scalpy

The back story! The client is the bride. It’s a new venue to us. She’s booked us as she’s seen us before and has her heart set on it. We agreed the gig, with the client, ensuring we can set up the night before as it’s midweek, then the venue informs her and us we need to soundcheck as we’re not on their ‘approved’ list of bands. Then the wedding organiser changed and says we can’t set up the night before as agreed with them and the client, and is even more adamant we have this trial set and up- the wording of the communication has the subtext that as we are professional we should be available and accommodating to this demand. So my issue is the goalposts have moved from when the bride signed our contract, and that we are being made responsible for variables beyond our control. For instance, I’ve had dB meters trip because of audiences singing along, dancing on wooden floors, somebody telling a funny story and people laughing (that venue a had meter at the bar set at 70dB 🤦), and fights. The venue are suggesting that if we trip the meter it’s game over for us playing and the bride’s party stops there. We don’t want to let her down but neither can we accommodate all the venues demands either.

Hi all. My function band is having difficulty with a venue over a decibel meter. I have no problems with such devices as they need to look after their business, and personally I’m not a fan of loud loud bands anyway, especially at weddings. The venue has a limit of 96dB. As we are not on their list of recommended bands they want us to go and sound check at some point before the event on a day of their choosing between office hours. None of us can do that because of day jobs. They also want the client to sign a disclaimer that if we trip the meter it’s on us. I have issue with this because after 20 years of functions I know this particular band is more than capable of playing below 96dB- but an enthusiastic punter singing along if even a healthy round of applause will trip the damn things. What would you say to this venue? We’ve a good reputation but their issues are making us look bad with the client.

When the guitarist quotes the bassline for the solo you know you’re onto something!

It’s the accidentally daft ones I like the most. This is my favourite, can’t remember the show but I have a feeling this was as exciting as it got!

Great he singled out the bassline as a fantastic hook. I’m going to stick my neck out here and say it was played noticeably less than perfect but we know that’s not necessarily what music is about. What got me was the backing vocals, crazy good especially after the key change.

Doing a fair amount of pit work I had tired of lumping my surprisingly large footprint Aggie db112s into very cramped pits. So for shows and rehearsals I jumped at an end of line db elbee cab. I was running it with a little mark tube. About the same time our singer moved house and kindly converted the garage into a rehearsal studio. He was tired of the ritual having to set everything back up again after gigs, so ordered another elbee. What he hadn’t realised was you need an amp, so after telling him I’d sort it he ignored me, I turned up to rehearsal and there was a veyron. So, my beater Sire bass, two bargain cabs and amp which keep up with a 5 piece horn section and percussionist as well as standard rhythm section. Probably costs less than a grand all in and sounds ace.

The top hat on my tele’s pickup selector fell off on a gig without me noticing. I gave it the ol’ Townsend twirl on the last chord of a number and promptly skewered my thumb on the metal shaft. Blood everywhere for the whole of the second set, it would not stop bleeding. Learnt my lesson, haven’t played electric guitar in public since!

Hereford Mott the Hoople The Pretenders We just have an issue supplying the lead singers. Wait…. There’s Ellie Goulding too 🤦

Ours was cancelled yesterday. Tickets had gone from more or less sold out a month ago (150ish for a restaurant, covered area outdoors so pretty covid compliant compared to other gigs I’ve done this month) to 20. It’s not worth the owner even ordering supplies let alone pay us, even at a reduced rate. I didn’t want to do it anyway- I thought it made us look self important thinking we could gig whilst risking spreading this plague, a view reinforced by the fact I’ve just had to isolate for 10 days having had it.

Been asked for PAT testing a few times- normally hotels, but one venue was particularly officious, more or less suggesting we couldn’t walk through the door without it. This was for a really easy gig as well, two Pa cabs, some monitors and desk, no lights or major backline etc. We were fine anyway but arrived. Nobody asked (as usual) but I was most amused to go and look at all their PAT labels, a minimum of 5 years out of date, mostly lights plugged into sockets you’d see in the 40s.

Have used mine for 10 years. No real gains in swopping out for the latest thing for me and it's been brilliant. Smoke machine particles seem to build up inside but a careful hoover will sort. Have had producers opt for the DI on the amp over Avalons!

Pino and Blake Mills, Notes With Attachments. Don’t really know what genre of music it is, but it’s way more than a legendary session bass player having his moment in the spot light. Chris Dave on drums is rather magical too.

U2 were a big influence being a young teenager in the early 90s. I read somewhere AC is your typical bass player- did a lot of the donkey work in the early days doing business and hustling, keeping the other guys in check etc. The ‘brains’ of the operation you could say. A position a lot of us can identify with I’m sure!

We use the HK Audio elements. It has worked really well for all but one space (we not the loudest band in the world and a wedding marquee for 400 people was too big) You definitely have to run everything through it-drum kit as well as it sounds odd with a combination of stage sound and FOH. We use the 110 subs but I’d upgrade to the 210s when we’re back to full gigging schedule- doubles the power. The best thing about it is the spread, it’s very noticeable the comfortable volume is even across the room without the blasting the first 10 foot of the dance floor into submission that you can end up doing with some plastic box set ups.

Nope!

Not really the spec you’re after but a bonus of the mini clubman is the double doors for the boot mean you can lean into the boot with your bass on your back without bashing into the typical boot lid. Makes that one trip load in just that little bit easier.

Holy mother of WTF?!? How, or indeed why, do you use that?

Thank you, we get loads of emails saying a band of our description is being looked for and we apply but no takers. We’re not that bad!

Anybody here use this agency for bookings? We’ve signed up and applied for tons of enquires but are getting no takings. Our promo material is on a par with other acts on there and we have good word of mouth reputation. I would interested if you are successful with them and how you achieve that. Harry

Exactly the same for me. In the middle of a failing transition to in-ears- she wants to hear more of herself whilst hearing exactly (EXACTLY) like it does in the room. 🤦

Good idea, thank you. db cabs are great, my 110 was brilliant last week for a show, find them here- https://www.db-bass.com British too.

The king of the sit and simmer groove. Loosely assemble approximately the right amount of ingredients, stick it all on one pot and leave it on a low to medium heat stirring ever so occasionally. Result, brilliance.

Done 3 weddings and a week long run for a theatre gig. 3 more weddings and a theatre showcase in the next month. The show was a risk but the audience reception on the final night was ecstatic, a culmination of a good show as per normal plus the tension breaking of no pingdemic, no more rescheduling and a full house. Not sure if it’s 100% safe or ethical but it felt very, very good.

True, but he’s still ahead of his drummer in places. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but if he’d have been playing for the MD I had this week he’d have got the stink stare (having had it myself for similar misdemeanours! 🤦😉🤟)