dmccombe7

Sorry but i'm not wearing that excuse. There's obviously more to this than meets the eye. I think Oban is on the turn.

Class........when your singer can ad-lib like that. Dave

There's just no comment available for this pic. Oban ............ changed a bit since i frequented it.

A proper Rock pose and is acceptable. Out of curiosity what kind of bass is that. Looks good.

Because i usually make the tea and coffee in our house (apparently that's my one job at home - tea boy ) i always put milk in coffee first so its easier doing the same with my wife's tea. She never complains about and often comments that i make the best tea. However if i have visitors i usually ask if they want milk in tea first or last. Only my older brother is fussy about it so i just don't tell him Dave

Just remembered Celtic and Scotland player Wee Jimmy Jonhstone used to own a club in Hamilton during 70's. Think it was called the Double J.

He used to support Rangers at one time but is more known for supporting Celtic these days.

Rococco's probably as the clientelle in there tended to be "well off" people. I played there once but don't think our kind of music was what they really wanted. Pinball Wizard and Pink Floyds Time not really the trendy peoples kind of music in the 80's

The Perle .......bit of an odd name for a good old fashioned Hotel with character.

What club in Hamilton out of curiosity ?

Wasn't the Laurel bar. Its called Auleys Bar where my mate drinks.......regularly. The Oban Inn is behind the Columba Hotel right on the corner next door to the Wee Gallery. Famous in its hey day for folk singers or acoustic sets. Mate used to work in it and another mate used to play there regularly. Just a good old fashioned Scottish pub serving real ale and good whisky.

Some great bands like Rush used to leave the mistakes in their live recordings rather than overdub them. For me that made them more genuine but some would disagree with that way of thinking but i'm happy. Dave

Ah memories of the Oban Inn which i believe has opened up again. Mate stays up that way and his local is Laurel Inn i think. Its directly behind the big Caledonian hotel on the harbour front. Love Oban and had many a good night up there. I held my retirement night in Oban staying at the Cally Hotel for the weekend. It used to have a great night life back in 80's and i used to get the train up on Fri afternoon and back home on Sun. I've also driven up and stayed weekends too. Mates wife was in charge of the schools in Argyleshire and both of them have now retired. Is there much happenning up that way these days ? Quite a bit to travel for city nightlife tho. Dave

When i first started i did a few gigs but bands kept having fall-outs with each other so i took a breather and went from learning rock songs to practicing scales and learning more Jazz rock based material starting with Camel and eventually moving on to Brand X and Bruford style. (i'm no Jeff Berlin but i could do a lot of the Percy Jones material back then) I did that for about 2 yrs playing 2-3 hrs every day sometimes more. Was then asked to join an established local Southern Rock originals / covers band and from that point i was gigging fairly regularly thru the mid 80's to mid 90's. At that point bands folded and we made more money from PA hire. Work commitments took over for the next 15 yrs i mucked around at home with my one and only bass (Warwick Thumb NT i bought new in 1989) When i turned 50 i got back into playing in bands again and i've been fairly busy with numerous bands in past 8 yrs ranging from classic rock, tribute, Funk/Blues based rock, club covers, Prog originals, heavy metal and now Glam Rock covers band. I started picking up different basses for different projects but my goto bass and my fav to play for past 7-8 yrs has always been my Geddy signature CIJ Jazz bass. I enjoy everything about being in a good band from learning the songs, the rehearsals and finally gigging. With my current band there's also the issue of stage gear to talk about It's been really good fun sorting it out and ridiculing each others choice of stage wear. Dave

The difference there is alcohol. Once that's introduced every band should sound a little better if you are there. Watching pub bands from posted phone clips will never really capture an atmosphere or at least in my experience. Dave

Where exactly are you based Ubit ?

That's a bit of a nightmare when one particular song draws you a blank more than once. Maybe look for something to trigger the memory. I tend to learn songs either by ear first then bass tab or manuscript if available to make sure i have it nailed. I'll write the music out as scribbled notes as and when i learn each section. Once all notes are done i rewrite the full bassline in legible notes or hand written bass manuscript. That way i've learned the song by ear or listening to it and i've also remembered my hand written bass sheet. I have 2 ways of remembering how a song goes. Not everyone's idea of learning but it works for me. Dave

Few yrs ago i was in a band that was playing Doobie Brothers style with some really nice bass runs to enjoy also did Steamy Windows of Tina Turner fame. The bass line was really simple but i just loved playing that song. The energy you could produce with that song just gave me a fantastic boost. One of those "happy" songs. Dave

At rehearsals only but this is true for me. If i'm too confident and not thinking about what i'm playing or about to play. On occasion at rehearsals the singer will state the song we are about to play and i draw a blank until the guitarist starts the song. I've had it the other way round more often where guitarist starts playing the intro and for the love of me i can't remember what the damned song is. That's why i like a set list even for rehearsals and you simply work your way thru it top to bottom. Everyone knows exactly what song is next. Not every band or musician is that strict with order of songs. I know one local bass player who has played with some decent bands that started one song when the band played another. They were the bands own songs too. He told me that no-one even noticed. Dave

Its the one thing i find challenging when moving away from my usual Classic Rock background that i have to lighten my touch and play whats needed with a different feel. More groove than power. If i play a cover then i like it to be as near the original feel as possible. Not specifically note for note but the general feel and structure of the song needs to be there. I couldn't put up with a prima donna that thinks his guitar solos are better than the original version or that everyone wants to hear a constant Mamsteen solo in every song. That for me is boring in a band. A guitarist that can adapt is a godsend and makes learning and playing songs far more enjoyable. Dave

I quite liked that.

If you choose your gigs carefully you can target your music to an audience that wants to hear that style of music. Play Rock music in Rock venues. Punk music in punk venues, Blues in blues venues etc. In the more common venues they just want to hear a band play well known songs. That would be your Friday night pub gigs as mentioned before. It doesn't have to be perfect just good. Its horses for courses again. Dave

Who were they just in case i know them

No i'm saying the girls would have probably enjoyed something from a band they recognised from the pop charts.

Oooh that's a nice wee bass line going on there. Timing at the start is tricky too. I only just heard the Allman brothers and Gregg Allman solo material about 2 yrs ago now and was really impressed with the band. Dave