KevB

Has anyone been? Is it worth a look in? I'm planning to go to a football match in Watford tomorrow and if I arrive early I might have time for a quick nose round. Any apparent links to a website for the shop seem to lead to a dead blog. Maybe they've closed down...

Actually I don't think it's the solos that would be the big problem, I tried guitar very briefly with a cheapo high action acoustic. I thought i wouldn't make it easy for myself. I really struggled holding chord shapes down. Flitting about from note to note was more similar to a bassline so that wasn't too bad. Remembering and then actually executing chords fluently sadly had me beat. I also developed a tremor in my left hand which was made much worse holding a rigid shape so that didn't help either.

I took it up 'cos it only had four strings so it had to easier, right? I think subconciously I was attracted to some music (as a listener) with strong basslines before I knew what it was. So maybe there was something innately there. I'm not naturally musical in any shape or form, I grind away at it until I get something that's acceptable to me and (hopefully) the audience. I've not picked a bass up in about 3 weeks and I know I'm going to have to put some graft in next week to get back to my usual level before we play a gig next Sat.

[quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1409257213' post='2538117'] Oh England, my lion heart... one of the first albums I bought, and a classic IMHO... I didn't get to the ticket sales in time though [/quote] Not that you would have heard anything from that album. Or the one before it. Or the one after it. Or the one after that.

Another example of one (like Stormy Monday) that doesn't quite follow the simple blues pattern is Need Your Love So Bad, came up quite regularly in a jam session I used to do. Also SRV's Pride & Joy used to come up now and again, that's a good solid bassline to work on for uptempo blues in general.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1409206580' post='2537374'] I find it slightly puzzling that there are Kate bush fans complaining ( for want of a better word) that she is doing 9th wave complete at the possible expense of withering heights :/ [/quote] People preferring some parts of an artist's output over others? Don't find it puzzling at all personally.

It was always going to be a problem with such a long layoff between proper live gigs, a big back catalog of stuff never done live properly. Personally I've never quite got into the ninth wave despite many listens and the long piece from Aeriel is OK but not outstanding so I would have been a bit underwhelmed if I'd gone.

Looking at the set list I'm quite happy I didn't gamble on paying silly money for an 'unofficial' ticket and I'm quite a fan. More than satisfied to wait for the DVD. Of course it's a long run, the set list might develope as the gigs go on so could end up with a DVD that covers more material than any one person that went to an individual gig got to see, which would be a smart marketing move really.

My dad has suffered with it after having a bad accident in the late 70's where he suffered a major head injury. He has a hearing aid that helps cancel it out but still has days when it seems to flare up worse than usual. I have it a bit these days after too many loud gigs but nothing compared to what he's been through. Hope you find enjoyment in whatever you choose to do instead of the gigging.

I did have a pre EB stingray for a while. Took it on as a project as it needed a lot of work. Sort of gave up on it after spending the thick end of £400 getting it sorted to a decent level of playability and a sound closer to what it would have been originally (pu and preamp had been replaced), all of which I then lost in selling it on to someone on here (don't think he still has it though). Had a touch of the notorious weak g string (oo er missus) so I never quite warmed to it. Occasionally wonder where it is these days and if it ever got the proper refin it desperately needed.

Nothing wrong in being a bedroom player if it gives you satisfaction and you have no real desire to do live gigs. What you don't want to be is a frustrated live player forcing yourself to just play along to stuff becaus eof lack of belief. That way lies madness. If you want to get gigging and need to 'test the waters' as to how your ability fits in with others, go to jam/open mic sessions. Chat to other players, find out who of them are in bands then see how they do on stage. If you think 'I could do that' get talking to some people there, ask to join them on stage next time they get up and have a go. Prove to yourself you really can do it after all. I messed about with 'bedroom jams' (alright it was someone's living room) with mates for years thinking I wasn't up to playing in a 'real band' and missed the thick end of 10 years of gigging time as a result.

He really looks like he's doing it deliberately to wind them up. Almost certainly from the house band. In fact the other house band members seem to be joining in a bit as well. 'I'll show you miserable limeys what puttin on a real show's all about!'

I saw some figures bandied about from a forum around 2008 where someone claimed they worked for the company that handled the Stones' accounts. They reckoned he was on over a million USD per tour and there was a sliding scale with DJ being one of the top earners (along with Leavell) outside the 'big four' in the band. Could have been cobblers of course.

But at the end of the day, despite the length of time he's been playing with them, he's still effectively a side man rather than being a band member. He'll get more than, say, the horn players or the backing singers but he'll still be on a fixed wage for a tour. With the money that sloshes round the usual Stones world tour I imagine ol' Darryl gets to boost whatever lesser projects he might fancy in between though!

Started jamming in school with mates and we formed a band. Didn't play any instrument so became singer by default. Didn't gig while I was in it, got replaced due to a lot of daft schoolboy politics. We were all on the verge of going our separate ways to colleges all over the country anyway. Had a reunion in the the summer after we'd all done 1 year away in college just for a laugh but we knew it was all over. So on a whim I bought the bass player's bass from him (tatty and mod'd Columbus Jazz copy) for £30. Didn't touch it for years, too busy with studies. Then had a 6 month free space whilst converting from one course to another. Decided to try to learn a bit of bass (about 1985) playing right handed (I'm left handed). Rigged up a speaker and an old hi fi amp to play through at home. Never considered joining a band or having lessons. Old school band mate (keyboards) ended up in same city and we'd occasionally get together for a home jam and some very basic recording to cassette, later another mate came in on guitar. We still didn't take it seriously, guitarist had played the odd pub gig with mates but the keys player was never interested in taking it further and we all had day jobs by then. So I had at least 10 wilderness years between learning the rudiments on my own and actually playing in front of anyone. That was when I'd finally completed my masters degree, left hospital radio (which took all the spare time being in a band would have required) and tried a few blues jam sessions in a pub (late 90's). Then someone put together a band at work to do a works xmas party (about 2000) and I've been gigging in bands on and off ever since. I'm at least 10-15 'gigging years' behind just about anyone i know of my age but I just had other priorities and interests.

It's a euphemism, as in 'Well dear, would you like to pop upstairs and [i]dust mr. stingray[/i]'

Another victim of holidays, fly back into UK on 17th but it'll be too late to get to the Brum clinic. I'm not really one for trade fairs and clinics but Sheehan always comes across as talking sense and can usually come up with something that's relevant to people of my ability as well as the rest of you proper players.

Ultimately we all have the same 24 hours in a day. If there are more things to do and be stimulated by then people inevitably make choices and those that want to enjoy a wide variety of the available avenues will not have as much time for any one of them. I don't have kids of my own but working in a University you get a feel of how young people live their lives in their late teens to mid 20's. More ephemeral these days, more things to do than ever and a lot more pressures into the bargain. I think they either really get into music to the exclusion of a lot of other things or, as Beta mentions, they barely scrape ther surface of it and it's mostly just 'background noise'. I think this then promotes a lack of 'loyalty' to an act and the music biz plays up to this by having a very 'here today, gone tomorrow' aspect to its performers. It's not that new of course, there were plenty of acts in the 50's and 60's who were quite short-lived with only a few hits and then disappeared but you wonder how many if any of the bigger stars around from the last 10 years will be going in another 40.

Seen Pete Academy in Nearly Dan, ClarkPegasus in a rock covers band I can't recall the name of, briefly seen PaulWarning in his punk covers band, Roland Rock playing with a Bowie tribute, Chris Sharman playing with Water for Dogs and of course I've reciprocated Seashell coming all the way over to Nottm to watch my current shower by venturing over to Brum to see her at a jam night with Sun Puddle. There may be others I've forgotten or seen but didn't know they were bc members. I don't know about the mentoring bit with seashell but thankfully she's taking proper lessons and not picking up some of the horrendous 'do it yourself' bad habits i probably put on display at most gigs. I'm not really a jukebox, half the stuff I've played I quickly forget unless I'm asked to play it often!

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1408370300' post='2529488'] I must the only one who cringes when I see her. -1 for me [/quote] No, you're not.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1408087079' post='2526888'] otherwise it's just self indulgent widdling infront of people forced to sit and listen to you. [/quote] You're getting confused with jazz again, Rob

Similar to last summer really. Regular pub gigs with weddings thrown in as extras. We did one outdoor gig for a football club last year which i don't think is happening again but other than that its just the usual, working round band members holidays.

Used to play it regularly in our set but seems to have got sidelined in recent months. Think I used some sort of hammer-on, never got it to sound exactly like Foxton but it was OK for a general covers band.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1407989870' post='2526037'] Jamerson used a dirty, stock p bass. Go figure [/quote] And if the stories are to be believed one with an almost unplayably high action. Though as a converted upright bass player Jamerson probably wasn't too fazed by that!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1407885891' post='2525152'] Howdy neighbour. We rehearse at KATZ and know Jane well [/quote] I still have a pair (currently out on loan actually) of 'MAJ' wedge monitors, very well made and bomb proof.