meterman

This looks like the same vintage 1970s MIJ bass that I’ve seen variously with different brand names, such as Grant, Antoria, Ibanez, etc, and a couple more in Europe that I can’t remember the names of now. Almost every one I’ve seen has been that custard yellow colour that some Fenders have, but I have seen sunburst ones too. Surprised to see this one has been stripped, most folks are fussy about plywood. I wouldn’t mind it though. The bridge isn’t right, it would have had a low quality BBOT originally, and sharp-edged bridge and pickup covers too. Playability and quality wise they’re not far off the old Shaftesbury Tele bass copies (I know they were Italian, but the overall feel was pretty similar). I’ve played Antoria and Grant versions and they were both short scale, but there are also 34” scale versions that look very similar to these. Maybe any Minutemen fans can confirm whether the Tele bass copy that Mike Watt played was one of these? Mods? I’d change the bridge and then just play it. But I’m basic AF 😂 Enjoy it!

Percussion and drums are my main instruments but it’s been a while since I’ve wanted to get involved in a live project again. Partially tinnitus related, but also because band politics generally give me a total soft on. Haven’t played a gig for 20 months now, and even though it’s been my bread and butter since I was 15, I’m kind of ambivalent about getting back into it. Maybe I’m just old and I’m having a midlife crisis 😂 There are loads of drummers around, I always found, but many of them are picky about what kind of music they want to play, or what types of gig they will or won’t do, etc. Finding the right drummer for the band seems to be the hard thing.

Back when I only had one bass. Wish I’d still had the vibraphone now.

Never attended a VIP event there but I have played at a Hyde Park BST gig and after reading the description of what the VIP thing entails, it sounds fair enough to me, if the gig is something you’d want to go to anyway. Some gigs cost more than that and all you get is a plastic seat up in the back end of a football arena or whatever. Actually, with the included T-shirt and lanyard in the VIP deal, we never even got those when we played, so maybe it’s a good deal 👍

I’ve worked with Rupert Brown, the guy behind the T-Minus tinnitus app. He’s brilliant at what he does and the app may work for you. https://t-minus.info/ https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/learning-to-live-with-tinnitus-an-interview-with-rupert-brown/

Had permanent tinnitus since a bad sinus infection in early 2002. I thought it would pass but it never did. In fact it got worse a couple of times and stayed at the new horrible level each time. I hate it. Coupled with hearing loss I’ve had since childhood, it dramatically affected the kind of gigs I wanted to play and the kind of music I want to listen to at home. I’ve got tinnitus masking devices and hearing aids etc, but mostly I just try and crack on without them. I wear earplugs onstage and carry a pair with me everywhere, as road noise, or train noise, or any high pitched loud sounds totally do my head in now. I rarely go to gigs anymore either. Have just bought a house in a tiny quiet village, miles from anywhere. Looking forward to it as well! To the OP: look after whatever hearing you have left is all I could say. I said, “look after wh... “ oh never mind, I’ll write it down...

Oops, yeah, sorry! 😞 I don’t remember having a Crass badge. I did work alongside their guitarist for a while in the 90s though. Lovely fella.

Yes! I had a couple of their records, I loved the bass lines.

Don’t fully understand how the badges system works but when we last moved house I did find a box with some of my old badges from the late 70s and early 80s. Didn’t know I still had them. These badges made me feel old. But it’s okay, I am old 😂

That sounds great, thanks for doing that. Wouldn’t mind trying one of these of myself now

My wife seemed to like the idea of being hitched to a musician. She loved the gigs, the parties, the +1’s to events, the access all areas passes, and festivals etc. And as she rarely drinks she would often drive me to local shows, which is brilliant. Or was brilliant, I haven’t done a gig since Dec 2019. She didn’t mind me cluttering up our place with instruments of all types. 1960s Hammond C3 and Leslie speaker cab? No problem. Fender Rhodes and other vintage keys? Recording equipment? Amps? Dozens of stringed instruments? Drums? She was fine with all of it, flightcases and everything. Totally supportive. The only thing she’s never been keen on is me being away from home for too long when touring. When we had a mortgage I paid it with gig money, but there were times when I was away for up to six weeks at a time. Then home for a few days, then off out again. She was hospitalised after a car crash one time when I was away which was grim. And we were made homeless when a bent landlord changed the locks on our rented place another time. I came offstage in France and found 25 missed calls on my mobile. When I got back to the UK a day later, I had to meet her at a hotel and she was pretty shaken up. That was awful too. But it was like when my Dad worked on the rigs in the 70s when I was a kid. He’d be away for a bit, then home for a bit. And it paid the bills. Sometimes stuff would happen but it’s part of what I do, or used to. Now I have a much smaller collection of gear and a more sedate (or flatlined) gigging schedule I’m under her feet a lot and she’s begging me to do stuff 😂 Please please go and play some gigs!

I’d already broken both ankles playing football and skateboarding as a kid, and broke both wrists falling out of a tree as well. Broke my collarbone in a bike accident and had long term shoulder injuries too. I’m accident prone AF, I even broke my thumb at home a few weeks ago. I always thought skiing would just be tempting fate that bit too much. Especially when there’s still other gigs in the schedule and I needed the money from them. But yes, apart from alcohol, pharmaceuticals and ogling ski milfs, it’s true there’s nothing at all to do at ski resorts during the day.

Played at ski resorts in the past, in France, Switzerland and Bulgaria, and they were always well paid. Only in originals bands though, and I’ve never done a residency, just one or two nights at most. Never been tempted to try skiing either, waaaay too accident prone for that kind of caper.

I flipping love permanently offended lgbtibbq+ blue haired vegan lesbian karens and their fake rock snowflake movements. Parklife!

Baba Sissoko is from Mali, his daughter is singing in French and they recorded their album in Italy. On an analogue tape machine. And it’s a belter.

I’m surprised nobody has posted this yet: I’ve never been a Led Zeppelin fan at all but the drums, and the production, on “When The Levee Breaks” is as good as it gets, IMVHO. It’s the only Zep tune I can listen to, I just zone in on the echoed drumming and the distorted harmonica playing. Superb.

Bobby Byrd and the J.B’s - “Hot Pants” is an old school funk classic. Drums by Jabo Starks, I think? The original is classic 1970s JB’s funk, but the 80s remix that just featured the drums, tambourine and vocal became the backbone of tons of other records. Hello Stone Roses, Madonna, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, Gang Starr, A Guy Called Gerald, etc. Even Spice Girls and Erasure nicked it. The original: And the remix for “Fools Gold” fans:

Actually, no, two more. “Cold, Cold, Cold” by Little Feat. When Richie Hayward comes in off the chugging drum machine intro, his fill that kicks off the track is ace. His playing throughout the whole song is pretty special tbh, and his drum sound is one of my all time favourites: And Paul Humphrey playing with Thijs Van Leer on “Street Rondo” is a great example of a rock solid break, but at a slower tempo that is hard to maintain unless you’re a real pro. The subtle hi-hat lifts and bass drum upbeats are class. (Warning: funk, prog and flute are involved 😂 )

Couple of favourite vintage Bernard Purdie breaks come to mind. He played on some Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers tunes in the 60s and when he lets loose here at 1:16 it’s wild. The congas on the intro are great as well. He recorded with Mongo Santamaria a few times, and his playing on the cover of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” is brutal. The intro is standard funky Latin and everyone is holding back slightly but the solo drums at 4:36 are hard as nails. Miles away from all the slick, polished stuff he did in the 70s with Steely Dan and Aretha Franklin etc. Wild snare and tom tom accents, plus some brilliant ‘across the bar’ fills that were rare at the time but later you’d hear them on Zeppelin tunes, or Sly & The Family Stone or whoever. Love it. I could post favourite breaks all day long (my main instrument is percussion) but I’ll save them for when BreaksChat is up and running

Didn’t know Allen Woody was Oct 3rd. Almost bought one of his signature Epiphone basses but it was too burgundy for me. Massive sounding bass though.

Josh Klinghoffer might be the closest to a bassist on my birthday. Well, he’s played bass, not sure if that counts? Otherwise, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lindsey Buckingham, Eddie Cochran, Chubby Checker, Steve Reich and Gwen Stefani.

I’d have gone to buy something, I still play records because I am an old git, but the nearest record shop is a 90 minute drive away and we’ve not got a car. Might have a look online after the weekend to see if any shops have any of the RSD stuff left that I wanted.

I can’t vouch for what Fender Custom Shop gear is like now, but I played and sold plenty of CS basses and guitars when I did time in Denmark Street, although admittedly that’s about 15 years ago now. A fair number of them looked and played great, but plenty of them were overly expensive ‘meh’ instruments that sold probably just because they were Custom Shop. I remember a lot of the Fender Road Worn stuff blew the Custom Shop gear away, and given CS prices, that shouldn’t happen. Mind, I own a Hofner and a Tanglewood and a Squier so wtf would I know? 😂

The Doors should have had only the same four musicians onstage as on the records, no extra hired hands allowed. Verboten. Also they should have all worn the same outfits onstage that they wore when they recorded their albums. And they should have been forced to eat three meals a day, every day, at the same time each day. A bit more discipline and adherence to the rules and they might have been more successful, who knows? And definitely 100% when Jim Morrison died the rest of the band should have replaced him with Elvis Presley. Personally I can’t stand Elvis but I think it would have been funny as f*** to hear him singing “L.A. Woman” or “Break On Through” or whatever. These painkillers are unusually strong, by the way.

Luca Nieri Suzanne Vallie Allah Las The Budos Band Pachyman Misha Panfilov Sound Combo Pierre Daven-Keller Sven Wunder Frank Maston Our Solar System The Babe Rainbow Gospelbeach Nev Cottee Mariee Sioux and if John Compton ever does anything else I’d buy it on pre-release Loads more, but that’ll do for now.