KevB

Francis Rossi always looks pretty cool in a waistcoat, unfortunately these days I tend to look more like Meatloaf in one so not so cool...

A mate of mine's a big fan so he coerced me into going to see RT on the previous album's tour and I quite enjoyed both the gig and the album. Not heard the new one so can't comment on production I'm afraid. It has got some good reviews though. Don't think I'll have time to see him again in March.

Was thinking of doing a ric cake but John Hall threatened to sue.

I'm left handed but I don't think there's any way I could pick up a left handed instrument now and feel anything but uncomfortable. I like the control I get from having my 'writing hand' as the one doing the busy stuff on the frets. My right hand technique will always be compromised I guess but it's a price I'm willing to pay since I'm mostly playing simple rock based stuff.

Covered it in a band about 5 years ago, completely forgotten it now except I recall it being drop D and I played the riff entirely on the low D string which is probably cheating. I don't recall it being a huge hit with the audience even though the rest of the set was very rock oriented. We had a female singer, not sure if was quite right for her. Think the band split before it was dropped from the set so not sure how long it would have stayed a regular. Good to play with a really tight band.

Next year, 'shell, next year....

First gig working with a new 'band'. It's a party/functions covers 4 piece which revolves around one guy (singer/occasional 2nd guitar). He then seems to have a collection of other musicians that come in and out to fill other places though drummer's been with him for 2 yrs. The main guitarist was doing only his 2nd or 3rd gig and of course I was coming in cold having not met or rehearsed with any of them before. Of the 33 songs I was sent to learn we did 28 of them and with surprisingly few problems all considered. I thought I put in a shift with bvox on top of the bass, not sure how much bvox came through - no monitors at all!. Bit of a baptism of fire (first 2 songs in set Going Underground followed by My Generation - no pressure then!). Plenty of encouraging 'well played mate' between songs from band leader. Very busy pub, a fairly packed dance floor and crowd seemed well up for it. Hopefully he'll use me again at their other monthly residency at another venue next week. If there's more space I'll take my wedge monitor, was very tight stage area last night. After not regularly gigging for a year or so it was good to get back into it.

Always get something out of playing with other musicians, different perspectives and all that. Hope the next jam goes well, you can get up with 2 different set ups and get more playing time in. Result!

Don't like the look of them personally. Would rather spend more time learning how to play better without looking at the fretboard

From a technical viewpoint I'd worry most about Plant's voice these days. It held together reasonably well for the O2 gig but that was 6 years ago and importantly it was a one off gig. Watching Macca do the e proms on TV the other day from 2007 made me realise how much his voice has deteriorated in that same time span. Has anyone heard Plant doing full-on proper Zep material recently? I guess he wouldn't do it if he didn't think he was capable of doing it justice but sometime I think what singers hear in their heads and what demonstrably comes out of their mouths isn't always the same thing beyond a certain age. They'd price themselves out of me going anyway (as Rush now have) so it's a moot point.

[quote name='Lynottfan' timestamp='1361286038' post='1983912'] Good programme, but so many people missed the point, simple rock n roll and Beatles tunes, the orchestra came later folks, I am Kloot bass player was good, that would have been my approach to it to, melody riff line, nice! [/quote] I went to see I Am Kloot last night on the spur of the moment. I like a lot of their stuff and had never had chance to see them before. Good gig. Bass player kind of goes against what most people on here would tell you about public performing. Doesn't really engage with the audience much, sits down through the whole gig and his eyes rarely leave the fretboard. But he fits in with the band just fine. Most of the time they were expanded to a six piece band last night so gave full justice to some of the more recent sonically broader stuff.

You can tell it's new 'cos its still got the PU cover on

What happens with songs that change key during the song? Can he switch it quickly with a footswitch or something?

In previous bands I covered You Give Love A Bad Name and Wanted Dead Or Alive (where I could also do the intro wind sounds and basic keyboard bits with midi pedals, went down very well) and in another we did DL's cover of Sweet's 'Action'. Quite enjoyed doing them from what I recall, it was 6 or 7 years ago.

Yep, that version will be my fall back position. I've enough others to keep me busy learning before Sat such as 'Going Underground'!

The absolute worst piece of crap I've ever had to play through was when I depped in a band doing a little charity festival in a village. They had been promised that backline etc was all to be provided, we just turned up with instruments and played. Never again. I noticed the band on after us turned up with all their own backline, think they had played there before

I'm supposed to be playing 'I Saw Her Standing There' in a set with an unrehearsed band on Saturday and I'm considering taking my recently acquired US P bass with maple fingerboard (nice!). Think I need to do a bit more practice!

Don't think this really sheds any more light on the issue but looks like same bass again?

Good stuff, hope the rest of the tour goes smoothly for ya. Heard and/or seen a few interviews with MK and he comes across as very down to earth but knows what he wants and strives to be as good as he can, can't ask for much more.

Seen both live and have a smattering of albums by both bands. Perhaps easy targets for the music purists but in the right environment a rollicking good rock'n'roll ride. Personally I've always preferred Bon Jovi, at least they are actually American whereas Leppard come across as wannabes. I notice thay are currently churning out Hysteria night after night in a residency in Vegas. Both bands way beyond their heydays but at least are still working and selling tickets. Can come up with a whole bunch of artists that I find more 'painful' to listen to than either of these bands, each to their own and all that.

One thing that has crept in with longer licensing hours is that some covers venues just expect bands to play for longer for the same money (I wonder if they try this scheme with their bar staff?). Alternatively what happens is that bands turn up and are given strict start and finish times. This then leads to a particularly long break in the middle in which time they manage to lose all momentum and rapport with the audience. I've walked out as a punter on occasions when the between sets break has got too excessive.

Thank God I'm not the only one Paul. I struggle with it as well, seen a few different variants and tbh I think a more economical version of not returning to the root note part way through the riff makes it much easier without it sounding particularly 'wrong'. I think I might just get the 'proper' version up to speed if I work on it a bit more. I reckon it's a bit easier on those violin basses with their tiny necks, as long as your hands are small enough as well It wouldn't be so bad if it was on 'E' all through the verse but then there's that quick jump to the 'A' and then back to the E that trips me up as well! I'm not sure if even Macca himself was playing the 'full' version on the e-proms gig that was on the same night on bbc4 as the abbey rd doc.

If we are talking from a viewpoint of denial of royalties to the original artist then all second hand music sales should be made illegal. Only the purchase of the original copy fed any money back to the artist so irrespective of whether a 'safety' copy is made or not that particular unit earns no more for the artist no matter how often it subsequently changes hands. Hands up here who has never bought or sold a second hand record/CD/tape?

Liked Stereophonics performance and very professional of the chap from I am Kloot to carry on when the headphones were sliding off his head I would have hoped for stronger performances from some of them though, especially Difford & Tilbrook who always come across as very pro Beatles so that was a bit lacklustre. Thought Graham Coxon was the poorest on the whole.

I noticed there were a few beatles related programs on bbc4 including the 2 epstein documentaries and then Macca doing the electric proms. We all have a dig about his voice but I thought it was in good shape on that performance and it was 5 or 6 years ago (think it was 2007?) so it's fair to say the real deterioration has been relatively recently. Anyone see the compilation of beatles covers from BBC archives? Cocker doing his thing in (I think) '68 so if this is a factory made fretless it's a pretty early one; [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw1sx_wmZmQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw1sx_wmZmQ[/url]