BAND OF FRIENDS

A celebration of the music of Rory Gallagher

Winners of The European Blues Awards 2013

Ted McKenna Winner best Musician European blues award 2016 Marcel Scherpenzeel Winner Best guitarist Dutch blues award 2017

Not just the notes – but the sound, energy and feel of Rory Gallagher, delivered by people who helped define it…

www.bandoffriends.eu

"Really has the atmosphere of a Rory concert" – Lust For Life "This is not a tribute band but a group of its own. The trio work wonders." – Rock & Folk "Sparks fly from the first note. The Band of Friends is pure cracker." – Bluesfocus "The pleasure flies in your face – one cannot get enough" Voor "A sturdy pot of blues-rock – they impressed, and not only me" Bluesbreaker "Emotional highlight... a fantastic interpretation" RockBlogBlues "In the music industry it's hard to find something this well done. Priceless." Miusyk.com "Like no other power trio, they celebrate the amiable guitar hero's passion on stage" The Blues Alone

“REPEAT AFTER ME” - Brand new studio album OUT NOW! With the exception of ‘A Sense Of Freedom’ (Written by Frankie Miller, but performed by Rory Gallagher, Gerry McAvoy, and Ted McKenna for the film of the same name in 1979), ‘Repeat After Me’ is an album of entirely original songs. McAvoy says “the band adopted an old school approach of fully rehearsing the

pieces before a record button was hit. We both rehearsed and wrote the songs

at the same time. At times it was quite daunting”.

The album itself draws some of it’s inspiration from a myriad a musical

influences - Marcel’s love of Rock & Roll and blues, Gerry and Ted’s background

playing top 40 songs in the sixties; from the music of their peers Rory Gallagher,

and Alex Harvey, to Tamla Motown and Soul, with a good helping of classic rock

and blues.

Lyrically, ‘Repeat After Me’ is extremely diverse - taking on all aspects of life on

and off the road.

The music is as technically demanding as anything BOF have ever played.

As a whole, it’s a brave, but confident, exploration of the combined talent of

this dynamic trio.

Ted McKenna says - ‘Repeat After Me’ is a melting pot, that when stirred

became potent!

2016 has been an incredibly busy year on the road for Band Of Friends with shows booked throughout Europe. As Winners of European Blues Awards “Band Of The Year” in 2013, Best musician Ted McKenna 2016,Best guitarist Marcel Scherpenzeel 2017, and boasting rave reviews from every show, it’s clear to see why the band continues to be so popular. In the era of tribute acts who deliver note-perfect renditions of their heroes' catalogues, the Band Of Friends is something different. They can do the notes played by electric blues icon Rory Gallagher. But they can also do the sound, energy and feel – because the band includes people who helped define those essential elements.

BAND OF FRIENDS

"Gerry and Ted were no backing musicians. They were part of an integral unit that allowed the maestro to present his prodigious talent. Plenty of body language was what I remember. Little nods here, smiles there and just enough ad lib without over milking the solo breaks. The tradition continues with Marcel." Noel Buckley

NEW!!! “REPEAT AFTER ME” - OUT

NOW!!!

LIVE CD

DEBUT EP

Available to buy from www.bandoffriends.eu

BAND OF FRIENDS DATES 2018

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY 23rd

Saltzwedel, Germany

FEBRUARY 24th

Fehrman,Germany

FEBRUARY 25th

Kassel. Germany

MARCH

MARCH 9th

Newcastle, UK

MARCH 10th

Gt Yarmouth, UK

MARCH 15th

Metzingen, Germany

MARCH 16th

Idstein, Germany

MARCH 17th

Rheinberg, Germany

MARCH 21st

Hamburg, Germany

MARCH 22nd

Rheine, Germany

MARCH 23rd

Zoetermeer, Holland

MARCH 24th

Westervoort, Holland

MARCH 29th

Halle,Germany

APRIL

APRIL 5th

Boca Raton, FL,USA

APRIL 6th

Sandford, FL,USA

APRIL 7th

Jacksonville Beach,FL,USA

APRIL 8th

St Petersburg,FL.USA

APRIL 11th

Annapolis,MD.USA

APRIL 12th

Alexandria,VA.USA

APRIL 13th

Wyomissing,PA.USA

APRIL 14th

New York,NY.USA

APRIL 15th

New York,NY.USA

APRIL 18th

Pawling,NY.USA

APRIL 19th

Bay shore,NY.USA

APRIL 20th

Fall river,MA.USA

APRIL 21st

Natic,MA.USA

APRIL 22nd

Old Saybrook,CT.USA

APRIL 24th

Evanston,ILL.USA

MAY

When the Irish guitarist-vocalist passed away in 1995 he left behind an eleven-album catalogue of inspired albums, and the memory of unforgettably energetic concerts. Bassist Gerry McAvoy [Nine Below Zero, Champion Jack Dupree, Deep Joy] appeared on every one of those albums. Drummer Ted McKenna [Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Greg Lake, Gary Moore, Ian Gillan, Michael Shenker Group] powered those live shows from 1977 until 1981 and appeared on Rory's acclaimed Photo-Finish, Top Priority and Stage Struck albums. The old friends have teamed up with Dutch guitarist and vocalist Marcel Scherpenzeel [Marcel Scherpenzeel Band, Wolfpin], who grew up with his bandmates' music. If they say he's the nearest thing you'll get to Rory – and that's exactly what they do say – you'd better believe them! Ted recalls: "In 2010 Gerry told me he'd played with Marcel at a tribute show and thought he was the closest thing to Rory you'd ever hear. We got together for a play in Marcel's dad's blues club in Amsterdam. The impact was instant."

Gerry says: "Rory will always be close to my heart, of course. Playing tribute shows was one thing – when I heard Marcel I knew he had it all. Close your eyes and it's there." Marcel adds: "You have to approach something like this with respect and honour. I already respected Gerry and Ted, and it's an honour to play Rory's music with them."