Worms in the title, worms in the ground

The Jane and Mike Band have been putting out a weekly radio show on ‘Salford City Radio’ since 2007. It’s called ‘Green Giraffes and Worms’. Let’s break that down. ‘Giraffe’ refers to Jane. She’s the tallest person in the band and has an overview. The ‘worms’ are the wiggly things underground, without which no plants would grow. ‘Green’ is everyone in the band and on the radio show.

No surprise then, that Jane and Mike are long-term members of ‘Incredible Edible’, a world wide movement that encourages people to ‘grow their own’, no matter how small a garden, a pot or a window sill. When ‘Incredible’ was celebrating 10 years of existence, (before the pandemic), the Band was invited to sing a few songs in Todmorden, the home of the organisation. They chose a worm song, written by Jane, (with a little help from The Beach Boys – thanks, surfer dudes).

Actually, it’s ‘Dit, Dit, Dit’

That’s right. 3 dits. As you probably know, that’s Morse Code for ‘S’ and ‘Dah, Dah, Dah’ is Morse Code for ‘O’, which means the whole chorus adds up to ‘SOS’. (Only use this signal in an Emergency, of course. Like now, we need to combat Climate Change and save the whales. Yes, it is an emergency.)

This is probably one of the most famous of all Jane’s songs, and is regularly requested at live gigs.

Salford’s ‘Secret Garden’ Festival

Another classic tune from Jane, this was written to celebrate the wild fortnight that was the Secret Garden Festival – inspired by the fact that author Frances Hodgson Burnett had lived in the city when younger.

The Festival, culminating in a weekend of crafts, talks and films at the BBC and University buildings on Salford Quays included an illustrated talk by Mike, and the launch of his book ‘Salford Secret Garden 2012′ – nothing to do with the original childrens’ tale. It’s a crime thriller!

Another new member of the Band! Yes, that’s Gail Skelly on the right, plonking her ukelele and contributing singing to the overall sound.

Here’s a link to Mike’s crime thriller:

Cover: original artwork by Jennifer Andrews

Wotta way to spend New Year’s !

You should be able to tell this happened in the depths of mid-winter – it’s so dark!

Yes, Amber and Ross came round to have a little drink with Jane and Mike and got pressed into recording a song (or two). Ross was behind the camera (and added the sound of kazoo) and Amber contributed her delightful vocals to a song of Jane’s she had heard before – it had been composed by Jane for the Creative Writing Group that we were all members of that year, (and was inspired by the efforts we were all making to save the derelict church at the end of our street – St Ignatius.)

Mike showing off the big black guitar he owned that year (now replaced by a smaller ‘Ed Sheeran’ model).

Key to the Quays?

Jane and Mike are here singing one of Jane’s most successful songs, first composed for the Commonwealth Games in 2002. The words are all the docker’s nicknames that Jane collected from people who actually worked in the area in the 1950s.

It’s the whole world (in the background) but in the foreground, it’s Jane and Mike in Ordsall Community Cafe.

Show? No show!

For more than 10 years The Jane and Mike Band showed up at their local summer Festival and sent a trilogy of songs sweeping out into the parkland, but Covid put a stop to all that. For 2 years there’s been no Festival, no singing, no sideshows, no animals, no stalls or entertainers.

Well, it’s 2022 and the summer Festival is back – but in a new form. Less entertainment, smaller scale. That means less of everything. As they say, ‘The show must go on’, but this year, Jane and Mike are a ‘No Show’. (We haven’t been invited!)

How 2 b a Band

First it was just turning up.

But now they’re giving lessons in ‘How To’ and The Jane and Mike Band have gone back to the classroom, but only as a Good Example.

Let’s learn them lessons, and how to what’s-it when you’re wherever.

ezgif hologram Band