Shake, rattle and we’re ready to roll

Making sweet music in Union Street: from left, Peter, Christine and Brendan

THREE Oldham musicians have got together to form a new band of businesspeople in Yorkshire Street.

Peter and Christine Clarke have joined forces with Brenda O’Grady to open Muso’s, supplying all manner of instruments from guitars and bongos to tambourines and maraccas.

They also have an extensive supply of musical sundries, that’s guitars string, percussion accessories, reeds — all manner of the extras that musicians need on a regular basis.

Pete and Christine, from Hathershaw, have returned to Oldham from a two-and-a-half year stint as gigging musicians in Australia to invest in the new business.

“We enjoyed our time out there, but it’s too big a country and too few people,” said Christine, adding that each gig was four to five hours drive each night and eventually the constant touring became too much.

They still play music and host an acoustic evening at Whittles in King Street every Wednesday.

Brendan, from Clarksfield, a singer, guitarist and songwriter with a band called Equilibrium, has also invested in the new venture, which offers teaching of all instruments in rooms above the showroom.

Muso’s offers an extensive range of sheet music and this strand of the business is already attracting huge interest from schools and Oldham Music Centre.

“We are finding that people really appreciate our being in the town centre,” said Pete, who is convinced there is a market for the musical store.

They had an official opening recently and intended having a celebrity on hand — “but they were all at Glastonbury,” Brendan quipped.