melodybass

Agh the curse of flakey band members! In my last band I had two of them. The drummer was a lovely kid but smoked more green than he ate food, didn't reply to messages all week & would turn up not having done his homework citing busyness...he was 19 with a part time job & living with mum & dad. After six or so months we played a show in a good club & the cracks in his playing just erupted on stage, it was awful. I gently released him in the following couple of days. The guitarist/singer was worse. Started off as my writing partner & thus was supposed to be co-leader. He'd make all the right noises in terms of effort but was never quite there when it counted - writing sessions, the business side of things etc. I'd long since fooled myself into thinking we were a partnership worth keeping so would take him to & from practice, pick up the slack when he [s]couldn't be bothered[/s] wasn't able to finish tunes, all sorts. It was never going to last. One day just after the drummer had departed I told him I was burned out on doing demos for everyone & giving him lifts & he flipped, accused me of thinking I was the big I am, ruining the band because he wouldn't be able to get to practice, I was shocked. We tried to compromise but the damage was done & a week or so later I was assembling a brand new band around the songs & the name. I think those guys have got me down as some sort of ruthless Hitler type now. If that's what they want to call no bullshit pro attitude then best of luck to em! They'll need it. The clear out is the best thing I ever did. It's taken longer than expected but I've handpicked the members based on a mix of talent & reliability - I'd never go more than 60/40 on those two qualities now - & the difference as band leader is amazing. I'd forgot that you're supposed to enjoy playing music first & foremost! & if I ever encounter sloppiness again it's one warning & out. Making friends should be a bonus - not a primary goal - of a successful band, whatever your definition of success is. Amen!

Open a branch here in Cardiff & my fortune shall be yours!

Cheers both! Looking forward to get stuck in (i.e. not just blabbing on this thread!)

[quote name='MrTaff' timestamp='1353429700' post='1874867'] True there's limited choice aroud here but it still better than Cranes in Cardiff, went there last weekend & they've got sod all basses, it pretty much all guitars now [/quote] Yeah we've been slowly sidelined for a while in Cranes now. Remember when they were all over the bit to the left as you go into the back section? They used to have a lovely natural finish headless Status in the display cabinet there I recall, back in the days when I couldn't afford squat & was rocking a Tanglewood Stingray copy or summin. I used to drool all over it every time I went in, wonder who got that in the end...

[quote name='Nico@Bass' timestamp='1353497239' post='1875149'] I cannot say or else I am not undercover anymore! [/quote] Your secret's safe with me & everyone else buddy!

For sure mate. Yeah he's an amazingly mature & tasteful player for a young 'un & he's got a great natural style, really into it. Let's hope he doesn't see this or his head'll fall off eh. Can't wait to see the reception Betty gets for his return on the 2nd. I'll be there, I'll be there... Back to the music...got any gigs lined up I can come & see? Just noticed you use Elixir strings...good man!

Fair play that is a beautiful piece of work! Subscribed.

Cheers shizznit! I believe we share a keyboard player - Sion just started with my band Hyperdelics last week. No slouch is he! How about a bit of this then? Cheers mucka!

Hello SpaceChick & may I just say, top marks for being a Bloobird in Neath, that can't be easy surely! I saw the bass bash sticky earlier today, gutted, Feb's down in the diary already Cheers!

Ah fair play I missed Cardiff Guitars, haven't really had much to do with them, might be due to their website ...otherwise there's not really much to choose from is there? Mostly flooded with cheapo brands & MIM Fenders. Try demoing a Stingray for example. Don't want to get off on the wrong foot tho buddy, nice to meet you. & you too Leen.

No need to slaughter livestock or anything but cheers bert!

Btw, are you an undercover guitarist?

Ah my apologies, I meant my fellow Europeans too! ...as long as you haven't got a music store in the next street to you that sells every kind of exotic guitar imaginable. Living here in Cardiff with its three crappy music shops that's one thing that gets to me on Talkbass, although I do realise that this is pure envy & not the fault of the yanks...

Hi! I've posted on here a handful of times here & there but have mostly been active over on Talkbass. It's ok over there but it feels like it's time to come on home now to be amongst my fellow countrymen! As my profile says I've been playing for over 20 years (almost 22 to be precise). Been in & out of bands spanning an array of styles from the retro to the modern, some slightly more successful than others. The more successful ones were not necessarily the most enjoyable tho & these days I'm in it for the enjoyment factor first & foremost! So after a fair few years away from the live scene spent bringing up my family I'm finally assembling my dream original rock/soul/funk band to play my songs & loving it. Looking forward to getting back out live & recording again. My gear's on my profile too if anyone's interested. I can talk guitars/equipment & music all day. Thanks for reading! Joe