KevB

It's ages since I used 'them' but it turned out to be one bloke operating from home as far as i could tell. He was within driving distance from me so when I went to pick up my vintage tone pot from him he offered to fit it for a few extra quid while i went off to have a coffee so I let him do it. No issues.

More words of wisdom from the spiderman. I've seen bands start again from the top for what appears to be some quite anal reason from an OCD victim of a bandleader. It makes the band look like schoolkids. I know thisr eally hasn't anything to do with the OP.

Sorry, got Rhodes and Clavinet mixed up, as others have subsequently said its a clavinet type sound, as also heard on trampled underfoot.

My team is Huddersfield, unless they've started dishing out silverware for the first team to get relegated from the Prem each season I think I can leave the champers on ice😄 Last home game is Man U so last chance to see any prem football for a while I expect. I've still renewed my season ticket for next season though.

In terms of production values it looks a bit like the 'Rock Star' film (loosely based on Ripper Owens joining Priest) if anyone remembers that.

I'm off to the CRS awards night on March 2nd as Arena are doing a set and I've never seen them. Bonus is that Bev Bevan is booked to hand the awards out, I'd love a chat with him if he's loitering at the bar during the evening.

Which bit? If you mean that sound right at the start it sounds like a Fender Rhodes keyboard sound (I think), like Zep used on Trampled Underfoot. The bass player wasn't much into pedals and stuff so think the actual bass guitar is fairly 'straight'. CasaPete might shed more light, he's in an ELO trib.

Sorry guys, just checked my diary - can't do May 4th. Would have been OK for Sun 5th but Sat 4th (unless it gets changed) is my football team's last home game and i always try to get to that. i think in previous years the midlands meet has always been around the week later so it's not clashed with the season ending. Bugger...

Don't know if I can make it yet but one thing I thought about after last year's bash was asking if anyone would like to have a play on my MacMillan 12 step midi pedals? It's not strictly bass related so I was cautious about raising it last time. There have been some discussions on them (and other midi pedals) on other threads on BC before though so it's not completely new ground.

It's no secret, just didn't want to divert the thread from it's original topic. It's the Brittania pub, never played it before. I'm happy for anyone that feels up to it to come along. We're just a pub rock band, nothing to get too excited about and this will be only be my 4th gig with them so still feeling my way in a bit. Happy to chat with any BC'ers that make themselves known. I don't think JTUK would show up though.😉

This. Been in this situation more than once and I didn't stay around more than a year each time. Even with people I'd worked with 8 years previously, 2 of them had subsequently worked together constantly in the intervening years while I'd been through 2 or 3 bands in that time. So when they got into an issue on the bass front they headhunted me but I knew it was only a matter of time before they would want someone else in and it proved to be the case. As it happened I'd pretty much had enough by then anyway and wanted a new challenge myself.

Dave, I'm playing some pub in a rough part of Rowley Regis apparently. One of the guitarists set it up. From his description I'm practically expecting to be playing behind chicken wire. We've been told not to say anything like 'hello Birmingham' as it offends the local black country folk (who will mostly be carrying knives).

I was going to go to the next Cloudbusting gig at the Rescue Rooms Ray, would have been nice to catch up. Unfortunately a gig I had coming up in Birmingham originally set for Apr 6th has been brought forward to March 30th which clashes so can't go now! Say hello to Dave from if he's in the bar after the gig, lovely bloke and great player.

Len, we are provisionally in at Smithfield again for August 4th. Would be nice to catch up, unless there is a midlands bass bash before then that i can get to?

Crammed into a very tight space yesterday on one of those weird late Sunday afternoon-to-early evening slots. Went down OK, they want us back in August where we will play outside under a permanent awning, bit more roon to play with. It's still early days with these guys, they are almost starting again after a long layoff following departure of previous bass player, who turned up with his missis to watch us, all very friendly and he said he enjoyed my playing. Also only a 30 min drive from where I live which was a bonus.

I like a bit of butterscotch blonde...

If you know your bandleader well enough and they have a big enough ego but lack the nads to sack people face to face then when you are ready to go you just drop a few hints here and there and they will invariably sort out a replacement behind your back. All you do is then wait for the 'we are letting you go' phone call or email. They give you what you want whilst under the illusion they are in control. Their egos blind them to the reality and all you have to do is keep a straight face on the phone or have a chuckle replying to the email.

I definitely seem to be purposefully gravitating toward joining bands with a lower gigging schedule so I guess I am subconciously beginning to wind down. I can certainly see a time where I will sit down, weigh up if the ballaches of doing it significantly outweigh the enjoyable bits and when they do I will move on to spend more time doing other things.

Yes, he owned up to 'Start' being lifted from Taxman but not sure if he ever acknowledged 'Changing Man' being a rip of 10538 Overture.

The tale of two sets thing seems quite common especially in big villages or small market towns. You have a population that sticks to a certain order of pubs they go to so you can have a quiet first set because they are all at their 'early doors' pub but then all turn up at the place youre playing to coincide with your second set.

Not sure if worst in actual performance or not but most stressful was when a mate asked me to dep a 2 x 1 hr set gig at a reasonably posh restaurant. It would be a gtr-vocal/bass/drums trio (nowhere to hide in a trio) and about 2 weeks before the gig he finally sent me a list of songs to learn. 45 songs in fact. Then after a stressful couple of weeks trying to cram all these songs in we did the gig. We played exactly 6 songs from the list, the rest were tunes he called out which weren't on the list, most of which were unknown to me. I'm not a guitarist so watching his hands wasn't much help and for a lot of the time he was stood in front of a stage light shining across the stage which meant I was mostly looking at a silhouette anyway. Finally the restaurant owner came out and we had to back him singing a Sinatra song which I don't think was on the list either. We've stayed mates though and might be doing some duo gigs with backing tracks at some point in the future. At least then he will have to stick to the set list!

Anyone know what's happening with FOPP or are they now independent of HMV anyway?

No. I have living things in the house that I don't give names to so I'm not starting on the inanimate objects as well. I could just about forgive BB with his Lucille but with the majority it looks like pretentious twaddle, sorry.

Spot on Pete, I think a lot of people would be surprised at the number of what they would consider 'real pros' have in fact got day jobs or some sort of second career. And the rest are mostly skint!

I always make a point of thanking the band after a gig if they play a song I like that few other bands play and they make a good job of it. It doesn't take much effort on my part.