EliasMooseblaster

Yeah, that's pretty much what the MU told us, if memory serves: in our case, the singer had written that particular song, so she was welcome to re-record it, but the recording belonged to whoever paid for it, i.e., all four of us. And it was pretty obvious that it was the same recording that was on our album! In fact, thinking back, she may not have even paid her share (I think the guitarist kindly covered her share at the time as she was tight for cash, and may not have paid him back)...so she may not technically have had any claim to the recording!

Apologies in advance if anyone remembers me moaning about this when it was actually happening - though it was probably about 11 or 12 years ago now! The guitarist and drummer, I knew from a jam night I used to frequent, and the singer had been a semi-regular attendee before I started showing up. The guitarist and singer shared a mutual friend who'd suggested they should start playing together, and further down the line the drummer and I were recruited as a rhythm section. An EP was recorded, we played a lot of 'toilet circuit' gigs around London, and people seemed to like what we were doing. We made an album, we started playing further afield, and just as it felt like we were getting ahead, tensions started to bubble between the singer, the guitarist, and the mutual friend who'd introduced them in the first place. Theories abounded: the drummer was convinced that the singer and mutual friend both had eyes for the guitarist. The singer, however, had a long-term partner at that point, who was nice enough, but quite open about his propensity for Columbian marching powder, so I wondered whether she was joining him on his sessions, and becoming more argumentative as a side-effect. Whatever the reason: after several bad-tempered weeks, and attempts on all sides to straighten things out, the singer quit. Then...tried to un-quit, a week or two later. The rest of us phoned each other and agreed it was a "thanks, but no" from all of us. Only, later that evening, she tried to take control of the band's social media pages. And then she tried to release one of the songs from the band's album as her solo single. The email exchange that followed, I can only describe as agonising. Not least of all because I ended up writing most of them. We got on the blower to MU: (Can she do this? She wrote the song, but we all paid for the studio time...they're separate entities? Right...) And to be fair, it was a useful crash course in copyright and ownership. But however politely-but-firmly I tried to explain our position, but every reply seemed to be more stroppy and vitriolic than the last. There is an adage that arguing with some people is like trying to play chess with a pigeon: it's incredibly frustrating because the pigeon doesn't understand the rules; all it can do is knock over the pieces and cr*p on the board, but it still struts about like it's winning. This was the level the email exchange reached. Eventually, she got tired of trying to argue her case, and we found a new singer. It was a huge relief. And, I'm glad to say, the only band breakup I can remember which actually became acrimonious, so I've probably got off lightly if this thread is anything to go by!

Perhaps unusually, the most uncomfortable SPL I've been around was in a recording studio! The engineer kept trying different amps because he thought the bass hook needed more grit, and eventually I was plugged into a massive Hughes & Kettner valve head with an 8x10 fridge. We kept stopping and starting while he tweaked the settings, but I found I had to stand at the longest distance my lead would allow: standing too close to the cab was actually making me slightly nauseous! Eventually he stuck a RAT in the signal chain, everyone agreed that was "the one" and I finally tracked the bass part, wondering whether he couldn't have just plugged the damned pedal into a smaller amp in the first place. (And of course, by the time it was all mixed down, it didn't sound anything like as "big" as the sonic assault I was trying to keep under control in that soundproofed room...)

Your ears will thank you! I don't understand why people still think it's clever or impressive to be painfully loud - especially given how easy it is to be loud these days with modern equipment. Unless you're at a Sunn O)))) gig, I don't imagine most audiences enjoy it either.

I remember that transition well - explaining to the bassist another band that I was really pleased with my purchase, but still getting used to the 12th fret not being where my muscle memory expected it to be! Congrats on a gorgeous new bass, I hope it continues to please at your next rehearsal.

What's the difference between a cow and an orchestra? On a cow, the horns are at the front, and the a***hole's at the back.

It's funny how some basses just seem to 'suit' the way you play...and some really don't! Jazzes are the awkward one for me: I've heard lots of people, from big names like Geddy Lee down to some-other-bloke-at-a-jam-night, get great tones out of them, but I've never been happy when I try playing one myself. And yet, pass me a Precision or a T-bird, and I'm laughing. Glad to hear you've found "your" bass type!

Good grief, what was this guy's budget like? (It wasn't Tommy Wiseau, was it?)

Yeah, probably the smallest I've ever played! I had a run of gigs there a few years ago myself - this must have been around 2011-ish. I think by that point the owner was really leaning on his connection to Amy Winehouse, as the walls were covered in paintings of her, with portraits of one or two other famous musicians tucked into the corners. Pretty good portraits, to be fair, but it was a bit unsettling having her face staring back at you from every angle!

This is the crux of it really - it depends so much on the PA system at the gig! If the band's bringing its own small-ish PA that's only really handling vocals and maybe an acoustic guitar, you're best bringing your ABM and cab(s). If the venue has a massive in-house system that handles everything, save your back and bring a decent DI/preamp. (I wish I'd learned that lesson sooner...)

This bar wouldn't be Jazz After Dark, in Soho, would it?