casapete

Peavey did refer to them as ‘digital’, although I believe the digital bit was in the processing somewhere that controls the EQ.

I’ve made a living from playing music now for a tad over 30 years. I gave up my day job with a local newspaper in the early 90’s due to increasing pressure on my workload, and this coincided with me being offered a position in an 8 piece function / wedding band. Prior to this I’d been resident in cabaret and working men’s club bands, working 3 nights a week alongside my regular 9 to 5. At this point I was earning good money from the two jobs, along with a company car, so giving up one of them wasn’t an easy decision. I was married, with my daughter at primary school too, so it was a massive change for me. Early on I worried about volume of work / paying bills / buying a car etc, but the band were doing well and it soon settled down. I stayed with that band for 16 years, through good times and some bad. This was a time when many pub bands were trying their hands at function work, so we were being constantly undercut and also seemed expensive as an 8 piece outfit compared to a smaller band. Also the running of the band was blighted by alcohol and substance issues ( not mine!) so I started to look around for something else, not easy as in my early 50’s by then. I did contemplate a 9 to 5 again, but then got offered my current gig with The ELO Experience. I’ve been doing this now for around 13 years, after initially doing some deps for their original bassist who was sadly battling illness. Absolutely love it, playing with a great bunch of people and crew and earning a decent wage. Through all the above I’ve worked with my best mate in an acoustic duo too, so been good to have that income, along with many deps and one offs as well. I’ve never earned shedloads of money, which I suspected would always be the case, but have managed to live a reasonable lifestyle. Paid off two mortgages, holidays abroad etc etc, although by current standards we still live quite modestly. Would do it all again if I had the chance* and am now facing the dilemma of when to consider retirement from the band, although can’t ever see me not continuing with the duo. *Only thing I would have altered would have been to learn to read properly, which may have resulted in more work.

I stopped using a tuner pedal (Arion) a few years ago, preferring a Snark clip on tuner now. More convenient, just as accurate and one less lead to worry about.

We only do this one Blue, as a favour for the owner who I’ve known for a few years. It’s actually quite enjoyable, and the residents seem to like it. When my Dad was alive, I used to take him to regular ‘singing with dementia’ afternoons, and it was really moving to see people who struggled with their everyday life managing to remember lyrics and tunes from their younger days. It’s also easy to think the residents all like really old stuff, when in reality most of them probably remember seeing the Beatles and the Stones in their youth! We do requests, and the ones we get back that up - usually Elvis / rock n roll / 60’s stuff is popular, with the occasional standard thrown in too. It’s lovely to see how they react when we play their favourite songs.

Got some last minute comp tickets to see Rod Stewart in Hull last night, with Culture Club supporting. Venue was Craven Park rugby stadium, home of Hull Kingston Rovers. I normally avoid big gigs like this but decided to give it a go, and Mrs CP wanted to see Boy George too. We were pretty near the front so a good view of the stage, and the sound system / mix for both bands was faultless. The weather was kind - big downpour about an hour before the show and then a balmy evening. Culture Club were fantastic! George’s voice was absolutely spot on, and the rest of the band were excellent too. Mickey Craig on bass sounded great, playing an Olympic white Fender Jazz 5 string. Forgotten how many good hit songs they’d had over the years, and the crowd loved them. Rod came onstage with his band soon after, strangely opening his set with a cover of Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to love’ complete with girls as per the original video. Soon got into some of his own stuff though, and he was in surprisingly good voice too. The band were brilliant, with (I believe) Curt Schneider on bass playing solid supporting lines on a Precision and a Hofner violin bass, as well as acoustic upright for a few of the quieter acoustic tunes. The crowd loved it, and so did I, although the Vegas style production occasionally felt a bit unnecessary when I would have preferred a more pared down set. Understand that it’s probably best for stadium sized gigs though, just a few too many costume changes and girls. Icing on the cake as we sneaked out just before the end was bumping into Boy George and Mrs CP getting a picture with him which made her night.

After playing on Saturday night to around 3000 people at a festival, I had a gig this afternoon playing to around 30! We usually do a care home ( where my Dad spent his last days ) twice a year, Summer and Xmas. The weather held out so we played in the courtyard garden, with requests ranging from Elvis to Nirvana ( okay, that was from one of the staff). Apart from my bass lead, it was the first time I’ve done a gig with a Bluetooth PA including mic - great JBL speakers sounded fine. Used my little Ibanez electro acoustic and Fender Rumble, ideal for such occasions.

I honestly didn’t think Debbie was any worse than Elton John at Glastonbury, and it seemed he was universally acclaimed for his performance. Sure, she wasn’t bang on with all her stuff but at no time did I think she ought to pack it in. What do people expect from a 77 year old for gawd’s sake? Also thought the band sounded great too. 😀

I have two identical sunburst Precision Lytes. Both from the same year, with fairly close serial numbers IIRC. After getting the first one, I was so impressed that when another one came up for sale I couldn’t resist it as a spare. The late era models like mine are less common but I much prefer them - chrome hardware and better paint finish than the earlier ones IMO. ( I actually had 4 of these at one point ,although the other two were white and red) Once I’d used a P-Lyte, I realised that it was the answer for me to continue playing into my later years, as I had a shoulder injury which meant I had to abandon using Stingrays. At just 7lbs my bass is the ideal weight for me, hence wanting to make sure I wasn’t short of them. 😁

I was lucky to see an amazing band last night at a private party for a friend’s birthday. They are ‘King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys’, a rocking six piece swing / jive / boogie outfit from Birmingham. Band has being going for around 30 years, and entertained a large group of mainly local musos and partners really well. Consisted of a truly superb frontman / vocalist / baritone sax player, tenor sax, crazy upright bassist, pianist, guitarist and a drummer who swung like f*ck. I haven’t been so impressed with a band so much for a long time, and talking to the guitarist afterwards he told me they’ve done around 6500 gigs in god knows how many countries, and opened for Ray Charles and BB King amongst many others. If they play in your area I can’t recommend them enough - they’re coming back to a theatre near me in November and can’t wait to see them again.

Second of our 3 gigs this week was at The Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Interesting venue with great crew, and an enthusiastic audience. Had some lovely food before the gig at The Boxpark too. Finished up our gigs with a festival at Madehurst near Arundel. Organised by the local cricket club, it’s an annual event which funds the club itself as well as various local charities. Around 3,000 tickets sold meant the organisers were happy. We were on with 3 other bands, who were all really good. Great to see young musicians knocking out recent chart stuff for the audience dancing - also made us wonder if we could follow them with our 90 minute set of ELO stuff. Needn’t have worried though, and I was amazed that a lot of the younger people actually knew most of the songs.

Still got mine - 4x10 / 8 ohms. Sounds great and it has gone walkabout occasionally too. Had a couple at one point, as well as a 1x15 one which wasn’t as good IIRC. Used the 4x10 on and off for years, and was a revelation after heaving Peavey / Trace / Ashdown 410s around. Then I got an early BF Compact and the same revelation again, only more so. Once you’ve gone lightweight there’s no going back!

Interesting! I still have my 800RB which is one of my favourite ever heads. Never ran it in bi-amp mode, but into two 4x10 8 ohm cabs ( by ‘Loud Inc’ - remember them?) it was phenomenal.

Totally with you on this! I had a 410TVX cab for a few years and remember it being fantastic. Despite only being rated at 350 watts it handled some big amps I had with ease, great bottom end. As you say, the only downside was the weight, but to be fair other 410s were nearly as heavy back then. Also used mine every night for 2 months in Morocco paired with a big Trace head and it never missed a beat and survived being transported over there and back. Eventually sold it and the Trace to get an early Ashdown rig (ABM 500 amp with matching ABM 410) and regretted it. Soon after I got a Peavey 210TVX which again was a great sounding cab. Curiously only available in 4 ohm rating, meaning many amps could only use the one cab which was a shame as it was only 175 watts RMS. Some Peavey amps ran into 2 ohms though, so guess that was the plan. Like the 410, it was a weighty little thing but I loved the sound.

First of 3 this week for us at Bournemouth Pavilion theatre. Grand old place, with a very interesting room backstage (see below). Good to meet up with @Mickeyboro and his wife before the gig too.

You win Mick, looks a wonderful venue!

Bums on seats! A full theatre is always a great start for a good gig, especially when they applaud as the band takes stage. That’s usually a sign it should be okay for us. I’m always scanning the crowd for any issues during the first 2 or 3 songs, and then it’s fine - we do get the occasional drunks and hecklers but usually good natured. I never lose sight of the fact they’ve all paid to get in and hopefully leave feeling it was worth it. We’ve gradually built up our audience over many years, and it’s always great for the band when people return the next time as we then know we’re doing something right. On the actual gig itself, for the band it’s down to all the usual stuff - good health/mental state, getting to the venue with time to spare, no equipment problems, nobody messing up badly etc. For me in particular I love it when it’s a good sounding room. (The rest of the band are on IEMs so it doesn’t affect them.)

We do a few songs, each one for as long as the sound tech needs to get things right. Songs chosen to fine tune bass and drums / guitars / keys / strings and then vocals in that order. Can take longer if it’s a bigger venue which means the tech going all over the theatre with his iPad to make sure there are no areas where it’s dodgy. Always do stuff from our set, and finish the soundcheck with our opening song. Usually takes around 20 mins, longer if the IEM’s are not behaving. And then of course it all changes once the punters are in……😆

Just finished watching Elton now, and as already said, great bass playing and sound too ( SWR Goliath 6x10 lurking around). Elton’s voice better in some places than others, especially when he didn’t clip his phrasing but overall pretty good for 76. Never been that keen on Davey Johnstone’s guitar playing TBH - bit too distorted and ‘rawk’ for some stuff - ‘Are you ready for love’ for example, which was also too fast and devoid of any of the original recording’s wonderful groove. Partially saved by the great choir though. Even so, glad we watched it - Mrs CP has always loved Elton, and we were hoping to catch him live at some point which sadly wasn’t possible, so this was the next best thing. ( Wish he’d also had Kiki Dee on for the duet - she’d have made a better job of it and would have been a nice gesture on EJ’s final UK gig).

Just beautiful. That is all.

We’ve done both Warners and Butlins venues in the last few years. Played at a quite a few of the Warner’s hotels, and they all felt rather sterile to me. Also changing facilities were poor, and some of the stages not great. Much preferred Butlins, which just felt more of a band environment. Crazy audiences up for a good time at 70’s themed weekends, most of them well leathered by early afternoon! We hauled all our stuff up some stairs at Skeggy, only for me to find out later that they had a house SVT rig which I could have used. 🤨

Had two gigs with The ELO Experience this week, both at The Core Theatre in Solihull. Capacity audiences on both nights, and great being able to just turn up on the 2nd night with all the gear set up. Really sweltering onstage though, 2 big fans on full all night making it tolerable. Put a new set of strings on my bass last week, but they’re already sounding like they’ve been on for a couple of months! Bit of a naff drive home due to ongoing roadworks on the M42 , but that’s pretty much the norm these days. Last night I was playing at our regular gig in Scarborough ‘The Lookout’ with my acoustic duo. Yet another diversion meant we got there a tad late, and the town was extra busy, due to the hot weather and also Sting playing a gig at the open air theatre nearby to 6500 fans. Luckily managed to get parked by the entrance to the gig, and got set up with time to spare, narrowly avoiding a heavy flash storm. Had a great gig - loads of requests ranging from Louis Armstrong to Santana. It’s my favourite venue, and we’re back there in 4 weeks time.

Brilliant!

Drive myself to rehearsals, always had estate cars to make shifting stuff easy. Small local-ish gigs I either drive myself or alternate getting a lift with my friend in our acoustic duo - he has a small Mercedes van which is great. For my main gigs in UK theatres I always travel in the band’s Merc splitter bus, and drive most of the time. ( I’m a better driver than passenger.) 😆

Louis Johnson played on the track. George Johnson played guitar with him in The Brothers Johnson. Saw them at Manchester Apollo in the late 70’s, incredible band.