Diablo

We are playing a beer festival this weekend, opening act on the Saturday. The perfect slot, get the gig over with then work our way along the bar while watching everyone else play! I might push the boat out and tap both feet, possibly even lift a heel occasionally, and if the mood really takes me I might smile at least once during the set! I suspect however I'll spend half of it leaning over the drum kit telling the drummer to speed up, slow down, or stop changing speed all the time. Can't beat a bit of bass face, but Haim do look like one of the road crew wired all their gear to the mains and keeps switching it on and off. Cheers, Rich Cheers, Rich

I put another band together a couple of months ago but it was all through musicians I know, or people that they knew so it was a network thing. Open mics are good as you can ask people, even guitarists, if they know a drummer, keys, singer etc and just put word around. Also acknowledge that it may take a few stabs to get the right mix of people, don't be afraid to kick out someone early on if they are not pulling their weight. We got rid of our singer a few weeks ago as he constantly turned up at rehearsals not knowing the lyrics, coming in at the wrong places etc. He was using rehearsals to learn the songs so he got the boot. As it turns out we found another singer within a week and he is much better, more dynamic and enthusiastic, so all round a better situation. I personally avoid trying to put a band together via the internet, too many dreamers who like the sound of being in a band but have no intention of ever making much effort. If you have a local music school (like evening lessons for adults, not recorders for kids) it would be worth asking them too as they often have decent pupils looking for a band to join. Cheers, Rich

Cheers all, lots of stuff to review and think about there! I will report back in a week or two when I've had a go at convincing the other old farts that there is more to life than Undercover Agent and Sultans of Swing.

We are doing Times Like These, I didn't mention it above as it is over 10 years old believe it or not! I know a few Black Keys songs but never really put them in the pub band kind of music - are there any specific songs that are known to go down well? Cheers, Rich

In the new band I've merged into we are up to 10 songs in the set as we get practice sessions in. We are stuck in the 70's to the 90's though, but when the subject of doing some songs from the last decade that have not been done to death (like Kings Of Leon) we drew a large blank. Taddy Porter was mentioned along with Doom & Gloom, but what else are people playing that goes down well in the pub scene? I'm really struggling with good up tempo rock/rock-blues tunes to put into the set. Cheers, Rich

No 1 is a great song, but no mention of it being written by/for Smokey Robinson even though he was interviewed in other sections of the programme! How could they miss that?

In that case we should have 5 off topic sub-sections, see previous post for the section titles. A kind of "Off-Topic-but-topical, and an off-topic-off-topic sort of setup! I've decided I don't like the work "topic", it sounds quite harsh. I prefer the sound of the word peach.

At this point I believe it would be de rigeur to jump in, disagree with everyone, state my far (right - left - delete as appropriate) opinion, (mis)quote a few previous posts, say everyone else is a moron so I'm off an never coming back. Until next week when the itch to log in gets too great to resist. However poorly Off Topic gets, and at least 90% of it is complete drivel, my own posts included, there is 10% of gold in there. Either comedy, advice, realising all the crap you have others have too, helping each other and the rest of it. If only threads could have some simple options/colours it would help identify stuff, perhaps: 1. Useful serious advice to be heeded 2. Useless but of high comedic value so worth reading 3. Useless rant about the number of calories in a polo or other pointless waste of bytes (see what I did there?) 4. Useful financial / life / health stuff 5. Everything else (to be files under "useless")

Preist never really shouted though, songs like Living After Midnight we sung rather than shouted. I remember seing biohazard live in London somewhere in the early 90's, now they just shouted and growled through 2 hours of noise. Judas never did that, they played for 2 hours. IMHO anyway. Cheers, Rich

[quote]I think you mean the Automovilista?[/quote] Ah yes, it shows how much I have left to learn about hats. Good job I'm not cocklaphobic! And no, that is not the term for a lady gay.

The chuchonera looks like a vintage gimp mask, gotta be a market for them nowadays?

I notice this thread got 4 posts in before it careered off topic onto vintage headwear! Discreet - your new pic and stuff is very off-putting, it is like a bald friend who one day turns up to a pub meet wearing a syrup. I know its you, but at the same time it is not you. I'm confused.

Ah yes, I suppose the guitarist two band option is there, up to him I suppose. I'll have a go a nurturing that idea I think. Hats - a stove pipe is the only way, Isambard Kingdom Brunel pulled that look off perfectly and I am jealous of him. Now I have a flat cap, Aussie bush hat and a pork pie. Should I turn up at first rehearsal with a hat and make my point, or keep it in the closet for first gig and hit them with it then?

The time had to come. After all the shenanigans of the last couple of months my old band played a gig around 5 weeks ago and 2 days after that it all imploded. No-one in the band had any contact with any other member until yesterday when one of the guitarists emailed round asking when the next rehearsal was. I guess he genuinely did not know what had been going on. I just emailed back everyone but lead singer to say situation too difficult, I'm out for good. Two things bring me some solice - I must have had ~10 emails with the rhythm guitarist in support and offering to meet, have a pint etc, and then the lead guitar called me and we had a good talk. They are good guys, but the lead guitar has known the singer 30 or 40 years so no way I can get between that relationship. First rehearsal for a new band this coming Monday, 6 songs set for first meet so we can play each 3-4 times in a couple of hours and see how it all gels. If that 4 piece goes well the guitarist has already mentioned he wants to add a rhythm guitar, well I might just know where there is one that is not currently very busy...! Would it be wrong to poach him, or should I clean-break? The dilemma, excitement and new set-list are keeping my mind pretty busy right now, which is probably a good thing. My only snag is Phil Lynott bass lines - I've carefully avoided them in the past but I'm in at the deep end now. Cheers, Rich

[quote]Perhaps we look back at those classic albums in a similar way. [/quote] Exactly my point - you view stuff at the time as consumable, usable things in life. When you go back 20 years later to experience something, be it recorded or even live music, cars, basses, Royal Dalton etc all of a sudden it has a completely different value and reason to you than it would have had when new.

Kings of Leon kind of made it a few years ago but seem to have vanished. Struggling to think of many more rock bands making it "in their time" so to speak. Cars and motorcycles are the same. How many 70's nasty, horrible handing rot-boxes with no power or brakes are now drooled over by middle-aged born-agains? Suzuki Kettles, Kawasaki triples, Honda CB's, Ford Escort Mk 3's, all truly horrible devices which were thrown in canals to get rid of in their time, now worth thousands it not tens of thousands of pounds. Very few are classics in their era though. What do we have now? Not a lot springs to mind. With basses the same applies - who lusts after a 2013 Fender std American over a 1960's original? Well I'd bet in 2050 Fener are churning out (from a factory on the moon) "Custom Shop 2013 Relic P Bass" at 3x the price of the standard model. As bas that in its time was good, but through the passage of time and survival becomes a dream bass. Funny old world. I've got motorbikes that 30 years ago people threw away. They are now my pension pot and going up all the time.

I think this version of "Happy" is close to become the modern day Mustang Sally, I think I've heard it at every pub gig I've been to in the last 2 months. I don't know what all the fuss is about, it is the most average song to be placed in the same pile as anything by Take That, One D, Girls Aloud and other such tosh that is churned out of musics equivalent to a Chinese 50p Christmas cracker plastic toy factory. Would have been interesting to hear Cee-Lo sing it and funk it up, perhaps that would have worked. Cheers, Rich

That would be Le Coquenielles (sp?) would it not? It would need an "a" of course in there somewhere to be truly authentic.

Le Merderers

I guess my play on the word "hit" was lost then The thread title said something completely different to me.

[quote]What is this............rehearsal that you speak off? [/quote] It is where a group of musicians get together to identify which ones have not done enough practice the week before.

Had a first meeting of a new band tonight, in a pub as neutral territory. Everyone got on, even with the drummist, and we agreed a short set list and rehearsal for around a weeks time. My dilemma - at the first rehearsal do I turn up with the six-pak and sit in the background, or do I turn up with the 9B cab as well, turn it all up as far as it will go and blur their vision just to pee on my tree? As Steve said, more is more, and I'm finding it difficult to see beyond that!

I believe the cost of a hit varies with the geographical location and the intended target. As low as £100 in South America perhaps, but into tens of thousands for a European capital dweller.

I think cover bands probably started many centuries ago when someone would piano a Bach or other such dusty type composer in an ale house or at a private ball event. More recently surely people covered all the main 20-30's blues/roots bands all the way from the 30's onwards. As they say, nothing is new!

[quote]...on what list? [/quote] The Route 66 cover list - bit difficult to follow 3 conversations in the same thread!