The Bits and Pieces page is for the bands we have some photos or info on but not enough yet to make up their own page, the idea of this part of the site (apart from giving these bands a mention) is to inspire people to send more information to us to get as many of these great bands included in the Glasband project as possible, so check the garage, get into the loft, have a rummage through the old suitcase under the bed, if you find anything, pics, news clippings, videos.. send them to us, our Email Address is
glasband80@yahoo.com 
Tom Russell
During one of the outdoor Concerts in Glasgow with an interestingly dressed young woman, Well it's better than a pic of Tom on his own, Innit !!
What you can't see is the back of that T shirt which says "FRANKIE  F***ING  MILLER That's Who " a piss take on the old Frankie goes to Hollywood T shirts from the 80s and a nod to our very own Frankie Miller.
Band Line up

Graham Tucker - vocals, Guitar'

Peter Masterson - bass

Dan Balgats - Guitar, vocals

George (Robbie) Robson - drums

Billy McGraw - Keyboards, sax

Syndicate got together in late 1980 and were a   hard working young band (all aged between 15 to 17) from Easterhouse, they worked their way through the local pub scene playing  regularly in places like "The Stadium Bar" in Govan, "The Centaur Bar" in Easterhouse and "The Gartcraig Inn" in Dennistoun,.... They "just" made it onto the Glasgow rock circuit in 1982 playing venues such as "The Doune Castle","Auchinlea Rock Concert", "The Dalriada" and "The Dial Inn", before splitting  in 1983, they must have been one of the youngest bands to have played the Glasgow Rock Scene, but blew it !! Concentrating on Caberet  Gigs, over the genuin talent that they had in abundance.

Overhead Calm 1978

funk / jazz influenced rock songs

Eveline Kearney vocals
Charles Reilly guitar and vocals ( Later in Strangers and Brothers with Jack Reilly, and played with the River Detectives)
Mike Baxter keyboards, occ guitar
Irvine Johnston flute and saxophone
Dave Gillespie bass
replaced by: Houston Ayre bass , after moving from Glasgow
Alastair ?? drums, a few gigs covered by a friend of Mike's
briefly included trumpet player Jim Aird

Baxter, Johnston, Ayre, Aird had previously been in the band Contour (jazz/funk influenced)

Overhead Calm played mostly their own material, but also covers of 'Do it again', 'Heard it through the grapevine', 'Bouree'. One song possibly from Contour days ('Do the thrust')
Charles Reilly brought his own songs. Mike Baxter wrote a lot of the tunes
Some lyrics by Ken McGinigal, friend of the band.
Johnstone and Gillespie also contributed.

The similarity in name to Underhand Jones caused some annoyance, but both bands came up with their names about the same time. Overhead Calm split up, and UJ became better known.

Gigs: possibly a few more

1/2/78 Amphora
11/3/78 Paisley college union
21/3/78 Maggie
22/3/78 Amphora
31/3/78 Amphora
30/4/78 save the apollo
10/6/78 Amphora
16/6/78 Amphora
11/6/78 Doune Castle
16/8/78 Amphora
24/8/78 Doune Castle
25/8/78 Amphora - DaveGillespie's last

1/10/78 Doune Castle(Houston joined on bass)
3/10/78 Doune Castle
6/!0/78 Amphora
13/10/78 Jordanhill supporting Chico
18/10/78 Amphora
23/10/78 Amphora
16/11/78 Amphora
18/11/78 Abercorn Bar Paisley Last gig)

Studio Prints (1979)

played jazz-funk influenced rock

Lyrics believed to be all by Muir except for some Reilly songs ( eg On a winner)

Carol-Ann Muir vocals
Charles Reilly guitar, vocals
Mike Baxter keyboards
Graeme Butler tenor sax
Irvine Johnston alto sax, flute
Willie Wright bass
Allan Hall drums

a few gigs noted:

Pot black 13/10/79 27/10/79
QM union 1/12/79
5/6 12/79 Burns Howff
Bell College 14/12/79 with The Great Scrodini (hypnotist), Danny Kyle

Other Glasgow bands seen during this time

Kyber Trifles Curlers 10/1/78
 Oberon
Necromancer Amph 30/8/78, Chou Pahrot at Burns Howff
Midnight Rider Howff 21/9/78
Chico 26/5/79 Dial Inn
High voltage 28/8/79 Dial inn
Sirocco Dial Inn 20/3/80
Criticals Amphora 20/3/80

Chow Pahrot
Heavy Pettin
Big George and The Business
Abel Ganz
Glasband 80 Logo idea from JJ
Syndicate
The Dead Skunk Band
Overhead Calm
1978 Kelvingrove
Studio Prints
The Shakin Pyramids
Samurai
What is he doing with his hand in his pocket?
Anaconda
Alright chaps,

just doing some late night surfing and came upon 2 bands I played in in the
70's in this section
Contour were as you say a jazz funk outfit who really wanted to be The
Mothers! I replaced Mike Baxter of STM fame on guitar, vocals, flute and
even a bit of alto sax( I play about 4 notes) the line up was me ,Jim Aird
on keys, trumpet, trombone and vocs, Houston Ayre on bass, Jaz Sherry on
saxes and flute, Kenny McDonald, drums and Alan Tayler guitar. Kenny went on
to be a renouned engineer and producer and Alan who was a stunning guitarist
and RSAMD graduate on double bass and played in various orchestra's Im sure
went on to play with a band called Kissing the Pink who if I remember
correctly were a one hit wonder, but did have a brilliant Hammond player
called John Hall who joined the band in its later stages. We recorded 2
demo's, one in the very first incarnation of CaVa in Brian Young's house in
Maryhill and the 2nd in Scirocco in Kilmarnock, sadly both of them have been
lost!
Mandrake were a 4 piece rock covers band who played the whole of Robin
Trower's Bridge of Sighs album, a fact that coursed much mirth when Jimmy
Dewer and Frankie Miller turned up one Saturday night at The Howff when we
were playing, if we had known they were at the bar we would have crapped
ourselves! my vocals being a very, very, pale imitation! the rest of the
line up was Ewan Stewart, guitar Graham Jackson, bass and Garry Groves on
drums, God knows what these guys are up to now, but it gave me a few good
memories.

Cheers,

Hugh Carter ( Abel Ganz, Sticky Fingers)
Email Sent in by Hugh Carter (Abel Ganz)
Chou Pahrot Photos by Andrew King   www.andrewkingimaging.com