ARGH

Used to go an hourish, one way for my first band that toured Europe.

One from a guitarist mate.... 30 odd years ago. Drummer auditions, we will call him 'Trev' Trev appears, unloads van, VERY nice high end Tama kit, plus cymbals...its the 80s, it looks awesome. Trev plays, Trev is good, looks right, nice guy, fits... Gets offered the job, accepts it on the spot... "This the rehearsal space yeah? I might as well leave my kit here, cases and that!!" Handshakes all round, "See you next week!!" Trev, is never heard or seen from again, various calls to his number, no responses, word put about the 'Scene', uncovers nothing, even when visiting other towns and cities, if the band members recall, they ask the locals...give a description, nothing and nobody matches. About 8 years go by, My mates band have, obviously found someone else, gigged around, and the rehearsal space is getting leveled for an office block or suchlike,their stuff needs clearing out. Trevs kit and gear gets sold for the new, bigger PA...

Bad Places.... Generally EVERYWHERE in central York ALWAYS has at least 3 flights of narrow stairs, and punters going up/down with no idea that "Excuse me, I need to get in that room,," is a polite way to say "MOVE..NOW!!! THIS CAB IS FU&K1NG HEAVY!!" There was a venue in Southampton that was on multi levels to just get to the stage, I think it was called the Crow or something, upstairs, Across, Down stairs, through a room, Up more stairs, hard turn through narrow doorway...stage in corner. Bradford town center can be a pig, and Chichester one way was annoying. I thank the sky for Google maps, as Manchester and Liverpool centers can be a nightmare. I drive a classic so ULEZ is not a problem, but for others it is a rip off expense. I still feel its rather strange that some club venues put the performance room on the floor above, and moan like Hell that they can hear "...Vibrations" downstairs. I still feel a bigger curse are BAD soundpersons, but that's for another thread.

Have to agree a bit, fashions aside, the big 4 survived, Anthrax probably dipping in sales the most, Slayer surviving on their reputation and live concerts, Megadeth like Tallica had a great back catalogue. Yet like everything in the music industry, the tastes and styles changed, they were the last stadium/Arena filling, extreme metal (Few remember how far out Thrash was until the 90s) bands until, Slipknot. Sadly the heavier bands that came afterwards at the time never broke through (Morbid Angel tried) and most of those bands have regular seasonal jobs (One thing a lot of people forget, or do not want to admit, about metal bands, day jobs). I don't think anyone in Death, Grind or Black metal, regardless of where it came from sold a million on one release, the big 4 did. The second league bands still exist, and still can do a club tour (Testament being the largest) but it's a hobby really.

I watched this a few times over the years and it is car crash, but the redeeming thing for me is the 'Dave' meeting, if only for the line when Dave says "I wish James was here...(Pause)...I wish Cliff was here.." That bit hit hard.

Same venue, few months later.... utterly smashed lass knocks over an entire PA stack stage right, then some ar5e think's its a laugh to steal vocalists radio mic, during audience participation bit... Venue has closed now.

Only in Drummers

Watch a few of the Jeff Berlin Short vids on Youtube. He is blunt. Take lessons, don't bother with flash technique, and learn MUSIC, if you actually want to improve, reading, taking musical lessons, and listening, will improve your playing END OF. String numbers do not matter, Tab only teaches how to play a piece in the position it's written in, and that is often an incorrect transcription anyhow...

SH1tFACED of Barnsley... staggers and kills the floor and starts getting monk on when we (Band) don't know a Gareth Gates song. I believe he fell down a flight of stairs afterwards.

Naaa I’m talking the really far out 8,9,10+ string instruments… Dzrod, Conklin, Bee etc Stew McKinsey, Trip Walmsley, Jean Baudin pioneering the big boards. I recall that Les playing a fretless 6 in 91 was really brave, now it’s kind of, ok, nothing too far out.

00s ? Elixir strings... ERBs appeared, and established, through much flame and hate from rancid small minded traditionalists. Most string manufacturers offer +.175 guage strings to supply a need for F sharp or lower tunings, in extended scales. due to the above. The 35" scale on 5 and 6 string basses, because Scale affects tone. (I was right) Musicman Bongo and Sub models...they were everywhere at one point Warwick stopped with the heavy grain Wenge necks Ashdown and Hartke REALLY pushed their amps in ads (Larrys Daughter tried being a model and annoyed the crap out of everyone with her spamming) MarkBass... They appeared... Seymour Duncan started up a retro vintage line or the Ultra in your face, Biggo magnet. Basslines range Line6 Bass and Guitar Pods... At the twilight of the decade Gary Novak's (Novax) fanned fret global patent ended and they started turning up on other makes, rather than exclusive to Curbow. Emett Chapman was exposed to be the douche people said he was. and thus we have/had the Megatar and Warr (TLDR: He tried to state that he invented 'Tapstyle' playing, He did not and lost in court) The Curt Cobain worship stopped around 2006 and people began to want to play lead solos again and didn't sneer at actually having ability and technique Thanks, I now feel old.

Still the only Band and musician that looked and sounded EXACTLY as I thought they would in the flesh,live. Pete's 'Sizzle' sound (as he called it) was from him customizing his cabs with loads of bullet tweeters

Deeply considering it, the only worry is string supply....But rather like a chorus pedal, once you start using it, it tends to confine your sound, possibly almost becoming a gimmick... I've been offered a 12 (a Dean) and an Ibanez 8. question is, do I really need them, as I prefer my Fenders as they are modified and so versatile.

When is ill, too ill...?

Within 11 months, It paid 40% of the down payment for the Mortgage for the house I sit in now...

There’s no dust on my fretboards. My repair guy made the comment that I’m the only Bassist that requires a fret dress on the highest B on the E string. You paid for those notes, use them 👍🤣

Barry Sheene... "Problem with you Sheene is your head is full of Motorbikes, Mark my words...there's no financial future in Motorbikes..."

Yeah but do you have that on an original pressing? 🤣

I wish I was that young again.

Ok. Just been informed that being a full time musician isn’t a real job. Along with other selected classics over the years “Covers/functions gigs are not real gigs” ”Doing that means you have no integrity..” ”You must be dead inside to play that stuff” ”It’s easy…” ”But you play… (insert genre, add the disgust)” add yours at leisure… The £300+ I just chucked in my account a few hours back was not ‘REALLY earned’ 🤣🤣

F**K ME... Friday was a bad one...You ever get the feeling top to toe that THIS venue IS NOT a good one... Fights, drugs, annoying mentally deranged types, glassings, people coming on your stage area, singer getting the mic snatched, some annoying old bint wanting us to stop playing as she wanted to sing 'Lipstick on your collar'... dire... Saturday was better, but the place forgot that they had booked us... Played better and played a few unrehearsed numbers.

On Cynic's 'Focus' lp Malone played a fretted Kubicki Factor. iirc he was the house 'Lad' at Morrisound as Bassist/engineer, since Tony Choy had split for Atheist (and the Pestilence sessions) Masvidal offered him the job on the lp.

The secret is to modify, rather than need new. But this is my job, and selling stuff to buy new stuff (apart from usual breakables...strings/Cables etc) pains me