3V17C

haha and to cap it all... at yesterdays gig they didn't just bring the kids.. they also brought the family dog!!! Seriously!!.. I could not believe it!!

Cheers for all the input... seems i'm not the only one who thinks bringing the kids is a bad idea!! At the moment the opinion amongst us three band members is that the whole bringing the kids along thing will implode in on itself anyway. Fingers crossed its only going to be a matter of time before the parents realise that its more trouble than its worth having the kids there and that being on the road is no place for them. We'll see! I think we're gonna have to wait it out and hope they see sense. At the moment I don't want to rock the boat (I already did that the other day!) and I don't want to jump ship just yet as the band does have potential (we've just been booked for a BBC Maida Vale session and are getting some dates in Europe etc) so I don't want to shoot myself in the foot over this issue! Will have to see how it goes!!....

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1337000528' post='1653724'] I'd say this is the key point and a lot will depend on how formalised this arrangement is. Are you really part of the band or just a hired musician? A subtle but important difference. If the former, then all members should have a say in touring matters and conditions etc. If the latter then, frankly, it's their band and you have to do as they say (or leave). As for the wisdom of taking kids on tour, I'd steer clear of that discussion unless expressly asked. They're not your kids so they're not your responsibility. Suggesting to parents that they are not doing a good job (whether it's true or not) is a recipe for disaster and not really any of your business. [/quote] Well.... it is meant to be a 'band' rather than us just being hired hands as this has been discussed between us before but we go out under his name as his name has a small amount of previous recognition from stuff he has done in the past. And yes, questioning their parenting skills is of course very shaky ground which is one of the things making it awkward to address the issue. I should point out that at the moment we (the band) are making no money from this. We get a small food budget/a lot of our costs are covered and we do sometimes get a cut of gig money but a lot of stuff at the moment is unpaid supports. We're looking at it as a long term thing that may or may not end up as a career but meantime we're giving up our time etc pretty much for free, so as someone mentioned above we need to try to keep it enjoyable at this stage. If i was being paid a wage or whatever I would tolerate more.

[quote name='keyproduction' timestamp='1336999259' post='1653694'] Firstly congratualtions on finding enough work to be on the road a lot. I don't think taking the kids along all the time would be good for them if it is permanent like you say. A few trips for the experience now and then but a permanent fixture does not sound good for the band or kids. [/quote] I agree taking kids to the odd (maybe more local) gig is totally fine, or maybe to any festivals etc where there is stuff for them to be doing.

[quote name='ZMech' timestamp='1336996635' post='1653639'] Just a couple of follow up questions. Are these gigs always at weekends or are they often on weekdays? Do you often end up staying overnight near the gig location? And lastly do the children ever end up missing school to come with? Just as these answers quite significantly change the impact of their parenting decisions. [/quote] Gigs are often weekdays and yes we stay away overnight sometimes 3 days in a row and soon to be more than that. Us three band members have own hotel room so not having to share with kids thank goodness!... at least not so far! Children missed 2 days of school on this last outing for starters.... apparently they only go to proper school 3 days a week anyway and are home schooled the other two days.

Settle in for a long story, but I need a rant!! I play in an originals band which is very much the singer/guitarist's project (we go out under his name so essentially myself, the keys player and drummer are the backing band). All the musicians are of a very high standard, we get on as people and things are going reasonably well with some good album reviews in national press, radio play on local stations/Radio 2 etc and lots of gigs starting to come in both nationally and in Europe so a good project to be a part of with lots of potential. The album we recorded recently featured the bandleader's wife on backing vocals on a few tracks (she is a very good singer in her own right) and recently she has been coming along to gigs and getting up to do a few songs with us and also to support him as he's been having confidence/depression issues of late. Fair enough (although I must admit I don't get on with her particularly on a personal level - thats another story which I may go into some other time but I will always try to keep it professional) and of course it has altered the dynamic of the band as a whole a little bit but we can live with that.... or so i thought. Problem is, for the last couple of gig trips away they have now started bringing their two kids with them (aged 8 and 10) and now there is a definite 'them and us' split within the band. The van is big enough to accomodate them so thats not an issue but of course we now have to watch our language/band banter/risque jokes etc the whole time and generally be on our best behaviour and the whole travelling side of things (a big part of our day) is now like a family day out. Rather than having music etc on we now have Disney films playing on the way to gigs and we're barely allowed to stop for cigarette breaks etc. Also, speaking as a parent myself, the kids aren't particularly well disciplined and seem to be allowed to do what they want including sometimes being quite disrespectful to us in the band (by all accounts both children have some behavioural issues meaning they've had to move schools etc). Its already got to the point where myself and the other two guys are talking about travelling seperately to gigs. Obviously its a really awkward situation to address. My concerns are that its causing a split between us band members and the 'family unit'. Also I do question the wisdom of bringing them on the road in the first place. Aside from niggling things like them getting under our feet while we're unloading etc to my mind its an adult environment... surely they should be in school? All the travelling and very late nights makes them bored and irritable and when we're onstage who looks after them? We did a 2 hour radio session the other night and they were just left outside in the van by themselves with instructions to text if they needed anything. Certainly not something I'd do with my own daughter. Maybe its just me but it does seem like an unusual situation and from what I can tell they are going to continue coming to most gigs we do.... any thoughts/similar experiences on this?..... Peace C

used to have a bass at work all the time... small office, only three of us... one other fella had his guitar there too so used to have odd jams here and there! as well as playing at lunchtimes i could also get away with noodling about during work hours while computer was busy rendering

My originals band have got a few acoustic radio sessions coming up, with the first one being quite short notice - next Thursday. We've not done any acoustic stuff before as we're your standard four piece electric blues/rock type affair and therefore I don't own an acoustic bass. (Have had one in the past and was not my thing at all really) - trouble is the bandleader is fairly insistent that I use one for these sessions. I could in theory pick up a cheapy one for not too much money but at the moment I am beyond skint so don't really want to do that. I've asked around locally to see if anyone has one I could borrow but with no joy. Now... like I say, I've not done an acoustic session before but I'm thinking what is wrong with just taking an electric bass and a small amp? They can mic it or DI it etc the same as they'd have to for an acoustic bass surely? and its a radio show so its not like anyone would know it wasn't acoustic.. and does it really matter anyway? thoughts? comments? cheers C

thats the fella!!! cheers!

ok so ages ago i saw some vid of an American bass player, black dude, playing a Spector i think, with really odd technique where he has his bass well high and his right hand reaches up from under the body playing kinda upside down..... you've probably seen him before on youtube etc, but i can't for the life of me remember his name or seem to find him on google.... cheers C

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF9mKXd80Z4[/media] peace C

just came across this... not sure what to make of it really!!! definitely some tasty playing going on (some nice tapping in the middle) but..... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqkYI2ALwgk[/media] [youtubeXqkYI2ALwgk[/youtube] peace C

So.. hit the studio with the band the other week... always get stressed recording and we hadn't played together for a year! This song was dropped on us by the singer on first day of session.. so pretty much unrehearsed apart from couple of run throughs... quite pleased with it though.. full album coming soon!! (and hopefully some gigs!) [url="http://soundcloud.com/chjbass/my-mother-in-law"]http://soundcloud.co...y-mother-in-law[/url]

[quote name='wizbat' timestamp='1318084160' post='1397940'] I think you could do with a new logo as 'ogilnibo makes no sense to me.. [/quote] agreed... logo's you can't actually read trying to sell a new product not good surely?

nice cover of the Duffy song...

not quite the same but... [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Fender_Special_Jazz.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_sp...ecial_Jazz.html[/url]

don't be put off by Jagger! i always thought this grooved a funking treat (Wimbish?) - fantastic little slide at 2:38

not really needed in most cases unless band members have some kind of decent back story/history that would perhaps up the kudos of the band... list of favourite food etc and 'humorous' biogs are pointless imho

Payment first always!!!!!

hmmm.... pretty dull most of 'em i thought! i was expecting some proper amusing tall tales not.. 'once we did a gig and there weren't many people there'.. oh well.