blue

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442306776' post='2865839'] I was in a band once where we ended up with a stupid number of leads (mainly due to the drummer insisting on fully mic'ing his drum kit which was overkill for pubs and a PITA to get decent mixes of) and I ended up buying multicore 'snake' with 16 inputs. It was still a bit of a mess onstage (gaffer tape is your friend) but at least only 1 cable leaving the stage to go out front to the desk. [/quote] That's what we do and I use a Line 6 wireless transmitter. Blue

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1442371730' post='2866428'] Commitment is what I look for. If band members won't put the hours in to rehearse a set so it can be played well, then I'm not interested. I'm too long in the tooth to be seen playing with the equivalent of a school band. [/quote] I am not sure I can tie commitment directly to rehearsing. There are many really good bands with totally committed members that hardly ever rehearse. Blue

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1442362444' post='2866422'] Of course it helps if you're dealing with the right people with a start-up as it does with any band. In music, contacts are everything... [/quote] Yup, that comes with experience and the ability to network. Good contacts and being able to size up people and an opportunity on the fly. A lot of young guys new to bands don't necessarily have those things in place. I guess you have to [i]"go through it to get to it"[/i]. I did. LOL Blue

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1442342585' post='2866263'] The first Orange heads were built by Matt Mathias at Matamp and badged Orange. Orange was just a music store in London at the time selling mainly second hand gear. Matt was a purist and perfectionist who was not at all keen on hi-gain. It was one of the reasons Matt and Cliff Cooper fell out, as Cliff was pushing for more dirt. So vintage Orange will be cleaner. Plus all the older Orange stuff is 100% hand-wired and very reliable, unlike the new Chinese built printed circuit board stuff. I don't think you could even compare them, two totally different things. [/quote] Good info, thanks Billy. Blue

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1442358946' post='2866406'] . . . . neither is Ringo. I would imagine it's Apple, whoever puts their music and videos out and their publisher, who I believe is Sony, who made a business decision to tidy up all the old video tape and put them out as a collectors package. I'd be very surprised if Paul or Ringo would have any input. [/quote] I think your right. I think it's safe to say even the great grand kids will never have to work for a living in the traditional sense. Blue

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1442356268' post='2866391'] Personally I wouldn’t be so against doing a start-up band. About 18 months ago I was asked to join an established local rock covers band that gets plenty of local gigs. Even though they’re an OK band, I wasn’t particularly bothered and passed. Instead I accepted an invitation to join a start-up band (doing broadly similar stuff) with a couple of guys who I knew could play. It took a bit of time to get off the ground but we were gigging about 6 months later and doing far better than the other band that I could have joined. Getting gigs was no problem as me and the guitarist were gigging regularly in other bands and I could have a big say in the material and impose my own view on playing standards etc, which I probably could not have dome coming in as the new guy in an established band. If you have got the right people involved and you have some contacts, a start-up band can be just as feasible as an established one and you will have more opportunities to ensure that things are done how you want them to be… [/quote] Good story Pete and your lucky. Sounds like you found a rare and good opportunity. Again, very cool. Most start ups aren't together long enough to see their 1st gig. Blue

In case I sound a little cocky about me and my band.Let me say this; I have made all the mistakes I have mentioned and in the past, have joined bands without thinking things through in terms of why I want to be in a band and what I'm looking for in a band. Every time it was a disaster. However, I learned from my mistakes. Hopefully, this thread might help someone that's presently looking for a first band ( the most important IMO ) or someone in between bands. Blue

I was looking at Orange Bass Rigs a while back. The sales person said; [i]"If your looking for the Orange you fell in love with back in 1972, this ain't it."[/i] Do you think that means the new Orange Bass Amps are better than the vintage Orange? Blue

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1442332902' post='2866131'] After 60 years of playing for pay I am down to a very few gigs a year with my 60s band, which now has NO original members left in it. I have the luxury of being able to turn up and play at an invitations only jam of a very high standard whenever I feel like it and use the house band, who are great players and LISTEN. But I am getting tempted to maybe start up a little band as well..... hard to let go the habits of a lifetime. But one thing that band will NOT be is a democracy. They never ever work. Someone has to be the responsible adult. (grin) [/quote] I have 50 years invested into rock bands and gigging. I think my first gig was in 1966. I guess I never outgrew the rock and roll spirit. My band plays over 70 shows a year. Funny, I'm 62 and every Friday, Saturday or Sunday I am just as excited about gigging and have the same spirit for it I had when I was 12 years old. Were all different. Blue

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1442318868' post='2865984'] I'm 30 and gig fairly regularly in a covers act, aim to be out once a week, but averages 2-3 shows a month at the moment. I had considered jacking it in recently though, as I feel like all I've done since we started playing together again in July (our singer went travelling for the first 6 months of this year) is argue with my wife about me playing. She really struggles when I have to leave the house before the kids go to bed, particularly as our youngest was going through a phase of just not going to sleep for a couple of hours after being put to bed. She also hates that events - Christmas, New Year, Halloween, bank holidays etc are all prime times for booking a band, and so she's left on her own while at these times of year (Boxing Day was a particular sore point) whilst I'm out working. However, I need the money and the recent gigs have been at more civilised times, I suspect this is a problem I'm going to have every year during the summer when it's prime wedding and party season until the kids are older [/quote] I couldn't think of a worse time to be in a working band. Your young with a young family. If your wife is questioning your gig schedule you might be better off sitting out for a while, most guys do when raising a family. I'm single, but they tell me, you can always find a band but a good family life is hard to find. Blue

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1442319887' post='2865996'] I definitely care about all those things... massively. The only point I don't care about..because I don't need to, is gigs. I will do gigs but I'm not wasting my time or the other guys time on gigs of a certain nature or even stature. It is either a good gig or it is not. Funnily enough the other guys, who should be more picky about the work they do...because of the work they can get and indeed do get....aren't or can't be as picky. Basically, I wont waste their time for gigs that don't pay minimum £80 per head. I suspect they may go cheaper from time to time..and have to, but I'll generally not call these guys for that money. That is a basic 4 pub for a 4 piece..it gets much harder introducing a 5th member. Parties, which is what the band excels at, are easy [/quote] Were almost complete opposites, the more gigs the better. I love 3-4 gig weekends. We have a $100.00 per man minimum. I say, any paying gig is a good gig. After 9 years all the bad venues have been weeded out. I think things start to change for the better when you get to the point where you have a good fan base and the crowd is there specifically to see you. However, building up that fan base takes time and a lot of work. Blue

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1442312221' post='2865901'] A guy I know is probably one of the best guitarists I`ve ever seen - not just locally, all over, he really is that good. But "the right" band/opportunity has never come along. Essentially instead of working to make something right I get the feeling he wants to walk into the right thing when already established, having let the others work towards what he wants. Sure sometimes it works out, but expecting 3 or 4 others to be psychic is a bit of an ask. A real waste of a talent in my view. [/quote] Like Sprocket mentioned above, "Were All Different". When I was looking for a band 4 years ago,I knew exactly what I was looking for. I had no interest in originals or start up projects. I'm not picky about the genre however I restricted my search to established bands (meaning bands that had at least a couple of years up and running with the original core members) with a history of consistent paying gigs as well as future gigs on the books. We call this a "turn key" opportunity. I was lucky and found that band. Not easy, I basically followed them around and let them know I was looking and was interested. Turned out at some point their bass player was going in a different direction. After auditioning about 3 times , I was offered the job. They all turned out to be cool, knowledgeable, fair and trustworthy people. 4 years later I'm still with them and couldn't be happier. Thing is, if the band folded I would be sunk. In my area finding bands that are into making money and gigging a lot, basically don't exist. All most every ad for bass players has the phrase [i]" We only do this for fun and gig once every couple of months."[/i] Blue

A fun Sunday afternoon gig. It was a Vintage Car Show. Small playing area with a little tarp, not great but adequate. An unusual 3 hr gig. Good pay and tips. appreciative crowd and the band was sounding good and we had fun. What more can you ask for. Blue

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1442129686' post='2864491'] cool i just googled milwaukee HD and this from 2012 came up - is this the sort of stage?? [/quote] No, and I'm not sure where that stage actually is. It's not the Summerfest Harley stage which we have played, but not last weekend.We had a great stage, sound and lights but not that great. LOL Blue Blue

Very cool, if and I say if with capital I. If they can come out and do it live with guys actually playing instruments. Blue

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1442280148' post='2865745'] In my experience, your first band, or first few, are made up of your friends which rarely works out - Jimmy quit, Joey got married etc. etc. Later, you start to play in bands with other muso's, not mates. Its a different game entirely. All of the myths and romantic expectations about being in a little gang, all for one and one for all go out of the window. Band politics come into it, a bit of bullying here, a bit of backbiting there. Thats where people either carry on doing it for years, or realise that they dont actually like the reality of it all, and quit. [/quote] Well, I think there is a maturity curve to consider. Older guys like me ( the 60 plus crowd ) I would think, don't have many of the same issues and concerns we had in bands 40 years ago. At this point you would hope we all know all of the basics of [i]"How To Be In A Band". [/i]I think many of us have seen or had to work with guys that unfortunately are good enough musicians , but don't know how to be in a band. I no longer car about musical input. I don't care about what songs we play, musical direction of the band or what I like or dislike playing or what other people in the band are doing in terms of the strengths of their individual performances. None of those things have anything to do with my role and place in my band. Month's where we don't have much booked, that's something I'm concerned about. Blue

I say if your lucky enough to be in a heavily booked band, you have a better chance of staying in good playing form. Again, something guys looking to join their first band should think about. Am I in situation where I will be gigging a lot? Blue

Like most of my threads this one also applys to the local and regional bands. Ever wonder why some of these very good rock musicians give up on the whole being in a band thing, and in general have a sour taste towards bands? My thoughts are, a lot of these guys are great musicians but not great planners or decision makers. Do any of you guys know the local guy,lets say guitarist that was/is very good, however always chose to be in bad bands, By bad bands I mean bands with questionable members. By questionable members I mean where if there was a paying gig, they always had some reason he never received his cut. OK,and the bands that scored very few if any gigs and couldn't figure out how to make money and fall apart within 6 months? If that was my experience, I doubt I would be all that positive on bands, My point is, for guys that have had bad luck with bands ( it happens ) or guys looking for their first band, be careful. You should know why and what kind of band you want to join before looking. As far as criteria is concerned , I think everyone should have [i]"Only Play with Good, Honest and Trustworthy People" [/i] at the top of everyone's list. Please share your comment, suggestions or stories about picking and joining rock bands. Blue

[quote name='madshadows' timestamp='1442238287' post='2865368'] Never seen this before, excellent stuff [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2&v=JJ6ClSZV5Eg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2&v=JJ6ClSZV5Eg[/url] John [/quote] Really Nice. Blue

I know we didn't have a lot of choices. When I started in the mid 60s, all I remember were Ampeg's B series, the 12,15 and the 18.And the Fender Bassman. When styles changed and volume was needed those amps could not deliver. Hell, it's 2015 and amps for bass are better but we still don't have the options guitarists have. Blue

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1441287545' post='2857574'] I'm quite sure it does not - but it certainly makes a difference to me. Who is more important?? If you like to have nice things and you can afford them, then capitalism dictates that nothing stand in the way of you buying them, regardless of any possible negative effects on our environment. But that's for another thread - one which I'm not going to start. [/quote] Exactly, we do it for a variety of reasons. Hell, I don't think my band members know what gear I use or how much I invested in it. I play in a regional 70s style rock band, we play a little over 70 shows a year. Do I need 9 vintage bass guitars, a few stacked rigs, full blown pedal board? Probably not, does anyone notice it, no. I have it because it's what I want. When I was a kid playing ,I always had cheap gear or borrowed stuff. So as an adult I went out and purchased every bass I could only dream about as a kid. I'm fine with my story. And I'm fine with the video too.It was funny and made all the sense in the world. Blue

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1440355549' post='2850068'] Yes lead and backing vocals here, it takes a lot to do walking baselines with vocals in different time but it's great fun. [/quote] Backing vocals here, it's a struggle. Seems like sometimes making the separation is easy and sometimes not. Blue

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1441867567' post='2862371'] I get to play bass at 100% of the Jam nights I go to, I sometimes play more than the house band guy, when I've been the house band I've let others sit in and use my bass. Sometimes Blue I read things about where you live and parts of it really suck. [/quote] Depends on what you mean by "sucks". Opportunities in bands that actually work consistently like my band, 70 plus shows annually are impossible to find. If my band folded I'd be sunk. All the publically advertised openings are for start ups, wannabes and bloaks that only want to gig once every couple of months,lame! Blue

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1441302046' post='2857785'] I'm a regular at open mics, playing acoustic guitar and singing, my singing has improved no end since I started doing them, then my partner joined me on drums (just a snare, hi hat and crash) gives us a common interest (playing music at a pub ) we actually played our first festival at the weekend ( a very small unpaid festival) but neither of us would have got anywhere if it wasn't for open mics. The band I play bass in also got a gig after one we did, someone came up afterwards and asked if we did gigs, no I said but my band does. I don't really understand the hostility to open mics, they're good fun if you enjoy playing live and your playing is bound to improve. [/quote] There will always be exceptions. My main point, I prefer The old jam session format to the Open Mic. Blue

I really think open mics are a waste of time. They're are good for the noodlers that have no interest in actually ever going out and doing anything.They have their full time day jobs and music is and has always been a low priority. They get a chance to go up and noodle and impress their local friends and maybe family. Your not going to generate business or find opportunities at open mics. At least not around here. And if your a bass player you probably won't even get to play. These open mics are usually hosted by a house band and they usually only let their friends that play guitar and maybe blues harp sit in. Now, I am a big fan of what we use to call jam sessions. A jam session was usually held in someones home and the local cats that could actually play would show up at these jams and a newbie that had something going on would have a chance to play with the local heavy hitters. These things would go on into the we hours of the morning. Unfortunately jam sessions are not a thing anymore, another lost portion of the art form. Guys, just an old guys opinion. jam sessions were for real and upcoming locals musicians. Open mics originated with LLs seeking a way to get live music for free and take advantage of young musicians. Blue