Cat Burrito

5 hours ago, Rosie C said:

 

BTW, the 25B Crush amp you sold me is still going strong - and gets gigged every couple of weeks  

Good to hear. It is a nice little amp 😎

1 minute ago, Rosie C said:

Thanks Mr.Burrito.

 

We don't stand on formalities here. Cat is fine AKA Tim 😸

As you are a supporting member, there shouldn't be. We have different rules for trade dealers but for a house clearance, you should be fine. Any issues, report it to the Moderation team and we'll pick it up. The two links here, might be of use -

Advice for buyers and sellers

Terms and Conditions 

Our next show has just been pushed back a week but thankfully I hadn't plugged it with the wrong date on here. The amended poster is here. 

8 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

Love that band jacket.

Just prior to going on, a man on a mobility scooter stopped to sing “Sharp Dressed Man” to me. It set me up for the gig! 

Today we kicked off the UK proceedings for World Goth Day (technically this Thursday but I managed to get our event listed) with a cheeky little in store record shop gig. I played mainly mandolin with some mandocello and a bit of a guitar (not bad for an old bassist). 
 

We had a pretty respectable crowd and I enjoyed the set. 
 

We even had a brief write up locally

 Deadlight Dance Devizine

Mosrite.

Rickenbacker 4005.

This Saturday, we're doing a record shop show which coincidentally kick starts world goth day celebrations in the UK. 

Whenever I emailed Orange, they were always really helpful. Worth a go. 

I saw they were looking Lozz. Sounds cool. Sometimes it is nice to go back. 

Q - What separates your band from the other bands in the areas you work in?

A - a mix of playing originals (we do covers too), playing darker / gothic songs and our instrumentation. 

Q - What do you have that others don't?

A - There’s some real talent around here but I think it’s our overall package. 

Q - If you were pitching your band to a prospect, what would be your bast selling point.

A- We’re good at what we do, we’re easy to work with and we manage to take our music seriously without taking ourselves too seriously as people. 

Q - You can also add in areas where you think your band struggles. 
 

A - Just being too left field for what is a rural county. We’re flexible but fairly uncompromising. 

Sounds like a nightmare @BigRedX. I meant contact you afterwards. Luckily we’re used to playing in a more acoustic style too so we had a serviceable plan B. That’s a really top tip on the EQ though. I did think the soundman looked a bit young and new to it all. 

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

I suspect your backing had been put through a rarely used channel on a digital desk which had previous been used for something that needed to be aggressively band-passed. We've encountered this a few times, and re-setting the EQ on the channel in question to flat has always sorted it out.

That makes sense. I nearly messaged you as I know you have more experience with backing tracks. It was frustrating but we worked around it. We aimed to research it and come back better informed. That makes sense. My theory (as someone who isn't into tech) was that Nick's iPad is ancient and the desk wasn't reading it. We used my more modern one at the next gig and there was no problem. I'll pass your answer on to Nick from the group as I really don't want that happening again. 

10 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

There was a certain level of familiarity!

I have the solid black one, a black / grey leopard print one and the white version of your one on the left. All 3" style. I should do a photo sometime too. 

9 hours ago, super al said:

Our drummer went to that gig, his mate was playing in Folk'd About.

Folk'd About were great fun. I really enjoyed watching the other bands and pretty much everyone made a point of supporting each other. 

It was an odd venue to show up to. When we first walked through the bar, I thought we might need chicken wire but the people in the back room was really friendly. To be fair, although we definitely got checked out walking through the main bar, everyone was cool. Hope you have a great show. 

8 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Great pic Tim, what strap are you using, looks like a good one to support a weighty bass.

See below... & I don't own any heavy basses. Unfortunately, my shoulder is just knackered!

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Is that one of those 3" Couch straps?

I am impressed - indeed it is. 

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Cracking pic as always but i'm now curious what the 269 signifies ?

Dave

269 is on all my basses. It was the number given to a cow that was destined to be killed but was liberated. 269 went on to live a long and healthy life. 

I was delighted to play a charity fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society in Salisbury at the weekend. Having lost my Mum to Alzheimer’s, it wasn’t one I had to think twice over! A great lineup of bands - 7 acts who for the most part all supported each other. It was a really friendly atmosphere and we played really well. Our mid placed billing was definitely the golden hour and it is absolutely a contender for my gig of the year, so far. We played electric, mostly original gothic tunes. 

Here’s a pic, courtesy of John Armstrong, of me heading up the dusty end to channel my inner Peter Hook. 
 

I never got my name in lights but more than happy with chalk! 
 

We had our headline at The Vic in Swindon. We’d been weeks in rehearsal and our soundcheck had us struck by the curse of backing tracks. For some reason we had a virtually non-existent kick drum and barely audible count ins, coupled with ear bleedingly loud keyboard washes! Rather than try and dissect the problem, we hastily rewrote the set to come up with a stripped back set. The Rickenbacker sounded immense through my Blackstar U700 head and 4x10. That head continues to excel in all situations. The crowd walked a line between modest but respectable (original goth music in Swindon on a school night perhaps isn’t the easiest of sells). 
 

Despite the initial woes of soundcheck, a fantastic night. I was even complimented on my singing voice - something I have been working hard on for the last couple of years 🎉
 

Looking forward to our electric headline show in Swindon this Thursday, along with our fantastic handpicked special guest. Free entry.

As part of Record Store Day, I played a church in my hometown. Not only did it mark 12 months of me being alcohol free but it marked the first time I played a venue that my Dad had played. No, we're not religious but it amazes me that in 37yrs of playing, it hasn't happened already. I had friends come over from Wales and down from Yorkshire and we were on it throughout. The playback confirmed it. It was promoting my friend Rich Davies and his band The Dissidents. Got to use my Blackstar head and cab with my trusty Ric 4003s. It sounded immense. 

I think the tragedy of the modern world is that the average member of the public wants music for free but won't bat an eyelid overpaying for a coffee. When it comes to charity shows and the overused word of "exposure", it is interesting that the band is the first thing to be eliminated from being paid. People are not showing up to watch the person on the door or the person serving them.

Throughout the 90s, I don't think I did any paid gigs. It was either a free gig or the minimal payment went into the band. Fast forward to now and my duo has done a few paid shows - all our money goes back into the band. We've also done freebies and open mic. I need to see us getting something, be it genuine exposure or just the opportunity to play a decent stage. 

I think for bands who write their own music, the standards shift. I wouldn't do a covers or tribute show for free because I would expect it to be of a standard where we got paid. Playing in my originals duo, it is more niche so I am alive to venues struggling. That said, I think many promoters could sometimes try harder. A couple of drinks and a meal isn't costing pub prices and things like collections for the band, covering fuel etc should all be used more widely. Musicians and their friends often spend the evening in the venue paying full price for drinks etc. I'm nearly 12 months alcohol free and the costs still build. 

Ultimately though, I would never criticise any band member for their choice to either purely play for fun or only demand paid shows. Your band, your rules. 

I play in a goth duo where we play everything between us. Acoustic gigs are 100% live but the electric shows are very much backing we have recorded on an IPad with us playing along. I have been playing since 1988 and never dreamt I would do this. Ever. We formed this duo over lockdown and I was inspired by several new bands that I like doing the same. 

Let me tell those who are cynical, it's a discipline in its own right. Good musicians cover one another. If the track is going into a chorus at bar 60, the singer best not have come in late! Good monitors are key too because you HAVE to hear it and it isn't like playing with a live drummer.

I don't doubt in more traditional genres, it would seem odd or out of place but it seems appropriate for this genre. I think it has improved my playing and I like that nearly 37yrs later, I still find ways to challenge myself. 

The second of two gigs for the Dissidents and it was something of a mixed bag. On paper it was a rip roaring success but I must confess that I let the little things get to me, which I don’t normally do. A great start, in that my neighbour’s cat once again tried to come along.

She’s a lovely little cat but I can’t see her making old bones - far too risk adverse. I managed to depart on my own and pick up the keyboard player. The venue was Tufnel Park’s Aces & Eights. The sound guy was great, the promoter was super friendly and we had sold out. Despite my fully charged  wireless packing up during the first song, it was a great show. Relaxed, friendly vibe and we played well. 
 

I had a fair few old friends who I hadn’t seen for years come down and it rounded off what should have been a great night. The problem came around doing the merch store. We shifted 10 CDs, which is good going. However, I had one wannabe haggler, one drunk lady who inexplicably thought I was keeping money from the singer (it’s called being the sober sensible one!) and then one idiot who was actually really rude a couple of times to me. Being pragmatic, this doesn’t normally happen and the problem is clearly them, not me but it did kind of take the shine off of things. I am usually okay with idiots but I must confess that it definitely touched a nerve. I think going forward, we need to split working the merch more and I need to work out why my usually much thicker skin wasn’t so good on this occasion. Bizarre as I am letting a total of 2 minutes cloud what was an otherwise fantastic evening. 

2 hours ago, Thor said:

I really enjoy playing there - great venue! 

Yeah, been playing there for years. Once I played there and came away with a wife… not bad when most people leave a concert with a CD or t-shirt, at best! 

The return of Richard Davies & the Dissidents last night at The Beehive in Swindon. Wonderfully cramped and it felt like a proper rock ‘n’ roll gig. Good to blow off a few cobwebs ahead of tonight’s sold out London show.