casapete

Nice episode of ‘The Great Songwriters’ on Sky Arts now featuring Jimmy Webb.

This happened with my band too - soon as IEMs were introduced the lead singer tended to back off from the mic too much, largely due to having too much of himself in the monitor mix. Drove our sound guy crazy. From my experience in working with a lot of singers in function bands, the worst offenders for needing vocals way too loud are those people who have been used to solo work utilising backing tracks. They just get so used to having their voice so way over the compressed tracks, then get with a band and can’t make the transition. Their mic technique also tended to be hand over the sides of the mic grille and their mouth covering the rest of it....😡

Were they the ones with Tadpole Tudor guesting on BV’s?

I’ve seen a few of these 30 minute ‘profiles’ and not seen one yet that’s worth recommending. Filler.

No real knowledge of the other two, but Amy’s ‘Frank’ is IMHO a great debut album. I bought it shortly after it’s release after hearing one track. Very different to the follow up ‘Back to Black’ and more rooted in her jazz background, but don’t let that put you off. 😉

For my main band - My knackered old fingers Fender P-Lyte OBBM cable GK1001RB OBBM speakon cable GK Neo 410 cabinet. For my other stuff- Same knackered old fingers Danelectro Longhorn or Jazz bitza or P-Lyte OBBM cable GK MB800 OBBM speakon cable Barefaced Compact cabinet. (I like to have my signal chain unaltered so use Snark clip on tuners.)

Quite probably! Used to go to Carlsbro in Mansfield when they made the amps in the buildings at the back I think. Bought a few guitars there as well as amps. Great shops and the staff were always good too. Sheffield branch was at the top of a long hill if I remember correctly? Coming from Hull, we got used to doing the music shops in Sheffield, Doncaster, Leeds etc.

That’s right, it was Sudbury Music! Situated somewhere on London Rd IIRC, funny little double fronted shop. I actually bought a Gibson Firebird initially, but when I told the shop I wasn’t getting on with it they said I could swap it for the Les Paul if I could wait a week or two. After a while I rang them to see what was going on, and they said they now had the Les Paul ( maybe a repossession job?) but it was missing a machine head so had to order a spare from Gibson which at the time meant going via their distributors in Holland I think. I eventually got it though, playing it in a few bands.

Any love on here for 6 Music? I sometimes listen at home, but as most of my radio time is spent on the road, my old FM car radio won’t do it. Suppose I should get a DAB unit really. There are some good things on 6, particularly Radcliffe and Maconie for me.

I thought that when I first listened to Radio 2! At 63 I’m possibly getting past their target demographic now, but where to next? 🤣

It has, but when I first made the move from R1 to R2 the gap did appear wider than it is these days. I initially found it a bit geriatric, but maybe that was just how things were then, all racing results and ‘Sing something simple’. I think nowadays R2 appeals to a younger demographic - I know quite a few people in their early 20’s who listen regularly. Maybe this is also due these young uns having a wider musical appreciation too?

Personally I welcome the shift by Radio 2 to accommodate those left behind by Radio 1. It’s inevitable that emphasis on certain decades moves with time I guess. I like the fact they play the more mainstream recent stuff too, as I probably wouldn’t otherwise get to hear it. I love 60’s and 70’s stuff as well, as it’s what I grew up with, but it can get a bit tiresome and repetitive unless it’s the songs that are less well known. Johnnie Walker’s Sunday afternoon 70’s show is great for playing these.

Still got my Washburn AB20 Electro acoustic bass. One of the best available IMO at the time, (although to be fair there wasn’t that much competition). Had it over 25 years now, never adjusted the neck once. It’s done thousands of gigs with me in that time, and is one of the basses I hopefully will never need to sell. Also owned a six string from the matching Woodstock range which I stupidly moved on.

Pretty much bang on IME. I was earning £22 a week (take home pay) as an 18 year old then in my first full time job, in a record shop. Couple of years later I got a loan for £400 from the Yorkshire Bank and bought a Gibson Les Paul from a shop in Sheffield. It wasn’t brand new but had been owned briefly by a new up and coming local band, Dep Leppard. Back OT, I think Fender were making flatwounds in the 70’s? Over here Rotos were probably more widely available and cheaper. The bassist in my band swapped his rounds for these on his 78 Jazz bass, and the neck developed a twist in it that never really got fully straightened. Most likely a fault with the bass but it put him off flats for good!

The funniest clip I’ve seen in ages. Something so hilarious about band members in that situation. A friend of mine once had to stop his keyboard player and drummer having an altercation on stage following a verbal exchange, much to the audience’s amazement. Unsurprisingly it was the last gig of that line up.

Guess not then? 😂

I've toyed with making my P-Lyte passive for ages, just never got round to it.

Me too Pete - active P-Lyte is my main bass (due to it being...err...light), but a passive P-bass is my spare. Just occasionally the P-Lyte doesn't like some of the wiring in older theatres, causing a buzz, so I have to use the passive one.

I'm with you on the battery thing. Took me years to feel comfortable with my P-Lyte after it ran out of juice on a gig. I minimise this happening again by always changing the battery when I change the strings ( about every 20 gigs or so on average) and also only use Duracells.

I have some live stuff ( as well as all the studio albums too) - give me a shout if you need any help sourcing anything. Maybe also worth checking out Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul - Steve Van Zandt wrote many of the best songs for SSJ, and his band really kick a*s. Cheers, Pete.

Not only do we like the same basses Paul, now the same band! I absolutely love SSJ and The Jukes, probably my favourite band. Seen them maybe 30 times over the last 40+ years. First time was when they supported Graham Parker and the Rumour in 1977 at Bradford St George’s Hall, and they blew the headline act away. They’re one of those bands you could see a few nights on the trot and every gig would be different. Must admit the last time I saw them I thought they were not as sharp as before, but Johnny is now 73 so I’m probably being a bit unfair. Once touted as ‘The best bar band in the world’, and I wouldn’t argue with that.

My previous band were terrible. I was always the guy people came to for a spare when their only lead didn’t work. My current band are the opposite - everyone has back up kit, and we also have a trunk with generic spare leads for everyone. My partner in my duo makes me look unprepared! He has spares of everything, including stuff he doesn’t use but someone else may do. He also organises lots of band gigs using many musicians so guess it’s down to him to make it all run smoothly. He runs a Mercedes van so no problem with carrying stuff. ( He even has spare clothes in case of food disasters, a common incident on wedding / function gigs!)

Hi. Are these still available please? Thanks.

I have a spare of everything I use on stage, other than a speaker cab. So spare mic & lead, bass and leads, strings, strap, stand, tuner, DI box, amp, speaker cable/mains leads etc. Most of my gigs are in theatres so my spares case is usually in the wings just to my left. Must admit I do get confidence from knowing I’m okay for most eventualities.

Great advice ^^^ Ive had P Lytes for 25 years, and only had a battery go on me once. From memory it started sounding a bit fuzzy, then 30 secs later went completely silent. Was at a wedding gig, so very embarrassing. These basses are notorious for battery drainage, so obvious things like unplugging when you’re not playing help a bit. A tech friend of mine ( now sadly retired) did a mod on my bass which wasn’t expensive and extended battery life considerably. Afraid I don’t have the details, but it certainly wasn’t a big job, cost me about £15 / £20 I think.