12stringbassist

I have never really expected my former workmates to do much in the way of making an effort to attend my gigs. I guess they saw more than enough of me at work and vice versa. I don't think some of them were particularly interested in live music, regardless of who was playing it, so I was never hugely offended. I don't expect everyone to be interested in the same things as me. Years after I left my old job, it's become an occasional thing for some of them to use it as an excuse for a get-together, organised through Facebook, which suits me down to the ground. It's good to see them and in some cases, have something else to do while they chat. What's really good is that when some of them see me with a bass in my hands and see exactly what I have been doing on stage, they suddenly understand the long hair that got all those sideways looks and the afternoons I had off to go guitar hunting and all of the gigs that I did that they knew about but didn't come to. It's sometimes really good to shock them with a really tight band that mixes things up a bit and give them something they really didn't expect. It's also good when people that I know turn up who are into music and then it's the challenge of doing what we do and hopefully impressing them. It's only a challenge because two of the wheels fell off our wagon around May and July and I have had to replace our guitarist and drummer after 9.5 years. The band is getting tighter and more versatile now. Social media is a good way of gathering the troops - and a lot of my friends were made through being in a band, but I tend not to rely on it for most of my friends as dragging themselves out to watch bands isn't what they all do.

Our first gig of the new year. We played with a dep drummer on New Year's Eve, as our own drummer had a long standing arrangement for a family party in Wales. I turned up a bit frazzled after having forgotten a couple of things and having to go back home for them. The parking was difficult. We had people shutting the rear door of the venue as we were loading in which didn't help and a couple of people were getting in our way. We were a bit loose in the first half. The second half was a lot better.

My main aim for this year is to get a decent number of gigs done with the new line-up of the band. We have a month off in February when our guitarist expands his family and I intend to have an album of my own either ready to go on CD at that point, or to get an amount of it recorded in our down time (more likely). Whether it sells any copies or not..... I'm not deadly bothered about that. I also want to get a bunch of instruments sold off that aren't getting used. I have published part one of our Slade discography book just before Christmas. Part two is out in February and we have another book due in April which I need to get back into working on - lots of tedious image restoration work is involved. And a publisher has asked us to do a Slade book for them and I need to read the contract and map that out. Busy busy.

It always has been and always will be one of these...

Ours was quite good. A slight goof as we get this song tight. But were having a lot of fun....

Our last one before Christmas was at The Jubilee Club in Ashton in Makerfield. A good friendly and appreciative crowd, lots of dancing, mainly in the second half. They filmed us and have put one song up...

It almost looks a little more liek a Montezuma Brown finish. https://reverb.com/uk/p/rickenbacker-360-color-of-the-year?hfid=91724846 or maybe an Autumnglo https://www.andybaxterbass.com/products/2022-rickenbacker-4003cb-autumnglo

Our Sunday jam night ended last weekend, after 387 sessions (almost 10 years) as the venue is being sold. It was an emotional evening. We are casting the net for another venue, but if we don't get one, it's not the end of the world.

New Rose The Damned

You got it bang on... As for the smoke machine, I made it clear that it was NOT to be put on while I was near the stage.

We played a club near Bolton for the fourth time. The Concert Sec there lives in the 1960's and puts some real clunge on. He's been ignoring my whatsapp messages about next year. He came up to me before went on and tauntingly reminded me that I had gone up to him and shown him a fake Rickenbacker the last time we played. I had two with me that night, plus a P Bass. He wouldn't have it that the Ric I brought last time was real. It was a 2002 4003FG and it was on my stand. He very grudgingly admitted it was real. We always get told what a breath of fresh air we are when we play there. We went on played our two spots, went down like heroes with a 1.05 second spot with dancers throughout. When he came to pay us at the end, I reminded him that he hadn't responded to my Whatsapp messages and laughingly said that I thought he'd died. He told us that though he really likes us we aren't right for the club. Some people left. Like they do when it's cold and dark out and not far off Christmas, etc.. I remined polite and cheerful, as we aren't short of work. Instead of losing my sheet, I just said, we will go down far better than some of the acts you've booked up to June next year. You should've seen his face. Permanent worry-lines forming. He was beyond horrified and demanded to know which ones would frighten their punters and clear the place. I was too much of a gentleman to tell him.

I'm 67 and have been thinking about how long I have left of doing this. The last few years have been very very uncomfortable at times band-wise, due to a band member who was arrogant and awkward, but who has now thankfully left. When that happened, I questioned whether to carry on or not, and after a day or two I decided to not let the situation defeat me. We auditioned a new, much younger, guitarist and we are playing with a new-found excitement and chucking lots of new material together and playing what we hope are very good shows. Where this becomes very relevant to this topic is that our drummer is unwell and has been out of the band since July. We have a reserve drummer covering, but it seems more and more likely that our own drummer will not be returning to the band, except to maybe do a couple of occasional short 'guest spots'. That is something that we haven't been able to discuss. He's been very determined to play, but sadly his mobility and medication have interfered with everything. That is an enormous stress for me as he's my friend and we have been in the same band for ten long years, persevering and supporting each other through some rather awkward times to keep things together. 'Do it while you can' is very much my motto these days. You don't know when it's going to be taken away from you.

Last night we played in Heath Charnock between Bolton and Chorley. A brilliant landlady and nice crowd. One of the punters gave us a £30 tip and the landlady did too. We gave this song a second outing. Played for the first time on Friday...

We had a really good night last night, with lots of friends there, at a venue not far from me where we have celebrated various milestones with my bands over the years. Just what we needed really. This year's been really difficult for the band with a change of guitarist and all the things that led up to it, plus our drummer's serious illness and us running with a replacement. The band as it is now is really enjoying itself.

It is a very unsettling situation and I've never been happy with bandmates going plotting behind other people's backs, having been the victim of that kind of thing, after playing with a couple of very slippery people in the past. Gettng your bandmates to be open and honest about this could blow the whole band apart. Could your existing member improve? Why the wait until the new year to replace him? I would at least say you're not entirely comfortable with the way it is being done and that the wait to try the new person makes you nervous. Good luck.

We had a good night last night.

My Rics..

Day Tripper. Beatles.

When they split into two halves I was dismayed. Godley and Creme's L album totally made up for the disappointment. Imagine what could have been if they'd just taken a year off, though.

I don't think it is acceptable for a guitar maker to excuse body damage, untidy work and bad electronics by saying that the instrument is 'a prototype'. That's garbage. You asked for a neat, clean and functional custom instrument and have paid through the nose for it. Reading through the topic, I see he's going to do remedial work so you are satisfied with it. That leaves you without the bass for a period, worried about how it will turn up next time and hopefully not out of pocket. All for the stuff he should have got right as a matter of course. I really do hope you get your dream bass back and would love to see full photos (logo obscured if need be). I totally understand not naming the builder while you are dealing with getting the faults corrected.