TrevorR

And then however many weeks later… on Thursday, 3/4 of my thumbnail dropped off. On the bright side it looks like it’s growing a new one underneath… seems like a three or so other nails are on the way… 🙄

They are down near Exeter - so a long way - but Jack at Brook Guitars is a wizard at inlays. They take on repairs as a standard sideline so should be open to it. And ask them for a certificate of works to certify they’ve removed and replaced it. https://www.brookguitars.com

New album by UK prog metal band, Threshold -“Dividing Lines”. Really rather good! Actually has tunes and the solos aren’t just an excuse to get some modal arpeggio practice in…

From my chums Rich and Karl’s new album…

Sad to hear and I hope you’ll find a congregation/community where you do fit one day. We’re in transition too. All over Covid and the aftermath reopening we were isolating as much as possible because we were helping look after my father in law and his fight with prostate cancer. Going into a room full of 200 or so people even with a mask and risking giving Covid to him just on wasn’t on the cards. And I worked from home as much as I possibly could to help the isolating. He continued to deteriorate and finally passed away last February. Haven’t been been back to church since and not sure we want to go back to the old church as there’s a lot of history for my wife which is painful. Shame as I loved playing on the team but it would be too stressful for my wife - too many hurts to be dredged up. Then, over the summer my best friend in the worship team passed away from complications allied to Covid. So my main personal friendship tie with the church is gone too. We need to start looking for other local churches but haven’t felt the impetus to actually do so. I’m sure we will be back sometime soonish but right now I’m not sure when or where.

Sadly now defunct… had been declining for a few years and Covid finally sealed the Sunday jazz’s fate!

Have you got your tickets for this clinic yet? If you’re within striking distance of Woking, Surrey you owe it to yourself to get there! Going to be an epic night including the Welsh Wal Wizard, Laurence Cottle. Adam has just released a discount code so type “RONNIE” in at the checkout any you’ll get 20% off! Talking to Carl Orr last night he was saying this isn’t one of those clinics where the drummer sits there nattering about how they did this paradiddle on this tune and that film on that gig and look, I’ve got a double kick pedal and here’s how it works… they’ve prepped about 10 or so songs to roar through… definitely going to be an epic night! Tickets are here: https://www.theschoolofdrumming.com/clinics

As does Amazing Grace! The Blind Boys of Alabama do a cracking version of that… https://youtu.be/B0EN_Hmq534

We regularly do this in our Christmas service. Don’t let the singer put you off listening. This is Mariah goes gospel and it’s great fun to play and song to - especially in the coda bit where it goes full on Sister Act! We’ve also gone a gospel/bluegrass version of Go Tell It On The Mountain - also great fun in that genre. Otherwise folks want carols so do some rock band arranged versions (ie simplified with a load of hymnal chords stripped out).

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…and the best maker of Matsumoku era Aria SB bass pickup replacements too… 😥

A chum of mine runs The School of Drumming in Woking and is organising a drum clinic on Thursday 24th November. The line up will feature Mark Fletcher the long time house drummer at Ronnie Scott’s but he will be accompanied by the fabulous jazz guitarist Carl Orr (who also MCs the weekly Jam Night in Woking) and the fabulous bass player, Laurence (Lol) Cottle. Lol has played with EVERYONE - from Mike Oldfield and Alan Parsons to Gary Moore and Black Sabbath, and everyone in between. It promises to be a great night with some truly stunning playing! If you’re interested in toddling along then you can get tickets at the following link… https://www.theschoolofdrumming.com/clinics Maybe see you there!

I know several folks in the States who use Dingwall in contemporary Christian worship bands - not much mathcore metal going on in those sets!! The reference to Lee Sklar above is a good one. Recently rocking his Dingwall in Loudon Wainwright’s Big Band and with piano led singer songwriter Judith Owens (Mrs Derek Smalls).

Yes, and good thing I wasn’t there as it turns out that I don’t have an infectious case of tonsillitis… rather I’ve got an even more infectious case of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease so currently my extremities are all covered with painful blisters. Definitely not something that my fellow bassists with gigs coming up would want! Yuck. Fully expect a Defra van to pull up outside the house any moment and blokes in hazmat suits to drag me off to be incinerated…

You’ll be thinking of Scott Devine from Scott’s Bass Lessons… nothing whatsoever to do with this. He wears it to help with a neurological condition that makes his hands shake - Focal Dystonia. The glove sends lots of signals to his nervous system from all the nerves in the skin in his hand and somehow fools the brain into not trembling his hand.

Gutted… I’m now looking very dubious for Sunday. Our little fella has been off school the last three days with a lurgy and it looks like me and the other half have come down with it too! ☹️🤒🤧🤢🤕 I probably could struggle along but you really don’t want me to.

Completely forgot to add me and my stuff here… 1. MacDaddy - Custom Shukers / Rob Allen Mouse / Peavey Vypyr VIP III 2. Binky Bass - Binky 10 string, USA Conklin 8 string, ACG 9 string, 3 x ACG 6 strings, Reiver 7 string (geeeetar), GR Bass Dual 1400 & GR Bass AT410+, Helix LT, Pinegrove straps, Richter straps etc. 3. Cetera - Spector (USA NS2 & NS2X, Euro Classic, Euro LX (w/Haz),Euro 'Rachel Bolan', Pulse II ) Wal Mk1 'Geddy Lee', Fender FSR PJ with East pre, Hamer Impact, Pedulla Buzz 4 fretless and maybe Jackson TBird, GK400RB, GK Legacy 800 & Tech21 VT500 Heads, Genz Benz Neox212 cab. 4. Frank Blank - Jabba short scale fretted, ACG SS Recurve, Ibanez SRC6, QSC K12.2. 5. Merton - various ACGs, Zoots, Conway Instruments basses, Glockenklang Blue Rock, Barefaced Two10/One10 6. Eude - ACG Finn SC Classic 6 string, ACG RetroB 5, ACG TKO Modern 4, ACG ChubstRR Mikro 6 string, 2 X ACG Mule 4 strings (on loan from ACG), GK Legacy 500, 1 or 2 Barefaced One10 Cabs, Dod 250(r) modded with @Sibob 7. Stingray5 - MusicMan Stingray5, Tune TWB6, Tune SWV4-BB, Boss GT-6B, Eden EC15 combo OR Trace Elliot GP12SMX combo. 8. NancyJohnson - NS Design NXT5a EUB, Lull JAXT4, Darkglass A/O900, Darkglass 112 cab, Tech 21 dUg. 9. prowla: Obligatory Rickenbackers, a Warwick or two, maybe a Kramer aluminium necked bass, some pedals, Ampeg & Tech 21 preamps (subject to change), maybe the Minitaur & MIDI bass pedals. 10. Lozz196: US Precision, Ashdown ABM600 & Ashdown ABM PRO NEO 210s x2 Ampeg SCR-DI, Sansamp BDDI v2 11. Silverfoxnik: G&L SB1, BC Rich Eagle, Godin Shifter Classic 5, Sprackenbacker Ricky copy, Mesa Walkabout 15 combo, or Handbox R400 + Vanderkley 1156 MT. 12. Happy Jack: an assortment of weird 5h1t that I can guarantee nobody else will bring 13. WalMan (hopefully!): Wal, Status S1 & S2 & Zon Legacy Elite. One of the rigs (probably Mesa D800 & BF One10 or BBII as there's already One10's on the list) or Helix & Headrush. SkarBassOne pedal. May have an old case & 2U rack to sell/raffle 14. Steve Browning: Mesa TT-800 and Mesa Subway 1x15 cabs. SVL basses. Greco Pbass and Tokai Jazz. 15. OrangeFriday: Latest homebuild items - Tubular Bass and Basscape effects plus maybe Jellybean Bass (the one with a few LEDs in the neck) 16. BillyBass: Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas V (J) and IV (reverse PJ) , Balaguer select series Goliath (HH), Tech21 GED 2112 pre amp, Barefaced Midget, maybe a super compact too. Not sure about which head yet. Jam pedals Lucy dreamer, Hamstead Subspace, Jam Pedals Ripply Fall. 17. Wolverinebass: Aside from bringing sideburns and sarcasm, not sure what I might bring. 18. Mudpup: Zon Sonus Std, Cort A4plus, Mesa Big Block 750, Mesa MPulse 600, Quilter BB800, Barefaced Big Baby cab 19. Simon C : G&L L2000 Tribute, Sire V7 Fretless, Ibanez EHB1000S Headless Shortscale. Various pedals (switch, tuner, Hypergravity compressor, Laney 85 Bass Octave, Bass Clone Chorus, Spectradrive) 20. Rumblefish: Reverend Rumblefish,Bernie Goodfellow bass, EBS HD 350,Vanderkley 112 MNT. 21. bass_dinger - Two Washburn 500s and a step-fronted SWR Workingman 12 with a three digit serial number. And maybe the Boulder Creek 5 string in my avatar. 22. Smanth - Harley Benton B-550FL, Kala UBASS, Roland Microcube Bass RX, TC-Electronics BG250-208, Line 6 Wireless, Some Zoom Pedals, Stompz if it is working, Bits for Phoenix. 23. Andyjr1515: Camphor Single Cut (see also For Sale listing); AJR's "Same woods and proportions as a Thumb but, wisely, a different shape" fretless; passing across the completed pink lightweight to Happy Jack 24. TrevorR - Wal Mk 1, Wal Pro 2E, Aria SB700, Frankenjazz, MarkBass LMII & Traveler 2x10, Pedalboard…

Alan is certainly on the High Road live album and numerous Frèjus videos on YouTube… what a groove to lead into a classic Johnny Gus bassline!

Can I have TWO letters, just this once? All About Steve

The Them

Proxy Music …actually that would be a decent Roxy Music Tribute Band name…

I don’t want to go to Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

My top 5 have all been mentioned… Davey Paton Herbie Flowers Neil Murray Lee Sklar and Abraham Laboriel Sr …but there are several vying for a place - Alan Spenner, Tony Levin, Mo Foster, Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks. Though a few other faves haven’t been namechecked yet… John G Perry (ex Caravan, Giltrap etc) John Gustafson (ex Roxy Music, Giltrap Gillan Band etc) Jimmy Johnson (James Taylor et al) Laurence Cottle (Alan Parsons, Sabbath etc) Bob Daisley (Gary Moore and others) Well, that’s another “Five” list.

That’s OK. Just put Basingstoke. Same thing…