Monkey Steve

I've auditioned loads of singers over the years, and here is what I know to be true: They won't have learned most of the songs you've sent them, no matter how long they've had to learn them. Some will only have learned one song. And they will sing over the guitar solo A good amount of them will simply not be able to sing A good amount of them will never have sung with a band before and regardless of the quality of their voice they will not be able to cope and make themselves heard. X factor et al have a lot to answer for Assuming you can get past that and find people who can sing in tune, the best attitude I've found is to remember that they are auditioning you as much as you are auditioning them. Let them know exactly what it is you're looking for - do they need to bring a lot of showmanship or are you just happy to get a great singer? And don't be d#cks One tip I would add is to try and tape the audition - doesn't need to be very professional, even just setting a phone down and recording from that might do. That way you can concentrate on playing when they audition, not on trying to listen to them. I've certainly had people try out who seemed much better or worse in the studio than they were when we listened back to the tape

another Download band - I'll definitely be watching Deadland Ritual on Friday afternoon on the second stage

I know The listing says Slayer are on at 8.45 and Tool don't start until 9.25 so a bit of both, but I'll see how good or bad Slayer are before making a final decision on who to see during the overlap. I've seen Slayer be brilliant at festivals, and I've seen them be absolutely awful *cough Bloodstock 2016* I wasn't worried about seeing them on the farewell tour since I've seen them a lot over the years so this is a bit of an added bonus

You could try something like a MeetUp group https://www.meetup.com The idea is that they are for people who want to go to stuff but don't want to go on their own if none of their other mates want to go, or if you're new to an area and don't have a lot of friends there yet, whether it's gigs/cinema/dog walking/S&M clubs/whatever. far more choice in big cities so it does depend a bit on your location I know them from mates who have been members - I met one of my (now) very best mates about a decade ago because a friend of mine who was giving me a lift to Download had joined the Rock MeetUp group to find people he could camp with (because I won't camp) and had offered to give her a lift up too. The nature of the group is that people will then become friends because they share common interests, but it's all very informal, go to what you fancy, don't go to what you don't fancy Worth a look

ah, the bands over for Download filling in a few extra dates I'm aiming to see Last In Line as they're opening the main stage next Friday. Not sure about STP who are on the second stage on Saturday evening, depends who else is on at the same time

I'm with Pete B - if somebody asks I'm more than happy to do it Though I did once have a somewhat odd situation at a gig where both us and another band had put out a load of demo CDs for the punters to take for free. We played, got a nice response from the crowd, and then one punter comes up and asks just me and the rhythm guitarist to sign a CD. Ignoring the rest of the band, which was a little odd because we were a classic/hard rock outfit so lead guitar and lead vocals were the most prominent part of the band. He presents us with the other band's CD. We point out that it's not ours and that there is still a small pile of our CDs on the bar so why doesn't he grab one of those and we'll be happy to sign it for him. No, he insists that we sign the one he's got in his hand, and is looking quite upset at the suggestion that we won't, like we're being incredibly rude and he doesn't understand why. He either had learning difficulties or was somewhere on the autistic spectrum, so we smiled and signed it for him

I saw her at V festival in 1999 when she was trying to be a bit more rock chic. Have to say, she was excellent, though the only bit I really remember was when she played a cover of Anarchy in the UK: "I am the Anti Christ, I am the Sporty Spice"

I think we'll agree to disagree on this one

well, depends what you mean by "sound" doesn't it. Again, as long as I can hear enough of the rest of them to be able to play my bass parts correctly, that's fine. The exact balance and the tone isn't important in the slightest, and it's a massive waste of time and effort getting upset about it during a soundcheck

agreed - as long as I can hear enough of myself to tell that I'm in tune and hitting the right notes, that's good enough. Same for the rest of the band, with special dispensation for vocalists who are usually a bit more dependent on the quality of their monitors. On stage sound doesn't matter in the slightest to me and I'd rather not craddock about over it as long as it sounds great out front

recently had a similar discussion with band members, all men of a certain age, about whether we could get the promoter to put viagra on the rider, to save the singer's embarrassment in having to show his face in Boots and ask for it, and ordering on line was agreed to be the preferred solution

From Goldfinger: My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done; such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs

When I depped with a band at Christmas, on the way out of the back door of the Underworld a fan stopped and asked the whole band to sign two posters for him. I stood to one side, assuming that he wouldn't be after my autograph, but he was very keen to include me, more so when it was pointed out that i was only helping them out and this would be the last of only two gigs that I'd be playing. They've got to be the most collectable rarities for fans of the band...although, the posters are slightly less collectable than the pizza box with the set list on it that the soundman at the previous night's gig in Manchester had asked us all to sign for him The band played the Garage a couple of months ago, and I met the lead guitarist for a few beers ahead of the show, and he got stopped by some fans on the next table. He's always happy to chat, and as the conversation goes on and the fan says that he always tries to come and see the band when they play in London, he asks them whether they recognise me? "Er...yes, maybe, aren't you in [insert name of obscure death metal band here]?" No Fame, so fleeting

I'm pretty similar, although some of my methods vary from yours, and I'd add giving all the electrics a damn good spray with Servisol Not typically when changing string types - I'm pretty much set on one type/gauge these days - unless I've bought a new instrument and are putting on "my" strings for the first time, but I'll typically do as much of a set up as possible whenever: changing playing technique - the action may need raising or lowering and that then prompts the rest of the set up starting a new band playing a gig for the first time in a while using the particular bass for the first time in a while need inspiration to get me out of a playing rut (although sometimes that can be solved just through changing strings for new, zingy ones) something doesn't feel right or is nagging at me that it could be better haven't done it for a couple of years

yes - you can insist on cash only for collection, and also state that it's collection only Had a buyer once suggest that he tell eBay that he had pulled out of the sale so that they didn't charge me fees and we could split the saving. Told him I wasn't interested...don't object to paying eBay's fees, don;t need to save a fiver that much, and basically, I'm not dishonest

I think it depends how you look at it and what you want from the festival. What always strikes me about Camden Rocks is the sheer volume of music that's happening - 20 venues, all of them with bands on constantly from midday. Outside of the later slots at the bigger venues there weren't a huge amount of big names, so it's going to be a bit of pot luck in what you get to see at some of the smaller stages. So you can intricately plan your day to see exactly what bands you want and plot your route from venue to venue, or pick out a couple of highlights and see what else you happen across. I was probably more of the former last year, and more of the latter this time. Probably because there were more "name" bands that I wanted to see last year...maybe not in total and i wonder if that was the consequence of stretching it across two days. Fortunately it worked it fine for me...although I was all festivalled out by early evening on the Sunday and with no bands that i was too fussed about seeing was happy to wander off.

I used to cover the back of my Rickenbacker with gaffa tape to avoid buckle rash. Worked perfectly, can't be seen from the front, lasts for years, and I even spray painted a design on the tape As and when I finally stopped it just peeled off, and a couple of sprays and a rub down with Servisol got the sticky bits off

Camden Rocks at the weekend - one of those festivals where they take over most of the venues in town and armed with your wristband you can wander around and see as many different bands at as many different venues as you want. Reasonable size headliners at the bigger venues, some well known names on the undercard, and plenty of new bands to discover. Emphasis on "Rocks" - loads of punk, metal, indy and rock bands Saturday turned into a bit of a lost afternoon as I bumped into a couple of mates who were working as crew and alcohol beckoned. So many shots at random venues watching random bands. Didn't remember having been to the Black Heart until yesterday when i checked my bank account and saw that I'd bought a round in there... Of the unknown (to me) Angerland and Repair to Ruin really impressed at the Dev. The headliner I picked for Saturday was New Model Army at the Underworld. I'm a big fan anyway, and while I thoroughly enjoyed them and they played well, I did think that they picked a slightly obtuse set list - playing songs in the main set that the fans will recognise but not necessarily the casual listener. the encore made up for that, but IMHO bands playing festivals are missing a trick if they don't appeal to a crowd who may not have seen them before and might not know much of their stuff. Best band of the weekend - Angelic Upstarts. Hadn't seen them before and don't know much of their stuff so was expecting a lot of shouty Oi! but offered far more. Honourable mentions for Discharge, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing and My Hollow My Home. On my "OK, I don't need to see them again" list were The Glamour Of The Kill and Ash. Just not for me. It expanded from just a Saturday to two days this year, and it didn't really work. The quality of the bands across the two days was maintained, but the crowd just didn't come out for the Sunday - I was stood in the Underworld as one of a couple of dozen watching when Raging Speedhorn came on (though more joined as they played) and saw it half empty for Discharge, playing later slots on the Sunday than lower profile bands who packed it out on the Saturday

One other point to flag... “Unattended vehicle cover” may not mean what you think. Specifically, it usually means that items are covered only if the items are locked in the boot of the car. Not on the back seat, or the rear of an estate. At best it may extend to being “out of sight” not great for bass players when our instruments often don’t fit in the boot. if you’re paying extra for this, best check the exact wording to be sure that you could actually make a claim

for the first point, you need to strike the balance between being keen without being too annoying. That you are following up and would be really keen to play again whenever there's a suitable slot, rather than "you said you want us back so when's the gig? We're free next Saturday" Even then, if they haven't followed up by now I doubt they're going to any time soon so you have nothing to lose by giving them a shout, even if they tell you that they were just being polite. If you don't ask Can't help you much with any venues in the North West, but I did play Rebellion in Manchester at Christmas, and that's exactly the sort of venue I'm talking about (with the caveat that I didn't book the gig, so I can't say for certain if the venue books their own bands or only hires out to promoters...there is a bit on their website that implies that bands can contact them direct...)

have you followed up and asked them for another gig? Remind them of the fact that they wanted to have you back I've certainly done a couple where the venue has put the band low on the bill for a midweek gig that they know nobody will come to, not exactly as an audition, but certainly with an element of keeping an eye out for bands who are worth asking back for better slots. A Thursday night bottom of the bill gig at the Horn in St Albans (another one to contact direct and ask about gigs) got us invited back for a Saturday night main support as soon as we'd finished the soundcheck (and the Saturday night support got us an invite to play other gigs with the headliner)

Big +1 for networking with other bands, especially at the gigs you do get. We got more than a few gigs from other bands telling promoters that we were good for a support slot if they needed another band, and returned the favour. If nothing else, it builds a good community...although the lot I depped with at Christmas ended up on an unwantedly large bill when two different band members each invited mates bands to play the one support slot and telling the venue/promoter to add them on...ended up with three support acts getting half an hour each rather than two getting the 45 minutes they were all expecting. Of course we stuck to our full headline slot and swanned around like rock stars

Another New Moon customer here - and I did remember to use the BassChat discount. Very cheap compared to the previous cover i had (Allianz - not that I ever had any problems with them) but I haven't had to claim. You should be able to get site specific insurance from any insurer and they should certainly cover stuff that's not at home, but check the Ts & Cs (or better still, give them a ring) to see whether you have to inform them if anything is not being stored at the main address. The point that Paul W flags on home insurance is one to keep in mind. In general home insurance will cover your stuff, and this may extend to some cover for stuff that isn't at home, but it will definitely not cover your instruments if the insurer regards them as "professional tools". We've got into debates before about whether instruments can be considered professional tools when most people are lucky to get a couple of pints and a fiver for a gig at the Dog & Duck, but the conversations I've had with insurers has always made this very clear - the focus is not on the word "professional" in the sense of "are you a professional musician", but whether you are playing gigs and getting any sort of pay for it. It doesn't matter what your opinion is, it only matters what the insurer has put in their contract and what they decide it means. Insurers aren't known for reasonableness and applying the spirit of the thing, they are known for pointing at the contract wording and saying "no". Again, I suggest having a conversation with the insurer to discuss whether the home insurance is adequate for what you need.

yes, all of what Lozz says With my last originals band, what we found worked quite well was contacting venues that seemed completely out of our league as complete unknowns, places like the Boston Arms and venues around Camden like the Unicorn that do their own bookings. Turns out they're often quite keen to get an opener in the same genre for a three or four band evening and don't mind taking a chance on a complete unknown. You will play a lot of Wednesday nights to a couple of dozen people (or less) but turning up on time, acting professionally and being nice to everybody (as well as playing well) got us on their call back list for when they needed a band, even though we weren't bringing a huge crowd with us One tip I would add is to be very flexible about dates, and ready to play at short notice

perhaps also worth adding that all of the hassle was what made him stand out from all the other buyers that I've sold instruments to. Everybody else has been keen to meet up and hand over the cash, or make the payment immediately so that it can be couriered to the address that is registered to them on PayPal (which would give me all the protection I need) Maybe he was genuine and not trying to get the bass for free, but I don't regret insisting on cash for a second