Monkey Steve

yeah, year of manufacture - that's what I believe most people will understand as "age" and also, as mentioned by others, if there are any changes in specs between years people will understand what they are getting. F'rinstance, there can be a huge difference in Gibson specs from year to year

Back to the OP, I think he's done exactly the right thing here - drop out now rather than dragging it out, or expecting the rest of the band to change what they are doing in order to fit in with what he wants. It's fine to stop doing something you don't enjoy, it's not fine to expect other people to stop doing it too A mate of mine was in a band (a reasonably well known, and certainly well paid tribute act) where the lead guitarist announced that he wouldn't play more than a couple of gigs a month and wouldn't play outside of their local area, right at the point when the band was trying to build their reputation on the back of some very positive publicity and put together mini tours. There were some family issues behind it and they didn't want to sack him, but when they suggested that they could get a dep in, or even another permanent lead guitarist for the gigs he didn't want to do, he spat his dummy out at the thought that they might even consider playing without him. Needless to say it ended in a sacking soon after, and a permanently damaged friendship

In my experience bands are very bad at addressing these sort of issues good and early and in a way that everybody understands clearly...so they b#tch about them behind their back and it festers to the point where the band just want rid of the offending musician who they now can't stand...cue sacking And I'm as guilty as anybody else - I've certainly sacked a couple of people who didn't see it coming and they reacted like their wife had just told them to move out, when a more sensible discussion at an earlier stage might have lessened the blow, or given them a chance to change their ways Mind you, I've also had more than one band mate who, in the face of the rest of the band all saying that they wanted to do something slightly different to what they want, have dug their heels in and refused to go along with them. And amazingly they were also quite surprised when the band decided to do without them

On the assumption that the band do ask him to join and dump the current drummer, I am more or less on their side. Nothing worse than having a bad drummer in your band Obviously I have no idea whether the drummer in question knows that he’s not very good. I’ve had to sack a couple of band members who’ve basically said “yeah, fair enough, you can do better”. Though they were very much the exceptions.

No - that’s not the plan. In the same way that the band had a couple of songs that they really wanted to play but couldn’t until they found a drummer who could cope with them, his plan is to get them very excited about a couple of songs that they like, but can’t actually play live because the singer can’t manage them. Im not disputing that it’s a rubbish plan...I said he’s a drummer, right?

Just had an update from the drummer in question This follows having a practice with the band in question at which they put two new songs into the set because they finally have a drummer who is able to actually play them. He's still not certain that they will ask him to join but thinks it's sounding more likely (although I reminded him of an old band of ours where we did a couple of gigs without the singer and we put a load of extra stuff into the set that the singer either struggled to sing properly or wouldn't approve of, without any suggestion that he would get rid of him) So I asked if he's made a decision about what he will do if they ask him to join...and he disagrees with all of us! He's gone for Option #3 - he will join if they ask, and will put up with the singer. There are a couple of caveats His first is that he wants the band to make clear to the other drummer that they are getting rid of him, and that they have asked my mate to replace him, he didn't go asking to join the band. I tend to think that this isn't a distinction to which the other drummer will pay too much attention, but he thinks it'll maintain some of his reputation as a nice bloke. The second is that in the discussions for new songs he's been suggesting (and is thinking hard about) songs that he thinks they will struggle with, not so that they look bad when playing live, more that the rest of the band will start taking notice of songs that they want to do but can't because the singer makes a mess of them. Seems a bit subtle to me, but you never know.

Somewhere I have a t-shirt from one of my old bands that the singer had printed up for us (just the band members). I have never worn it. Partly because he got everybody an XL, despite me being a M (as were most of the band) so it's huge and shapeless, and partly because the band logo was designed by one of his kids and looks like a child's bad drawing (because it is a child's bad drawing, and not in a good or amusing way, it's just bad) and he was the only one in the band who actually liked it (and none of the rest of us had the energy to argue against him) Nobody ever wore it on stage or at gigs though - we dressed up, and never played in t-shirts, and it's just a bit naff, isn't it? The band I depped with at Christmas sell a lot of merch, and aren't averse to wearing their own shirts (as I have done), but again, never at gigs

me too - after I broke my leg (and the band had to carry my gear for a few months). Though I was playing guitar in that band, not bass. But couldn't abide playing a gig while sat down. The playing was OK, but felt really detached from the gig itself, not being able to move around. Did it for one gig, then went back to standing up. First couple of gigs were tricky, getting used to standing without crutches, and switching pedals on and off took some practice, but it probably helped my recovery

Seems like they haven’t updated their policy since it changed (from 7 days) a couple of years ago. You have 14 days from receipt of the item to tell the seller that you want to return it, and 14 days from when you notify them to get the item back to them They are also wrong in law that they will only refund the cost of the item and not the delivery charges. You have to pay to send it back to them but they have to refund the costs for sending it to you in the first place (although they can limit this to their standard costs and keep anything extra paid for quicker delivery)

You may be right, but try telling that to an 18 year old

this, all day long. gone are the days when musicians would be in only one band and joining another was like cheating on your girlfriend. It's not "stealing" it's "networking" and most people I know who are any good are in two or three, albeit that some of those bands are busier than others Maybe do a bit of homework first though - if they're in an excellent band that plays three times a week you may have trouble tempting them to join yours...if they're in an excellent band that plays once a month, or a rubbish band that rarely plays, you may have a better chance

Ah, but they aren't looking for people with a few more decades of experience of human nature who know it wouldn't end well, they are looking for 18 year olds who want to be in the next big thing, break the music biz and play the best music ever written. The reason I think it's a good ad isn't because I want to apply, but because it hits the right tone and will get responses from exactly the people they are looking for, like minded kids. I tend to think that they are closer to the bottom end of their age range than the top.

I'll go first. #5 This being the sneaky version of #3 and #4 that makes him look like a nice bloke and making it the other musicians issue if they want to dispose of the other drummer and singer. He still has his other band, and even if it comes to nothing with the dep lot, he will have boosted his reputation in the local circle of musicians as being a great drummer and a good bloke (which he is)

I'm asking on behalf of a friend...no, really... In fact the friend won't care in the slightest what you all think, but I thought it was an interesting topic to post to see what different reactions it provokes My mate moved across the country for work a couple of years ago - dream job in a location he loves. He is an excellent drummer but isn't a pro, doesn't do it for the money, and just wants to get out and play gigs. He's ended up in a slightly remote community where there is a very healthy music scene - a lot of venues and a lot of live music played by local bands. So he's joined one and loves it, although it's not entirely his sort of music. He was then asked to dep for another band playing music that is far more his type of thing, and he's ended up playing a few gigs with them while their normal drummer is indisposed. The dep band have been somewhat surprised by how good he is - much better than their normal drummer, and he thinks that they may well ask him to join permanently. However, he's nervous of unseating another musician, particularly as it is a very small (he says incestuous) musical community - apparently when forming a new band there is always a discussion about who's been in which bands with who before, and who's fallen out with other potential band members. To add to that, despite the band seemingly being quite well regarded and having a reasonable amount of gigs lined up, he thinks their singer is awful. Not a good voice and no exciting front person personality on show. The others are pretty good and if they could find another singist... So if they asked you to join permanently would you: Say no thanks because you don't want to steal the position from the existing drummer Say no thanks because you can't see yourself staying very long because of the singer Say yes, who cares about the other drummer and if they're playing music you like and have a lot of gigs then you're happy even if the singer's a but rubbish Say yes but the singer's got to go Say no, but if the good musicians ever want to do something else with a new singer, let you know

That's just weird - right leg for right handed players Not that I've ever thought about it, it just feels right...er...correct on that leg. However, now that i have thought about it, the weirder using your left leg seems - the bass seems in an unnatural position compared to where it will hang if you are playing standing up.

as long as you are returning the goods within the timescales for which you have the statutory protection under distance selling regulations, they cannot change you anything (but as @paul_c2 says you will have to pay the return postage). Even if it's in their Ts & Cs - they cannot point at these and claim that you have agreed to something that breaches your statutory rights However, if you are returning the item outside of the statutory period, then the store can charge it. So from the thread in question, it depends on whether the return was requested within 14 days of receipt.

for me: 1. Like it. I prefer playing originals to covers, Janes Addiction is very much my sort of thing, and I quite like Everclear (less so REM, but I'm OK with that, especially as it's on their "if we really have to..." list). I assume that the band would be my age range. Light on the detail that I would want to understand before arranging an audition (ambitions, logistics, etc) but worth a follow up and probably an audition/jam 2. Nope. The ad is basically saying "we'll play literally anything" - I want a bit more direction than that, and wouldn't want to end up playing a lot of music that I have no interest in. Van Halen and Elvis and the Beatles and AC/DC? Funnily enough I was discussing this point about someone else just yesterday - a BL who's apparently eclectic choice of songs for his covers band was simply a demonstration that he wanted the band to play all of his favourite songs (and only his favourites, not the rest of the band's) and which left the audience less than engaged because it was so random. As others have flagged, the "commitment" doesn't square with "life got in the way if I never got back to you last time" either. Not for me. 3. Good clear ad. Again, not for me, but only because I'm not especially an Eagles fan. If I was then a six gigs a year band would be OK - unlikely to stop me doing other stuff, so I'd reply and ask for more info. 4. Brilliant ad. Exactly what an 18 year old needs to hear, that being in a band is all about dedication, writing music and getting it released, all urgency and excitement. And very clear about how much of the week they expect you to devote to the band. No mention of playing live or touring though, and I wonder why it's so focused on getting songs on to a streaming platform, but that's probably something that 18 years olds understand far better than me. I fall way outside their age range, but if I didn't I think I'd be asking for some links and seeing if I liked what they were doing (and to make sure that it wasn't a Threatin' type situation)

dunno - looks pretty close: https://www.long-mcquade.com/17794/Guitars/Bass_Guitars/Fender_Musical_Instruments/Fender_Geddy_Lee_Jazz_Bass_with_Gig_Bag_-_3_Tone_Sunburst.htm Is there a signature on the back of the headstock?

I tried something similar in my last originals band. Mixed results. Officially we all had an equal say on songs and brought what we wanted to the arrangements. but with the caveat that the writer of each song would have the final say on the other parts if there was any disagreement on whether the arrangements were working. So it depended very much on which songwriter had the casting vote and how open minded they were about what the others brought to the table. me and the drummer rapidly noticed that the guitarist would let us try our other parts before insisting that we go back to his (often lacklustre) original arrangement...while also spitting his dummy out if we didn't like what he wanted to do on the guitar arrangements for our songs.

The only time I remember being asked to complete PRS forms was about 25-30 years ago at the Rock Garden. Or more correctly, being told that the venue really didn't want to have to complete the PRS forms so we had been booked on the basis that we were playing our originals and there were to be no covers. Or if there were we should limit it to just the one and not tell the venue beforehand that we're going to play it. So, lads, you're officially not playing any covers are you?

true, and I do think that guitarists are very guilty of "well this is my sound and I can't possibly change it or turn down so if there's a problem it must be someone else's fault" But at the gig in question the two guitarists were actually DI'ing from their Kempers, and their 4 x 12s were purely decorational. Basically it was me and the drummer who were making the only noise that wasn't coming through the monitors.

for an old school punk covers band of mine, mostly playing pubs, we quickly learned that bringing our own tunes to be played through our PA was infinitely preferable than letting the "helpful" landlord play his CD of the well known old punk songs that made up most of our set We ended up with three CDs. the first two (before the first set and for the break between sets) were punk/metal bands playing covers of well known pop songs - Snuff were particularly good for this - to get everybody in the right mood The third CD was much harder, noisier stuff. Basically a "thanks for coming, now f#ck off" message to the crowd that the sing-a-long punk covers have finished and it's time to go home. Worked a treat, bit like the lights coming on at the end of a gig

Had it a few times, and my reaction varies depending on the circumstances. Most of the time the bass is going through the PA so I don't lose any sleep - I won't have been in control of how loud the bass is, and if the soundman thinks it's just fine then that's OK with me. And if anyone disagrees then I'll point them towards the mixing desk. I did a couple of gigs with an old band where everybody thought the bass levels were fine at the soundcheck, no complaints during or immediately after the gig, then on dissecting what could have gone better/had gone wrong afterwards (what had gone wrong always being the lead guitarist making mistakes and then doing his best to blame everybody else) the lead guitarist picked on the level of the bass, always reporting back what people in the crowd (usually his wife) had said to him afterwards. This being a guitarist who would routinely stand in front of the bass amp and complain that he couldn't hear his guitar properly. After one multi band gig where we went through the same amps as everybody else and the bass DI'd into the PA, when challenged about his wife's comments that the bass was too loud he backed down when it was pointed out that I had no control over the bass levels that the audience was hearing, and given that the bass was fine for all the other bands it seemed unlikely that my bass would have been any different. But he insisted that while it may not have been too loud after all, it had been too loud (as reported by his wife) at a previous gig so clearly it's a problem that I needed to address. By then the band was noticing a pattern of everybody else getting the blame when he'd done a poor gig. Last big gig I played there weren't enough monitors on stage so rather than share with the keyboard player I volunteered to use the backline as my monitor - the DI being taken before the signal hits the amp. I'd left the amp at the same settings as the gig the previous night, but that was on a much bigger stage. Mid gig I switch basses and it gets noticeably louder, so the singer politely requested that I turn down a bit. he had a point, and the singer is the one person who gets to complain about the on stage sound

I was a music loving teenager - all my spare cash spent on records and going to gigs. A fairly large chunk of my mates played guitar. I saw a gap in the market. Bought a bass and was immediately in a band

Back from Bloodstock at the weekend Bad start - I was laid low by the curry we had on the Thursday night, so missed all of Friday, feeling sorry for myself after throwing up all night. Back up to speed on the Saturday. Great start from the Cancer Bats on the main stage, and Evil Scarecrow put on a brilliant show, as usual. New to me on the second stage Lotus Eater impressed (at least I think it was Lotus Eater - there were a few time and band changes...I'll check some of their songs on YouTube at some point). Then problems with the weather. The rain was OK all weekend - about ten minutes of really heavy rain early each afternoon, and after that it was nice and sunny. But the wind, which didn't seem that bad from the crowd, was playing havoc on stage. It also blew the sound around quite badly, and how well you could hear things depended massively on where you were stood. On Saturday the video screens and one set of speakers on each side was taken down, and before Cradle of Filth were due on they lowered the whole lighting rig. Cradle got bumped to the Sunday, and Anthrax played but went on almost an hour late. However, they did play the set of the weekend for me - nothing written after 1988, it was like they knew I was coming! On to the Sunday and the day started with All Hail The Yeti. Meant nothing to me, but a three piece musically, and owners of the best, most powerful bass sounds I heard all weekend. My companions were less impressed than me by the music (two vox - the bass player doing clean and melodic, and the vocalist doing shouty and angry - bit like Alexisonfire) and wandered off to see who was playing in the other tents. Ross the Boss was the unexpected highlight of the day. Played for an hour, the first 40 minutes of which were slightly dated 80's metal, very, very Judas Priest in tone, but as though Ronnie James Dio had provided the first draft of the lyrics and had them rejected because there weren't enough sword or dragons in them. Then they brought KK Downing to the stage for the last 20 minutes and finished with four actual Judas Priest songs. Brilliant. Dee Snider proved what a brilliant front man he is, even though the music isn't really my sort of a thing (and i could say the same about Twisted Sister when they headlined a couple of years ago - Snider made them the best band of the weekend), and then on to a couple that I was looking forward to seeing in advance. I wanted to see Cradle of Filth because a few ex-members of the band are in my circle of friends and acquaintances, and the only time I've seen them previously was at midday at Download a couple of years ago, and they were awful, just laughably ridiculous, all corpse paint and leather in the midday sun, with Dani Filth barking away like a dog having it's tail run over. The only other time I've seen Dani Filth was in Devilment, and they were pretty good (albeit with the same vocal issues), so I was happy to give Cradle another go. Sadly, they were at the ridiculous end again, mostly because of Mr Filth and his comedy vocals. His attempts at banter with the crowd fell very flat, and while I'm sure there were plenty in the audience who did enjoy them, they're not for me. Then Queensryche, who I haven't seen about 25-30 years. the good news - the new singer sounds exactly like Geoff Tate. Exactly. In a Geoff Tate sound alike contest I think he'd have Mr Tate himself sweating about whether he could win. The down side...they didn't really engage with the crowd and it all felt a little flat. technically very proficient, but apart from the singer the band just stood on stage, rooted to the spot. I also didn't recognise half of the set (not having bought a Queesryche album since Empire) so that's probably more my fault than theirs. Finally, the Scorpions. Again, haven't seen them for years, since the Love At First Sting tour in fact, but they helped me by only playing two or three songs that they'd written since then. They are very old. Shows most on Klause Meine who I did want to take it very carefully lest he fall and break his hip.But Rudolph Schenker still struts and runs around like the rock star he is. All well played, and it was a very slick show. The low points were Winds Of Change (time for a pee) and Mikkey Dee's vastly over-long drum solo. But overall, great fun, and I'm glad to have caught them before their seemingly never ending farewell tour actually grinds to a halt. Overall, as great as Bloodstock always is, a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere, with a small enough site and number of stages that if you don't like what you're watching at the moment, it's easy to get to another stage that will have something else on. I saw a lot of bands in the second stage tent that were new to me, and liked quite a few other them. However, I do have one criticism, which is the gathering creep of people bringing chairs to a festival. Chairs FFS! Now, I don't mean people with age or disability issues, or those who plant their chairs a good way off from the stage knowing that if they're going to do that then they should stay out of everybody's way. This year at Bloodstock there were lines and lines of chairs planted right in the main arena in front of the stage - previously this has sort of self regulated by nobody setting up in front of the sound desk, which is more or less the back of the main arena (and you can easily see and hear behind that). And loads of youngsters doing it. I have three objections: It clogs up the arena. It's actually pretty difficult to get in and out when there's a maze of chairs to negotiate your way through, and a good percentage of which seem to be empty at any one time because the occupant is off doing something else and like a German tourist by the swimming pool, has bagsied their spot for when the headliners come on The occupants take up twice as much room as everybody else: they don't pack their seats away when they do actually stand up to watch a band, so they now occupy the same space as everybody else who is standing, plus the area left by their chair. Without them twice as many people could be standing in that area It's the least rock n roll thing since Brian Robertson wore ballet shoes on tour with Motorhead And breathe...