We are a voluntary unincorporated association. This is legal stuff that means we are a voluntary group of people that run Rock The Lobster mainly for fun. Unfortunately lots of things cost money so we need to raise money to cover our running costs.
There are currently five people on the Rock The Lobster committee:
Malcolm Birtwell aka Malcypoos is our Treasurer and Events Liaison person. He is an experienced multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has been performing live in rock bands for many years. Malcolm’s original music may be found on Facebook, Soundcloud, Reverbnation and Number One Music. He has played with Green Beach, Nofix d’Bode, Better The Devil, Almost Angels and collaborated with many other musicians. He currently is musical arranger, lead guitarist and backing vocalist in U-WATT. His main instrument is electric guitar although he can play bass guitar, drums, various percussion and can sing baritone. He is also a poet, aspiring author and has been involved in amateur dramatics. His poetry is published online under the nom de plume Isaiah Shannock.
Ervin Munir is the Chairperson and a committee member. He is a singer/song-writer (visit his website here) and regularly plays acoustic guitar and sings, solo and with friends, at Rock the Lobster and other local venues in and around Sheringham. He has recorded at Abbey Road Studios (2022) and has released a number of singles on all digital platforms.
Ervin also set up the Rock the Lobster record label and produced and mastered the Chilled Lobster 01 album (CD, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.) of original songs, working with many local musicians. He also sings and plays acoustic guitar (and kazoo) in a local band called Cutting the Mustard (http://www.cuttingthemustard.band). In late 2018, Ervin joined Playing for Cake; a community interest company delivering interactive music/singing sessions for anyone, including people with Parkinsons, Dementia, Breathing difficulties etc. visit http://playingforcake.uk/ for further details.
Tony Purdy is our Safety officer and a committee member. He moved from Hemel Hempstead to Sheringham in 2016 after taking early retirement/redundancy. He has been playing guitar since about the age of 14, however it wasn’t until his mid-twenties that he discovered his voice. His wife brought home a Don Williams album and he was suddenly hooked on country music (that said his favourite bands are still Thin Lizzy and The Who). Today his main area of interest in terms of what he plays is probably “Americana” which often means very stripped back story songs, with just one man a guitar. The journey to this music came about when the guy who played drums for Don Williams (who was from Hemel) moved to the Nanci Griffiths band, she then played Hemel Hempstead. As well as her own songs Nanci played stuff by Townes Van Zandt, and others, following these links Tony arrived a Townes, Guy Clark, John Prine, Rossanne Cash, and others. He have a reputation for performing sad mournful songs, which is probably justified 😊.
Jeff was a member of highly regarded seventies bluegrass band The Clay County Travellers, playing clubs and festivals all over the country along with a couple of Radio 2 appearances. He has played or gigged with several other bands, including Tom Paley’s New Deal String Band and various ceilidh and folk bands. After moving to Norfolk he played fiddle with the Sheringham Shantymen for a while before returning to his first love of Old-Time and Bluegrass. Jeff has a wide range of old-time, folk and Americana songs and tunes in his repertoire. As well as performing solo, he is one half of gospel and country duo Dorway. Jeff also runs Sheringham Acoustic Club – find out more here.