Paul S

My current band. I've listened to blues/rock music all my life, it communicates with me in a way most other music doesn't. The rockier stuff like Hendrix, SRV, Jeff Healey. As long as the guitar playing has 'that' edge. The reason I play bass is because I'd never managed to play blues guitar as well as I aspired to, which was frustrating on the one hand but opened up a whole new world of bass on the other. Anyhoo, I've always been on the lookout for a blues rock band but never, ever discovered a guitarist who could cut it. December 2018 I answered an ad in Join My Band - an Ipswich based guitarist with a drummer looking for a bassist for a blues rock trio. Own rehearsal space in Braintree - drummer is a farmer and has a huge old barn available. I was sent a video of him playing at a jam night and a few songs to learn from a longish established set list - I knew most of the tunes in the set anyway. Turned up for a 4 song audition in the March and we just all clicked - jammed the whole set over 2 hours. Over the ensuing months we tightened up, my first time in a trio and I absolutely love it. Alan hadn't been gigging for a long while, kids and Life etc, and the more we played the more he relaxed with the band and the more he started to let loose with his playing! We came to the attention of one of Suffolk's prominent guys on the music scene - Stephen 'Foz' Foster, who at the time was a DJ on BBC Radio Suffolk, now Radio Caroline. He kind of adopted us - puts some nice gigs our way and plays tracks from our live CD on his radio show. He has described us as 'one of the best bands to come from the region' which puts a warm glow inside. It is everything I have ever wanted from a band and worth the hassle of travelling to gigs. I am 66 now and some mornings feeling my age - got a growing portfolio of back issues and a spot of arthritis in my hands. All things considered I reckon it is my last hurrah and, however long this lasts, I intend to enjoy every bit of it.

Tact and empathy, generally.

I'll add my Scottish Power veto to the growing list. Long story short, we bought a house which was demolished and all the services notified, final meter readings done etc. 4 months later we got a gas bill from them and despite numerous phone calls, live chat exchanges, photograph of disconnected meter sitting on a heap of rubble, plus a complaint, it took a letter to the CEO to stop the demands for payment. And someone still called round to do a reading about a year on. Could have done without the hassle. Oh, while I am here - another 'Spoons veto. Not because of the way they treated staff but because the food was absolute sh!te on the single occasion I ate in one. Thought I'd play it safe with burger and chips but they still managed to ruin it. Worst food I have ever eaten out, I'd hesitate before feeding it to foxes.

Rich and famous, eh?

Largely, it could be argued, by dint of remaining alive TBF he has always been my favourite Beatle. By all accounts he is pretty grounded, a remarkable achievement considering. Unlike the Fab One, who constantly reminds us all he is a Living Legend.

One of our residency gigs. What better than some rockin' RnB on a cold, wet Friday night.

These make me giggle, I must say. And what the actual name is once unravelled - stuff like 'Zombie Slime' or 'Decomposing Foetus' that bubble up from the rancid depths of pubescent brain. I suppose The Colin Jones Quartet doesn't quite cut it, but still

F. You were abducted by Aliens, who strongly resembled large woodlice, on the way home from your rehearsal. They carried out non-invasive procedures upon you and your bass but the small mark managed to slip by un-noticed. They then wiped your memory of the incident, leaving nothing but a nagging half-recollection of seeing a bright light and a tendancy to curl into a tight ball on the floor when startled. If you were to get the mark analysed it would be shown to have traces of elements not found on Earth. Remember, the truth is out there...

Well, I wasn't in, as such. But, had I been in, I'd now be out as I've just left a deposit with David Konig who is going to put something together for me. Could be the bass of my dreams - a short scale, lightweight Faker... 😍 3 weeks to go....

if I need anything like this I always find something appropriate after a trawl through the local charity shops. Which is a decent enough hobby, anyway. Got some great old lap top bags that sling over my shoulder - usually packed with pockets and compartments.

That sounds like the old Tommy Cooper joke Doctor, my arm hurts in two places. Well, don't go to those places then.

As a kind of evolution of Tony Levin's chopsticks? Why not - can only be an improvement over what I do at the moment! I'll have a rummage in the kitchen utensil drawer see what else I can come up with. Off the top of my head I remember seeing an old apple corer or maybe a vintage runner bean slicer.

I have the onset of OA in the fingers of both hands and have found fingerless compression gloves help when it starts to flare up. Can still play with them on. I do find the ladle gets in the way sometimes.

His videos are priceless. I particularly like the way he demonstrates the buzz unless he rests his hands on the strings. That would be hard to describe, otherwise. Still, it is a completely different bass so a potential buyer could only hope the telebass in the listing had the same.

For me, absolutely not. Even if I had started early, not late, in life - the lifestyle of a professional musician is not for me and is nothing I would ever have aspired to. Much as I enjoy playing bass and being in a band it is purely as a hobby and on my terms. Being a bassist is a part of my life but it doesn't define me.

You can say that again. What a great voice - loads of character!

Fixed

I guess you are going to spend your 4000 bucks on CDs...

I'd have a look at a 60s EB-0 or EB-3 shorty. I've never had one of those powerful old sidewinder mudbuckers but think I'd like it.

Indeed. Get yourselves over to the southeast, Gary!