Len_derby

Hi Blue, great to have you back and glad you’re doing well. I’ve missed reading your posts. I'm 63 and playing more than I have done for a long time.This is because I’ve been able to cut back significantly on other jobs. Semi-retirement, it’s great. I plan to carry as long as I’m physically able to. I’m playing in a busy covers band (done 6 out of the last 7 Saturdays), a originals indie rock band and an acoustic blues trio. The latter two being less active recently mainly due to COVID. What I enjoy a lot these days is working with younger musicians. In the covers band we have a lead guitarist of 21 and a drummer of 19. It’s great to see them get excited and enthusiastic about music and playing live. It rubs off on me. Welcome back Blue, I’m looking forward to your posts about the USA scene.

Yeah, because sometimes you lend it to me.

Another recommendation for a Fender Deluxe Precision. On the right is my Harley Benton short scale P-bass which, incidentally cost almost exactly one tenth of what I paid for the USA-made Deluxe in 2004.

I’ve heard of Elevator Music. Brian Eno’s sonic version of The Emperor’s New Clothes. As for the main topic, I’ll never forget the harsh supervisor of a drawing office saying one of my technical specs looked like “a child’s impression of crows in flight”. My engineering career never really recovered.

Yes, and if you are happier with your sound then, whatever the audience can discern, you’re likely to put on a better show and it’s a win-win. Of course partner or bank manager may disagree. 😀

To carry on in the spirit of this idea. December 20th I’m driving from Derby (DE22) to Lewes, East Sussex and then returning to Derby on 22nd. Lewes is quite close to Brighton. I’m happy to deliver/collect either, or both ways providing the items are brought to or collected from me. Perhaps this would be a good pinned post Mods?

Thanks for you response, and all the others from folks too. We certainly all do want to make it work, so I’m more optimistic now. Cheers Basschat! You win again! 👊

Luckily we’re a ‘clean’ band, certainly when on gigs or rehearsals, so it won’t be an issue. However, we did have a guitarist who regularly drove himself home after drinking. He’s gone now, so that dilemma has been avoided. As for what another band are doing, I don’t know. Surely even a seasoned copper can’t get involved with every misdemeanour they see while off-duty? Maybe what to do and when to do it is part of the training. I dunno, I’m definitely not one of life’s policemen.

Cheers Steve. Luckily, as a band we’re pretty open in discussions. She’s very much ok with the dep idea. I think that over time, by default, she’ll become a non-active member of the band and we will recruit a replacement. As I said, it’s her dream to be in the police and we’re all happy for her. No dramatic sacking necessary. But wouldn’t it be great if we could make it work? Borrowing a ‘works van’ for the weekend - our parking and load-in worries would be over! 😆

I’m hoping to call on the experience of the great Basschat collective. The drummer in my covers band is very close to being accepted on to a policing degree course at the local university. It’s a dream-come-true for her and she only has to pass the physical test now. She’s 19, a drummer and milks cows for a living so I don’t think there’s much worry about passing that! From what I understand, once she has enrolled next March she will be regularly out training ‘on the job’ for part of the week, in uniform, with experienced officers. Consequently, she feels unable to commit to gigs after the March date because she doesn’t know which weekends she’ll be expected to work. Luckily, we have a deputy drummer lined up, especially as we are getting booking for post-March 2022. My question to anybody with relevant experience is, will she ever really be able to commit to gigs in the future? My two concerns are; would any officer know what their shift pattern will be in say 3 months time? Also, the risk of being called in at short-notice to cover staff shortages or major incidents/operations. She’s a great drummer and we’d love to keep her but I’m pessimistic about her ability to juggle it along with being in the police service. Wise thoughts and personal experience please!

Yes, you could argue we’re in a privileged position to assess drummers, but we’re also in a privileged position to help them get better. That can work both ways too.

Some great skills on display by the youngsters here. Fortunately most are too young to be able to give the drummer a lift, so my job’s secure for a bit longer.

So you scratched that itch 😉. I’m glad it’s living up to expectations. I’m enjoying theMustang PJ I bought off you last week, so double result!

Last night the covers band played at a pub venue new to us in Castle Donington, north Leicestershire. It was also the first run-out for my newly acquired Mustang. The bass acquitted itself well, however at the start of the second set it just didn’t sound the same. Half way through the song I realised I’d accidentally knocked the pickup selection switch to a different setting. Oops, I’ll have to watch that. After making the booking for the gig we found out it was Wakes Week and roads up to, and around, the pub would be closed for the travelling fair. This wasn’t as bad as it might have been since, once we’d charmed our way through the barricades, we were able to double park outside the pub. We had lots of enthusiastic drunken dancers. How drunk? A young lady asked for some Bon Jovi, we played Dakota, she was ecstatic.

Yes thanks, all good. It was good to meet yet another sound member of the great low-end community. My satnav sent me through parts of Sutton Coldfield and by Sutton Park. Wow, it looks like there’s some serious money around there!

When a bit of cash in my wallet from a few recent pub and party gigs meets a very tempting listing on a local Facebook page this is what happens. A Mexican made Mustang, a very subtle sonic blue. Plus an alternative pickguard. Even the cat looks smitten 🤩

I think you’ve dodged a bullet there. I spent a few years in that type of band. A lot of the modern worship songs are musically dire. If you have no underpinning religious faith I think it would have been excruciating. All my just personal opinion, of course.

I’ll raise you a ‘straight to hell’. 😂

To be fair, a lot of the fellas I see playing in pub bands have a similar physique!

Great pictures. I like your dapper style too. No tw@tty hat. 👍

Getting ‘out there’ and networking has always worked for me. Open mics, jam nights, gigs. Chatting to people and letting it be known I’m looking for a band. The longest-lasting band I’ve been in started when I approached a solo singer-guitarist at an open mic and asked him if he’d ever thought about playing with a bassist. The caveats to this method are I’m not too picky about which genres I’ll try and also I live in an urban area with lots of live music opportunities close by.

Average of £250 for a covers band pub gig here in the East Midlands. 2x45 minutes, band supplies PA and lighting. We’ve been getting that post-lockdown, things seem to have settled back to as they were.

There is a well-tested solution to a similar problem. It may not be the practical choice for you, though.

I can only speak from my recent experience in the north midlands. My covers band have been doing pub and party gigs in the last month or so and generally, people are behaving as if nothing ever happened. Across all age groups and specially where alcohol is consumed. We’ve got a pub gig tomorrow night and a good friend of mine wants to come. She’s got an underlying health condition and is consequently cautious so I’ve had to tell her that no one is likely to wear a mask or observe social distancing. I know she’d hate that, so I’ve been in the sad position of advising a fan not to come to one of our gigs. I can only stress that is my local experience of pub gigs - but if it’s anything like this in your area you’ll have to be pretty risk-tolerant to either play at, or attend, pub gigs at the moment.

My Squier Tele Bass and Barefaced BigOne. ‘I couldn’t hear the bass’, said no one, ever. 🙂