MrDaveTheBass

Nothing to be ashamed of - Judith Chalmers gave it a very favourable review!

The catering is usually a big plus! I played two private gigs in December - one we got fed at, the other we didn't. At one gig we had a really lively and receptive audience, while the other one was a bit 'meh'. As you say Blue, private gigs can be hit or miss. The only common downside for both gigs was having to set up early and then hang around for ages before playing.

Ha! I've met many guitarists like this. The best guitarist that I've ever met didn't even rate himself as a guitarist - he always thought of himself as a timbales player!

I feel inclined to blow my mind, get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun.

Is that you Mother?

I've never seen the point in buying signature underpants. I've always bought stock underpants, modified them to fit my needs and then really put the hours in wearing them in - in the bedroom, the rehearsal room and on stage - until the unique stains and wear marks mean that they're MY pants, NOT Adam Clayton's.

I mentioned Charles Manson in a previous post. I'd no idea that he co-wrote a Beach Boys song!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42051100

I always like to entertain diners by using the right bass frequencies to make their cutlery levitate off the table, and create the most impressive standing waves in their soup.

I also use an SVT through an 8 x 10 at my rehearsal space. Have a look at how the amp is hooked up to the cab. Depending on which input's used at the back of the cab, you can use the top four speakers, the bottom four speakers, or all eight. If you're only using the top four, the amp will sound a bit thin (like raising a 4 x10 off the floor). As the live speakers are nearer to your ears, you'll hear more clank. Instead, use the bottom four speakers, which will boost the lower frequencies and mask the clank. (Or use all eight! :-) http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/svt810eav.pdf

I think it all depends on the quality of the art. I remember hearing some Charles Manson demos, which were chilling, but only because of his infamy. Heard without knowing who's singing, they're pretty unremarkable. I do think though that unstable/damaged people often have the ability to make more interesting art. It's hard to write a sad, gut wrenching song when everything in your life is sorted, and you haven't got any demons to unleash onto the page.

Do it! I joined an originals band aged 45 last year and I'm loving it. I hadn't been in an originals outfit for over 20 years, and I'd forgotten just how much fun writing and performing your own tunes was. I've kept the covers band too, as that scratches an entirely different itch. The best part is that we seem to have been accepted by the local music scene in a way that the covers band never will. By making contacts with local promoters, we're being offered support slots for touring bands as they pass through the city. The money is extremely poor, but I really like playing support, as the stress and hassle is much less than headlining as a covers band. When I was in an originals band in my twenties, the spectre of 'making it big' hung over us, and we wasted far too much energy worrying about how that was going to happen, and if we sounded 'right'. Now that there's zero chance of being rich and famous we just go out, live in the moment and enjoy ourselves.

This is a great android drum machine. Very simple to use and program: [url="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gk.sequencer&hl=en_GB"]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gk.sequencer&hl=en_GB[/url]

I'm still trying to master the Tibetan Anus Flute. It's a bit niche though, and I'm still having trouble finding an appreciative audience...

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1508612743' post='3393379'] I got one in a package with a mike and cable from gear4music which was their own branded one, I only doing backing vocals so was happy to have a cheap one but I am very impressed with the quality and can't see any reason why it won't last years. [/quote] I've also got a Gear4Music boom stand. I've used it every week for over two years, and it still works exactly the same as when it was brand new. (I haven't used it for demolition work, or to repel stage invaders though).

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1507746773' post='3387734'] [url="https://spitfiretortoiseshellpickguards.wordpress.com/pictures-and-styles/"]https://spitfiretort...res-and-styles/[/url] [/quote] Damn! Now I've got some very incriminating browsing history that's going to be very difficult to explain when I get a knock on the door from the tortporn police!

The Korg Pandora PX4D is a great bit of kit, and includes a serviceable tuner. I love the fact that it's so small and battery powered, so you can practice literally anywhere. I've often chucked it into my bass case so that I can practice in hotel rooms when I'm away from home. I'd recommend in-ear Sennheiser headphones, as they give better bass-response than over ear 'phones, and are light and less fatiguing to wear for longer periods.

[quote name='clunkie66' timestamp='1505737427' post='3373858'] I think I'm ready as I'll ever be, excited and bricking it in equal measure! [/quote] I used to get really nervous before gigs, until I realised that fear and excitement are in fact the same emotion. Ride the adrenaline wave, and remember to enjoy it!

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1505402709' post='3371672'] I'm Spartacus [/quote] No, I'M Spartacus!

Surely the track needs to be 'Ashes to Ashes'?

I found out last night that the Ampeg 8x10 that I play through every week at my local rehearsal studio was used by none other than Jah Wobble at the excellent Simon Says festival in Leicester last month. (Great gig BTW). I'm sure that he wouldn't have sounded so good had it not been for all of my hard work breaking in the cab for him. :-) So what's your most obscure bass claim to fame? Did Sting nick your parking spot? Did Paul McCartney go to school with your dad? Did you lend Lemmy your last plectrum?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1502571445' post='3352293'] He makes it look so easy I was almost imagining I could do it too. [/quote] I was lucky enough to be able to gatecrash a drum seminar with Mr Purdie back in the '90s at The Musicians' Institute in Wapping. (It was for the drummers, but I snuck in even though I was just a bass player). I think that he makes the shuffle look so easy because (for him) it is easy! It's his default mode, like an engine at tickover. I remember watching him trading evermore impressive licks with Tony Muschamp, till he finally cried out, "Whoa, that's too much! - I'm gonna fall back and just do a bit of shuffle for a bit", which it seemed that he could do for hours on end, whilst conversing with the audience! Everyone in the room was blown away by his playing - I'm glad that I wasn't one of the drummers, because if I was, I don't think that I would have picked up a pair of sticks ever again - after seeing someone that impossibly good, what would be the point?

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1502683394' post='3352804'] C'est fantastique! [/quote] I see what you did there!

Hi Blue, Great thread! - It's made me think about my stage moves and stance. Just one question: Where can I get an invisible bear?

Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys