dmccombe7

I quite like the tone from flats but i need to slide a bit in some songs and i find the flats burn my wee dainty fingertips. Dave

Happy New Year to you and yours Pete. Dave

We've found some pubs are just not advertising their events and when we turn up its pretty sparse. I blame the venues for it altho we do advertise on our FB page and a few local gig guides for the area we're playing in but its the pub regulars you want in and if they don't know the band or see the adverts for who's on its a bit of a disaster. I'm assuming your other gigs are well attended and this is a fluke and a one off. What kind of music are you playing ....... just curious ? Sure things will be back to normal for the next gig. Dave

Last nights Hogmanay gig with BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band went pretty well. Lot better than we all expected at Westlands Country Club in Annan. We were simply advertised as BLOCKBUSTARZ but no pics and no mention of being a 70's Glam covers band. Singer overheard a couple of guys saying they hoped this wasn't going to be a guitar rock band all night. When you have guys turning up with tweed and wax cottons on it doesn't look good for the night. Majority of people had no idea who the band were and the look on their faces when we walked in was a treat and several bottom jaws needed to be pushed back up in place. It was very slow to start but we did have a row of kids sitting in a line on the floor directly in front of us who seemed to be having a great time. We did notice a lot of cameras being used and we did get decent applause and cheers after each song but the dancers didn't really start until a few songs into the 2nd set. and by the end of the night floor was full. We finished our set at 11:45 to allow for a piper to bring in the bells. As we finished the organiser came up and asked if our singer could bring in the bells and announce the piper. Not part of the contract but we obliged and the young piper took us up to and thru the bells. Organisers were pleased with how the night went and thanked us for a great night. We did the usual requests for songs that had nothing to do with 70's Glam Rock and even for a song to dance the slosh too but unfortunately we dont do that. Home for 2:30 for my usual coffee and biccies. At least the roads were quiet on way home. Think i saw about 3 trucks and 2 cars on M74. Back up for hungry cats at 8am so a wee bit tired. Only the pre-gig dressing room pic at moment Dave

I used to be like that but the more gigs i do the less stressed i feel. Perhaps give it some more time and see how it goes. I get stressed for some gigs like the one tonight at a country club with Glam band. Wasn't sure it would go down well but we were proved wrong. I've been worrying all week about it. Dave

Tonight is BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band last gig of the year at Westlands Country Activity Club in Annan. Its only an hours drive for me but 3 hrs for guitarist from Perth. At least we don't have snow today. Not sure how this gig will pan out as the staff had no idea what we did when the drummer dropped in to see what size PA we need etc. No stage and having to play in what looks like a Hotel Reception foyer. Getting paid well and we need to finish for 11:45 to allow the piper to bring in the bells in a traditional Scottish fashion which i always like to see. Dave

Superb.

When i started back up again with bands at age 50 i went thru same sort of things. I've been in so many bands in the past 10-12 yrs i've lost track of them but i enjoyed most of them musically but the people is what failed for me until my 2 current bands. Glam band is now 5 yrs old and the punk band i joined 2 yrs ago now. Same drummer and female singer in both bands so that makes life a lot easier. The Glam band was good to start with but our new guitarist joined over a year ago and its transformed the full band experience. He's just a better fit and a happier person that has fitted right in Never give up if you really want to play gigs. At some point you'll meet the right people for you and WOW what a difference it makes. Dave

Sounds like a little lack of communication between you all. Once you've explained your situation i'm sure it will make things a lot easier. Might be worth a band meeting at someone's house or even a coffee shop to discuss. Somewhere away from the band / rehearsal situation that might cause a distraction from talking about things. Dave

And he wears a mask of some kind.

The show must go on is a nice myth. Under certain circumstances it needs to be cancelled. I'm not sure i would go ahead with this one if you have a heart procedure scheduled for Tues. That's a bit irresponsible from a health point of view. Its not just you or the band you need to think about. Our guitarist's girlfriend suffers from ME and if he catches Covid and passes it on to her she can become seriously ill. I'm lucky that covid hasn't affected me at all even tho i've had it. As a band if any one of us catch it now we would probably cancel the gig but its a difficult one for any band. Our singers wife caught it few weeks back and he confined her to upstairs bedroom and he slept downstairs and they literally lived apart for 10 days until she got the all clear and he never caught it at all. Wish you all the best on Tues and take care. Dave

Well done. Dave

I'd put my cards on the table with the guys and just explain where you are and what your concerns are and just explain what you've explained here. Give them a chance to remedy the situation rather than just walking away from what appears to be a good viable band option for you. Don't make it sound like a threat but more of an explanation and say how you feel and if as a band they can't adapt and make a few changes it might be better for you to leave and let them get someone in that's more suited to their way of working. You may find a couple of things happen. 1. they've just been used to other bassists not pulling their weight and they've had to continually push to get songs done and its now habit. 2. they've struggled to get a competent player and will back off a bit to accommodate your concerns 3. they might decide you aren't suited to what they want. No point carrying on with issues that annoy you so much you need to have a wee "rant" on BC. Just kidding its why we are all here and we all have our wee moments. Hopefully it all works out in a good way and you all agree on the best way forward. All the very best Dave

40 yrs anniversary is impressive for any band. Is it still all the original members or is it a bit of Triggers brush scenario. 😂 Dave

Same thing happened to me in 80's where the venue DJ had a smoke machine and i had one but neither of us knew the other had one. As we stepped on stage i immediately fired up ours at same time DJ decided to do same. Audience told us they couldn't see the band for the first 3 songs until the smoke cleared. In those days it was oil based smoke machines and the smoke tended to hang about longer than with the modern water based units. Some folks said it was a bonus not seeing the band We were a rock / prog covers band back then. Not many local bands used a smoke machine so it was quite a novelty for most venues. No smoke alarms back then either The ones i have use either a wireless remote or footswitch so you can fire it up with the wireless switch pre-getting on stage to create a bit of atmosphere and once plugged in use the manual footswitch as the wireless switch interfered with my old Mesa head. Dave

We've stopped sing my smoke machines as most venues won't allow them nowadays. Dave

At the moment i'm pretty happy with my 2 Sandbergs. Dave

Our singer wants us to cover that song for next years gigs and i'm really looking forward to learning it. Any tips welcome Dave

Explains the large piano in the pic. That must be a great band as i love doing Elton songs in our Glam covers band. So many great basslines in his songs with some amazing players over the years. Dave

What an amazing pic. Looks like a very interesting venue. Dave

Had a Dingwall NG2 5 stringer for a couple of yrs mainly for a Prog project i was working on but i prefer 4 strings. It was a terrific bass tho and i would buy another 4 string Dingwall. Dave

Yep i remember us discussing this very issue about being dependant V's playing for fun. We talked about bands under-selling themselves or playing for nothing and how it affects the market and other musicians who rely on income from gigs. My views and opinions have changed since that discussion and now totally agree on the value of pricing our gigs accordingly to keep the market healthy for musicians and bands. We now have an agreed minimum fee with both my bands. Dave

Its funny plus a turnaround for me. When i restarted playing in bands it was solely just for fun and never for the money but now that i'm gigging a fair bit i'm finding the extra cash very very handy. So far this year we've re-furnished our main living room I'ts also allowed me to buy a fair amount of new gear to satisfy my GAS. Its even funnier that with the Glam band i find myself not wanting to play for less than our usual fee even charity gigs i expect the full fee. I'm becoming greedy i jest of course. Dave

Over the many years i've been playing i've given up at different levels ie playing in bands, playing at all, even at home, but always having my Warwick Thumb NT89 as i love that bass and would never sell it. I got back into bands when i turned 50 after 15yrs off and never really looked back. I'm busier now than i ever was but its still just a hobby for me. I really enjoy playing in bands now that i've retired at 56 yrs old the pressure is off and i have the time to put the effort in that a band requires. I've always maintained that if it starts to feel more like a job i'll walk away but for now its all just good fun in both bands. Maybe its just good luck that both bands have great people in them and that makes life a whole lot easier. For those thinking of giving it all up i'd say take a full break from it and see how you feel in 6mths to a year. If after that time you decide to walk away i would recommend keeping the minimum amount of gear to gig and practice at home with just in case you change your mind again. Dave

Think i prefer the Fender. It has a bit more warmth and depth when flat but once the EQ is brought in they sound quite similar. Dave