One of the problems with on stage playing particularly with a big band is that almost every gig someone knocks or kicks a drink over ,covering the stage with a pint of beer. One of our musicians turned up last night with a drink holder that clips on the mike stand,this is similar to those which fit on push bikes.
Fantastic I am getting one next week.
Al

ALAN AND FOLKS: there is an alternative: ABSTAIN............allan

If they're aiming for the folk market, they should do one that fits tankards.

Doesn't that assume that the mike stand is sufficiently stable that it won't topple and spill your drink when you bump against either the stand or the holder?

Hmmmm - it's strange.

I read each word individually and I understand each one's meaning.
I read the words together as a whole sentence and they seem to make no sense at all!

That's what I like to hear, Alan, someone who can multi-task; playing concertina, whilst sitting on a bike, on stage!

Careful, though, drink and electrics don't mix too well if things go wrong. An alternative, of course, is to find a tankard which is heavy enough to avoid being kicked over.

The smart alternative, as long as you don't sit back in your chair, is a camelback.

Good luck!

Peter.

This is a total diversion not involving concertinas, but Peter's last comment reminded me of an epidode from a TV series in which Phil Cunningham, accordion player, explored how Scottish music had travelled around the world. In one scene he was standing in a desert scene. The camera panned back, and around the corner came the Royal Oman Camel-mounted Police Pipes and Drums!!!

- John Wild

It's bizarre, John; I'm reading your post, whilst uploading videos of trams in the snow!

Peter.

The holder will actually take quite nicely a bottle of water.
Knowing the person who purchased this drink holder however I would expect that he is now looking for large straws so that he can drink and play at the same time.
Surely a Morris Musicians dream.
Al

That's why I suggested the camelback!

WOODY AND FOLKS: that's because you have to read them backwards in order to make sentence out the "Gestalt"........allan

I've seen these holders before-- Gaelic Storm always has them in concert...



However, I agree with Allan here.

Some of us don't need mind altering alcohol to act...strange.

If you really want to play and drink at the same time how about one of those walker's/Cyclist's back-pack with a straw things?

Robin Madge

Camelback.

Here's another possibility: Pianists often have an official "page turner" to turn over the pages of the music for them and allow the pianist's both hands to remain at the keyboard. So why not get (hire?) someone as an official "drink holder"? They could even tip the drink to your lips while you're playing, so no need for an awkward straw. (Besides, beer doesn't taste the same through a straw.)

allan............ABSTAIN alternative: an is there FOLKS: AND ALAN ???????????????????

I think I'd need to have a few before I found more meaning here.

Back to the original post - I think I have the answer

FOLKS: once again, Fiddlehead Fern and I are on the same page. . . . . . .yesterday was "opening day" at New York's Shea Stadium. . . . .the New York Mets (we have a sport here called BASEBALL) were playing their home opener for the new season (they lost). . . . .the point, though, is this: i went into my office that morning on the Long Island Railroad (a commuter railroad). . . . .i caught a 9:48 A.M. train. . . . . .when I changed at a stop called Jamaica for the train to Penn Station, there were loads of people heading for Shea Stadium. . . . . .some of the them were already tipsy (approximately 10:15 A.M.). . . .others were holding NOT six-packs of beer, but EIGHTEEN-packs of beer. . . .i didn't even know there was such a thing. . . . .but the joke is on them: if i'm not mistaken, you cannot bring either bottled or canned liquids into Shea Stadium. . . ..they get confiscated. . . . . .the moral of the story, of course: he or she who drinks on the bandstand will have his or her concertina confiscated. . . . . .now this should set off an uproar. . . . . .for once, i'll not have killed a thread. . . . . .and think of all those calories......................better to eat the concertina. . . .allan

Tried that.
The reeds get stuck in your teeth
Al

They might press on the bag and you may be covered with water (or something else that was in the bag).

How about putting a balloon inside the bellows, fill it up with guinness and connect it to your mouth with a fuel pipe? ~{:0)}

Some years ago I went to a Cricket test match England v West Indies - for those in the know it was the day when Botham couldn't get his leg over

As we got off the tube near the ground there were signs everywhere saying "No alcohol will be allowed to be taken into the ground" & we were disappointed because we had some beers in our bags along with food that we were taking. We decided to take a chance & carried on.

As we got closer to the Oval (the ground) we saw signs saying "Only small amounts of alcohol will be allowed into the ground", so we were a bit happier as we had gone to the match to watch the play, not to just get drunk.

Approaching the entrance there was a large sign saying "No EXCESSIVE amounts of alcohol allowed into the ground".

As we started going in there were two Australians (sorry to reinforce cultural stereotypes) going in with no obvious signs of anybody else accompanying them. Each was carrying on his shoulder a pack of 32 cans of beer.

We never did find out what their definition of EXCESSIVE was.

ALAN: never thought of that. . . . .guess one has to have one's dentist close at hand when eating a concertina. . . . . .

WOODY: that's pretty good: 32 cans each. . . . . .beats the guys on the Long Island Railroad. . . . .but i really think that their stuff was confiscated. . . . . .in fact, at Giants Stadium (which is where our two local football teams -- american style -- play) they have banned all alcohol from certain parts of the stadium. . . . it was really getting to be a problem. . . . . . .so not only can you not take it in. . . .but if you're sitting in a certain section, you can't even buy it...........allan

Here in Texas, and I'm sure other civilized places, we drink 30 PACKS.

And we don't go to bed UNTIL 11am.

Good man.


I shan't ask what the beers like though...

Reminds me of Four Yorkshiremen.

Peter,

You beat me to it, I was just about to post "Eeee, when I were a lad..."

GOOD FOLKS: this thread has so deeply moved me that i've gone around for days now singing:

100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, if one of those bottles should happen to fall, 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer, if one of those bottles should happen to fall, 98 bottles of beer on the wall.

let's all join in............and see who the lucky fellow/girl is who gets the last bottle of beer.................Allan