Frank Blank

Please don't take any of this personally, they are just reasoned responses to your grenades and, of course, just an opinion... Is it fair to say that if you can't understand a word that a death metal vocalist utters it's not really singing? The OED defines singing as... To articulate or utter words or sounds in succession with musical inflections or modulations of the voice, so as to produce an effect entirely different from that of ordinary speech; spec. to do this in a skilled manner, as the result of training and practice. ...although the definition neither mentions the need for the words to be understandable nor defines what the definition means by skilled manner I don't really think the definition is tight enough to exclude death metal singers simply because the words are difficult to discern. Was Led Zepplin a better band than Al Krow's two covers bands ever will be? Well on just about every definition going, yes. Hence the unfortunate idea that a set of applied definitions confers quality. IMHO Led Zepplin aren't a better band that The Spice Girls and Tom Waites isn't a better artist than Black Lace. I prefer Led Zepplin to The Spice Girls (admittedly by a surprisingly narrow margin) and I prefer Tom Waites to Black Lace but to just say better and by definition are giving some bands inherent superiority over others and I don't think that's really possible. It can only ever be subjective, surely? There's great rock (and jazz) music and then there's noise. And plenty of stuff in between. It is all just noise, we apply the words, I just applied noise in a broader way that you did, equally the words rock, jazz, great and stuff are applied words and that application is wholly subjective. My Dad would have called System Of A Down noise and never have referred to SOADs vocalist as a singer. We apply the words and when lots of us apply the words great singer they become, by definition, a great singer but I do not think that makes Frank Sinatra inherently any superior to Serj Tankian. I'm only saying this because it's a thing, in society, in groups generally and it is something I find in musical circles particularly, that there is a general consensus that some kind of music or artist is actually better than another and that's fine but then people ridicule others because they may not hold the same orthodoxy and then they belittle those who like (what the others perceive as) inferior (I am not saying you are doing this whatsoever btw) and that isn't a good thing IMHO.

Oooohhhffffff. That, Sir, is a humdinger!

Damn *rushes to find a copy for early Human League, B.E.F., Heaven 17 completist issues* Ahhhh yes...

1. Do you prefer buying from a music shop or online shop? I always buy from a music shop if I am buying an instrument or an amp. Accessories, strings etc. online. 2. Do you prefer to try before you buy? If it’s an instrument or amp, yes. 3. In your experience what is missing from most music stores you have visited? Staff that don’t play some virtuosic riff before they give you the guitar to try thus making you feel inadequate. I find saying “OK, f****** sling yer hook Satriani” usually does the trick. Seriously, patronising musos spoil the music shop experience, not so in my local store which means they get all my hard earned. 4. How far would you travel to go to music shop If I want a particular item and it’s in a distant shop I go get it. I drove from Essex to Edinburgh once to try/buy a guitar. 5. What would attract you to a music shop ie range, price etc It not being staffed by patronising musos who Make me go all finger breaky.

No worries, click get-a-quote then each model.

The starting prices are between $1750 - $1900 according to the website.

I’d say this is bang on as a rule of thumb.

I have a couple of these... Electrician Aluminium Lockable Flight Case Tool Box Storage Plastic Handle New https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008JAOKB8/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_tai_VrsxAbJ9RP96H

I started playing in bands at 15 yrs of age and it took over twenty years to find a stable committed band and after that finished another ten years to settle into the duo I’m part of now. If my musical collaborator left now I’d pack it in. Actually, thinking about it, my current musical project began in 2004 and we did our first gig in late 2017, so I can’t really comment as I think we are mad. What I might suggest is that if you are good musicians doing covers you might be quicker at getting a set together than bands that are writing original material. Not saying one is superior to the other here btw.

I think it is extremely rare to find committed musicians prepared to work. They are either young and wanting disproportionate success to the amount of work they are prepared to put in or older and too jaded to put work in,it seems difficult to find a sweet spot, I have rarely found musicians who are willing to work in order to get a good set together, it’s either musos wanting a compliant platform from which they can flaunt their virtuosity or pedestrians who didn’t realise making good music is a difficult and arduous task. I think the answer is that you need more luck than anything else and don’t let go of that guitarist. Good luck.

This one?

Hooligans, I do love that word and they sure were, perfect nomenclature.

That was at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, a Birthday Party gig, MA wasn’t even onstage. Everyone was looking over the balcony above the stairs when he walked in, someone gobbled and everyone else just joined in, he was soaked, he turned around and left. I remember a similar situation when Orange Juice backed up Killing Joke at Hammersmith Palais, they were spat at so much it was even dripping off the drummer. I remember Edwin Collins leaving the stage with the wry observation of “You’ve got very adhesive spittle”.

They were gentlemen not to be trifled with.

That gig is actually legendary in KJ circles.

Killing Joke were a band you were risking trouble with if you spat at them, I’ve seen a few post gig dust ups. JJB was a major reason I picked up a bass. Just as a possible list of interest, these are people I have successfully spat at in a gig situation... Suggs Fad Gadget Ian Astbury Kim Gordon Nick Cave Marc Almond Doctor (from Doctor And The Medics) ...it’s not big nor clever but what the hell.

Thank you so much! That’s perfect.

Any chance you could post a pic of the back of the SWB Pro? I’ve just ordered one and I’m curious to see the back.

I wholly agree with this.

This...

Oh my God, Fragile... such a +1.

Jah Wobble on Metal Box, sublime. That’s the pinnacle for me, right there.