dmccombe7

Superb. So proud of our BC family. Dave

My attitude to the set list is to keep it fresh by adding a few new numbers every 6mths but also to make sure we replace songs in the set and don't just add songs onto the existing set list. The punk band seems to be missing that drive to rehearse the new songs enough that they are up to scratch whereas the Glam band would book rehearsals to get the songs done properly. Its an odd one as we have the same drummer, bass and vocalist in both bands. ? Dave

I think the punk band have lost a bit of drive in getting better gigs and possibly learning new songs. I've been with them 3 yrs but apparently they've been playing the same set list for past 16yrs with just 2 new songs added recently. I'm quite busy with Glam band from end of Nov with 2 gigs every weekend thru to first week in January 25 so that's good news for us. Dave

When i first read that i assumed it was Nov 2026 (11/26) and then realised you do your dates with the month first 11/26 where we do it 26/11. You had me worried something had happened that you couldn't play. Same for me with the Glam band but i think i have the very last gig with the punk band this month. Looks like it will fold this year. All amicable and no hard feelings between us. I think the band has realised the audiences just aren't there anymore in our area but will see what happens in 2025. Dave

This is a great thread, really enjoying it. My favoured rig has always been a 210 cab atop a 15. I currently use a Mesa TT800 into Subway 210 and 115 cabs. On hindsight 2off 210's or 2off 115 cabs would have done pretty much all i need. I like the idea of the Mesa SW 410 as i once played thru a TE 410 Combo back in 80's with my Warwick Thumb and it was a tremendous tone but really heavy and i was only 9.5st back then. I use the Mesa rig for my Glam covers band, Punk covers band and now an 80's rock band. I occasionally run a hint of overdrive and it sounds great. Mostly i prefer a cleaner warm tone from the Boogie channel. I've used the Mesa cabs including my old Mesa PH212 for almost every kind of music including rock, punk, function, funk, prog and it just works so well for me. I did have 2off ae112 Berg cabs and they were ok but not quite right for me. Could never put my finger on why. That was a Deep Purple tribute band. One of my all time fav cabs was a Bergantino HT322 (12, 2x10's and horn). It was sublime but just far too heavy at my age but i loved the tone and it could handle any amp i ever used with it. I also used that with the DP tribute band. Dave

Love that. Not heard a band like this in many years. Nice one. Very relaxing, chilled music Dave

Great night for BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band in Dalkeith Social last night. Approx 200 there so that was good. Dancing from the start with a full floor for many of the songs. Audience well up for a fun party night and that always helps with quite a few dressed for the occasion too. 2 x 1hr sets last night which was easy and leaves the audience wanting more. Sandberg VM4 into Shure wireless and Mesa TT800 amp and SW210/115 cabs. Little touch of Keeley compression more as a limiter than anything else. Re-booked for March 2025 so that's good. Its a fantastic club that have spent a lot of money on stage, PA and lighting in recent years. On a side note and more a rant, 3 of us decided to stop at McDonalds on way home. I was last in drive thru qeue at McD's and altho only getting big mac meal i had to sit at the window for 10 mins. The other two guys had finished and one had headed home before i even got my order. Its a blooming "drive thru" why am i waiting 10mins for your signature burger. ? Experienced this a lot at McD's now so that will be last time for me. Burger was hot but chips cold and had obviously been sitting in the bag waiting for the burgers. Rant over. 1hr drive home on very quiet country roads. Home by 2am, had my coffee and bed by 2:30 ish. Back up 8:30am today for a trial PA set up with a guy that offered to do our PA for £100 a gig. We have a large gig coming up soon and thought we'd give him a try. We do know him. This is just to get things set up on his desk and make sure he knows what we are looking for. Starts 12am today so heading off 11am. Club had asked if we minded a support band of young local guys called Chapter 2. Only 16-17 yrs old but they were good. 3 piece band Guitarist / singer, bass and drums. They turned up with little pocket amps too with the bass player having a tiny wee Orange cube so i asked if he wanted to use my Mesa rig into the spare channel on the TT800 and he was over the moon. Ran thru the amp with him but at that age you grasp these things very quickly. You could tell they were nervous but they did a great job and even had the courtesy of punting our band and thanking us publicly for letting them support. Really great bunch of teenagers. Don't see that very often these days. There last song was Freebird which took me by surprise as they were mostly pop hits or their own songs. Dave

Looking forward to the first Glam gig in a while at Dalkeith Social Club tonight. Should be another great night in this venue. Last time was quite busy considering it holds up to 600. Hopefully busy again. Dave

That's a nice looking bass. Dave

Brilliant song but then again he is a talented bassist. Love the vid for it. Dave

I remember back in 80's in a 3 piece rock band doing Crossroads and the guitarist/singer plus the drummer had pre-arranged to stop for a bass solo. Boy that put me on the spot as i had no idea it was coming. Kept the riff and added a few extras and a few strummed chords and all done on a fretless WAL. I did get a decent round of applause for it which made my day as this was my first touring band. I hadn't really done much gigging before this even tho i had been playing for approx 10yrs. I did have strong words with them after the gig. Never to be repeated. I'm not a fan of bass solos unless you're Geddy Lee. I aint. Dave

What's the PJ bass in the pic. Can't quite make out the name on the headstock even when zooming in. Dave

Me too. Always try to remember and post my gear on the night. Dave

Simply incredible what a group of BC'ers can accomplish to help a fellow bassist. Makes me feel so proud to be part of Basschat. Another wee bump to the top. Dave

Makes sense. Keep us posted on how you get on. For me it was thru word of mouth that a friend of a friend mentioned me to a band that was looking. That seems to be how i end up in most bands over the years except when i returned to playing at 50. From there i got in touch others looking for bands and i guess that was my start to networking again. When bands were looking my name was mentioned and i was contacted to see if i would be interested. Dave

What do you mean "slightly" i have very strong opinions on that statement Dave

Hope to see you there. You might not recognise me off stage tho Dave

I'm in 3 bands but i'm still not gigging every month let alone weekly. I originally took on two bands to get out more but the 3rd came along just as the punk band was fading but it hasn't finished as yet so will see what happens there. I live in a small country village in Scotland and our Glam band is spread over a 100 miles. If you want to gig then travelling a bit is something you just have to accept. I used to rehearse weekly in Glasgow (45miles each way) but i accepted that when i joined a band. Try widening your search area. Common ground might only be 25-30miles from you. Dave

You don't look nervous there and you certainly don't look 73 sir. If i didn't know your age i would have put you in 50's bracket so get yourself out there and keep it going as long as you are fit enough. As i always say age is just a hurdle in life, get over it. The vids comments were more about how the vids came across rather than what i see here. Get yourself a wee Lizzy tribute going. Dave

Related to Randy bump Dave

Our punk covers band normally do Fri nights and the Glam covers a Sat night. Sometimes a Fri can be busy but its a hit or a miss but the venue is still brilliant and we use it as a paid rehearsal. We still get paid enough to cover expenses and more, no PA and lights to humph about especially at the end of the night so that's a great bonus. Our Glam band is doing the Sat night before Xmas and then a private party on the Sun afternoon so that's a no brainer for us. I just wish every venue put that much effort into having bands play. Dave

That's what i found with JMB that it took ages to get a reply from bands. It left me thinking that maybe they weren't that interested in getting a replacement at all or even get their band moving forward but i stuck it out and i did eventually get a band thru it. Dave

100% this. Have you tried local Facebook for musicians wanted. ? I see a lot of good stuff on there. I would add that when i restarted playing again at 50 after 20yrs away i took on any job i could get. It was hard getting interest but I've done everything from classic rock, prog, celtic, folk, function, funk, blues, punk, Glam, 80's rock and started to get interest from others i've met along the way. My current 3 bands are all thru knowing others and being recommended by people i've known thru adverts that i've come across on JMB and Bandmix. Perhaps try going for anything until you find the right people and take it from there. I'd maybe start looking at club bands too as they play a wide variety of styles and you'd be surprised how enjoyable that can be. My fav music is from 70's and many of your vids cover that and still having long hair i was surprised to find i really enjoyed playing the punk songs. A lot of my mates were really surprised when i told them LOL. It takes a lot of stamina to keep that pace up for 2.5hrs but it has that same energy as many rock songs. I would add that age hasn't been a factor for me now 64 but i've done blues and funk rock bands with guys in their 70's and the audience don't seem to mind the age thing. Almost every band i've done has appreciated that i'm steady, reliable, learn the songs on time and i'm a reasonably nice guy IMHO. They don't want flash slappy show-offs with an attitude. Keep at it and try not to give up. Dave

Fri nights in the Dreadnought haven't been too busy in recent mths so don't let that bother you. Its a foot in the door and hopefully you get to move onto a Sat night when most people come in. Dreadnought is my fav venue for playing with both bands. Dougie (owner) Alan (manager) and usually we get Pete on sound. Never had a bad gig in there and the sound both on and off stage is always spot on. Its an extremely well run venue and always treat you well too. Dave

Brilliant. Loved it. Your guitarist looks familiar ? Dave