Saturday 29 December 2012

Tunneling for Beginners


Now this might seem like a round from "Have I got news for you" and their guest publication feature, and you would be right.

Somehow we have managed to subscribe to something on the Interweb that considers that we might be interested in a publication that is to do with Tunnels . . .  And of course they are correct, how could one not be?

Given our experience in recent years in Tunnels and the pleasure they can give the average bloke as he explores their nooks and crannies and the sonic possibilities this sounds like and offer too good to miss to point your browser to http://www.tunnelsonline.info/ and find out more

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Dates for your calendar

We know what it is like this time of year, the Christmas thing is nearly out of the way till it starts again in next August, and you need something to look forward to and get you through those dark winter nights.  

Luckily we have been beavering away to help you with lots of exciting TMAK47 Adventures to look forward to and start "negotiations" to be allowed to time off for good behaviour.

There are a number of dates beginning to firm up in 2013 already and they are now available from a fandangle that is known as a "Google Calendar".  Apparently this is a modern equivalent of a real calendar, such as our  very own "Must have Gift for Christmas" and can be very useful for those tech savvy types who seem to include everyone and their granny nowadays.  

If you would like to look at the full thing then point your Interweb connection towards it by clicking here.  The less tech savvy amongst us might like to try clicking here and writing things down on paper, known as a calendar - either way, don't say you haven't been told what is planned for when and start building up your stock of "Brownie Points" now by helping to wash up the Christmas dishes!

Our first event of the year will be a new one, a gig in the Ashton Keynes Village School Hall with the group that represents the other side of the village, Siren Sisters.  It should prove to be a "very Ashton Keynes" evening and a great way to start the year's performances.  More info soon.

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Don't put your daughter on the Stage, Mr Samuel

Yuletide being a time when one traditionally gets together with your family we have a particularly appropriate, if somewhat quirky posting celebrating this notion.

Many of our readers will be familiar with Jessica Samuel, daughter of our esteemed ChoirMeister, Mr Samuel, from the workshops she has run in Swindon and other places over the last year or two.  She graduated in 2011 with a BA (HONS) in Performing Arts from the prestigious  Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and since then has been in constant work, much to the great pleasure (and relief!) of her proud dad.  

Now she is about to go on tour in Germany with an extraordinary production that is an act that is somewhere near a cross between Naked Voices and the Blue Man Group, except the are yellow (!)  called the Voci Family.  They have made a showcase video to give you a flavour of what they are about and it is well worth a quick look to marvel at the range of material they sing.  Jess can be seen at many points throughout the video, starting with appearing at 0:29, top centre and then at 0:43 and 0:50 on the left.  See if you can spot her further along.

Saturday 22 December 2012

The "Must have" gift for Christmas 2012

Stuck for that ideal gift? 

Not sure how to truly commemorate that special Yuletide moment?  

Needing to get yourself organized for 2013? 

In need of a good laugh and a tremendous souvenir of the last year or two of The Magnificent AK47's antics?  

Well, you are in luck!  We have the perfect thing for you, the (in)famous Magnificent AK47 Calendar!

There are a few copies still available in the Ashton Keynes Village Shop pricing for members of the group at £4 for 1 copy, £10 for 3 copies and non-members at £6 for 1 copy, £14 for 3 copies (if you need any more, contact us at themagnificentak47@gmail.com and we can sort something out).

And finally for now we will be launching a Google Calendar with lots of entries for you to transfer to your actual calendar hanging proudly on your wall.

Sunday 16 December 2012

The morning after the night before of Shed Heaven

This photo was taken showing the spot where one night before our valiant fellows had been serenading the locals and the many hardy folk who had made the trek from out of town to the Cirencester Christmas festivities in the Market Place.  

In fact, we apparently had a group of ladies who had traveled all the way from Crudwell just to see us!  (Well,  they might have already been coming in for the birthday treat for one of them but once they knew we were performing they made an effort to come and see us specially, so that counts like fan-dome in our books!).   

Anyway, we made the night of the Birthday Girl by summoning her forth to stand amongst us and be serenaded to the tune of Delilah.  And she did genuinely enjoy the moment, as did the few remaining loiterers who happened to be passing through the somewhat chilly Market Place.  Much to our pleasure once we had started performing there was quite a reasonable crowd gathered and actually  stayed for most of the set, despite it being one of the coldest nights of the winter so far.

Once we had finished bang on 6 o'clock we repaired round the corner to The Crown and one pint in we politely asked if we could sing them a song and they equally politely agreed so we banged out another storming version of "Delilah" much to the amazement of those assembled in the pub as this sort of thing doesn't happen these days unless we are around.

Thence back to AK and The White Hart for our supper with everyone gathered in the back room for sausage and chips or veg lasagne and garlic bread.  It was great to see everyone gathered together and we spent a few merry moments including announcing the results of the 2012 T-Shirt competition (a post to come) amid fevered excitement and not inconsiderable jealousy when they saw the prizes.

We rounded the night off with some sterling lowering of the tone with our singing along to various carols under the guidance of Brian D's very lovely wife, the Rev Shirley.  Another great evening, "very Ashton Keynes".

Subnote:
One of our party happened to bump into the lady who was organizing the Cirencester Market Place event and she was very enthusiastic about our performance and only wished we had been able to make it along earlier to sing some more!  Next year maybe. . . 

Match Report
Chris S lead The following blokes 

Chris A, Peter B, Neil B, Nick B, Geoff C, Brian D, Mark F, Lars F, John G, Mike G, Stuart H, , Trevor H, Alan H, Jon H, John  M, Darren S, David T, Mark T, Angus V, Ade W

Who sang the following songs rather well given the cold!


Alone in my shedTurnip Hoer'sMravaljamierDry Stone Waller's
Shosholosza 
Delilah

and 
Hail Smiling Morn
Gaudete
Wassail

and a few more carols besides in the pub where they were joined by Nigel H and Steve K.


Wednesday 12 December 2012

One more sleep till Christmas . . .

. . . well, perhaps not quite, but if you are a member of the valiant troupe who will be mustering in the cold of a December night to sing your little hearts out, it's not far off!

Even if it's not quite a case of all our Christmases coming early, it won't be far off as we daringly undertake another Magnificent Double-Header of 2 performances in the one evening, and maybe even fitting in a 3rd!  

We are due to be performing at the Cirencester Christmas Market event, somewhere in the Market Place in, you've guessed it, Cirencester.  We are aiming to be singing some time around 5:30pm some where around the main Church to entertain all the people selling things from all the fancy sheds they currently have there.

After that we will be high tailing it to our spiritual home of The White Hart for a social supper before launching into the now annual (well 2nd year running, so Q.E.D.) songfest that is the "Beer and Carols" evening in conjunction with the Village Church plus other august singing bodies of the locality, a.k.a. The Ashton Keynes Village Choir and The Siren Sisters.  It should be another great evening, "very Ashton Keynes".

Monday 10 December 2012

Where were you when? Millennium Stadium Magnificence


Another entry from our glorious ChoirMeister, who at this rate is going to need two T-Shirts next year the amount of wear he is getting out of this year's collection.  And another valiant entry, much like his plucky lads from across the Severn.

Apparently this was snapped before the game when hopes were still high (you can see a few Welsh players warming up in the background) - and well before Wales had contrived to pull off their most impressive ever 'snatching defeat from the jaws of victory' routine (and it's a pretty long list to choose from).

Your boys done good (mutter, mutter).

Anyway, the scores are in
1. The Location - 3.5 (Good visible signage although technically it doesn't say where he is to a technical fault or that).

2. The Pose - 3.5 (A reasonable degree of pointless grandeur, although it is tempting to say made all the more poignant given the eventual result).

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 (Whilst it is always good to see an All Black shirt at a rugby match for the sheer quality of the performer inside, it would possibly be wrong of us to mention the England versus New Zealand result on the same afternoon as the contrast could not be greater, but we should not dwell on the success of the glorious English team in one of their historic victories at the expense of belittling the achievements of the Welsh team, no, that would be beneath us and so we won't, mention it again that is, not even once more, stopping mentioning it NOW).

Making that a total of 10.5 
Given the usually very high standard of pose from this particular entrant perhaps not quite up to his usual quality and dropping away at the very end of his immense cumulative endeavours on this front over the past year, much like the Welsh Rugby Team themselves. . .  isn't it odd how art mirrors sport?  

More please.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Where were you when? In search of the elusive


This moment was recently captured when one of our correspondents was out and roving about  in the depths of soggy Somerset, close to the borders with Exmoor.    Apparently he was spotted searching and searching for the very spot but still couldn't find it ...


A conundrum that blokes all over the world will be all too familiar with and identify wholeheartedly.  Now, if only he stopped flapping around, asked directions, and taken the hint from the signs all around him . . .  


Anyway, the scores are in
1. The Location - 4.5 (Good visible signage, we certainly can't fault him for that).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Suitably pointless grandeur, although the objective of his quest is very laudable).

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Given the universality of the male of the species struggling with finding these sorts of places and the use of "Carry On" innuendo).

Making that a total of 12.5 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone with a turning a nondescript part of Somerset into a part of The Magnificent folklore.  More please.

Saturday 1 December 2012

The Prince Albert Carol Consort

There is no getting away from it, Christmas is coming and the Yuletide festivity season is descending upon us and what better way to celebrate the depths of mid-winter and the return of the sun by singing with a load of great people, in a warm pub with a bit of grub inside your  belly and a drink in hand?!  And we know the very place to do it.

Oh, so we better tell you more, hadn't we?! . . . The place to be is The Prince Albert in Stroud(ish) every Sunday lunchtime for spot of great pub nosh and fine old sing song of carols that you will know and others that will be less familiar but with plenty of familiar faces from The Magnificent AK47 crowd.  

To find out more visit http://www.theprincealbertstroud.co.uk/whats_on.php and tell them we sent you!