uk_lefty

Well this was unexpected! A tax rebate, a few things going well and a quick trip to Denmark street led me to acquiring a brand new, 3 EQ USA stingray! it's a bass I'd always lusted after, but like so many you see your hero's play it but you don't know if it's going to be practical for yourself. I played a Sterling by Ernie Ball a few years ago and didn't think much of it. This USA Stingray has such a punchy and rounded sound, it's like a recorded and processed bass sound but coming from your fingers. As I said to the guys in the shop you can drive yourself mad looking at a plethora of options online, sometimes you just want to play something and go "yep! That's the one". I played a USA Jazz too and really enjoyed that, but felt the Stingray was better suited to playing live in my covers band which is leaning towards becoming an 80's cover band. So here it is. I also have to say the guys in Wunjo are superb. No pressure sales, gave me a good trade in on my old jazz bass too. Top marks for customer service!

Lots of con artists have big houses and material things. And I think it was he himself who said about film rights, a film company could easily make this story without him, his name or his permission. If it was a film about him, with his participation, I think it would have a similar audience to his gigs, there's just not enough drama in the story yet unless you really got creative with it. I bet it would star Jack Black too, which is another massive "No" from me!

Graceland. Love it. Different grooves, good to listen to if you find yourself repeating the same style of licks and fills and get you in to a new headspace.

But at least one of them made them pay a booking fee or such like by making them go to a cash machine and withdraw £400 or whatever it was? Surely these venues are a bit more sophisticated that working off the promise of sold tickets and they have a fallback to protect against this kind of thing, like a contractual obligation to pay a fee of some sort. I'm not saying they weren't treated shabbily, lying in any way is bad, but they won't have been out of pocket by more than their minimum booking fee, surely? Otherwise you'd get the local secondary school bands phoning up and booking all the time!

There was me thinking it was printed on the side of a bus a few years ago for a political campaign...

It's the kind of thing an angry teenager would dream up and then get bored and drop after the monotony of creating another fake Facebook account or another fake web page. I'm not impressed that it can be done, he didn't get himself booked on "top of the pops" he booked himself in to venues he had to pay for, something anyone can do. I've read in other threads about bands where the BL has decided to create fake reviews etc, this lad just took it too far. The hiding of phones around his house and so on... He's a complete fantasist. As the writer says, you still never know what's true or not. He may get as far as being on "celebrity" big brother with the offspring of a past-it soap star and whichever washed up former public figure can't afford their divorce and rehab bills, but he is not going to be a successful artist. Really if you wanted to do a stunt like this, and do it well, you should get yourself a good publicist and media company!

Gigged my "upside down" version of this last night. Really comfortable to play for long gigs, so flexible with the EQ. A great bass to have

I remember trying to buy an album by "the music" back in the early 2000s. Their single "take the long road and walk it" was great, I thought at the time, but there was no way in heck to find their album

That's a pretty awesome band name.

Friends of Dorothy.

I was about to audition for a band over ten years ago. I'd seen an ad on party sounds, I think. They talked a good game and said they'd done European tours, went on about welcoming people in and being open minded and accepting and so on... So I'm thinking that's great, they aren't expecting a session pro. So I look up the band name to try and find evidence of this European tour.... The only musically related online article I found was a blog by a musician. Long story short and unbeknownst to me, the band name was a coded way of asking a man you don't know if he is a homosexual. Being a younger and less open minded chap I politely declined the audition saying I don't think I'm the right fit for them. When they asked why I revealed I had just found out what the band name meant and I don't think I'd be comfortable being in that band and made some joke about being from a northern backwater town. I received back a lecture on my small mindedness and how places don't make people.... The whole thing was a very bizzare experience and left me feeling puzzled and slightly ashamed, though I was only ever polite to the person I interacted with.

I used to get this in an old band, usually "just play twelve bar blues" yeah thanks but when you're just blaring out a solo I don't know where you're going next to support it. Or it would be the farking Status Quo medley. I know it's only three chords but which three... Oh you're now in a new song, great. It's demoralising and not a constructive use of time if you're not bringing everyone along. Maybe you suggest that either you jam around a structure so everyone can competently join in, and solo, or you don't bother with unstructured jams. It may be the height of guitar-god look how great I am wankery but if they can't explain the structure they're just bluffing. If they're not willing to then they're not good band band mates. Maybe you need to say words to the effect "I can't support your self indulgent ego build exercise without the most basic instruction so you can either look like a tit with a full band behind you or look like a selfish tit who excludes their bandmates, your choice"

Ah so I can do it on my laptop.... D'oh! Hadn't actually tried that yet Thank you all!

Random IT help query here, would be grateful if anyone can help... My band has had a few people upload videos of us to Facebook. They've tagged us in so it appears on our page and I have saved these within Facebook for quick reference. However, I'd like to put them in the bands Dropbox along with all photos and other stuff and be able to send these out to people. Does anyone know how I download these videos off Facebook? Is it possible? Thanks!

I've only ever depped a few times and only for people I know. Last time was a young girl who occasionally songs with my band gave me about 48hrs notice that her bassist couldn't do a festival gig. She got her band moved to be on just before mine so I'd be there and sent me the set list of covers... i got introduced as a last minute cover and got through the first few songs including an improv section I wasn't prior warned about and all went well. Then Seven Nation Army was up next. I just stood there. Singer says "it's you". I had ear plugs in. "It's you. Now, it's you" I'm just standing there. "It's you" "what?" "Play the riff" "what riff?" This went on for ages until she basically spoke like to an elderly relative who thinks he's escaping from the nursing home "seven nation army. It starts with the bass riff. You need to start playing it"

You sir, are an inspiration! I wish my Dad had your get-up-and-go when he found himself in the same position. Has made me think it's not too late and I just need to push him towards one of his former passions. Thank you