Monkey Steve

I ummed and aahed about this tour, only really because it is Slayer's farewell, but in the end have given it a miss - I've seen all the bands so many times over the years, mainly at festivals, that I don't feel the need (plus, in my experience Slayer can be very hit or miss - brilliant at Download in 2017, shockingly poor at Bloodstock in 2016). Glad it was a good night - Anthrax are brilliant when they're on form, as are Obituary (Lamb of God have never done anything for me, but it's me, not them...)

probably shouldn't count because it was done by the original artists themselves, but I love the Jay Z/Linkin Park album Collision Course fave track:

man, that sucks Don't suppose it was insured then? Had a mate who used to leave his PRS and amp in the back of his car and the same thing happened to him. No use for you now but taught me to 1. insure everything with cover for unattended vehicles; and 2. don;t leave stuff in a car if you can help it practical tips - e-mail all the local CEX type shops that will pay for second hand gear with a list, and pop down to some of the local ones to see if that exact array of pedals has appeared in the window. because of their poor reputation of being known to buy stolen stuff from junkies, the reports I hear from people who have had to do something similar are that they take this sort of thing quite seriously, and will circulate lists of stuff to keep an eye out for to their shops.

I don't think there's an absolute wrong or right way to do this. If it's two bands competing in the same market, then, yes, there's an obvious clash, and a feeling of "why is he doing that gig with the other band rather than us?" In Blue's scenario, it probably won't work, if both bands are looking for paying Friday and Saturday night gigs. But if they're not competing, what if you can play every Friday and Saturday in one band, and are in another that only actually wants to do a gig every few months and is happy fit in around your first band's bookings? I can't see a problem if a band member is in another band on the side, or even if my band is the side project for one member. In fact it's pretty normal in my circles, and it's rarely caused any problems for the bands I've been in. I'd suggest that the key is how the individual band member manages things - does first in the diary always win, or will one band always trump that? They will almost certainly have a pecking order, and one band that will take precedence over the others. If he can manage that without it becoming as problem then that's great. If it becomes a problem that can't be solved, then he's going to have to make a choice...possibly the band needs to make a choice. I've seen that a few times, the one member who is in more than one band getting sacked by both of them, not because of any conflicts over bookings, but both bands (who shared other members) getting fed up with him at the same time. Though it can work well. The drummer I was rehearsing with last night is in three different bands, all of which have released albums in the last year, but there is a clear pecking order: one have a much higher public profile, get offered bigger, better paying gigs and festivals and are his clear priority; the other two are at a much lower level, share one other band member with the main band, and use any free time going spare from the main band, which is balanced between them. It probably helps that they are all in the "paid hobby" category in terms of income, and none of them are overwhelmed with offers of gigs or tours. He actually came up with an idea that would benefit all the bands - one of them has been offered a festival appearance in Ireland, but the fee wouldn't cover the expenses for one band...but if all three do the festival and pool the fees and share the gear, then the finances work out and everybody gets a trip to Ireland next year.

a little late, but I saw the Anti-Flag and Cancer Bats co-headliner at Heaven last Thursday. Not the best gig I've ever seen from either of them, but I have seen them a lot and they always put on a good show. This was no exception: B+ rather than A for both bands, with Anti-Flag probably winning the night. They both seemed to be having a load of fun, and that's usually infectious. Bass wasn't brilliant in the mix for either of them - a bit mushy and indistinct, although bonus points do go to the sound man for keeping the volume at a very reasonable level all night - no ringing ears for anybody the next day. Both bass players know their stuff and were playing very well while putting on a great show. Weirdly, but handy for me as I had an early start on Friday, it was a 10.00 curfew (presumably the venue turned into a club) Anti-Flag were off by about 9.50 and as it's one stop from Waterloo I was home by 10.30. Very civilised for a midweek gig.

I've got a guitarist friend who always did this for major purchases. Depends on the exchange rates, so very time dependant, but he reckoned he could get a cheap flight to New York or LA, spend a day in one of their mega warehouses full of gear, get exactly the guitar he was after, stay in a cheap motel and fly back, paying the relevant tax, for about the same total as he would be able to get the guitar for in London. It wasn't that he was saving a load of money, more that he could sit down and try, say, two dozen Starts in all the colours they make, to find exactly the one he wanted, and break even. Plus he got a couple of days in New York or LA thrown in. He said that the stories of finding vintage guitars in pawn shops for peanuts are long gone, but your chances of finding something more interesting that you typically find over here in second hand shops are probably greater, certainly for US manufacturers,. He may or may not have tried the "nothing to declare..oh, sorry, you mean I have to pay tax on this?" trick - you might try the wrong channel but be prepared to pay if you get stopped.

what was discussed ahead of the "jam"? Were you expecting it to lead to something, like forming a band and lining up gigs, or was it just to hang out, play a bit and see what happens? Probably doesn't help that "jam" means different things to different people. For me it's always meant going off script, seeing what you can come up with, just playing for the fun of it and not to worry if anything comes of it or not. Currently playing with a death metal band and having to intensely learn their songs ahead of a couple of gigs. Last week we had a reggae jam and last night a 20 minute bluesy hard rock jam, neither of which will come to anything more than that time in the studio, but worked great for a bit of light relief and getting to know the other musicians. Then back to work on playing their actual songs - wouldn't have mattered if I was amazing or awful in the jams themselves, they meant nothing tangible. But I know others who think of anything other than playing gigs as "a jam" - there are no auditions, only jams, even if you are sticking to a rigid set list. The "sorry, not for us" sounds a bit like dumping you before you could dump them, when they know it hasn't gone well. I wouldn't read too much into it. Seen way too many average guitarists reach for the extended guitar solo at every chance, usually when they have a vastly over-inflated opinion of themselves

update and to slightly derail my own thread... Practice yesterday afternoon, brought my pedal board. I'd been using my Tech 21 VT Bass pedal to do a SVT impression through the band's (actually quite nice) H&K QT 600, but my pedal board also brought an Ampeg SCR-DI pedal that has had a similar eq section to my SVT 2 Pro, so it's a lot closer to having my amp in the studio. Lots of amusement before we start playing that I had quite so many flashing lights (Drummer: "so, do you like Star Trek?") and in getting it all set up I completely forgot about setting the phone up to record everything. However, one song in and the drummer and rhythm guitarist are both telling me how noticeably better the bass is sounding in the mix. To my ears it was a little scooped, but if it works for the band... Next practice is on Thursday so I'll try and remember to actually record some of the songs, but I'm happy that it's more about the playing than the sound now.

I think you’ll find that’s a limerick

the lyrics to some of my favourite songs are complete gibberish - I don;t think Ronnie James Dio wrote anything that makes the slightest bit if sense. Chris Cornell is another one. Doesn't mean they don't work brilliantly in the songs, and create a mood rather than a clear narrative so, don't lose any sleep over it, just crack on or search "how to write song lyrics" in Amazon...

while I've had plenty of issues with DPD over the years (they were truly appalling at finding my old address (house name, not a number) and would routinely tell me a delivery was on the way, and then that nobody was home when the driver had just given up...wasn't just them, Amazon were much worse), I have to agree that they have put a lot of time and effort into an app that works and is genuinely helpful. I don't suggest that it makes them any better at not losing or breaking stuff (I have no measure for that), only that when it makes it on to the delivery van, it's very good for the recipient.

The underground metal/punk scene is doing just fine. I'm off to see the Cancer Bats this very night, Voivod just put a great new album out and I await the Flatliner's next album and tour In more mainstream news, ahem, Nickelback *retires gracefully and grabs tin hat*

take it up with your local council. Thing is, the collections wouldn't be completed if the lorries are only on the roads between those times without employing a lot of extra crew and vehicles, so your council tax would go up to pay for it

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll try a couple out at the next rehearsal. No replies about GarageBand - has anybody used it? As regards the Tascam, I have thought about a little digital recorder, and bandmates in other bands have brought them along to practices and they have worked very well, but my immediate need is for the next few weeks only, so I'm sure i can make do without shelling out any cash right now

Ha! they're done throughout the day - the typical shift starts way before you are part of the daily commute, and continues until the rounds are finished - usually mid afternoon. You only notice it when you get stuck behind one in the morning, but that's just the luck of the draw - your commute must go across where their round is at that time in the morning. But you'll rarely be stuck behind a bin lorry coming home because the rounds are finished by then.

but this doesn't mean that we shouldn't do anything, just because somebody else is worse than us. Things would change if we cut our emissions to zero, just not as much as if everybody else was doing their bit too. If we don't do anything then it makes it far easier for the much worse polluters to reject any proposals to clean up their act as they can just point at us and repeat your "well you're not doing anything so why should we?" argument. Change has to start somewhere, and if it means that people in London can breathe easier, I don't see a down side

Exactly! While there are almost daily delays on one part of the tube or the other and they are often over-stuffed (don't try the Waterloo & City line during rush hour if you don't enjoy being crushed against other people), there's usually a way round it, and when the tubes go on strike, people (me included) are usually pleasantly surprised to find that central London isn't actually that big and you can walk across most of it inside an hour - my tube journey from Waterloo to Kings Cross takes me 20 minutes, and i can walk it in 45 minutes if the tubes aren't running. The way legislation is going, buses, bin lorries, and other council vehicles are likely to lead the way in greener energy - my business deals with the bin lorry part of the equation, and there is huge pressure from local authorities to replace older, polluting vehicles with greener alternatives, and everybody is waiting for the day that everything has to be zero emissions.

I've just been asked to cover a couple of gigs for a band and am trying to learn all their horribly complicated stuff in a bit of a hurry. the band themselves couldn't be more helpful and patient, but it occurs to me that it might help if I can listen back to myself to see how I'm sitting in the mix and fitting in with the rest of the instruments. I don't want anything spectacular or very high tech, just something that lets me hear if I'm getting things right or wrong, and if the lines I've come up with suit the songs. I have an iPhone XS, and it occurs to me that it's full of stuff that would make a recording, if not necessarily a great recording - videos, GarageBand, even just recording memos. Anybody else used their phone for this, and if so, any advice on what works best? No suggestions of what other stuff I should be buying to do this please - I'm not going to splash out for a digital recorder or anything else, I just want some feedback on whether my iPhone can cope with it

The penny has just dropped (thanks to Google) that I used to work with Bruce Woolley's nephew. He used to tell me about his uncle who was a songwriter, and had some amazing stories - mostly from the Grace Jones years. the best one was being woken up by Ms Jones in the wee small hours, demanding that she should have his hotel room because she'd set fire to hers and couldn't sleep in it any more

I loved living in London - moved up when I was a teenager, and still work here, commuting in from Surrey. As well as my job, 99% of my social life is here, the band I'm rehearsing with in here, I love the place. But traffic and pollution is a nightmare, and adding these charges is a blunt but apparently effective instrument, as we can see from the debate. Nobody who will have to pay the fee is at all pleased about it - which is exactly the point!

Yes, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that he thinks he’s a guitarist

I've seen a lot of drummers who want to put the kick drum through the PA, so it's not a surprise to see this. I think this is the drummer's equivalent of the guitarist who is massively loud but insisting that he needs to turn up because his cab is pointed at his ankles and he doesn't understand physics: the drummer can hear all of his other drums perfectly loudly because they are all facing his head, but the bass drum is projecting forwards, so he can't hear it as well and thinks it must therefore be far too quiet because he lacks the intellect and imagination to consider that people out front may be able to hear him perfectly well. The band I've just started playing with have a novel solution to this issue. The drummer has an acoustic kit with the exception of the bass drum which is a small electronic pad, which goes through the PA. This works brilliantly as he gets to hear it in the mix without deafening the rest of us with the actual bass drum volume out front.

yes - somewhere like the Boston Arms, Dublin Castle, etc will have a PA, likely some amps lying around, and at worst another band who you can share gear with - my preferred technique is to turn up on the tube with my bass and a Sansamp and DI. But the local boozer gigs will expect you to bring everything.

mine is the opposite - he has plenty of free time, and seems to understand that in order to improve his guitar playing he's going to have to use some of it to learn how to play...he just can't seem to understand that at some point he's actually going to have to do it rather than talk about doing it if he wants to improve. In theory he's an excellent guitarist in waiting. He also doesn't seem to think that talent has any role to play, or perhaps more accurately that he has all the talent he needs, and that it's just a matter of finding the time to learn to play - there is no doubt in his mind that he will be able to do it. He thinks that bass would be easier to learn because it has fewer strings than a guitar, and once when talking to a guitarist about forming a band (that came to nothing) suggested that he could play bass as it wouldn't take him long to pick it up. I think there's a Dunning Kruger thing going on where he thinks that because he likes music a lot he must have musical talent, despite the absence of any actual evidence to support that (and the presence of quite a lot of evidence to the contrary)