The Three Jacks: News

Hey All!  We are doing a show in Miami at the gorgeous downtown Gusman Center for The Performing Arts, on Saturday, November 13, opening for the wildly popular Alexander Rybak, from Norway. 

 After winning the Eurovision song contest last year, one of Alexander's videos on Youtube is currently registering over 22 MILLION hits!  Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiH4BFTELME.  This should be a really fun cross-cultural musical event -- particularly since it looks like most of the Jacks will also be supporting Alexander as his backing band!  We are brushing up on our Viking references already!

Skol!

Henk

Alexander -- What can I say?

The Fabretto Foundation is a wonderful organization in Nicaragua, which rescues and supports abandoned, abused and at-risk children.  As of now, it makes sure that 6,500 children – in truly desperate circumstances, in one of the poorest countries in the region --get at least one square meal a day, some education, and vocational training – which includes the economics of how to run a micro-business.  Fabretto does not just provide “hand-outs,” rather it plants the seeds of self-sustenance.  Fabretto is non-profit, non-sectarian, and non-political.  Every staff-member and volunteer gives one-hundred-percent “Heart.”  It is a truly wonderful organization.  Check out www.fabretto.org 

 

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The Three Jacks and The Breffni Dancers have been focusing on raising funds and visibility for children’s causes over the past two years and we thought that there was no better cause than Fabretto.  After an exploratory trip to Managua, in February, we helped set up a benefit concert at Managua’s 1,500 seat national theater, Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario, for Saturday, August 14, 2010.  Fabretto organized a round of pre-show media interviews before the event to pitch the show.  And we all crossed our fingers that we could fill the house!

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So, that is how we found ourselves in the check-in line at 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 12, 2010, for the 5:10 a.m. TACA flight to Managua.  All in all we were twelve: “The Three Jacks” – Jack Stamates, Jack Shawde, Debbie Duke, Diane Ward and me – the Breffni Dancers – Cristina Rodriguez, Carolyn Ho and Kiera Daley – one groupie (my wife, Pippa) -- two roadies (my sons, Cameron and Alexander) – and our cultural translator/sheepdog/Fabretto volunteer and general factotum, Carlos Osorio -- a/k/a "Fred."  (Groupie, roadies and sheepdog, all went at own expense).

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As of take-off, early on Thursday, none of us had slept since we had gotten up on Wednesday morning.  Most of us got 20 minutes kip en route before our arrival at 5:30 a.m., Nicaragua time.  So, most of us started off with having been awake for about 24 hours.  Some of us managed a certain nonchalent elegance, nonetheless:

Blessedly, we went in through the VIP system – where we met up with the lovely Gaby Arguello and Eliza Brennan, the Fabretto honchos in charge of the arrangements – and got to hang in the VIP lounge while airport minions went to clear our bags and immigration for us.  All we had to do was get into the Fabretto bus with the gear when we were told.  (Hmmmm, some aspects of third-world culture beat the first-world, hands-down!)

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Here's the iconic Sandinista statue, downtown:

After a quick coffee at the hotel, it was off to the TV station, Canal 12, for an interview on the morning show at 8:30 a.m., (me doing my best Miami-Spanglish) and a live acoustic performance with the dancers.  Here we are with one of the hosts, Giovanni (who I got to do an impromptu dance with, on the show).

By 10:00 a.m., we were over at the offices of the daily newspaper, “La Prensa,” for a photo-shoot and interview.  (Here we are clowning in the garden of the news offices with the photographer).

After a change back at the hotel, and a really delicious lunch at a local restaurant, arranged by our hosts, we set off up a mountain-side through the mud-slide-ravines and dirt trails that pass for roads, to the Fabretto Center at San Isidro, where we turned in a rowdy acoustic performance for a couple hundred kids

 – who returned the compliment by serenading us back.  Here they are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lWAYVKWts8

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After sliding back down the mountain – our intrepid driver, Danilo, faultlessly negotiating the pot-holes and ditches -- we returned to the hotel and went out for a bite of Mexican food and a margarita or two.  We had all been up for about 42 hours by now and were running on fumes.  Back to the hotel and blessed oblivion!

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Over our Friday morning breakfast -- gallo pinto, eggs, bacon, fuit, juices, pastries, coffee, etc., etc., etc.  (the Crowne Plaza has a great buffet!) -- we read all about ourselves in the morning paper, which had an article and a nice piccy in it.

Hits on the website were running over 2,000 a day, so I figured we were creating a bit of a buzz about the show: all good.

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And then off to the theater for sound check,

where we got to see Sylvia Osorio, mother of our sheep-dog, who was greasing the way into a lot of the media for us and also sponsoring the reception. 

(Her husband, Alfredo, who had joined us for brekky, is an architect.  He designed our hotel and the theater – which is about all that withstood the huge Managua earthquake in 1972 -- as well as the Terrazza Country Club where the post-show reception was to be.  So we felt pretty safe as far as earth-movement was concerned!)

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While the rest of the crew went off to tour another Fabretto center, next to the town rubbish-dump, where Fabretto teaches kids how to make and sell – really cute -- jewelry out of scavenged junk, Gaby and I went off to do an interview at 4:00 p.m. on the cultural program on Canal 12.

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The TV show ran at 8:00 p.m. and the whole crew got to watch it back at the hotel in the bar before we went out for dinner and a show – also arranged by Fabretto.  We lucked out on a double whammy:  Carlos Mejia Godoy – national singing icon, and author of “Nicaragua, Nicaraguita” – was the main performer and there was a guest appearance by Luis Enrique – another national star. 

Carlos pitched Fabretto and our show to the crowd for us – which was a nice bit of extra publicity!  (Loved his show!  With all the jokes and clowning around, it reminded me of The Three Jacks!)

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Saturday started with final sound-check at 1:00 p.m. and then the pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Crystal Room at the theater.   (Dancers here with our co-stars, The Fabretto Choir):

Guest of honor was the U.S. Ambassador, Bob Callahan, and his wife, Debbie.  (Alexander, of course, greeted him with: “Callahan?  Like Dirty Harry?  Make my day, punk!”)  Here is “Dirty Harry” back-stage with the dancers, before making our introduction:

8:15 p.m. was show-time!!!  We had a pretty much full – and very loud and enthusiastic – house.  By the time we were three songs in we had 40 people dancing on the stage with us.  (I am gonna have to find some video clips of that).  We ended the set to huge applause and then our co-stars, the Fabretto choir took the stage before our second set.

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Backstage, Eliza told me that there was a Breton piper, Stephane Leborgne, who wanted to talk to me.  I went out front and met the lad.  Very nice guy -- with a set of Scottish Highland pipes in his ruck-sack.  In a mix of French and English and Spanish, he explained that he worked with street kids in Nicaragua with the outfit “Chavalos De Managua,” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5tb9ppXxZo ) one of whom – Alejandro -- he had brought with him, and he asked if I would like him to play a couple of tunes.  After a quick audition out front of the theater, it was immediately apparent that Stephane could really play!!!  We quickly came up with a plan for a bit of shtick.

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As the Fabretto kids left the stage, and the applause died down, I opened a side-door at the back of the theater and Stephane fired up the pipes.  After 30 seconds or so, I marched in, with him behind me – like a Clan Chief with his personal McCrimmon – down the aisle as the house lights came up, along the first row of the audience, up the other side and onto the stage, pipes skirling “Scotland the Brave.”

The house was stamping, clapping and cheering – and then, as we hit center-stage, Stephane switched to “Nicaragua, Nicaraguita.”  Shoulda bin there!!!  They loved it!!!

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What are the odds of something like that happening?  Taking a Celtic rock band and Irish dancers to Central America, to help support a kids charity, and run into a Breton Celtic/Highland piper, down there working with a parallel kids charity.  Musta bin some kinda Karmic thing . . .

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And so into the second set, ending with “Bare-Ass Girl,” “Last Chance Bar,” and out, drenched in sweat.

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We dropped the gear at the hotel and did a quick change and it was off to the post-show reception at the Terazza Country Club, sponsored by the Osorio Montealegre Family.  Big cheer as we walked in.  The band started playing salsa, so Alexander leaped to his feet, switching his hips and dipped and bobbed just about every woman in the room in turn!  (Mr.  Center Stage: no idea where he gets it from).  We all got to hang with the Ambassador and his posse from the U.S. Embassy and a bunch of fine people – Fabretto sponsors – until sometime in the wee hours we called for our pumpkin back to beddy.  The adrenaline had well and truly dropped by then so most of us were just about able to crawl.  (I have vague recollection that our dancers went clubbing until 4:00 a.m. or so.  Ahhh, the energy and folly of youth!)

Sunday was downtime.  Nothing to do but make it back for the check-in for the 9:00 p.m. flight.  So, we got to stand on the lip of the crater of a live volcano in the pouring rain, looking over a three-foot parapet, down into the gassy bowels of Volcan Masaya, as a huge column of suphurous smoke rose silently into the sky before us.  (Park Service instruction:  “If it starts spitting out rocks, lie under your car.”)  We got to eat and drink at the restaurant overlooking Laguna de Apollo (I thought they said "Pollo" -- i.e. “Chicken Lake”) – a lake in the crater in an extinct volcano, while marimba players serenaded us with “Guantanamera” and – my request for Cristina – “Cuando Salide Cuba.” Here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLXBBNHNVSs

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And back through the pouring rain to the airport and the first-class treatment at the Managua VIP lounge, and out.  It made the 2 hour line for immigration in Miami, at 2:00 a.m., seem especially brutal!!!

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We cannot wait to go back.  It was all truly magical how everything fell into place.  We loved the people.  We loved the country.  We love all our new friends – Kevin, Gaby, Eliza, Cristina, Lynn -- and all the wonderful children at Fabretto.  We feel truly privileged to have been allowed to take part in this effort with them.  Until the next time!

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Slainte!

Henk

Amazing what happens when you are calling all hands to mail in pics and videos after a tour. 

Just back from Nicaragua and Mr. Shawde just came across some footage on Youtube of us in Lima, Peru, at one of two concerts we did at the Auditorio Santa Ursula, last year.  And I just came across a nice pic of the Breffni dancers at the "Odiosas" TV show -- which we stumbled into, fresh off the red-eye to Lima.

 

Our fantastic fiddler, Jack Stamates, couldn't make that one, so the wonderful Sha-Sha Zhang stood in for him at the last minute.

Here's the link, enjoy!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpSgsWtYY6c

Henk

 

 

Just back in from Nicaragua.  What can I say?  It was MAGICAL!

I am writing a mini-blurb on our visit and collecting all the pics and vids and will post them imminently.  So circle back and check in tomorrow right here, on the "News" page.

In the meantime, here's a pic of Jack Shawde with one of the many babies he ate during the trip.

Love to all, 

Henk     

Here in Nicaragua with The Jacks & The Breffnis.  Two TV shows, one national press article, and one rocked-out performance for 300 kids at the top of a winding, pot-holed mud road in the mountains in the bag.  Just Saturday's performance at the Teatro Nacional downtown, guest of honor the U.S. Ambassador, and coupla VIP receptions to go.  WE LOVE NICARAGUA!!!!!!!!.  Here's a pic and an article for those of yez who read Spanish:

http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2010/08/13/revista/34450

 

The Jacks and the Breffni dancers are on a plane to Nicaragua at 5:00-ish on Thursday morning (didn’t know that such a time actually existed) to play a little Celtic Rock in Managua.  This is to help raise visibility and money for the wonderful Fabretto Foundation children’s charity: www.fabretto.org

We get off the plane on Thursday morning and go straight to the studios of TV Channel 12 to do a one-hour show on “Bueno Dias” to promote Fabretto and the show.  (We understand that this is like the Nic-version of “Oprah”).  Then we zip over to La Prensa, the national paper, where we have one-hour interview lined up.

Friday we get in a rehearsal at the super-nice Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario where we will be performing on Saturday night; zip over to play an afternoon acoustic set at one of the Fabretto Centers; and then, in the evening, we do another TV show – “Esta Noche” – (which is like the Nica version of “Larry King”).

Saturday we get to do a run-through at the Theater with the Fabretto Choir – which is performing a set between our two -- and then – “Ta-Raaaah” -- 8:00 pm is show-time!!!  The U.S. Embassy is one of the sponsors and Ambassador Bob Callahan is introducing the show.  (I am dithering on whether to surprise him by getting him to sing “Danny Boy”).  Several other Embassies are sending reps, too.  Then it’s a post-show VIP reception and off to beddy-byes.

Sunday we actually get to sleep late and chill and maybe go run with the bulls in the streets of Granada -- (Yeh, right – more probably, hoist a coupla cold ones at O’Shea’s) -- and then we are all on the red-eye back to Miamuh . . .

Ye’ll barely have time to have missed us!

So, if you happen to be in Managua on Sat’d’y night, we are gonna have huge bunches of fun.  If not, we’ll see yez somewhere a little closer to Miami, soon, promise.  (Really).

In the meantime, do check out www.fabretto.org.

Slainte!

Henk

 

La Asociación Familia Padre Fabretto (AFPF) y su organización hermana en los Estados Unidos de América, Fabretto Children’s Foundation (FCF), presentarán un concierto benéfico para la niñez de Nicaragua en el Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío, el sábado, 14 de agosto de 2010. 

El concierto presentará una banda de Rock Céltico, The Three Jacks (www.thethreejacks.com) y sus bailarinas acompañantes de la Academia Breffni, que especializan en la danza irlandesa. El grupo, quienes anteriormente han hecho conciertos de caridad en Perú y en los Estados Unidos, vienen de Miami, Florida, exclusivamente para este fin. Junto con el grupo se presentara El Coro Fabrettino, compuesto de niños de Fabretto del centro de Estelí.

El evento está programado para las 8:00PM del día sábado, 14 de agosto.  Los boletos están de venta (USD$8/$10) en los siguientes locales: taquilla del Teatro Nacional; la oficina de la Asociación Familia Padre Fabretto (Del ESSO Ministerio de Trabajo, 500 m. abajo); la tienda Palo Rosa en el Centro Comercial Galerías; el restaurante Ola Verde (Tip-Top Km.4, Carr. Masaya, 2 c. abajo, frente de pastelería Sampson); o en el sitio de web (www.fabretto.org). Para oportunidades de patrocinio, contactarse con Christina Falck al correo (falckc@fabretto.org).

La Asociación Familia Padre Fabretto se constituyó en Nicaragua después de la muerte del Padre Rafael María Fabretto (1920-1990) con el objetivo de asegurar el futuro de la obra que el Padre Fabretto había empezado en 1953 como era atender a niños pobres, abandonados o maltratados. Se incorporó como asociación sin fines de lucro en Nicaragua en 1990. Hoy día, en total Fabretto beneficia a más de 6,500 estudiantes nicaragüenses y sus familias en las áreas más empobrecidas de Nicaragua, a través de sus programas de educación, salud y nutrición. Fabretto apoya más de 40 escuelas y maneja 6 Centros Educativos en los municipios de Las Sabanas y San José de Cusmapa, Departamento de Madriz; en Estelí; y en los sectores del basurero municipal Acahaulinca y San Isidro de Bolas, en Managua.

Como parte de sus programas de educación y nutrición, Fabretto ofrece a los niños un almuerzo nutritivo, clases de música y danza, computación, deporte, cursos de inglés y reforzamiento de sus cursos del colegio público. También, Fabretto ha implementado un currículo de educación secundaria bajo la modalidad del “Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT),” el cual fue elaborado en Colombia. El programa SAT de Fabretto es el piloto en Nicaragua, y brinda una educación post primaria de alta calidad, la cual es más relevante a la vida de los jóvenes y satisface mejor sus necesidades en áreas rurales.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIByM2VuN2I  http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabretto/4460254908/in/photostream/ or http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabretto/sets/72157606204824039/

Hey All!

I have been ridiculously slow in updating the website, since I have known for months now that we are playing the really gorgeous 1,500 seat Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío in Managua on Saturday, August 14, 2010.

Our good friends, Kiera, Cristina and Carolyna, star stepdancers from The Breffni Academy of Irish Dance - veterans of Jacks TV shows and concerts in Peru  and Miami - will be flying down with us and kicking up a storm.

As a lot of you know, we have been focusing on playing music to raise money for medical and children's charities in the last couple of years.  The Managua show is in aid of a wonderful children's charity in Nicaragua: The Fabretto Foundation.  http://www.fabretto.org/  This is a well-established, non-governmental, non-sectarian charity that provides schooling, food and vocational training to thousands of kids around the country.  They keep expenses pared to the bone and make every penny count.  We are proud to be working with them.

I flew down to Managua in February to meet with the Fabretto folks and chat about doing a show.  I got to tour some of the Fabretto workshops and hang with some of their kids, and to pitch the idea of a fund-raising concert to some corporate sponsors.  By the time we wended our way round to the Teatro Nacional to see what kind of a price we could get it for, it looked like it would be a reality: one of the target sponsors had been there already to say they were thinking of underwriting the show!  (Thanks to all operative members of the Osorio clan for closing on the deal).

This is a beautiful country of mountains and lakes with wonderful people. 

(Including a whole bunch of McGregors, who seem to have moved there in batches after James I of England & VI of Scotland - very Gay and called "Queen James" behind his back -

outlawed the entire clan in the early 1600's.  These descendants of Rob Roy (stunningly played here by Liam Neeson)

seem to be entirely Latin American now, though.  I detected no discernible Gaelic, despite assiduous evesdropping).  The country has been peaceful for two decades now - despite all the Scots in their history!  (Including one Scot from Tennessee named William Walker who invaded the country and set himself up as "President" for a while in the 1850's).

For all you Miamians, its a short, cheap, plane ride.  So, make it a long weekend and come on down with us and Help Rock Managua!

Slainte!

Henk

Hey Guys!  Seems like there is an extra special helping of natural disasters sweeping the Caribbean and Latin America at the moment.  This just in from our videographer friend Andrea on the effects of the tidal wave on one tiny island off Chile.  http://vimeo.com/9927098  Even if you feel tapped out and numb already, please consider giving.

(Looks like the next Jacks show will be at The Teatro Nacional in Managua, Nicaragua - http://www.tnrubendario.gob.ni/- firming up details.  Watch this space).

The English have always loved pointy things. Early on they found that pointy things, hurled by hand, were better than rocks. When they discovered how to harness the power of the bent string, they were able to hurl the pointy things even farther and really began to kick some Continental butt.  At the battle of Crecy, the English archers kept up a rate of fire of nearly sixty pointy things a minute to the French rate of ONE every TWO minutes. This was due to a Gallic chauvinism and love of complication that preferred the cross-bow - a French invention which had to be loaded with a winch - to the English longbow, which could be loaded with naked fingers. (The same factors were behind the French adoption of the Guillotine, a massive, expensive, slow-operating machine, designed to do a pretty simple job, while the English stuck to the faster, cheaper and more portable headsman's axe. Note that in thorough monarchical trials, the score was even: Louis XVI; Guillotine; one whack. Mary, Queen of Scots; Axe; one whack). But we digress .....

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It was their prowess with string-powered and other pointy things that enabled the Sassenach to keep the fierce Celtic tribes in the Northern rocky fringes of their main island of England (beyond Hadrian's Wall, where the Roman legions had earlier pushed them with their hand-held pointy things) and to overrun Eire. After destruction of the clan system and lengthy outlawry of all the most-cherished symbols of the Gaelic culture - including the wearing of kilts, tartans and the playing of the bagpipes in Scotland and the "wearing of the green" in Erin; such far-sighted measures as exporting Protestant Lowland Scot cattle thieves to the north of Ireland as an alternative to hanging (the legacy of which is the continuing sectarian strife of today); and allowing two out of four million people in Ireland to starve to death or leave in the mid-19th century; the Scots and the Irish were rendered tractable enough to be allowed to handle pointy things in the service of the King.

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After gunpowder was brought back from the East, Europeans figured out that if they exploded the substance in a tube closed at one end, they could make pointy things come out of the other end a lot faster than even the strongest strings could hurl them. (Amazingly, this rather obvious use of gunpowder had proved inscrutable to the inscrutable Orientals who had only got as far as using gunpowder to make fireworks). The "Brits" (now composed of the Sassenach and the Celt under one political system) were among the foremost gunsmiths - and the first to conduct real ballistics tests to figure out what bullets did when they hit meat and bone. Such thorough trials (on beef carcasses, we hasten to add) preceded the adoption of the big, fat, .455 caliber round for the Webley Mark VI officer's pistol, for instance. The Tommies' facility in the hurling of pointy things was exemplified by the fact that, at The Somme, they managed a rate of fire of sixty pointy things a minute from their bolt-action Lee-Enfield .303's, (ahhhh!! shades of Crecy and Agincourt) giving the Hun to believe that they were facing machine guns.  And by the time that the Great War drew to a close, the Brits were able to hurl more pointy things, faster – many of which exploded – from more kinds and sizes of tubes in the air, on land and at sea than any other nation on earth.

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Twenty-one years later, of course, Round Two of the European conflict began. The problem was a chap in mainland Europe who proclaimed the pre-eminence of the Saxon peoples and who was intent on giving them a little more room to stretch out in: like, basically, the whole of Europe. These Saxons across the water showed that they had not lost their handle on the art of hurling pointy things. Indeed, they came up with the idea of equipping pointy things with their own portable power supplies, thus inventing modern rocketry. The V1 and V2 pointy things launched from Peenemunde devastated England’s capital and its industrial cities and the Saxon armies, hurling wide varieties of pointy things “on land and sea and foam” (in the words of the song), very nearly brought Britain to its knees.

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Strangely enough it was Australia – peopled in great measure by descendants of England’s outcasts, including Irish political transportees; Canada – with its overwhelmingly Scots makeup; and, most importantly, America – hugely peopled by Scots and descendants of survivors of the Great Irish Famine – who came to the rescue. After putting a decisive end to the war – by dropping a couple of really big exploding pointy things on the Nipponese – which really served them right for not having figured out gunpowder all those centuries earlier (plus, of course, Pearl Harbor, the Rape of Nanking, the murder of 8 million Chinese etc., etc.) – America remedied the astonishing lack of anything resembling “war crimes” in international law by inventing the concept and then convicting and executing the Saxon leaders on such charges. As a pragmatic nation, however, America forgave and adopted all the Saxon rocketeers and put them to work making big, pointy things with their own portable power supplies that could devastate any country on earth and even reach the stars. (This infusion of Nazi talent into the Land of the Free was clearly just in time, given that the pinnacle of achievement in American motor technology by the end of the war was the Detroit V8).

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Britain, nearly bankrupted by the war, was forced to become kinder and gentler as the years went on, since it no longer had the power to obliterate those that it disagreed with. The nadir in this decline was exemplified by the sinking of British ships in the Falklands War by FRENCH-built pointy things! Step-by-step Britain began to get out of the manufacture and export of machines which hurl pointy things. Increasingly, it even forbade its domestic population to play with any such toys. This culminated recently in a total ban on all hand-held things that go bang and hurl pointy things whatsoever. Nevertheless, as we have shown, the Brits have a lengthy tradition of hurling pointy things and this urge must, clearly, have an outlet. Which brings us to the point. It is this urge, that has no other practical outlet, that is, we believe, behind the British passion for playing Darts.

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As those of you know who have been following our exploits over time, my eldest son, Alexander, is our chief roadie and leader of the group in on-stage jigging and enthusiastic assistance whenever the song calls for yelps, howls or drama of any sort.  He is shown above with arm upraised before leading the entire road crew in a dance while acting out the demise of the ship's dog in "The Irish Rover."  A lad with a keen eye for the spotlight who usually has to be physically wrestled offstage. ................................................  This to let you know that after years of loading his Dad's gear onto one stage or another, Dad finally gets the job of roadie (and band-mate) to Alexander.  ...........................................  November 21, 2009, at 10:00-ish, sees the first show of The Revelators, up at Churchill's.  Rock legend, Charlie Pickett - as in Charlie Picket & The Eggs, ex of the MC3, etc. - is on the slide SG.  Chris DeAngelis of the 18 Wheelers is on bass.  Hammering out the backbeat on drums is "El Torito," a/k/a Alexander Milne.  And yours truly gets to hone his rock 'n' roll chops on the Les Paul.  .................................  We will be playing a mix of oldies but goodies (our own and other peoples') and new tunes we have written recently.  Just brutal, straight-forward, much-too-loud, three-chord rock with attitude.  Back to basics, where it all began for every rock musician in town: Churchill's.  More at www.revelators.us.  ..............................  See you there?  It's gonna be fun!

Henk

We had a fantastic time at Gusman Center for The Performing Arts on October 17 and - and judging by the flood of OTT - ("over-the-top" to all you non-brits) - e-mails, so did you guys.

There were around 1,100 of you and it seemed like about half of you managed to cram into the after-party at The River!!!  Most importantly, we raised a whole bunch of money for Jackson Memorial.

Here is a link to a pretty over-driven "Amazing Grace" from someone's video camera in the audience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xllNN7j8MEI (Diane rocks!)  Bob Sokol took a bunch of great pics - (a sample below and on the front page).  More video from our own crew when it is edited.  Gi'e yerselves a big pat on the back and let's do this again together sometime soon!

Slainte!

Henk

 

We are now in the run-up to the show at Gusman on Saturday.  All costs are covered.  We are profitable -- and can now drop the price of admission to $15, to make sure that everyone can attend.

Students with valid ID at the Box Office on Flagler get in for just $10 - as the students at Miami-Dade and New World School of The Arts, just blocks away, are quickly figuring out!  (Psssssstttt!!! spread the word!!!)

 Slainte!

 Henk

Pippa and I love the theater, and above all the fantastic innovative shows at GableStage.  We have had season tickets for years and have always considered it amazing that we had Broadway or Shaftesbury Avenue-quality Theater basically in our own backyard, here in South Florida.  I have always loved the intros that Joe Adler - The Director at GableStage - does for his shows and am delighted that he will join Lissette in hosting our show at The Gusman -- another publicly-owned Miami treasure, badly in need of support.  If you don't know Joe, or his theater, here is an introduction: "Joseph Adler is now in his twelfth season at GableStage.  He previously directed at many South Florida Theatres including: Coconut Grove Playhouse, New Theatre, Area Stage, Hollywood Boulevard Theatre, Players Theatre, Ruth Foreman Theatre, Florida Shakespeare Theatre, City Theatre, Hollywood Playhouse and Shores Performing Arts. Active in South Florida's film and theatre community for many years, he has directed hundreds of television commercials and industrial films - winning many awards, including the Clio. Other directorial credits include several independent feature films, a video version of the Broadway hit comedy Doubles and a cable TV series. Since Adler became Producing Artistic Director, GableStage has been the recipient of 30 Carbonell Awards and 135 Carbonell Nominations. He has been nominated nineteen times (twelve at GableStage) and eight times won the Carbonell Award for Best Director: The Shadow Box (Coconut Grove Playhouse); The Killing of Sister George (Players Theatre); A Lesson Before Dying, James Joyce's The Dead, Edward Albee's The Goat, Frozen, The Pillowman and Lieutenant of Inishmore (GableStage). Adler was awarded the prestigious George Abbott Award for "significant contributions to the artistic life and cultural development of greater Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches." He has received many Best Director awards (Curtain Up, SunPost, New Times) and a Remy Award from the Theatre League of South Florida, as well as The Heart of the Arts Award presented by the New World School of the Arts. He was awarded the 2008 Arts and Entertainment Community Service Award, presented by the South Florida International Press Club, and this year he was honored to receive the Truth Award from the Human Services Coalition. Adler studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and graduated from the Film Department at NYU."  ------------------------------  Do yourselves a favor, check out the GableStage website:  http://www.gablestage.org/ Slainte! Henk

Hi Guys!  We have had a magnificent response from our many sponsors of our concert for Jackson Memorial at Gusman Center for The Performing Arts on October 17.  We are already profitable and can therefore lower tickets prices to make sure everyone can afford to attend.  Students with valid ID are $10.  Student + companion tickets through Culture Shock are $5.  Regular full price tickets are $35 but a second ticket is half-price, or $16.50.  Any regular tickets remaining after Tuesday October 13 will be $15.  For details on how to buy, click on "shows," above.  Slainte!  Henk

Students ages 13-22, and their companions, can buy tickets for only $5 to the best performances in town - including the Three Jacks + Breffni show at Gusman.  The first ticket must be used by a student, but the second ticket can be used by a person of any age.  There are only a limited number of these tickets available.  So get 'em while they are still there!!!!  Click here: http://www.miamidadearts.org/tickets/Music.aspx

 

Hey guys! I just heard that CBS4 Weather Anchor Lissette Gonzalez, Former Miss Florida, 2nd Runner-up Miss America, Starred as "Maria" in the hit Off-Broadway musical "4 Guys Named Jose and una mujer named Maria" in New York and Miami, will MC the Gusman show. Lisette is hugely talented and a real sweetie. Maybe we'll get her to sing!

Hi Guys! During 2008, the Jacks had scheduled a mini-tour of Peru to raise funds to help build a hospital in Pisco, Peru, for the relief of kids and their families still living in the wreckage of the 2007 earthquake. On the brink of our leaving, my wife, Pippa, was scheduled for very serious and very difficult emergency surgery. We were able to play the (sold-out) kick-off show at The Arscht Performing Arts Center in Miami, but had to cancel the Peruvian shows. During the week that Pip spent in the ICU in Jackson Memorial Hospital, I made a promise to myself that, if and when life returned to normal, and we had followed through on our commitments in Peru, we would do a couple of “Thank You” fundraisers for two fantastic treasures of our Miami community: Jackson Memorial Hospital and the world-renowned surgical team at The University of Miami Sylvester Center - starring the incredible Dr. Mike Wang!!! After a month in rehab, Pip came home. She is now walking, driving, swimming and working out, and is back in charge as CEO of the Milne Family. She was strong enough to come with us to Lima in May where we played two great shows and were on two national Peruvian TV shows and managed to raise over $49,000 for the Pisco Hospital project. Construction, shown here, is now well underway: And so here we are back in Miami and about to make good on the first part of that promise I made in the Jackson ICU: With the enthusiastic backing of the Jackson Memorial Foundation, we have put together a fundraising concert for Jackson Memorial – our community’s primary tertiary care center and teaching hospital - at the gorgeous Gusman Concert Hall in downtown Miami: The concert is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2009, under the working title: “The Three Jacks – Raising the Bar for Jackson Memorial,” and will feature the Three Jacks and the wonderful Breffni Irish step dancers and will be filmed by the University of Miami film crew which accompanied the band to Peru. This is a pure volunteer effort and the objective will be to sell as many tickets as possible, and to raise cash donations and pledges in addition. As indicated by the title “Raising the Bar,” a prime focus of fund-raising efforts is on local attorneys – who have responded enthusiastically - although all sponsors and contributors are welcome. This show has been made possible by the generosity of many wonderful firms and individuals, including: Renee Braswell --- The American University of The Caribbean --- Panter Panter & Sampedro, P.A. --- The River Oyster Bar --- Aballi Milne Kalil, P.A. --- Buckner Shifrin Rice & Etter, P.A. --- Dirk Lorenzen, P.A. --- Kenny Nachwalter, P.A. --- Kaufman & Rossin & Co. --- Shutts & Bowen, P.A. --- Podhurst Orseck, P.A. --- Reliable Jet, Inc. --- McDermott Will & Emery --- Better Life Foundation --- Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. --- Berenfeld Spritzer Schechter & Sheer, LLP --- Miami Beach Recording Studios --- Ray & Idia Croes --- Colson Hicks Eidson --- Rasco Klock Reininger Perez Esquenazi Vigil & Nieto, P.L. --- Greenberg Traurig, LLP --- Kroll Ontrack/TrialGraphix.  All proceeds go to charity, but, as opposed to the usual “rubber chicken dinners” that you have to dress-up for and sit through, bored out of your skull, for this one you can wear your jeans and actually have a whole bunch of fun. So come on out and join us on October 17, and help us rock the house with what Jacob Katel at New Times calls: "the foot-stomping, whiskey-drinking, Miami-style Irish party music your Guinness dreams are made of." If you would like to chip in: checks made payable to "The Jackson Memorial Foundation," c/o Aballi Milne Kalil, P.A., 2250 Suntrust International Center, Miami, Florida 33131. Online donations can be made here:
Pass the word!!! Slainte! Henk

To all of you who have been asking to see film from Peru:

We have about 40 hours of video from the Peruvian mini-tour - airport to airport - that needs editing before release - plus film from the two prime-time, Lima TV shows we did while we were there - "Odiosas" and "Sonidos Del Mundo."

But our film-chicks - Andrea and Walyce - are shooting in Prague until August 20 and cannot start the edits until they get back. We will post clips here and on www.youtube.com as soon as we can.

Slainte!

Henk

Yo All!

As soon as we got back from Peru, everyone split up to catch up on everything we had all set aside to go do the fundraisers in Lima. (I went off to Aruba, London and Dublin; our U. of Miami film chicks – Andrea and Walyce - ran off to film in Prague; Barb went off with Jorge to the Andes; Shasha split to go do a music festival she has organized in China – she is trying to get The Jacks to play there to support earthquake relief efforts next year; etc., etc.)

Anyway, these are just a few of the whole bunch of lame excuses I could come up with for not writing at least a note about the shows in Lima before now . . .

We had just a fantastic time in Peru! We got down there on the Thursday morning, off the red-eye from Miami. We hit the ground running as soon as we had bailed Shasha out of threatened deportation and ran over to the Plus TV studios – past the billboards of us on the highway - to shoot our second Lima prime-time show. (See note below). We were playing on TV twice a day while we were there – both the “Sonidos Del Mundo” show we had shot in Miami and “Odiosas” – which is kind of the Pervian “Oprah” - which we shot when we landed.

Along with the band, our three dancers and film crew, we had four roadies in their teens and twenties with us – by dint of offering to take them if their parents paid! So I had my two sons, Alexander and Cameron, with us, plus Martin Jensen, Trond’s son, and one of their friends, Chaille Stovall, as our road crew. (I have always said that success in music is not in having groupies, but in having roadies to shift the gear at the end of the night!) The lads did great! (Cameron drew a pretty stylish screen-villain mustache on me face on one of the billboards on the highway).

We were staying at the Swissôtel across the road from the concert hall – a super hotel which gave us a super-great rate because we were there for charity. Lovely people! The Friday night show was a good size house and the show was really well-received – but the Saturday night show seriously rocked and ended in a standing ovation!!!! We have never had bouquets of roses presented to us before!!!
Sunday was a catered reception on the roof-top terrace of Trond’s beach-side penthouse, with all the wonderful people who had made the concerts such a success. (I am not gonna start plugging in names for fear of forgetting one or two – but you know who you are and we love you all!). Then it was back to the airport for the red-eye back to Miami (‘Cept for Shasha, who went off for a few days at Machu Picchu – next time for us, maybe).

As we got to immigration we saw our old friend, Mr. Espindola, who had threatened to deport Shasha on the way in, he waved me over to his desk, smiling, and asked where the Chinese one was, and started stamping us out. Right about then, another immigration agent ran over and started gabbling something about the Jonas Brothers going the “wrong way.” “No, no” said Mr. Espindola, tiredly, “Los Jacks. Concertos a beneficos para Pisco.”

We found out when we were joined by Jack Shawde down the hall, that he had been in another line and had tried to make small-talk with his immigration agent – in his very limited Spanish - who had a picture of the Jonas Brothers propped up at her desk. “Ah, the Jonas Brothers,” said Jack, nodding and smiling. Little did we know that at the very hour we were leaving, the Bros. Jonas were landing, and immigration was on super alert to deal with these V.I.P.s. She took one look at Jack, frayed jeans, Diesel leather jacket, earrings, guitar in case – and bolted for help. “Agghh! The Jonas Brothers were going the wrong way! How could they be leaving!!!”

The Lan Peru flight attendants knew who we were because they had seen us on TV and the guitars all got to ride up front in the first-class cabin. (Yaayyyy!!!!)

So, back in Miami and planning all sorts of neat stuff. Back to Peru to raise a chunk more money when we can catch our breath. (We cleared nearly $50,000 for the clinic, just from ticket sales). We have 40 hours of film being edited. We will post some when it has been digested. Got a fundraiser being planned at Gusman Hall in downtown Miami in the fall for Jackson Memorial Hospital; and another fundraiser for the U. of Miami Sylvester Center. (Two parts of a personal pledge I made when my better-nine-tenths, Pippa was in Jackson M. for a very scary month last year). And maybe we will play a few shows just for ourselves!

Good to be back.

Slainte!

Henk

Hi Guys!

A note from Lima, Peru.

All sixteen of us – band, dancers, videographers, roadies - pulled in to Lima on the red-eye this morning.

At 4:30, a.m. fifteen of us had cleared immigration – and our sixteenth, Shasha, traveling with a Chinese passport and a U.S. green card, with approval for an artist visa showing on the immigration computer screen, was being threatened with deportation on the next plane out!

A nail-biting four hours followed because, basically, no fiddler: no shows. Andrea, one of our videographers, fluent in Spanish and full of charm, volunteered to stay with me and Shasha.

Somewhere behind the barriers, our men in Lima, Jorge Vera, the Irish Consul, Mike Russel, and a man of infinite resource and sagacity known only as “The Shadow,” were working the phones.

By 6:30 a.m., a somber Mr. Espindola, at immigration in the airport, had been convinced that something positive might happen when the main office downtown opened at 8:30 a.m. and delivered us into the custody of two charming ladies from LAN Peru – Haydee & Giovanna - who took us off to a café for breakfast.

Eventually, the Director of the Ministry of the Exterior called the General at Immigration and we were called down to see Mr. Espindola again – now smiling - who stamped Shasha in for 90 days. (We all only got 30!)

After that, the rest of the day was a blast. We saw Mabela from the “Sonidos Del Mundo” show we had shot in Miami, at Plus TV. We played a super-popular prime-time TV show - “Odiosas,” with hosts Astrid and Almendra – at 4:00 p.m. We did an interview with them, mainly in our broken but undaunted Spanish, played “Star of The County Down” and “Toss the Feathers” for the Breffni Dancers – who were totally fab. Then back to the auditorium for an acoustic rehearsal and to check out placement of amps, monitors, lights and staging with Bo Ichikawa’s Sound & Light crew.

First show tomorrow night!

Henk
The Three Jacks and The Gang

PARA DISTRIBUCIÓN INMEDIATA:

El grupo Americano, The Three Jacks, anuncia conciertos a beneficio el, 15 y 16, de mayo 2009, en Lima. La banda Irish-Rock, The Three Jacks, y bailarinas del Breffni Academy de Danza irlandesa recaudan fondos para la comunidad de Pisco, Perú.

El aclamado grupo norteamericano de rock – Celta- Irlandés, The Three Jacks, acompañados con las bailarinas del Breffni Academy de Danza-Irlandesa, se presentan en concierto el viernes, 15, y sábado, 16 de mayo, a las 7:00 p.m.

Los conciertos se celebrarán en el Auditorio Santa Ursula, Calle Santo Toribio 150, San Isidro. Boletos a la venta en, S/.50, S/.75, 105 y S/.135 soles en TeleTicket -Wong y en línea, www.teleticket.com.pe
The Three Jacks hacen esta gira a beneficio de las familias de Pisco afectadas por el terremoto de Agosto del, 2007.

Henk Milne es el líder-cantante-compositor de los Three Jacks. Henk es un músico que ha actuado en conciertos y grabaciones musicales tradicionales Celtas- Irlandesas. Fusionadas con ritmos rock. Uniéndose al grupo en esta gira está la virtuosa violinista , Shasha Zang de la República de China. Shasha ha participado en conciertos y grabaciones con estrellas internacionales como, Andrea Bocelli, Sir James Galway, y en tour con el grupo Gaelic Storm del film Titanic.

Patrocinado por el Consulado General de Irlanda, y el Real Consulado General de Noruega en Miami.

Por primera vez en Lima. Acompañados por las bailarinas principales del Breffni Academy de Danza Irlandesa. El grupo presenta una interpretación musical de composiciones tradicionales Escocesas- Celtas, e Irlandesas de los siglos;diecisiete y dieciocho.

100% de los fondos recaudados por los conciertos serán íntegramente donados a la construcción del Policlínico "Paul Harris"- Pisco. del Rotary Club, Lima-Sunrise de Miraflores.

Acompáñenos en dos inolvidables noches de diversión al estilo Celta-Irlandés y para apoyar la reconstrucción de la comunidad de Pisco.

Para más información, visite www.thethreejacks.com y www.rotary-limasunrise.com Contacto: Jorge Vera Du Bois al,9-9177-2665, o por correo electrónico a, jvimage@gmail.com

Hello Dearly Beloved Reader!

We need your help! Can you please take one whole minute to read this, and another minute to figure out who you should pass it on to?

We - Miami-based Celtic rockers, The Three Jacks, are on the run-up to a couple of 1,000-seat shows in Lima, Peru, on May 15 and 16, 2009 - with Irish step dancers in tow - to help raise money to build a clinic to treat children and their families in the Pisco area, which was devastated by the 2007 earthquake.

This is a 100% volunteer project. All costs have been covered and all proceeds from this point on will go towards building the clinic. Our U.S. sponsor is The Angels With A Mission Foundation. Our sponsoring agency in Lima, which is building the clinic, is The Rotary Club, Lima-Sunrise. (http://rotary-limasunrise.com/events.html)

We have had a lot of support from local and international business and from diplomatic officers of various countries: most notably The Norwegian Consul General here in Miami and the Irish Consul in Lima.

Publicity is going well.

We recently had a half-page article with a big picture in Lima's top glossy magazine, "Caretas." (Captioned “Los Jacks en Lima”).

Mabela Martinez, the host of the Lima TV show "Sonidos Del Mundo," and her producer, came to Miami last week and filmed a 30-minute segment at MBRS on the band and dancers. This will air for 7 nights running, on Canal 7, Lima prime-time, before the concerts.

We have also just done a super deal for 20 donated billboards around Lima.

Everything seems to be on track for a successful conclusion to this project.

But we need to sell 2,000 tickets (gulp!) and are asking every friend we have to do their best to help spread the word.

So if you have friends or family in Peru – or near Peru, or who once knew someone who owned a llama - please pass this on.

The link to Teleticket for online ticket purchases for the shows is:
http://www.teleticket.com.pe/tlk_Contenido_Consulta_Conciertos.asp?c_even=E3033
Tell ‘em that this is a great chance to have a really fun night out, for not much money, and go home with the warm fuzzy feeling that they made life just a little better for little kids still living in the ruins of what used to be home.

And if you really want to donate a few bucks online you can do so by going straight to our online donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/jacks4kids
Slainte!

Henk
The Three Jacks