Leonard Smalls

2 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

if that's a Wal, it and I happened at the same time in the same place.

It's a 79 Wal Pro 1 (or 2?).

Either way, you know you wants it... And it will have been touched by Mr Ian himself!

Go on go on go on go on etc

13 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

I'm a '79er, so I don't want a YOB bass, really

You're lucky, you could actually get a good one rather than a thumpy old Fender with an ashtray on it!

I taught myself "bass" by playing along to Bootsy records on the bottom 4 strings of an acoustic guitar.

Then about a month later went to a m8's party, there were some instruments and a few of us had a jam, which is how the band formed.

We had our first gig after about a month at the Tartan Bar, Leeds Uni then a week later at The Warehouse in Leeds. Basically it was me playing a simple groove on a borrowed Gibson short scale - it belonged to Jez, who played a bit of guitar with us and later became the Utah Saints with our drummer, who with us didn't so much drum as jump about with a drum machine strapped to a guitar body tapping out rhythms. We had Jay Rayner (!) on keys, Chris Haskett on guitar (later went to join Henry Rollins!), Andy from Cassandra Complex on guitar with final guitar being John (later in the Snapdragons). Our singer was another Andy, who went on to be singer for the New Fast Automatic Daffodils. And it was chaos!

Somehow we're still playing occasionally - and recording our first album (it's only taken 40 years) though with only the 2 Andys, John and KeithTheDrums. Though We've largely dropped "Dredd", "And" and "Badass" from our name calling ourselves simply, The Weeds.

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

put sneakers on and danced

We had a mosh pit!

And despite that, no punch ups...

The horror I have is that middle of the road do where they're trying to keep everyone happy meaning that most aren't. 

Or at least I wouldn't be, but then I hate most music that isn't an unlistenable racket!

24 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I guess it depends on the wedding

Playing your average wedding fills me with horror!

However, I remember our punkfunk band in the early 90s being booked to do a wedding - it was for someone very posh who our drummer knew.

We'd just finished gigging with Gaye Bykers and were at the height of our rock'n'rollness; 2 of us turned up on our motorbikes, rest came in the van which we were all going to kip in at the venue.

As soon as we'd turned up at the stately home somewhere in Surrey we were offered champagne, which we alternated with tequila shots that the guitarist had brought.

I remember the look of horror from the older folks there as we launched into our set, which for some reason was at 3pm. We leapt about, swigging from champagne bottles, playing songs no-one would have known unless they knew us (we actually played well!), and as soon as we finished we jumped on the kiddies bouncy castle, spraying young 'uns with more champers.

Then we lazed about smoking dope and started on the beer. But strangely, we weren't shunned, or beaten up, or arrested - folks came and joined in with our excesses and we were convinced to play our set again in the evening. After that, there was a rave DJ, which perhaps meant we hadn't just been booked by mistake.

All in all it turned out to be a serious party - similar to many of the free festivals of the late 80s, just that someone posh who liked to party was getting married too!

I suspect there aren't that many proper rock XS weddings though - it was like Fear and Loathing in Guildford!

Bit of blueseyjazzyfunk with Joe Bonamassa

They're doing heavy NYXLs even cheaper - just bought 2 sets at £16.37 each!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NAJH97M?psc=1&smid=A1522385LAKHHO&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

I get round playing covers I don't like by being in an originals band...

That way we get to play songs wot we wrote ourselves and like a lot, but nobody else likes 'em.

Luckily, we don't like crowded places.

Most often, I come along with the bass lines/chord sequences etc for a song which everybody works out a part for (or sometimes I suggest), and singer writes lyrics.

A couple of times our singer has come along with lyrics which we'll then work out riffage for.

Either way, we jam it until it works.

With a cover we'll look for a spin on the idea like funkin' or punkin' itup, or making it into a mash-up. I object to doing straight covers!

And from the same sort of place, but different 😁

Some Buttholes...

Here's some racquet...

I got to thinking about a certain type of person for whom the future is only acceptable if it stays exactly the same as the present, hence a ditty about some bloke who won't never grow up.

All is by me, except some EZ drummer loops (plus some programmed by me). All mixed in Ableton with bass fx by Helix, guitar tones by Bias FX, keyboard is Iris. Everything's rolled in the glitter that is Ozone 9.

On 13/11/2023 at 09:32, Earbrass said:

this came on Radio 3

She's my neighbour!

And very nice she is too...

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

Let's just hope that Lenny doesn't get wind of this..!

Funny you should say that...

Here's my song for this month:

I sort of regret that time 30-odd years ago when there were a number of record company scouts coming to see us at the Bull and Gate, and we thought that if we got completely off our faces we'd play much better.

We couldn't...

And worse, we thought we'd played really well!

However, it probably did me a favour in the long run.

Today it's a touch of compressed Ampeg model in one Helix path, the other path with tube overdrive, plate reverb and Wah.

Yesterday it was a Royal Blood sort of thing with bass in one path and autowah screaming guitar in the other.

Before that with an actual pedalboard it was whatever craziness I could conjure from Qtron and bass-synth.

Tomorrow, who knows?

I'm not quite as flamboyant as I used to be...

Then (me in beautiful wedding dress)

With the Weeds

And more recently, Captain Square in sparkley leggings

Favourite jazz bass player?

Always liked Jamaaladeen Tacuma for his harmolodic grooves.

And loved Melvin Gibbs power in both Avant jazz and rock - I've seen him with Bill Frisell, Sonny Sharrock, Defunct and Rollins Band so proper versatile.

Though neither specifically play a jazz .  I've seen Jamalaadeen with a Rick, a Kubicki in pink, a Steinberger cricket bat and some weird cross between a Barbie doll and a Les Paul!

2 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Definitely out of my comfort zone on this one

I suspect many will agree!

My first thought was it was just random noises, but I actually ended up listening to the whole thing and found it rather haunting and hypnotic...

I'm not normally one for ambient backgroundy stuff but liked this!

I'm quite happy with my main rig - DBX rack compressor, BBE pre-amp and Crown 2 channel power amp bridged to give 1500W into a Markbass 2x10 and Markbass 4x10. So I can take either or both cabs depending on the gig.

It's also almost impossible to get any sort of distortion or overdrive out of the rig - max gain on the pre results in a little bit of thickening.

Which in my book is excellent, as any distortion or FX come from my Helix meaning my on-stage sound is similar to front of house (assuming soundperson thinks bass definition is something they need to worry themselves about).

Local Hereford crew...

Nice bit of early Simple Minds. Reminds me of RoxyBowie Nite at Angels Nite Spot in Chester back in 1982! (they couldn't spell in them days...)

I keep mine in the shed next to the shovel, spades and mattock.

17 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

seek out more of her stuff

This is my favourite! 

From my mum's side we got anything up to Rachmaninov, then she started doing her LRAM and we got right up to date with a touch of Shostakovich.

And from my dad's side we got really modern, with Sidney Bechet, Chris Barber and Acker Bilk.

My dad's reaction to popular music on TOTP was usually "Do they want to go to the toilet?", and my mum would say "what a disgusting noise!".

As a result I like to make as much of a racket as I can!