Viajero

Someone said: A true gentleman bassist is one who knows how to slap but doesn't. I want that on my gravestone. Top wisdom.

That vid's incredible - I'd be sorely tempted to get one of those, if I'm honest, if only to see the look on the band's face when you flip it down for the first time and hit a solo. Great work.

No denying that that's me in the North-east of Spain. Immortalised in a cluster map, fantastic. Who're the Czech and the Portugese, though?

That's funk, man. I've always thought that if you play bass but don't feel incredible when playing funk, you probably need a different instrument.

The bass player probably looked old because, if my experience is anyhting to go by, he's probably a postgrad who's had the chair for ten years and wont let anyone else get an audition. Certainly that's what's happened in my uni band. Anyway, tear up the audition. Hope you get it.

More evidence for the World vs. Parcelforce case file: My father recently sent a small leather briefcase of mine to a shop in Eton to be repaired. It's an antique, a fmaily heirloom of which I'm quite fond. It never arrived. It is no more. I have lost something precious to me, but worthless to anyone else. How could this be so? Because it was packed in an old Dell laptop box, that's why, so some scumbag has had it away in anticipation of a new computer. Have i got anything back from Parcelforce? Not so much as a letter of apology. A shower of b4stards, the lot of them, they have lost any and all goodwill and future business of mine. Really sorry to see that, OG. Take them to the cleaners if you can, for all our sakes.

I've played Big Bands for years now, ever since I was at school. It's great. The better the band, the better it is, because you have less and less time to nail harder and harder pieces. Still gives me that flush of pride when I get given some nightmaring arrangement and I hit it first go. Also, when there's that many people the banter is excellent, especially on the road. Which uni band you going for, by the way?

Yeah, does happen. It is an excellent rock scene, comes of a strong student community I suppose. The name Blue Sky Project rings a bell - I still get the Gig Guide every week, must be that. John Trueman still presiding over the Cockpit/Rocket?

Leeds has got more like that since I was involved a few years back, I understand. I think it's because many venues don't put on music for the sake of the music, it's just to get more people in to pay inflated beer prices. If you're not local, you're not likely to bring your own crowd of well-wishers. Oftentimes, my bands did well in local venues because we built up a strong regular audience of friends, friends' friends etc. If you're a Manc band in Stoke, you'll have no local support unless you're well-known enough to be out of the toilet circuit. Local music scenes, particularly in the North in my experience, are so diverse and full of good music, but the sad fact is they largely only exist so some ex-roadie can play impressario and make a wedge for very little work. I keep hoping the internet will be the next small-label revolution to take the power away from those who've ruined music this way, but it's not worked out yet.

Exactly, in a fortnight's time, and when I do it'll be Price Drop Clearance Time for my gear. Looking to shift bit of stuff and buy in new bits and pieces, especially amp and cab. So, if they'll match net prices and do fair delivery rates to Yorkshire or the North-east, that'd be a result.

Awful site, true, but refreshing to see that Bass is listed before guitar in the amps list. You don't see that every day. I assume he'll match prices including postage? Quite honestly, Bath might as well be Germany when it comes to getting gear.

I refer you my explanation [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=74"]here[/url].

Viajero: Born a geordie, like so many others here, but raised a Yorkshireman. Been living in the North-east again the past couple of years, but since September of last year I've lived in Spain, hance the name Viajero, meaning traveller. It's pronounced Be-a-[a sound like saying an h while clearing your throat]-air-oh. Coming back to Blighty soon. I've been playing gigs since I was 14 or so, which is a few years back now. I play electric bass though feel I probably ought to play upright. This is mainly because most of my gigs these days are jazz. Until I moved away, I was fairly active, with a couple of jazz combos and running a Big Band. When not playing bass I study languages and obsess about cricket.