bassicinstinct

[quote name='OldGit' post='233871' date='Jul 7 2008, 12:05 AM']Can it. You can't play properly under those restrictions. If they didn't mention it when booking you it's probably breach of contract conditions so you should get full fee if it comes to an argument and you need the money. If this happened to our band we'd just let them off the fee, 'cos that's our internal agreement and it works in our favour in the long term, but unless you have an acoustic show you can do instead you are on a hiding to nothing. I'm not sure if this is apocryphal, and Balcro may be able to confirm this, but I heard that if there is a breach of a "keep it quiet" order the enforcement officers can confiscate the gear responsible for the noise, just as they can if someone in a flat plays Dancing Queen at full blast all night on their stereo ...[/quote] +1000!! I disagree completely with the sentiment of ironside1966's post. I cannot for the life of me imagine why any band with any dgree of self respect would even consider demeaning itself to such a ludicrous degree. May as well have the "Welcome" tatoo on the forehead IMHO.

Another holiday season type edit today. Why don't venue managers/promoters use diaries for God's sake? LOL

The Dan Collective @ The Burton Agnes Jazz Festival: Saturday 9 August 2008. Sadly, the weather wasn't nearly as nice as it looks - in fact, the rain came down like stair rails from the time we went on (11.00 a.m.!!!) and for the rest of the day.

Here's my sweetheart: November 1995: Prototpye No: 001. No other pics unfortunately. Must get around to taking some.

[quote name='Sibob' post='245623' date='Jul 22 2008, 07:28 PM']Have a video, from the same gig as the picture I posted earlier in the thread! Si[/quote] Have you all got some type of medieval torture device crammed between your legs?

W.T.F??

[quote name='spog' post='219005' date='Jun 14 2008, 09:55 PM']Someone recently suggested to me that the best way to mute strings/reduce unwanted ringing was to actually play 'through' the string and let your finger come to rest on the next one. In practice this would mean playing a note on, say, the D-string and muting the A-string. Funilly enough, in all the books I have (and I must have upwards of 20) I have never seen this suggested before. I don't doubt the guy is trying to be helpful, but I am finding this a pretty hellish task after having gotten into the habit of just playing the one string and 'ignoring' the others. I guess starting out playing punk hardly helped! Listening to (and trying to play) something like Dune Tune, you can see there is a valid enough reason for keeping things tidy. Stuart Clayton suggests a 'wandering' (anchoring/muting thumb) which also feels odd when you're used to perching on the bridge pick-up and staying there. Whatever technique is used, you would surely tie yourself in knots pretty quickly if you tried it with 16th notes wouldn't you?[/quote] Yes, I've always played like that, although it gradually developed over the years rather than being a conscious technique. Seems like a VERY natural way to play to me.

Must be my PC speakers. Just sounds like Chorus to me.

Another update today. 2009 looking busy, which can't be bad I reckon.

Was (Not Was) boot.

[b]Largest[/b]: [b]Cardiff International Arena[/b]. Nature's laxative apparently. [b]Smallest[/b]: [b]Chester's[/b].Chesterfield. Like a mantlepiece in a scene from The League of Gentlemen. Places without stages don't count, IMHO, because [b]they don't have stages[/b]. I think that, on balance, I enjoyed the CIA gig more despite the naked fear which permeated most of our set due to the sheer size of the place. The dressing room was actually bigger than most venues I had played at that point

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='241001' date='Jul 16 2008, 04:03 PM']just email martin burrows at ashdown and you should get an immediate reply[/quote] +1000.

[b]"Bassic, would more bums not be on seats if every band was bloody amazing? If you knew for a fact that you could go to your local venue tonight and watch a band that were every bit as good as, I dunno, Black Crowes or whatever tickles your fancy, just you hadn't bought their albums yet, wouldn't you be there? Why are songs by famous people automatically better than songs by someone you've never heard? I honestly think I've got more CDs at home that I love by unsigned or unheardof bands that I've booked or seen or played with than artists with a deal. I bet you'd really enjoy most of them as well!"[/b] I would indeed but, in the real world, how would I know "for a fact" that they were that good unless I'd seen/heard them previously? I've seriously lost count of the number of "original" bands I've had the misfortune of seeing who were so bad they shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near an audience and every single one of them had "attitude" in spades. Self delusion I fear.

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='239790' date='Jul 15 2008, 10:11 AM']Or just a dreamer! Whilst in your dream, why not have radio stations banned from playing any records over 3 months old so that all the amazing new acts that are around can get the air play they want without any fear of competion or having to prove themselves!. Seriously though, in the real world things aren't going to change. A large proportion of the gig/pub going public are more than happy to hear songs they know performed live. It's no good burying your head in the sand and insist that they are all wrong, and that they should be listening to new unknown bands performing material which can be largely crap. The songs that are popular on the covers circuit are popular for a reason! They are good songs which have stood the test of time, which people like to hear! If an originals band is any good in what they do, and in promoting themselves, then they will break through and be deservedly successful. If on the other hand they cannot tempt people away from a night in the pub watching a good covers band, then they probably don't deserve success however good they think they are. You dream of a situation where the field is left open for originals bands. I could equally dream (but I don't) of a situation where crap originals bands are drowned at birth to save us all from having to hear them. My hypothetical dream won't happen, neither will yours. We all need to accept the reality of the world, and make the best we can of it. All IMHO of course, and no offence intended. Spleen vented.[/quote] I agree 100%. Plus, let's be realistic here: From the promoter's/venue manger's/licensee's perspective, none of this has [b]anything[/b] to do with music or art or the perceived difference in esteem between "orignal" and cover/trib acts. It is all about bums on seats and beer through the pumps. Q.E.D. Fact of life I'm afraid.

[quote name='stoo' post='238500' date='Jul 13 2008, 01:15 PM']Was it the Beautiful South that did "Don't marry her, f**k me"? That seems like a safe bet to avoid at a wedding gig. [/quote] Indeed. That is our second encore (Beautiful South tribute) but, thankfully, by that stage of the evening, most people seem to be blissfully unaware of the inappropriateness of the song.