Band Updates & Issues

[Bluewine]

Please share any specific band updates and issues you're dealing with. We all deal with similar issues. This might be good thread to share issues and solutions  

 

Daryl

Edited 13 hours ago by Bluewine

[Lozz196]

Good idea Daryl, 2025 has been quite varied for me:

 

The Spacewasters (my gigging band) - we released our 2nd album, The Seven Legged Groove Machine, our principle guitarist & songwriter left, luckily got in a good replacement, and due to gigs just taking their toll on me I’ve now left. Am happy to help out when needed, and already have one gig scheduled for next year.

 

Knock Off (my old band) - they asked me to help out for a few gigs earlier in the year as they’d parted with their bassist, so ended up playing 3 gigs, supporting, in order, Cocksparrer, GBH, and Therapy? Was nice to go back for a bit, and the first & last gigs were big venues to big crowds, the second being a sold out rammed to the rafters smaller (and much sweatier) gig. As with The Spacewasters will be happy to stand in if needed.

 

Lastly, Thunderkunt (non gigging band) - we got a singer! One who can do Led Zep, Rainbow (Dio era) Kansas, Whitesnake, Deep Purple etc. Still not going to gig but it’s a nice variation, we’ve been playing these songs instrumentally for years, vocals making us now focus on the songs in a different way. He’s a good laugh too.

 

Fortunately no issues other than having to stop regular gigging, but that’s a “me” thing rather than a band thing.

[Russ]

It's been an interesting year. Productive in terms of songwriting and recording. Got four new tracks down and ready to release (we've put two out already). Looking into making a video for one of them. We haven't gigged this year though, although we have one lined up in January. 

 

There's been various health issues in the band (drummer injured himself more than once, guitarist diagnosed with (benign) tumour in his intestine and has been receiving treatment) so that's meant having to take a few months of the year off. Hopefully 2026 will be a bit more productive, both in terms of gigging and getting some new material out there.

 

In terms of personal music goals, I'm taking some time to learn how to do some fully-fledged composition and scoring stuff, kinda inspired by the fact that Hans Zimmer is a self-taught composer who has risen to the top of his profession. Early days, but it's fun. I've also been working a bit on my acoustic guitar playing and songwriting, although I've just got rid of two of my acoustic instruments - my employment with a well-known acoustic guitar manufacturer recently came to an end as a result of the f**king tariffs and them having to downsize significantly, and I'm a bit bitter about it - ended up removing any trace of them from my house, including the two instruments I got at employee prices, and even down to T-shirts and picks. So I've gone back to my nice old Lag and Ovation acoustics. 

 

My hopes for 2026 are relatively high, but I'm cautious.

[Bluewine]

Our drummer has turned down seven good 2026 gigs in a row. We don't know why. BL called me for input on how we move forward.

 

There's no easy answer, he was great with backing vocals and a great

" pocket" drummer.. I guess he didn't like playing with us.

 

We have two dep drummers to cover all the bookings.

 

I know that finding a full time permanent replacement would be too much of a challenge.  I suggest we find another dep drummer we can put in rotation. 

 

I know a guy that I think would be good, but I don't really know him. I think he does a lot of depping. We can offer good gigs with good pay.

 

I'm afraid to reach out to him. I keep thinking, what if we bring him in and he turns out to be a " flake ". That would be on me.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

6 hours ago, Russ said:

ISo I've gone back to my nice old Lag and Ovation acoustics. 

 

My hopes for 2026 are relatively high, but I'm cautious.

 

I like those Ovation acoustics. 

 

Daryl

[Downunderwonder]

The band was out of commission. I gave my resignation but the guitar player who was to take over guitar duties so the guitarist could play bass no showed the afternoon of the big restart in fancy expensive rehearsal space. 

 

As the band can't function without bass I agreed to bring my gear as well as the charts.

 

I enjoyed it so much I rescinded my resignation. The guitar player was only the reluctant bassist so new guitar boy misses out and I kept the charts.

[Steve Browning]

3 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I'm afraid to reach out to him. I keep thinking, what if we bring him in and he turns out to be a " flake ". That would be on me.

 

It's always a potential issue. I recommended a drummer for the last UK tour of Greg Douglass, the Steve Miller guitarist. The day before the tour started, he confessed he couldn't play one of the drum parts. 

 

We got through it, but I felt terrible that his last trip here was not what it should have been.