Monday 9 July 2012

Beach Buoys of the Isle of Wight


Meet Simon Ledger.
Among other things, Simon is a very talented singer, pianist and comedian who lives on the Isle of Wight.
Simon survived a bit of trouble last year, when he was arrested on charges of racism after a Asian couple complained to police after walking by the outdoor pub at which Simon was performing. After breaking into the hit "Kung Fu Fighting", the couple called the police complaining that Simon only started the song after seeing them walk by, clearly making fun of them. Fortunately, Simon could prove that the song was a regular part of his set, that he'd played it many times before, and he was not racist.

To bring a little reality (and levity) to the whole situation... Simon was joined in a video presentation of his performance by the original singer of this cult tune, Carl Douglas... all filmed in (of all places) a Chinese restaurant. Try proving racism now, sucka!! (oh my, did I write that?)






All this blather is leading up to the part where I tell you that this only proves the point that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Several months after the whole Kung phooey incident, Simon gathered  over 20 of his friends and family in a recording studio on the Isle of Wight ( an island just off the Hampshire coast) and recorded their own version of the mega-hit "We Are The World". Why? Charity. To raise money for the Isle of Wight hospice.


Nice, Simon. According to Skinny Mammoth studios " The song reached number 28 in the download charts, outselling well established acts and raising thousands of pounds for the Hospice. We were extremely proud to have been a part of the project and it was a great chance to spend some time with singers from the music scene on the Island. "



Beach Buoys Demo 2012

Now, Simon and his group "The Beach Buoys" is taking on that icon of the 60's surfing scene with their own nod to summer, and I can't wait for the full result. Listen to the cut above, and let me know if you can tell whether it's the Beach Boys or the Beach Buoys. Simon and the gang can hit the high notes that the remaining originals (all eligible for AARP and some for Social Security) cannot.


Can't wait!


You can find Simon all over the net, but specifically here:
Facebook
Website
Soundcloud
Twitter
Beach Buoys Facebook Page

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