blue

Again, for someone truly looking for work this is a good opportunity, IMHO. Keep in mind very few opportunities with established bands with business are posted publicly. Blue

[size=4][font=Arial]Haven't submitted an ad to critique in a while.[/font] [font=Arial]This is an established working band with a book of business. IMO a great opportunity for someone that [b]wants to work[/b] and put an extra couple a hundred dollars in their wallet at the end of the week. Not an opportunity for those that have to play a specific genre or where a band has to have a certain look and are happy to keep their talent in the bedroom until an appropriate fit comes along. [/font] [font=Arial]What do you think?[/font] [font=Arial]BTW, Nice looking web-site[/font][/size] and the front lady is not bad on the eyes. [i]My name is Jackie, from www.jackiebrownandtheboys.com My band is currently working with a few, very awesome, part-time lead players, but we r always on the look out for a permanent lead performer. Looking for more hard working(but not too serious), high quality professionals, that are also looking to make some good money and better times. We are established 9yrs. and counting & are promoting our original EP this summer. We have several jobs lined up for the new year and are hoping to find a dependable,low drama, positive addition to the group. Covering Variety Rock Music. February Audition dates TBA. All auditions by appointment only[/i]. [size=4][font=Arial]* Not sure how it works in the UK, but over here you can have bands that are very good musically, but can never seem to grasp marketing and get work. And we can have marginal bands that get the whole marketing thing and turn a profit with consistent bookings.[/font][/size] Blue

True story; I remember trying to teach a old girl friend that would come to my shows with me. [i]"I am the guy playing the bass guitar. It's the instrument with 4 strings. Look, you'll see 4 tuning heads. The guitarist has 6 strings, see, 6 tuning heads"[/i] Several gigs later, [i]"What do you play again?"[/i] I'm just sayin.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1422373583' post='2671813'] Is it any wonder that you don't see any respect from younger folks when you seem to have such a sneery, dismissive attitude towards them? Respect is a two way thing and it has to be earned, nobody is entitled to it automatically just because of how old they are. [/quote] I think I said I don't see any respect from young musicians, however I'm not really looking for it. I'm interested in what young performing rock musicians are doing, thinking and why. They, on the other hand are not really interested in what veteran players are doing, that's their choice IMHO. Age doesn't entitle me or anyone else to anything, agreed. Blue

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1422348143' post='2671336'] Totally agree. Where we are concerned about the bass we are playing, the cabs we use, the amp, effects etc, all the audience care about is hearing the song IMO If they can hear the singer, and they can make out the hook, they are happy. Ive played in bands before that were absolutely awful. I can look back and see this now, but we ALWAYS went down well, and were booked up a year in advance because our singer was brilliant. [/quote] I can be playing my but off front stage, grooving all up in the pocket and look out in the crowd and they're all staring at our female lead guitarist soloing. And rightly so, she's good. To the crowd as a bass player I don't exist. It's just the way it is. Blue

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1422314495' post='2671194'] I have a different take on this. The band is playing for the audience, I'm playing for the band. What the audience notices isn't my main concern. My job is to fire up the rhythm section and drive the front line, with the aim that we can impress the audience. I know audiences hear me loud and clear because they tell me but I have to make it work for the band. Root notes or not, the band has to like what I play. A pat on the back from them means good job done. [/quote] If you feel your job is to fire up the rhythm section, your concerned about what the audience notices. Blue

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1422342381' post='2671285'] That's a bit harsh, everyone can't know the history of all music. Taj Mahal? I thought that was a big bulby building in India! [/quote] Yeah, it was a harsh comment. I don't even know what a [i]"Katie"[/i] is. That was me being an old grump. You know, [i]"these young whippers don't know nothing"[/i] remark. I'm very intimidated with these young talented whippers. And I [i]"aged out"[/i] on several opportunities and it's tough to come to grips with. I know I had a lot of respect and interest in older musicians when I was young. I personally don't see that respect from many younger folks today. Blue

Hard to argue, so I have to say yes to industry standard for the P and Jazz, however they might not be Fenders. Me, I have 2 MIJ Ps which I like but I hardly ever gig with them. My primary is a German made Hofner Limited Edition 502 Club Bass with Cavern Club PU spacing, with flats. I also gig with a Gibson LP Gold Top, 91 Thunderbird and ES-335. Blue

I'm probably 16 or 17 (1970) in the attached pic playing my Gibson EB-3. At the time I thought I was going to stay 17 forever. Blue

A musician might notice, a non musician in the audience doesn't even know that your playing bass. Blue

This might have been the SVT, however this pic is over 40 years old so it's hard to tell. You can't see much of it. That's my Gibson EB-3, I think I swapped it for a 1957 pre-CBS P Bass. I remember that EB-3 being a pretty decent bass. Blue

I use a pick. Blue

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1422261712' post='2670309'] Occasionally landlords will give the band a bit of a bonus if they get a better night saleswise than expected. Happened with us on Saturday night. The issue with tip jars, which tends to be a bucket being taken round the room depends on the venue. Some do but most don't. You can get quite a big boost to your money from the bucket, but pubs that tend to have a lower base fee if they know that they can rely on a decent tip collection. It's not so much that Brits are not so bothered about the money, more that there is a recognition that you're not going to make much from playing pubs! You will find that we're a lot hotter on how much we get paid when you start getting into function bands, eg where there is potentially money to be made... [/quote] Regarding tips, we don't pass anything around the bar. The tip jar ( in our case a pitcher ) is stationed in the front of the band off to the side. No pressure. Blue

I am not a fan of the [i]"open mic[/i]" and we have a lot of them over here. Usually if your not a friend of the host you don't play. Plus over here they seem to attract a disproportionate amount of newbies. Usually they are geared towards blues harp players or lead guitarist only. Back in the early 70s we had jam sessions. These were usually held in someones home and we would play into the early hours and everyone would get to play. Also some of the hottest players in town would show up for these jams. IMHO, these jam session were a completely different animal than today's [i]"open mic".[/i] Blue

What are the LLs like in the UK. If the place is packed and they have an extraordinary night for alcohol sales. Will The LL let it "trickle down" and slip the band an extra $100.00? Rarely happens over here. However, on those nights we usually do very well with tips. Interesting because over hear tip jars are common for bar bands. We packed a place this past Friday night and there was over $200.00 in the jar. When it's that much we divide it up and pay it out at the end of the night along with our standard fee. I understand you guys frown on tip jars in the UK. Cultural difference I guess. You guys aren't as money hungry as us Yanks? Blue

Then there are the bars/pubs/clubs that will not let the band use the parking lot. So, you either double park in the parking lot to load in your gear or hunt for street parking and walk your gear in. Blue

It's great when you can get on the schedule for any of the bars that have proven themselves as a place that features live rock music. Over here these places have [i]"built in" [/i]crowds. However you have to be good enough to maintain and keep the crowd there. Blue

I purchased a new Ampeg SVT with the 8 10s cabs in 1972. I think it was one of the first incarnations of that amp. Great amp, however, now I am not so sure tubes mean all that much in the bass world as opposed to guitars.Plus, I'm not hauling that 8 10 cab. I love my GK 1000rb with 1 15" and 2 10s". Blue

[quote name='zerofocus' timestamp='1422212789' post='2669932'] wow let's keep it upbeat i personally think its impressive as a bassist and a style but hey each to their own as i was asking, i was curious as to how he got this tone, particularly with fingers, i find that fingers usually sound a little smoother but i know everyone is different but ikuo seems to have great definition and clang without the flubbyness of the low b (which i suppose is another issue I am facing haha) can I play to that level? no do I aim to have that accuracy and speed? yes thanks very much Barney for support I'm fairly use to forum warriors so I won't be disuaded by him, just probably won't invite him round for a brew haha [/quote] Guys, I would say my comments were merely my honest opinion and not meant to be disrespectful. To be brutally honest again, I think the guy in the YouTube clip has a outstanding chops and ability. But for an old timer like me, I see no style or soul, only speed and accuracy. Guys, I come from the school of Paul McCartney the Willy Weeks and Duck Dunns. The guy is certainly interesting but I don't even consider it true traditional bass playing and not the target to shoot for, for any young bass player.Learn the basic from the old masters first. IMHO My comments do not directly address the OPs concern, I get that. Your going to have your own tone. And unless your already an advanced player and unless your a bedroom player I wouldn't be swayed by these nontraditional styles that at the end of the day not many people are interested in. Respect Blue

We all like different stuff. For me, I hear a lot of speed, theory and technique but not much soul. I don't think it's the only style or tone to judge yourself on. However, this guy plays so much there's bound to be something you can take away from him. Blue

[quote name='stuckinthepod' timestamp='1421415294' post='2660929'] We are plugging away at the low end of the "pub vertical" having only started gigging the band last August and did 5 gigs in 2014. We have six booked so far for this year. We are happy to play where we can get gigs that play hard/classic rock. Getting the gigs is proving difficult as many pubs are booked up and seem to rebook the same old faithful bands over trying our new acts. Our best gig last year was a biker oriented pub and we played to crowd of 200 and went down well and the worse was playing to approximately 20 disinterest punters in a dodgy place we wont be returning to. Many of the pubs seem to think promoting the bands they have on is writing the bands name on a chalk board on the night! We are more interested in playing rock/music orientated venues over the standard boozers but this year will be mainly learning and getting our name about so we'll have to take what we can get. Good news is we are playing a decent biker/rock bar next weekend. [/quote] This is a great post, The poster gave enough background on the band and the scenario to make some sense of it. It also shows how difficult it is to get the gigging machine up and running. Over here we see so many start ups ads saying things like, [i]"Were almost ready to go, we should be gigging by March.[/i]My thoughts are usually[i], "really and hows that going to happen, magic?"[/i] Off topic; For some future threads I think we would all benefit if we knew a little about the poster;[list] [*]Age [*]How long have you been playing [*]Gigging Musician, How long have you been gigging [*]Bedroom guy [*]Home Recording guy [*]Veteran, gigged for years, however stopped because it was no longer fun. [*]Newbie [/list] Perspectives and diversity of views on any given topic is great, however my response to most issues will differ if the poster is 17 to say a guy that's 50 years old. Same applys to how I respond to a guy with 2 gigs under his belt as opposed to the veteran whose been out in the trenches for 30 years or the guy that is doing headliner pro shows. Blue

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1421595798' post='2663055'] I get sick of all the bedroom " wizards " that think they can play, who insist on clogging up your searches with their covers of songs. Ok, there's a lot of really good guys on there too, but a hell of a lot of tatt ! [/quote] Agreed, Now, I have been blown away by some of these guys demos, but like you said there's a lot of [i]"and what made you think you it was ok to post this"[/i] stuff. Blue

I really appreciate our front lady and her ability to engage the crowd at the bar band level. It's a delicate balance between reading the crowd, the scene and engaging them without being pretentious. Remember those of us in bar bands, were not famous, people don't want to know much if anything about us. That's why telling the story about how you met your wife and wrote this song, or even using [i]"walk on"[/i] music can come off as pretentious, IMHO. Our front will not to the [i]"chic out front"[/i] thing wearing short skirts, high heels and a cubic sh_t load of make-up. She does her thing the way she wants to and I think her approach distinguishes us from other 4 piece acts. Blue

As long as your not a stand back by the drummer with a P Bass type guy and you want to be out front this will all come in time. It's like anything else, experience, experience and experience. Get a good understanding on your own personality and how you want to come across and the type of Bant your comfortable with. Learn how to look out into the crowd and make good eye contact. I still struggle with stagecraft. Tip; If your not a professional comedian, don't try to be funny or tell jokes. Blue

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1421957921' post='2667186'] Well put Norris. One of the guys who comes to see us, well I don`t know the politically correct term, but learning disabilities would be a way of putting it. [/quote] That happens, we have, a place we play where I have to deal with a guy that loves the band. I can't tell if he's challenged on a legit basis or if he's one of these guys that never recovered from the 60s. Blue