WalMan

Got back from two nights and an overnight stay Friday at Trading Boundaries to see Raul Midón on Friday and Peter Jones / Tiger Moth Tales on Saturday. Wen with wifey, one of the guitarists in my main band and his missus and we made a short weekend of it. Two very different nights stylewise but both great evenings - the first just man / guitar / voice & percussion The second started with a short 'acoustic' one man set from Peter Jones and then a longer set with the Tiger Moth Tales band. Very accomplished and English prog.

Bought the EBS Unichorus from Dave. Quick and easy transaction and arrived in great condidion

That’s always been my downfall 🤦‍♂️🤣

A busy few weeks of gigs coming up: 15/11 - Raul Midón 16/11 - Tiger Moth Tales 24/11 - Lifesigns All at Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Park 1/12 - GUN at The Brook, Southampton

Make sure you have a bail out route this time!! 😉

It’s certainly easier than the appliance from a couple of weeks ago 😁 Said appliance may be pressed into service again for my dep with the punk pirates next March

Years ago we'd regularly stop for a burger or kebab on the way home. There was also one gig where the WAGs used to head off and get an order in at a curry house while we packed down. Said curry house even gave us a Christmas card one year as it was a fairly regular out of town gig for us Nowadays it's a spin straight home, forgoing the MaccyD's drive through, and cheese & beans on toast

Probably. He hails from your neck of the woods originally I think, possibly a bit further on

Great fun last night. Still a guitar down and I’m in a aircast for another 5 weeks but got through fine. Arrived early as our sound guy had another gig on so we had extra to do and to make sure we could get everything connected and working. The pub was quiet to start with, but that was largely due to the earlier arrival and it filled up towards start time, and on through the evening (there was a big firework display on just down the road). I think that I need a new cable for my IEM”s as they were cutting in and out, but then again I could also probably do with a better system all round so I was back to old school with one plug-in and one out for most of the evening. Generally played okay with a couple of alien abduction moments for each of us through the night that we got through without major car wreck, and they crowd were well up for it singing and dancing all night. So all in all a pretty good session. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AVHmGogpi/?mibextid=UalRPS

This afternoon I had a session with mates I have known for getting on for 50 years now, were in my first band(s) and the drummer in many more afterwards. Guitar bass and drums got together in a country band playing working men’s clubs with an older bandleader as teenagers and then morphed into a spiky new wave originals band. Current vox was our ‘manager’/roadie/van driver and instigated the recent get together just before lockdown happened culminating in a support gig for my main band the weekend before the world stopped in 2020, and has got together on and off to make some noise, do a couple of gigs and generally have a laugh blasting through our back catalogue. Haven’t managed to get together for a while, but today was a day for some noise 😁 Banged through the ‘set’ and it was all pretty tight despite the gap. All good fun to get together with mates, have a laugh and make a row. We played together enough back in the day and are not yet completely senile so can get through most glitches that occur with a look or a nod that might go through a weird jam to get back on track, but I love it 🥰 A gig may happen though vox remains a weak link. The Wal came out to play, which doesn’t happen often nowadays, through my usual pedalboard [TU3 -> CE20 -> SkarBassOne-> Origin Bass DCX -> MicroThumpinator] and into the studios bass rig. Sounded lovely where I was sat. I have yet to hear recordings taken.

As a postscript to this, I REALLY must take things easier for recuperation!!! I may be out of the plaster cast and into an Aircast, so I can stand easier, but I very much overdid it on Friday night and was crippled all day yesterday 🤒 They're only gigs and whilst they may keep me sane, standing for too long will not aid full recuperation! Next week I must go full Val Doonican and have (and use) a stool at the gig - I also have to run sound for use, but the others will have to set everything up first!

Anyway, last night’s gig. Small pub gig that usually has a good crowd that are up for any sort of music. Sadly tonight it was quite quiet. We are still a guitarist down but not and issue. Squeezed int a smaller space than usual which worked ok. Guitarist had issues with his radio at the start of the second set and went to a lead. I had forgotten to charge the xVive IEM’s so ran hard wired with the Behringer P1 - fine with limited space. Second night with the new Allen&Heath desk / stage box which is is a great improvement on the XR16 I’m out of the plaster cast now and into an air cast boot which makes life easier to get around but I’m still not very mobile and probably shouldn’t have been stood all night. Generally we played well and the sound was good, though I was told in the the break my sound needed more top - it sounded fine in my IEM’s but I re eq’d slightly. Having had a few gigs recently I felt happier with my BV’s and range had opened up. Crowd singing and dancing most of the night, just would’ve been nice if there had been more.

Been through them all, but remember the old Bedford van we used on occasion. Driver and one in the front, one on the engine cover, and on the way home from a Christmas gig with the club band. Three of us in late teems and the bandleader driving who was in his 30’s. Stopped by the law driving round in a car park trying to find the exit and with the drummer in the back divvying up the spoils rescued from the buffet. Copper opens the sliding side door to the van: “Blimey there’s more of them!” Drummer: “Sausage roll officer?” 🤣

Dream Theater last night at the O2. Went with #2 son who got me tickets for my birthday before I had booked the operation on my ankle. We were due to be in the nosebleeds seats right at the very top and up 33 steps that were virtually vertical and which I would never have made with the walking crutch I am using to get around at the moment. Spoke to staff at the venue who were really good and managed to move us down to seats on a balcony at level one. Because walking was going to be a pain I booked valet parking, which I can heartily recommend as although slightly more expensive it is straight to the door of the venue, leave the keys without the faff of finding a parking space and straight back out again to a car waiting at the door so between a few people in a car well worth it. 😁 Other than gigs at the Brighton Centre, it’s the first one that I have been to in such a large venue. The sound was generally good and it was a great show. John Myung’s bass sound was epic 🥰 I was going to sell ‘the appliance’ but maybe I’ll start hiring it out with a false plaster cast to others heading to arena gigs 😉🤣