How it all started : late 80'sTenth Avenue Band was founded by Ken Patterson. Ken was inspired by other bands he’d seen, such as Grand Union, Welfare State International, Pineapple Agogo (Dodgy Clutch) and Peace Artistes. Originally a community band called 'The Heaton People's Band', it was open to people of all ages and musical levels. Ken was a teacher at Chillingham Road primary school and he gained funding as a focus of the school's work in the community. He held weekly rehearsals in the school. Steel pans were a central part of the band at this time. The first 'gig' was at the Fish Quay Festival, North Shields in May 1988.
|
|
|
International debut: early 90'sBy 1990 we performed short sets at local events. More adults joined, expanding the age range from teenagers to forty-somethings, and the range of instruments expanded. The band was made up of an eclectic mix of members, including teachers, a gardener, general practitioners, psychologists, a hairdresser, university professors, artists and a piano tuner. Ken became a freelance musician and tutor for the band.
In 1990 we played a major part in hosting the National Street Band Festival in Newcastle/Gateshead which was an inspirational event. A French player from Mona Lisa Klaxon band in Rouen joined the band. It was through her contacts that the band went on its first European trip to Rouen in April 1991, camping on a goat cheese farm in very cold weather! We spent our time busking, which greatly increased our confidence as players and street entertainers. We started to experiment with costumes, but it took some years to settle on black and white. We got more gigs back in Newcastle and started to charge a small fee. In 1992 we changed our name to the Tenth Avenue Band and had around 25 members. At the Sheffield National Street Band Festival in 1992 we delighted audiences with our performance. In 1993 we made our first recording for sale on cassette tape (Chilli Fingers). Ken arranged most of the tunes, some of which were generously passed on to us from other street bands. |
Feeling confident : mid 90'sWe continued with Ken leading the band, building up our repertoire and playing more gigs. We went to National Street Band festivals, where we could see what other bands were doing and sometimes learning music from them. We developed our European links and trips which were very positive and supportive time; lots of playing, fun and memorable 'champagne moments'. Steel pans were phased out. Through our local gigs and at big Christmas parties we built up real support in the region amongst friends and community music organisers. Ken moved onto other things in 1996 and we evolved together, taking on new responsibilities.
|
|
International Street Band Festival: the 'noughties'
During this time, we moved rehearsals to the function room of a nearby pub. We got a good number of paid gigs and kept up a varied repertoire. By 2000 we had our first functional website.
During 2003 we put a huge effort into getting a grant to organise an 'International Street Band Festival' in Newcastle/Gateshead. We invited seven visiting bands from around Europe and one band from Canada. Ken composed a special piece 'Tyne Times' for us all to play together on the banks of the river Tyne - which was an amazing experience. The event was a great success, organisationally, musically and socially.
Throughout this time our wonderful Christmas parties and musical picnics on a pleasure boat down the Tyne were also hugely popular and a great success. European trips continued to be an annual high point.
Dave, one of our key and much loved members, developed terminal cancer. In 2007 We organised a mini-international event for him, inviting several of our sister bands from England, Germany and Holland. This was timed to coincide with the Durham Brass Festival where we all played. Following Dave's death we took a little time to regroup and some band members moved on.
During 2008, more people joined the band; we became stronger and numbers returned to around 15-20. Our repertoire increased and we agreed to add a dash of red to our costume. In 2009 our good friends IG Blech invited us for a weekend of concerts and busking in Berlin. This was a very positive time and again formed part of our evolution as a band.
During 2003 we put a huge effort into getting a grant to organise an 'International Street Band Festival' in Newcastle/Gateshead. We invited seven visiting bands from around Europe and one band from Canada. Ken composed a special piece 'Tyne Times' for us all to play together on the banks of the river Tyne - which was an amazing experience. The event was a great success, organisationally, musically and socially.
Throughout this time our wonderful Christmas parties and musical picnics on a pleasure boat down the Tyne were also hugely popular and a great success. European trips continued to be an annual high point.
Dave, one of our key and much loved members, developed terminal cancer. In 2007 We organised a mini-international event for him, inviting several of our sister bands from England, Germany and Holland. This was timed to coincide with the Durham Brass Festival where we all played. Following Dave's death we took a little time to regroup and some band members moved on.
During 2008, more people joined the band; we became stronger and numbers returned to around 15-20. Our repertoire increased and we agreed to add a dash of red to our costume. In 2009 our good friends IG Blech invited us for a weekend of concerts and busking in Berlin. This was a very positive time and again formed part of our evolution as a band.
Fun, friends and performance : Time moves on!
We continued to perform regularly at gigs in the region; some for our members, charity events, private parties - weddings, birthdays and organised public events. As a Community Band any income we make is used to pay rehearsal leaders and subsidise trips. We continued to plan something exciting each summer: we've been to Hamburg, Ireland a few times, local festivals such as Stepping Stones or Lindisfarne. In 2017 we visited Amsterdam to celebrate 25 years of Tenth Avenue Band in partnership with a Dutch sister band, Toeters en Bellen, who were also celebrating their Jubilee!
|
|
Performances, culture and fun! - 2020's
Lockdown was of course difficult globally! Again, we used the time to evolve and several changes to the band mean we once again find ourselves enjoying learning new repertoire and working hard to make sure that every performance is great!
We continue to work as a collective with decisions taken by the band. We seek out new members where there are gaps in our line-up. We absolutely love to perform and share our music with others - in the street, in the garden, at parties, at festivals, on a boat, at your wedding - just ask and we'll give it a try!
We hope you have enjoyed our journey - we are delighted to be able to draw on the experiences of our past to move us into our future.
Lockdown was of course difficult globally! Again, we used the time to evolve and several changes to the band mean we once again find ourselves enjoying learning new repertoire and working hard to make sure that every performance is great!
We continue to work as a collective with decisions taken by the band. We seek out new members where there are gaps in our line-up. We absolutely love to perform and share our music with others - in the street, in the garden, at parties, at festivals, on a boat, at your wedding - just ask and we'll give it a try!
We hope you have enjoyed our journey - we are delighted to be able to draw on the experiences of our past to move us into our future.
|
|
|
