super al

Managed to get some quiet time to myself and put the headphones on the mobile. I'm a bit of an old git so new music never really appeals to me. When I hear it on the radio I think that's pretty good but when you see and hear it live the song goes to a whole different level for me. Is there an MD in the band or does Rory tell you the arrangement?

Saw Rag n Bone Man on the last leg, lovely, soulful arrangement of 'human'. Great set of pipes on that man and I enjoyed the bass playing too!👏👍

I recorded both Stop Making Sense and True Stories off the telly when I was a kid. T.S. is a strange thing but S.M.S. is, by far, my favourite live recording. Should be a seminal bass album, it's a dirty funk thang! Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and D.B.'s solo stuff all great to me. I even enjoyed listening to Yes Please! by the Mondays the other night (Frantz n Weymouth producing) Stanley's School Days made me go "Wow, this guy can play a bit"

Glad to see Mark King on the list. Big bassist in the 80s who dropped off the radar but now constantly touring and generally promoting himself and L42, he's doing very well. Percy Jones would be in my top 17, great fretless player with Brand X who have been touring again. Probably suffers from not being in a high profile band.

Mmmm...I thought Kevin's was a place on earth!

I'm not sure I'm bringing much to my current band other than being the guitarist's taxi (he contributes good conversation and diesel money). In previous bands I've organised and printed off set lists (nobody else offered!), Borrowed the works van as a tour bus, driven the van to God knows where! Picked up the singer and 2 guitarists for rehearsal when singer couldn't borrow his parents' car, organised rehearsal space, written music, organised recording sessions, etc. All with a smile on my face and a bass in my case. Nowadays I find myself in a band where everyone else seems to take responsibility for these things. It gives me more time to concentrate on my family and also practice the songs!

I'm being lazy not posting the actual music but two theme tunes from the mid 80s I loved Airwolf and Miami Vice Miami Vice I still have on 7" single with Crockett's theme on the flip, first introduction to Jan Hammer.

I loved The Sweeney theme tune from the 70s, does that count as a groove?

100% on the bassists, some I recognised the basses, some I instantly recognised the stance or the hands, some I just guessed (process of elimination my dear Watson). I guess just looking at the pictures in BGM for years probably helped, glad that time wasn't wasted!

Hey Dave has your wife got a younger sister? I think my wife actively avoids going anywhere near music shops! (I'm being cheeky and presumptuous about the age of your wife, I do apologise)

This is a bit flash innit!

We got asked to play at Salisbury's big fireworks do on Saturday. No money offered (apart from expenses) but we agreed to do it as a promotional opportunity apart from our keyboard player who flatly refuses to get out his Rolands for less than £200! It was only for 30 mins anyway so we got a mate of the drummer in to dep. He had to drive from devizes for 3 rehearsals and the gig, bless him, so we paid him out of expenses (sounds daft but we now have a keys dep in reserve). Also we had flyers printed and 2 banners for the side of the stage, drummer's wife and daughter handing out flyers while we played. A good opportunity to get our name out there as about 3000 punters turn up to watch the fireworks. We had to share the bill with a band called Total Recall who were great, let us use their gear (they headlined). Apart from both drummers wanting their own kit on stage which caused a bit of a squeeze. The stage btw is a lorry trailer so just long and thin. Showtime was good, we were all suited and booted and the first 3 tunes are segued together, very slick! Another half a dozen cheesy tunes and it was all over! Back to the dressing room for m&s sandwiches and beer, pat each other on the back and get back into civvies to watch the other band. The fireworks were pretty good but I was loading me car at that point. Back home by ten past eight for the sh!tstorm called getting the kids to bed! Hopefully we'll get asked back for next year.

I see the Tony Levin funk fingers are £117! Our drummer keeps threatening to make me a pair from his old sticks, I made a rude hand gesture in response :0)

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1509270682' post='3397645'] Dweezle and Moon Unit have fallen out? Oh no! How I wished I had been there during the name-calling phase of the argument. [/quote] Lol, no. Dweezil and Moon Unit have fallen out with their moderately named brother, Ahmet. I'm sure I read a top 10 of worse celeb kids' names and Dweezil only came 7th!

I wonder what Frank would make of the current family feud between his kids? I'm not a Zappa completest but a fan who does own nearly all the 2012 reissues. Some of the older CDs have mixes that sound terrible so I was glad they remixed the whole back catalogue!

I now have 2 one10s, had just the one but it didn't cut through with our keyboard player (big prog fan, lovely bloke but thinks 'more is more'!). Great sound now at volume with a bh550. I use an octave and flange toneprint and it's all good. Our Mickey taking drummer asked if I'd brought my hi-fi speakers when I got them both out (I think I've mentioned that before, my wife keeps telling me I repeat myself, it must be an age thing!) No more struggling with big, heavy speakers and a great sound, no brainer!

I watched that TOTP and wondered the exact same thing! I also wondered how the hell Adam Ant got into the top 40 with that terrible song!!!

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1508103404' post='3389822'] In my soul/funk functions band we started out with the intention of playing songs we wanted to hear played that weren't necessarily regular fare. Fast forward four years & with the exception of maybe two songs we're playing pretty much what every soul/funk function plays & it's difficult to add new stuff outside of that, cos that's what people seem to want. We even broke our no Mustang Sally & Superstition rule after a while...you can't ignore the classics when people are paying you a decent fee to hear em. [/quote] We've just started out with the same maxim, let's play stuff that's not the same ol' stuff every function band churns out. Turns out that's a tall order! 1st gig, the party host requested 5 tunes, 5 tunes we had to learn because we strayed from the function band norm. Not complaining though, part of the fun is learning new tunes. Picking new material seems to be a bit fraught at times, I'm on a similar wavelength to the keyboard player with our 80s choices but drummer and singer can be a bit harsh if they don't like what you pick. We try a few tunes out and then see what sticks really, some start out as good ideas but might not work (dancing in the street springs to mind, we sounded terrible!)

I've been ill recently so not ideal prep for a Saturday night gig in lovely Bramdean (village near Winchester). It was the keyboard player's sister-in-law's 50th and we were playing in a large marquee with a stage and dancefloor. Load in and soundcheck was 10am and the venue is an hour+ (once I've picked up the guitarist)) from Salisbury so early start and then back home about 2pm! Back to Bramdean for 9pm (with guitarist) and the nerves + anxiety about playing ill kick in so didn't join in with beer sampling and food that was on offer (lovely, apparently). Band members showing concern by now so guitarist said I could sit on his cab during the gig as I've got one10s and they're not great to sit on! 10pm comes around and we start with 'everybody needs somebody' and it's funny how music can just lift you up, maybe it's Duck Dunn's bassline but from the first note until the last (a low E, 500 miles!) 2 hours later, I felt the best I'd been all week! Dancefloor was busy with young and old, keyboard player's mother-in-law is 82 and had a boogie! Our singer put his mic down and had a bop too. I even managed to stand up for the last 5 or 6 tunes myself! Everyone had a great time, dismantle, load out and back home for 2am. I'm enjoying the function band life, bonfire night next with a dep keyboard player. Bring it on!

Sorry, hat, waistcoat and a squier katana? On yer bike sonny!

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1507296359' post='3384597'] Did someone say something about waistcoats and hats together?? [attachment=255082:DSC_0562.jpg] [/quote] You seem to pull it off though FinnDave, the hair, the beard & the shades go well with the hat n waistcoat look. I used to have the hair but it slipped off the back of my head!

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1507245539' post='3384293'] Then you're allowed to have a mullet instead. [/quote] Three fish in the same post, is that a hat-trick? 😁

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1507241455' post='3384256'] If you play double bass it's compulsory to wear a hat! [/quote] What if it's an electric double bass? Can I get away without the hat?

Vernon Reid of Living Colour. I'm not massively into metal but his playing always stands out in that genre for me.