Raymondo

Back in the late nineties I tried to put together an Eighties tribute act. I couldn't find a guitarist that would play the Pop stuff needed to get decent gigs. At one rehearsal I discovered that the keyboard player had an amazing voice....long story short... I purchased backing tracks, he sang and I mimed the keyboards. At first I took my bass gear along and played live on some songs because I felt guilty ( the agent and the venues always knew that I was miming) but eventually we realised that nobody cared and I stopped lugging it around. In two years of gigging two or three times a week only one person came up to me and said " You're not playing those keys are you?" when I answered" no" he replied " you do a good job of making it look like you are though!" Go and enjoy the gig ….the punters will just be out to enjoy themselves.

I wasn't sure where to put this ...it's General because it's a statement on the industry ; it's off topic because I want information , or it could also go in the gigs section On Friday I will be in Brierley hill (near Dudley) with no gig to go to because the one I booked a ticket for has been cancelled. I was going to see The Carpet Crawlers, a Genesis tribute band at the end of what has been ,mostly, a successful tour. Unfortunately they have had trouble at a couple of UK venues selling tickets. At Brierley hill they have sold 49 😲 They sell 2000 in some European gigs. You can read more about the details of the success and failure of their gigs on their Facebook page if you are interested...their band leader has done an enormous amount of research and both the band and the venue have promoted the gig extensively....lot's of their other gigs have sold very well.... just a few ...Redcar, Northampton and Brierley hill have not sold enough to make the gig viable. As I have already paid for my Hotel I will now be stuck in Brierley hill on Friday night (16th)….any of you lovely guys playing anywhere near there ? I might even come and say how much I like your bass! I could even add to the bar take by consuming a beer or two.😉 Ray.

Hi. Welcome to the forum. There are some very friendly people on here. I used to work for Kia Motors (UK)Ltd and visited Seoul, along with a few other places back in 2004. It was a fabulous place.

Crikey Tim will be a hard act to follow! It's a bit far to travel from Derbyshire....otherwise I would be practicing my blues now! Fabulous band....I hope you find someone soon.

A drummer friend of mine has a Premier kit that he bought in the early Seventies that still hasn't been touched by bare hands to this day. He always wears white gloves when assembling and deconstructing his kit. He owns several other kits and a selection of snares that probably get the same treatment now that he owns them( He has a sixties ,Rogers - I think- kit that he uses in The Kinx that must have had hands on it before he owned it! ) but I can only vouch for the Premier kit as that's the kit he used when I played in bands with him.

I was with my family ( sister lives in Beeston) and wandered around all day. Started at the star at 2 o'clock and ended up slightly the worse for wear back there around 11 0'clock. I can't remember any of the basses being played😲 I would most certainly have said hi Kev if I'd spotted you.

If that was The Malt Shovel in Beeston ...I was there ...doing my best dad dance routines🍺🍺😲

If it's the band I saw at Wotton recently then yes he does.....and he is bloody brilliant! More than one person told me that they go to see the band because "the guitarist is amazing" The band name implies that it is the singers band and he did come across as the one with an "ego" when I saw them, but was very good and sang an incredible amount of songs on the gig. @Witters I would suggest that if he is being as overbearing as you say, and I think he probably is judging him on the performance I saw, you wouldn't be long in either (a) Finding another band that would jump at the chance to have you in the band or (b) Find a singer that would love the chance to be in a band with such brilliant musicians. Try to have a band meeting to sort things out if possible ( you do seem to have some "momentum" with this band) but have no worries if things cannot be repaired....I know for a fact that the organisers of W-U-E festival will book any band you are in! Good luck, let me know when you have gigs🙂

I used to love The Rigger when I lived in N-U-L .great bands late night opening, pool tables and rubbish beer...what's not to like😜 I also liked the small Bass ( as in the ale not the instrument 😉) pub on the road towards Stoke ...is it called The Victoria? Saw some fabulous bands there ..Elvis Fontenot and the sugar Bees were always a good laugh!

These guys....love em!

Mine has neck dive. It's a 1990 MIJ '57 re-issue. Neck dives like a lemming off a cliff......It's never bothered me to be honest. I love the sound it makes!

I have never played any of the high end stuff, never felt the need to try. I hate the look of the Foderas I have seen on here so my vote is based purely on looks ... and it goes to Zemaitis. As modelled by Pete Cruikshank on the Hogwash album...I just thought it looked cool! https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=groundhogs,+hogwash,+tri+fold+cover&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcqOfoj9bdAhXIBcAKHXlCB14Q7Al6BAgGEA8&biw=1477&bih=718#imgrc=zHDTj6QWHVGnuM: Bit of extra info... I was talking to Ken Pustelnik about Pete on Facebook the other day and a friend of Pete's said that Pete had given the Zemaitis bass to his son for doing well in his exams!

Yes I got there early and had a nice chat with Ken. He was brilliant ,so friendly. It was some gig...though a little loud 😉 Nica said you were lovely to chat to...and kept chuckling at the name of your band all weekend...I'd wondered where I had heard it before but I guess you must have mentioned The Angry Badgers on here at some point . 🙂

Hi. Nica and her friend met you on the Saturday I believe but I didn't get chance . Did you have a good festival?

That's my Ex, Nica, (For anyone remembering my thread about moving to Edinburgh from a few years ago This lovely girl was my reason for asking!)only knows four chords and only ever played an acoustic but she borrowed an electric and bashed out a reasonable version of Dylan's Wagon wheel bless her....I'd not seen her since we parted company some five years ago, so it was nice to catch up. I didn't know that you were photo'ing my attempts at playing bass Chris.....I wonder what prompted you to take this one? 😜

Wow what a weekend! I am shattered but it was well worth all the travelling. All the bands were amazing...again...I got to meet a long time hero Ken Pustelnik who was very friendly and indulged a fanboy.😊 Witters was just about the most outstanding guitarist at the festival ( the standard is very, very high!) and his band played for hours...how the vocalist remembered all those songs was no mean feat. Good to meet you sir. Jacks' band The Achievers were once again fabulously entertaining, Steve their front man is very witty indeed. A pleasure to buy you drinks lads...loving the cd. BassBod's band leader ran Steve a close second in the witty stakes and all the band were very accomplished players, a nice groove throughout. ..I have no idea what time I staggered to bed but I must have slept because I made it to breakfast.😎 Special mention to Chris Jaxon who was kind enough to let me use his bass and gear at the Sunday morning Jam session...even though it didn't get much wear on the first number. 😉 I met some lovely people, heard some fabulous music and made some new friends( A couple of beers were consumed also 😜 ). See you next year!

Just about to set off for the weekend. Hope to catch up with you guys. Jack, that pint is a promise mate. I loved the band last year,the songs were so infectious and full of fun.

It was '85/86 when we played there. The band is called SYZ and still gigs today. there have been many many lineup changes and sadly the Dumpys gig was my last with them. They went on to release a single "Rock and Roll Children" which never troubled the charts but is quite a collectors piece now. They are listed in a book about the NWOBHM and have fans all over the world. I've met a few that travelled from Scandinavia to meet up with a few members of the band in Nottingham, it was a humbling experience ,lovely people dedicated to rock music. I never made a penny playing with them but loved every minute. The band leader is a mate from college and we had started a band together in 1974.

At the risk of turning this into a Dumpy's Rusty Nuts love fest... When my band supported them in the mid Eighties, at The Mardi Gras rock club in Nottingham we were allowed to use their p.a. Their gear filled the trailer of an artic but their roadies unloaded and set up in record time. Heaven knows how many thousands of Watts the thing gave out ( maybe should post this in the volume killing venues thread😉) but it was fabulous. They gave us a proper sound check, their engineer mixed for us and were generally lovely supportive people. A brilliant gig ...sorry ..back to your horror stories.😀

Something that I have complained about for years....bands seem to balance the instruments and then try to get the vocals to cut through...never works! I have been in bands where I have complained about this and eventually got my way....Vocals first then bring everything else up to just under their level....the other members then enjoy the gig more because everyone can hear what is happening. I hate pub gigs where everything is too loud drowning out the vocals.

Having spent many a year playing the "social clubs" I have heard many of the classics.. "play summat we know" was a regular in the Yorkshire clubs, followed with "play summat ya know" of course. " can you play over the hills and far away" was quite clever. At a club in Leicester they had the habit of placing written request on the edge of the stage. One night a quite pleasant looking young lady handed a request to our ,rather fabulous female singer...she really was very good indeed....... Her face paled when she read it and she went rather quiet for a while. At the break she showed us the note it read..." Can you flip off you are stinky poo!" ( I realise that the profanity filter will play havoc with that but you'll get the drift).😉 We were enjoying quite a joyous response with calls for a third encore at a club in one south Yorkshire town ( forget which) with the compare asking if they should let us play on some more an unusually packed crowd were all shouting yes when, in a lull, a loud very Yorkshire voice shouted out... "Don't forget we have the last house of Bingo to play!" We did the encore, with very little enthusiasm and walked straight off at the end despite shouts for further songs....Support to the Bingo, highlight of my life.😎

Jack ...I saw you at the Star last year ...I am the guy that bought you all a pint!🍺

I am Staying at the Swan all weekend ...The Star was my favourite pub last year ...I'll see you both there!

I went last year and was amazed at the standard of all the bands I managed to see. A fabulous weekend. http://www.wottonbluesfest.org/

They played the contemporary a couple of months ago Kev...the gig that I thought was amazing ,there was a full choir for the last three songs too! They have played a couple of festivals during the summer, in Europe but I don't think that they are actually "on tour".