NikNik

This has probably been mentioned here (and elsewhere) in the past. Playing in a bluesy-souly band with a female singer in the Janis Joplin style. Guitar, bass, drums, two saxes, female singer. Did a few gigs, nothing special. Guitarist was an A1 flake and could be unpredictable and full of cow poop. I had played with him in another band where he was quite close to a man of very similar character, also a guitarist. They had fallen out for ages but had just started being buddies again, so much so that at rehearsals our guitarist, Ned, began to suggest that we let the prodigal guitarist buddy (Bilbo) join the band. I was dead against this as the two of them would have hijacked the band and turned it into a Version 2 of the one I had been in with them, which of itself was an ongoing on-and-off-the-rails project. Eventually it was unanimously agreed: no Bilbo on guitar! Ever! At rehearsals one night, Ned says we have the opportunity to play at a birthday party being held in a venue in the city. Apparently, at out last gig a girl had approached Ned with some of her pals. They had really liked the band and wanted us to play at her birthday bash. However, she said she had already shelled out a fair bit of cash on her event so couldn't afford to pay us much. Ned, ever under substances that made him euphoric or only see a positive outcome in any action he committed, said to the girl 'No problem! Pay us what you can. If you can't; we'll just pass a hat around at the end of the night! Just sort the band out with a few beers!' I could not believe I was hearing this, and neither could the rest of the band. But by then it was a fait accompli and we couldn't really back out of it as the gig was in a week's time. 'What could go wrong?' I asked myself, knowing that with Ned and Bilbo involved, anything could. Around these two guys, I would regularly hear Commander Shore from Stingray telling me 'Anything can happen in the next half hour!' And on the night of the gig, it did! We had our own PA system - nothing massive -and we did a mix from the stage back then. We had engaged a guy with a LWB Transit to haul our gear up to the gig and we duly loaded in, rigged the gear, did a quick soundcheck and went away until the evening. I drive up in my estate car, planning to drop it nearby and enjoy a few drinks after the gig. When I get in, the drummer approaches me with a frown on his face: 'Check the stage!' As I looked over I saw nothing out of the ordinary......until I spotted, on stage right, right next to Ned's amp, was a small Sessionette combo that I recognised as Bilbo's. The drummer knew Bilbo as he, too, had played briefly with Ned and I in a similar venture and he wasn't keen on his reappearance. I sagged inside: the die was cast; let the fates work their will. And they did. Oh, yes they did! Ned and Bilbo turned up later, together, and a small, heated discussion took place about going against the unanimous decision not to let Bilbo play. Anyway. we get the gig on. We play and ok set but the vibe has an edginess to it because of Bilbo's presence. We play for just under an hour to a distracted group of people and we play out the final chords of the last tune and our female singer thanks everyone before leaving the stage. The band continues end-of-song noodling for a few more seconds and it's over. The sax players exit stage left and I follow. Suddenly, I hear the 'chugga-chugga-chugga' of an old Ned and Bilbo song beings started up. I turn around in disbelief to see the drummer caught halfway out of his stool with a look of both consternation and fear spreading across it. I stand there like a dummy as Ned and Bilbo exhort me with David St. Hubbins head-nods to return to the stage but I am rooted to the spot as the drummer sits down and begins to play along. I consider joining him to save the gig (or what's left of it) but the drummer suddenly throws his sticks down and walks offstage. 'That's it! I'm fkn DONE with this!! he shouts. I turn to find the two sax players saying the same thing. I scour the room looking for the singer but she is nowhere to be seen. Ned and Bilbo play on for another few of their numbers before stopping for the DJ. At the bar, I have to suffer the drummer and the sax players griping. I sip my pint and survey the room, trying not to make eye contact with the patrons. We then hear that the guy with the LWB van is not coming to pick our gear up. Ever! It is never explained why but I suspect, knowing Ned, that not enough money was paid to him, if any. I then notice female friends of Ned working the room; one has the aforementioned hat. Eventually, I ask Ned to go speak to the party girl, get what money she wanted to pay, and get his girlfriends to bring the hat back so we could at least get our petrol money out of this. Half an hour later, he comes back. It seems there is little money in the hat. 'Don't worry', says Ned. 'The girls are back working the room, offering blow-jobs to guys who will put in a few Quid!' I really could not believe what was happening. The sax players just got up and flipped off, with one telling me not to ask him to join bands with flakes again. The drummer was losing it as he had a fairly new and expensive Yamaha 9000 kit and no van to take it back to the rehearsal room. He and I dismantled my Trace rig, took it to the car and loaded it. We then took down his drums and traps and piled them into a taxi. I drove the short distance home, probably just over the limit. That was that band over, finito. And I never spoke to anyone in the band again for years. The singer, I've never seen since. PS: Birthday Girl heard about the BJs first-hand from disgruntled girlfriends of the men being coerced! She never paid us anything.

'Heed the ba' - not heard that in years! A favourite of my parents!!

My pet-hate band, followed by Nickleback and Coldplay.

I once paid the equivalent of £6 for a 330ml bottle of Beck's lager in an Hotel in Zurich. Back in 1993!

Lollipops!! 😃

The neck is an odd one, indeed. Would be useful to see pix of the neck pocket to see if the tilt mechanism is in place.

How much?

Already been in touch with him and firing off the old 'plates this weekend.

Ordering stuff from him this weekend.

Is that what that is? I always wondered.

I have a rough idea who that man could be.

Spotted this on a web-trawl. Taken from and old ad on the Bass Gallery. I actually thought it was his original one. Does anyone on here have this? And does PP still have the original?

Six-bolt neck plate and truss rod wheel adjust waaay before Ernie Ball did it!😄

Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me, Jon.

Nice!

Though I had heard Yessongs, CTTE was the first Yes album I bought. I actually hated Yessongs back then; still not too keen on it.

Thanks for that!

I was expecting some Plan B but this is full on Motown. Love that!!

Yeh, I thought they were going to be huge, too. But the years have passed and they slipped from my attention. Time to revisit them, I think.

I have one of the discontinued Active IVs. It's a great little bass and the active circuit is pretty good for the price bracket.

Came across this on a random web trawl. I remember this band and how engaging, how passionate Sam Herring is. But I also love the clank that's going on with that Jazz and I'm sure the bassist kicks in a nit of distortion at certain points. Future Islands

IIRC there were two versions of the Columbus Jazz in the '70s, the later one being much more like the Fender of the day. Zentor? I remember Zenta.

He's already mastered the Jon Anderson arm movements, by the looks of it.