When THAT person steps into your band!

[warwickhunt]

I've been trying to get the idea of a tribute to Cheap Trick off the ground for years (who?).  Absolutely it is a niche market but Cheap Trick have been MY band for almost 46 years and I had to create this tribute as they were never going to call me!  Long story short (it started 12 years ago LOL), I finalised the line up of CHEAT TRICK this year with 3 other guys who were massive CT fans... and it fell apart again within 2 months due to issues with the guitarist.  In stepped the guitarist from my other covers band who is a technically brilliant player and he got us off the ground, mainly due to the fact he could write out and read the main song structures and was ready for a debut gig in 4 weeks.  Sadly he wasn't a fan of the band we were trying to recreate and after a year of waiting for him to actually cop the style of Rick Nielsen, we had to let him go as he just couldn't understand that a tribute should at least be playing in a similar style (he's more Paul Gilbert/Steve Vai), a 1000 notes a minute isn't Cheap Trick!  

 

This week, we organised to audition a guy who we knew to be a Cheap Trick fan... BOOM!  He walked into the studio and proceeded to run through 30 songs with us, emulating Rick Nielsen's style and chord/note choice to a 'T'.  Not only that but songs we hadn't even asked him to look at, that he'd never tried to play, were handled like he wrote them.  

 

I have to say that I left the studio space with a grin a mile wide and buzzing to be chasing gigs this year to get out and about.  

 

Has anyone else had that Eureka moment or conversely that dread that someone in the band just wasn't the right person and you can't progress? 

[fretmeister]

I bet he can only gig on a Tuesday lunchtime. 

[Steve Browning]

I have. I was depping in a band that was on its last legs. Two of the band suggested a get together with a keyboard player one of them knew vaguely. Within the first bar of jamming we all hit it off, and it has never been anything less than that since. It was a remarkable moment that has continued.

 

Probably the most fortunate experience of my musical life, I reckon.

[Geek99]

Yes I have. People say that about me all the time. It’s gets a bit dull TBH 
 

in a parallel universe somewhere 

[Talltrickster]

I played electric guitar a bit in high school. Never went any further as all the guys I jammed with (I'm a woman) were awful, terrible, we all sucked. But it was fun making really loud noise. But, I am a Cheap Trick fan, enough so that I wrote a book about my spiritual journey and awakening with them and their music. The synchronicities that have happened to me over  the years are astounding. When you find the right person, things fall into place, but that usually comes after lots of visualization and setting an Intention. If you come to the Denver/Boulder area, let me know. I'll try to come see your tribute band! 

[Owen]

This sounds fabulous I am glad to read it.

 

A long time ago the keyboard player in the band I was in came to a gig and said "I met a percussionist at a party in the mountains, can he sit in with us?". He got a HARD no. He asked again a couple of times. He got the same response. He eventually just invited the guy along anyway with no notice, there was just a 5th member setting up on stage. He came in with a set of Bongos, went back out and bought in several Congas, went back out and carried in two cases full of shakey goodies. Zero rehearsal and mostly originals. He sat in like he had been working with us for 2 years. The drummer said that every possibility he had heard in his head was happening perfectly to his right. I have gigged on numerous occasions with him on kit since then. We have had one rehearsal in all that time, and that was only cos the harpist for a different band was edgy. The rest have been seat-of-the-pants jobs - purely because it is more fun and more creative just to see what happens. It turns out that he is properly, PROPERLY big time but had chosen to live up the valley from where I live. I did mention to the keyboard player that 1. It would have been good to know who this guy was before we stared at him vacantly and 2. Had I been told of his pedigree, he would have been on stage at the first possible opportunity. I will not burden him with naming him - but John, I feel your joy.

[AndyTravis]

There have been several instances for me.

 

my previous drummer and guitarist - just wonderful. Saved a dying project - well, for long enough to get an EP together.

 

this new  band have been a joy to join - I joined with a drummer pal and we got this message after a couple of weeks;

 

 

Ive also had people join things which have ended up being the nail in the coffin.

 

But yea @warwickhuntwhen it’s right, it’s an amazing feeling.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Not a fan of cheap trick on record . However, I went to see them at the Islington academy ( iirc) in the '90s as my mates are big fans of theirs . I ended up seeing them on a few more occasions . Great live band . 

[warwickhunt]

Just now, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Not a fan of cheap trick on record . However, I went to see them at the Islington academy ( iirc) in the '90s as my mates are big fans of theirs . I ended up seeing them on a few more occasions . Great live band . 

 

Still going today; 50 years with 1 non original member (Daxx a son of a band member)... not bad considering.  I was never the greatest fan in the late 80's-90's but I had to do the tribute thing as a fan.    

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

1 minute ago, warwickhunt said:

 

Still going today; 50 years with 1 non original member (Daxx a son of a band member)... not bad considering.  I was never the greatest fan in the late 80's-90's but I had to do the tribute thing as a fan.    

I've just been thinking about when I first saw them . It was in 2001 . They did a show a night playing each album in order. ( Monday , 1st album , Tuesday 2nd album etc)  . I cannot remember if the last time I saw them was at the Shepherd's Bush empire, or Royal Albert Hall. That was from approx 2022 onwards . 
The only song that seemed to be a bit 'moody', was when Tom Peterson sung on one song . It'll probably work for you if you do it .

Anyway, good luck with it . 
 

On a slight relevant tangent , one of my mates from that bunch found slayer too much . However  after begging/ persuading him to see them , he saw them twice and thinks they're a great live band . 🙂

[warwickhunt]

3 minutes ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

I've just been thinking about when I first saw them . It was in 2001 . They did a show a night playing each album in order. ( Monday , 1st album , Tuesday 2nd album etc)  . I cannot remember if the last time I saw them was at the Shepherd's Bush empire, or Royal Albert Hall. That was from approx 2022 onwards . 
The only song that seemed to be a bit 'moody', was when Tom Peterson sung on one song . It'll probably work for you if you do it .

Anyway, good luck with it . 
 

On a slight relevant tangent , one of my mates from that bunch found slayer too much . However  after begging/ persuading him to see them , he saw them twice and thinks they're a great live band . 🙂

 

Yes, that's the one song that I do lead vocal.    They actually have a lot of 'dark' brooding material, which is the stuff I love! 

[Geek99]

6 hours ago, Talltrickster said:

I played electric guitar a bit in high school. Never went any further as all the guys I jammed with (I'm a woman) were awful, terrible, we all sucked. But it was fun making really loud noise. But, I am a Cheap Trick fan, enough so that I wrote a book about my spiritual journey and awakening with them and their music. The synchronicities that have happened to me over  the years are astounding. When you find the right person, things fall into place, but that usually comes after lots of visualization and setting an Intention. If you come to the Denver/Boulder area, let me know. I'll try to come see your tribute band! 

Nice to see more ladies on the board 👍

[Paul S]

My current band. 

 

I've listened to blues/rock music all my life, it communicates with me in a way most other music doesn't.  The rockier stuff like Hendrix, SRV, Jeff Healey.  As long as the guitar playing has 'that' edge.  The reason I play bass is because I'd never managed to play blues guitar as well as I aspired to, which was frustrating on the one hand but opened up a whole new world of bass on the other. 

 

Anyhoo, I've always been on the lookout for a blues rock band but never, ever discovered a guitarist who could cut it.  December 2018 I answered an ad in Join My Band - an Ipswich based guitarist with a drummer looking for a bassist for a blues rock trio.  Own rehearsal space in Braintree - drummer is a farmer and has a huge old barn available.  I was sent a video of him playing at a jam night and a few songs to learn from a longish established set list - I knew most of the tunes in the set anyway.  Turned up for a 4 song audition in the March and we just all clicked - jammed the whole set over 2 hours.  Over the ensuing months we tightened up, my first time in a trio and I absolutely love it.  Alan hadn't been gigging for a long while, kids and Life etc, and the more we played the more he relaxed with the band and the more he started to let loose with his playing! 

 

We came to the attention of one of Suffolk's prominent guys on the music scene - Stephen 'Foz' Foster, who at the time was a DJ on BBC Radio Suffolk, now Radio Caroline.  He kind of adopted us - puts some nice gigs our way and plays tracks from our live CD on his radio show.  He has described us as 'one of the best bands to come from the region' which puts a warm glow inside.

 

It is everything I have ever wanted from a band and worth the hassle of travelling to gigs.  I am 66 now and some mornings feeling my age - got a growing portfolio of back issues and a spot of arthritis in my hands.  All things considered I reckon it is my last hurrah and, however long this lasts, I intend to enjoy every bit of it.   

Edited February 25 by Paul S

[Geek99]

Lots of help on here for arthritis in hands 

[diskwave]

Yep. A keyboard player, guy called Jon Metcalf who  I worked with ..blimey 40 years ago. Big beardy fella, big Harry Potter glasses (way before HP) and a lovely old Fender Rhodes.  Guy was off the wall brilliant.  I did an entire seaside season with, him, drums and a female singer just off a cruise and we packed the floor every  night....doing old school disco, soul, pop stuff.   He could make that Rhodes do things I didnt think possible..... No strings, pedals, gizmos nothing, just plain old rip rollickin musicianship.  Happy days.

[Kitsto]

On 24/02/2024 at 16:27, Talltrickster said:

I played electric guitar a bit in high school. Never went any further as all the guys I jammed with (I'm a woman) were awful, terrible, we all sucked. But it was fun making really loud noise. But, I am a Cheap Trick fan, enough so that I wrote a book about my spiritual journey and awakening with them and their music. The synchronicities that have happened to me over  the years are astounding. When you find the right person, things fall into place, but that usually comes after lots of visualization and setting an Intention. If you come to the Denver/Boulder area, let me know. I'll try to come see your tribute band! 

My favourite Rick Nielsen quote is: "We're everyone's fifth favourite band." Their first four studio albums were superb and quite different from bands around them. I think Tom Peterson's 8 and 12-string playing provides an almost deep rhythm guitar platform for Nielsen to play over - it's why they sound so powerful live. Very touching that Nielsen always introduces Zander as "my favourite singer in the world".

 

Very interested to hear about your book.

[ardi100]

Playing a set one night and the DJ asked if he could 'jam' with us. He ended up dropping scratches and vocals, even horn stabs and the like in all the right places - I was absolutely buzzing!

 

He joined the band (it was the mid 90s!) and everything went well. Played a few gigs. The he slept with the singer and it all fell apart.

[FinnDave]

Happened to me about ten years ago. I had been playing with The Wirebirds for a year and a bit, getting plenty of gigs. My mother -in-law was living with us back then (no longer around) and had a carer come in a couple of times a week to take her to the shops, etc. 

One day, there was a new carer putting MiL's shopping into the fridge, and MiL mentioned that she (the carer) liked singing, so I naturally mentioned the band and she asked if she could come and sing with us sometime. Then she mentioned her previous band and the tours, hanging out with the guys from Led Zeppelin, etc, and I was sure she was a dreamer. 

 

Anyway, she came along to our rehearsal a week later, but then I had found out who she was and told the band, they basically said it was just a fantasy on her part. Then she came in to the rehearsal room, tiny, shy, no way a rock star. She asked if we knew 'Rock Me Baby' (well, we wouldn't have been much of a blues band if we didn't!), she asked if we could do in A, which was our usual key for that song. We played the intro, and I could see the rest of the band waiting for her squeak out a few words, then she grabbed the mic and our jaws dropped. She could sing the blues like Janis Joplin. We were getting better gigs on the back of her being with us, people were bringing her old records to our gigs to get them autographed. 

She was Jenny Hahn, front woman for Babe Ruth, and we played dozens of pub gigs and local festivals with her.

Her she is singing Janis's 'Move Over'. I'll never equal the thrill of standing a few feet from that voice!