T-Bay

The sex pistols - I was a weird 10 year old Iron Maiden - Paul Di’Anno years - when I realised I didn’t like the chart music my class mates were listening to. Bob Mould - in Sugar/ Husker Du/ solo - just amazing wall of noise sound on Beaster that has never been bettered in my opinion. Tilted is the single most perfect song ever for me. My top 10 swings and changes on a daily basis but rarely is Tilted ever challenged for top spot.

Beck - Loser, I remember hearing the single and thinking it was one of the worst things I had ever heard. Over a period of a few years it gradually worked its way into head and I love Beck now.

Sweet little machine at Feeder last year. They were brilliant but more importantly their sound was superb whereas Feeder’s sound was awful - kick drum overload x100

Sit down - James I like it but was a little resistant on putting it in the set as I didn’t think it would be popular. How wrong I was, it’s an absolute guaranteed floor filler.

Even cheaper off AliExpress (how can it be cheaper sent from Half way round the world? But there you go). I paid £2 posted last time and that was enough to do a couple of basses.

We have the joy and despair of a mate with the most amazing ear for music. Why joy and despair? Joy on the rare gig he can make when we know we will sound as good as we possibly can, despair that we have to try and get close to that when he isn’t there.

Not sure Dana will ever be classic rock to me 😁😁

Repeat booking yesterday - 3rd year in a row and bonus was a very talented mate agreed to do some solos for the Christmas songs - on his flute. Sounds strange but worked a great in rehearsal. So cue the first big solo and out guitarist/ vocalist announces him, we all turn to look at him and he isn’t there! He is in the crowd chatting to someone. He is always a bit random so we are used to it but we took the mick mercilessly. 100+ up dancing the whole time so all was good, asked back for next year.

If you think you aren’t good enough then you really need to join a band. I know this sounds crazy, but nothing has forced/ encouraged me to improve more than knowing I needed to be gig ready. I have now been playing 3 years and 2 months, my first gig was two months after first starting. I was out of my comfort zone big time, but worked hard and it went very well overall. We were booked again, and again and will be playing there in three weeks time so I can’t have been too bad! Be honest and tell any prospective band where you are technically if they ask, I think as long as you are ok then personality is at least as important in most bands.

Work with one set of band mates, work with the friends/ partners of the other.

Actually that makes far more sense to me. It seems strange as a right hander that it’s my left seemingly doing the complex stuff. Sadly short of inventing a time machine there is no way of determining whether it would in fact be easier to learn to play on a left handed bass.

As everyone knows, the ideal number of basses for anyone can be determined by a simple equation- Perfect number = the number you already own +1

I have a very expensive set of Peltor active ear defenders as one of my other hobbies is target shooting and I am a qualified range conducting officer for our club so I need to be able to hear very well while not suffering the ‘crack’ on discharge (cue the carry on jokes). I have worn them at a practice, partly as a mickey take and partly in the hope that the lead guitarist would get the hint and they are brilliant. I imagine it's that sort the doctor is thinking of and is looking for maximum protection as would be their ideal (but forgetting practicality). Would I wear them at a gig? Would I stuff, you would look an utter pillock. I am more than happy with the job my moulded plugs are doing. If anyone is interested you can get a good idea of sound transference through the bone by gently touching a tuning fork behind the ear. It’s quite a weird experience at first.

Always nice to have a physical copy. With the potential of any digitally held media to either be corrupted or rendered obsolete, I want a ‘real’ copy I know I can access (and I like the cover artwork aspect).

I am happy to hold for a couple of weeks if needed but not much longer. Someone is in most of the time if that helps.

Free for collection from Tamworth, 20-30 bass guitar mags, pretty much perfect condition. Last couple of years or so up to last month. I am unable to post, sorry.

You really got me by the Kinks. seven nation army come as you are isn’t much more than one riff with a few fillers

Started my first band at 44, then a second to get more gigs in at 46, so as above nowhere close to too old. We regularly see local bands where no one is below pensionable age, often by quite a long way.

From a mates wedding, one taken during our (very short) sound check and a nice one with of myself just visible between the bride and bridesmaid.

Just remember to spit in the bosses tea every time you pass........😎

Gone up a bit now but the exchange rate was a lot better a couple of years back. https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Behringer-XM8500-Vocal-Microphone-with-Boom-Stand-and-Cable/C9P still a bargain though!

Mad isn’t it! Mine came for less than £20 with a stand and delivery, the body is metal, components seem good quality and it even comes in a decent plastic and foam case. Had it two years and it’s been well used and is still perfect with no issues. There is no on/off switch but other than that I can’t see how the Shure is that different. Edit: just looked and the £20 included a cheap XLR cable as well as the stand.

It is indeed!

Behringer Microphone, cost about £20 worth a stand from gear4music, tried in a blind test against a decent Shure SM and a professional musician friend with a truly amazing ear could not tell which was which.

FTFY