peteb

I have just been asked to dep for a few months by a band while their bass player undergoes medical treatment. They all live in Wakefield / Leeds while I live in Bradford, so not far away but a pain on public transport. The gigs are all over Yorkshire and Lancashire – not bad money but there’s no way I could get back from any of them on public transport, even though none are more than a 50 minute drive away. I would have to take a bass rig anyway so I would need a car, though I suppose it might be just about possible if I lived in London near a tube station and all of the gigs were an easy walk from a tube station. The thing is that they never asked if I had a car when they approached me. It was assumed that somebody who gigs like me would have suitable transport, just as I assume that they will all have cars to get themselves and backline, drums and PA to gigs. There is no way that someone without a car would be able to cover that gig. Nothing to do with ability, enthusiasm or fairness – just simple logistics…

Most pros I've known tend to travel very light and expect spares, mains leads and the like to be provided for them. Not a luxury available to those of us playing pub gigs!

I'm kinda with your band mates here - it's nearly six minutes long and it just doesn't go anywhere! Completely forgettable piece of music...

Just seen on John Verity's Facebook page that Jim Rodford (bass player with Argent, The Kinks and many others) has passed away aged 76. Argent (with Jim playing bass) was the first band I ever saw as a kid, so another notable figure from my formative years has left us...

I tried a AG700 at Bass Direct and found it a it too clean for me if anything. I can't make my mind up about the TH500 but I have heard other people get a great sound out of them. I have used a Boogie for many years and love them, but am trying to judge the D800 on it's own merits rather than just sticking with a make I know. I must say that I was impressed when I did briefly try one out. Mark at BD is trying to get me to try a Genzler, but I am a bit influenced by the fact I really didn't like the Genz Benz amps I've played through in the past.

I have not been particularly impressed when I have played thru a TH500, yet I have heard other guys sound great using them. When I tried out the D800 it seemed good, but I will have to play one a bit more and give it a good audition before I spend the money on it.

I would be interested to know as well, especially as I am seriously considering buying a D800 in the next few weeks.

I ordered through the website and got them to ship it over. Arrived pretty quickly with little fuss. It was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but in the end I thought what the hell - it was paid back very quickly by gig money and it's well designed and makes life easier.

I think that you might be thinking of this? http://lugville.com/shop/lugville-musicians-gear-bag/ I got one a few months ago - works pretty well and easier to find things in a hurry,but could do with being slightly bigger.

I don't suppose that you know where can you get TKS cabs in this country these days?? @wateroftyne

I doubt that - there is always a bit of give and take needed of course but there is always single gals out there who have already had their families and just looking for a bit of decent company and someone who is fun to be around. However, you do have to be a bit realistic and start looking at women in their forties rather than their twenties! Having said that, in the band I am in both the drummer (50) and the singer (57) have both recently had kids by women much younger than they are - in the singer's case, more than 30 years younger...!

It was OK - a bit strange to be honest. We had a decent crowd for the first set but we were hoping that there would be a few more in to be honest. We played fine and every song was met with a great reaction. Unfortunately when were talking to people at the break it became obvious that a lot of folks were going to leave early to get taxis home to beat the rush near midnight. Sure enough the audience started to thin out a bit in the second set, which is a bit disappointing. Most of the punters left at the end seemed to live near the city centre, but at least they all seemed to enjoy themselves. All in all, we git a decent response from a variable crowd and we got paid double our normal fee so I can't really complain...

Not so sure that I will still be up to gigging in 2918…! However, if in 2018 a new band or opportunities to gig further afield present themselves then that would be great. Failing that the main rock covers band should be putting in a few rehearsals to re-jig the set to suit the new singer (we have been too busy since he joined, so for the last few months he has been singing 3/4 of a set that was built around a guy with a different type of voice). It would also be nice if the side project blues band with a few of my best mates comes together, but a lot of that will depend on whether the singer has really still got the confidence to do it properly having had some serious problems with his voice a couple of years ago. I have also got to learn a set for a scratch band backing a guitar player from the south of England for a blues festival in the summer. Gear wise, I am looking to buy and sell a few things over the next few months to put together a nice lightweight ‘B’ rig. Beyond that I will be trying to stay married and maybe see a few places I haven’t been before in the next year or so…

More to the point, it is just as difficult for punters! Someone is less likely to go for a big night out watching a Saturday gig if they know they have to be up for work at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning. It makes it much harder for a band to pack out gigs, generate income and develop a following these days.

Duck n'Drake in central Leeds, playing the usual hard rock covers to a (hopefully) packed pub. It looks like it will be a more sober affair than originally anticipated as we are all going separately in cars, rather than all together in the van. It's a shame as part of the fee offered was free beer for the band!

No it's not, it might be how certain other people may see him but it's not how he sees himself, ie. his identity. Until 10 years or so ago, I would have said that the job I did was completely irrelevant to my identity. I have been lucky to fall into a day job that I actually give a f*** about in the last few years, but my identity ie. how I see myself and how most people who know me has always been as a musician.

Irony is an alien concept to so many Americans, even when it's laid on with a trowel like Steel Panther...

I would like to see that - do you have the link for that YouTube clip? Apparently Garibaldi returned to the TOP line up in October 2017 (according to Wikipedia)

More likely the fall in value of the pound