NoRhino

Correct.

Higher and Higher - Jackie Wilson A Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins Walking In The Rain - Grace Jones

Dolly's version makes me fill up. Whitney's version makes me switch it off.

Jim Lea, Larry Taylor, Jack Bruce and Marshall Grant.

I once heard it called "Jumped up Karaoke" Brilliant. If you play an instrument and sing to files that's different. IMO.

Like @Stofferson I had to do this for gigs in a Greene King pub. I was paid promptly enough but your follow band members need to know that won't be paid on the night.

Five years ago on this very forum I discovered Professor Elemental. Finally got to see him at Edinburgh. Great fun.

Lack of everything. We didn't provide the PA. We did discuss it amongst ourselves afterwards and decided that if we do an acoustic set again we need to be in total control of the PA and do a full soundcheck. You'd have thought that 40+ years of gigging would have told us that anyway. People in the audience said we sounded good and they could hear everything. I also managed to bruise the inside of my forearm where it rubbed against the bass body. Mibbe acoustic basses and I just aren't meant to be. GAS is still at a peep.

Thursday 26 September: Opening for Sinnerboy. looking forward to this because I last saw Rory live at the Glasgow Apollo .... cough, cough,, years ago.

I borrowed a Fender from a friend two weeks before an acoustic gig to get used to playing it. Sounded ok at home while definitely different to my usual P bass. On the night of the gig though I found it to be a pretty disappointing experience. Admittedly the monitoring was poor and while I could hear both acoustic guitars and small drum kit the bass was totally lost and I played every song from memory without hearing anything. It did kill any GAS I had for an acoustic bass and I'd rather use something like a Horner Shorty properly amplified were we to do the acoustic show again.

Was that me last week?

Foghat - Take It Or Leave It Tasty bass playing.

You haven't seen anything until you've witnessed air harmonica.

Larry 'The Mole' Taylor has died. A great bass player with Canned Heat who also played on several of the Monkees records. You'll need to do your own homework for find out which ones. As a young fledgling bass player many decades ago I loved Larry's playing and still try to incorporate his style into some of the Blues numbers we play.

Hi Dave - not my Quo trib this time. Good friends of mine though. I'll be there as a punter and to play moothie on a couple of songs. Wig or not, I'm sure I'll find you. The bass gives it away. Billy

I'll be at Sleazey's on the 23rd. Mind if I say hello?

Good idea. I did once use scissors to cut a handful of those metallic foil streamers that some clubs like to hang on the back wall.

Tiny stage at a holiday camp. Black curtain at rear of the stage. I always move these to the side of my amp to make sure the fan is never blocked. 20 minutes into set 1 and the bass cuts out - don't panic, turn round to see said curtain covering fan at the rear of my amp. Can only assume the drummer's elbow perhaps moved the curtain back to its original position. I assured the band that a ten minute rest to let the amp cool down will see us back in business. Experience is a great thing to have in tricky situations eh?

Anyone got gigs there Saturday or Sunday?

Our first time at a holiday/caravan park in South Scotland. Planned three sets. I was apprehensive about a Blues covers band playing to a holiday camp audience but it turned out well. We did have a couple of very young children running about the floor like every wedding ever but they were fine. The crowd who were seated really appreciated what we did and clapped and sang along when prompted. At the end of the first set one chap approached me and said (You need to effect a whiney ned/chav voice here) "Haw mate, whit dae yeis play? I like yer songs but whit Rock dae ye play? Dae ye play any Coldplay?" "I'm sorry, we don't." "Whit dae ye play?" "Did you like that hour we just played?" "Aye it was great" "Well, we've got two more hours of stuff like that" "Dae you know any Floyd?" "Sorry, no." "Whit aboot Roger Watters then?" Despite his in your face approch he was dancing enthusiastically all night but he might have been supported by odd substances. On the plus side we've been re-booked and offered a slot at an all day festival sometime later in the year. One the down side one of my car's tyres shredded to bits on the drive home the next day but the AA and Kwik Fit had me back on the road inside two hours.

Received a message yesterday to say he's changed his mind and doesn't want to play covers. OK. No probs. Thanks for letting us know early on. All the best etc etc. Back to the search.

We auditioned candidate no. 2 last evening. He turned up on time. He had prepared the songs we'd asked him to learn. He's a decent singer and a good harmonica player. Funnily enough he seemed to enjoy letting loose on a song we'd given him that he hadn't heard before. He's a personable guy. We've invited him back. This looks promising.

First candidate was, in our agreed opinion, out of his depth. Came along with his own new mic and a chart telling him which harmonica to use for which key. It was wrong and I tried to point that out to him nicely. He could fit in with a big band crooner scenario but his rhythm and timing wasn't up to the mark. He saw our band as an opportunity to get into a scene and meet new people. Best quote of the hour was "My singing teacher can't teach me any more" A reasonable guy and we thanked him for coming. Looking forward to next week when we see candidate #2

Thanks to everyone for your input so far. Really interesting. Tonight's chap has a track record of singing professionally in a different genre but likes our style and thinks he'll be able to fit. We haven't met him in person. He has a better PA than we currently own. Next week's chap is very laid back and looks like he'd be a good focal point fronting a band. He knows the style inside out. He doesn't have any equipment to bring to the table. We met him for coffee last week. Those aren't deal breakers but add interest to the choice to be made. I was the new man auditioning for this band 5 years ago so I want to make it relaxed for our two possibles.

Of course. Nothing worse than a vocal out Of the singer's range. Good point though.