Len_derby

Not really a prejudice, but I’ve never understood why anyone would wear a hat when someone else has taken the trouble to provide a perfectly good, weatherproof roof over their heads. Ungrateful, I call it 😂

Ouch, that’s a really dumb thing to do. I think I’d severe connections with people who pulled that stunt. Pub landlords talk to each other. A bad reputation is hard to shake off.

I tried out the open mic night at Derby Market Hall. Every last Thursday of the month and this was the second one.The market hall is a magnificent Victorian building, recently reopened after a multi-million pound renovation. Every slot from 6pm until the 10pm shutdown was taken. At its peak, probably about 75 people there. The acoustics aren’t good, but no surprises there.

I know just what you mean. For me it’s because they are associated with influential and iconic players and relatively rare. You certainly don’t see many on my pub and club circuit of venues. I’m lucky in a way, as I had the chance to try @Norris’s out at a Bass Bash a few years ago. Lovely as it was, it didn’t feel right. That’s saved me a heap of money and disappointment. I do have a hankering for one of Retrovibe’s short scale Lil’ Richard looky-likeys, though. A itch that needs scratching 😆.

The acoustic trio, The Desperate Cowboys played The Doghouse pub in Alfreton. I’ve played there a couple of times before with a full band and was a bit concerned about how we’d go down with a ‘softer’ sound. As it happened, we got as many people up and dancing (without any drums or percussion) as on previous visits. So, a good night and well appreciated by the pub and the audience. The pubs of the Derbyshire/Notts ex-coalfields are not for the faint-hearted or easily offended. But if they like you it can be a great night. Taylor mini-bass through Trace Elliott Elf and Barefaced One 10.

White coat syndrome. I had to look that up. It seems a fairly natural response to knowing one’s efforts are being recorded for posterity.

Unfortunately you still hear that ‘women can’t sing rock’ nonsense. I’d say it’s harder to find a good singer than it is to find an audience, so go for it.

It was a memorable weekend back in 1985. During the morning of the Saturday I moved into my first purchased house, starting as early as I could so I could set the tele up and watch the show. I’d stretched myself to the limit to buy a new-build semi for £22k. Different times.

That’s a shame, especially as most blues fans now qualify for free bus rides (me included 😆).

Have you changed over from using the TE Elf in combination with the One10? How does it compare?

Very nice. Did the Mustang go as part of the trade?

Saturday, at the annual Folk in the Woods. It’s the inaugural event of the week-long Ripley Music Festival. It takes place at the Waingroves Community Woodland, a lovely area reclaimed from a coal mining site and managed by local volunteers. My covers band, Top Deck, finished off the day playing 7pm - 8pm. Back line supplied, so I was able to travel by bus with just my Mustang and a few bits. Any money raised goes to the upkeep of the woodlands, so no fees for anyone. However, it was free drinks and food for performers. I got a little bit confused by the paths walking back through the woods to the main road and bus stop. 🤪🍺

Gluing cut-up bits of an old trouser belt on to a standard sized gig bag that allows it to be used for a short scale bass and hence stored in the car boot, out of sight.

They are still there, and have scaled back to concentrate solely on drums and percussion. Part of the former shop space has now gone over to the above mentioned Hippo Guitars. I didn’t know you had a Derby connection, Stub.

This one makes me think of a micro pub near me that’s in an old workshop. The cobbles are so uneven that a regular who comes on his mobility scooter shouts his order from the doorway and they bring his ale out to him. It’s a pain when the buffet gets served during the set. No only do you lose people’s attention there’s a chance they’ll be no grub left. That’s apart from the drool running down on the bass.

Now relocated in the Strand Arcade, off Sadler Gate, as Foulds Guitars. There is also Hippo Guitars on Osmaston Road who buy and sell pre-owned guitars and basses exclusively. Worth a trip @Geek99.

Another thought, do these ‘less than fully committed’ members have any say in the set list? Maybe letting them choose a song they particularly like, within the genre, would make them keener? In my bands we call it ‘throwing them a bone to chew on’. 😀🐕🦴

I think you’ve hit on something there, Mick. A lot of players, especially guitarists, seem to have a preconceived idea that the structure of a blues song is always the straight 12 bars, using chords I, IV & V. The memorable songs tend to have variations and subtleties that make them stand-out. Born Under A Bad Sign being a good example. Far too many people, in my experience, have the ‘it’s just the blues, innit?’ mentality.

For me, one of the things that can make acoustic guitar so beguiling is alternative tunings that are used. Something that, in my experience, electric guitarist rarely seem to do.

In terms of the physical side; I walk a lot, swim in open water for 45 minutes once or twice a week, do balance exercises and some tai-chi movements. Nothing that costs much money! At just-about 67 I can no longer lift and carry things like I used to, but that’s inevitable.

@Ian Somerville, I’m glad you were able to scratch your itch with such a classy acquisition . 🙂

The covers band, Top Deck, played this afternoon at The Great Northern in Langley Mill, on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border. It was the first time we’ve played there. Four-thirty on a Saturday afternoon is their standard time to have bands on. Unusual, but there was an appreciative audience up for a good time. We’ve got a booking there for August Bank Holiday as a result, so a success.

Come up further north! There’s a pub I regularly play at that’s strictly cash-only. To be fair, they have had free-of-charge ATM installed on the wall outside. So no one needs to die of thirst . On a serious note, it does make it harder for pub managers to ‘skim’ the fee they claim they’ve paid for entertainment. That definitely happened in Ripley a few years ago and the perpetrator got the sack.

An other option is one of the shorter-scale acoustic basses. I’ve replaced my U bass with a Taylor mini-bass. Light as a feather. Other, cheaper, options are available. Ibanez, Harley Benton are two that come to mind. I’ve found that with a feedback-buster in the sound hole it can sound great through either a rig or PA. Lighter technique with the right hand and a bit of EQ experimenting helps a lot.