blue

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1407795214' post='2524176'] That's really interesting Blue. We didn't get any of those shows at time here in the UK and we only saw them this side of the pond in the late 70s / early 80s when VCRs became popular over here. As one of the Dave Clark Five said when they were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2008 if it wasn't for the Americans there would have been no British invasion. I know that's pretty obvious but it makes perfect sense. It interesting that so many American groups wanted to look and sound like the Brits even though the Brits got most of their inspiration from American rock and roll. I have a friend in the US that tells me he was convinced that the Beau Brummels were British for years! [/quote] Yes any band name ending with the letters ELS made them sound British at that time. The Turtles would be another example. Funny you mentioned The Beau Brummels, only a hard core Sly & The Family Stone fan like me would know The Beau Brummels were a San Francisco act produced by Sly Stone who actually wrote their hit "Laugh Laugh". Blue

It took me until I was in my late 50s to go out and buy whatever gear I wanted. Within reason. Blue

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1407745234' post='2523431'] Most pop/rock groups appeared on TV variety shows in the 60s and 70s . Remember the Jimi Hendrix Experience on the Lulu Show? Thank Your Lucky Stars wasn't a variety show and was as important as Top Of The Pops, Ready Steady Go, Juke Box Jury etc at bringing pop to the teenagers of the UK. [/quote] Over here in the USA we had The Hollywood Palace, Ed Sullivan, Hullabaloo, Shin Dig, American Band Stand , Where the Action Is, ect.. Most of these shows aired from the mid 60s to the end of the decade. As a kid I watched all of these national shows plus the local stuff we had. I watched very carefully, what the bands were playing, what they were wearing, what they were singing and what they were saying. I watched them in Black & White and all of them took me to a different place, a better place for that brief 30 minutes to an hour. I think we might have picked up on the whole variety/vaudeville from the UK. Blue

One thing I can say about Vance. He works hard. Take a look at this clip; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5NHaD_s70 Agreed? Blue

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1407686761' post='2523009'] Here in Blighty we forget that Herman's Hermits were a [i]humungous[/i] act in the States. In our mental odds'n'sods drawer they languish alongside Freddie and The Dreamers, Marmalade, the Dave Clark Five and many other acts who enjoyed fleeting UK fame then ended up on the 1970's 'chicken-in-a-basket' circuit. Good that Mr Noone's still out there and glad that Blue had a rewarding evening. [/quote] I had no idea Herman's Hermits didn't have the same success in the UK they had over here. Blue

I remember the days when this genre of music was huge. Personally I love it. What happened over here in the US, did we just decide we didn't like talent and great collaborative music anymore? Blue

Thanks Guys. It was good networking. Blue

Last night at WI State Fair we did a show with Hermans Hermits staring Peter Noone. I got a chance to spend some time with *Vance Brescia back stage and got a good lessen about vintage gear. A genuine nice guy from NYC. [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*Vance Brescia is musical director and lead guitar player for Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone[/font][/size]. Vance is a singer, songwriter and performer whose talent has amazed audiences since the 1980s. In 1986 The Monkees recorded and made a million seller of his song, "That was Then, This Is Now" as the theme for their [url="http://community.livejournal.com/summerslast/347.html"]comeback tour[/url].

I played with my fingers for over 40 years. A few years ago, I realized that the riffs, licks and grooves that I play now are easier to execute with a pick. Blue

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1407226792' post='2518432'] I don't think an equal split is going to be that equal.... and I would wonder why anyone would insist on it..altho I get that deps can chance their arm and ask for more. [/quote] What do you think of this? If your a 4 peice at that $400.00-$500.00 threshold it's not enough money to quibble over so an equal split seems best to me.If your talking larger margins than I can see why a band would use other arangements for pay. Blue

Flats on a TBird, I don't know. I guess it depends on your style of playing. I love flats on my German Made Hofner Club, but I use rounds on my 91 Gibson Tbird. Blue

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1407148356' post='2517696'] I'm with you, Blue. Must be in a gigging band. It has to pay, because I have few other ways of keeping bread on the table. But I do enjoy it. I too am getting on a bit, 61, but there's no stopping now. Bad shoulders, back, and eyes have all been repaired to keep me going! My main band for nearly 8 years stops at Christmas, so I've changed direction to an acoustic covers trio. The new bit for me is it's MY band. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out! [/quote] I got lucky 3 years ago. I won a spot as a member of a a female lead guitarist fronted 70s style hard rock/ blues band with decent and consistant biker bar business. I'm still with them. These type of gigging band opportunities are not easy to find in my area. If your in this for the joy of gigging as much as the money I think you have to ask the prospective band a few hard hitting questions; [list] [*]You don't have your schedule on line, how many bookings do you have over the next 6 months [*]How many paid gigs did the band play last year [*]Is in an equal split [*]Is there a band fund I would have to contribute to [*]What is the bands standard fee [*]How many unpaid gigs did you play last year [/list] All reasonable questions to ask if a band is serious about bringing you on board. Blue

I'm one of those guys that has to be in a band, a working band. I have a buddy, great rock guitarist but he doesn't have to be in a band and he hasn't been. He hasn't gigged in over 3 years. That would be like being in hell for me. Keep in mind he has a huge boat on the marina, a girl friend and runs his own business. Blue

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1407098775' post='2517367'] I know exactly what I want. I want to be in a 3 piece with a couple of friends, both of whom are very talented and fun to be around. I want to play the side man and support the singer/guitarist and do everything I can to make him sound and look good. I want to play a few times a year to a minimum of 300 people. [/quote] Interesting, I just realized how I have had to compromise. I am never able to play the music I really like. If I did I would never gig or earn any money at all from playing. Blue

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1407095713' post='2517315'] Blue, I don't know how you can do 4 hour gigs. I'd be f**ked after 2 hours before my health problems. More power to your elbow Sir. Respect. [/quote] I still have that same enthusiasm for playing before a crowd that I had when I started gigging as a kid in 1966. I can't shake it. I move a lot slower and deal with the pain as best I can. It's not just the 4 hours, it's the tear down and packing up that really does a number on me. Another thing is I don't have any other hobbies or other interests to take up my time. A lot of guys that started playing in the mid 60s are now gardening and fishing. My fear is lugging gear into bars at 70 years of age. And my situation seems minor compared to the post author. He get's the respect. Blue

About 5 years ago I joined a band because they had 2 cds out and a ton of butt kicking hard rocking original material. They also had an awesome front person and cool marketing presence. I had to audition 3 times and finally made the cut and I was offered the job. I didn't really think this one out and accepted the offer. My thing is gigging/live performance and making $$. I forgot about this because I was so taken by the material. I thought, these guys can't miss. After a few months a realized I had joined a basement rehearsal band that didn't have any gigs or a plan or desire to get them. The gigs they did have were no pay shows. The band broke up after all members refused to play a charity no pay gig. Live and learn. [size=4][font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size]

I think a lot of guys go out and audition for bands before they have really defined what they are looking for in a band experience. Some of us are looking for creativity where there is a lot of recording, writing and creative collaboration, some of us are looking at specific genres and some are looking consistent bookings and $$. Whatever it is, define and stream line your search and find the opportunity that meets your needs and requirements as an artist. It might mean you will have to start your own project. Comments Blue

I use a Voodoo Lab power brick . Beehttp://www.zzounds.com/item--VDLPP2. I have been using my G30 since 2009. I could never go back to using a cord. Unless your in the back ground, playing by the drummer the G30 is a must.

[size=4][font=Arial]I'm 61 and my time will eventually come, I still play around 70 shows ( 4 hour shows ) annually, however that's with at least 1000 milligrams of Ibuprofen.I have chronic hip pain with pain traveling all the way into my toes.[/font] [font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size]

Very cool, love the Orange rig. Blue

[quote name='stubass' timestamp='1406848635' post='2515390'] Guys! I've been quite conscious of my technique lately. I tend to mostly play with my thumb resting on the string above. Obviously, I can't do this with the E string so tend to use an imaginary one if that makes sense. Does anyone specificly play a 5 for this reason? I would like to fret an E sometimes, as well drop to flat tuning without second bass, detuning etc. I did play a peev 5 once, quite liked it actually but never played any low notes really. I have the chance of an G&L L2500 but would it be overkill or a sound reason for a punt? [/quote] I have always been a 4 string guy. I play with a pick. Blue

[quote name='TomKent' timestamp='1406841369' post='2515304'] Hello Chaps! Been a long time since I've posted but, it's been a hugely busy year. Anyway, to the purpose of this post: In a month or so, I'm jetting off on tour with an artist called Maxim (piano/electro/dnb stuff). This is the first time I've had to deal with some logistics within a tour, usually the management organise all the flight cases (well they have on previous tours) - so I've decided it's probably best to sort it all out myself. [b]First thing:[/b] I've got a 5-string Jazz bass, currently living its life in a Mono case, however there's a huge chance it'll have to go as hold luggage (as we're flying to South Korea & China/Hong Kong), [i]unless someone can advise me on how to get in as carry on guaranteed?[/i] Anyway, what's the best hard case that's affordable and extremely durable? [b]Secondly:[/b] My pedals - this is the first tour I'll be using ANY pedals on. Can I just use a basic adaptor and get my transformer to do all the work, or do I need to buy a specific transformer for each country? Any other tips etc would be massively handy, all my previous tours have generally involved tour buses from the UK and almost zero planes. Thanks in advance! [/quote] For your pedals i would get the transformer from Voodoo Lab with a 3 pronger. Blue I wish I was going on tour. At 60 years old,these 4 hour bar gigs are killing me

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1406559441' post='2512429'] This is humour (US = humor) right? The website, such as it is, appears to be designed to be as offensive as possible in a half-built, unfinished sort of way. And any band whose 'Next Gig' is in May 2014 needs to take a serious look at themselves. And surely [i][b]someone [/b][/i]in Milwaukee knows how to spell Garibaldi correctly. He was actually quite famous, you know ... [/quote] I received a response from The Funtree Cucks, Just as I thought, it's a [i]"for fun only"[/i] opportinity. Check it out. hey Blue...[font=HelveticaNeue,] We had a bunch on the books... including Summer fest BUT... Broke before we played the gigs. Regardless... we are all seasoned players too and have been in bands for 10-25 years but... Are not looking to do this for pay at all... Just for fun so... Todd[/font]

I think for bands that want to focus on gigging/live performance you have to understand what the market place, how big is it and if there is a place for your band to gig and be financially compensated. If your not in or near a decent size metro area gigs can be tough. However ,I think there are ways to deal with the small market areas, it just takes more effort to get gigs. Blue

I saw Bernard Fowler's ( Background singer for The Stones, 20 years) band at Shank Hall in Milwaukee on a Tuesday Night. No more than 15 people and they kicked butt. Blue