casapete

The other two gigs this week were a Golden Wedding do at a local pub. Only about 30 guests, managed to get some up dancing to 50's / 60's stuff though, and home by 11.30pm so not too bad. Last night was the final gig of the year with The ELO Experience at The Corn Exchange in Stamford. Sell out crowd of 400 people, a lovely venue but a basta*d of a get in - everything into a tiny lift, then up to the top floor where it's then rolled down the steep centre aisle of the theatre and up onto the stage. Band played well, and our new sound engineer (and bassist!) Paul is fitting in well, with drums and bass sounding great in the room. ( Enclose a picture which shows my lovely bald spot which is increasing at a frightening rate - may soon be time for a new look I think.)

Done 3 gigs this week. Sunday was my favourite venue for our acoustic duo at The Lookout on the Pier in Scarborough. Usual brilliant audience, with some great requests which we managed to fulfill. Forgot to take pics but this was the view as I was loading out.

I started out playing Fenders over 40 years ago, and have never been without one. The only brand I used instead for some periods has been Musicman, which I’ve always considered to be the way Fender basses evolved. Had to sell my last MM fairly recently mainly down to the weight issue, not being able to find one that was under 8lbs. Currently still have my original 63 Precision, which would be my go to for everything if I could. My main bass is a Fender P-Lyte, which weighs 7lbs and I don’t have to worry about leaving it on theatre stages unattended. I have an identical spare too. Know its not a regular P-bass, but I can still get some authentic sounds from it, the build quality is superb and it has enabled me to carry on gigging into my 60’s with no shoulder fatigue on long gigs. Still dig the 63 out when I can though, it’s a killer! There’s just something about a proper P-bass that is so right, and it’s worth taking some time to find one that feels / sounds exactly how you would expect. Nothing against other brands, but if I want a Fender then I don’t want one that looks like one, I want the real deal. If I was looking for my first Fender I’d probably go for a tidy s/h Mexican P-bass and then play it for a while before deciding if it needed anything upgrading. In my case I’d be happy with it stock, but another great thing about Fenders is they are easy to modify if you want. (Possibly pick up and controls if you feel the need, but don’t bother with changing the bridge as the benefits are IMO never worth it.)

I can relate to that Paul. Mrs CP usually manages to get me to dance for one song a year on NYE, and that is how I feel, apart from the ‘used to dance’ bit.....

Great stuff, well done!

Superb!

I saw Rory in the early/ mid 70’s. Managed to convince my mum that I didn’t need to stay in that evening and revise for my Maths ‘O’ level exam which was on the next day. Rory and his band were absolutely superb. I got an ‘unclassified’ in my exam.

I’m sure Douglas doesn’t mind me correcting his mistake. After him picking me up on my casual use of the apostrophe many times, it’s a rare (but probably futile) opportunity to try and even the score.....😆

Sky Arts showing ‘Oil City Confidential’ in tribute at the moment.

Whilst Lennon and McCartney wrote ‘Love me do’, the song Twist and Shout’ was not one of theirs, being written by Medley and Berns and a US hit for The Isley Brothers in 1962.

As a child of the late 50’s , the Beatles were incredibly important to me and my interest in pop music, which has remained to this day. Then I heard The Stones and the Beatles took a back seat for the following decades. Still a massive Stones fan, but I must admit the recent documentaries on Macca and The Beatles have made me rediscover their greatness all over again. I think that both bands have been key to most of my contemporaries, and influenced so many others along the way.

Think mine new was £79, maybe 10 years ago though. Was a rather nice dark blue with a white plate IIRC.

I had one, bought new from a local SR shop. Decent bass for not a lot of money, although mine went in a ‘Last in / first out’ cull a year or so afterwards.

Me too. Having to turn both volumes down to turn the bass off can be a right PITA.

Make the method for fitting IEC mains connectors universal. I think the straight side should be at the bottom, but every time I use my Fender Rumble combo I forget that it’s ‘upside down’. All my other amps are the other way round. Also make battery compartments on active basses more robust and easier to use. I’ve always thought the type that Musicman use are the best. Think Fender have used these for a while now too.

I think you and the band deserve better Mick. If everyone's not pulling their weight, then it’s only a matter of time before things go t*ts up, so you may as well get it out of the way and then move on. Sure, a new singer may have similar ego issues but then again may not. Stress to any new members that homework needs doing first to keep rehearsals fresh and enjoyable for everyone too. Good luck!

Squier do the FSR Classic Vibe Bass VI in various non burst colours, including Shell Pink, Lake Placid blue, Purple Metallic and Walnut. 😊

680

You would think so. In fact Martin have been using a laminated birch composite on the necks of their lower end acoustics for a while now, calling it ‘Stratobond’.

Other guitarists with finger injuries include Jerry Garcia and Tony Iommi. Its amazing how people can adapt and continue to make music.

Robbie McIntosh and Michael Messer’s Blues party at Pocklington Arts Centre in ten days time. Acoustic and slide guitar brilliance, looking forward to it.

We’re trying to maintain our ticket prices to pre-pandemic levels at the moment, but it’s inevitable that it won’t be sustainable for much longer. We have 11 people who rely on the show as their main income, so it has to be feasible in order to continue. I just hope people understand that when deciding whether to come to our gigs!

My main work in a tribute band (playing mostly theatres)has been pretty good in 2022 considering all that’s been going on. Our audience numbers have been what we’d hoped for, but many of the gigs were booked for before or during the pandemic and rearranged, so we’re under no illusions that 2023 may be the same. I fear for our industry generally, with energy prices inevitably taking their toll on leisure choices. Combine this with our band’s overheads rapidly rising and it starts looking pretty grim. Spiralling costs in fuelling our vehicles and hotel rooms more than 50% up on recent years don’t help. Theatres have been more willing to look for ways in which to increase their revenue, many at a price to bands like mine. There does seem to have been a massive effort to recoup revenue lost during the pandemic in whatever way possible. All this does make it seem like we may be in for a rough ride - I sincerely hope I’m wrong. To finish on a more optimistic note though - gigs for my acoustic duo are looking good for 2023, with our regular venues committed to bookings along with a new regular gig looking likely. 🤞

Me too. A great watch, Rick Rubin asks some brilliant questions and also knows when to shut up and let Macca talk. This series (along with the ‘Get Back’ one) made me realise even more what a genius Macca was.

Find out what each is worth, and then sell the one that best sorts out your financial situation.