Rich

Fundraiser at Malmesbury Town Hall. Tix sold out in 3 days flat a couple of months ago, so a big crowd well up for it. A silly xmas gig demands a silly band, so we went fancy dress. I'm the hippy on the extreme left, in the hideous tie-dye and the Itchiest Wig In The World. Darth Santa at the back is our alto saxist, he'd cut a hole in the mask to allow him to play with it on Sounded great out front apparently, but gtrist and I were plagued by hum thanks to a hearing aid loop we couldn't switch off. Grr.

Usually in inverse proportion. All the best musicians I've played with have been ego-free and their own harshest critics.

If I were in the OP's position, my reaction to 'you're fired, oh and will you play the gig' would have been in three stages: 1. Laugh. 2. "Hell will freeze over before I do that. Good luck." 3. Stand up, walk away, no backward glance, never speak to them again. If meeting is in a pub, abandon pint if necessary just to show that you mean business.

I can see where this is headed.

1. Soul Destroyers at The Horseshoe, Downend: it was one of those gigs where the entire band was on the very top of its game, everything just clicked and the result was just an absolute joy to be part of. I even took lead vocal on one tune (Try A Little Tenderness) and managed to make a decent fist of that too. I was gutted when the lights finally went back up, I wanted to play the whole lot all over again. 2. Train To Skaville, Swiss Chalet, Swindon: my amp let me down, spent nearly the whole night farting** and cutting out (subsequent examination showed that the preamp valve was falling out of its socket; put this right and its been fine & dandy ever since). Obviously this affected my game and I played like an utter muppet all night. Both of these factors conspired to make me a miserable bastid. Mood was only lifted by witnessing two comedy punch-ups after last orders. Well I say 'punch-ups'... one consisted of a couple of blokes shoving each other in the car park going "yeah?" "yeah?" "come on then" "no, you come on then" "no, YOU come on" etc. and the other was two blokes being restrained on opposite sides of the pub shouting "C**T!!" as loudly as possible at each other. They helped my miserable bastidness a bit, but not by much as I was fairly sure at this point that my amp was expensively fecked. 3. Falling Fish at the Marshfest in Marshfield. The finest young band I have seen in a very, very long time. Great musicianship and excellent songs. 4. See 2 above. ** to clarify: I'm referring to the amp here, rather than the bassist

These are awesome instruments. The tonal palette is enormous. Thankfully my a} skintness and b} zero need for another 4-string prevents me from anything more serious than drooling. GLWTS.

Oops. Pardon me for making an off-topic observation. I'll keep my gob shut.

I used to think all blues songs were the same, until I depped with a blues band... The bass has so much influence, it puts you in control especially if you're with a like-minded drummer. You can turn a plod into a shuffle at the drop of a hat.

I know, it winds them up something chronic. Love it it's almost as much fun as baiting the 'Raygestapo on the SBMM forums.

Are there any women here today?

Mike Stern -- either 'Tipatinas', 'Chromazone' or 'Slow Change'. Just as long as I don't have to take a solo.

I can just imagine it. A stare that said "Just try doing that again. Please." ...along with Rollins.

I had one of these for many years, alongside my Trace SMX pre-amp it gave a huuuge sound. Totally reliable. There are a few pre-amps for sale here that this would be the perfect partner for. Note for prospective buyers: the term 'heavy' is relative... only 7kg, so while it's a lump in terms of postage, it's a complete doddle to move around and positively lightweight for 800 watts. Especially when I think back to the enormous Citronic power amp I had before this...