A note from Mark @ JADE website author:-
I often get asked why I wrote a website about Rod Garfield, the answer is simple - I appreciate the music! and enjoy writing website's so I combined the two... so read on for an account of how all this came about from your's truly's point of view...
Set the "wayback" machine to 1987 and you would often find myself and various friends seeking out this "Blue's Phenomenon", in the deepest darkest recesses of the Hampshire countryside... First Thursday of each month
(well, as many as we could attend) we would
find rod playing at the "Hamster" public house
in Hatherden UK.
The Old Bell and Crown, formerly The Hamster.
But this was just one venue of many which we would attend, at which many recordings of The Rod Garfield Blues Band were made (check out the downloads section). Noteably two "official" cassette's were recorded here and "overdubbed" at Vamp Studio's, Rod's home studio just up the road in Vernham Dean. - The Speed-O-Light GIG lists were extensive back then, with a mass of venues each week, ranging from The White Hart at Ramsdel to the infamous
Farnham Maltings Blues festival. Click the pictures on the left and you will see what I mean. Did you attend any of these gig's? if so, leave your memories in the guestbook - we would love to hear from you.
Click on each image to view a larger picture
Image opens in new window.
As well as cassettes, other items were on sale at these gig's, do you remember the bright yellow and red Rod Garfield Blues Band T-Shirts? later replaced by the black ones (do you still have one?)...As I mentioned earlier, many recordings were done at the Hamster, two of which: Oct 1990 and Dec 1991
I recorded myself, and you will find mp3 tracks available to download in the
music section on this site, along with some goodies that Rod has recorded in Australia.
The Hamster gig's would often run-over way past closing time, but we didn't mind - nor did the landlord I presume, after copious amounts of alcohol were consumed, both by Rod and the crowd, we were left often calling out for more (music that is) and Rod would, as always, oblige.
Click on image to view a larger picture
Image opens in new window.
Please visit this section again, you never know what we might remember or who might contribute to this section... as with Rod's gig's, you never know who might turn up? To be continued...

Words and pics Mark Keen. 1998-2003