peteb

Spoken like a true consultant...! From experience I think that I can hazard an opinion, which is that is that you may well be on to something there...

But Daryl, personally I don’t think that is the right attitude. If a punter has come to a show and liked it enough that they are prepared to shell out another ten quid for a CD, then I’m always happy to sign it for them if they ask. Deep down they know that you’re not Keef Richards, but for that moment you are something vaguely close and if they are putting money in your pocket by buying a CD and you signing it helps to personalise it in any way then that’s great as far as I’m concerned. They’re the ones who will be back for the next gig you play in their town. I’ve signed CDs, gawd knows how many cassette tapes (back in the day) and countless setlists. I always joke that people come across them when they’re clearing out shoe boxes when they move house years later and wonder who the hell peteb was and why on earth they asked him to sign something 30 years ago! But who knows, it might spark a memory of a good night from their youth and as a musician, you can’t really ask for anything more than that…

I used to be in a reasonably well known local band about 30 years ago, so sometimes people of a certain age (usually about 5 years younger than me) might vaguely recognise me or realise that they used to watch the band I was in once they start to get to talk to me for a while. More recently, I played at a blues festival in the Orkney Islands about 8 years ago, which involved us playing a tiny gig on one of the smaller islands and getting a ferry back to the ‘mainland’ (i.e. the biggest island) first thing in the morning. Half way through the crossing we could suddenly hear the band’s music blaring out on the ferry PA. It turns out that the guy sailing the ferry had been at the gig the night before and had looked up the website to find some of our music. We were invited up onto the bridge to watch him dock the ferry, which is not something you get every day.

Hey Daryl The economics of the pub trade in this country mean that even if you could pack the place out, the landlord would still lose money if he paid a band £500 for a pub gig. However, if he could charge on the door then that might be viable, but that is very unusual for most pubs (but not necessarily for clubs and big events, etc). The higher profile summer events that you are talking about are obviously a completely different type of gig. We already have some of these types of gigs for the Magnum tribute booked in for 2020. However, they are a long drive away (the first one is in Scotland), so I won’t end up making any more money than for a £300 pub gig! I’m still really looking forward to playing them…

I use iGig bags (usually a double) for virtually all the gigs I do. However, if the bass is going in the back of a van with a flightcased PA then I use Hiscox cases.

I don't know if you have talked to someone in the pub trade about the economics of putting on gigs in a pub, but I would have thought that the only way even a large pub would make £500 for a band work would be to charge admission on the door. IME of course, more affluent parts of the country may be different.

I don't know of any pubs paying anything like £500 on a regular basis. I suppose it should be noted that it also depends on what part of the country you are. Some top wedding bands may get the sort of money that you mention, but generally most will be getting about half that...

As ever, Rick Beato's take is always worth listening to

I'm a bit surprised about that - I thought that it was supposed to be in your blood if you came from NJ...!

There is also nothing wrong with joining a band that increases your profile and reputation as a player. That may well lead to offers from bands that make decent money...!

The trouble is why would such a band be looking for a bass player? And if they were, they would be ringing up someone they already know who they can get up to speed quickly, rather than auditioning and then rehearsing up someone they don’t know and risking having to cancel the next six months of gigs! The trick is to be the guy that they ring when they need a bass player. The only way you get to be that guy is by having lots of contacts and being known for having played with lots of different decent musicians. You can’t limit your opportunities by just waiting around for a chance to audition for your ‘perfect’ band that ticks every one of your boxes…

Don't get me wrong, I loved 1987 at the time (not so sure that it has aged that well) but the voice was never the same.

I try not to get too worked up about people that I don’t know passing away, even if I’ve been a fan of their musical / artistic endeavours. However, I can think of two musicians whose unfortunate demise did make me think. The first was Randy Rhodes, just because he was still pretty young and the way he died just seemed so random. The other one was Boz Burrell, the bass player for Bad Company. This was partly because he was an influence on me as a bass player, but mainly because he was the first of my heroes to die in early(ish) middle age from the lifestyle, despite never having been an addict but had always caned it a bit. This coincided with me having given up smoking and the occasional other indulgence, not to mention drastically cutting back on the booze. It was just one of those things that made you think of your own mortality. Unfortunately, he was the first of many…

I read in an interview somewhere that Blackmore wanted a more ‘masculine’ voice to balance out Hughes. They approached Paul Rodgers, who wasn’t interested and supposedly said something like “why would you need me if you already have Glenn Hughes”! Coverdale got the gig as he sounded a bit like Rodgers. While Hughes has always been awesome, latter day Purple / pre Whitesnake solo (Come Taste the Band / Northwinds) era Coverdale is one of my top three favourite singers. Fantastic voice, so it’s a shame that he then started singing in a higher register for the 1987 era onward. Never the same in my opinion…

6/8 is more of a half time shuffle - more a band playing a slow blues shuffle or an AOR ballad...

indeed, people with a genuine element of wildness about them generally don't feel the need to wear zombie make up, inverted crosses & affect a death growl as a singing voice. That's just kids playing at dressing up! Mind you, I'm with your Dad about Kiss though 😯

Tell me about! I've lost a bit of the top end of my hearing in one ear and use ear protection in my left ear (nearest the drummer) for most gigs these days...

Indeed it is! You can look at the drummer (and the rest of the band including the singer) without turning your back on the audience...

I am intrigued why so many here prefer to be next to the hats rather than the kick, especially as for most of the bigger / better rock bands I know bass stage right is pretty much de rigueur?? A quick look on google shows that most of the big rock acts from the last 40 years set up on stage in a similar fashion, from Sabbath to Deep Purple to Van Halen to Metallica to (latter day) Whitesnake (although the Neil Murray classic era was an exception)! I did note that when I started playing more blues gigs, I sometimes found myself on the wrong side of the stage. Perhaps it’s a hard rock thing??

Stage right for me, so I can hear / feel the bass drum. If you look at Billy Sheehan, Rudy Sarzo, Michael Anthony and bass players in rock bands of that type, they will usually be stage right with a right sided drummer. I used to insist, but a bit more adaptable these days. I'm usually the same side as the keys player if there is one, mainly to keep the guitar and keys separate.

You're not the only one - desperately sad and so unexpected

I saw that lineup play about 25 years ago - another stellar rhythm section

The original Living Colour rhythm section of Muzz Skillings and Will Calhoun come to.mind as one of the best I've seen live. Mars Cowling and Tommy Aldridge were pretty amazing as well...

No one has mentioned Bonham and John Paul Jones - the great rock rhythm section...

Other cabs than Barefaced are available (as technically good as they are) …! Personally, I prefer Bergantino, which sound great to me. However, you are spoilt for choice these days with plenty of high spec cabs available from various companies. I would suggest giving Bass Direct a call – I’m sure that Mark & co will be able to find something suitable for your needs…