Gunsfreddy2003

Really interesting insight into the music business and just how hard it is to get by on your own let alone support others. Would be keen to know who it was you were playing with? Sad fact of life that you have to be really, really lucky to make huge amounts of money from music. I sold out and followed the traditional route of getting a decent day job years ago. Do I regret it? Yes sure I do sometimes when you think what could or might have been but equally when I look at some of the great players that I have been in bands with (far better musicians than me) and see that they now don't have two beans to rub together I think that I just might have made the right decision. That fact is compounded by having a very young son and another on the way in two weeks, you can only give them the life that you want for them if you have some money coming in regularly. [quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1336552147' post='1647236'] When I was working for the label I was the only guy in the band that was single. The other members had their own families. My absence from home was never a big issue for me, but it was quite tough for the other guys. Nobody likes to be away from their families for a long period of time and it is important to get as much support from your partner/spouse as possible. Whenever we were arguing with each other the stem of the emotions usually came down to home sickness or an unresolved problems back home that couldn't be solved over a phone call. For example....my singer missed his youngest boy's 1st birthday and missed his wedding anniversary 3yrs in a row, my guitarist's wife was involved in a car accident whilst we were in Portugal one time. Luckily, we never spent anything more than a couple of weeks away on tour and our down time was quite often very extensive (mostly down to our moronic management and promoters). Despite having a pretty light tour expectation the time away from home was particularly tough for the other guys. Management teams at a label will work you in a very different way to a 9-5 office job. They will book you for gigs and media commitments despite of your personal commitments. You can't call your manager to ask to cancel a gig in the same way you can ask your manager in the office for a day of annual leave on short notice. You have to consider that if you are a 5-piece band and all of you wanted to block out the schedule for a day off on your birthday, your partners birthday, your kids birthday, anniversaries, a holiday abroad with your family, every public holiday, taking the cat to the vet...etc...you won't get much work done. The label decides when you all have down time and thats when you get to spend time with your family and friends. Its a hard business to work in and it takes a lot of commitment not just from yourself, but everyone around you to support your career. But, there is one very important thing...you have to make money! If you want to write and perform full-time you cannot rely on selling a few t-shirts at a gig to pay the bills. It’s the reality of dividing delusion of grandeur from business. When folks hear that I was a full-time signed musician they go "wow!'" and I reply "big deal"...I really don't have anything to show for it. We had a lot of fun...we really did, but our enjoyment came at a price and we entered into the world of music a but short sighted. After only 18 months of being signed we jacked it in because despite of the constant touring for several years leading up to our deal we were not making enough money to support our families and damn near bankrupted all of us. All of this could have been different if we were an overnight hit, but we weren't. Very few bands get that instant success and sometimes takes years of hard work and sacrifice to build any kind of success whatsoever. I'm not saying that this will apply to every band...if you are instantly successful then all the best for the future...enjoy it, but remember that a very small percentage of bands get signed and even fewer gain enough success to make any significant money for themselves. [/quote]

Agreed - I remember watching this on Cliff 'Em All and being gobsmacked, it was like nothing I had ever seen or heard before. Just so cool even all these years later - I loved Cliff! [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1336581653' post='1647941'] For sheer ballsy, "****-the-twiddly-stuff-gung-ho-ness" - and for inspiring me to pick up a bass as a sweaty teenage metaller - I'd have to say one my faves is Cliff Burton's Anesthesia. It's messy. It's not especially technical (albeit tricky enough for me!). And it probably sounds quite cliched nowadays. But damn, did it ever rock my world when I was an impressionable youth...! Can't really say that I'm a huge fan of Metallica these days, but Cliff was - and perhaps still is - one the best metal bassists of his generation, IMHO. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK2hruTkUVA[/media] [/quote]

Thanks, makes sense but I bet SWR are not best pleased about that! [quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1336388682' post='1644744'] He mentioned something about this at bass day but can't remember the exact details he said. I think it's something to do with hire companies in the UK have the EBS gear and not the SWR, so as he's had years with EBS he's still more than happy to use it if it's available. [/quote]

Saw him at Cheltenham Jazz on Saturday and agree with everything you say! One thing puzzled me though given that he launched the SWR Marcus Miller pre-amp last year how come he still uses EBS as you can clearly see in your pic? [quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1336382837' post='1644609'] Amazing gig. Incredible band, and a very very talented bunch of guys indeed, all complementing the music beautifully. Some of the interplay between them was stunning. At one point there was Bass, keys and sax on one side of the stage having their own little jam, while the drums, guitar and trumpet had their own thing going on, all within the same song, it was a joy to hear and see. The new material from the new CD "Renaissance" sounded fantastic to, so I can't wait for that either. Top man, top band, top music, and a thoroughly nice chap afterwards too. If you get the chance to go and see him, do it. Oh and top marks for the kebab after the gig, perfect ratio of meat to salad, topped with a tangy chilli sauce and rich creamy mayo, wrapped in a soft, fluffy pitta. Washed down with a chilled well known orange coloured energy drink. Perfect way to end the night. [/quote]

Some of the superb slap that finished the show last night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJUP730e8c&feature=youtu.be

Gutted that I did not get to meet him but we had to dash home as soon as the gig finished. Did get to meet Moira Stuart though and Gregory Porter!

Yep the fretless work was great - recorded a clip below for others to hear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSoC8kNupn8&feature=youtu.be [quote name='urb' timestamp='1336314617' post='1643849'] I thought it was great - Marcus played brilliantly - I love the horn players but they are young and were really going for it - Miller still has massive chops but to his credit he didn't over do it - saving the big slap solo for last was a good move. The highlight for me was his fretless work - superb - as for the overall mix, yes it wavered a bit but I don't think I've ever seen a gig where it hadn't - and I thought that MM's tone was great - very clear and cutting through - I think that depended on where you were sitting I was on the left of the back tiers/stalls. There was an amazing jam later that night as well at Hotel Du Vin with the whole band playing with Marcus just checking it out - amazing sax player Chris Potter sat in too and it went nuts. I had a chat with Marcus and he's very cool, really down to earth and very happy with the new band and album which sounds superb - it really is the best thing he's done in years. Great gig! [/quote]

Agreed that much better to hear it live than on the net but somewhat lacking compared to his studio sound but I think that is to be expected with bass frequencies. Also could not hear anything of the guitarist until he took a solo! [quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1336289847' post='1643478'] I was right at the back, very similar thoughts. Amazing brass but sometimes too prominent. At times the bass got quite wallowy and hard to hear any definition at the low end, and sometimes coulda come up if I'm honest! But most of the time it sounded great and much better in the flesh than on YouTube etc. great gig, thoroughly enjoyed it. [/quote]

Gig was awesome. I would say that the brass players were probably more amazing than Mr Miller. The bass sounded a little "wooly" at times and lacked clarity to my ears. We were in the third row back from the stage so wonder if it sounded better further back? Met Moira Stuart and Jamie Cullum in the Barclays Bar so all in all a good time. What did everyone else think?

Gig was awesome. I would say that the brass players were probably more amazing than Mr Miller. The bass sounded a little "wooly" at times and lacked clarity to my ears. We were in the third row back from the stage so wonder if it sounded better further back? Met Moira Stuart and Jamie Cullum in the Barclays Bar so all in all a good time. What did everyone else think?

I am going but not sure how long I can hang about for as we have a babysitter (brother and his wife) and we have to get back to have dinner with them. Any idea what time it finishes?

My band Soular are playing on Sunday night at 8pm on the Free Stage at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Would be great if any Basschatters feel like popping down to listen to some funk/soul/groove. Our website is www.soularfunk.co.uk cheers.

Yep we did get an April issue, it had the bloke from Megadeth on the front cover. The magazine needs some work and new ideas but give the new guys a chance, you can't turn it all around in one issue it will take more like 5 or 6. [quote name='urb' timestamp='1336087117' post='1640873'] I might be wrong here but the April issue did come out but just really early like halfway through March - I'm pretty sure no issue has been lost - it's just over a month since the Aptil one came out - though I may be mistaken I'm too tired to check right now Re BGM going forward I think / hope there's going to be fresh content etc - hopefully this new set up will be a new start and new era for BGM... [/quote]

Through my day job I have known the new owner for years and was actually with him at an event last week. I can assure everyone that they are a serious and credible outfit and will look to really develop the magazine over the coming months. [quote name='urb' timestamp='1336043683' post='1639871'] Hey all Firstly I want to say that I'm just a contributor to BGM and in now way involved in the publishing/editing process - but just so you all know the new publishers look like they are on a much steadier footing than Oyster house and hopefully these guys are in it for the long run. I too look forward to the next issue - I haven't seen it yet! Mike [/quote]

Trade what for a Rumour 4? [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1336061508' post='1640356'] Would anybody on here even vaguely consider a trade for their Rumour 4?? [/quote]

Sounding good!

I am having the same problems with my Audio Technica system, I just can't get a clean quiet bass signal. If I go through the desk with the rest of the band it is better but I want to be able to have my signal seperate so that I can adjust myself. Again if anyone can help it would be appreciated! [quote name='Walker' timestamp='1335387378' post='1630449'] Received mine today. Quite a bit of background noise before bass is plugged in. Silent if I use a wire and not wireless, so radio background noise I suppose. When I plug a mic in, crystal clear signal. When I plug my bass in, it's awful. Imagine a badly set noise gate trying to keep up with a high gain pedal. Pluck a string and it gets all hissy. Stop the string vibrating and quiet (well, just radio background noise). I've used the line out of the amp, DI'd into the PSM and back into my amp, gone direct into the PSM, everything I can think of. I've tried passive basses and an active bass. I must be doing something wrong. Any ideas? I could sure do with some help! [/quote]

No probs will let you know what they sound like when I get them. [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1334948165' post='1624045'] [size=5][sub]sounds good...be good to hear your thoughts on the upgrade[/sub][/size] [/quote]

Update - opted for the T2 Live from ACS in th end. Impressions done there on Wednesday and should get them at the end of the month. Their customer service has been amazing so just hope that the monitors are good now.