stewblack

It's today. So free to anyone who wants it

Ha ha, yep nailed it

That's a great result. Anxiety is an absolute beach, you have my sympathy, you did the right thing coming here talking about it and being open about it with the band. When you say it out loud you take the power from it. Now you can enjoy yourself learning the songs. Keep us posted.

Thought I'd chip in. Just in case anyone is too put off by talk of the weight of these beautiful instruments. Here's me, an old man with a long standing shoulder injury still happily dancing with his early 80s Aria. It's the one I'd save from the fire.

I like that you're keeping it nice and specific! Something seriously addictive about TE gear.

What fretmeister said. Perfectly reasonable to ask them to prioritise a set list. I worked out a rehearsal schedule for myself when I last joined a band. Knew which songs I was learning on which day, with a few rest days factored in. Aimed to have all done a week earlier than I needed them to allow for problems / time to work on them as a whole set before the first gig. Worked like a charm. Showed the band the schedule so they knew which songs we could rehearse and when.

It was me. I said it. I assumed my clearly light hearted comments would be understood as such. I apologise for touching a raw nerve.

Too late to post this so someone local better grab it

While it is astonishing that red isn't the runaway winner, with gold a close second, what is truly astounding is that green should have as many votes as red. Green. I mean, come on. But even the green debacle fades into insignificance when one considers that in a poll dedicated to favourite bass colours, white, black and 'natural' garner together over 70% of the popular vote. None of these can even be considered colours. And we all thought the ..... .... was the single most muddle headed, irrational and inexplicable consensus ever reached. This even makes the ... ... result appear reasonable by comparison

Well, for many years I was that whizzed up landlord and ours was widely lauded as a great place to play. Knowledgeable music loving clientele, house PA, great atmosphere, no hassles over money; bands always wanted a return booking. So doesn't always follow!

Drove back in time last night. Village pub, absolutely packed with people of all ages; good natured and lively rubbed shoulders with trollied and truculent. There was a blend of ruddy cheeked bumpkin, bigoted little Englanders, and entertainment starved youngsters for whom taking turns dancing while wearing my hat appeared to be the highlight of their weekend. I'd gone hoping to impress a BL who was after a regular bass dep and said she was running an open mic. What actually transpired was I played a long set of function band standards with a young and very competent guitarist and the world's most handsome drummer - neither of whom I'd met before. We backed a variety of indifferently capable 'singers' in a kind of live karaoke. The BL, who was being richly rewarded for our efforts, spent most of the evening getting plastered outside among the other smokers. She seemed impressed with the bits she saw, however, and I got the promise of more work - the main reason I'd driven the 50 miles into the back of beyond. Time will tell if it was all worthwhile or not but it was great fun. I'm in the studio all day today so what with gigging on Friday and last night I feel like a musician again. Might have been nice to have been offered petrol money or at least a drink but you know what? I had a blast, tested myself in an unusual situation and made some potentially valuable contacts. If I look on it as an unusual audition then it was a great success.

First outing with the ampeg classic and 2 15" Barefaced cabs. I've been a little concerned about the weight of the amp especially as I've sold all my heavy gear to make way for new light cabs and class D amps. Also I've had my fair share of back problems First time at this venue, easy load in, parking right by the door. Muscular and affable young man came up to me and offered to help carry my gear, Ampeg straight in and into position, drummer helped me carry it out at the other end of the evening. Got the sound where I wanted it then used the tone knob on the bass to fine tune it. All sounded amazing. Odd place, no dance floor, comfy furniture all round, civilised and appreciative crowd. Big cheer when singer introduced the bass player. Which was unexpected but welcome.

I want the music to do the talking. But I can't help standing out

This Wednesday folks

Spent the evening listening to a bunch of songs chosen by a singer I'm hoping to dep for. Unusual songs for me to listen to but if it pays I plays. Stuff by Adele, Bruno Mars, 4 Non Blondes, Fugees among others. A little surprised to see Bohemian Rhapsody on the list...