TimR

The key is to have a good conversation first about what they're expecting. 

No point (other than personal interest) in learning 17 songs that you'll never play again if the audition turns out to be a bunch of dreamers. Especially if you have multiple auditions lined up. 

Instead of plugging your bass into an amplifier, you plug your bass DIRECTLY into your computer. 

Then your computer can act as an amplifier and also record the sound at the same time. 

You need software to record the sound onto your hard drive. And a box to 'Interface' between your bass and your computer. 

There's about a million pieces of hardware and software depending on budget.

At the most basic level your bass can plug into the MIC-in on your computer but the results won't be stellar. 

The audience will be full of 50 year-old men. Be like the opposite of a Take That gig.

When are tickets on sale? Asking for a friend. 

8 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Anyone who plugs a memory stick from an unknown source into their computer deserves everything they get.

Or an audio CD from Sony?

Sell it on a memory stick. With a free t-shirt. 🤣

Are a load of L and XL blokes going to sell your brand?

A Web shop where young ladies can buy your stylish t-shirts will spread the message better.

Think of the meme where a young lady wearing a Slayer T-Shirt is asked to name one song they play - she replies - Master of Puppets - that's close enough... 😆

Think. What is the merch supposed to do? 

Just now, SteveXFR said:

What we found is tee shirts don't really sell but badges and patches do. 

People don't carry much cash. They're much more likely to have a few quid than twenty quid in their pocket at the end of a night.

Good quality t-shirt and a card machine. 

Where are you located?

My daughter's boyfriend does screen print. It's expensive but good. 

The problem is always stock levels and storing. Minimum order quantities, ink costs, etc.

How many are you planning on ordering? Lowest I've seen is 30. So you're looking at a few hundred quid. 

I'd ask the designer to fade the edges to black so it doesn't look like a print on a shirt.

Is there a big change in temperature over night?

If it's going sharp it would imply the room is getting very cold. 

You don't have a 'page', you have a profile.

Facebook isn't great at being clear, possibly to put people off leaving or making and closing multiple pages.

According to my wife I have too many basses. 

One I use all the time. One I take to gigs as a spare. One that I pulled the frets from in the 90s and is up in the loft and doesn't get played.

So technically she is right. 🤣

The only fight I've seen at a gig was when we were packing up after a wedding. 

Someone was accused of "Nicking the cancer money." It was a second wedding for an older couple and the guests had been donating money instead of gifts.

"Why does everyone always accuse me?", swiftly followed by loads of screaming, shouting and hair pulling between to fairly drunk middle aged women.

During which another woman appears from a back room with the charity box asing what all the fuss was about.

She'd put it away for safe keeping.

That and the drummer who was going to punch the entertainments manager at an RBL gig if he didn't stop asking us to stop playing party music (that everyone was dancing to), and play some rock'n'roll.

At the end when packing up, people kept coming over and telling us how much better we were than all the usual bands who just played rock'n'roll. 

Dealing with the public is a thankless task but when the dust settles usually provides some hilarious anecdotes as long as no one is seriously hurt physically or mentally.

That's sexual assault.

If a man had done that he'd be in serious trouble. 

Never considered ot before but some of the strap and bass combinations are great.

Might have to find myself a nice light brown leather one. 

23 hours ago, SPHDS said:

Frustratingly, I had played almost all the songs he suggested, but not in ages.....so even the ones I kind of remembered were rather ropey.....had he just given me a flipping list....who knows.....!?!

I played a dep gig once where the entire communications had been "Don't worry, they're all standards, you'll be fine." 

3 hours playing tunes I'd never heard before, let along played before. 

Luckily the audience didn't notice. 

Sweet or salty. Not both.

You guys are weird. 

That's posh. I usually change my t-shirt in the men's toilets.

She's probably easily the most famous. 

I doubt there's anyone who hasn't heard of her. 

14 minutes ago, Paul S said:

Atari.

They haven't bought out a decent console since 1987. Dead in the water.

11 years on, there's a huge number of apps that will do that and more. 

10 minutes ago, tauzero said:

We were looking for a drummer for our 4-piece, doing a mix of covers and originals. One turned up and set up and told us to start and he'd join in. We started a song and he sort of joined in, doing a straight four on the floor beat at his own speed. We tried the same song again, same result. Then we tried a different song, same result. Fortunately we finished up with an inexperienced but very capable and quick-learning drummer after that rather traumatic episode.

He may have depped for us. 🤣

53 minutes ago, Ashborygirl said:

Where did I describe Boogie as 'budget' or TE as 'crap'? 

 

Gibson bought Boogie in 2021 & there have been no new Boogies in the UK since.  Gibson say they will come back, but for now, you can't buy a new one.  So that patient, if not dead, has been in ITU for 3 years.

 

Gibson bought TE in October 1998 & moved the majority of manufacturing to the US & Asia.  They closed the UK factory in December 2001 & effectively ended TE production.  I'd say that was Gibson killing off the brand.  Peavey bought the distribution rights in 2006 & relaunched the brand, albeit using the same OEM boards found in some Peavey branded amps.  Nothing inherently wrong with that, but I doubt it's what Fred Friedlein envisioned for his company.

That's the commercial world for you.

As far as I can see with all the Class D amps, they're all pretty much the same. Most people seem to run them flat. Everyone is cutting costs and slimming down lines. 

There are more boutique amps out there now. Time will tell, but the big players are too big to be taking risks. 

2 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I’ve not really been present at that many auditions, only poor one I remember was a guy who turned up and had learned most of the songs in the wrong key, no idea which versions he’d listened to. 

School boy error. 🤣

We were looking for a singer for our function band.

The guy turned up on time, looked great, sang even better. Knew the songs.

The plan was to give him half an hour and then discuss after he'd left.

While he was packing down to leave he started telling us all about the numerous fights he'd been in at gigs. 

Think we are on a roll with stories about bands and members woes.

What's your worst experience auditioning someone for your band?