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seashell

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    Seashell's 10th Anniversary Thread

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by seashell

    Well, it was in 2011 that due to a relationship breakdown and mid-life crisis I decided to learn to play the bass aged 53. Since then I have been on an amazing musical journey. I make no apologies for using the cheesy old word 'journey', because that is what it has been! 

    I booked in for lessons with a wonderful teacher called Mark Shilvock who inspired and encouraged me from day 1. Within 6 months I had joined my first (dreadful!) band.  Since then I have been through  various bands, and jammed at open mics and blues clubs with varying degrees of success. Kept my eyes and ears open for any opportunity and never said no to anything.  For example, I played in a rather dubious Rolling Stones covers band for a while, but this got me an invitation to dep with a somewhat better Stones trib band that actually went out for money!!

    So when I retired from my day job in 2018, I spent the whole of that summer playing with the Stones trib band and earning a bit of cash to substitute my meagre pension. Meanwhile also playing for another band that did early 60's covers and occasionally did the odd wedding or retirement home gig (prefect demographic for what we did).

    Just before lockdown I had been invited to join another band that did mainly originals. This was a bit of a departure for me. We did a couple of small, unpaid gigs and then lockdown struck. I felt very discouraged for a while and didn't touch my bass for months. The only positive thing about this was that the mild arthritis in my hands vastly improved and various pains and strange lumps on my knuckles disappeared! 

    Anyway, due to the persistence of the band leader of the originals band, I resumed practising and now we are booked in to do some recording in the first week of June. This will be a new experience for me. I'm really looking forward to it, and not as nervous as I might have been a couple of years ago. With all that has happened over the past year, I realise it's not worth worrying what the sound engineer might think of you, even if he did play with a famous band before they were famous 🙂

    And of course I am so glad I joined Basschat  as soon as I started learning bass. I have met so many inspiring and helpful people at bass bashes and the London Bass Guitar Show. And interacted with helpful and humourous people on here that I have never met IRL.  I couldn't possibly thank them all as the list would be too long and I'd be bound to miss out someone important. So just to name check two. KevB, my 'bass mentor',  who has become a genuine friend. And the late lamented BarneyG43 - lovely Colin who is no longer with us, but who was always encouraging, a great bass player and a huge personality. 

    Finally, to anyone starting out, whatever their age, I would just say - stick with it, you are in for a hell of a ride!! 🙂

    • Like 55
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    Bass widows

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Back in the earlier days of Bass chat there were actually a couple of wives/partners who joined Bass chat themselves. They used to mainly lark about in Off Topic. 

    Mrs Tinman leaps to mind, but I know there was at least one other. 

    Maybe you could get your wife to sign up. I could do with some female company in the Den of Iniquity thread 😂

     

    • Like 3
    • Haha 1

    Spice Girls...Stop

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I seem to remember they claimed to be the first successful all female vocal group.

    Personally, I preferred The Andrews Sisters, The Shangri Las and En Vogue. Especially En Vogue, who had hits just a couple of years before the Spice Girls but everyone seemed to forget about that. 

    • Like 2

    "I'm no David Beckham" - bass version

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I once asked the 6 people in my office if any of them could name any  bass players at all. None of them could, even though one of them was married to a drummer and regularly went to gigs.

    They couldn't name the bass player in any of the bands they professed to like.

    Some of them had heard of Lemmy, Suzie Quattro and Phil Lynott but had no idea that they played bass. They weren't even sure about Paul McCartney.

    • Like 2
    • Haha 2

    Greatest guitarist of all time??

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Back in the 70's, people used to write in to the Melody Maker letters page to argue over who was the best out of Eric Clapton or Tony McPhee. Amazing to remember a time when you actually had to get out a biro and some Basildon Bond to make your point!

    Anyway, judging by this thread, nobody remembers Tony McPhee now. Interesting how opinions change over the decades, and new talents emerge.

    • Like 1

    Crimes against rhymes

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

    I'm not keen on the 'self-rhyme'.... see example from Black Sabbath War Pigs:

    Generals gathered in their masses
    Just like witches at black masses

    >:(

     

    Also, as a friend pointed out to me once, Generals don't gather in masses. You get masses of troops but only one or two Generals.

    (Great song though)

     

    • Like 2
    • Haha 1

    Not as question to ask of ladies but..

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by seashell

    I only learned bass at the age of 53, so pretty much all my gigging career has been post 55. The first band I was in were all in their 30's, so punters tended to be similar age or younger (we mostly did 90's/00's covers) I never felt out of place being 20 years older. You can get away with a lot in dim lighting, haha! 

    But when I started playing more classic rock and blues the bands and the audience aged accordingly. Although having said that, there are a fair few younger people who enjoy playing and watching it as well 

    I remember talking to a young bloke (20's) one time who said he had heard us play 'The Weight' and really enjoyed it. He hasn't heard it before and it had inspired him to look up more of The Band's back catalogue. I like to think we provide an education, haha.

    I'd love to get back gigging again if the opportunity arises, although I fear that one of my bands will not survive this period of inactivity. The leader of my other band (who's well into his sixties) is keen to get going asap, so here's hoping!

    • Like 1

    Have these Lockdowns improved your bass playing?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Kev said:

    The opposite for me.  Motivation at an all time low, not practicing as much as I should, definitely a negative impact here.

    The same for me, alas. In particular I can't bear to play anything from the set list of either of the bands I'm in because it just reminds me of what I'm missing.

    On the plus side, the (mild) arthritis in my hands has improved because I haven't been punishing them so much 

    • Like 2
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