OLD NEWS...

Catch up on past updates here:

2009

DECEMBER

HALLOWEEN Once again, Halloween at Kelley's Row did not disappoint. Chris spent a sleepless month of October editing horror movie footage and 80's videos and we made use of the Kelley's Row projector and screen for a full-on multi-media show. We highlighted the night with a performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller synched to the original video. The costumes were killer as always, congrats to the costume contest winners (we're happy to say that for once we weren't involved in the voting at all)! Our old pal and former Kelley's bartender Jamie Stevens made it out and joined us on stage for another killer version of Jump. His costume accessory blow-up doll made it up on stage as well! Here's a few pics of us in costume and a random fan shot, showing the screen.

SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER

We've had a great summer featuring a lot of fun private events with some killer general public shows.  With the cooler weather rolling in, we're gearing up for fall.

KELLEY'S ROW  September 26th marks our return to The Row for the last Saturday of the month.  Remember, Kelley's sells tickets for these shows so be sure to call in advance!

BENEFIT OCTOBER  Three Benefit shows in October means three chances to help out some great causes.  First up, we'll be appearing at the Governor's Inn on the 10th for a benefit for The Rochester Child Care Center.  On the 17th, we'll be at the Rochester Elks supporting St. Elizabeth Seton School.  Finally on the 24th, we'll be back at the Sunningdale Golf Club for another Relay for Life benefit.  See our schedule to the right for details.  We hope to see you there. 

HALLOWEEN  Make your plans now for our annual Halloween Bash at Kelley's Row.  The show falls on the official Halloween Night for a change so we hope to see you there!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING  Despite the fact that summer is still winding down, we are already booking for the Holiday Party Season.  Sick of hearing Mustang Sally yet again along with the same old standard show tunes played by a tired looking show band?  Make your party one to remember with GAZPACHO!  See our Corporate page for more info!   

We'll be getting back into the basement soon to get some new tunes going.  Keep an ear open at future shows!
 

JULY, AUGUST

Yes we've been slacking on the updates the past few months.  Not much we can say that hasn't already been said.  We had a consistent string of fun shows throughout the spring and we're looking forward to continuing this trend throughout the summer!

SUMMER BREAK  With the demise of the Rochester Jaycee's Night Before the Fourth celebration in Rochester, we figured this would be a perfect time to take a few weeks off and enjoy the summer for a change.  Hopefully the weather takes a turn for the better!  We'll be back at it in mid-July!

JULY EVENTS  We'll be back at the Governor's Inn on the 17th.  It's always a great time and we can't wait to get back.  Word on the street is we'll be moving outdoors for this one, either to the tented porch or if the weather cooperates the Cafe.  Tix are going fast for this one, so get yours while you can! 

On the 23rd we'll be making our debut at the Music By The Sea Concert Series at the Seacoast Science Center.  We were very disappointed when the weather shut us down last year, so we're hoping for a great day this time out.  Follow the link to the right for tickets.

Finally we'll be making a mid-summer's appearance at Kelley's Row.  Details on this one are still shaping up...

AUGUST AND BEYOND  After July off, we'll be back in Acton at Willy's and making an appearance at the always rocking Dover Brickhouse on the 28th.  Come out and help us celebrate Chris' birthday!  No Kelley's in August, but we'll be back at the Row on the last weekend of the month starting in September. 

In case you missed it, new tunes for the spring included:

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
(We tried this one a few years back, but resurrected it on the 26th at The Page after MJ's untimely passing. Sure things were a little weird there the last few years for the King of Pop, but you can't question his musical contributions...)
 

APRIL, MAY, JUNE

THIS JUST IN!!!
Be sure to tune into New Hampshire Chronicle on Monday, April 13th!  They'll be running a segment on the Rockright Academy, a true School of Rock run out of Ralph's House of Tone by Ralph, Gary and our good friend Seamus Burke.  New Hampshire Chronicle runs on WMUR Channel 9 at 7:30PM!  Set your DVR!

March Recap: 

• On Saturday, March 6th we appeared at the Relay For Life Benefit show at the Sunningdale Country Club. The event sold out about a week in advance. Apparently they had well over 100 calls for tix after they were sold out and people were walking up to the club looking for tickets as we were setting up. Needless to say it was a great crowd with a great mix of new and old faces. We put the last song of the night to the crowd vote and Poison's Fallen Angel just beat out Don't Stop Believin' with Come On Eileen finishing a distant third. Thanks to everyone who made it out to help a great cause!
• After a well needed weekend off, we returned to action at Willy's Ale Room. We've been seeing a gradual build-up at Willy's, but things exploded on the 20th. We're not sure if it was the stretch of decent weather, the first day of spring, or what, but we had our best crowd to date rocking it up. It was great seeing folks out that had caught us at the Relay For Life Benefit. We're booked at Willy's through November at this point, we hope to keep it going!
• Saturday the 21st we hit the road for our first wedding of 2009. An overnight affair at Sunday River, ME, we rolled out of Dover around noon for the 3 hour trip. Despite a few directional mishaps once we arrived at the resort, smoke coming out of the reception room vents during our soundcheck, an (almost) lost glove and a bottle of Captain that kept falling out of the van, everything went great. The wedding was a blast and our best wishes go out to Lee Ann and Jared for many happy years together. We'll be looking forward to seeing the newlyweds and much of their family again at the Dave Bemis Prom.
• We wrapped up the month with another sold out show at Kelley's Row. It was great seeing a lot of new faces in the crowd, we hope to see you out again. DON'T FORGET: Kelley's is selling tix for our shows, please be sure to get yours early! Table seats sold out by mid month for the March show and general admission tix sold out by the day of the show. We know some folks got turned away at the door Saturday night, unfortunately with room capacity codes there's not a whole lot we can do to get extra people in. ANOTHER REMINDER: No Kelley's in April, but we'll be back on May 30th for our last regularly scheduled Kelley's gig until fall.

Last Call for the Prom Don't miss out on your chance to party with us in your finest at the Dave Bemis Prom on April 11th. A few tickets are left, get yours before they're gone!  Details to the right!

Looking ahead  On May 2nd we'll be appearing at the Rochester Legion at a Benefit for the Rochester Visiting Nurse Association. It will be a great night for a great cause. Our summer schedule is filling in fast with a lot of cool shows, including family friendly events. Hopefully we'll have better luck with the rain this year.  Stay tuned!

In case you missed it, new tunes for March included:

She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Superfreak - Rick James (an oldie we brought out of retirement)
 

MARCH

March Recap: 

• We kicked off February at one of our favorite events of the year, the NH Special Olympics Penguin Plunge. It was an early morning, getting to the Casino around 8AM. Especially early considering we'd only got out of Kelley's at 2AM the night before. However, it's not hard to get psyched up for such a great event and we had fun getting everyone warmed up for their dip in the Atlantic (though with temps in the 40s it was another warm year). We had a couple of special guests join us onstage: Dr. Dan (who raised over $10K on his own!) played harp with us for The Romantics What I Like About You. And Charlie, one of the athletes, joined us for a rousing rendition of Pat Benetar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot which was quite possibly the highlight of the show. It was great seeing some familiar faces, we'd like to say a special hello to Bethany (who we met last year), we hope you like the CD! We're already looking forward to the plunge of 2010.
• Not much to say that hasn't been said before about the rest of the month, it was another sell-out at the Governor's Inn, the Brickhouse and Page were rockin', we played a 5 person birthday bash at the Rochester Legion and wrapped up the month with another killer show at Kelley's Row. Thanks to everyone for coming out, you guys make this fun!  

PROM ANYONE???  Don't forget your chance to party in your finest at the Dave Bemis Prom coming up in April. Tickets are still available, but going fast. Don't miss out!

In case you missed it, new songs for February included:

Radio Ga-Ga - Queen
The Heat of the Moment - Asia
Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
 

FEBRUARY

We had a great start to 2009, here's a look back at January: 

• Our first show of 2009 was at The Page in Portsmouth. We had originally booked the show for the 16th, but some confusion resulted in it getting switched to the 2nd. We really weren't sure what to expect having just rocked out 2008 48 hours earlier and we didn't know if people would be up for partying so soon after the biggest night of the year. It took a bit longer than normal to get going, but by the end of the first set, the place began to fill in steadily and by the end of the night it was several rows deep right up front. We'll be back at The Page in February!
• Next up was another great night at Willy's. If you haven't made the trek up, give it a shot. They have a great menu (featuring a variety of specialty wings), extensive beer selection and a very cool, laid back atmosphere. If you snowmobile you can sled right up to the place and get drink specials.  How cool is that?!?!?     
• On the 17th we appeared at a benefit at the Portsmouth Elks Club for Auxiliary Sgt. David Succi, a 20 year veteran of the Portsmouth Police Department who is recovering after being struck by a drunk driver in 2007. The event was sold out with a great crowd, check out some cool pics from one of the detectives on our media page and our best wishes go out to Sgt. Succi as he continues his recovery.
• We wrapped up January at Kelley's Row. It's always rocking at the Row, but this show seemed to have a little extra energy (and a lot of new faces too, which is always very cool)! Quick Public Service Announcement from the Kelley's Staff: please call and reserve early! Apparently they had a ton of people calling in the day of the show trying to reserve tables which had long since sold out.  

PROM ANYONE???  Jay here, stepping into the first person for a minute to plug a special event we've got coming up on April 11th at the Dover Elks Club: The Dave Bemis Prom 2009. Dave was one of my best friends, my college roommate, computer scientist, cyclist, hiker, best man at my wedding, consummate family man and all around good guy. He died in a motorcycle accident in 2007 and his family has put together this event to celebrate his memory with proceeds going to a variety of worthy causes. Why a prom???  Knowing Dave's hatred of formal events, his brother (and chief antagonist) Matt felt a prom would both be a perfect opportunity to honor his memory while at the same time provide people with the chance to attend a prom-like event with their eventual significant others. So pick up that swanky dress, throw on a tux and party with us at what is sure to be an event like no other!

Advance Tickets are $40 apiece or $75 for a couple.  Any tickets left will be sold at the door for $50.  There will be a cash bar, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction.  Tickets are available by emailing Helen Flanagan at helenflanagan@comcast.net or Matt Bemis at mattbemis@gmail.com.  Visit www.davebemisprom.com for more info.

FACEBOOK  As an equal opportunity band in terms of social networking sites, we're now set-up over at Facebook.  Please join us!
 

JANUARY

Here's a look back at the Holiday Season: 

December Recap:

• We kicked off December with our annual appearance at the Wentworth By The Sea Hotel, playing for the Seaview Technologies Christmas party.  A December trip to the Wentworth has become something of a holiday tradition for us and as an added bonus, the Seaview party was back in the basement function room this year.  While playing one of the swanky ballrooms is always cool, playing the basement saves us having to tie up the Wentworth's loading dock, tote gear through the kitchen, negotiate several elevators and miles of hallway.  The Seaview crowd was fun as always, thanks again for having us out!
• Even GAZPACHO was not spared the effects of the great ice storm of 2008.  The power outage forced the cancellation of a private party on Friday night at the Portsmouth Sheraton and though the Brickhouse had power on Saturday night, with a lot of folks dealing with power related issues it wasn't the show we'd been expecting.  We still had a respectable crowd out, thanks to everyone who did make it.    
• As most everyone has heard through the grapevine we had a bit of a health scare on the weekend of the 19th.  We're happy to say that Ralph is doing fine and getting back into the swing of things.  Thanks for all your well wishes. 
• We sent 2008 packing at Kelley's Row.  A little snow didn't deter people this time, Kelley's was sold out and rockin'!  It was nice to see a lot of new faces out ripping it up.  We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! 

Missed some old news???  Get it here.
 

2008
DECEMBER

Here's the lowdown on New Year's Eve! 

November Recap:

• November began with our first general admission show at the Governor's Inn in Rochester. We've done several private events at the Inn over the past couple of years and Anthony the owner has recently decided to get a regular live music event going. With a big hole in our schedule since the demise of Big Head's last October and a lot of Rochester folks asking us when we're going to be back in town we've been looking for a cool venue to get us back in to the Lilac City on a regular basis. We weren't sure what to expect off the bat, but about a month before the the show we got word that it had already sold out. Wow! You can't beat a sell-out crowd and Anthony and the staff set us up with a great spread of fantastic food, thanks a lot! We kicked off the night with the debut of our new opener, Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight. We had the Anthony working the spotlight as Chris made his way through the crowd singing the first half of the song, arriving at the drums in time for the big fill. Very cool. We'll be back at the Governor's Inn in early February, make your reservations and come on out!
• We had a mini Tour of Portsmouth going the second weekend of the month. First up, We returned to the 'Cataqua Pub at the Redhook Brewery for our third beer release on the 13th. We love the Redhook: cool atmosphere, big stage, great staff, great food, great beer! It was good catching up with Baker and Stoney from WHEB, they kept the crowd going throughout the night. The big Pats/Jets Thursday night game seemed to steal some of the thunder that typically accompanies a Redhook Beer release, but those that were there rocked it out with us. It was an all ages show and as always it's great to see some younger music lovers out there. Here's a quick shout-out to Michkela (sorry if we spelled it wrong!), her sister Audrey and their brother who had us signing their menus before we'd even played a note! We hope you guys enjoyed the show!  
• Next was night two of our Portsmouth tour at The Page. After three shows we continue to really dig The Page. We got a little scared when we came down at 9:10 and there wasn't a soul in the place, but they held the doors until 9:15 and then it filled up fast. We're going to get a regular slot in place at The Page, stay tuned!
• The weekend ended in Acton at Willy's Ale Room. We seem to be building a good following at Willy's. If you haven't made the trip up, it's definitely worth it. It's a little more relaxed then some of the crazy Seacoast area shows, but just as fun.
• We wrapped the month with a rocking show at Kelley's Row. A lot of folks were out and we were happy to help them shake off the ol' Turkey Hangover. In case you missed it, after experimenting with the "Weekend At..." format for a bit, we're going to return to our "Last Saturday of the Month" show going forward (the staff tells us a bunch of folks showed up on Friday night looking to see us play, oops!).

In case you missed in, new tunes for November included:

In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins

and couple of oldies that we've reworked and brought back:

Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
Land of Confusion - Genesis

Lastly, we'd like to say thanks to everyone for an awesome 2008. We hope everyone has a great holiday (whatever you celebrate), a safe and happy new year, and we hope to see you out and about in 2009!
 

NOVEMBER

The October that was:

First off a big congratulation to Chris and Becky Anderson on the birth of their daughter Dylan Riley on 10/7/08.  Everyone is doing great! 

• Our first show back from our baby break was at Willy's.  We're steadily building a good following in Acton, thanks to everyone who made it out!
• We played at our first Halloween Party at the Barn in Strafford on the 25th.  The place was rockin' with Pirates, Referees, construction workers, even Barack Obama was cutting some rug.  
• We wrapped up the month with our annual Halloween show at Kelley's Row.  The staff had coordinated cops and convicts outfits on Friday and Saturday they were rocking the 80's dress.  We didn't coordinate early enough this year, so we had a mix-match of Zombie Chris and Gary, Dr. Feelgood Ralph, Jedi Jay and Robert Palmer Girl Renée.  There were a load of cool costumes this year.  Congrats to this year's winner: "Mona Lisa" who beat out a strong challenge by the spooky elf/troll/dwarf and the baby car seat guy. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS?!?!  What the hell happened to 2008?  Looking ahead to the holiday season, we'll be hitting the private corporate holiday party circuit for most of the month, but please be sure to come out and see us on the big stage at the Brickhouse on the 13th and we'll be ringing in  2009 at Kelley's Row!
 

OCTOBER

See you later summer, here's a look back at September:

• We played our first wedding of the year on the 6th at the York Reading Room. We never know what to expect at a wedding. Obviously, we got hired, so someone there is excited about seeing us. However, with the great diversity of people and ages involved you never know. We had a feeling we were in for a good time when one guest came away very excited when we assured her we would be performing our regular show, not playing the typical "wedding songs". The deal was sealed for sure when a distinguished looking woman came up to us prior to dinner very excited about seeing us in our "leather and chains." By the end of the night it was more regular show than wedding. One of the guests even had a full bottle of vodka and was offering "vodka stands" to anyone willing to participate. All in all it was a great show and we're happy we were able to be a part of their day.
  
  Postscript to this one: Having to haul the gear across 50 yards of lawn, up a staircase and into the trailer in the middle of a torrential downpour sucked about as much as you would expect...
• We made our return to The Page on the 12th. We're definitely excited to be back in Portsmouth and had another great show. By the end of the first set the place was packed and it stayed that way right through the encore. We'll be back at the Page on November 14th and are working with them to get a regular slot in place.
• Our second show at Willy's Ale Room was a blast. Thanks to everyone who made the trek up. It was good catching up with Jamie Poulin, former owner of Big Head's in Rochester. A big thanks to Ralph's friend and his wife who were kind enough to let us change in their RV. Thanks as well to Mark, who made arrangments for a round of shots from the "shot girl". WOW. Let's just say it's a good thing we were sitting down for those!
• While the end of summer is kind of a drag, on the upside it means we're back at Kelly's Row. We'll be back for our Halloween extravaganza at the end of the month.

We'll be off for a few weeks in October for baby watch 2008, camping and some well deserved R&R after our summer tour. We'll be picking things back up with one last cruise on the Thomas Laighton, another night at Willy's and our annual Halloween Bash at Kelley's Row (this year a two night stand)! We hope to see you there.
 

SEPTEMBER

August Highlights:

• We made our first trek down to Lawrence, MA to play our friend Amy's 26th Birthday party at the Claddaugh Pub. The Claddaugh is an Irish Pub located in the heart of downtown. We were upstairs in the club's huge function room. Amy's family and friends were out to help her celebrate and everyone was decked out in their hottest 80's fashions. 80's Tennis Guy was a hit, Madonna crashed the stage for a reenactment of her famous "Like a Virgin" MTV Video Awards performance (to Faith No More's Epic no less!) and allegedly The Boss was in the house as well. The birthday girl joined Ralph onstage for a duet of Your Love which was definitely one of the highlights of the night. An extra big thanks to Amy for cleaning the dressing room bathroom prior to the show, apparently it was a disaster.
• Next up we rocked the Dover and Spaulding High Class of 88 reunions. Thanks for having us out!
• Our two cruises of the summer were both a lot of fun. The first was the last night of The Shark's Rockin' on the River series and there were a ton of people out for the show. The Shark blew through their tix well in advance of the cruise, it was very cool hearing the on-air personalities talk about how fast the tickets went. One of the boat crew members told us they'd been waiting for a show like this for some time. It was a beautiful night and a lot of folks took advantage of the upper decks early, but as the sun went down the crowd below decks got bigger and bigger. By the time we headed back from the Shoals it was packed! Our second cruise sold out early so we were ready for another great show and the boat did not disappoint. Heading out after dark, the below deck area was packed from the first notes of Workin' For The Weekend to the last notes of Don't Stop Believin'. We may be looking at one more party boat cruise later in the fall, stay tuned!
• We wrapped up the month back at the Barn for another party. The Budweiser folks were in attendance passing out a ton of swag. Thanks as always to Mike for letting us commandeer his house and liquor cabinet. We'll be back at the barn for their annual Halloween Bash!

AUGUST

A look back at July:

JULY

June's Recap:

• It was a first for us on the 7th as we performed at a barn party on Bow Lake. The party host leases several properties on the lake and shuttles tenants up to a barn which he's converted into a function hall for the shows. It was quite cool. Here's a shout out to Joe Hooper, one of the more interesting (and flatulent) patrons we've met.  A big thanks to our on-site contact Mike for all the help, lethal drinks and swag for his company: MSG Manufacturing. They've already invited us back for an Independence Day celebration. Cool!
• We made our debut on the 14th at Willy's Ale Room in Acton, ME. As always with a new room some distance from our home turf, we weren't sure what to expect. Much to our surprise, Willy's turned out to be a great debut. The club was cool, the staff great and the food was awesome (we definitely recommend the wings, killer!). As if that wasn't enough, we had a great crowd out to the show and made some new fans. Thanks to everyone who made the trip up, it was great as always seeing a lot of familiar faces. The drinks were coming fast and furious, fortunately Maine is much more considerate towards the entertainment in regards to their liquor laws. Thanks to "Queensryche" Mark for the kamakazis, Jenny for the Captain and Cokes (we'll get 867-5309 into the set for you next show for sure!) and Tim for the beers. We've been getting a lot of messages from people hoping we'll be back, and we're pleased to say that our return to Willy's is already booked for September 20th!
• We hit the beach at the NASWA resort on Lake Winnipesauke with the folks from Hair Excitement on the 23rd for their company picnic. A little rain didn't dampen their spirits, right away everyone was getting into it and by the third set people we're rocking in the sand, chicken fights had broken out under the tent and folks were in the water! We had a blast (and Chris may have found a new hair stylist)!  Thanks!
• The month ended at the Wentworth By The Sea Golf Club, where we performed for the last day of the Oyster River Class of 88 Reunion.  It was Sunday and a family day, which meant a pretty laid-back gig, but we always enjoy seeing the little kids rocking out!

FRESH BLOOD  Three first time performances for us in July:

First up, we'll be making our debut at The Page in Portsmouth on the 18th.  We've been itching to get a steady gig going in the Port City and The Page has a good buzz going about it, so please come out and help us rock the place!

Next up, is an event we're very excited about, the Seacoast Science Center Music-By-The-Sea Concert Series.  Now a few years old, these shows have become a major Seacoast event and have attracted some of the top talent in the region, including Cape heroes Entrain!  We're very excited to be on the bill this year and hope you can make it down to join us at the beach!  This is a family friendly event, so pack up the kids and come on down!

We're very sad to say that one of our favorite events of the summer will not be happening this year.  The Dover National Night Out has become a victim of the recently enacted Dover Tax Cap.  For those looking for something to do on the last Thursday in July (the 31st), we'd like to recommend the Hot Summer Nights Concert Series over in South Berwick, ME.  We'll be rocking the Central School Lawn from 6:30-8:30PM!  It's family friendly and free, bring your gatorade, spread out a blanket, throw down some lawn chairs, and let the kiddies party like it's...(yeah, you get it)...
 

JUNE

The May that was:

MAY

We had an interesting April, here's a look back:

• We returned to Portland on the 12th, appearing at Bubba's Sulky Lounge. Having played most of our Portland shows in the Old Port, we were a bit apprehensive at finding Bubba's in a much less desirable part of town. The tone was set within seconds of arrival as we were accosted in the back parking lot by a 20-something, strung out looking dude wanting to see if we were interested in "purchasing" a CD player for our car. It got more interesting during the load-in as a constant stream of disheveled persons in various states of drunkenness approached the van looking for info on the band and a free shirt. The last pieces of gear went into the club accompanied by a stream of obscenities from a domestic dispute that erupted across the street. We locked the van up tight.
  
  Inside, Bubba's proved to be one of the more eclectic places we've played. The place was decorated in a style we can only describe as antique shop/early-20th-century-yard-sale-chic. There was more flair than at your local Applebee's and Chili's combined. And it was everywhere. On the walls, on the floors, hanging off the ceiling, every available space, nook and cranny was filled. Seriously. In the midst of all this was the club's centerpiece, a fully interactive light-up dance floor. How this fit into the overall interior design scheme of the place, we're not sure. Still it was pretty cool to see people rocking out to You Spin Me Right Round on a light-up floor. Too bad we still weren't doing Billie Jean.
  
  It was by no means a sell-out, but we did have a respectable crowd filling the dance floor all night long. Despite the questionable location, a mostly young, hip and energetic clientele filtered into the club throughout the night. As well, we had several friends make the trek up to Portland to see the show. Thanks a lot to them, we can't say enough how nice it is to be playing a new place and see some familiar faces in the crowd. The staff was very nice as well, giving us as much help and direction as needed.  Lastly a big thanks to our pal Zach "Dingo" Taylor for coming up and working the door for us.
  
  It's not looking like we'll be going back to Bubba's, but it was an interesting experience to say the least. Our quest for a cool Portland club continues...
• Our last Kelley's Row Weekend until fall was a huge success. The shows sold out well in advance and we had great crowds out both nights! Saturday night was especially crazy with tons of folks rocking the 80's Dress-code. We recorded Saturday night's show and will be releasing it within the coming months, we'll keep you posted!
• We wrapped up the month with a private party for the folks at Hair Excitement. We had a great time and are looking forward to more shows with them in the near future.

SUMMER 08  Along with the weather, our summer schedule is heating up. We have a lot of private functions keeping us busy through the warmer months, but there will be plenty of opportunities to catch us out and about.  We'll be making our usual appearance at the Rochester Night Before the Fourth Fireworks Celebration. It's one of our favorite events of the summer and your chance to see both us rocking a crowd of over 20K and a pretty kickass fireworks demonstration.  We'll be making our debut at the Seacoast Science Center Music-By-The-Sea Concert Series.  And we'll be back on the Thomas Laighton for a cruise or two.  Summer shows are always coming in, so stay tuned!
 

APRIL

Here's a look back at March:

• It was another killer St. Patty's Day at the Dover Brickhouse. People were filling in so fast we had to cut our soundcheck short as the downstairs was at capacity and they needed to let people upstairs so they could get more people in. Needless to say, everyone was ready to rock by 9. As expected being a school night and all, things tailed off towards the end of the second set, but thanks to the dedicated folks who kept rocking right up until midnight.  Check out some pics from Jim "The Picture Guy" Comfort on our media page!
• We were back at the Sunningdale Golf Club on the 22nd. Unfortunately, The Fabulous Watermans weren't rocking with us this time around, but we had a great time nonetheless. Check out some footage from the show over on our media page!
• We had another great weekend at Kelley's Row to wrap up the month. Friday night was comfortably full and Saturday was packed to the gills. The Volta Energy Vodka folks were in the house doing a promo and though we're not allowed to drink we did get some cool swag.  The Volta Girls were excited about possibly seeing us at future shows in Maine.  Thanks!  It was good seeing our old pal and former Kelley's bartender Jamie Stevens out, though he didn't arrive early enough to sing JUMP with us.  Maybe next time...

SPEAKING OF MAINE We'll be be making our first appearance at Bubba's Sulky Lounge in Portland, ME on the 12th.  Please come out and help us look good.  The club looks pretty fun with a light-up floor!  How cool is that!?!?

LAST CALL UNTIL FALL AT KELLEY'S ROW April 25th and 26th will be our last shows at Kelley's Row until we pick things back up in September. Kelley's will be focusing on their deck business over the summer and we're looking forward to getting out into some new rooms. To help us go out in style, Kelley's will be having an 80's Theme night on our Saturday Show. There will be prizes and specials. Come dressed for 80's excess and walk out a winner!!!

LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY  Come out and help a good cause at the Rochester Elks on May 2nd.  We'll be performing as part of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Benefit.  On the 9th, we're back to Newburyport for a night at Michael's Harborside.  Michael's is a very cool club and not too far from the Seacoast.  We'll be in Dover on the last Saturday of the month, performing at the Dover Brickhouse.
 

MARCH

Things picked back up after our January post-holiday recovery!  Here's a look back at February:

• We made our first trip into Boston for a show at the Felt Club. Located in the heart of downtown, the club was pretty high end. Multi-levels of bar with VIP rooms and everything. We brought out the rock to the appreciative crowd that was there, but apparently the scene in Boston doesn't really get going until later. About the time we were wrapping things up at 11 in the pouring rain, the bulk of the crowd began to filter in. Oh well, guess that's the big city for you. Hope they liked the DJ...
• On the 2nd we appeared at the Rochester Elks as part of the benefit for David "Deli" Lane.  Thanks to everyone who made it out for a great cause.  The Elks was rockin' and it was great to see a lot of our Rochester friends who haven't been out since the demise of Big Head's.
• We wrapped up the first weekend of the month with another killer show at the Hampton Beach Casino as part of the Penguin Plunge for NH Special Olympics. It's a huge treat to play the Casino, even moreso when it's packed full of people!  The event was a big success as usual, raising well over $500,000. Congratulations to all involved! We worked out a much better set-up arrangement this year, giving us the use of the entire stage for our show. Chris, Gary and Ralph had lots of room to roam and interact with the crowd. The only bummer was Renee had been sick all weekend and couldn't make it out. However, as a special bonus we did get our friend Danielle from the WOKQ Morning Crew up on stage to rock out Hit Me With Your Best Shot. We met a lot of great people this year, thanks as always to everyone who came up to say hello.  The funniest moment of the day came when an old friend of Ralph's who runs the catering for the event came up to let us know that one of his crew told him "this band was a lot better than the one they had last year!"  Check out a video (shot from Jay's "keyboard cam") on our media page!
• The Inaugural Valentine's Gala at the Governor's Inn in Rochester was a huge success. We weren't sure what to expect, but the room was packed and so was the dance floor all night long.  Success!
• Thanks to everyone who braved the snow to make it out to the Jett Sett show at the Dover Brickhouse!
• It was great to get back to the Redhook Brewery on the 21st for the WHEB Mountain Madness show. The Redhook was packed from about the time we showed up to load-in and didn't let up until the last note sounded at 10PM. We had a great time rocking with Baker, Stoney and the folks from WHEB,  They've got some pics up on their site here.
• Happy Birthday to our friend Kelly, who celebrated the big 3-0 on the 23rd. We played her surprise party at the Rollinsford Legion and had a blast.
• We wrapped up the month with a show four years in the making! It was Leap Year Weekend and Kelley's Row was on fire. Both shows sold out well in advance, thanks a lot to the folks that stuck it out in line to get in.  We're already looking forward to next month!

STOP THIEF! Someone broke into our van and made off with Gary's blue G&L Invader Guitar as well as his bag of GAZPACHO clothing. Anyone with connections to any local music store please let them know, we'd love to see it back.

ST. PATTY'S DAY It's an Irish tradition right up there with Guinness and Kissing the Blarney Stone: The GAZPACHO St. Patrick's Day Show at the Dover Brickhouse. Yeah it's a Monday, but suck it up and come help us rock the big stage. The last two years have been out of control, let's keep it going!

 

FEBRUARY

We took it easy in January to recover from the holiday madness, here's a peek:

• We started off 2008 with a birthday party at the Dover Legion.  Just when we think we've played just about every possible local venue, a new location pops up!  We had a great time!
• Our Weekend at Kelley's Row debut was a huge hit.  Both nights were sold out with great crowds!  It was nice to see a lot of old faces out there!  Happy Birthday to Tina Mitchell, we got to pull out Sweet  Caroline for her big day!  The Tripod stunned everyone in the room with a costume change in the middle of Separate Ways to full on 80's dress.  Spandex and everything.  NICE!

JANUARY

Happy New Year everyone! Here's a look back at the Holiday Season:

• We kicked off December with a 50th birthday party at the Orchard Street Chop Shop in Dover. We may have ruined the dinners of some of the folks downstairs in the restaurant, but upstairs the party was so rocking they forgot to cut the birthday cake!
• Next up was the holiday party for the the Margarita's Corporate team at the Stage Neck Inn in York, ME. It took them a couple of songs to get going, but despite it being a Tuesday night they tore the place up right through the encore. It was a great start to our run of corporate Holiday Parties. Thanks as well for the gift certificates. We're looking forward to some great Mexican food soon!
• We followed up the Margarita's party with two shows at the Wentworth By The Sea Hotel for our friends Pixel Media and Seaview Technologies. We had a great time rocking the Wentworth for both parties, thanks for having us out! Thanks as well to the Wentworth staff who let us "borrow" some Wentworth staff coats for the Seaview second set!
• In between the Wentworth shows we were honored to provide the  entertainment for our friends Aaron and Terry's hometown wedding reception. The official wedding was in Key West, FL, but this was the big to-do for their families and friends who couldn't make the trip. It was a great night, one we were happy to be a part of. Once again, our congratulations and best wishes to Aaron and Terry!
• We wrapped up December at Kelley's Row on the 29th and New Year's Eve. Folks were a bit distracted while the Pats were wrapping up their perfect 16-0 season on the 29th, but once that bit of business was taken care of, things were rocking indeed! New Year's Eve was an absolute BLAST, probably our best Kelley's New Year's to date. The bar was packed and ready to rock from the get-go. We even had people swing in who had gone to other New Year's Eve Parties around the Seacoast and found them lacking! We learned that beads can be made into underwear (we're not kidding), and it's possible to buy a bottle of champagne from the bar on New Year's Eve. Wow.

Weekend at Kelley's Row Don't forget, we'll be appearing at Kelley's Row both Friday and Saturday at the end of the month! We'll pull tunes from our extensive song list, so if you can make it out you'll get a different show both nights. We hope to see you there!

Back to the Beach We're are extremely honored to have been asked back to the Hampton Beach Casino to provide the entertainment for this year's Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics on Sunday, February 3rd! Last year's event was a lot of fun and we're excited to be back! This is a private event, but if you're interested in helping out we're putting together a TEAM GAZPACHO for the event. Email Gary at raytone@comcast.net for information. You can also visit Special Olympics of NH here. It truly is a great cause.

Missed some old news??? Never fear, you can catch up on the year that was here: GAZPACHO 2007 RECAP.

Return to Sender We're shutting down the electronic mailing list for the time being, too many junk emails coming in and bad email addresses getting returned, not to mention the massive effort required to keep it up to date. Word on the street is most people are keeping up with us via the website and our myspace anyway. And to think, ten years ago we thought having an electronic mailing list was pretty state-of-the-art...

GAZPACHO CORPORATE We get a ton of questions about if we play private functions, corporate parties, weddings and the like, so we've put up a GAZPACHO CORPORATE page to plug that aspect of our band.

We are still in the process of filling the rest of our winter schedule, so be sure to keep checking in here or at our myspace home for our latest shows. We have a bit of a lull in January to recover after the holidays and we'll be working on new tunes for the new year.  Hope to see you out!
 

2008
1/5  Private Function
1/25-1/26  Kelley's Row
2/1  Felt Boston
2/2  Benefit at The Rochester Elks
2/3  The Hampton Beach Casino
2/8  The Governor's Inn Gala
2/21  The Redhook Brewery
2/23  Private Function
2/29-3/1  Kelley's Row
3/17  The Dover Brickhouse
3/22  The Sunningdale Golf Club
3/28-3/29 Kelley's Row
4/12  Bubba's Sulky Lounge
4/25-4/26  Kelley's Row
4/27  Private Function
5/2  Benefit at The Rochester Elks
5/9  Michael's Harborside
5/10  Private Function
5/15  St. Paul's School (Private)
5/31  The Dover Brickhouse
6/7  Private Function
6/14  Willy's Ale Room
6/23  Private Function
6/29  Private Function
7/3  The Rochester Fireworks
7/5  Private Function
7/18  The Page
7/19  Private Function
7/24  Seacoast Science Center
7/26  Kelley's Row
7/31  Hot Summer Nights Concert
8/8  Private Function
8/9  Private Function
8/16  Private Function
8/18  Rockin' The River w/ The Shark
8/30  Isles of Shoals Steamship Co.
8/31  Private Function
9/6  Private Function
9/12 The Page
9/20  Willy's Ale Room
9/26-9/27  Kelley's Row
10/17 - Willy's Ale Room
10/18 Isles of Shoals Steamship Co.
10/25  Private Function
10/31-11/1  Kelley's Row
11/7  The Governor's Inn Ballroom
11/13  The Redhook Brewery
11/14  The Page
11/15  Willy's Ale Room
11/29  Kelley's Row
12/5  Private Function
12/12 Private Function
12/13  The Dover Brickhouse
12/27  Kelley's Row
12/31  Kelley's Row
 

2007
1/6 - The Dover Brickhouse
1/10 - The Redhook Brewery
1/12-1/13 - Big Head's Weekend
1/27 - Kelley's Row
2/2 - The Cochecho Mill
2/4 - The Hampton Beach Casino
2/9-2/10 - Big Head's Weekend
2/23 - Private Function
2/24 - Kelley's Row
3/9-3/10 - Big Head's Weekend
3/17 - The Dover Brickhouse
3/24 - The Cochecho Country Club
3/31 - Kelley's Row
4/7 - Burby's
4/13-4/14 - Big Head's Weekend
4/28 - Kelley's Row
5/4 - The Corner Kick Pub
5/5 - Big Daddy's Barbecue
5/11-5/12 - Big Head's Weekend
5/26 - Kelley's Row
5/27 - The Mt. Washington Hotel
6/2 - The Sunningdale Golf Club
6/8-6/9 - Big Head's Weekend
6/23 - Private Function
6/30 - Kelley's Row
7/1 - Meadowbrook Arts Center
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
7/5 - Michael's Harborside
7/6 - Private Function
7/14 - Big Head's
7/26 - Dover National Night Out
7/28 - Class Reunion
7/30 - Shark Cruise
8/3 - Class Reunion
8/10-8/11 - Big Head's Weekend
8/25 - Class Reunion
8/31 - The Whale's Tale Pub
9/1 - The Sunningdale Golf Club
9/14 - Big Head's
9/21 - Michael's Harborside
9/22 - Private Function
9/29 - Kelley's Row
10/6 - The Sunningdale Golf Club
10/13 - Big Head's
10/26 - Halloween at Big Head's
10/27 - Halloween at Kelley's Row
11/3 - Class Reunion
11/21 - The Sunningdale Golf Club
11/23 - The Hairbangers Ball
11/24 - Kelley's Row
12/1 - Private Function
12/4 - Private Function
12/8 - Private Function
12/14 - Private Function
12/29 - Kelley's Row
12/31 - Kelley's Row

2006
1/1 - Private Function
1/14 - Private Function
1/20 - Whippersnappers
1/28 - Kelley's Row
2/4 - The Dover Brickhouse
2/11 - Private Function
2/25 - Kelley's Row
2/28 - Kelley's Row
3/4 - The Sunningdale Country Club
3/10 - Jillian's
3/17 - The Dover Brickhouse
3/24 - Kelley's Row
3/25 - Kelley's Row
4/29 - Kelley's Row
5/5 - Jillian's
5/12 - The Whale's Tale Pub
5/13 - Private Party
5/19 - Big Head's
5/20 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
5/27 - Kelley's Row
5/28 - Private Party
6/4 - Wedding
6/10 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
6/11 - Bike Week at Weirs Beach
6/16 - Meadowbrook Arts Center
6/17 - Big Head's
6/24 - Kelley's Row
6/30 - Whippersnappers
7/1 - The Whale's Tale Pub
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
7/4 - The Whale's Tale Pub
7/7 - Private Party
7/8 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
7/21 - Ri Ra
7/22 - Big Head's
7/27 - Dover National Night Out
7/28 - Boston Cruise (Private Party)
7/29 - Kelley's Row
8/4 - Whippersnappers
8/5 - Private Party
8/11 - DHS Class of '86 Reunion
8/12 - Private Function in Wells, ME
8/16 - Big Head's
8/18 - Jillian's
8/19 - Wedding
8/25 - The Whale's Tale Pub
8/26 - Kelley's Row
9/1 - Big Head's
9/2 - The Dover Brickhouse
9/3 - Private Party
9/8 - The Whale's Tale Pub
9/9 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
10/7 - Wedding
10/27 - Big Head's
10/28 - Kelley's Row
11/22 - Big Head's
11/25 - Kelley's Row
12/8 - Wentworth By The Sea
12/15 - Big Head's
12/16 - Big Head's
12/30 - Kelley's Row
12/31 - Kelley's Row

2005
1/1 - Kelley's Row
1/20 - The Dover Brickhouse
2/4 - Kelley's Row
2/5 - Marco's Sports Grille
2/8 - Kelley's Row
2/17 - The Dover Brickhouse
2/26 - Kelley's Row
3/4 - The Sports Fanatic
3/10 - The Dover Brickhouse
3/26 - Kelley's Row
4/9 - The Dover Elks (Benefit)
4/15 - Kelley's Row
4/21 - The Dover Brickhouse
4/30 - Kelley's Row
5/6 - The Sports Fanatic
5/13 - The Derryfield Restuarant
5/18 - The Whale's Tale Pub
5/21 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
6/4 - Private Party
6/11 - Kelley's Row
7/1 - The Derryfield Restaurant
7/2 - The Whale's Tale Pub
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
7/8 - Whippersnappers
7/9 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
7/15 - The Yard
7/16 - Private Party
7/21 - MV Thomas Laighton
7/28 - The Dover National Night Out
7/29 - The Cochecho Arts Festival
7/29 - Kelley's Row
7/30 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
8/5 - The Whale's Tale Pub
8/6 - Whippersnappers
8/12 - The Ioka Theater
8/13 - Private Party
8/15 - MV Thomas Laighton
8/27 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
9/2 - Kelley's Row
9/3 - Meadowbrook Arts Center
9/4 - Private Party
9/16 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
9/17 - Wedding
9/18 - Private Party
9/23 - Wedding
9/24 - Kelley's Row
9/30 - Big Head's
10/1 - Private Party
10/22 - The Whale's Tale Pub
10/28 - Big Head's
10/29 - Kelley's Row
11/5 - Rumors
11/19 - UNH Class of '85/'86 Reunion
11/23 - Big Head's
11/26 - Kelley's Row
12/2 - Kelley's Row
12/9 - Wentworth By The Sea Hotel
12/17 - Big Head's
12/31 - Kelley's Row

2004
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
1/2-1/3 - Whippersnappers
2/13-2/15 - The Red Parka Pub
2/14 - Attitash Ski Resort
3/12 - Kelley's Row
3/27 - Marco's Sports Grille
4/9 - Kelley's Row
4/23 - The Red Blazer
5/8 - The Sports Fanatic
5/22 - Kelley's Row
5/29 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
6/11 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
6/12 - Whippersnappers
6/19 - Kelley's Row
6/26 - The Sports Fanatic
7/2 - The Whales Tale
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
7/4 - Waterville Valley Resort
7/9 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
7/17 - Whippersnappers
7/30 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
7/31 - Kelley's Row
8/14 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
8/20 - Kelley's Row
8/27 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
9/17 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
10/14 - The Dover Brickhouse
10/15 - The Dover Elks Club
10/28 - Marco Sports Grille
10/30 - Kelley's Row
11/6 - The Meadowbrook Lounge
11/20 - The Sports Fanatic
12/11 - Kelley's Row
12/31 - Kelley's Row

2003
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
2/28 - Kelley's Row
3/1 - The Sports Fanatic
3/7-3/8 - Derryfield Country Club
3/22 - Kelley's Row (upstairs!)
3/24-3/25 - The Red Parka Pub
5/30 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
6/6-6/7 - Derryfield Country Club
6/13-6/14 - Wild Jack's Beach Shack
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
7/5 - Waterville Valley Resort
7/11-7/12 - Wild Jack's Beach Shack
8/30 - The Portsmouth Gaslight
9/26 - Derryfield Country Club
9/27 - Newington Town Fair
10/4 - Kelley's Row
10/16-17 - Derryfield Country Club
11/14-11/15 - The Red Parka Pub
11/29 - The Sports Fanatic
12/12-13 - Derryfield Country Club
12/31 - Kelley's Row

2002
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
3/17 - Woodsky's
7/3 - The Rochester Fireworks
8/? - Paddy's American Grill
8/? - The Red Parka Pub
12/31 - Holiday Inn Portsmouth

2001
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
4/17 - The Tin Palace
4/27 - Kelley's Row
5/1 - The Tin Palace
5/11 - Kelley's Row
5/17 - The Coat of Arms Pub
5/19 - The Tin Palace
5/25 - McGillicudy's
6/29 - The Loft at Strafford Farms
12/31 - The New England Center

2000
No show records exist.

1999
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
1/2 - The Central Ave. Saloon
1/9 - The Loft at Strafford Farms
1/15 - Kelley's Row
2/5 - Kelley's Row
2/19 - The Loft at Strafford Farms
2/20 - The Central Ave. Saloon
3/25 - The Loft at Strafford Farms

1998
Incomplete Records (selected public performances only)
5/8 - The Central Ave. Saloon
5/16 - Kelley's Row
6/5 - The Central Ave. Saloon
6/13 - Kelley's Row
6/19 - The Tugboat Tavern
7/18 - The Loft at Strafford Farms
7/24 - Kelley's Row
8/1 - The Central Ave. Saloon
8/15 - Kelley's Row

1996-1997
No show records exist and we didn't have a web site at the time. Chris and Gary performed as GAZPACHO at a few hoot nights early in the summer of 1996, however, our first official show occurred in the basement at Kelley's Row in July or
August of 1996.