As a trumpet player, one of my highlights each year is to play “The Last Post” on Anzac Day. I love the composition, I relish the many fond memories it evokes, and I am appreciative of how it connects me with an ancestor who served in World War 1. As a Piece of Music The…
Organising a Christmas Party is hard. There are many facets to making a party great. I have performed at literally thousands of parties and events, and from all my years of experience, I can summarise the three elements to make your Christmas Party (or any celebration) a success. The Three Elements That Will Make Your…
I took a long country drive to the New England region of New South Wales to play at a wedding reception. The wedding was in Armidale at Peterson’s Guesthouse and Winery. It was for Damien and Kellie. How I Got The Gig Damian had seen me play at a mate’s wedding in Sydney. He inquired…
Sydney’s Inner West suburb of Ashfield is very lucky to have a superb live music venue. Miss Celie’s offers live music seven night per week. I performed there on Friday, 28th October, from 7pm – 10pm. My performance at Miss Celie’s I performed at Miss Celie’s with my three piece band. With me I had…
The Sydney Opera House is a truly spectacular venue for a wedding reception. This is because Sydney Opera House is such an incredible and iconic piece of architecture. It is renowned throughout the world. Since it was opened, in 1973, it has undergone various makeovers and refurbishments. In one of these “adjustments” from the original…
Last Saturday night we played at a backyard birthday party. Yaron and Ruby were both celebrating their 50th birthdays. The party was held in their backyard. The birthday party had a “M*A*S*H” theme (i.e. from the TV series from the 1970’s). Theming For The Birthday Party Marquees were erected in the backyard to simulate the…
Last Saturday, my band and I played at a wedding at the Robertson Public House. The village of Robertson is in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands district. It’s approximately a one and three-quarter hour drive from Sydney. Wedding Rescheduled Due To Covid The wedding was for Monica and Damien. They had originally intended on getting…
Every year, I usually play at one or two Year 12 formals. I have played at the Marcellin College Year 12 formal for over twenty-five years. This year’s formal totally went off, so I expect to be doing their formal again next year. Great Test Year 12 formals are a fantastic test for any band,…
Back in the 1990’s, it was common to be playing 4 – 6 gigs every week. I remember one week in December in around 1996, when my band played 12 gigs in one week. Doing two gigs back to back on a Saturday was common, and we were undaunted by the long hours of playing…
The full line-up of “Slide McBride” is a 4-piece band. This consists of Slide McBride (the person) on vocals, trombone, trumpet, ukulele/guitar. The other three band members play (i) drums, (ii) bass, & (iii) guitar. Slide McBride has the flexibility to add or subtract band members. The band can be extended to a 5-piece by…