Adrenochrome

The Broadfield Arms was excellent, one of our best ever pub gigs - highly recommended. Jon

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='464981' date='Apr 17 2009, 01:28 PM']Yep... best way is to ask band members to be responsible for maintaining their unavailable dates. When gigs come in, pencil them in, confirm them with the band members, confirm with the promoter/gig/whatever. A little tip.. the band diary should be used to confirm when people are [i]unavailable[/i] - not [i]available[/i].[/quote] +1, I maintain Google Calendar for us but the rest of the band add unavailable dates, as well as the occasional gig booked through them. It's worked really well for me as I get calls from venues whilst at work, at home etc and I can update it from either computer.

All of the above. It's never been the same since they stopped national service, and rationing.

[quote name='51m0n' post='463906' date='Apr 16 2009, 01:27 PM']About the only bands I really liked then were the [b]Silverfish[/b] and Bomb Disneyland, oh and Snuff, they kicked arse!!![/quote] Vitriola!

Hmmm, I'm still convinced that the good music is there... just undiscovered so far. As regards musicianship: when I started attending gigs regularly in the 80s, it was usual for half the band to be so p1ssed/stoned that they could hardly play at all - contrast this to now when the playing at most gigs is absolutely spot on, it's a huge difference! I do agree that the gigs seemed more dangerous and edgy. I think the current accessability of instruments and technology has been a good thing (more people can be involved) but has also taken away some of the mystique since almost anyone can now play/record music.

No I don't agree, I'm sure that you (and me for that matter) just haven't discovered the current good stuff yet!

[quote name='jonny-lad' post='461486' date='Apr 13 2009, 08:03 PM']If there's not much going on because of the guitarist, you could keep your foot in the door whilst looking for alternatives or post some ads on sites like partysounds - you might find something that's really suitable, but you could still put the time into this band if you don't find a suitable alternative for a while and some gigs do come in. There's always the inevitable rubbish to trawl through when looking for a band that suits you - the trick is to keep going, whenever something isn't going well, keep an eye out for something better...you might find it, or you might not, but you can always be on the look-out and be ready for it when it does come.[/quote] Jonny, did you play with a female guitarist/singer with a Scottish surname last year? If so, we've shared a stage a couple of times.

Looks like a nice cab, a bit like if my old Peavey black widow 1x15 went on a diet! (My Peavey 1x15 is my main cab and actually sounds brighter than my Ashdown 2x10)

I'll send you a PM for a guy in Glastonbury that might well be interested. Jon

No, not at all (see sig).

It's worth noting that "bedroom tone" and "onstage tone" are often completely different. I have my backline with a much brighter 'clanky' sound than I prefer on it's own, but it can be heard onstage without being too loud, and the sound gets thickened up a bit by the PA so sounds ace out front.

Music - Roman Bath, Speakeasy, Fibbers, Cert.18 Dunno about food.

I reckon you could do worse than what we're all supposed to do to keep healthy - lots of fruit and veg, hydrate well, get some sleep, regular exercise, give yourself something to do not involving music. I'd take it as a killer opportunity to see new places, and going for a walk to see the sights would do you no harm at all from a health perspective. Physically, I wouldn't have thought each day would be more arduous than you're used to before; the key is probably that you need plenty of sleep each day to be in a fit state for the next day.

We're playing the Broadfield in Sheffield this Friday - I'll let you know how it goes but it has a good reputation. The Silver Fox in Stocksbridge is fantastic with a good stage. The Robin Hood at Swinton (Mexborough) was a good gig for a Tuesday night. The Polish Club in Barnsley is excellent but not a good payer. We've also played various of the smaller WMCs and they're all fine also. There are some other venues that we've not played yet that keep getting good revues eg Travellers at Sth Kirkby, most get good reviews in RotN (see above post).

Get a Powerball.

Hi All, We;re playing the Thornhill Arms in Stanningley, Leeds on Saturday April 18th at 9:30pm - our fee will be going to charity. I don't know what else the pub itself has planned, but we will be "giving it some welly" and doing our best to raise much needed funds for a great cause. Fancy dress for the bassist may be on the cards... Please spread the word to anyone that might be interested in going/coming. thanks for reading, Jon

It does sound right. Whether or not that power amp has enough juice depends on how loud you backline/drummer are. We were using a 150w amp and the vox (x3) just weren't clear. We're now using a 400w powered mixer* and the vocals are a lot clearer through our passive wedges. *powered mixer rather than power amp just because we had one already.

Currently playing 4s but just as happy on a 5 if needed. (I'd generally be happier playing a 5 with standard intervals than a 4 with weird intervals)

/\ that's some grade A advice OG! You should write a book on it.

[quote name='crez5150' post='454170' date='Apr 4 2009, 03:32 PM']Don't use agents as they are sh*te.... and never get you work that you want at the money you want.... Do pubs if you want to have a bit of a laugh and not too much pressure but don't expect to earn anything from it...[/quote] +1 generally, don't be tied to an agent but getting the occasional club booking via an agent works fine for us.

The advice above is sound as regards PA, length of set etc. Be warned that if you want to do it right then it'll end up as a part-time job, especially if you do a lot of the organising; I answer emails, speak to venues and update our diary and website pretty much every day. The perks can be fantastic!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='453418' date='Apr 3 2009, 03:16 PM']Cars wear out, basses don't. Alex[/quote] You should see my frets and fingerboards mate!

Not for me - my wheels are worth about 5K, and my heavily-gigged bass about £50. I don't think I'd gig with a bass worth more than a few hundred when drunk punters knock mikestands into it.

I've bought a couple of sets of strings from them and the delivery was okay. I think they're a small(ish) operation so maybe they don't carry much stock?

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='453049' date='Apr 3 2009, 10:26 AM']Anyone know of a band that need a bassist within a 30 mile radius of Kendal? Pedro[/quote] I'd suggest posting a blog on NorthWestBands: [url="http://northwestbands.co.uk/"]NWB[/url] , you might have to register first.