric from the bottom of their hearts for his contribution to the band over the past 12 months.

He's been a solid bass player and a good friend to everyone in the band. He's provided vocal harmonies and even sang lead vocal on Cheap Trick's Surrender, in addition to being the butt of plenty of jokes - like everyone who is involved in A51 - and has been part of a lot of good times and memories. Thankyou Eric.

IT'S been far too long since our last update - but it's time to say why and explain a few things!

Starting with: Gareth's undergone major hip surgery (perhaps from using the heaviest guitars known to man, or maybe from doing the Hard to Handle ass shake once too often?!?) so has been out of action for the past three months - both on stage and online.
He's had to learn to walk again and is having regular physiotherapy, but has this week rejoined the band for rehearsals.

While he's been off the band has waved goodbye to bass player Eric LaFrogne, after around a year with A51...>

Eric made the decision to leave last year but thankfully decided to continue for as long as necessary until the band could find his successor.

Harry, Gareth and Mike thank Eric from the bottom of their hearts for his contribution to the band over the past 12 months.

He's been a solid bass player and a good friend to everyone in the band. He's provided vocal harmonies and even sang lead vocal on Cheap Trick's Surrender, in addition to being the butt of plenty of jokes - like everyone who is involved in A51 - and has been part of a lot of good times and memories. Thankyou Eric.

But the time has arrived to reveal our new bass player - his name is Rick, and he...is...FANTASTIC.

Expect a full run-down on Rick VERY soon! And just wait til you hear the guy play...

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