Raymondo

Fortunately to make it BIG in the music industry you do not have to be able to spell correctly.( Or many other words it would seem ) Good luck to them, I hope they do well; I hope that one day ,they look back at this advert and laugh.....at themselves.

I've also shared on face book. I detest people who steal musical equipment......it usually takes years to be able to afford the gear you want then some b'tard comes along and helps themselves. Hangings too good for 'em.

I always try to speak to the bass player at gigs, if only to let them know that somebody was listening. Often I'll mention basschat and a couple have been on here. I have met a few basschatters intentionally too I met KevB when he played in a band I had played for,I have also been to see his excellent new band. He was kind enough to come over to one of my gigs in Birmingham and bought the delightful Seashell along too. I went to see 'shell's old band in Brum one night ....met some lovely people and had a great meal in my hotel. I travelled to Cirencester ( I think ) to hand over the bass in the bass relay to Steve and watched his band. I have met Big John when he delivered some of his beer to my local pub.....discovered that I had seen his brilliant Neil Young Tribute band previously! Yes , yes I talk to people and yes basschat is involved . I am happy to just go to a town for the night and see a band if the fancy takes me....I love going to Edinburgh to see Bedford Falls at the Barony for instance ....fabulous musicians all and friendly chaps ...funnily enough I haven't mentioned basschat to them ...I must go up again soon Skank's fabulous posts on here intrigue me and I keep thinking that I should go to one of his gigs if possible,but, then , it is said that you should never meet your heroes

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1480885566' post='3187875'] Remember Laney Klip gear? I saw Spencer Davis group back in the early 70s and they had a stage full of it. [/quote] My first amp (in 1974) was a Laney 100w Klip guitar amp......Mum's catalogue didn't have a bass amp for sale! I had an Arbiter version of Mr Hall's invention that was stereo...one pick up to the clean , one to the "Klip". Played through a 2x15" Carlsbro cab. Sounded fab!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1480387109' post='3183980'] No, I haven't read the book.I'm not much of a reader. However, this book has got my curiosity going and I plan on reading it. Blue [/quote] It's well worth it Blue ....very funny insight to a very large part of the scene here in the UK.

My favourite place when I used to "half live" in Edinburgh was the Barony Bar on broughton st. Not a very big pub but the standard of the bands was awesome. http://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Barony+Bar,+81-85+Broughton+St,+Edinburgh+EH1+3RJ/@55.9580843,-3.1912387,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4887c78c528167fd:0x6054862230ca5a62!8m2!3d55.9580656!4d-3.1890797

[quote name='CrackerJackLee' timestamp='1479636711' post='3177929'] You may place me on Colin's "Ignore List" if your little hearts desire, or Ban Me From The Kingdom... But I think the trick here is to not accuse women of lying unless you have some proof. And British people should know better. Why does a Canadian have to come all this way to teach you some manners. Especially someone as accomplished as Carol Kaye. Laddies, if you do it again.. I'll be back...! [/quote] I think you should be congratulated for your excellent trolling. Getting all fired up defending Carol Kaye over disputed Jamerson tracks, whilst having Jamerson listed as one of your interest in your avatar.... Bravo......well done .....are you enjoying yourself? These argumentative threads are the reason there is a thread in off topic asking if basschat is quieter these days.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1477342880' post='3161643'] Why comment on this thread then? [/quote] Because he might be interested in finding out who he is? Why be so antagonistic?

Me too. I know the notes on my fret board but have no idea of music theory. When our old drummer used to say " there are twelve bars of this then you come in " I would reply "The only bars I count are the one that I drink in" . Oh how we chuckled

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1476876616' post='3157958'] I like gigging with minimal PA where the venue size suits that approach. With smaller systems it seems like you can get a better vocal sound when you're not putting instruments through it too. It needs musicians who are concious of the overall sound, but in small rooms I'd rather hear the drums and backline directly than through an underpowered PA on the edge of clipping. It would be nice to bring a powerful, high quality PA to every pub, hall or tent, but in the circles I move in we rarely have the budget or the storage space. [/quote] I see that you are in Edinburgh. I used to "half" live in Edinburgh ( Friday to Monday/ Tuesday). My favourite bar....The Barony always have fabulous bands on, on a Sunday ( Especially Bedford Falls!) all of them only ever use a vocal PA but they get a good balanced sound. I know that it's quite a small pub but I think that the bands that play (played ?...it's been a couple of years!) there, epitomise what you are pointing out[b] "musicians who are conscious of the overall sound"[/b]

Way back in 1999 I played a gig at the Cleethorpes Conservative Club. We were an Eighties "tribute" act...Pet shop Boys, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran type stuff. The Audience were all "in their Eighties" or so it seemed We thought the agent had made a massive mistake when we started setting up and saw them coming in. The night was a blast! everyone up and dancing from the first song Oh and my mate met his Father, whom he hadn't seen for years when we went for fish and chips before starting the gig so all in all..... A good visit to the thriving metropolis that is Cleethorpes

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1476176614' post='3151918'] Queens Hall in Nuneaton on Friday. Dead cool venue, great soundman, not a huge crowd but it was all right [b]Rock City on Saturday [/b]supporting Buzzcocks. I was just a bit blown away to be playing on the main stage at Rock City where I've seen so many gigs. Anyway, it sounded ace and we went down really well which was a bit surprising! Then we rushed off to a gig at The Rigger in our home town. I've never seen it so packed! Awesome sound as always (Hi Matt ) and I think we played well, but to be honest I'd had quite a few beers by this point Sunday was a weird one in Clayton Le Moors. It feels more like a folk club or something but everyone was having a good time and danced and sang along. Ace weekend! [/quote] I've played the main stage at Rock City three times. When we were booked for the first time I vowed to play the set, leave my gear onstage and retire. I was so excited I didn't of course The reason I am commenting on this thread is that I wanted to mention the sound on stage, It was awesome every time. I don't know the guys' names but the on stage monitoring was incredible....a massive side of the stage desk with a separate sound crew obviously helps but they just nailed every request for individual monitor mixes at the first attempt.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1476100927' post='3151222'] I didn't know you could claim for that! [/quote] Neither did I To this day I have no Idea why I got a tax refund ( having recently left my wife was, I am sure a coincidence ) I awoke one day to a check for £189.00 from HMRC and thought ".mmmm I am desperately short of money......that will make the bank balance look a little better....OR.....I could buy a bass." 30 minutes later I was in the shop trying out basses I settled on a Hohner Music man copy for £160.00

I formed a band in 1974/5 and gigged every week for just over a year, often two or three gigs a week, just the usual covers in clubs and pubs. I then met the girl who became my first wife and stopped playing. I sold my gear ( I wish I had kept the Arbiter Ric copy I bought new in '75 !!). In 1985 My old guitarist persuaded me to join his Originals rock band. I begged, borrowed, ( but didn't steal ) the gear and had a blast for a year playing the local "rock circuit". The band folded after a while and I went back to being a father and didn't gig again until 1990 when ,after leaving my wife, I got a tax refund, bought a bass and joined a band I have played hundreds of gigs, in several different bands since. However I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2010 and it has steadily got worse, resulting in less and less gigs until last year when I only did half a dozen and then this year leaving the band after only a couple of gigs. I want to get back to playing but I find it difficult to get the energy together to learn new songs and have actually turned down a couple of bands due to my own apathy regarding this. I don't touch my bass these days but my old mate from the band and gigging days in Tenerife (where I played in five different acts and gigged five nights a week) has recently got his enthusiasm for singing and playing back, so we might start a duo in the near future ( he lives near me in the UK now). I love playing gigs. I have never really got into/enjoyed the recording at home thing, I like the buzz of playing to an audience. I know plenty of people that do though and understand their feelings ,it's just not for me.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1473930537' post='3134182'] While I salute your generosity, it seems wrong to me that simply because you happen to to have a "proper" job, that you should be the one to fork out the cash on a P.A. If people can't afford the equipment needed to run a band, then they are in the wrong "job" IMO. [b]It also begs the question as to what happens if no none has a proper job ?[/b] [/quote] My initial response was meant tongue in cheek however, in that case everyone would join together to hire/buy one I assume. My first band used a home made amp and any old bits that we could beg borrow or steal. We then paid for a new PA out of gig money. I have been in a function band where we bought a "proper" 4k rig between us out of band funds, mixed with some personal purchases. The guitarist bought the desk for example, because he used it in his garage studio. I have also formed bands where I have purchased the whole set up myself. The latter is the only time that I saw any real return when the band split up .....ok to be fair I did get a pay out when I left the function band. Basically the response some time ago..."there are as many answers as there are bands" sums this situation up. Whatever works for you is fine.

Whom ever can afford it works well

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1473682342' post='3132180'] We've played RAF Leeming several times - first time someone who'd been to a wedding we played, the rest on recommendation after that. Fantastic gigs: always fed and watered, and given accommodation overnight - which was just as well, as the last time we were still playing (kind of...it had a been a long wild night) at about half four in the morning...just in time for the Survivor's Breakfast (complete with Bucks Fizz bar) before going to bed... [/quote] Yes that happened many times to us too.....not just at Leeming either!

Played at loads of them in the mid to late nineties, so things may well have changed by now but, everyone of them in Germany, England and Wales was booked via an agent. An agent that we travelled all the way from Nottingham, to an RAF base near Newquay, to play three songs at an audition (for free ) for. A real pain but well worth it in the end. The gigs were very well organised 99/100 we were fed and watered very well indeed, just the occasional one where we were put in a dressing cupboard, with a few stale sandwiches and warm lagers, before being allowed into the room to perform. These were exclusively Sergeants mess's. Officers and other ranks gigs were always fabulous. We had to wear black tie dress when not performing and they nearly always were long drawn out gigs but often we were put up in digs, on camp, or in nearby hotels. If there is still such a circuit I can recommend it but, it is a "function" type gig, not a relaxed pub one..... One day I must tell you about the Hawaiian beach party at Paderborn in the late December snow

I can't help with the Croatian music but I did see a Swiss band, playing American and English rock and country rock songs, in an "Irish pub" in Dubrovnik a couple of years ago if that helps? Actually they were excellent and kept us in said plastic pub all night!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1473206530' post='3128048'] They tried it on US TV. It was about a wedding band. Bloody awful. Blue [/quote] If they followed the book's plot and acted decently It would be funny. I am not saying world wide "friends" funny (though I never liked that show) but certainly here in the UK there would be a lot of band members giggling along.

I understand your pain too. although I have had to do this quite a few times (the last time was a Fifties Rock and Roll band .....thirty odd tunes all sounding the same )I actually struggle to learn songs at home. Unlike most on here I don't believe "practice is for home" and band time is for "rehearsal" When I started out band time was called "band practice" and we all learned the songs together. I learn songs much more quickly in a band settting,probably because I play by ear and am rubbish at musical theory I know it's easier these days with YouTube etc but I just hate it....especially when the songs are in different keys to the original. Oh well I've made it to 59 years old and I still get asked to play so I suppose I'll just have to keep on keeping on Mind you if you know of any bands that still practice the old way ,that need a bass player......pass them my name

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1472196836' post='3119252'] Ah, 16. Tubular Bells was probably the big thing for me back then, but I'd also just discovered Caravan, Barclay James Harvest, Capability Brown and Wishbone Ash. Was also buying a fair bit of reggae vinyl back then, mostly on the wonderful Trojan label, which was something of a fashion anomaly as I had very long hair at the time when reggae was popularly associated with skinheads. Oh those confusing teenage years [/quote] Are you me? Well perhaps not because my absolute fave was Budgie, but close enough

I think four times ....not sure really .... always the D string and never snapped ....just stretched and stretched...never did find out why . I still have the same bass...22 years now at least ... still use Rotosound round wound strings ......Not had a problem for at least ten years!

I have always loved The Saw Doctors. Their style can be summed up by an early quote from Leo (the lead guitarist).... "first we make it simple,then,we simplify it!"

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1471397021' post='3112817'] Raymond, I was sick as hell today, if it was Friday night I don't know how I could gig. I started gigging in grade school 1966, I know it won't last forever. I want 10 more years. 10 more years is doable but not doing 4 hour Colony bar gigs. I have to find 80 minute headliner work. Blue [/quote] You could always move to the UK and do 2 x45 mins Seriously mate , sorry to hear of your pain ...I am taking it easy all week to have enough energy to do my gig on Saturday. The very best of luck with your ten year plan