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[quote name='Dropzone' post='1190430' date='Apr 6 2011, 12:01 PM']I would say go to the audition as you have learnt the songs but spell out that the communications so far have been poor. From what I can read you have only dealt with the manager not the guys you will be playing with, so they may be a great bunch of guys and the gig an absolute dream.[/quote] yeah thats kinda what i figured. i emailed the 'manager' this morning asking what was occurring.. are the rehearsals still on, and if so when and where.. surprisingly he did reply: 'rehearsals will be in the afternoon both days' .. soooo.. none the wiser really! i hate keep having to chase people for basic information!! peace C

hmmm so a few weeks ago i see an advert for an established tribute band who are looking for a new bass player a.s.a.p - they're reasonably local and have lots of gigs booked all over the country and seem like a reasonable proposition (especially as I'm seriously skint and the money would be more than handy right now). I ring up and speak to the 'manager' who gives it all the usual spiel and its all systems go. I get sent a set list to learn with a view to an audition the following weekend. Couple of days later the manager rings up to see how i'm getting on with the songs etc and to say that he's still sorting out the rehearsal etc etc.. but then.. nothing! As the proposed rehearsal date looms I try ringing him to get confirmation that its still on and where its gonna be but can't get an answer. I leave several messages which all get no response until the night before the rehearsal is meant to be happening when finally he rings back. Apparently he's been in hospital so has not sorted anything out but will get back to me with a re-arranged date etc. Hmmmm.... he has however been updating his facebook etc during this time... Anyways, another week or so passes still with radio silence and then late last week he calls me up to say rehearsals are going to be this weekend - all day fri and sat, he'll be in touch with the times/location etc. So again I've spent the week brushing up on the songs and again, as the proposed rehearsal date approaches I hear nothing! Now obviously I'm going to (try) to get in touch with him again today/tomorrow but I dunno, this poor lack of communication from a so called 'manager' bothers me. Aside from the fact that I have already rearranged stuff to make myself available for these rehearsals it worries me a little that the person in charge of the band/bookings etc seems so disorganized when it comes to something as straightforward as simple communication. Also the manager is assuming that I'm definitely in as he's said the first gig will be next weekend... well, to be honest thats all well and good but until I meet and jam with the band I'm not gonna commit 100% to anything... they may be a bunch of tools for all i know! its not entirely about the music. I've also noticed that in the last couple of days the band's facebook has been full of posts from another tribute band (to the same artist) slagging of this potential new band of mine because of lies, and apparent back stabbing with venues etc...... I don't know the details and the posts have been swiftly removed but obviously something is going on somewhere thats a bit more than any normal band rivalry. I dunno, maybe I'm worrying too much... but as it says in the title, vague alarm bells are ringing. its quite annoying though as I've invested a lot of time learning a lot of songs for this. ah well.... we shall see i guess!! aaaargh!! C

yes, my covers band has regular followers who turn up to see us wherever we play.. which is nice though admittedly we are more specialized than most covers bands and play mainly different songs to the norm, always keep our set fresh with new material and put on a good show. peace c

[quote name='burray' post='1173431' date='Mar 23 2011, 03:38 PM']It bugs me when people don't move around when they're playing if the music is lively enough to warrant it. I'm not a fan of screamo stuff as much any more, but I caught a band the other day who I thought "this would be pretty good if the players didn't look like they were bored". They could have turned a lifeless but loud set into one of full-on, balls out energy and aggression that you'd have to admire regardless of whether you like the music or not. THAT'S the difference. Apathy on stage gets right on my tits. People can't see how much you're enjoying it unless you SHOW them. Then they're much more likely to enjoy your set just as much.[/quote] yep agreed. we always make a lot of effort with moving about and being lively on stage - even if its not the greatest gig. Even when not firing on all cylinders we are much more energetic than most other bands round here. Admittedly its sometimes a pain though as people now expect it from us even if i'm feeling ill or whatever. We did a gig in a bog standard pub at the weekend and had a couple of people come up afterwards and say that even though they didn't know any of the songs they were really entertained which they perhaps wouldn't have been if we'd just stood there shoe gazing, so thats all good. peace c

ok this is not 100% definite yet but theres a very high possibility that I'm moving onto a new project meaning that my rock covers band will need a replacement a.s.a.p. so this is a feeler at this stage... The band is well established having been going a few years now and has a good reputation, we're quite energetic on stage so need someone who is not afraid to throw a few shapes/move around etc. Gigs are booked throughout the year normally couple of times a month. We have a good local following and as well as playing at local rock pubs etc we also play at various outdoor events and bike rallies which are always great gigs. Setlist is mainly classic rock type stuff - Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Saxon, UFO etc. but we try to steer clear of the obvious stuff - so no Paranoid etc! Level of musicianship is fairly high so you need to be confident in your abilities but not arrogant. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we do take the music seriously so must be able to learn and play songs accurately. Must have pro standard gear and own transport. Rehearsals in Lowestoft. Send me a private message if you'd like to know more details. Cheers C

[quote name='OzMike' post='1157015' date='Mar 10 2011, 06:25 PM'](if you can excuse input from a 'new guy)... No-one has really touched on this aspect - your relationship with your daughter. Do you get on relatively well with your ex, or does she back-stab you to your daughter? Will your time with your daughter decrease significantly, or can it be 'worked around'? Is she old enough to understand what is going on? If it wasn't for the family aspect I would say - go for it. But as somone who has ended up a long way away from a child after the ex took advantage of the situation, I might suggest a little caution and consideration being given to the current and future relationship with your daughter.[/quote] my daughter is 9 and she knows that I like gigging etc and is used to me going away for odd weeks at a time to do so. Me and my ex get on reasonably well and as she has just started a new job the fact that i'll mostly be able to have my daughter during the week should be a good thing. Plus her car has conked out this week so i'm buttering her up by driving her around everywhere to earn a few brownie points in the bank!! cheers C

[quote name='JTUK' post='1156960' date='Mar 10 2011, 05:40 PM']Not quite so sure you should just do it to get out of a financial hole, but if you act properly and all parties are pragmatic and professional about it, then it could work out.[/quote] Well, its not [i]purely[/i] to get out a financial hole although that is a big part or it admittedly. I do also like the idea of making a living as a musician and having done some touring last year I have kinda got a taste for it again so the opportunity of playing all over the country/abroad appeals too. Also the music is a tribute to a band from my youth who I used to be very much into so could be kinda fun dressing up and going out there playing their material. On closer inspection, some of the songs/basslines aren't as simple as I would have imagined so gonna take a bit of work! cheers C

yep all looks good to me... must redo mine sometime!! peace c

Ok, just thinking aloud really with this post but would appreciate peoples (sensible!) thoughts etc... Basically, I work for myself as a freelance graphic/game artist but for over 6 months work has pretty much dried up apart from the odd small job. Times are very hard and I've also been looking around for a 'proper' job but there really is nothing about and I'm now at the verge of signing on. However.. I've just been pretty much offered a gig with an established tribute band who gig at least twice a week, every week all over the country and sometimes abroad too. The money from these gigs, along with the odd bit of small freelance work and maybe some bass teaching etc during the week would be enough for me to survive on - Ok I wouldn't be loaded but I'd be able to pay all the bills/mortgage etc and would get to travel/gig alot which I like to do (I've never really been suited to a 9 to 5 in an office anyway!) Now I know there's lots of differences of opinion on the whole tribute band thing on here and thats not really the point - I can live with playing other peoples songs night after night and compromising what little musical integrity I have left! The main thing for me really is that it would mean I'd have to leave my current covers band who I consider all to be very good friends and I feel strong loyalties to them especially as they've said in the past that if I was to leave they'd split up. Double the guilt when considering the new singer who joined a couple of months ago left his regular band of 15 years to join up with us! We don't/can't gig anywhere near regularly enough to make the same kind of money as I would with the tribute band thing and if I'm honest, at the moment, money (or lack of it) is a big issue and they are all aware of this so I'd hope they'd be understanding. I also think that now with the new singer there is much more enthusiasm in the band so they may be a bit more inclined to keep things going if I was to jump ship. Its awkward also because if the tribute thing happens, it'll happen quick with talk of starting gigging with them in 3 weeks meaning current band would have to cancel gigs if they did decide to keep going. I think maybe that I've got to be a little bit mercenary here and look out for number one. I know if it was the other way round that I'd have no problem if one of them wanted to leave for the same reason. I've got a couple of originals bands that I currently play with too but neither of those really do much so that won't be a great loss. There are other issues to consider - for starters I'd have to clear it with the ex-missus regarding being away gigging so often and seeing my daughter etc but I think she'll be ok with it.. (hopefully!!) Also I've not actually met the tribute band yet - all discussions so far have been with their manager so theres always the chance that that may not want me and/or I may not want to join them for whatever reason as its going to mean a lot of together time and if one of them is an idiot I know i'll have a very small tolerance for them!! Also, for authenticity I'll have to play with a pick!! Yoinks! Anyways, like I say just random ponderings!!! peace C

interesting thread - I'm currently toying with the idea of joining a fairly successful tribute band who gig at least twice a week, every week all over the country and do small tours into Europe, the Middle East and even Singapore. The band they mimic is not something I'd particularly listen to these days but admittedly is part of my musical heritage. I've got an audition next week and I've got 18 songs to learn note for note by then with an additional 20 songs to learn if (when!) i get the gig. Actually quite good going back and revisiting some of the albums which I've not listened to for years and alot of the stuff is not as simple as you may imagine so it does take a certain amount of musical skill/experience to pull it off. For years and years I did purely original music (and still do some) but if I can make a living, or at least a reasonable earner from this then I'll do it - plus, I'll get to travel and no doubt get up to all manner of rock n' roll shenanigans on the way while wearing ridiculous clothes! One of my originals bands played a local festival last year where the headline act was Noasis - now i've never been a great Oasis fan but these boys totally nailed it both looks wise and sound wise and it turned into a really enjoyable/entertaining night and I was surprised by how many of their songs I actually knew and liked. Personally I think theres plenty of room for both original and tribute bands as they often operate in a completely different marketplace anyway - either way, they have to be GOOD! There are so many average/rubbish bands about who think they are so much better than they are. just my blah blah blah peace c

Guitarist in one of my bands also plays in a signed band who tour all over the place fairly regularly... 7a.m. yesterday morning I get a text from him saying "How do you fancy a few gigs in New Zealand at the end of the month as a replacement is desperately needed - call me a.s.a.p!" so.... obviously I call him straight away thinking ooh that'll be sweet. ... turns out he'd texted me accidentally and had meant to text the drummer!! D'oh!! what a tool! grrrrrrrrrrrr C

Stryper.... with a 'y'!

yeah i have this problem, and like the OP have adjusted pickup height/action etc to try to rectify it - its normally the D&G strings which lack oomph! When i'm playing solo it seems fine but in a band mix they get lost a little. i use light strings (35-95) and was thinking about maybe putting heftier strings on for the D and G but don't really want to if i can avoid it. i did start thinking it was maybe my right hand technique but pretty sure its not as on my P bass its not a problem. peace c

as an aside.. i'm liking this version of the chicken - mental bass bit in the middle!

I play in a classic rock covers band (Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Whitesnake etc) and we always try to steer away from all the obvious songs within that field - so definitely no Paranoid, no Smoke on the Water, no Sweet Child o' mine , no Highway to Hell etc - we do however try to pick songs that rock fans will know, so quite often that will be well known album tracks etc. I think as well because we put on a good, energetic live show people enjoy that and get into it even if they're not 100% familiar with the song. peace c

or are they forever coming loose and falling off?! The original ones on my head (Klystron 1000) had the grub screw to secure them but I soon lost a couple of those... I think they must vibrate loose or something as I did check 'em and tighten 'em on more than one occasion... admittedly Ashdown did send me some free replacements which are a better fit and just push on minus the grub screw to tighten but it is quite annoying! small minor rant over. c

Did a weird gig last night (standing in on bass duties for an originals band i was in about ten years ago). The gig was based on the Later with Jools Holland format. Venue a large nightclub's pretty much circular main room... 4 seperate stages set up around the room, each with own PA/lights etc, then each band played 2 or 3 songs before it moved on to the next band. Each band did about 3 ten minute sets each throughout the evening interspersed with various solo acoustic acts before the 'main' band finished the night with a half hour set. Quite odd arrangement and probably a huge pain to organise but was really good, and very busy too! Seemed like a long night though as was a lot of hanging around between sets but was a new one on me! peace c

am liking the new colour a lot! not so keen on the price tag or the output jack surround. Although to be honest both my Yamaha Attitudes have taken a back seat lately anyway! c