[Heeplist] HEEPVENTION 2015 - Congrads Staf

Wed Aug 5 13:27:18 EDT 2015

Staf
I congratulate you for your effort and success and I'll buy your beer mat if
it helps out. 

I would like to get some details of the expenses and requirements for HV2015
from you when you have it. 
With all the things going on I need to get some idea of the time and money
involved. We are discussing buying a building and opening a music school
early next year and having enough space to move the studio into at a later
date.
Depending on the commitment of time and money, I would like to see if it is
feasible to host and handle a convention  in Atlanta

I'm getting closer to retirement from my job every day and have not had any
personal fulfilling position for many years and am defiantly not in a
position financially or mentally to retire any time soon
The idea of working with teenagers on rock and blues music is exciting, but
a very, very large risk financially, but I want to leave my 4 sons something
when I'm jamming in the sky.

Tony
> From: staf.p at skynet.be
> To: heeplist at travellersintime.com
> Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2015 23:07:22 +0200
> Subject: Re: [Heeplist] HEEPVENTION 2015
> 
> Hey hey,
> 
> With Heepvention 2015 behind your back, not yet behind mine, but 
> that's ok, i had already written something earlier today, but as those 
> who read the posts on the Heeplist know, for some reason it didn't 
> come through. So, second try :
> 
> Monday, arrival of Merrick and Laura, we were going to pick up the 
> harp in the North of Belgium, I mean, that upper tip of the 
> handkerchief. Anyways, the three of us drove in my car up there and 
> arrived at a gentle young lady's place. She had a bunch of pretty 
> harps standing there and did they sound great. Laura's eye fell upon a 
> nice model just waiting to be picked out. After a test play, we aggreed to
take this one with us.
> And of we went, back to Leuven to the hotel.
> I went back home, doing more stuff for the Heepvention as it doesn't 
> do that itself. Wednesday i started building up the stage props and 
> Frieda worked on setting up the tables and chairs and stuff, went out 
> for those little decorations on the tables. Nothing much, but just 
> enough. Finaly, thursday came and we were still preparing things 
> moments before the bus arrived from the hotel.
> It was great to see and greet and hug and so on, all those Heepsters 
> that were already in Belgium. Some 30 were already there i think.
> The event started of with a meet and greet, i opened the Heepvention 
> myself, i wasn't even too nervous. Called Paul Newton and Lee Kerslake 
> to the stage and the meet and greet went on. Then it was time for a 
> South African duo, Fade to Gray, to plunge us in the pool of sounds, 
> the concerts began. And what a concert that first one was, Frans and 
> Ray put a lot of effort in it and it came out just great.
> After them, time for Never Land, the rock band with the harp, never 
> seen before but here they were, where i wanted them to be in the first 
> place, playing Heep-songs on a harp, YEAH ! Great concert it was and i 
> was in love with the two girls, but don't tell my wife ;-).
> Midnight, the bus came picking up the Heepsters to drive them back to 
> the hotel, a good 20 minutes from the venue.
> 
> Friday, 2pm the venue got slowly full with Heepsters again, some new 
> ones who just arrived. I already had picked up Phil Baker as we had a 
> few things to talk about, schedule-wise. Took him to our place for a
coffee and a chat.
> And then to the venue. Time for the first part of the Heepster Jam
Session. 
> And i must say, the quality of this event's edition was just awesome, 
> so much better than in Spain for instance. Not as many people taking 
> part, but their drive was lots better and sometimes even semi pro, just
wow.
> After the warm food, it was time for the concerts, today opened by 
> Deigjj, from the Faroer Islands. Man they rock big time. And then 
> Circle of Hands from Germany came on stage and did their set. These 
> guys are the best and they showed us again. Sure, we heard some songs 
> more than once, but nobody cared about that, all Heep is Good Heep, right
?
> The bus left at midnight again and left me and the rest of the team 
> alone again, ... yep, like in the song.
> 
> Saturday came and the second Heepsters Jam Session was a blast. So 
> many songs passed the speakers, i can't put a name on them. Kind of, all
of them.
> After the Jam Sessions and the food, time for The Innocent Victims, 
> whom i had asked to play two entire albums, one had to be Innocent 
> Victims, as that was the first album i ever bought and the other was their
own free choice.
> Beat me now, cause i forgot what album they played. But oh goodie 
> goodie, they nailed it completely, all attendees were just enjoying 
> every second of their sets. They needed a rest between two albums. It 
> was so good and i was so pleased that this band wanted to do that favour
for me.
> Everything comes to an end and that brought The Legends to the stage, 
> with a little help from Phil Baker, Torsten Ilg and Joe Weiler, Paul 
> Newton and Lee Kerslake played the best songs in a fairly short set, 
> as we wanted to have a little hour left to hang out before the bus left
and we could go that way.
> That is the shitty thing when you organise these events yourself, you 
> gotta start tearing down the stuff you just put in a couple of days 
> ago. Ah well, i was very happy to know and to feel that everyone had a 
> great time, maybe even the best of times, who knows. Will i do it 
> again ? No, it is costing me money as there were too few people to 
> make it profitable, but i didn't want to cancel eighter as i didn't 
> want to put those in troubles, who payed for their flights and booked
tickets and rooms already.
> 
> All in all, i loved organising this event, though it's a one off for 
> me. I like to think that this is the biggest thing i ever did in my life,
so far.
> And i like to think that i did well as everybody was very pleased and 
> i had gotten no complaints at all. I will not blame myself or anyone 
> else, times are difficult for everybody, also for me now, as i have a 
> financial hole to fill. I am thinking of making wooden beer mats with 
> stone inlay and hope that at least some of the attendees will want to 
> buy some. If not, that is ok too of course, you know me.
> 
> Well, i will survive and i hope Heepventions will survive too as they 
> are the best thing. Heepsters from all corners of the world meeting up 
> and sharing their love for Uriah Heep. So, hoping that, i passed the 
> stick to a Dutch friend of mine, who will try and find out if she can 
> organise it in 2017. Read this well people, 2017 in Holland. I start 
> saving already, as i will be there for sure.
> 
> Heep on, rock on !!
> 
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> From: Ron Mann
> Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2015 10:23 PM
> To: 'Heepsters Mailing List (Travellers in Time)'
> Subject: Re: [Heeplist] HEEPVENTION 2015
> 
> 
> Facebook was flooded with photos, updates and info on this marvelous
event.
> If you are friends with Staf, Mac, Mike Taylor, Merrick, Keith Shaw 
> and others these came in hourly.  I felt as if I were there.
> 
> Oh and there were great shows by Merrick's band, Neverland [with 
> outside help to make up the band] and a short show by the Harms Way 
> Project since we had four members there.  That was a bittersweet 
> happening however since our lead vocalist Jon Binder passed away from 
> a heart attack just three weeks ago.
> 
> Ron
> 
> 
> > I can answer the question, it tells me heepster comraderie is dead, 
> > the list is dead (except for 4 posts over the weekend about t shirts 
> > made 16 years ago).  It also tells me to enjoy the Heepster 
> > experience one now has to be wealthy and free of responsibility, so 
> > they can travel.  It also tells me the ones that are and can,  no 
> > longer give a crap about the rest of the heepsters who cannot.
> 
> 
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