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All Tomorrows Parties — The Velvet Underground

Last night was a dep gig for a local band with a big reputation and following - I was chuffed to be asked back after the last dep with them in September. It was a new venue for them that they were hoping to add to the list of regulars so there was a little bit of self imposed pressure for me to get it right, but they're a decent bunch and I didn't feel any pressure from them. It was a local venue to me, too - less than 2 miles away. Since Tuesday's rehearsal with them, they had added 'My Sharona' to the list and all I could do was try to learn the original arrangement and trust their assertion that they played it identically (which they did). Set up was into a very small space in a raised area surrounded by a waist high glass wall on my left and a wooden railing in front. It was tight, and that meant I had to get my kit in and arranged first before the drums could go in (there being only a narrow gap between the front of the kick drum and the railing). I'd brought my headless Ibanez shorty for just such an eventuality but the glass wall was just low enough that the full sized Sterling had room. I had visions of bending down to adjust an effect and smashing the glass with the headstock but, spoiler alert, it didn't happen. Fortunately, the guitarist was able to squeeze into the space by the back door and although we weren't allowed to block it to prevent people coming in as it was a fire exit, they put a sign out side to direct people to the front door. This gave the singer a little more room. Eventually, the jigsaw puzzle was complete and after a decent soundcheck, we were ready to go. It was a small pub but the place was packed and it was very hot despite windows being open behind us. We had dancers from the start - all credit to them as they had so little space to strut their stuff. There was quiet a bit of singing along too. There was a great sound on stage and apart from a few minor mistakes on my part, I think I did well as a dep. In fact, the only major problem was the guitarist starting a song in the wrong key - which we all managed to adjust to (even the drummer 😂) . At half time the band was offered several bookings in the pub (I've told them that as a dep, I expect a commission 🙂). By the end of the night the place was bouncing and we had a couple of encores. I was pleased to have a number of compliments about my playing and my sound from punters and the rest of the band. I have to say that I was really happy with my sound - punchy without being overpowering. Some of the comments back from staff and audience were that the band had a great overall mix without being too loud. The band are very thorough with sound and soundchecks, which clearly pays dividends. Kit was my Sterling 34HH through the board (MS60b for tuner and noisegate and a synth patch for 'Just Can't Get Enough' >Nux Sculpture compressor >Nux Voodoo Vibe (for Dakota) >Ampeg SCRDI> Sine HPF (set to 40hz)) and into my Peavey Minimax 600 via the FX return. Cabs were 2 1x10" Trace Elliotts. I think I've finally found a bass/board/amp/speaker combination that gets me the sound I've been chasing for years with this line-up. Footwear was, of course, by Skechers. This was my last scheduled gig for 2025. Next planned excursion is mid January.

There's some great ideas here. Lots of clever things to try which I would not have thought of.

Nobody should work for free, not even students. You’re effectively telling them they’re not deserving of being paid. I have this argument with charities all the time. If someone is using their time and skill to help you, then they should be paid. If they sometimes choose to work for free (as I often do), that’s fine - but it shouldn’t be an expectation.

Seems we've all decided we want a MIJ Junior Jazz! I kick myself daily for not buying the one that came up on here a few months ago, but typically didn't have the cash spare at the time it popped up. I don't get why they're a Japan exclusive in the first place, short scale players obviously want them. I bet if someone like Bass Direct started importing them they'd fly straight out the door.

Depends how rough you are on your gear but I think the Fender-type grill cloth served well enough for a lot of users. Lightweight, easy to apply, looks classic

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156983722403 A pair with free delivery, eBay is weird and wonderful. I hadn't looked at the delivery but it's fairly normal to see the same item from the same supplier with two different prices and delivery costs but strangely adding up to the same cost. Anyway I just wanted to show you what to search for. Thanks to @nekomatic for the idea which I have unashamedly copied. Beat it flat with a rubber mallet by the way, as the paint comes off fairly easily. It cuts with tin snips and with a disc cutter.

IMO Danny makes far more entertaining videos than Mohini and her pal. My only suggestion, if you are in the entertainment business (sorry, are an "influencer") and can't take criticism, and cry about people being nasty to you, then you're in the wrong job. Go and hide under a rock! When I was a kid the people who influenced us were the guys who said, "Do your own thing." The guys playing in the pubs and clubs, Clapton, Mayall, Green, Floyd, Beck, Geno, Zoot, Hendrix etc. I guess I bought a Precision because of John McVie, grew my hair because of the Pretty Things, but my friends, the people I knew and met and hung out with, were my influencers. You could have a conversation with them, real people. It's quite sad that kids today are influenced by the nonsense they see on Social Media.

Mañana (Is Soon Enough For Me) - Peggy Lee

Does anyone know of a pedal that gives out a constant fixed tone (with a presetable pitch) - like a sine wave generator? I guess like an organ pedal but in a compact box.

Another Day - Dream Theater

An interesting video has just popped up on YouTube from a couple of days ago - Bob Harris interviewing Lee Sklar:

To be fair, it's just an advertising cash grab by all parties. "I'm outraged by this!" Next, post "I'm outraged by your reaction video to my video" video. However, I would say Sapko has some very reasonable points here and Dey comes across as a blatant cash grabbing div. I'm not sure which of those two statements I'm more curious about my reaction to. As someone who's never really liked Dey's playing but appreciate the technicality of being able to do it, it somewhat saddens me that it's about nothing more than cash for her and as a result, she doesn't come over well and that's before we get to her other half having the wit and personality of a fatberg. She's done some serious reputational damage to herself here and Sapko is completely right about it.

@Dad3353your explanation has done the job ! Top man ! 🙂