Old Man Riva

[quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1430929383' post='2766087'] I realised it was sparks when they came on. Watched it, not impressed, quite disappointed as I was a bit of a sparks fan. I thought the other singer looked familiar. As it ended I recognised Franz Ferdinand so felt quite pleased my self Still wasn't keen. The lone below and Alabama shakes were better for me. [/quote] Same here; didn't get the FFS thing at all - very odd match and not really sure what they're looking to do. I like Alabama Shakes anyway, but the Lone Bellow track blew me away. Not heard of them up until Later.

[quote name='mike f' timestamp='1430833682' post='2764997'] I'll second the view on Alexa De Paris; it's wonderful. And nice to see someone else compare his playing with FZ. I'm a huge fan of both and have for a long time thought the same rather than the usual comparisons with Hendrix which you read about.[/quote] Alexa de Paris has a real Sheik Yerbouti era Zappa feel/tone, and he does it without sounding derivative. I (sort of) understand the Hendrix comparisons but there's so much more going on. I saw him on the Lovesexy tour in 1988 and it was a bit of a disappointment. There was just [i]too [/i]much going on - circular stage, park swings, basketball courts, huge beds (!) Goes without saying he had an amazing band but the set included a number of medleys, which just didn't the songs justice and ended up being neither once thing or another. Of all his tours I really wished I'd seen him on the Parade tour..

The B-side to Mountains is a great instrumental called Alexa de Paris. Very guitar orientated, it really shows off his amazing guitar skills - shades of Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa in there. Unfortunately I can't find a trace of it on YouTube..

[quote name='TommyK' timestamp='1430758061' post='2764326'] I do love Basschat for its wide knowledge of musical tastes/encyclopedia.. never heard of D'Angelo until this thread. Downloaded "Voodoo".. what an album.... and amazing example of rhythmic "feel" throughout (Which does exist and doesn't have to be pretentious IMNHO) [/quote] If you like the album there's a live recording of one of the gigs off the Voodoo tour available from iTunes for a mere £7.99 - Live in Stockholm. He takes a different approach to the songs - fully blown horn section and extended soul/funk jams - but it's a great listen and the band (inc. Pino) are amazing.

Mr Notes, the screw hole looks like someone has added an extra string retainer at some point - not sure why, mind you. Those Precision Elite basses are nice (though I remember them being really heavy and some of the tones were a wee bit 'extreme' as I recall). If you're now looking at Ps/similar that do a bit more then you should also look at the Sandberg P-style basses. They're lovely instruments and may actually give you a wider variety of usable tones than the Elite would. Similarly, for less money, you could get a Mexican P-bass Special, which has both a Precision and Jazz p/up fitted with active circuitry. And if it's purely a P-bass you're after that offers a bit more then the Nate Mendel basses are superb instruments - Jazz neck, Di Marzio p/up and a Badass bridge all as standard. The tone control is one of the most subtle I've heard on a P-bass - i.e. it's not just on or off.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1430412551' post='2761204'] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2M6KHZQp8kg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> https://youtu.be/2M6KHZQp8kg One day I will learn how to embed videos. Can anyone do it for me? [/quote] Can never have enough Pino.. They play together in D'angelo's band - Pino, Chris Dave (drums) and Isaiah Sharkey (guitar).

Really like Plant's current band/set. In an era where, for many, money seems to the primary motivation for making music I admire Plant's stance on not opting to do the Zeppelin gig. I'd say his legacy is such that he's more than earned the right to please himself a bit.

Thanks Chris, really appreciate that. I'm now a Greg Koch fan! Some of the things he's doing with that Tele are fabulous. From that link I found a NAMM 2012 trio gig with Roscoe Beck, Greg Koch and Greg Koch's son playing drums (seventeen at the time with just a bass drum, hi-hat and snare). Such great/tasteful playing.. Really inspiring stuff.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1340365544' post='1703351'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHHBl8cz7eY[/media] [/quote] Really really like that. Wasn't aware of what Roscoe Beck did before seeing that - embarrassingly only really knew the name from the Fender endorsement. It sounds like they've based it around All Blues by Miles Davis and really done it justice. I'm now a Roscoe Beck fan (though I did catch another clip of him playing a 6-string bass which wasn't my cup of tea at all!)..

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1429358957' post='2750758'] I thought the first Natalie Prass song, Bird of Prey, was the highlight of the show by quite a distance. I've got the album and it's grown on me but, like a lot of people, there's a bit more edge and rawness to her live sound which seems to suit her voice and general vibe. Album version has fairly prominent strings but I preferred the horn arrangement on Later.[/quote] I still may take a punt on the album but was definitely disappointed by the difference between the live sound and studio. And it begs the question why on earth didn't she use a horn section on the album?! One of the great things about Later for me is its ability to throw up something that I'd probably have missed. Despite its flaws it's still an excellent show. Laura Mvula doing See Line Woman on the Hootenanny show is one of the best bits of telly I've seen for years..

I really liked Natalie Prass but when I listened to her studio stuff it seem incredibly tame by comparison - it's a shame as the live stuff has a nice edge to it. If you liked Laura Marling it's definitely worth checking out Mary Margaret O'Hara, esp. Her Miss America album. Not being the most prolific of artists, she tends to have been overlooked over the years. Another act worth having a look at is Pooka. British female folksy duo from the early 90s. Dropped guitar turnings and eerily amazing vocal harmonies. Like a hungover Joni Mitchell meets Pentangle.. They also guested on Brit electro/dance band Ultramarine's Bel Air album in the mid 90s - the track Mutant is a great mix of the two bands.

[quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1429114574' post='2748192'] Who was the girl with the dobro ? [/quote] Singing in an American accent with a hint of Mark E Smith? That'd be Laura Marling. She's from Hampshire, and not the New one..

Ronnie Lane was an excellent bass player - lots of groovy and melodic lines and all done with a pick. If it was good enough for Ronnie etc.. Or you could be like Mr Vega and be a master at both [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U[/url]

To be honest, I've always been more wary of any musician that couldn't/wouldn't jam.

Well he does need the money... [url="http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/jay-z-to-pay-50-of-song-royalties-for-jazz-sample/061169"]http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/jay-z-to-pay-50-of-song-royalties-for-jazz-sample/061169[/url]

Another for his D'angelo stuff. Also, his playing on Tears for Fears' Badman's Song is sublime.

Christ, the Mean Fiddler and the Orange Club.. forgotten about those nights. The Barfly/Water Rats is the only venue I can ever remember seeing any record companies at. The OP is right to exercise a degree of scepticism about The Enterprise/ITB gig. You don't need to be in/play London anymore in order to get noticed - years ago you had no choice (with the odd exception - Manchester, Liverpool etc). I think the band money could be spent more wisely than on this gig based on information so far..

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1427552898' post='2731691'] Hi, Hope some of you from the London area can give me some advice. My 6 months old originals band have been asked to play at showcase in London, at The Enterprise, Camden. Apparently for ITB, a large agency with many well known acts on their books. We'd be travelling from Scotland, and I'm rather skeptical compared to the rest of my band. Does anyone know this venue? Looks like a pub to me, I've got doubts that a large agency would use it for a showcase. Any advice appreciated! [/quote] How did the gig come about - i.e. did you contact the agency, did they contact you etc? Or was it via the venue itself and they've told you the agency will be in attendance? Do you have an understanding of the purpose of the gig - i.e. the agency is suitably impressed by you and are looking to see you play with a view to adding you to their roster/getting you more gigs? If it were me I'd be more excited by it if the invitation had come directly from the agency rather than the venue - ITB are a decent agency.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1427464882' post='2730723'] Yes indeed... it's tuned in 5ths, although to be honest, with bowing and everything I'm going to be learning a totally new technique anyway so I'm hopefully my mind will alow me to associate the new tuning with the new instrument without too much trouble. I think it's a bit of a whim anyway, I'll give it a while and see if I still feel I'd like to give it a go in a few months before taking the plunge. [/quote] I got to play a mandocello for the first time a few weeks back and it was great fun - now looking to get one. If you've not tried one I'd really recommend having a play on one. If you're looking for a different challenge then this might be it?