dmccombe7

Nice one Michael, have a great weekend with it and keep us posted with updates as and when you can. Always appreciated. Dave

I can honestly say i have no recollection of the venue or how the gig even went. I know all the gigs we did were great nights but individually just can't remember. Was a popular rock venue in 80's. Dave

I once played in Hereford in mid 80's. Have no idea where but i'm sure it was near a cattle market if i remember right. Could it have been The Market Bar ? Memory not so good from that era in my life. That was a wee tour i was doing with my broken leg. Crutches and all. Happy Days Dave

Odd one for me. My first bass was a Columbus Jazz bought circa 76. I left it at a bandmates house who was defretting it for me so i had a fretless and forgot all about it after i moved on to other bands and better basses. He got it refretted and still has it and his daughter used it to learn on. That was back in 1980. My other one is my old Yamaha BX-1 i've had since circa 88. Only worth £100 as a trade so i just kept it. Never use it tho. My next one is one of my fav basses i've had since new in 89 a Warwick Thumb NT that is just such a nice bass but doesn't suit the bands i'm in at the moment. Also a keeper. Dave

Happy days Dave

To be fair they are ok but i do take care going down stairs with them on. Cant leap over the monitors and jump into the crowds with them on Dave

That's the first 5 stringer Ric i've seen in use at a gig. Nice one and love the colour. Dave

Not heard any of his solo stuff. Will have a listen on youtube today. Dave

Oddly enough i was listening to Steve Hillage the other day. Did see him late 70's / early 80's. I was following the history of Camel bassist Colin Bass who played with Gong back in the day. Dave

Amazing bassist with Max Webster too. Think it was Dave Myles when i saw them support Rush in UK. Hemispheres 1979 Tour Dave

Saw them support Rush in the early years. Great band. Dave

Once had a great day of drinking beer and watching bands with the talented Jim Gilmour just after he joined Saga. He's a local lad from back in early 80's. Fantastic musician and really nice guy. We kept in touch for a while on FB but haven't spoken in a while now. Dave

yep that's what i find. There is a band up here doing this called Outside the Original and they've struggled to get a decent audience at the beginning but the more they play the more people come along and they now fill or almost fill most venues they are playing. Venues i thought they would get a decent audience were surprisingly empty at the start.. I agree there's not a big enough audience for prog these days. One of my first decent bands around 1980 we played Magnum, Saga, Kansas, Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore and ELP Fanfare for Common Man. We also did a few rock type songs like Van Halen, Y&T and by some obscure Canadian bands (singer was Canadian). I had only heard these bands because he played them for us. Was a great band with fairly competent musicians still under 20yrs old. We played some great gigs and had great feedback but alas illegal substances within the band killed it off for myself and guitarist who stopped playing in bands after that. Shame Dave

I always fancied the idea of a Prog covers band rather than a dedicated tribute to one band. That way i could cover songs by all my fav bands from Genesis, Floyd, Camel, Hackett, Kansas, UK etc. I think the Bruford level of musicianship is probably a bit of a stretch for me. I agree that for me its best to compromise and be good at what you do. I never thought i'd ever play in a punk covers band but its actually great fun and the stamina required is quite a stretch when you play fingerstyle. Dave

When i started playing bass it was Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Deep Purple and then moved onto Prog bands like Genesis and Floyd and eventually Camel and that's when i ventured into bands like Bruford, Brand X, Moraz, Mahavishnu, Gino Vannelli and a lot of other bands where the bass playing was that bit more challenging. I've never claimed to be a Jazz bassist but i did learn a lot from those types of bassists. Dave

I think you nailed it with this comment. This is where i am now with both bands. It does make me happy to play gigs with both bands, i feel comfortable in them. If i chased the Prog dream i may end up with musicians i just don't click with and that would, for me, be a step in the wrong direction. I'm in this mainly for fun and enjoyment altho the money is helpful but once the fun goes i don't really see the point but that's just my personal circumstances. If i was relying on the income i'd have a completely different attitude towards playing. Dave

Think that is a problem for many bassists. My preference is Prog or Jazz Rock but having tried over the many years i just can't find musicians that want to play the same styles. I was in a band for a while about 5 yrs ago that were doing Doobie Bros, Greg Allman, Tony Joe White and Robert Cray material that was new to me but i really enjoyed playing it but i'm not sure there would be a big demand for it. Unfortunately the band folded because the guitarist / BL was a bit of a t*t to be honest. I left and then they just drifted away to other bands within a few mths. I'd still love to do some prog like Genesis, Floyd, Camel maybe a wee bit of Bruford but that would be wishful thinking on my part. I keep going and living in hope that my punk band will have a go at Suppers Ready or Echoes. Dave

Nice looking bass. What is it ? Dave

Dave

Anyway not a great weekend for gigs. Sundays charity event cancelled due to a lack of interest (they didn't advertise it while the organiser was in hospital) and now tonight's gig cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Oh well unpacked the car and get the feet up wie a nice hot coffee watching Guns of Navarone ......... again. Dave

You've caught me with the same post and i just had to laugh. Even if i did get it wrong its' not the end of t' world: Dave

You have some cracking basses. Love the red and chrome bass. Looks amazing. Dave

Better clarify that altho most of our gigs are ticketed we get a fixed fee for most of them. The venue takes the profit from the tickets. We play a few venues that we get an 80/20% split fee on the tickets. Dave