The Funk

[quote name='YouMa' post='400205' date='Feb 4 2009, 05:32 PM']You are joking of course. I would not describe the lush huge chordal pads in the blade runner soundtrack as "tinny" or "bleepy" the yamaha cs-80 that made these sounds has monster bass,i think you might be thing of casio.[/quote] I agree with you. Tell me the bass part in [i]Flashlight[/i] is sh*t.

Brilliant! You realise you have to name it sooner or later? I vote for [i]Electric Lardy-land[/i], assuming you've developed a healthy beer belly with all that Stella!

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='399261' date='Feb 3 2009, 06:52 PM']You got paid? I think we took about 80 people with us and pretty sure we didn't see a penny. Of course I'm an artist, so I don't do it for the money blah, blah, blah.[/quote] You guys didn't get paid? That's a disgrace! Even by the terms of their exploitative contract you should have received about £50. I know you're not expecting a Learjet and all the coked-up hookers you can handle but it'd be nice to at least get your petrol money back to Kent, right? Seriously, if you guys are based in Kent and getting 80 people in London you should be playing better venues for better organisers.

[quote name='MythSte' post='399387' date='Feb 3 2009, 08:35 PM']Not quite, a bass synth Takes the signal from your bass and manipulates it [...] Edit, But you can play a Synthesizer in the bass registers also.[/quote] Yes, wise edit. Sometimes people refer to keyboard synthesizers in bass registers as Bass Synths, such as the Moog Taurus (which is coming back out very soon).

[quote name='Mod_Machine' post='399161' date='Feb 3 2009, 05:16 PM']Ok chill! You had a couple of bad experiences, we didnt! [...] The opinion i have given was purely meant to try and balance out the negative reviews the place seems to have got as in my experience us musicians appear to be more than happy to highlight the bad but rarely acknowledge the good.[/quote] I'm not criticising you or having a go at you. Just saying how I found it. I'm glad you had a great time there. I'll never go back. There was nothing good about it apart from our crowd and our performance. It is the worst venue I've ever played or watched a gig.

[quote name='Mod_Machine' post='397876' date='Feb 2 2009, 02:18 PM']Wow - thats alot of bad feedback about the place! [...] Although only recently signed, as individuals we are not aa bunch of 'newbies' to the giggin scene either so im pretty sure our 'good experience' wasnt down to lack of a good basis for comparison![/quote] We're not newbies to the gigging scene either. The entire operation is a f***ing mess. We brought our own amps too (both times). The engineer didn't have a f***ing clue (both times) and the onstage and FOH sound was abysmal (both times). The stage manager was a c*** (second time) and hopeless (the first time). The promoter you deal with on the phone doesn't show up to the gig. They charged some people from the guestlist full whack. We were one of 7 bands (both times). Our stage times were f***ed with (both times). We were the only band to get paid (both times). The first time they threw off the headline band as we were about to start our set. Poor guys had to come onto the stage, take their stuff and skulk out of the venue. We were told to play a double set. The second time the place was rammed with our crowd (50+). We walked out with a paltry £20 for the entire band. We've dealt with three sets of bookers there. Noone who works there last more than 12 months. It's a shithole. Don't bother with it.

[quote name='yorick' post='399000' date='Feb 3 2009, 02:54 PM']The cynical stench of a cash-in tour?????????????????????[/quote] What's wrong with that? The band'll be less broke and the fans'll get to see them. Win-win, surely?

I don't think it's a money-spinner. Someone would have to make a loss: either the band, or the promoter or the venue. Worst scenario would be all three! She's a fantastic player though and I'm kinda in love with her.

[quote name='YouMa' post='398995' date='Feb 3 2009, 02:49 PM']Does that nice girl still sing for them? The one who sang on" to be with you"[/quote] I didn't even realise such good players were in that girl band.

If Jamey's based in the US, I think we could argue educational use under US copyright law - we don't have that in the UK though.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='397989' date='Feb 2 2009, 03:52 PM']Isn't that where the magic bass pixie makes it all happen?![/quote] Nah, it's where all the years of practice on your own and in rehearsal come together for you and the guys you're playing with to the point where you are able to operate almost entirely on a subconscious level, eg. you know what everyone else is doing almost before they're doing it - but without thinking about it or concentrating on anything.

[quote name='silddx' post='397941' date='Feb 2 2009, 03:06 PM']All I remember being aware of was the pulse and the accents. It was tight, musical, thrilling, improvised but I was only half aware, like in a dream. Doesn't happen very often, we usually have rigid structure and don't deviate very much, because the song is king. We have a lot of comms going on on stage usually. It was sort of instictive I suppose. Drummer's eyes were closed, he was trippin too.[/quote] That's a good thing. It's being in the zone!

I'm aware of nothing onstage. To quote Sister Sledge, lost in music - caught in a trance.

[quote name='Galilee' post='394901' date='Jan 29 2009, 08:26 PM']Got the gig. Thanks for all of your help. [/quote] Good sh*t!

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='395337' date='Jan 30 2009, 12:41 PM']Well done mate, I have a great deal of respect for anyone who gets off there arse and follows through on an idea.[/quote] Same here. Well done!

If there's a manual have a look. Otherwise, yes, most solidstate amps are fine without.

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='394740' date='Jan 29 2009, 05:19 PM']If you try to do it all yourself at first you will find yourself worrying about all sorts of strange and nasty technical things when, in actual fact, the most important thing is playing well.[/quote] Good advice actually. Is it wrong to do a complete 180 on this one?

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='394141' date='Jan 28 2009, 10:45 PM']The Simandl Method books (Vols 1 and 2) are pretty much the standard for DB methods- classically oriented but you can certainly play through the exercises pizz as well.[/quote] That's what I've heard.

Right, I'll give you the advice I gave my band members on playing the blues. They all come from different musical backgrounds which have elements of blues in there (hard rock/metal, gospel, soul, r&b, jazz), so they have the right vocabulary and play all the right notes. With your musical background and level of experience you will also have all the right notes. So when everyone says it's about feel, they're right. It's about dynamics and intensity. That's what I love about 12-bar blues. The place I'd use to either build things up or calm things down is the V-IV-I turnaround at the end of the sequence. And you can build it up or calm it down not just by playing louder and softer (which is important - a good blues band will have 3 different settings, a great blues band will have 5+), but also by changing things up rhythmically. Get your drummer to mimic the things you do (or mimic the things he does) by going from quarter notes to eight notes, triplets, sextuplets etc. to build it up or down the other way for the reverse effect. (When it gets really quiet, sometimes I'll go to whole notes or drop out altogether). And as a rhythm section you'll follow the soloist (be it the vocalist, guitarist, keyboard player) to see which way he wants it to go. That's what it's all about. Dynamics and intensity and developing a feel for which way to go and when. Oh, don't forget about breaks and stops! Not enough blues bands use them.

I like the bfd short logos! As for the font, I really like it. It has a Tokyo hi-tech vibe.

The easiest way is to use two condenser mics in the room: right and left. You should get the singer at the other end of the room from the PA speakers, with the mic pointing away from the speakers to minimise feedback.

Chrome and black - stick to the formula! Speaking of t-shirts, it'd be pretty cool if your logo became famous enough for novelty spoof t-shirts like "arsefaced" and "bumf*cked".

We're also quite lucky to have one of the highest bassist:blues jam ratios in this country. Get down to a few blues jams and try to stay up there for as long as possible. I pop into a blues jam every now and then just for fun. I do love playing the blues.

Simplify. EDIT: Essential listening - Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf.

I think that's good advice. Save your money and take it! Alternatively, the recording studios at Resident (Willesden) and Panic (Acton) look pretty good although I've never used them.