casapete

Interesting piece from yesterday's i paper. Musician Nile Rodgers has said the most valuable lesson he has learnt in his career has been "not to be a music snob". The Chic co-founder, 69, said " Any song in the top 40 is a great composition because it speaks to the souls of a million strangers. As an artist, that was the greatest lesson I ever got" I'm basically in agreement , just wondered what other BC folk make of this?

Absolutely this. So many bands overcook it with PA and backline for smaller venues like you mention, it really doesn't warrant it IMHO. Small guitar amps and a Fender Rumble 100 work for us in many places. The Yamaha is a much underrated bit of kit, and we still use one for our country band and acoustic duo gigs. Works brilliantly with most cabs - we use either Bose 802 or EV passive cabs, even sounds great with some old Peavey HiSys cabs we occasionally utilise.

May seem harsh, but in reality probably the better option. I’ve been in situations where deps have turned up at short notice due to other band member’s careers, and the band has suffered as a result. If everyone was doing it, the band wouldn’t exist, so more honest to specify what level of commitment is required from day one. (Also, have you ever tried to get a dep for a rehearsal? 😆)

Had a couple of nice gigs this week. First was our monthly acoustic duo gig at a local pub. Plenty of people in, including Andy, an old band mate of mine from years ago who now teaches music in Beijing. Haven't seen him in 15 years, so great to catch up. Then at the weekend we played at Marlborough College in Wiltshire as part of their Summer School programme. Originally planned for during the Covid lockdown, it was nice to eventually get to perform there. As it was a stand alone gig now (originally one of a few darn sarf) this involved a 5 hour drive each way so a bit of a slog for us. An amazing venue, originally designed for classical music and theatre, so a challenge for our sound tech but he coped really well. Great support from their crew too. Needless to say though the gig was fantastic, a lovely sell out crowd and we were well fed and watered. Absolutely shattered next day though!

+1 for forScore! Use it in my acoustic duo, probably 1000’s of songs easily accessed.

I would add that most function bands use their own PA’s, unless they are only doing huge events at large / unusual venues where there may be a hired rig available. In my 15 years of playing the function circuit this only happened a handful of times.

We’ve accepted that closures and diversions are now a permanent part of our travelling to and from our gigs all over the UK. The change to night works on major routes has impacted our travel times considerably, most often on our route home after a long gig when we just want to get back. So often we travel miles down motorways with 40 or 50mph speed limits due to road works with nobody in sight working there at all. Diversions have become normal, and with some being an extra 20 miles +, it can be very frustrating. One of the drawbacks of the job I know, just have to accept it.

Definitely the latter Bill......😆

On a few occasions I used an 810 and also a 610 with my amplified acoustic upright, and found that feedback was a problem, presumably due to the speakers being directly behind the body of the bass. From my experience I would go for a smaller cab / cabs like 1x10’s or 1x12’s. Agree with Bill’s post above too.

Think I've said this before, but I'd happily pay more to see my favourite artists in a small venue. The notion of paying similar ticket prices to see people on a video screen from the back of a stadium somewhere is just crazy IMO. If only people didn't allow themselves to be ripped off like this then the situation would soon change. Was hoping to see Springsteen next year but checking the prices this morning when they went on sale I'll definitely be giving it a miss. Seen him a few times in smaller venues than football grounds so will hold on to those memories.

That would be down to you I’m afraid - personally wouldn’t suggest not fully disclosing anything where insurers are concerned, as they will do their best to evade paying out over the slightest detail. Can’t remember what I’m down as without checking my policy, but think it mentions theatre as one of my places of work. ‘ Pop group’ is obviously high risk drugs and rock n roll stuff to them.... I seem to remember questioning why a company wouldn’t insure me under that category a few years ago, and they said it was high risk as imagine the claim if I had an accident whilst giving Mick Jagger a lift home after a gig! Wonder if they still use that example these days.

Think we did this a while ago, but probably due an update. Ive used a few of the bigger companies over the years, and didn’t stay with many for long as renewals often went sky high after the first year or two. Many of them will cover musicians, and require you to specify ( usually from a list ) which category you fall into. I’m currently with AXA Direct, who have been competitive at renewal time for a few years for me. Always worth doing some price comparison stuff though, with some of the websites offering various incentives on your cover ( £250 excess free etc) to choose them.

Lauren Laverne in 1997 when she was on TOTP with her band 'Kenickie'.

Strewth, you couldn't make that up. You're definitely well shot of him.

Slightly OT, but reminds me of a wedding we were booked for a few years ago. The couple split up a few weeks before the ceremony, so the bride turned it into a party for her friends and family as they’d paid for everything anyway. We had to wait until they’d all watched England play a crucial match on a big screen behind the stage, and then did our two sets of wedding/party stuff. The bride held it all together very well bless her, and a good time had by all. As you were....

Great clip, Pino in full sail but never losing the groove of the song. Mind you, Steve Jordan ain't no slouch either....🙂

I thought this, but seem to remember some dodgy sets of Elixirs being sold a while ago. Some folk reckoned they were knock offs. I guess if you're going to try a scam, you'd go for the more expensive brands to copy.

I'd say Lake Placid blue - hard to tell exactly from a photo. I believe Tidepool is a fairly recent thing, although just a re-named Ice Blue Metallic. More help / confusion here! https://fendercustomersupport.microsoftcrmportals.com/en-us/knowledgebase/article/KA-02004

Played two very contrasting gigs over the weekend. First one was with my main band at an outdoor event with around 800 punters. The hot weather combined with a lot of flying insects ( due to the stage being near a lake) made for a rather uncomfortable time on stage, but we managed okay. Did one 90 min set, which is unusual for us as we are more used to doing two 60 min sets in theatres. Kept my eye on one nutter at the front who was in danger of jumping onstage, but fortunately he fell over ‘dancing’ so disappeared after a few songs. Then on Sunday I played with my acoustic duo at a 40th birthday do in a recently built village hall in the Yorkshire Wolds. Again, stifling heat but at least there was a bit of fresh air as we set up near some bi-fold doors. Only around 35 guests including some young children but all well behaved and appreciative of our bit. Used my Ibanez short scale acoustic electric straight into our Yamaha / Bose PA with no problems, easy set up. Superb home made food from the buffet and some cold beers made for a great gig.

Funnily enough Mick, a number of years ago a friend of mine rang to ask me if I wanted to part with the Marshall amp, to which I replied that I didn’t. He then said I should consider it, as it was Gary Moore wanting to buy one, having used a rented or borrowed model on his ‘Still got the blues’ album. Anyway, I declined, and only decided to relinquish the amp following Covid and moving house. Will no doubt regret selling it, but having owned it for 45 years (and not being a great guitarist!) thought it was the right time to move it on. Glad it went to such a notable player too. 😊

I recently sold my beloved 1960’s Marshall 18 watt combo to a UK vintage dealer. It was shipped to Australia and then on to Hawaii to it’s new owner, Kirk Hammett. ( I was promised some footage of Kirk playing the Peter Green Les Paul through it, but not received anything yet.)

These should be a solution, but in my experience they don’t work. I broke my shoulder and struggled playing bass for nearly a year afterwards. My Hohner B2A was nice and light but being full (34”) scale and also required a long reach to the lower frets when played on a strap, I wouldn’t recommend them to the OP. Nice basses though. I think the OP needs a short scale bass lighter than his current Ibanez. In my case I used a Danelectro Longhorn - very light and a 30.5 inch scale. Bit of a Marmite choice I know, but possibly the answer. Failing that, maybe an Ibanez GSRM20, which has 28.5” scale and looks lightweight, and a bargain at around £169.

This happens to us a lot. Premier Inns have bars which sometimes close at 10pm. 🥵

Strings and Beyond have them currently for $23.95. But you have to factor in postage from the US, and possibly some duty too if you’re unlucky. Even so, if you’re buying a few sets it could still be worthwhile.