Chris White Statement

[dmg]

Just received this interesting statement regarding The Straits from Chris on FB:

Lots of changes happening over the last four or five months, so apologies for the absence from facebook.
So, for many valid reasons, The Straits is coming to an end. It has been a fantastic three years and I would like to say a huge personal thank you to all of you who have supported us and attended our gigs during this time. It has been lovely to catch up with so many old friends , as well as make so many new ones.
Some band members feel they need to devote more time to other / new projects and therefore feel a conflict with continuing to play the Dire Straits catalogue. We perform our last show together on Friday night at the Schupfart festival in Switzerland. I'm looking forward to a great last outing.
I also have some new projects I am moving ahead with now, but am very happy to continue playing the music of Dire Straits which was such a huge part of my career.
To that end, Terence and I have been asked to go and perform some shows for a promoter in Australia and New Zealand, working with him under the name "The Dire Straits Experience ".
We have put together another great band of British musicians, which also includes Straits stalwart and stunning bass player Micky Feat.
We depart for New Zealand on Saturday evening. I'm very excited at the prospect. We have been able to rehearse some additional material , so the set is longer and feels really good. I can't wait to get out and play it !

[Fletch]

Oh that sounds interesting, if my social calendar allows I'll probably stroll on down and watch Terence. I'd love to ask him about some of the song lyrics.

[foma]

Please guys name your new band without

[dmg]

Please guys name your new band without

[dustyvalentino]

The whole thing's a farce.

[foma]

I've recently found an ideal picture for Dire Straits Experience and The Straits posters:



From here:

IMAO the best portrait after mediocre Colin Davidson sketches. Good for The Straits!

[Jules]

Actually any Dire Straits cover band should have Dire Straits on their name or something that make DS fans recognize them as a tribute band for DS.

The Straits in their concept wasnt a tribute band but as an evolution of the old band, but without the Dire man  , without Alan Clark, who was one of the creative forces musically speaking of Dire Straits, calling themselfs Dire Straits Experience is more accurate to what they are.

I

[ds1984]

You can be an excellent musician and starve for a job.

[dustyvalentino]

I've recently found an ideal picture for Dire Straits Experience and The Straits posters:



From here:

IMAO the best portrait after mediocre Colin Davidson sketches. Good for The Straits!

Ha.

[andychap]

Just read this on Alan's website

"The Straits, the band I put together with Steve Ferrone of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jamie Squire, bass player Mickey F

[dmg]

In other words a couple of the guys have done the honourable thing!  Good luck to Alan and co with their own material though.  I wish they had started playing that from the off.

P.S.  I was always under the impression they were a tribute band.  What exactly was Alan inferring there?

[yontwocrows]

Simply the fact that his plan was to mix the Dire Straits numbers with new material he has written himself. He announced it in several interviews (see link below). Obviously not everybody of the band was happy with this decision. He underlines that he doesn't see the Straits as a cover band (that they were) but as a living band.
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6185871/dire-straits-alan-clark-new-album

[dustyvalentino]

Maybe the guys who left thought Alan's songs were crap.

[Jules]

Maybe the guys who left thought Alan's songs were crap.

Probably they thought, as the statement says, that they should keep playing the DS hits onstead going ahead and release their own stuff.

I wonder under which name Alan and the others will release their music, I hope he forget about being any kind of DS evolution and go for his own...

[dmg]

Maybe the guys who left thought Alan's songs were crap.

Probably they thought, as the statement says, that they should keep playing the DS hits onstead going ahead and release their own stuff.

I wonder under which name Alan and the others will release their music, I hope he forget about being any kind of DS evolution and go for his own...

I heard Alan was thinking of using the name Mart Knopfler.