MiltyG565

They could claim it was fraud to their bank, who sends a report to the receiving bank. Given the number of genuine cases of fraud that do not result in money being successfully recovered though, I doubt that a false report would fare better. Having said that, your bank will need to discuss it with you before debiting your account in any case. In most cases, by the time the bank looks, the money is already gone, though. Do what couriers do now and just take a pic of the person with whatever you are selling them. Should cover you if they do make any nonsense claims later.

How can Reverb stop somebody giving you (or anybody) an unconnected email address? The thing is that scammers/fraudsters/con artists are very resilient, and they have learned through trial and error how to use systems in ways that comply with the system rules while at the same time carrying out their scam. If they remove one account from a report of somebody handing out this email address, what's to stop that person setting up another account right away? Therein lies the problem. I don't know what Reverb's policies are, or what they do in the background, but it seems to me like it's pretty difficult to overcome somebody giving somebody else an unconnected email address in a private message. You should report it to the domain as fraud, and you can also report it to Action Fraud on their website. Will either of these make any difference? Who knows, but I guess it's better than nothing. Rest assured though, the scammer will have another email address and another Reverb account within an hour.

There are many scams, and they take many forms. In this case, it's likely that they ask you to email somebody simply so they have your email address. Then they reply saying "I sent you the money via PayPal", you then get a bogus PayPal email to the effect of "You have been sent £X by X, we are holding it until the buyer receives the goods". You then provide the buyer with the goods, and they vanish into thin air, and when you contact PayPal for your money they don't have a clue what you're talking about. If you don't have the money in your hand or in your account, you don't have the money. Who gets caught out by things like this? Old people? Stupid people? No, everyone. I've not seen a scam yet where it hasn't affected otherwise learned and rational people. It's absolutely no reflection on the victim.

I think therein lies the unwritten rule for every musician. Your contribution needs to serve the song, not yourself. Edit to say that this doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no place for highly intricate and technical pieces within songs/music, just that I feel it would be wrong to insert that style into a funeral march, for example.

Seems like a tricky one! Is it necessary to replace the truss rod? Is it that badly corroded? Secondly, if my aim was to keep the bass as original as possible, I would look at replacing the truss only. If there’s nobody near you that could do it, you could attempt it yourself if you’re handy with that kind of thing. Buying a new neck is likely to require some fettling when it comes to attaching it to the body, perhaps light modification such as removing a small portion by sanding from the heel of the neck or the neck pocket of the body, however it should never require a lot of material to be removed. You’re very unlikely to find a new neck for sale from Encore by itself, but you could buy a donor and take the neck from it. We can’t choose for you. There are no rules. If you want to stick a Fender neck on it, have at it. If not, there’s at least two other decent options. Swapping the neck itself is not a complicated or difficult job. edit to add - how do you know the truss rod is rusty if you haven’t had the fretboard off to check?

No. There are none for me. There’s music that isn’t for me made by people who don’t make music for me, and then there’s ones that do. As with all art, there are going to be detractors. If it’s not your kinda thing, you just need to move along. Fame and success do not always relate to your definition of skill or application.

In the 5 and a half years since starting this thread, my views have matured and developed as far as retail/shop frontage is concerned. I think one of the primary issues facing a lot of retail businesses in our towns and cities today is falling footfall. Many towns have a few big-name stores that still entice people in, and they probably lift the businesses around them, and without which, most of the smaller businesses would also likely stop trading. Probably, for too long, it was a given that people would go to a town centre as it was necessary in order to get the things that they needed. That obviously started to go the moment the supermarkets picked up sticks and all bought large, cheap plots on the outskirts of towns and built massive one-stop-shops with endless parking. If people are no longer coming into your town centre out of necessity, then they will only do it out of desire. Town centres moving to more service/experience based outlets has helped keep some footfall in some areas, but many town centres require significant investment to transform them into community spaces rather than small central business districts (which is what they were in days gone by). This means improving shopfronts and common areas, pedestrianising large parts of town centres, and permitting parades and entertainment. Rents and rates are far too high in this country, and vary greatly depending on where you are. In Spain, for example, rent on retail units can be almost absurdly cheap (a few hundred euros per month), and this is ideal for small local businesses, and stops every town looking the same by having the same few big-name shops surrounded by, more often than not, discount retailers and charity shops. For the rates businesses pay here, they aren't even getting their bins collected - they're being charged a tax based on a philosophy not relevant for at least 15 years; that they had to pay more for their location because it was good for their business. A wholesale transformation of town centres to make them pleasant, enjoyable places, with interesting local retailers and things to do, without being cluttered with cars - this is the reset that they need. But, I fear, this is too radical for some, and even if it wasn't, probably would never come to pass anyway. The mere thought of pedestrianisation would send some into a tailspin. Alas, it's been shown to work, and it's not just for the benefit of businesses, it's to make a communal area for everyone. Aside from that, what's changed in music retail in the intervening years? Not a lot. Most shops continue to get by on selling consumables with the occasional high-ticket price item. I think nothing will really change about that until the environment they are trading in changes. And of course, as many have said, many people may be in the business because they love music and perhaps thought it was a way they could indulge their passion while making money, but perhaps don't have the business acumen or the people skills to really make it work, and for a long time got by on people really not having any other choice, and you're probably right. The fact is that it's a business like almost any other, and it requires careful planning, astute decision making, and to trade on sound business principles, particularly that of superior service. Nobody can defend the indefensible, and perhaps why so many of these business disappeared was because suddenly people had other options. I also don't believe that being local is a good enough reason by itself to shop anywhere. The problem is that even local businesses are competing globally now, because they have to compete with Mr. Bezos and Mr. Thomann - there is no getting away from that. The fact is they need to be differentiated in order to compete. The reason this is interesting to me is because people will often cry foul of businesses closing in their local town, and I understand why, but these are often rational and dispassionate business decisions based on sound commercial factors. So are these people simply the vocal minority, or do people truly want bustling town centres with interesting shops in them again? Anyway, that's probably enough of my insomnia-addled rambling for now.

Did you get it? 🤣 I have to say, I got the job after one of my "worst ever" interviews. They were desperate, and I suppose nobody they interviewed had my experience (which wasn't much at the time, but the job paid peanuts). It was for a temporary vacancy, but I was actually made semi-permanent after a short time (they filled the position I was in with a permanent staff member and that should have been the back of me) and moved to another shop which had died a death. When I left they were talking about making me a stand-in manager (I was managing shops for them) to cover other managers so they could take time off (it was a charity so finding cover so you could take your leave was nigh-on impossible). I left that job and went to work for BT, which is the only time I've regretted switching jobs. Anyway, I suppose what I'm saying is; even if your audition is rubbish, they might just be desperate enough to give you the gig anyway, and that's really your opportunity to impress them. Has anybody here given somebody the gig after an awful audition?

I've done a ton of interviews, and not gotten the job for most of them. Sometimes because I did a really bad interview (which was the case for almost every interview for a good 3 years in my early 20s) and sometimes because they simply liked somebody else for the role. It can be hard not to take it personally, but them's the brakes (and them's the clutch and throttle too). It will inevitably be worse when it comes to music and playing in bands, because there's no real expectation of fairness or that quantifiable metrics are going to seal the deal, more often than not, bands are going to want somebody whose personality fits with the band and requires little direction, and who is competent and reliable and all those other lovely things that I'm sure a million other auditionees could demonstrate. I think the worst situation is to be sat with a hundred good options and having to find a way to whittle it down. Sometimes it's good just to be able to take a few and immediately say "absolutely not" and throw them in the bin, so to speak.

Very interesting. It makes more sense now seeing how the theme transformed over a relatively short period of time (seemingly 1997 to 2002), the 1999 version clearly being a stepping-stone to what we now know as the Top Gear theme. 1997 is very truthful to the original Jessica, the 1999 version is a bit more 90s, and very like the type of prog-rock stuff Jeremy stuck on many of his shows at the time. I agree, it's a bit jarring, but I recall a lot of TV shows feeling a bit home-made at the time (go back and watch the original Location Location Location and marvel at how bad it was - and how cheap the houses were!), and finally reworking that into what the iconic opening theme of the show. That's much less of a leap from Jessica to 2002 version, which is what I had thought happened; turned out it was more of an evolution of an earlier theme. I don't think the Ian Morris mix of the theme is bad per-se, but, much like the 2002 theme, it feels very much a product of its time. This was right before Top Gear really took off internationally, and I think they were right to stick with the 2002 version, but I better stop there otherwise I might start talking about things like "brand identity" and the "feel" of the show, but suffice it to say I think the 2002 version suits both better. The funny thing about Top Gear is that nobody really knew what they were doing for a good 5 or 6 years, so they just tried loads of different things (remember they had a dog for one season?), so much of what became Top Gear in its latter years was just guesswork, trial and error, and good fortune. They made their first "special" by mistake, and it turned out to be the making of the show. Funny how these things happen sometimes.

I agree, and that he thought that it was very silly and hastily put together. While somebody else gets paid every time it’s played, too!

I think it’s more like a job interview. Some people are very good at sussing out what the employer is actually asking when they ask a somewhat veiled question. Some employers already have a very good idea of who they want to hire for a role, and hardly any amount of professionalism and expertise will overcome that, and the process is there simply as an appeasement to those that insist on a “fair” process. Some candidates are a bit hopeless, as are some employers. I suppose you take the rough with the smooth, roll with the punches, push the envelope, to infinity and beyond, etc.

They are indeed Leeds fans!

Dan, are you completely sure one of your mates didn’t find this guy and put him up to it in an attempt to wind you up? 😂

Hozier, supported by all-female The Last Dinner Party, who were brilliant and now in my spotify playlist. Hozier was great too, although very stripped-back for a stadium tour. Certainly not taking the shock and awe approach that many big artists have on stadium tours, but it felt much more natural and less “on rails”.

A while ago now, I spent a week at a music-writing retreat with Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix somewhere in Wiltshire. There were several other musicians and music professionals there who hadn’t achieved the same level of mainstream success, despite being great musicians with a wealth of knowledge about songwriting, but were obviously making a living from it. Simon was very nice. He had a great mini-Ampeg stack which was very cool, and sounded great! He’s very into football and I believe regularly features on football podcasts etc. Apparently, Kaiser Chiefs is the name of a South African football team, and the simply knicked the name for their band. I suppose it’s a bit like Dundee United, which apparently is an insult in Uganda, although many people do not realise it references a Scottish football team.

Very interesting! I wish I could throw together something that iconic in 4 hours!

Maybe! Or perhaps they’re just French and a bit mental 😂

Final contribution from me. More French weirdness. This one features the name of a former French president as its only lyric. Its meaning, who knows? Seems to have been released around the time he died, so we can only imagine it's in tribute, not in mockery. This one is about cassoulet, which is French beans and sausages (I would advise against comparing it to Heinz beans and sausages in French company unless you want to invoke an angry and hilarious French meltdown) - The music video is pretty trippy. Jacques Chirac in a Samba band, for some reason. Another one about a politician, this time with no lyrics at all! After a minute or so of weird, spectral sounds, the song begins, although not much less weird. This from Air, an artist which had some success in the UK. This is part of a movie soundtrack, but weird, nonetheless.

Another one from the sphere of Thom Yorke (which almost guarantees a degree of weirdness). This one is cold, with a somewhat tense and menacing feel. This one is lovely and floaty Mac rarely fails when it comes to quirkiness. L'Imperatrice, another great French artist. This song, quirky in it's own way, but the really quirky thing about this is that it's essentially an English-language copy of their own song Erreur 404 which is, of course, en Francais. The lyrics are completely different between the French and English versions, for example, in the French version, the first line of the chorus is "404, screen turns black" which is where the title of the songs comes from, but it doesn't work harmonically and lyrically in the English version, so there's just "it's an error 404" tucked away in one of the verses instead due to the lyrics being rewritten to fit the song. It essentially means these two songs by the same artists are almost completely identical, and yet, very different!

Brilliant! It's like if Jacob Collier was asked to provide music for the 1969 moon landing 🤣

Brilliant thread! I love finding new music that pushes my boundaries a bit, so finding intriguing quirky new music is always something I enjoy. A couple of years ago, I went through a phase of listening to French artists (who are, generally, already quirkier than those of us not living on the European mainland). Many artists jumped out and have stuck around in my regular rotation, but this one featured heavily for a while. I think, as well as being quirky, it's cool and sophisticated, and eminently listenable. Malik Djoudi is also a very interesting artist in my opinion. Again, en Francais. What's he singing about? F***ed if I know, but it sounds good. John Frusciante, who I have followed since RHCP Stadium Arcadium days, went really experimental with his solo stuff a few years ago. It's not bad, but it can be a little jarring if you're hearing it for the first time. I actually quite like it. (FWIW, I have a first release vinyl of the above album for sale on Discogs, among several other albums) Thom Yorke and Flea had a very interesting collaboration about 10 years ago. Sadly, this supergroup only ever released one album. I thought it was great. This song was played live by Thom on the Jonathan Ross show - it's a lovely stripped-down version (just Thom and a piano) and is, in a sense, a much nicer song in the live version - would certainly appeal to a wider audience than this techno-masterpiece. I think, in general, a lot of modern music is less formulaic, or certainly follow very different formulas than the major recording artists of the 60s up until the early 2000s. I think certain movements tried to break the formula (like prog rock), and some are still persevering with it, but what's doing well today is almost unrecognisable to what did well 60 years ago. I like to listen to Lindsay Buckingham - he's still writing and recording solo music, and it is very good, but it does really feel like a man stuck in a certain period of music history. For somebody who wrote so many hits, it's a little sad to see that his music won't be enjoyed by as many people today simply because tastes have moved on from what now feels like a rather tired music-writing formula.

It’s our intention that all discussions at this point will involve a high-level review of the factors contributing to success of the project, including coordination of assets, deliverables, operations, and, of course, revenue. With the cooperation of our partners, Buckwheat and Gimley, we anticipate synergies amounting to 10% overall reduction in cost, and a further 10% to come from leveraging our market position, so that’s 20%. We believe the end product will be scalable, at pace, and will deliver a 10x ROI. we look forward to discussing these matters with you in our visioning and decisioning session. sincerely Bob Uppendown

Have you considered a holistic 360-degree review of your strategy and anticipated outcomes, and whether these add value to the end product? I think we should diarise a get-together to consider further in a pragmatic and frank conversation in which I hope we can set each other up for success. I shall prepare a slide deck with our stratagem and matrices. Yours, in pain Even Stevens

Well done! Great news! I love RTE 2FM, and used to listen to it regularly on my commute, and I'm in the North. I stopped listening when, for some reason, I only ever got Jennifer Zamparelli talking about female sexuality every time I was in the car - Sorry to say that's not quite my thing! Anyway, they were always very good at showcasing new local artists, which is great, so I'm happy to hear your band got their spot on the channel. I'll have a listen later on.