dmccombe7

I can understand his predicament. Does he have kids too ? My wife goes to majority of my gigs so i'm lucky in that respect but she would never stop me playing in the band as its how she met me all those years ago. If you are all having fun as it is then by all means stay with it but look for a 2nd band to get some more gigs in. Everyone wins. It might even give him a wake up call when he hears you are looking at a 2nd band. Dave

I don't understand why he can do cancellation gig cover but not gigs arranged well in advance. Normally its the other way around. It sounds like he's the limiting factor in the band and as a band you either have the conversation with him on how the band wants to do more or you look for a new singer. Is he the only guitarist in the band ? It might be worth advertising or putting the word out you are looking for a new singer / guitarist and have him prepared for when your singer leaves or gets the elbow one way or another. Does he also own the PA cabs ? Its not expensive to pick up a reasonable PA depending on venue size you'll find a decent set of 12" 2 or 3 way cabs will do for vocals and use your backline on its own. Obviously playing bigger venues you might need to add things. Your earlier post showed your amp and cab so i'm kind of assuming its not large clubs you're doing and a vocal PA would be enough to cope with it. Doesn't do any harm to have a 2nd band on the go if you have the time. I like having options in my bands altho one band is now taking over due to demand from venues. Dave

Sorry i picked you up wrong there. My reason for playing in virtually any style was simply to gain experience after a 15yr gap away from bands and getting myself out there gigging again and being noticed by other musicians. It paves the way for word of mouth invites to other bands. It worked a treat as i was never as busy as this when i was 20. These days i have regained all that experience and like you wouldn't play in just any band just for the sake of playing but i have to admit that some of those bands i tried, i really enjoyed even tho it wasn't a particular style i was into. Bit like my punk band. Few friends couldn't believe i was in a punk band after 40+ years as a rock and Prog bassist even thru the punk era. it came as a surprise to them but once i started i found it quite a challenge and really enjoy it now. The challenge wasn't technical ability but more down to fingerstyle stamina playing punk for 2.5 hrs was sore on the plucking fingers at the start. Dave

Not so bad you have options there. Our Glam band is picking up really well now since pandemic and we are getting quite busy with a lot of demand for us on return gigs. Now booked at Xmas and Hogmanay 2024. The Hogmanay gig was offered to us at our first outing in that venue before we left the club and confirmed with the committee before the singer even got home so they were impressed. If it keeps the way it is i'll maybe struggle a bit keeping the 2 bands going. Not sure how 2024 will pan out in that respect. Shame as i do enjoy playing both styles of music but Glam was my first intro to music back in early 70's and i've loved it ever since. Dave

Sometimes you just know its right. Dave

Oddly enough i've found the opposite. I've seen it being the person that started the band or the most experienced member ie with most success in bands. Our drummer has toured Europe and UK incl Wembley stadium and has lots of band experience and knows how to get along with band members. The difference with him is he did it as a working musician and had to find ways of getting along with people altho he is a really nice guy and so easy to get along with. The singer in the Glam band started the band so between the singer and drummer they do most of the work involved with running the band. Ideas and suggestions are usually decided as a band tho and we've always maintained that if someone doesn't agree or want to do a song we just drop it and move on. The singer tends to arrange all the gigs and the drummer sorts out all the posters and advertising etc. It works well for us but maybe not for everyone. When the Glam band started the guitarist was given musical director duties thru default and that didn't work at all. He would make changes for no reason at all or because he was bored with playing same endings every time. That caused a bit of friction and he decided to leave altho it was on good terms with us. Dave

Your last comment says it all. I'm a lot more patient and acceptable these days than i was at 20. Age does have its rewards Stick with it but keep searching around for something else even if it means running 2 bands at same time you can always drop the one that isn't doing it for you. Dave

The band sounds great. I'm surprised you'd all call it a day when you sound so good together. Any particular reason ? Pretty sure you'd find another band. You sound competent and you do backing vocals so that's a good plus. Good luck for whatever you decide to do but it would be a waste of talent if you don't get back out there. Dave

Can any of the other band members sing and play to a decent level ? Dave

Agree a band needs someone making the final decision and everyone else has to abide by that but some decisions should be discussed as a band. I think any BL should respect the others and not bring in someone new without prior discussion and agreement. Dave

Ask the singer in the other band if they could do it. My drummer and female singer is in both bands and it means the diaries sync a lot easier if you have people in both bands. Dave

Simple answer is NO. I just couldn't work with people like that. You either want to be in a working band or you don't. If you can't commit then step aside and allow the others in the band to move forward is how i view things. That's just a joke and if that happened at a rehearsal i'd walk out. New members being brought in is a band decision and should have been discussed and agreed before a rehearsal and what's the point if he can only stay for an hour. I'm retired so its easier for me on the food front but when i'm gigging my main meal / dinner is a Tesco meal deal taken after sound check. Occasionally i get takeaway food for a change. That kinda goes with the territory i'm afraid. Our rehearsals used to be a Sun from 12-6 with and hours drive each way and we would take sandwiches to that as well. As you say if everyone is singing from the same page you do accept some uncomfortable issues like no hot meals that day but you need to see a return on that sacrifice with the band moving forward. I was in a blues-funk band for a spell and it turned out the BL only wanted to rehearse. I was driving country roads for over an hour each way thru winter conditions to get there and back and found out he didn't want to gig much maybe once or twice a year. I left when i found this out from another band member. The annoying part was the band was pretty darn good and i was enjoying the music. I really feel for you there @Marvin. It wouldn't be me. I'd move on and look for something else. Dave

I've used JMB, Bandmix and even Gumtree over the years and more recently we got our guitarist thru placing a FB advert. When i was younger i just wanted to play Prog Rock but thru the 80's the demand fell away and no-one wanted to watch that particular style so i adapted and played rock. As i got older and after a few yrs away due to work commitments around 2010 i took on any band i could get into just to get some experience again. I was in everything from pop, blues, funk, celtic rock, originals rock, Deep Purple tribute, 70's covers, originals Prog, indie originals and finally ended up with my current Glam covers band and classic punk covers band. My point being that if your music doesn't appeal to many then getting band members and subsequent gigs will be far more difficult and you may need to look further afield for gigs and even band members. What i would suggest is that as an interim measure until you can get the band and gigs you want then take on a different style of music that's a bit more popular to keep your hand in. Just a thought. Think its probably an age gap there as when i was young i definitely wouldn't have played in some of the band styles i listed above and nothing but Prog was ever gonna do it for me but i do wish you all the very best and hope Santa brings you the musicians and gigs you are looking for. Dave

Well done @Lozz196 sometimes it just happens. Its funny how we never rate ourselves as being the "better" musician in the band. I'm much the same. At the moment i believe both my bands have people that are equally matched. If i take any one individual, in either band, i could quite easily highlight their strong points and why i think they are the better musicians in the band. I'm not sure how others in a band judge the bass player ? Is it his technical ability, timing, reliability, commitment and effort he puts in, i honestly don't know. My drummer has stated a few times that its my commitment to playing exactly note for note in the songs that makes it easier for him to follow as he always knows i'm there. Guitarist reckons same as in one particular Xmas song in over 30+ yrs playing same song i'm the only bassist to play it correctly and he didn't need to show me how. Comments over the years have been based on the fact a song gets mentioned and i've nailed it for the next rehearsal. No song seems to be an issue for me. I think many bassists are in a similar position. We simply do our job because we are committed and want a band to work. We're not technically brilliant solo bassists but solid capable players that want any band to succeed. Here's hoping for Xmas that we all find that particular band mix that works for us. Dave

When we started with the Glam band 5 yrs ago we found issues trying to sync diaries on a weekly basis so we pre-booked the rehearsal studio for approx 2mths ahead every Sun afternoon for 3 hrs then we went every two weeks for 6hrs to cut down on fuel costs and travelling time. We kept pre-booking well ahead. It tends to focus the attention when you know you have an appointment every Sunday at 12pm - 3pm. You therefore work around the booked rehearsal times. Is that a possible option. ? We also set realistic targets for the songs to learn for the next week. You need to allow for people's jobs and personal commitments and not try and learn a full set in a week. Pick 3-4 songs every week. The set soon builds up quite quickly. I'm not sure that's the problems you're encountering with current members but keep at it and eventually as @SteveXFR says there are others out there looking for the same commitment, its just trying to get them all together in one band. Good luck and hope you find the right people. Don't fall into the Marvin syndrome. Zaphod will be disappointed. Dave

Brilliant to hear kids are still doing it the right way. Dave

Well done sir. Dave

Yep my Jazz style basses are all 38mm. My Mex PJ also 38mm. Sandberg VM4 is nearer 40mm which still ok Vintera is 44mm. Altho its wide its a thin style neck and not so bad. The more i play it the more i'm ok with it. Maybe a Rosewood neck P bass might suit me better too as the maple neck gives it a bit more zingy tone. Warwick Thumb NT is 38mm too. Dave

Nice one Stevie. The neck width of standard P is what puts me off them. Will look into them a bit more. Dave

Not heard of a Burns Barracuda. Will google it. I remember being at a Burns demo near where i lived back in late 70's. The Burns Bison was just out and Tony Reeves from Greenslade was doing the rounds as bass demonstrator. They made some fantastic basses back in the day. Dave

You have some quite unique basses @BigRedX Nice one. Liking that one too. Dave

Cheers for that i'll have a wee look altho i'm not in the market for any new basses altho a red Sandberg VM4 would be nice. Dave

Nice bass. what is it ? Dave