The Admiral

This has dragged itself up from the troll pit has it ? Can we just let it die from lack of attention? ( Don't answer that!)

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1431601074' post='2772979'] Mesa and 70s Precisions, a real man's rig [/quote] +1 to that. 2x18 - you could flap some flares with those. You could probably rearrange someone's insides too, if they stood too close and it was turned up. Feel the thunder!

It seems this is typical 'pay to play' night, and not a support slot at all, which is shame, as they were very excited. I appear to have rained on their parade somewhat by pointing out the economics of the deal : guarantee 20 tickets to the promoter and then a split for any over 20 (significantly in the promoters favour it seems). 4 bands playing, whom I'll bet are all from outside London and all thinking its a big break.

Great Graham Nash story about Gouldman. "We had a manager called Michael Cohen, and he owned a tailor shop in Stockport in the north of England that I actually worked at at one point. And he came to us one day and he said, you know, this neighborhood, this woman keeps driving me crazy. She says she has this son who writes songs. Would you do me a favor? Go and, you know, pat him on the head and encourage him and get her off my back, basically. So we go down to this house, and there's a 14-, 15-year-old kid there, and he's got a guitar, and we were The Hollies. We'd had a couple of hits, and we were, you know, full of ourselves. And we said, OK, kid, what have you got? He picks up his guitar, and he goes: (singing) Bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say... We knew immediately that we could make a great record of that. So we said, OK, wow, yeah, great, we'll take that song. And we get up to leave. And then one of us said: Have you got anything else? He said, yeah, I have this song, and it goes like this: (singing) Look through any window, yeah. So that was two that we wanted. And we said, OK, one last time, anything else? He said, I wrote this song this morning for my friend Peter Noone who's singing with this new band Herman's Hermits, and it goes: (singing) No milk today, my love has gone away. This young kid had written three fantastic pop songs. That was a very interesting moment in our lives." As you say, talented bloke, and 10CC are one of those bands where you know more of their songs than you think.

Usually interesting, but there are so many variables : the quality of the playing, the bass, the amp, the mic, the soundcard, the recording medium, the video audio quality, the soundcard, the speakers etc. I've seen cheap guitar pedals made to sound incredible by very good players at music show stands, which does kind of bear out the fact that the technique is a huge part of the sound - and that they have taken time to learn how to get the best from them, which I think a lot of people don't. Mate of mine plays a cheap Squier tele through a Marshall Bluesbreaker (£40?) and a Roland Mini Cube, and recorded it sounds like Jimmy Page - he's a cracking player, but a skint one, and necessity has been the mother of invention. .

White electrical tape and a sharpie. Also very useful for putting across the travel of the faders to stop anyone pushing it up when you are not looking (as has happened at weddings etc. where a drunk 'expert' tries to 'help' with the sound). You can also use low tack artists tape, but, given that when the electrical tape comes off, another bit goes over it - I don't worry about the slightly sticky residue it can leave. You get a great contrast with black on white, and I find in low light it works very well.

[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1430327228' post='2760379'] Paul Henshaw and The Scientific Simpletons are currently booked for... Rock n Bowl (Market Drayton) Shrewsbury Food Festival Staffordshire Bike Show (Stoke City Stadium...carpark! ) Farmer Phils (outside of Shrewsbury) [/quote] All in my neck of the woods - when are they?

This looks like a good night out - 11 dates in November/December, with Wilko opening all but the first two. Norman Watt Roy on bass for Wilko. https://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-05-04/status-quo-wilko-johnson-uk-tour-2015

Thanks Ben - good insight. No substitute for a bit of experience!

A friend's band has been offered a support slot here next month, and, whilst they are very excited about it, they are also quite reasonably looking to hear of any experiences from those who have played there. No idea what the deal is, he's not involved in organising, but the normal wary caveats about 'exposure' and playing for free, with not even expenses, spring to mind. How is it for practical stuff like parking, load in, house PA and crew etc? Thanks A

Interesting booklet for landlords re the value of putting on live music, and 'how to do it'. It covers 2 points which I thought were particularly worthy of mention. 1. It suggests the LL should check the band have public liability insurance (PLI), and 2. Asks LLs to make sure that any DJs they hire have a Pro Dub licence, to ensure the artists whose music they use to make money, get paid. I know a few DJs and there are many who don't have this, although they will have PAT certificates, as more venues are looking for that now as part of their H and S due diligence. I wonder how many bands playing in pubs have PLI? https://www.prsformusic.com/users/businessesandliveevents/musicforbusinesses/Documents/MusicMakeoverleaflet.pdf

I bow as ever to the Yoda like wisdom of the BC collective. Decision made. Thanks for all the replies chaps.

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1430418603' post='2761292'] I'm going to the O2. I'm a massive fan anyway and it's been an ambition of mine for years. He's not very popular on here it seems but who knows how many more opportunities there will be to see him? Go for it I say! It's a bit unfair to say his voice is 'shot' though... 😉 [/quote] I think the opinion might be coloured by the starting position of not being a fan on my wife's part! I've seen him on TV in recent concerts, and, whilst he's not the singer he was, he can still do it in my view. I think I may just have to go for it.

Simply put, I have the offer of 2 tickets to see Paul McCartney at the NEC - eigth row, and at face value - but, that £240 ish quid for 2 tickets and Mrs A isnt a fan, as she's still not forgiven him for marrying again so quickly after Linda died. Not that she's a massive Linda fan, but she felt it was too soon and disrespectful, given his protestations about the love of his life. She also thinks his voice is shot, and it's too late now to see him live, as he's just past it. That said, she's willing to go, as she knows I'd simply like to see him in the flesh, before it's too late. Anybody seen him live recently? Can he still cut it, or am I going to spend a lot of wedge and come away dissapointed? All thoughts greatly appreciated as I need to say yes or no tonight to the guy offering them up!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1430167577' post='2758642'] Wow! Very different culture. Here's how we are with tips in the USA. I was in NYC and saw a cab driver stop the cab after his customer got out and through a coin at him and yelled [i][b]"Keep your effing quarter!"[/b][/i] Blue [/quote] I was in San Francisco at the end of the 80s, visiting his family with a mate of mine, and we were followed out of a restaurant by the Manager, as we hadn't left a tip - deliberately. The service was awful, from an uncaring rude waitress, who couldn't give a sh*t about he diners, but he still seemed to think this was unreasonable. My friends brother in law explained that he was happy to tip for even passable service, but he wasn't going to reward someone for being uncaring, unprofessional and basically sh*t at their job. It actually looked at one stage as if the Manager was going to throw a punch, but he settled for shouting after us in the car park : "Cheapsket Limey mothef**kers" - nice.

Found on FB - a slowed down version. A bit too much in the way of Eddie Van Halen histrionics from the guitar IMHO, but other than that, very nice. Sound to video sync is out on my internet connection, but it's a hotel's steam powered wifi. https://www.facebook.com/TheTalentPartyBand/videos/10153871443454852/

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1430065201' post='2757636'] yes indeed - i nearl bought a leather pick but that was 3.50 and unfortunately i only had 2.50 on me just enough for the felt pick [/quote] Standard kit for Ukelele players and great for that JPJ thumpy sound a la very early Led Zep.

I was asked a while back to give some advice to a young band going into a studio for the first time, for a weekend recording session, and my plea for suggestions as to what to advise brought out some corkers from BC'ers. I captured those and sent them over to the band - who then decided that they probably weren't ready! I like to think that maybe I saved them some money, and made them think about their goals. Anyway, having put it together, I thought it might be of use to fellow forum members. Many thanks to all those who contributed to the thread where I was seeking your wisdoms. Here it is : [center][b]Getting the best from your first studio session[/b][/center] Using a professional recording studio and the services of an engineer/producer are a significant investment. The single most important thing for musicians to remember is : Time is money, and the money is [u]yours.[/u] If you want to spend 2 days getting the drum sound or nailing a solo structure, you can, but whilst that’s going on, there is nothing else happening, and the studio clock is ticking. The engineer gets paid whatever you do. The key to getting the most from your studio experience is the least rock and roll of things – planning, and in detail. Any plan should start with a goal in mind, and for most bands that about how much they want to get recorded within their studio time, and it’s very easy to set unrealistic targets, which are counter-productive to the project. The Beatles might have popped into the studio for an afternoon in 1964 – between gigs, to knock off four tracks – but, they had spent 2 years playing for 6 hours a night, 7 days a week in Hamburg and could not have been more prepared. A ‘weekend’ booking of studio time is generally 20 hours, which sounds a lot, but a maximum of 3 tracks should be the target in that time, and that will require a solid plan. [b]Recording rules [/b] [b]Be prepared[/b] Arrive with the songs and arrangements agreed, and well rehearsed, with everyone able to play their part proficiently. Working out solos and arrangements in the studio is time consuming and should be avoided. Be ready. Most bands rehearse until they don't make a mistake. The great bands rehearse until they CAN'T make a mistake. [b]Arrangements – record, before you record.[/b] Before you go into record it’s very worthwhile analysing your songs and ensuring they are absolutely right. Are they too long/short, is the solo in the right place, is it a good solo, are the backing vocals right, are the guitar/bass/drum parts effective in the song, does the lyric fit the song : it should always be about what serves the song best, not what shows of your chops. Adam Clayton, the bass player from U2, has made a lot of money from playing root notes for 4 minutes at a time, but – it suits the songs, and the band, which is the most important thing. Be self critical too : have you really got your parts nailed? A simple part played well is always better than a complex part played badly. If you are struggling – simplify. There is no shame in it – every musician learns every day of their life, and you want to be able to listen to your tracks in 30 years and still be proud of what you did. If you are recording in a month's time, it's useful to do a few rehearsals and record them in their entirety so you get used to being recorded constantly. The helps reduce 'red light anxiety' when you get in the studio. Post rehearsal, listen to the recordings as a band. There is nothing worse than getting the rough mix back from the studio session and finding that something someone has been playing for months is actually wrong, or a drum fill sounds awful. It’s very hard to concentrate on more than your own part of the arrangement when playing and quite often after a recording someone will say "I never noticed that the bass played that.", or, as I have seen, the two guitarists realise they’ve actually been playing different chords in the chorus! Make sure you have endings sorted too. Nothing worse than a great track which ends badly. You don’t need any fancy kit : just a laptop or iPad and a stereo microphone on a stand. The laptop can record CD quality stereo and you can download a copy of ‘Audacity’ for free. It’s easy to use and great quality. For iPad, you can use Garage band. Thomann sell Superlux stereo microphones for about £21.00 ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_e531.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/superlux_e531.htm[/url]), and cheap boom stands for £7.00 ([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_ms2005_mic_stand.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_ms2005_mic_stand.htm[/url]). [b]What to record in the studio?[/b] Pick your three best songs, and record them in order, from 1 to 3. That way, if you do run out of time after 2 tracks, you have the two you most wanted. [b]Look after your tools[/b] If your instrument is in crap shape, you are just making your job harder. [b]Guitarists[/b] - Ensure your guitar is well set up, with no crackling controls, and with new strings. However, don’t change them just before your record, as new strings have a habit of taking a day or two to bed in, and brand new ones means lots of tuning problems. Bring your pedalboard to the session, with mains supply, or change the batteries before the session. Invest in good cables and bring plenty of picks and spare strings. Don’t forget a comfortable strap. Most studios will have great amps, which they are used to recording, and will have taken an age to ensure sound great, so, unless you absolutely have to – don’t bother lugging your amp [b]Bass players[/b] – generally string changes are less frequent than for guitarists, but, you’ll still get better tone if your strings have some zing in them, so if they have been on your bass since you bought it, you may want to invest in a new set. Again, no crackling pots, and if you are playing an active bass, change to a new battery for the session. Low battery power can massively impact the tone of an active circuit. The points on pedalboards, picks, amps, straps etc are the same as for guitarists. [b]Drummers – [/b]Many studios will have a kit set up, which they have taken to time to ensure sounds great in the room, and setting up your own kit and micing it up can take 3 hours on its own, so, check with the studio prior, and unless you have to – leave your kit at home. You may want to take your own snare and cymbals, but be mindful of the need for speed. If you are using your own kit, make sure the heads are in good shape, the drums are tuned well, and all your accessories are in good shape. No-one wants a squeaky drum pedal spoiling a session. Don’t forget sticks, brushes and a towel : you may well be working hard. [b]Vocalists – [/b]Your voice is your instrument, and you need to ensure it’s in as good a shape as possible. It’s going to be a long weekend. If you smoke – try and give up anyway, because a) it will kill you, and before it does, it will make you sound sh*t after a few takes. If you can’t give up, at least cut well down in the week before the session. Also, make sure you warm up properly. Professional footballers spend 10 minutes up and down the touchline and stretching before going on from the subs bench : why would you go straight into a song without ‘stretching and limbering up’ your vocal cords? If you don’t have a warm up tape, seriously consider getting one. If you don’t have one, at least do some scales and breathing exercises – there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube. As with the cigarettes, drugs, drinking and late nights will also kill your performance – so look after yourself, eat well, sleep well the night before and stay hydrated – with water. Leave the JD and coke to the Rolling Stones. [b]Using a click track[/b] What is a ’click track’ and why use one? [i]“The click track may be used as a form of metronome directly by musicians in the studio or on stage, particularly by drummers, who listen via headphones to maintain a consistent beat. One can think of a click track as essentially being a kind of metronome except that it is fed through headphones to one or more of the musicians during a recording or performance.”[/i] The reason for using a click track is to keep the music in time, and also make it far easier to ‘drop in’ overdubs etc. to cover the odd mistake or bum note. Drummers shouldn’t take it personally : all drummers speed up, and if you don’t think so, witness the fist fights Sting and Stewart Copeland of The Police used to get into backstage post gig over this issue. If you have never played to a click track, it’s a very good idea to download a metronome app to your phone, or set up a basic beat on a drum machine and learn to play in time at home. Particularly important for drummers, but useful for [u]everyone in the band[/u]. Agree the BPM tempo of the songs you are going to record, so everyone practices them at the right speed! [b]Play with the same passion as a live show.[/b] If you are meek and reserved, it will show in the recording sounding flat. Be focussed and, when getting sounds together, play what you are going to be playing and at the volume you'll be playing it. Like a soundcheck, it's pointless if you immediately start thrashing after a nice measured level check and overload the desk input. [b]Solos need to be thought out, well practised and ready.[/b] Inspiration and improvisation has no place in the studio when time is premium. Also, don’t ‘noodle’ in the studio – it’s annoying for the engineer if he’s trying to do something whilst the guitarist is practicing his best Eddie Van Halen tapping technique. Play when directed. [b]Save the beers for Sunday night after it’s all over.[/b] Alcohol affects your ears and your perception of frequencies, so, despite what you’ve read about the rock and roll lifestyle, boozing in the studio is a bad idea. That said, don't drink coffee all day- a dark noisy room full of wired musicians is a recipe for a tough session. Drink plenty of water and have lots of healthy food and soft fruit to hand. This keeps you hydrated, focused and doesn't stink the room out : studios are not known for their ventilation, as, if the air can get out easily, so can the sound, and that’s not good for the neighbours. [b]Be nice[/b] Do be nice to each other- patient, positive when listening back and constructive with any suggestions. Recording, particularly if you are new to it, is very stressful : sitting in a quiet room, wearing headphones, looking through glass at a control room full of people listening to every note and judging your performance is not easy. If someone is struggling to really nail something and getting stressed about it; get them to go for a walk in the fresh air. Five minutes "wasted" could save half an hour of constantly re - taking the same part. [b]The engineer/producer[/b] Let the engineer/producer do their jobs. No matter what you think you know – it’s their studio and their living is built off the back of making clients sound great. They will know how to do this in their studio – so take advice. The engineer is experienced . . . listen to them. He or she knows when the levels are wrong, when there's sloppy playing, how to improve cohesion/tightness, etc. If there`s anything specific you want in the mix, such as prominent hi-hats, or emphasis on a lead solo, bass run etc, write them down and give them to the engineer, along with approximate times/positions in the songs. For one, that way they won`t forget, and secondly, it will make things easier for the engineer to get the result you want quickly. [b]Be realistic[/b] Your first time in the studio is not going to go perfectly. People who have been doing it for years go to record, and still come up short. Use it as a learning curve and try and enjoy it. If you can look back on it in a few years time and not cringe you'll have done very well. [b]Most importantly[/b] Have fun!

[quote name='Derek1071' timestamp='1429563681' post='2752730'] Saw Ryan Adams at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh (small to medium theatre-type venue) a few weeks back. Could not believe the lack of definition on the bass guitar - you could just about make out the root notes, otherwise the low end was just a dull thump. May as well have stuck an octave pedal on the rhythm guitar and given the poor bassist the night off.... [/quote] I was at that gig too, and couldn't agree more. As an aside, it was the first time I'd seen him live, and only went as a colleague had a spare ticket : I thought he was excellent, just a shame about the sound, which, in a purpose built concert hall, albeit a victorian/edwardian one,one would imagine should have been good.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1429186848' post='2748904'] Just checked that line-up link... Florence and the Machine - have they got an utterly overrated sh%te stage now (sharing with Paloma Faith)? [/quote] It's the same with Cornbury, although, to be fair, it's a case of who they can afford I think, and of course, who isn't already tied into a contract with another festival, with a clause which stipulates no other festival appearances within so many days wither side of their appearance. There has definitely been a drop off in the quality of bands though - last year's headliners were Scouting for girls FFS, when in previous years they had Joe Bonnamassa, Crowded House, KT Tunstall, Tom Baxter, Buddy Guy, Dr John, Squeeze, 10 cc etc, etc. That said, I've been a number of times, and the last time we went with friends, and paid for VIP tickets, which gets you into the fenced off marquee area, and close parking. It certainly wasn't worth the money, and all it did was reinforce my utter contempt for the sort of Sunday supplement c***s you see on holiday in Rock and Abersoch, as the audience is heavily populated with the pink shorts crowd. The VIP section has sofas, which are of course supposed to be a temporary resting point, before moving off - unless of course you are with friends dahhhhling. Then you go as three families, each with a garden trolley, and enough kit to make a team of Sherpas wince, pull two sofas together, and take in turns to protect them, whilst the other two families go off to look for a jesters hat for Tarquin, and a clean, organic loo, with hand woven hemp toilet rolls for mummy. The sense of entitlement from these twats comes off them like the glow of a Ready Brek kid, and they are selfish beyond imagination, with blankets, sun shade tents, picnic baskets, umbrellas and camping chairs laid out 10 yards from the stage, like Panzer Grenadiers annexing Poland. It kills the enjoyment for a lot of the crowd, but it's not about the music, it's about catching up with the girls from the PTA sub Committee, whilst some oiks strum their guitars. It's also become very cliquey, with a lot of self satisfied w***ers feeling they are in with the gang by going every year. The festival has never made a profit as far as I know, despite the backing of Gordins Gin and Waitrose. It seems to me that if you want what I would call a 'real' festival experience, the only way to get that is to avoid the Poshstock and Latte-tude end of the market, and go local. As has been said, there are some awesome unsigned/unknown bands about, and it's always good to see someone before they really made it.

Glastonbury have just added Motörhead to the bill, along with the Foo Fighters, Paloma Faith and Lionel Richie, amongst others. http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/ I had a spell of going to Cornbury (a.k.a 'Poshstock'), but the line up has been sh*te the last few years and the tickets are crazy money now : £182 for adults, no camping, for three days, to see Tom Junes , Razorlight and Blue (plus Chas and Dave, who would be worth seeing), so that's another one to miss. Am I alone in finding it increasingly hard to find a bill and ticket price which are both worth it? The Shrewsbury Folk Festival was my birthday treat from Mrs A last year, and that was superbly run : great beer, friendly, top value catering, great sound, and some sublime artists, all for £125. http://shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/line-up/ Maybe I've just got old and curmudgeonly?

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1429121538' post='2748294'] That's probably how the Blues should be positioned now, to be part of, and develop with the Americana movement. I'd love to go to that sort of night - fancy putting one on down in Sussex?!! [/quote] Not that hard. Happy to give you some pointers. Toughest think is bums on seats, but I suspended my nights before the advent of Facebook, and that would be a godsend. I got up to about 80 to 100 tickets when I had the time, and at £7 a go, that meant I could books some interesting artists. I had a guy over from Dublin a couple of times, and some touring US acts too. One of the best nights was with Clive Gregson, who was over from the states seeing his mum, and played solo acoustic. Not many people have talent that can fill a room with just them and a guitar, but he's a great songwriter and performer - and a bit of a cult hero with his band Any Trouble.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1429002066' post='2746782'] Into The Valley Festival in Clitheroe (Ribble Valley). Venue for aftershow party - The Rose and Crown. Promoter Mr Potter... [/quote] Not Brian Potter I presume?

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1429012708' post='2746966'] On tour this autumn [url="http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/#!touring/c12n5"]Joanne Shaw Taylor tour dates[/url] [/quote] Interesting to note that when she was looking for a deal, more than one record company wanted her to either give her thruppenies and legs a bit more of an airing to 'sex it up a bit', or go the Avril Lavigne route, and sling her guitar round her ankles and be a it more shouty. Thankfully she didn't listen, but it shows the mindset of a lot of A&R guys.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1427358734' post='2729205'] . As for Skank's accurate observation that a middle-aged white bloke in a waistcoat singing about the chain gang can be ludicrous; well, doesn't the singing of a song usually involve a degree of make believe? Some acting is convincing, some less so. [/quote] The folk scene went through a big issue with its traditional aspects and The Folk Police, with plentyof examples to support Billy Connollys famous observation about folk clubs being full of "4 civil servants in matching pullovers, singing The Wild Rover - the wouldn't know a f***ing wild rover if he bit them on the arse." Thankfully, it moved on from that with the advent of the wave of new artists who have, and continue to, come through. That said, the folk scene has the advantage of a great small club, and particularly, festival circuit. A common theme us the family atmosphere, which encourages participation, with lots of workshops for kids, run by very well known players. I was at Shrewsbury last year, and you barely saw a kid without an instrument of some sort, and in the beer tents and picnic area there were stacks of people, of wildly varying ages, sitting down together and just having a jam. Plenty of kids playing traditional instruments too - not just acoustic guitar. Ive been considering starting up my old Folk, Americana and Blues nights again after a 7 year hiatus, if only to get some decent live music in my local area. It's either pub rock covers or old guys doing their party piece at an open mic around me. Wears a bit thin after a while. The trouble is, it takes time and money, and I'm not convinced I'd get an audience, so I'm waivering, but I might try a one off and see if it takes. No shortage of great acts.