peteb

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1347283625' post='1798787'] Anyone try the Volume Eleven basses? Very nice [/quote] Were they the small bodied natural wood basses with EMG p/ups and very light?? If so, I did have a play on one of them. Nice bass - didn't catch the name but it might well have been something like that (he seemed to have run out of cards by then)!

Yep, I have a few times - always has worked out fine (obviously helps if the drummer is pretty good). I've also played several deps myself with no rehearsal, one at two hours notice! Again, got thru those gigs with no major problems......

Should be there early afternoon ish

I also have a pair of leather trousers. However, mine are in a suitcase on top of a wardrobe in the spare room – kept as a souvenir of the 80s! Fair play to anyone who can still carry them off but not me anymore unfortunately….. I have heard a couple of Kit’s tracks that Silldx has posted here. The first (a while ago), I wasn’t too keen on but the last one was great! An obvious Kate Bush influence (not a bad thing in my book) but a good song and a nice voice. I need to make a point of listening to more sometime soon…..

Coney Hatch bass player, Andy Curran - who also wrote songs for the last Kim Mitchell album [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1346922310' post='1794782'] The monster that is Kenneth "Spider" Sinnaeve (Kim Mitchell, Red Rider) [/quote] Good call - great player

I'm quite firmly in 'Genre Inspired - e.g. blues covers, but including obscurities and / or some originals' these days..... Me and a couple of mates are putting together a band to gig around town, which will be either 'General Covers' or a musical tribute to a sub-genre rather than one artist (depending on who we choose as a singer / what we think will get us the best gigs)

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1346697544' post='1792089'] So are we now blaming the relaxation of performance licensing for a glut of places to perform and too much opportunity? [/quote] The point is that many pubs are starting to put on bands when they are too small, have noise issues or otherwise not set up for live music. If punters are used to seeing good bands in pubs that are rasonable venues then they are more likely to keep coming back..... Also, in your scenario that audience of 100 will be split between the two venues, meaning two gigs with little or no atmosphere rather than 100 people in one pub with a great atmosphere!

Some good points from both Skank & Norman but a lot of the problem is that there are too many venues putting on live music that really shouldn’t and way too many bands playing in them that really are not good enough to gig! But it’s not all bad news. I’ve just had a weekend off and saw four bands in three nights. The gig on Friday night wasn’t particularly well attended (first time that the band had played that pub, and there was a big music festival in the next town) but by no means empty. The two gigs on Saturday night (a 5 minute walk apart) started off a bit quiet but were pretty full by 10 o’clock and packed by closing time. The gig on Sunday teatime was packed to the rafters! When it comes down to it, four good (or at least entertaining) bands all managed to pull an audience! If a band is any good and are prepared to put in the work to build a following then they can still do OK playing pubs. But you cannot ignore the fact that we are in the middle of the worst recession for 80 years!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1346685486' post='1791902'] I don’t care how the original sounds; I'm the bass player so all the numbers I play get my tone. I must be doing something right because, while I’ve been asked to turn up and turn down, I’ve never been asked to change how I sound. [/quote] Pretty much my approach I have worked quite hard to develop my own sound, which I assume is part of the reason that people call me.......

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1346395556' post='1788620'] When you talk about mates rates not all the band will be mates with the mate in question so to them it is just another gig. If the mate is close then you can waive your fee but nobody expects the other guys in the band to work on that basis. [/quote] Not necessarily, it depends on your outlook on life. If I do a favour for the guitar player's mate then he's more likely to do a favour for my mate, who in turn might be able to help out the guitarist one day! Obviously you have make sure that people don't abuse your good nature or else you will be playing for free every other week, but in reality that just doesn't happen. Also, it is entirely a different thing of someone in the band is relying on the Saturday gig to pay the rent! But if not, it doesn't hurt to help mates out once in a while - you will find that over time things even themselves out and that people are more likely to help you out.....

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1346364443' post='1788523'] Five bands!? Sounds like a great wedding! [/quote] It was indeed...! We set up a stage and a PA in a working brewery, had a big indian buffet set out, cheap beer and got all out mates to play short sets then had a bit of a jam session to finish off. No way that I could have afforded that if I was paying all of the bands! The only problem was that I was in two of the five bands playing at my own wedding.....

[color=#222222]I have played at several mate's parties or weddings (or mates of someone in the band) for no more than a few beers. If they are genuinely mates, I am more than happy to help out![/color] [color=#222222][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"] [/size][/font][/color] [color=#222222]What goes around comes around. When I got married I had five good bands playing at the party. All it cost me was a tenner towards a taxi fare home for each of the main band (a three piece and I had to force the money on them) and I gave the two lads who were doing the sound £40 and a couple of pints each…....[/color]

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1345637686' post='1779771'] The later I would say, ballads do tend to show up dodgy singers though [/quote] Very true! IME, the occasional ballad can work on pub gigs but you do have to be careful to choose the right one.....

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1345619162' post='1779414'] [/quote] [color=#222222]But is that down to the band not being able to perform the ballad well or the audience’s natural preference for faster, more groove based songs that they can dance to or sing along to??[/color]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1345556271' post='1778765'] Most bands can't play a slow song which is the reason why they stay away from them. If you are going to pick one..make sure you do it well [/quote] Dunno why a band that can nail a fast or even a mid-paced track shouldn't be able to pull off a slower song? The main problem seems to me to get an audience to listen and not rush en masseto the loo or bar...! [quote name='Graham56' timestamp='1345554528' post='1778752'] It's not a ballad but why not Bad Company - "Bad Company" [/quote] Good call - great song

[quote name='Jam' timestamp='1345581041' post='1779170'] For example, A major scale: A, Bm, Cm, D, E, Fm, Gdim, A Is that correct? How on earth am I going to remember that when I'm playing?! [/quote] Not quite - for A major it should C#m, F#m & G#dim in place of Cm, Fm & Gdim. If you are playing the dominant 7th scale (can never remember the correct names of the modes), it would be the same except that it would be (I think) Gmaj7 instead of G#dim (I am sure someone who has studied more theory will correct me if that is not quite right). I have never been taught this stuff (don't really read, etc) but you do pick up a working understanding of it all as you go along - it will start to make sense the more that you play!

You can only play a part that works with the song You both agree that the new guy is very good but he is giving you WTF glances when deviate from the original part. Either the new guy is overly anal about reproducing the exact performance on the record or you need to listen very carefully to what you are playing that causes such a reaction! Personally, I would do the latter before I tackled the guitarist about the former......

Nice one - he who dares, etc........ Never doubted you for a minute!

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1343907178' post='1757092'] Thanks for the words of encouragement guys - And for the words of discouragement. I say thanks to the words of discouragement because it is you guys that have the nut screwed on and realise that this task isn't truly possible and have tried to make me aware of that and to steer clear of the gig. Anyway, that aside, and my total ignorance of the words of discouragement; Day 3 in the shed - I got all my charts sorted which is always a massive bug bare of mine. A friend helped me out with charts as I always utterly lose the rag. Now with chords in front of me, I can kind of see what I'm doing and where I'm meant to be going and what not, and it's coming together nicely. After day 3, I've not played the set in it's entirety. I hope to get that done in day 4. The drummer did call me late last night though to tell me that there IS indeed a rehearsal today. Drummers, eh?!?! It's nice to be informed of rehearsals but with 17 hours notice, it's hardly ideal. Anyway, I'm pleased to be getting a rehearsal - Is it too late to be sacked at the rehearsal if they really think I'm not up to it? Oh! And another plus point, at the rehearsal I took the db to yesterday, the guitarist - huge jazzer - didn't think I was awful on db. He just hopes that Cherokee or something hard swinging won't be called on the night to fill time. Ha! Today I hope to be competent on all tunes by the rehearsal at half 5. Wish me luck! Did I ever mention that the first big band gig I took, I couldn't really read at all? I'm now playing in three big bands and none of them are looking to replace me. Ropey "first times" seem to be my forte! [/quote] I think that we have a new Basschat hero! Good luck dude......

The original reason for playing in Eb was so that guitarists (Hendrix, etc) could use heravy guage strings and still be able to bend strings! Then a lot of bands started de-tuning to help singers live and then others to try and sound heavier......

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1343725899' post='1754085'] Dude, you must have cojones of steel.... [/quote] [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1343750966' post='1754627'] I too was thinking pre-gig nerves might be a problem for him. [/quote] I guessing that our man here probably doesn't have too much of a problem with pre-gig nerves! To the OP - good luck if you go ahead with the gig.....

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1343729221' post='1754155'] We are three very different looking people in my band. Up until March this year that's what we looked like on stage too. Someone I know who has sold lots and lots of records in his career saw us and said to me "I like what you're doing but you don't look like a band" So we had a think and came up with the cheap shirt and suits idea. What I noticed was. We felt like a band. We got extra confidence on stage and played better. And the best bit. People came up to us after gigs and bought lots more CDs than we usually sell. I think it's because we were instantly identifiable and had a level of sepration from looking like an audience member. Very little cost outlay. My machine washable suit cost £49! One of the best decisions we've made. [/quote] I think that pretty much proves the point! Not that I think that everyone should go on stage wearing suits or dressing up like BRX's band, but it is a massive advantage to have an identitiy as a band and you have to put on some sort of a show and entertain people if you want any level of success (even at the most basic pub gig level)......

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1343470045' post='1751160'] Is that the one I now have? If so, I blame PeteB. I picked up a bonus at work - banked the bulk of it and left myself some money for treats; ended up with a Stingray. Then sold large chunks of the rest of the collection to fund some more [/quote] Yep, it's the one that I sold to you! I was never that sure about it when I had it and it was never my main gigging bass, but even then I said to you that I might well get another at some point. Will look for a s/h one later in the year, most likely with a rosewood neck......

If you have the money, the second hand market is pretty good at the moment. I was looking at a nice one that went for £550 on eBay this week! I had one for a while before moving it on to fund another bass. I do miss it actually and will probably get another when I have more cash.....