ROCKETS To Play OKTOBERFEST With Ken Hensley : The Rockets will return to the Calpe Oktoberfest Bikers Day this year on Sunday October the 14th, for their fourth consecutive appearance. This year's set will be slightly different as apart from their own set, the band will also be playing with guests Ken Hensley and MJ Lewis. Ken Hensley, founder member and songwriter of Uriah Heep during their heyday will be playing Hammond organ and the set will include some of Ken's most famous Heep songs.

Mar Mateos Carrasco, 1969 - 2007: It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the untimely death of Mar, former owner of El Carrer in Calpe, Alicante. She died in her sleep on Saturday June the 30th in Badajoz shortly after having moved there to start a new life. Jools and Mar became friends in 2000 when the Bad Habit Band played regularly in Frankies Garage, Calpe. On moving to El Carrer in 2001 she organised a program of live music and gave a Friday residency to Jools, performing there first with Bad Habit and later from 2002 with The Rockets which included Greg Ridley's first Spanish gig. Jools says "Mar was a beautiful person with a great sense of humour and stunningly good looks. She loved music and was a great support to myself and the band during her time at El Carrer. It's hard to believe she has died so young, but she will always be in my heart."

Santiago Campillo: Jools Cooper will be playing certain festival dates together with Spanish rock guitarist Santiago Campillo this summer. The project is called Santiago Campillo and the Electric Band and began when Santiago invited Jools to play recently in Benicasim with his band Los Lunaticos. Campillo is well known in Spain as a founder member of M-Clan, having had massive hits with "Carolina" and a Spanish version of Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" Jools will be lead singer and share lead guitar duties with Santiago.

Rockets no longer to play Shamrock: Due to noise problems and neighbours The Rockets are (at least for now) unable to continue playing in The Shamrock, Moraira. The band were offered the chance to continue gigs at the venue at a reduced volume but declined on the basis that it wouldn't be what fans of the band expect.

The Rockets in the recording studio: The Rockets have recently returned to Euromaster Recording Studios in Valencia where last year's Ten Years On CD was recorded. Jools Cooper, Steve Emery and Geoff Britton recorded four songs which will be used to promote the band and possibly become part of a new CD for release later this year. Steve Emery is producing the band this time and is intent on obtaining a more exciting and harder sound. Jools comments, "The new songs sound amazing and mark a return to the hard rock sound that we originally had. We have played several pub gigs and it's been a lot of fun, but we haven't yet reached our full potential because pub gigs don't allow us to really open up...if we played in a pub the way we play on a big stage the walls would collapse around us."

March 2007 New look joolscooper.com in Spanish too: As from March the "new look" joolscooper.com will at last be available to Spanish readers by clicking on the national flag on the homepage. Jools Cooper comments, "It's about time we had the website in Spanish as we are getting so many hits from all over Spain, and we also want to do the same for therockets.info. I want to thank Stuart McCall, my webmaster, for all his hard work in re-designing the site and also Marisa Perez for help with the Spanish text."

February 2007 Tommy Duffy to leave The Rockets: It has been confirmed that after two and a half years playing bass for The Rockets, Tommy Duffy is to leave the band, making way for original bassist Steve Emery. Ex Lindisfarne bassist Duffy joined The Rockets after the departure of Brad Mariner in September 2004 making his debut at the Calpe Oktoberfest that year. Jools Cooper comments, "The Rockets want to publicly thank Tommy Duffy for being their bass player and for all he has done for the band. I'm especially grateful for Tommy's contribution to The Rockets since 2004 as he and I went through some difficult times after Geoff's departure in 2005, struggling to keep things together with various drummers. I wish him all the best for the future. Tommy stated in September 2006 that he no longer wanted to be considered as a full time member of The Rockets, but would play when called upon much as a session player would. With Steve Emery wanting to rejoin and become a full time Rocket again we had to make the change."

February 2007 Jools Cooper Thursdays "Rockin' The Shamrock: Jools Cooper has accepted an offer by Moraira's biggest Irish Pub The Shamrock to play solo on Thursdays until at least June 2007. These shows will be louder and rockier and Jools intends to play some songs that you might not hear in other venues.

February 2007 Steve Emery leaves Los Lunaticos: News has reached us that Steve Emery has formally left Spanish rockers Los Lunaticos prior to rejoining The Rockets after an absence of ten years. Ex Eric Clapton bass player and founder member of The Rockets, Emery has begun rehearsals with Jools Cooper and Geoff Britton although it is as yet unclear when their first gig together will be. The band stated, "Steve still has some commitments with The Patricia Kraus Band and we want to take time to rehearse a new and revamped set. His first gig with us should be late in March."

January 2007 Original Rockets to reform: After a recent gig with Steve Emery on bass at Javea's An Shebeen it can now be revealed that Geoff Britton and Jools Cooper have been discussing the possibility of Steve Emery rejoining The Rockets after a ten year absence. Emery is a founder member of the band and has played bass in The Eric Clapton band and Stretch as well as one of Spains top pop-rock bands Revolver. Jools comments; "We had an amazing gig that night with Steve, and it made Geoff and I realise just how much The Rockets sound had changed in recent times. Steve Emery is our original bass player, he is a powerful player as well as having a powerful personality. If we are to go back to touring and playing bigger and more prestigious shows, then we need Steve."

September 2006 Geoff Britton to re-join The Rockets: It has been confirmed that drummer and founder member Geoff Britton is to re-join The Rockets this month. Geoff left the band in October 2005 in order to relocate to the UK but a change in plan saw him remain in Spain. During the first half of 2006 Geoff has worked with his new band The Volcanoes as well as long standing project Black Diamond, but it's clear that he has missed The Rockets as much as The Rockets have missed him. The band plan several appearances with Geoff prior to what could be their "come-back" show at the Calpe Oktoberfest Sunday October the 15th.

New Solo CD: Jools Cooper is currently working on a new solo CD with the working title 'A Bottle of Whisky and the Blues' which will be a blues album scheduled for March 1st release on the ALTA Record label.

The Rockets Ten Years On CD: The Rockets have finished their CD entitled 'Ten Years On' which will be released on April 15th 2006. The album, produced by Jools, includes many of the covers versions associated with the band over the last ten years and includes guest musicians Christian Pearl and Chloe Hooper.

copyright Alta Records 2007 

Jools Cooper Rock Guitarist, The Rockets, Geoff Britton, Tom Duffy, Greg Ridley, Ken Hensley, Pink
Floyd, Fender Guitars, Uriah Heep

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