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I don't go to many open mics. The one above is a bit different as each person can choose to do a solo performance, or pick a song from a book the organisers provide for everyone to play together. Indeed! and playing fiddle while working out a harmony line from the guitar chords in real time is about as much as my brain can manage!

Perpetuum Mobile — Penguin Cafe Orchestra

A weekend of Eagles tribute shows. Halifax Playhouse on Friday - a beautiful old hall, formerly a methodist church. A lovely, friendly crowd. A bit of a nervy trip back to Tyneside which involved negotiating a couple of floods. Next day, another Playhouse - this time at Alnwick, a little closer to home. Another lovely crowd. The front row of seats is int he same level as the band, and one particular highlight was when a chap in the front row spilled his drink, sending ice all over the stage. He got on his hands and knees, and crawled around under our feet trying to pick it ip, which he couldn't quite manage as ice is rather slippy. It all went on for a comically long time. This is the stuff you really remember in years to come. Next stop - Edinburgh & Whitehaven. Pics...

It'll inevitably be the same old hoary favourites, Seven Nation Army, Smells like Teen Spirit, Peaches, Runaway, Walk On The Wild side ect. Also, expect revelatory and hitherto unheard anecdotes about how Bernard Edwards didn't know what strings came with his Stingray and such like. Such a great opportunity wasted. Still, a crap series about playing the bass is better than no series at all.

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

These cats are alive. fretless: Bunny Brunel and Gary Willis 4-string frets: Jeff Berlin and Jonas Hellborg 5-string frets: Tom Kennedy and Jimmy Haslip 6-string frets: John Patitucci DB: Edgar Meyer and Steve Rodby and Marc Johnson (Where are all excellent European players, my list is too Americain.) Stewart Copeland should be here, because I would like to learn more about drummers' rhythmic approach to songs.

Two standout things for me with Sire (other than price), is the basses will work without a battery in them (so a full passive mode, with EQ), and the preamps have a level function to balance out active and passive. I used to have active turned down very slightly so when I used a bit of low end boost it mated the pure passive mode.

Absolutely brilliant in every way! What a fantastic idea and wonderful results! congratulations!

Blackberry - The Black Crowes

Aklot currently £32 on Amazon.

Raspberry Beret - Prince

I was talked into doing an open mic session at the Craven Heifer in Stainforth on Thursday. I tend to dislike these things as I rarely know the songs and if often tends to be quite cliquey. Took along the 3d printed headless bass and a Strat (I have no shame) but left them in the car "just-in-case". It was incredibly tight to fit in a drummer (one toy bass drum, one Tom and one cymbal) but Bev knew how to play so small kit but workable, a PA perched on a chair and a mixer, two mics and needed to fit everything else in in an area about 2.5m by 2m. I sat out the first few sessions and was roped into more classic rock sessions. Cocaine, Green River Rising and a wonderful blues song I have never heard before but was about a train (that narrows it down). Never played them before but could see the music so started carefully and simply and built up. By the last song, was thoroughly enjoying myself so have now decided to attend more and stop being a dickhead about it. It certainly focuses the mind on picking things up quickly. Rob

Graham bought my EBS cab today. Very straightforward easy sale and a lovely guy too, with the same make and colour car as mine which made my first basschat service station meet a lot easier! Would happily buy or sell with Graham again in the future!

Guy Pratt. John Taylor.

In terms of iconic bass lines to popular songs and who played them, then I think my choice of photos would be Paul McCartney (Ths Beatles), Sting (The Police) and maybe someone like Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) or John Deacon (Queen) or James Jamerson (Motown/Marvin Gaye) or someone from the Disco era (Bernard Edwards/Louis Johnson). If it was my choice then it would be Pino Palladino, John Giblin and Jaco, be all out fretless bass and have contributions from Paul Webb (Talk Talk), Derek Forbes (Simple Minds), Sting (The Police), Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel) to name a few. Now that would be a show 😂

To be fair; Playing fiddle and operating a camera must be quite difficult.