The Admiral

You could consider some t shirts, and they can be had for not much these days if you supply your own design, but don't get too many sizes, and definitely get some big ones - there are some big lads and lasses about at gigs, especially the old guys, who tend to have waists that now measure what their chest used to. Depending on the venue, a band I know had a load of girls skinny fit, strappy vest tops printed up and gave them to the barmaids, who wore them the night of the gig. That worked on a number of levels (!) and they were about £3 each IIRC.

I bought some mics and a couple of pedals last time I was over, but that was the days of 2 dollars to the pound, when it was like spending Monopoly money. I'm over again in June/July, so I'll have to keep a look out. I bought a fantastic Ibanez acoustic bass in the US too : Ex demo, from a guitar centre in NJ, and it was about £120. We were just passing in the car, and it was on one of the main roads, strip mall style. Mrs A wanted a coffee and there was a Starbucks next door, so we pulled over and I went for a mooch. No intention of buying anything, but my wife encouraged me, as she thought it was 'pretty'. This is why I married her.

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1428866800' post='2745495'] Sadly Jackson Spires passed away a few years back, brain embolism after a gig Greg T Walker did some great bass lines though - they're live album is truly great as well [/quote] That's very sad re Mr Spires. What is it with drummers and health issues? Agree regarding Greg T Walker, and is it 'Highway Song', the live album? I think I have it on vinyl..... Must dig it out.

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1428481702' post='2741599'] yes - a bit more mainstream rock rather than Southern Rock. On the black theme though Blackfoot did some cracking southern rock in the 80's - Ricky Medlocke was a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and is playing back with them again now - LS's God and Guns is a great album too while I'm prattling on... [/quote] Blackfoot.... Yes! Fantastic band - hugely underrated, and the Marauder album was the soundtrack to my summer in 1981. Cruising around in the 1.3 purple Metallic Morris Marina GT, with the cassette player going full tilt, and the windows down. Youth is wasted on the young...... Never saw them live, but any drummer whose nickname is 'Thunderfoot' is worth checking out.

I read some comments from Dee Snider yesterday, where he was clear he's very annoyed with his late drummer. I suspect some of it is the grief talking, but apparently the guy had heart disease throughout his family, and when they did the PM, his arteries were something like 95% blocked. Snider's point being , the guy knew he had a propensity for the condition, why didn't he go and get himself checked, further to which, it sounds like he'd have needed a bypass. He's also left 4 kids, split between an ex wife, and a girlfriend, and no will, so by the time the lawyers are finished there will be the square root of sod all left for his offspring. All very sad - a massive heart attack in the bunk of the tour bus at 50 something. Very sad that he could have still been around if he'd addressed it, but then of course, did he have the money/insurance to have major cardiac surgery? Easy to be smart after the event when we have the NHS.

Well known virtuoso drummer and fan of socialised medicine - Mr Portnoy - is back out next year, filling the drum stool of Twisted Sister it would seem. I wouldn't imagine that will be too testing on his paraddiddling skills, but hey, a gig is a gig. Lets hope they have a spare truck for his kit, plus a BUPA card and an iron lung as part of the rider. http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-04-08/twisted-sister-hire-portnoy-for-farewell-tour

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1426936756' post='2723633'] Most of these seem to be 'not mentioned' rather than under-rated. Anyway, my vote would be for Rick Danko of The Band. He complemented Levon Helm's drumming wonderfully. Boy, could he sing too. [/quote] Absolutely - great player, and as you say, what a singer.

[quote name='Krysbass' timestamp='1428056906' post='2737511'] Neil Murray (original Whitesnake bassist) - definitely deserves more recognition than he seems to get. [/quote] Definitely : 'Fool for your loving' is an absolute classic of the rock genre in my view. It could have plodded along, with a lot of roots, but it has a superb dynamic line, which brilliantly complements the arrangement.

[quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1428003901' post='2737028'] Well I am sticking with it and yeah, I am getting there like you all said. It's just a matter of getting up to speed. To answer an earlier question, I haven't mastered the plectrum yet, though I have started trying to use one. Funnily enough we have suggested some Rush - the drummer's favourite band - but strangely haven't incorporated any into the set yet! [/quote] Don't feel bad - even millionaire rock stars sometimes just can't get their part right. Check out Kirk Hammet trying to learn a Hetfield riff : the expression on Hetfield's face when he just can't Nail it is priceless, and no-one has ever accused Kirk of not being able to play. ( Except maybe Dave Mustaine). http://youtu.be/qgnKU1y8pGc

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1428011858' post='2737155'] I did! Didn't curb the singer's enthusiasm a bit - he has the drive of someone half his age. However, with my negativity/skepticism/realism and our violinist being away with her orchestra - we're not doing it. I think there'll be another similar 'opportunity' soon though. Our singer has focused on his (non-musical) career for years, and has recently become financially secure enough to quit his day job and the band is now his primary focus. To me it feels like there is a desire to haemorrhage cash as quickly as possible in the name of 'exposure'... Expensive EP/demo, loads of gigs, but all pay to play (including some support slots with reasonably successful acts) and not a second thought for anyone's day job. In fairness, we've done reasonably well so far - local TV and radio slots, music on Spotify, iTunes etc. As much as I moan, I love playing with the guys (makes a change from a the covers I've been playing for the past ten years), and I think our music genuinley does have something unique. Thanks for the advice, George [/quote] This is very interesting and feels to me like the heart of an issue which will, over time, come to a head. In any endeavour, I believe one needs to agree what 'success' looks like, and in a team or group situation, everyone needs to buy into that vision and be commited to achieving it. If you would be very happy, given your commitments, with well paying gigs of a weekend, and using some of your work holiday allowance to complete a short tour, or perhaps a couple of festivals - that may well be enough : good money, bit of a craic with the band mates and playing to hundreds of punters. If however, the singers vision is 'I can still make it in my 40s', and that requires you to be involved in very poorly thought through initiatives like the London showcase, which cost you money, but more importantly time away from your family, then - despite the band gig being a good one, which you enjoy, how sustainable is it? I'd also suggest that if that's his vision and he has the cash, he should be paying the band to back him - which completely changes the conversation. I've worked with a great band, who had songs, image and ability, but they were too old (30s and 40s) - and had too many commitments at their age to do the grinding hard work to build a following, which would get them signed. They spent tens of thousands of their own money on national tours, and always went down a storm, but were frequently stitched up by sh*t 'promoters' who, in more than one occasion, tried to not pay the band as per the contracts. I could regale you with a raft of crap situations they found themselves in through the bullshit of others. Regarding the local TV, Spotify and ITunes : not to piss on anyone's chips, but no-one makes money out of Spotify (ask Taylor Swift), iTunes is not that difficult to become listed on - whether you make money is another thing, and local TV need to fill their time slots - the band I mention above did several local TV interviews and unplugged slots. I wouldn't blame anyone for seeing these as benchmarks of progress, and it's tough being the 'sensible one' all the time, but, if you get under the bonnet of this, it may well be just a rich Middle aged blokes vanity project. And don't forget you are the bass player, so you are always going be the designated 'sensible one'.

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1427983029' post='2736676'] I was lucky enough to see Lynyrd Skynyrd at Knebworth, the Stones topped the bill, and the lineup included, 10cc, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Hot Tuna, Don Harrison Band to name but a few, great music, the temperature was well in eighties, hey, those were the days! [/quote] The summer of 1976 - an absolute roaster. I remember watching The Old Grey Whistle Test review of the decade on New Years eve 79, and they showed LS playing Freebird - amazing band, and back in the days when you had to have a 100 foot lead to be a real player : none of your radio pack nonsense. http://youtu.be/UGKIX2_ViF8 As to Blackberry Smoke - great band, with brilliantly crafted and clever songs. I'd love to catch them live.

Doomed to obscurity it would seem.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1427403364' post='2730072'] Playing a bass with a plectrum? You'll be telling me people are hitting the strings with their thumbs next [/quote] Yes, and some people also seem to have curious instruments with more than 4 strings, which I don't really understand as this is bass chat.

Hmmmmmm....

[quote name='BigAlonBass' timestamp='1427326377' post='2729075'] In some ways, the standard of illiteracy astonishes me, and I wonder how the hell they managed to get through all those years of school without even knowing how to spell "or"? Increasingly, I find myself reading things like:- "6 are 7 months MOT left" and "pick one are the other" or "should I get the white scratchplate are the red one?" Really? [/quote] Average adult reading age in the UK is currently 11. And that's the average, so for all of us who managed to go beyond that, by any margin, there is someone with below average ability. I think we take for granted our literacy. An acquaintance of mine, being retired, decided it would be interesting (and get him out from under his wife's feet) to act as the chaser up and collector of outstanding returns, during the last national census. On the small local authority estate at the bottom of the village, he had three households who constantly fobbed him off, until he reminded them a fine would be imposed if they failed to comply. Only at that point did they explain that none of the adults could read or write, so couldn't complete the forms. He duly sat with them and completed the census for them. The village population is just over 4,000.

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1427134166' post='2726245'] Yep. I've seen more aggression in a busy tea-rooms. [/quote] Yes, don't get me started with people who dunk biscuits, or, worse still, put the cream on their scone first, before the jam. Dirty ba***ards. Who wants to sit next to that whilst they are trying to have a civilised cup of Darjeeling and a fondant fancy?

Is it me? Posted by Acidbass in 19th March "Hi all, A band I play with have been offered a run of gigs in the USA this May. Perhaps 5-10 performances. Regards wage - we will probably only make enough to cover costs such as flights, accommodation, food and so on. Has anyone done anything like this before?" Posted by Bronner today : "30+ years playing gigs in the US. I don't know what State(s) or Cities you're planning on playing in, but I'm not optimistic because few places in the US support live music. (Of course, it depends on who the band is ... Jeff Beck is playing with ZZ Top for 160 USD for cheap seats.) " Nothing like being a 'mood hoover' is there?! For some people life is just one big half empty glass.

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1427068567' post='2725520'] Have you seen that TV channel called "Yesterday"? Seems to be documentaries about the Nazis interspersed by reruns of Last of the Summer Wine. What's that all about? [/quote] Yes, and there is one of the discovery type channels where you can't get away from either sharks, nazis or dinosaurs. It does make you wonder what their demographic is. I'm waiting for the ad break where they have a wizened old SS Officer going upstairs in a Stannah stair lift, or perhaps a wrinkly old Great White in one of those walk in baths. Armando Ianucci used to do a gag about their new flagship show 'Walking with Nazis'. I wonder when the OP will be along to give the plate another spin to keep the thread bubbling away?

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1427065868' post='2725482'] Bronner, I've forgotten the point of this thread, can you remind me please? [/quote] This is becoming rather like Last of the summer wine'. Or The Mousetrap. I think it was the American, without the Rickenbacker, in the Billiard Room. Do I win ten pounds. Can the last one here please switch of the light, thanks.

[quote name='Thump' timestamp='1427066371' post='2725490'] Don't forget "ad hominem" at every possible opportunity [/quote] I much prefer ante noctem decedere felem ex. Are we awaiting for a call from Mr Hall's lawyers for allowing a duplicate Rickenbacker thread?

Interesting thread. I must admit to having consciously not used BC for about a year, up until about 6 months ago. It just got full of people looking to score points and, rather than share a different opinion in a constructive way, there were a number who would argue aggresively and seek to 'win'. The final straw was someone accusing me of being a 'Saint' for calling out an eBay seller for posting misleading descriptions and pics. Who needs that sh*te? Consequently I did as we are all free to do, and voted with my mouse. I dropped back in a few months ago, and the water seemed less choppy, with some interesting new posters, including some with fascinating insights from other markets - I'll + 1 with Skank here and tip my hat to Blue, who happily shares a wisdom born of years of playing and indeed, living. I'd be interested as to whether there is any age demographic to the aggressive posting (for want of a better phrase), as it feels as if much of it is driven by the kind of 'juice' you grow out of, but maybe I'm being unfair. It's certainly feeling like we are going through the more unpleasant part of the cycle, and if it gets to a point where I can't be arsed anymore, I'll just foxtrot Oscar, and look back in, in a few weeks. I thought the pub analogy was a good one : perhaps the issue is that BC has gone from being a friendly local, with some good banter, to a soulless 'super pub', like one of those appalling Wetherspoons hell holes - and we are all missing the' quality discourse over a good pint' vibe - with not too many jostling at the bar.

[quote name='Notmyrealname' timestamp='1426787801' post='2721994'] So as you can probably tell by my username, this isn't my usual account. I post here fairly regulary under a different handle, but for reasons which should be clear in a moment, I don't really want to be identified. I've played bass for about 17 years, in rock/pop/funk bands, and started on guitar first. I've never had a lesson but have gleaned various bits of knowledge from youtube, musician friends and books/dvds. For a while I've felt like my playing should be a lot better than it is, especially considering I've been playing for as long as I have, so I found a local teacher and set about arranging a lesson. I saw him last night, and had the worst learning experience I've had in ages. I felt like I wanted to leave about 10 minutes in. I wasn't made to feel comfortable, I didn't learn anything and worst of all I was made to feel like a complete idiot. We started the lesson with me watching him play, and then with him making me improvise, to find out "what you don't know". After stumbling through some improv/soloing (feeling a bit nervous as i've never had a lesson before) he then sat and played and made me watch him again for quite some time, slapping, tapping, chords etc. After a bit of "got that?" he spouted some jargon at me, and when I asked him to explain he wasn't really able to. That was pretty much it, and for nearly £30 I felt ripped off. Now I don't want to slag the bloke off (after all he's a member on here), but I left feeling like I was a terrible musician and I wanted to stop playing bass for good. TLDR: I had a bad lesson and I feel like crap. 1) How to tell him I don't want more lessons without being rude? 2) Has anyone else had a similar experience? I feel like I've wasted years of playing and like I'm a complete amateur... [/quote] So, he undermined your confidence, showed off his party piece playing and expected you to sit through it in admiration, and then when pressed, bullshitted about the theory of what he had been doing. That sounds like the kind of experience any teenage beginner can get from the 'salesmen' in any music shop in the UK, but without paying £30 for the privilege. Surely any teaching situation starts with "where do want to get to" and "where do you feel you are now", and he's more likely to have learned something useful about you by having you play your 'party piece' than asking you to improvise, as that would put you at ease and show your technique : timing, fingering, hand positions etc. You are the customer, and don't feel bad about telling him you are not going back. You should be straight with him, although it will probably fall on deaf ears, despite the fact that student feedback is a critical part of improving as a teacher. The failure in that lesson was not you, but your supposed teacher - don't feel bad, and keep looking for a good teacher.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1426767898' post='2721687'] There was a suggestion that Sloppy Seconds would work, mainly cos we're not that tight and do covers, but ...... [/quote] The Dralons ....the finest of loose covers.

It may just be a case of getting rolling, and generally the first efforts will be pretty poor, but as with most things in life, it's a learning process and you will improve with every song. I have a songwriting book which suggests taking titles and writing around them - which I believe Sting does sometimes. It could be anything that starts you off, so for instance, book titles, and I have a few sat on my desk currently : Under an English heaven The last thousand days Silent service Winter legend That lot might sound a bit like an Iron Maiden b sides collection, but hopefully illustrates the point, that anything can be the catalyst : you could go along a bookshelf, use a local paper for headlines, or even album titles - anything which gets you thinking about a story around the title. Don't know if that helps?!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1426161564' post='2715041'] I'd advise them to run a mile from a click... so the recording process needs to legislate for this, but a young band concentrating on click is going to likely destroy the drummers ability to 'groove'... Playing with a click and grooving is a very high end skill and not many can do it. They may be able to do one or the other but not together as this sorts the men from the boys. AFAIK, the session has passed..?? so it would be nice to hear some feedback on the experience..?? [/quote] I cut together all the pooled wisdom of the BC collective and passed it on - so thanks to all concerned. The recording has yet to take place, and having reread my OP I can see that I referred to 'over the weekend', but that was in respect of a weekend yet to be specified - hence the confusion. I will feedback when they have been in. I think they are just processing all the info currently. They are actually playing a support slot down the road from me shortly, so I may go and see them and see what the live show is like. I suspect the rehearsal room recording I have heard doesn't do them justice.......