Franticsmurf

It was pretty laid back - mix of locals and holiday makers so a nice chilled vibe that turned into a party atmosphere once the beer and cocktails had taken effect. 😀

A recently acquired Peavey Minimax 600 - 'B' stock from Bax. First outing last night. There are a lot of buttons as well as dials, so some work required to get the best from it but I was pleased with the sound through the backline.

Last night was the annual village green gig at Horton. Great gig with lots of dancing (and not just the audience). We were competing with Trevor Horn and Nile Rogers, who were playing in nearby Swansea but there's room for new bands like them as well as us on the circuit. 🤣

Hi Chris, welcome. I have one of these beasts and I love every fret of it. 😀

I read somewhere that Chris Squire had his Ricky painted, then sanded, then painted etc so often that it was significantly thinner than an original model. But it contributed to his signature tone. I agree with comments above - it's worth going for it with sanding however drastic. The worst case scenario is that it doesn't work and you end up getting a new body. But you may end up with something a little different that you like without spending loads on a custom body.

I kept quite a bit of physical memorabilia from when I started (around 35 years ago now) - photos, posters, press cuttings etc. I didn't really look after them, just kept them all together in plastic folders. Later, a lot of the stuff was digital - mainly photos, video and audio but also some of the setlists and posters and quite a few blog entries and website copy. During lockdown I went through the mass of stuff - much of which was aging fast (like me) and decided to digitise as much as possible. When I trek I keep a journal and take loads of photos and I compile these into one of those online photobooks (I use Blurb - other suppliers are available). So I decided to do a similar thing with the band material. I wrote a potted history of the bands I'd been in, illustrated it with photos and scans, added the blogs and even stuck a CD with MP3 files of some of the recordings we'd made over the years to the inside back cover. If nothing else, it was a pleasant few weeks revisiting some of the funny stories and characters I'd met in various incarnations of the bands.

I don't think you're being unrealistic in general - you have to do what is best for you otherwise why bother? But maybe in this particular band if you're the only one feeling the way you do it's unrealistic to expect the others to step up. I've been in the same situation and the options are to accept it or do something about it. Bear in mind that, as has been said above, it will only become more and more annoying unless you genuinely accept it as a bit of fun and a means to learn and make contacts. In your circumstances I would be looking for like-minded musicians to form your own band. If you really can't stand the current line-up, walk away amicably before it gets nasty. In my situation, I changed my attitude to the 'fun' band, stayed and enjoyed it. It kept me playing, I learned some new stuff and I'm still friends with all the band members. And I found three like minded musicians and we're working on a new project with a more comfortable mix of commitment and enjoyment.

Awkward pause.... "This one goes to 11". 😀

No camp fires on trek, presumably, or we'd have to come up with a witty reply that included 'hot footed' somewhere. 😀 Seriously, though, as a trekker who has experienced tender feet that's a useful tip, thanks.

Hi Ingwar.

Hi Steve.

First gig of the year for the festival band I play in. We were at a local food festival. The drizzle put some of the audience off but we must have played to about 50-60 hardy souls and once the sun had made an appearance we had them dancing. It makes so much difference when the crowd are responsive. I went through my Laney Digbeth preamp into FOH with a tiny practice amp for monitoring.

When I started out in my first band playing a mix of originals and covers (in the late 80's), there were quite a few 'young' bands around but the venues were lacking. Most of the pubs that had music had the same pub rock/blues rock bands playing in a circuit and it was pretty hard to break in to that ring. There was definitely an element of 'if your face fits', and most of the new/young bands (including ours) didn't. Nor did we want to, of course. We scraped gigs together at a couple of the more open venues and by getting events and private party gigs. I guess a lot of bands went elsewhere or gave up. There's paying the dues, which is fine, but it was hard work to get decent gigs and progress because of this apparent monopoly on the venues. Rock stardom didn't knock at my door and when I started playing in covers bands the gigs ramped up. It helped we had an agent. But these gigs weren't suitable for bands looking to do their own thing. Now, I am in a position to gig and to try and help upcoming bands through an annual 'rock school' thing my mate runs. Kids who have instrument lessons through his music shop spend a week forming bands, learning a few covers and writing their own song. They are already competent at their chosen instrument so the aim of the week is more about what it is to be in a band. They have to learn to compromise on covers and band name, figure out the promo and sort out what they need for the gig itself. The goal is to perform at an 'end of term' multi band gig. Last year we had four bands from the school and one of them (the one I mentored as it happens) carried on playing and is back with their own slot at this year's line-up. There are definitely more 'young bands' around here now, and I think that has something to do with better venues and there being more dedicated music venues (rather than the local pub).

I'm also interested in how it performs at a gig.

Welcome to the site.

I turned up to a graduation day gig at one of the local colleges - outside, summer party themed. The BL had bought Hawaiian shirts for the band. But being a gentleman of large proportions and not so forward thinking, he'd bought five all the same size. I looked like a Hawaiian tent with a headstock sticking out. At least we looked like a gang of sorts. Well, not 'sorts' but the appropriate phrase is probably not for this post. 😀

Absolutely agree. I have the bruises of revelation, gained when I hit that wall hard. 😀 I think it taught me more about being a musician, a bassist and being in a band than any formal learning.

I assumed when I started playing that I would be playing prog rock - the genre I was into at the time (and still am, but don't tell anyone). But very quickly I found it doesn't really work like that unless you're playing your own stuff. So after reading your post I had a think about what I actually play. As things stand, I think I can tick off all bar the folk music on your list. As you say, depping or subbing widens the span of styles we play. Interestingly for me, although I dislike country and dance music, I enjoy playing it.

I remember watching that series when I was starting out. As I recall, it was great for the mechanics of being in a band. And all those names sharing that practical knowledge and experience! I can't help feeling that a similar series these days would be more like an IT course.

Hi JBM, that's quite a mix of musical styles. Do you have a particular favourite?

Hi Gospel77. Hope you find the answer. 😀

Hi David, nice to have another with that name on board! I'm Dave. 😀

Hi Jose, welcome to the site.

You could afford a bus? When I were a lad, I used to hop on t' back of milk float.... etc etc 😀

As a Digbeth user still experimenting with settings (as I don't often get a chance to play at a decent volume and where I can experiment without causing distress to other band members), it's really useful to be able to see the effects of each control. I can now come up with a some more starting points to work from. Thanks. I have gigged the Digbeth a few times through FOH and the sound guy (a friend) likes the clean channel sound. I like the scooped lower mids using the switch in the upper position and a moderate cut (25% or so). I'm still looking for the best tube sound.