Latest news with #IndianSummer
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Indian Summer Monmouth donates meals to local food bank
On Monday, May 19, Indian Summer Monmouth treated food bank clients to hot meals, a much-welcomed gesture for those struggling to make ends meet. The initiative saw people from all walks of life, including two young Ukrainian refugees, enjoying the rare treat. Martin Howlett, the food bank manager, welcomed the initiative, and was pictured with Mr Mohon Uddin, from Indian Summer, handing over the food. Mohon Uddin of Indian Summer and Monmouth & District Foodbank manager Martin Howlett handed out the meal packages (Image: Supplied) Each individual received a meal package comprising chicken bhuna, steamed rice, and naan bread. The Monmouth and District food bank, which is staffed by volunteers, provides vital support to those in crisis, helping more than 1,000 people last year. This includes more than 300 children who received emergency food parcels. Each meal package included chicken bhuna, steamed rice and naan bread (Image: Supplied) The food bank also partners with the Community Hub, Mind, Monmouth Housing Association, and Christians Against Poverty to provide guidance and financial advice. However, they rely solely on community donations, and have seen a 30 per cent drop in food donations over the last two years. A food bank spokesperson said: "Why do people need a food bank in Monmouth? "Simply because they don't have enough money to live and eat. "Parents often go without to put food on the table for their children. "Fourteen million people live below the poverty line in the UK. "People in Monmouth & District are going hungry today." The food bank is part of a nationwide network supported by the Trussell Trust, which aims to combat poverty and hunger across the UK. They support a wide range of people, from single parents and workers made redundant to families on benefits whose money has run out, and retired couples whose pensions no longer cover their outgoings. Indian Summer Monmouth is not only known for its community spirit, but also for its cuisine. The restaurant, which has been serving the local community for 26 years, was recently awarded the title of 'Best Takeaway in Monmouth' by Restaurant Guru. A spokesperson for Indian Summer said at the time: "We wanted to share this fabulous news that Indian Summer Monmouth has recently been awarded 'Best Takeaway in Monmouth' by Restaurant Guru. "We are so pleased to have gained this award so early on in 2025. "Our reviews on Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor and Just Eat speak for themselves." Following the award, Indian Summer has expanded its delivery service, offering a 20 per cent discount on all deliveries in the Monmouth area.
First Post
26-05-2025
- Climate
- First Post
The Punishing Indian Summer: Heat, Humidity Soar to Dangerous Levels
The Punishing Indian Summer: Heat, Humidity Soar to Dangerous Levels | Vantage with Palki Sharma The Punishing Indian Summer: Heat, Humidity Soar to Dangerous Levels | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G India's heat crisis is intensifying, with three-quarters of the population at risk. Nearly 60% of districts face 'high' to 'very high' heat levels. Delhi is experiencing record-breaking temperatures and rising humidity. Heatwave alerts are active in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Warm nights are increasing rapidly, and experts say worst is yet to come. See More
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indian restaurant is named the best takeaway in town
An Indian restaurant has been named the best takeaway in town. Indian Summer, in Monmouth, has been awarded the title of 'Best Takeaway in Monmouth' by Restaurant Guru. The restaurant, which opened in 1999, has been serving the local community for 26 years. A spokesperson for Indian Summer said: "We wanted to share this fabulous news that Indian Summer Monmouth has recently been awarded 'Best Takeaway in Monmouth' by Restaurant Guru. "We are so pleased to have gained this award so early on in 2025. "Our reviews on Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor and JustEat speak for themselves." Following their award win, the restaurant has announced plans to donate hot meals to the Monmouth & District Foodbank. The restaurant will be providing meals for up to 50 people at the event, which will be held sometime in May. The spokesperson said: "We at Indian Summer have always had a charitable arm and feel proud to have the opportunity to support local charities. "We have been very active during Covid, feeding the vulnerable, elderly and isolated communities." The Monmouth & District Foodbank, staffed by volunteers, offers support to people in crisis. Last year, the food bank helped more than 1,000 people, including more than 300 children, with emergency food parcels. The food bank also partners with the Community Hub, Mind, Monmouth Housing Association, and Christians Against Poverty to provide guidance and financial advice to those in crisis. They rely solely on donations of food and money from the community but have seen a 30 per cent drop in food donations over the last two years. A spokesperson for the food bank said: "Why do people need a food bank in Monmouth? "Simply because they don't have enough money to live and eat. "Parents often go without to put food on the table for their children. "Fourteen million people live below the poverty line in the UK. "People in Monmouth & District are going hungry today." The food bank is part of a nationwide network supported by the Trussell Trust, which aims to combat poverty and hunger across the UK, supporting people including single parents, workers made redundant, and families on benefits whose money had run and a retired couple whose pension no longer covered their outgoings.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
With more than 5,000 recordings to his name, he may be the most-heard guitar virtuoso you've never heard of
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. As one of ABBA's core session musicians, he's helped sell millions of records around the world. His guitar playing can be heard on some of the Swedish '70s pop superstars' classic hits, including 'Waterloo,' 'Mamma Mia' and the group's U.S. number one, 'Dancing Queen.' But Janne Schaffer's resume extends well beyond his work with that famous quartet. In Sweden alone, he's a studio supremo, on par with America's own session meister Steve Lukather. To date, Schaffer has performed guitar on more than 5,000 recordings. 'And that includes my own 488 compositions,' he tells Guitar Player. 'I played on a lot of records in the '70s, ranging from Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra's 'Indian Summer' to recordings by Andreas Vollenweider and Johnny Nash, among so many others. I still do recordings with other artists today.' Schaffer grew up with musical parents, although much of the music in their house was classical, which wasn't his preference. He started out on acoustic guitar but turned to electric guitar after hearing Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel' on the radio. His early years were spent developing his six-string craft with a series of local bands in his native Sweden. At one TV show appearance, his group was slated to appear with the Byrds and Jimi Hendrix. Another memorable date saw one of his band's headline a show in Stockholm with support from a young English group who had just released their debut album. 'It was September of 1967, and I was playing with a group called the Sleepstones,' he remembers. 'And this band from England were a support act. And that band was Pink Floyd, who also had to borrow all our instruments so they could play the show!' While performing with Nash in Stockholm, the singer and Schaffer offered a Jamaican musician a place to crash while he performed on the soundtrack to Want So Much to Believe, a 1971 film starring Nash. That turned out to be Bob Marley, who went on to write much of Catch a Fire, his 1973 breakthrough album, while staying with them. Later on, a career as a studio session guitarist beckoned when Schaffer was hired by two Swedish musicians working as house producers for a local recording studio. 'The first session I ever did was with a Swedish singer called Björn J:son Lindh," he says. "Then suddenly from that gig, I was playing on all the records that were being recorded in Stockholm at that time.' That included the earliest work to come from the pop group ABBA: guitarist Björn Ulvaeus, keyboardist Benny Andersson and singers Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. 'I was recording with a young singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestad, and the producers of that session were Björn and Benny,' Schaffer explains. 'And from that, I came to play on 'People Need Love,' the first real ABBA song, in 1972, which then led me on to recording with ABBA as well.' Around the same time, Schaffer embarked on a solo career in parallel with his studio work. His self-titled debut album — an instrumental guitar record that showcased some impressive shredding — went Gold and topped the Swedish charts in 1973 for six weeks, outselling ABBA's debut, Ring Rng. Schaffer's second album, Janne Schaffer's Andra LP, also went to number one in that country. Soon, his reputation as a hot-shot jazz-fusion guitar player came to the attention of Columbia Records in the U.S., resulting in a three-album deal. 'I signed with CBS to record my third album, Katharsis in 1975,' Schaffer explains. 'The album was first released in Sweden and, later, in the States where it received a fantastic review in Rolling Stone magazine. The American record label people then came to Stockholm to see me in concert. 'After the concert they called me and said, 'We liked the concert, do you want to record in Hollywood?' And I replied, 'Of course!' They knew that I played with ABBA as a session musician, but at the time in 1975, ABBA was not well known in the States, so CBS wanted to do something to make some people know my name. 'So they got me to do a concert in Montreux, Switzerland, together with the CBS Jazz All-Stars in front of 3,000 people for a TV show, which was also recorded.' It was a history-making event featuring jazz greats like drummer Billy Cobham and saxophonist Stan Getz. Landing in Hollywood to record his next album, 1979's Earmeal, Schaffer hooked up with several members of the newly formed group Toto. The album is noteworthy for being one of the rare occasions when the entire Porcaro family of professional musicians — brothers Jeff, Steve and Mike and their father, Joe — appeared together on a recording. The album's lineup came about through some choice recommendations. 'CBS suggested bringing producer Bruce Botnick onboard, a fantastic producer who had worked with the Doors,' Schaffer recalls. Guitarist Les Dudek, who had made a name for himself with the Allman Brothers Band, Steve Miller Band and Boz Scaggs, put forth drummer Jeff Porcaro's name. 'Jeff then suggested I get his bass playing brother Mike to join us too,' Schaffer says. 'And because we needed a percussionist too, they suggested their father, Joe. 'During a recording session one day, Jeff told me they had started a group and had just recorded a tune and invited me to listen to it. So, we went to their rehearsal studio and he played me the song which had no vocals at that time.' That song was 'Hold the Line,' Toto's debut single and, as it would turn out, an international hit Following the sessions for Earmeal, Schaffer returned home to Stockholm, but soon after received a call from management. 'They said I had made a very good record, but it needed something that was a hit single included on it,' he says. 'So I wrote a tune called 'Happy Feet,' which features the Porcaro family as well as Steve Porcaro playing keyboard on it too.' Almost 45 years later. the song has been included in the new film Bad Apples, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in February. The final album in Schaffer's trilogy of American jazz-fusion outings was 1980's Presens, which was more commercial sounding in its musicality and approach. But with new wave and synth pop beginning to proliferate the musical climate, the album wasn't able to build upon the success of it's predecessor. CBS released it only in Europe. Soon after, Schaffer left the label, but continued to release a consistent flow of solo albums. In 1989 he earned a Swedish Grammy Award for Instrumental Production of the Year for his album Electric Graffiti. Today, Schaffer remains as busy as ever through touring and by contributing his unique guitar style to recordings, including those of this writer. For gear, Schaffer mainly used a 1959 Gibson Les Paul 'Burst for his 'trilogy' albums, alternating between a Mesa/Boogie and an Ampeg for amplification. His basic set-up today comprises a custom-made Larrivée guitar and a Peavey Stereo Chorus combo amp. 'After the Les Paul, and before I got the Larrivée, I used a Fender Stratocaster for a while,' he says. 'But with the change in my playing style which had evolved, I needed to change guitar too, so that's why I got a Larrivée. It is much more an all-around guitar, and I have the vibrato arm on it as well, which I use a lot of as it's part of my playing style.' In recent years, Schaffer's work has been rediscovered by a new generation of artists such as Christina Aguilera who sampled Schaffer's track 'No Registration' that originally appeared on his debut album, for her song 'Sick of Sittin,'' which appears on her 2018 album, Liberation. He also reunited with his former ABBA cohort Agnetha Fältskog by contributing guitar to 'Past Forever' a song from her A+ album, released in 2023. Looking back over his his 50-plus-year career as a guitar player, Schaffer is pleased to see his musical evolution, something he attributes to his desire to always look forward. "If you go back and listen to my first solo album and then listen to my most current music I've released, you will hear a big difference in the way my playing and music has developed and in the way I also write music,' he offers. 'I never wanted to get stuck in a special formula, I want to always experiment and do new things. I have a passion for playing music and will try to do it as long as I can."
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lazio to Launch Contract Talks With Experienced Duo
Lazio are reportedly aiming to maintain Pedro and Matias Vecino beyond the current campaign, so they must find agreements with the duo over new contracts. Both veterans are currently running on expiring deals, so their futures remain uncertain. Nevertheless, sporting director Angelo Fabiani recently revealed that it is up to Pedro to decide whether he likes to stay or not, suggesting that the club has already made up his mind in this regard. Lazio coach Marco Baroni also echoed the desire to keep the 37-year-old who has been enjoying an Indian Summer this season. He has thus far scored nine goals and provided his teammates with four assists in 27 appearances in all competitions. According to Il Corriere dello Sport, the former Barcelona and Chelsea star is mad about the Aquile, but could also be tempted by a return to his home country. In any case, the Roman newspaper expects him to make the final decision at the end of the season as he always does. The versatile attacker currently earns a net salary of €2.2 million per year. As for Vecino, he's currently focused on making his return to the pitch after several months of absence. He's expected to rejoin his teammates in group training next week. But in the spring, the player's entourage will reportedly start their negotiations with the Lazio directors over a contract renewal. The 33-year-old might not be a regular starter, but like Pedro, he's considered an important option with invaluable experience. The source denies recent links with Fenerbahce, while revealing that the midfielder is looking for a new home in the center of Rome, hinting that his future will lie at Formello. His current salary is €1.8 million per year.
