lozkerr

A very belated +1 for Dylan covers. Peter, Paul and Mary's covers of Blowin' In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changing are sublime. Not forgetting Janis' cover of Piece Of My Heart.

Just back from the Audio Lounge in Glasgow after a gig with the punk band. We were second out of four and went down really well. Quite a small venue - it certainly isn't the Barrowland - but I'm really warming to more intimate spaces. The Stingray acquitted itself well, although it's getting a bit clattery. I think it's going to have to go to Chris McIntyre for him to work his magic. The backline was deffo old skool - SVT plus Workingman 810. Awesome sound and it was great to feel the air hitting the backs of my legs but completely OTT for such a small room. I wasn't complaining though, as for once I had enough oomph to hear myself over our volume 11 guitarist!

Social media's 'community standards' are just American cultural imperialism. As long as you remember that the only racial slurs that might get pulled are those seen as such over there - the N word comes to mind here - and portraying the destruction of life is fine but its creation is verboten, then you won't fall foul of their malgorithms. If I didn't need Faceache for band promo, I'd have ditched it long ago.

I'd find that a handy feature too. I'm impressed with folks like @40hz who can easily switch between the two. I have to stop and think for a moment whenever I have to do that.

Just back from another outing at the Reivers Sports Bar in Galashiels. A bit quieter than last time but we still had a few folk up and dancing. It was someone's birthday, so the Altered Images song made an unscheduled appearance. This was the first gig since I added the Thumpinator to the pedalboard and it made a hell of a difference. Tone was much more punchy and clear. Deffo money well spent. Rig: Sterling Stingray 5, Eden WTX264 into an Eden 210 cab. Pedals as shown: Footwear by Primani:

My first pro instrument was a five-string MIA Fender Jazz. It's a lovely bass - plenty of bite, perfectly balanced, looks the biz and is dead easy to play. I'll never part with it, even though my current weapon of choice is a Sterling Stingray 5.

Concur. I had a huge 'oh shit no' moment when I first saw this.

I've been pondering the idea of a video wall. My 80s band played a gig in front of one a few years ago, and our frontman's daughter very kindly created an MP4 of instantly-recognisable 80s films. We'll pass lightly over the licensing fee issue... It worked really well. I'd have liked to include some more political footage - the Falklands war, the miners' strike, a few memorable Spitting Image sketches and so on - but the link between the music and the footage made quite a difference. Video wall controllers aren't as expensive as they used to be, and second-hand flat-screen TVs could be used instead of pricey monitors, but including one involves (a) more gear to cart about, (b) a longer set-up time, (c) whoever is rigging the video wall needs to be done and dusted before the drummer and bass player need to set up and (d) most importantly, the video wall support needs to be stable enough so that it won't tip over and fall on the band. And it needs to be easy to fit-up and strike, too. Not a simple ask. But if I can find solutions, it'll solve the problems with having to have projectors out front in just the right place.

The Clickbait Adverts.

Oops, missed a word out. The promoter is called Queer As Punk. They arrange queer-friendly events, including gigs.

Queer punk gig last night in Edinburgh's Wee Red Bar with two other punk bands. Great atmos, plenty of people dancing, including one of my students from this Girls Rock School term. It was the first chance I'd had to make full use of my wireless rig - at its previous gig, I'd been literally backed into a corner at the Reivers Sports Bar in Galashiels with the 80s band. The stage is tiny and surrounded by railings, which meant that getting a six-piece band on was a very tight squeeze and once the bass player's on, she's staying there. But last night, I was able to wander out front and dance along with the audience. Big grins all round. We premiered a new song, too! And to cap it off, the headline band invited us over to Belfast. World tour! 😅 I took my trusty Sterling Stingray along and it acquitted itself very well through the venue's Peavey backline (I don't know the model - it was a combo with "Peavey' on the front) although it didn't have the clout that it does through my Eden rig. I had been thinking about adding my new sfx Thumpinator to my pedalboard, but then I remembered that fiddling with one's pedalboard just before a gig is officially Asking For It. I had a play with it today and it seems to work best when placed just after the wireless receiver / tuner. Next step is to see how it sounds in the studio as opposed to through a wee practice amp. No pics yet, as we're still waiting for the photographer to provide them, but we had a great time!

Oh dear. Tier 1 fail. At least I lasted longer than last year.

Absolutely this. Up to the end of last year, we were living on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. When the festivals came back after covid, every wee guitar hero prick turned up with an amp cranked to eleven. By the end of the first week, we'd given them all names, none of which were polite. Acoustic secondary glazing did manage to reduce our stress levels from 'imminent homicide' to 'annoyance' but of course that meant we couldn't open a window in summer. The street performers got in on the act too, last year. Every one of them had a wireless headset and an amp whereas before they just used to talk loudly. I absolutely loathe amplified busking.

I'd have done that! Be rude not to 😉

100%. There are a couple of bits in Paradise By The Dashboard Light that throw me every f'n time. Most of the verse is a simple twelve-bar, but there are a couple of places where the rhythm changes and I just cannot get them right. Play them through slowly, yes - but as soon as I try to increase the tempo, even by a few bpm, my fingers are all over the place. I haven't given up on it yet, as I hate being beaten, but it's very frustrating knowing where my fingers need to go and them deciding to do something else!