June 2008 (List all)
 

We are Shirley - June Edition

Shirley Shows

Nothing booked for June as we’re currently working on lots of new material

A look ahead...

Sat 5th July - Melting Pot @ The Jericho Tavern, Oxford.

In case of cancellation always check gigs at http://www.myspace.com/shirleytheband before travelling.

News

Shirley Wed and our revised Gig strategy
We have decided to take a more cyclical approach to gigging, where we have phases of writing and phases of more fervent gigging, including doing a lot more out-of-towners. Currently we’re in a writing phase, which has been enormously productive, the results of which will be shared at The Jericho Tavern in July. Consequently the era of our monthly Shirley Wed nights came to an end last month as we won’t be able to run them every month. We were joined by Sketchbeat and Adam Rufus for an emotional farewell to the phenomenon born out of Ali’s desire to have us play The Exeter Hall more regularly. It is with fondness and measured pride that we look back at some fantastic nights of quality music. We’d like to thank Danny for doing the sound and Jan for doing the door and of course all the fantastic bands and acoustic acts that helped put Shirley Wed firmly on Oxford’s calendar of monthly must-see’s. We’d also like to thank all the people who came along and supported our self-run nights.

Blacky The Donkey
We are relieved to learn that Blacky has been released from jail. Shirley’s ‘Free Blacky’ campaign was successful in exerting pressure on Blacky’s owner to agree to pay the fine for Blacky’s assault on two men in Mexico. Blacky endured three days in jail after biting and kicking two men in the southern state of Chiapas. The owner finally paid a £16 fine and £60 in hospital bills. We urge all donkey-owning Shirley fans to exercise due care and diligence to avoid any future unfortunate incidents of this kind.

New Material
We’re working on a new track called ‘Killer on the run’.

It could be You!

This month’s lucky winner of the Shirley prizedraw is Cath Hogan.
Don’t forget everyone on our mailing list gets automatically entered each month, so don’t miss out, make sure you’re signed up. (http://www.shirleymusic.co.uk)

A lot of People have been asking us...

What the correct spelling is of our recent song ‘Stony Ground’? The whole to ‘e’ or not to ‘e’ debate is one not to be taken lightly. We’re assured that either version is permissible and after a lengthy band discussion have opted to drop the ‘e’ in an attempt to cut down on our paper consumption. Interestingly a similar debate is raging on in the town of Noblesville. We thank Jonathon Babalola for keeping us posted on the developments of the ‘Stony Creek’ saga. The creek has received a shared billing for nearly 150 years. Though it hasn’t reached epic proportions, the correct spelling of one of the most well-known waterways in the area even has lifelong Noblesville residents puzzled. S-t-o-n-y Creek is a moniker given to a school, shopping plaza, swim center, golf course, a stone company and a stream which runs from Noblesville’s south side and heads east into Madison County. S-t-o-n-e-y Creek graces a shopping center as well as a subdivision, pet clinic, a cemetery, a tax increment finance district... and apparently the same stream. The issue has again reared its ugly head because of a public awareness campaign intended to call attention to the county’s water resources. Signs designating certain streams and local roads were installed at many Hamilton County locations last month. Most of the placards placed in Noblesville have the creek spelled with an "e" raising the ire of several residents who claim the spelling on the signs were incorrect. The 1866 county map - the earliest known diagram of the area - shows that the creek was spelled as Stony in Noblesville Township. But where the waterway breaks off toward the Wayne Township area - between what is now the areas of East 191st and 196th streets at Pilgrim Road - the extra vowel was added. According to local historian David Heighway, there is no documentation of which spelling was actually first. But it is definitely an interchangeable moniker. As a band we like to limit our influence on people and actively promote diversity, so we’ll leave it for you to decide on whether you’re an ‘e person’ or not. Take it easy.

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