lozkerr

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!

Three-set outing at the Reivers Sports Bar in Galashiels last night. Six of us had to squeeze onto a stage that was all of three metres square and boxed in by railings. It was tight, to say the least. First time we'd played there and the punters were quite boisterous, with many of them celebrating Rangers' 4-3 win over whoever the other lot were. Dundee, maybe. Went down really well, including six new songs that were having their first outing. Plenty of happy punters dancing and singing along. On the downside, the back of the stage was in almost complete darkness so I spent a lot of time squinting at the neck trying to see the fretboard markers. Then during the second set, my strap came off. I had to perch on the edge of my cab desperately punching out root notes on the one until the song ended. I think that'll be me out of the gear abstinence thread when I get a set of Schallers. We're playing there again on the 17th May. The rig will be the same as last night - Sterling Stingray 5, Eden WTX264 atop an Eden 210 cab turned on its side (the space was that tight!). Something to cast a bit of light on the neck is on the cards - the light from my tablet helped a bit but not enough. All in all though, a great night!

Beat me to it. Fourth on B to 6th on A is exactly what I'd do.

Perhaps an obvious step, but have you checked your spam / junk email folders?

I have a moon, but I'm not sure about letting it out of the house. The last time I did that, the police arrested me for indecent exposure.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. I have just (literally, unfortunately) wet myself laughing at this! I now can't get the Breeders' Cannonball video out of my mind.

Same here. PA, lights and a couple of amps will be finding their way onto the marketplace shortly. I'm not packing in gigging - it's just that the gear isn't getting the use I hoped it might and I can think of better uses for the money I'm spending on storage costs.

Games People Play - the Joe South version. ETA: the first song I played in public was Pretty In Pink.

First gig of 2025 with the punk band is a two-day mini festival at the Home Bar and Leith Depot in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th January. We're kicking off the evening slot at Leith Depot on Saturday the 18th.

I'm in too! Unsure how long I'll last though...

I'm in too. A house move has all but wiped out my gear fund, so it'll be consumables and repairs/like-for-like replacements only this year.

Best has to be my Sterling Stingray 5. Its punch sounded fabulous in the shop and blew me away when I first gigged it. Worst has to be a Boss bass overdrive. No matter how much I twiddled the knobs, I could never get a decent sound out of it. I've replaced it with an EHX which I hope will be an improvement.

I was idly browsing Gear4Music last night and came across what seems to be a range of new Eden amps. The Orbiter combos look pretty basic compared to the gold-faced monsters of old and the cynic in me can't escape the thought that they're just generic boxes riffing off the Eden brand, but I'd love to be proved wrong. Anyone tried one? Eden Orbiter

I've decided to treat myself to an Electro-Harmonix Big Bass Muff, as the distortion pedals I've tried so far have been a bit on the weedy side. I can't think of anything else I'm likely to want. This week, at least 😉

There's a pretty good chance I'll make it through next year - I've just moved house and the legal fees have severely depleted my gear fund savings. That, plus having to buy a lot of new furniture means that I won't exactly be flush for quite a while now.

Fundraising gig for International Women's Day at Edinburgh's Wee Red Bar last night. Pretty packed, lots of people dancing and a great vibe. VID-20241125-WA0000.mp4

Same here. I'd tried a couple of six-strings a while back, and had another go when I bought my Stingray earlier this year. Both times I found the neck on the sixer was far too wide for my girly wee hands as I use the B string a lot. So I bought the five-string Stingray and I'm chuffed to bits with it. It's far punchier than my Fender Jazz Deluxe.

Well for me, it's the neck width. I've played fives for quite a while now and can't see myself ever going back to a four, but I don't have hands the size of shovels and I'd struggle with a six. And yes, I have tried a few.