Cat Burrito

No pic but we played another slot at a local pub just before the weekend. It was enjoyable but I didn't think it was worthy of sharing... However, yesterday I met by Dad in my local pub 8 miles from the gig and a very decent chap came up to me and said he recognised me. He then bigged up my playing in front of my Dad. I was really touched. (for context, I am a few months shy of 50, not a teenager!) 😸

I've been very lucky in that in 34yrs of playing, I have always managed to be in a band that plays the music of wherever my head is at the time. I've played a range of styles over the years. 

When my Dad was pro in the 60s, he earned more money (relatively speaking) but played a lot of stuff he hated. He gave up before the decade was out.

I am in 5 (on paper at least) and hold down quite a stressful job.

However this breaks down to one very busy band when you look at it;

• One band is on hiatus and is essentially where I play locally with two very chilled (lazy!) musician friends,
• One is predominately studio based and only does a few shows a year. the albums are critically acclaimed but it all looks busier than it actually is,
• One is a duo with an old school friend that is run by me so I just fit it around everything
• One is kinda on hiatus but is essentially the band that is linked to the last,
• The final one is an international touring level act that have just recorded a new record. I have been upfront about them using deps but this one zaps the most time.

My wife has a massive family (I don't) and she is the one who has pushed for me to do all this -- we're very committed / supportive of each other but fairly independent. I also think you HAVE to be upfront with other band members and it is easier if you come into something already in other bands. Don't hide auditions and don't bang on about how great the drummer is in your other band in front of the weaker drummer. If it's too much, scale it back.

@Grahambythesea, I think that @Beer of the Bass explained it brilliantly. They were $3 on EBay and wow, do they sharpen up the tone. Coupled with the armrest (£13 on EBay) which keeps your arm off of the body, the thing sounds great. It went a bit quieter when I put them on but sounded more in tune but adding the armrest boasted the volume so I am at the same volume with a better sound.

I also have a bouzouki which I have tuned like a mandola. My singer plays a mandocello which is a contender for the nicest instrument I have seen or played (weird that he has the low end covered as a guitarist and I am playing the melodies as a bass player).  

I'm still dining out on a story regarding a Sixth Form band argument way back in 1990 where my guitarist mate was being very pompous and telling me that "nobody can cover the Beatles". When I pushed him on the fact he knew nothing about the Beatles he got all defensive and said "I know about The Beatles... it's George Lennon and that!" 😸

Growing up and getting into music in the 80s, I didn't trust / believe any of the popular DJs really liked music - Cheggars Plays Pop, Mike Read's Pop Quiz etc. I believed Tommy Vance and John Peel did but none of the others. Noel Edmunds? Give me a break!

Even if you think I'm mad for thinking that (& I try to tell myself I am wrong), history has proven me right about Jimmy Savile! 

My dad was a pro drummer in the 60s so at the tender age of 8, I assumed I would follow in his footsteps. I was 8 and couldn't take instruction from my Dad! I have since learned a basic beat on drums after 32yrs as a bass player. I currently teach bass to a pro drummer and he is always offering me free drum lessons. Never say never. It's good to stretch out on other instruments.

I lucked out when I bought my mandolin some 15+ years ago. A mid range model that happened to be particularly well made. I've played the same model when others have had one and this one just lucked out when they selected the wood - all solid wood and a tone to die for. I was playing country type stuff on it with my fairly basic playing (theory being that as a bass player,  I could manage the transition to an instrument that has 4 string tunings too). Over lockdown I started mucking about with my old mate from Sixth Form playing 80s Alternative / Goth stuff on old folk instruments. My mandolin playing suddenly skyrocketed the second I stopped trying to play country style! I upgraded the tuners first. Then I flipped the knobs to wooden ones, changed the bridge cover to all black and it grew from there. I had some mandolin grommets shipped over from Nashville to deaden the sound of the strings behind the bridge and further worsened it's environmental footprint by getting an arm rest from India. Finally I got @TimAl to design a fantastic custom pickguard for me and a unique goth rock take on old folk! I think it has turned out pretty well and I look forward to taking it out locally across a few shows over the summer. I appreciate it's a bit niche for most of you but if you like looking at pretty instruments, fill your boots... (& yes the hard case further demonstrates my attention to the pose!)

Playing live is a massive part of who I am. I like performing and I also think music is about making a connection. I like rehearsal, I like studio and I am happy playing along with stuff at home but for me there is nothing like connecting onstage with friends and a crowd out front. 

It started in a school hall, and over the years it's taken me all over the UK and into Europe. I've made friendships through live stuff and had some unforgettable experiences. I guess that's why I haven't commented in the I hate gigging thread! I do accept it isn't for everyone though and I also accept that people can get burnt out from it. Hopefully I have plenty of life in me yet. 

Looks genuine to me. I owned a few 80s MIJ and 90s CIJ / MIJ basses over the years - all EXCELLENT! As a point of interest, the serial number and Made / Crafted references moved around a bit over the years (sometimes on the neck heel, sometimes on the headstock etc). 

Done

It's the Nephilim headlining the Whitby Goth festival this year so I am looking forward to seeing them. I saw the Mission support Alice Cooper a few years back and they suffered from a terrible sound (plus our seats were practically in the car park!) so looking forward to seeing them properly. 

Mine changes. At the moment it is probably black but I guess it depends on the bass. 

13 hours ago, 2elliot said:

...and this video is shot in Whitby!  Goff Central twice a year.

I'm seeing the Mission this month and going to Whitby's Goth festival later this year.

Hey Siri, show me a midlife crisis?! 

I was born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s. It was the decade I started making my own musical choices, outside of the cooler aspects of my parents record collection and the decade that saw me first get an instrument and then join a band.

I suppose I flitted between alternative and rock bands, hating much of the mainstream. I spent much of the 90s and 00s reacting to the 80s in a very negative way. Maybe I have mellowed with age but digging out those old records again, there is a lot to love. I don't know if it is those days seeming so long ago now, the passing of family etc but I really connected with a lot of it over the lockdowns. Right now I seem to be back into it with a passion. Funny how life goes full circle. 

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

On both of my 3-pickup Bass VIs (Squier and Burns) I found that the middle pickup was best for "bass" sounds although neither suffer from the noise problems you describe despite having single coil pickups, so I'd investigate the the shielding and grounding on your bass before committing to the hassle and expense of a pickup change. 

I noticed the same with my Burns

From flying 1300 miles to Ibiza at the start of the week to playing my closest gig to a homecoming ever, an open mic on the very road I grew up on, last night saw my school friend and I in our revived 80s alternative band playing covers by The Cure and the Mission on my mandolin. On many levels I enjoyed it as much as playing Ibiza!

Interesting. I didn't know that this existed. I have a Burns version. Again cheaper than the Squier. I bought it for some Glen Campbell style melodies in an original recording band but have actually wound up using mine a lot in an 80s goth duo. Love mine. 

26 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

Whats the bass? I have an OLP active which is the business!

Just the entry level MM Stingray. I had an Olp a few years ago and liked it a lot. 

I flew out to Ibiza to play the opening night of HRH Road Trip. The show was great, although I took my cheap Musicman copy as I didn't trust Ryanair with an expensive bass. The Ashdown rig sounded decent and the show was really well attended. My first trip over to mainland Europe since Covid. Ibiza was surprisingly not Chav!  

Wider padded straps certainly lighten the load. My shoulder is definitely playing up 35yrs of playing Paul Simonon / Peter Hook style (tried raising it but ultimately I am an old dog and this was too much of a new trick). 

I couldn't use the strap in the original post as it contains leather but I have a Couch padded wide strap that really helps. I now sit down for parts of longer rehearsals and generally try to avoid the heavier basses when buying. As someone who turns 50 in 12 months I would always say looking after your bass health is important if you still want to be doing this in a few years time. 

The answer is purely financial for me. If money is a worry and buying a bass is going to cause issues, don't buy it. I scaled right back when I got divorced many years ago and then played catch up when I came out the other side. I think with the cost of living right now I am playing things very cautiously but my finances will change again in a few years so I can relax then.  

I grew up in a small rural town and was (& remain) an avid consumer of music. My journey went something like;

• The cooler elements of my parents record collection
• Through friends at junior school / Top of the Pops 
• Being stuck at the parties of my parents' friends with their older cooler kids introducing me to their tastes
• Discovering stuff through the Rock / Alternative charts on mainstream shows like The Chart Show
• Reading the music press and learning which journalists I liked and taking chances.

1 minute ago, leojb23 said:

i was coming at it from a metal players perspective more the slow low kind of metal. for me i found the big muff harsh and skizzy. personally the proco rat is the distortion for me or just go clean

 

Quite literally a case of "No good for metal" then 😸

Just seen this thread. I never used effects before but over lockdown I got into an 80a alternative duo and have been using the EHX pedals with that. I quite like the Big Muff but I use it sparingly and in combination with other effects. Reading this makes me wonder if I should have tried other brands but as I liked the EHX stuff I just stayed with the brand and the sound is great, for my needs. We have jangly 12 string guitar and drum machine / programmed keys so perhaps it would be a little more lost in a regular band set up.