Raymondo

Yeah loads of times over the years. I get confused now because there is/was A Clifton Miners in the meadows that we played lots but I am sure that there was one in Clifton itself? They all blend into one though ....there were hundreds of Miners welfares all over Notts and Yorkshire in particular, that I have played over the years with different bands. It was a pain sometimes ,staying quiet for the bingo etc, but it was good money for part time warriors like me. I am glad you have good memories of playing there, sometimes that circuit get's ridiculed but many, many "Showbiz" stars came through from it.

Nottingham 1973 This is a band audition tale... At my first" day release " at college ( I was an apprentice plumber) I met two guys that wanted to form a band, we arranged to meet at the rhythm guitarist's garage on the following Sunday. It went well enough we just needed a drummer. I volunteered my mate who had driven me and my gear to the audition.....he had never played drums and didn't have a kit but as the rhythm guitarist's father was a resident drummer at a local working men's club, we could use his kit and rehearse in a the fabulous function room that wasn't used on a Sunday afternoons. Sounds like a recipe for disaster yes? ...not a bit of it ,Dave took to drumming like a duck to water, Six weeks after his first go he had bought a kit of his own and we did our first gig...Market Harborough Working men's club, 3x 20 mins sets, with our armoury of 12 covers...and we got paid £29.00, ok we did have a few requests to "play this song again" to get through, but no one complained. This was in the days when even a rubbish band like ours gigged at least twice if not three times a weekend; a half decent band could gig five times a weekend and pick up midweek gigs. We pottered along for six months but the (almost inept) lead guitarist/lead singer just didn't improve, in fact he got all "rock star "on us and kept missing practice without letting us know and turning up drunk for gigs. We decided to replace him, unfortunately everything came to a head at the Friday night gig of a three gig weekend and the Saturday night gig, at a pub in Chesterfield, was an audition for a new agent. Being young and brave we didn't cancel, we phoned around and got a friend, who was in a much better band than us ( they were having a weekend off), who was much more experienced than us, to come and fill in for the weekend. We ran through some songs on Saturday afternoon and everything sounded much better than before, although we needed to juggle the set list to suit his knowledge of songs and hurriedly learned a few of his favourites. When we did the gig things went very badly wrong (what a surprise :-) ) the new guy just point blank refused to turn his guitar up and wouldn't sing close enough to the mic to be heard...we missed all the cues fumbled through a few songs and after the first set decided that he was being a p*ll*ck and told him we would manage without him, we re- arranged the sets ,leaving our best stuff for the last set, and gamely went for it. During the break before the last set the landlord came up to us and paid us saying "here you are lads, don't bother going on again" We packed away in shame and drove home in silence. The new agent never spoke to us and we cancelled the Sunday gig. Rock and Roll chaps......Rock and Roll. Edited to add.... I now tell my kids and friends who complain about me "singing" along to the radio etc... "Hey I have been paid to sing and I have been paid not to sing....what have you done? "

Not so much a disaster but definitely mismatched ...... On millennium eve my 80's tribute duo were booked (at a very nice fee plus beer and accommodation I might add!) to play a pub in Milton Keynes. we set up to the sound of the (also booked) DJ playing dance music ...the sort that has strange names like house and techno and there are hardly any lyrics ( you might be able to tell that I know little of this genre ) We did hope that it was just some personal preference music before the gig started but ..no..... When we played we filled the dance floor with people enjoying Frankie goes to Hollywood, Culture club, Spandau Ballet type tunes ...as soon as we finished ...the DJ emptied the room, and I do mean emptied, with his "dance" stuff. The landlord asked us to let him finish the night and play through the "brining in the new year " ..... so we had a great time outside (with most of the punters watching the various fireworks displays in the night sky, and drinking free beer until closing time. It transpired that the Landlord and his staff wanted the techno stuff but booked us for his punters

I loan people stuff often. I currently have an Ibanez electro acoustic guitar "out on loan" I am a rubbish guitar player and the guy who is using it is brilliant but cannot afford a decent one ...seems a good fit to me. I am off today to loan my Fender electro acoustic bass to someone for a few months as they are in need....I don't know them but they are a member of this forum and I have never met a bad person from here, so I am happy to help. Maybe it's the fact that I am sixty and have enough gear to keep me going. I see you did loan them your gear...I hope everything goes as well for you as it always has for me.

Nice one! I love the pic of the sound engineer Standing with his arms folded and looking like he's falling asleep... All those fabulous musicians and he's " get on with it muppets, I have a home to go to"

I have played many social clubs over the years featuring ta lot of the songs listed in this thread (no deaths thankfully) I can add Sailor a Petula Clarke song as particularly cringe worthy but probably the worst memory is of when we had no lead guitarist, but continued playing the same songs at gigs as when we did have one .. .including Hi Ho silver lining and ....All right now! No one ever complained that we didn't play the guitar solo.

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1506949234' post='3382187'] My jaded memory is telling me that's the Mary had a little lamb song, dunno if thats correct though. The one with a banned song on the A side, High High High? [/quote] Your location doesn't say which country you are in but in the UK, High,high,high. was a double a side single with C Moon being the other.1972 ish ...I bought it I didn't buy Mary had a little lamb so couldn't tell you what was on the "B" side I remember it came out just after his earlier jolly ditty, Give Ireland back to the Irish

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1506762214' post='3380920'] The HA3500 is rear-vented. Keep it in the bag but open the backside for the fan to get the hot air out. The picture shows one mounted as well. [/quote] I have had my Ampeg B2RE in a similar bag ( mounted) for years. Both front and back open fully so overheating has never been a problem .

The Craft Room was brilliant! It reminded me very much of Tom Sharpe books.....high praise indeed from me because I loved Tom Sharpe books

Thanks for the links ....I am in Portugal when the gig is on but I have "followed" the club page so will keep an eye out for the jam and future gigs.

TRISTRAM SHANDY ! Crikey those boys were always good....the "house band" at The Palais in Nottingham many moons ago ...always playing bang up to date covers...I was in awe of them. I must try to remember when the next one is on ...I am in Ilkeston so plenty of buses to Spondon.

In Wotton-under Edge this coming weekend. 22nd-24th. Any one going, anyone playing? I have posted in ChrisJaxon's thread in "Gigs" but obviously more people read this forum. I am staying in the Swan Hotel with friends and would love to go and see fellow basschat members bands if they are there.

Hi ...I certainly will.

Any basschatters playing here this year...I am booked into the Swan hotel for the weekend so can come and see your band/s

I disguised my first name very cleverly....you'll never work it out Bwhahahahah!

Re-read the first one,in a day, loved it again! On chapter 8 of "The craft room" fabulous so far,I am trying not to read it all in a day I had a strange feeling of "belonging" when Nottingham was mentioned Congratulations. both books are highly recommended.

My second copy of the first book ....a friend who had borrowed it died ...I don't think he did it as a way of not returning it! ....don't worry folks, Stevie would have chuckled at that. Arrives tomorrow, along with the new one.

Thank you for the kind words both here and on the "how was your gig" thread . I am humbled. All the very best to you sir too and a big thank you to all the nice people on basschat that have wished me well. Sometimes the world is a nice place

Hi Blue. I was using the word "mob" in a light hearted manner. I have no desire to wind up anyone really. I understand your way of working and enjoy your contributions to basschat. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers Ray

Hi guys, and thank you for the kind words Kev. I thoroughly enjoyed it but it was exhausting. I do not want to labour the fibromyalgia point....Bluesparky over in off topic has had a much rougher time of things than me lately for instance! I will tell you though that I only really got back to normal levels yesterday. Everyone seemed to have a great time, the feedback from the venue has been genuinely moving. My old bandmates enjoyed it so much that they want to do more gigs. I have said that I will do some as long as it is, as you suggested Donnyboy, occasionally.

Did the gig that was the subject of my happy band tale thread last night and had a blast. The odd problem with the sound "on stage" but was apparently good out front. Every one enjoyed the two acoustic covers acts that started proceedings and then we had them all dancing and singing along to an hour or so of Stereophonics songs. I wore myself out and have spent most of today in bed as a "Fibromyalgia payback" but It was worth it. Mention in despatches to our very own KevB who came along to see us too.

[quote name='The Jaywalker' timestamp='1503661285' post='3360056'] I think you misunderstand. I didnt call anyone a snowflake. I simply used the term to allude to the nonsense concept of uninformed opinion being as equally valid as established and objective factual information - the "one true path grates". That general vibe may not have been the motivation for the poster in question, but it is symptomatic. I suspect he was generally irked and defensive about educated musicians ultimately making the same point about TAB as he did: but, in contradiction, doesnt want to accept the blunt fact that standard notation is a better method to communicate musical information in a larger world. This "grates" and resulted (in Chris_b's words) with unrealistic claims about TAB usage/potential and incorrect observations concerning standard notation and common usage. Calling someone out on this using factual information may be blunt, but it certainly isnt venomous. Nowt wrong with Mustang Sally or Moondance - in my career I've played much worse! Just dont go giving a dep the TAB for it on the gig. That might not work out [/quote] Fair enough. I was trying to bring some levity to a thread that has rumbled on for three pages that seemed to be summed up in the OP and the first response I do dislike this snowflake thing though,but that's probably because I am old and stuck in my ways. Hat's off to those of you that can read the dots and well done to anyone else that has played music using any other method. Oh and I have played worse than those two too............. giving me the tab or the dots would be a waste ...I am useless at reading both

Crikey that's a bit venomous ! What is this current trend of calling people with a different view "snowflakes" all about? I guess it's implied that when the temperature rises they melt, however if the temperature drops, they can become blocks of ice.Titanic any one? It really irritates me. No mater, as you were. I'll just carry on playing Mustang Sally and that well know jazz classic Moondance.

If you had a time machine you could go back to 1974 and do that in Sheffield.Not so far to travel,cheaper hotels and nicer beer You could probably have done it in Leeds but I never made it that far north If you are joking ....well done ,this place needs all the humour it can get these days If it's a genuine question then,sincerely, good luck. There is nothing wrong with trying and I hope it works out for you.

Thank you all for your positive messages ... .I think that I could carry on gigging ,but, I cannot commit to a band that plays regularly and ,as I said , I cannot expect to play gigs but then live on benefits because I cannot work. I have Fibromyalgia ...well I have had it for years but it has really got a grip on me now, and I also have stenosis in my lower spine. It has taken me years to get the DWP to see that ,although some days, I can look like I am capable of working, the reality is that it takes me days to recover if I try. I am the prime example of somebody that people, who do not know any different, accuse of "swinging the lead" ...That is just the way of the world unfortunately......If only I could win the Lottery and not have to rely on you fine people paying too much tax! I don't need sympathy....there are many people with much worse things happening to them, but it is hard to accept that I just cannot do what I have always done.