leschirons

Playing an eighty quid OLP 5 string on a dep tomorrow night. Plays great, sounds great and as I'll be outside in a huge wet and muddy tent in a field,(after the kids enduro motorcycle championships) it's the ideal bass. Don't have any issues at all with cheap instruments as long as they sound and feel good. (Just for the record, yes, it still has OLP on the headstock)

I can't find a Face book page for the OP's band however, Awake til dawn do have one that's easy to find, offering their music and merchandising, answering questions etc. It's a possibility that they won't simply "get bored and pack it in" as they seem pretty keen and enthusiastic about doing this properly. I would have thought that the first step for the OP's band would have been to advertise the fact that you are not to be confused with ..............etc, on your Face book page. However, if you don't have one..... Sorry if I'm mistaken but if you do have one, I can't find it.

Best on guitar if your guitarist has a whammy bar. (Depress, play notes, let the bar up and then give it some serious vibrato on the bar) Can sound great if he puts a little work in.

Although not particularly a fan myself, I'm really surprised that no-one has mentioned Vic Wooten. Love the Flecktones though. Maybe he does too many DVDs and clinics and not enough proper playing Anyway, here's my 5 (at the moment) Alain Carron Dave La Rue Nicolas Fiszman Kim Stone Lee Sklar

A great night. A first gig for the venue (a small hotel in a smallish town) recently taken over by a young couple who want to put the work in and make it a success (unusual for here) Very tight for space and needed to keep the volume right down. Average audience age of 50 - 60. Originally going to play outside but we're in monsoon season here, known locally as "summer" I loved the challenge of keeping volumes to a minimum and have to say, our drummer and guitarist were very sensible in that respect. Kept the whole "up for it" crowd there until 12.30 and the owners were over the moon.

Yes you do

[quote name='DaveFry' timestamp='1464948507' post='3063985'] I have noticed that " Kingston Town " goes down well with the French holidaymakers down here in Jersey . The UB40 cover was in the French charts for 25 weeks , including 3 at no. 1 . [/quote] Hadn't thought of that one. I'll maybe suggest it. Ta.

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1464947076' post='3063963'] That's due to the emoticon function seeing b no space bracket as try b ) or b: [/quote] Ah, thanks.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1464945918' post='3063946'] Je suis un rock star dans le South of France ... [/quote] Probably go down there really well actually seeing as a). he lived there for years and . he's an ex-Stone. (For some strange reason, my "b" prints out as an emoticon)

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1464943465' post='3063919'] I would tailor the set list to the audience, wherever we were. Our cover band puts up a slightly different set list for every gig. [/quote] Unless you're multi-lingual, couldn't that be difficult if you're playing in foreign parts?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1464941068' post='3063879'] Sorry to gatecrash, but I'm genuinely intrigued.. could one of you post an example of a French equivalent of a UK function band floor filler? Like a Killers equivalent, or something? Stuff like this interests me.. [/quote] For the rockers (despite not being French) Plastic Bertrand's Ca plane pour moi fills a floor and so does any hit by French band Telephone (eg, Ca, c'est vraiment toi ) For a more dancey audiences, Voyage voyage is the Uptown funk equivalent. These are all classic hits here and unless you have a very young audience, will go down a storm. Of course, you also have the option of spicing up some old standards. We do a reggae version of Je ne regrette rien and the Grace Jones version of La Vie en rose, both by Piaf. Although our singer sings these in French, there are English versions of both so not hard to do if you're over here for a one off gig. For slightly more modern UK and U.S floor fillers, Uptown funk, I got a feeling, Song No 2 (for some strange reason) Rolling in the deep and A.W's version of Valerie. The French are also huge AC/DC and Creedence fans. Also anything by the Stones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-sTp5XZxM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGNhncQLQJA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v98HEQvtpgo

I find it strange that whilst accepting that not all the French have led sheltered lives musically, here in the centre, not much filtered through in the 60's or 70's and less so in the 80's. Of course they all love "Johnny" (yes I have been pulled up on the futility of using his second name ) and Piaf. I did once, even have to explain to a 43 year old session musician who Frank Sinatra was. You'd think everyone would have at least heard the name. Yet, we get away with stuff that I wouldn't think suitable for a mainly middle aged country audience. Not in the league of your duo-at-a-wedding-gig Court of the Crimson King though However, it is great fun to see some 60 year old farmers and their wives freaking out on the dance floor to Walk this way (complete with record scratching noises)

My mate just saw Hans Zimmer in concert. Full 20 piece band with Guthrie on guitar and Yolanda Charles on bass, French choir plus another full orchestra. Apparently it was awesome.

Having played in bands / pubs etc for many many years in the UK, I noticed recently that our standard set list wasn't particularly tailored to where I now live. Still has loads of stuff I would play to a UK audience. There are a few Brits here but it's not teeming and audiences are usually 90% French, yet in the band, we only throw in a couple of French numbers. They go down well but no-one has ever asked for more of them in preference to the Brit and American stuff even when we've asked them. I play in an acoustic duo too and we stick about 15 french numbers in but it's a totally different audience. So, a question to all you lot living in foreign lands. Does your set list reflect where you are based?

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1464856467' post='3063125'] Did you actually PAY for all that lot too? You aren't a babysitter, you are a.....VIRGO! [/quote] It's all my stuff anyway so I guess at some point, yes. I just take it because I can't trust the others to cover all bases. you've no gig if there isn't a pair of sticks etc etc. I forgot the pair of 12AX7s on the list And I'm a Capricorn

Ah, but do any of you lot take.... Drum stool Spare mic for anyone that needs it. Set of 9-42 guitar strings A new pair of 5A drum sticks 2 guitar straps, with, and without straplocks Spare mic stand and XLR cable 2 extra cable extension reels Box of 50 assorted plectra A Line 6 Pocket Pod. It usually all stays in the car but has on occasions, all been needed. I even used to keep a pair of 14" hi- hats in the spare wheel well but gave that up when I bought a car with the spare on the back door. I'm like a sodding baby-sitter.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1464303972' post='3058395'] And that's exactly the kind of middle-aged middle-class thinking that dooms you to failure. There's nothing to stop them from finding someone who can afford the insurance and the transport to drive them about. And before you say that's impossible I've done it several times in bands I have been in over the years. IME there is very little that can't be overcome with a bit of ingenuity and the attitude that you never know what you can get for nothing (or very little) until you ask. My first band had been played on John Peel when the closest thing we'd done to a proper gig was performing 3 of our songs at our school music evening. Said recording cost less than £40 for the day in the studio including getting the band there with our gear on the bus! My next band managed to blag free recording time in the university music studio, and results got us major record label interest. Over the years the bands I've played in have made a good number of promo videos including a couple done in the 80s when it wasn't anywhere near as cheap and easy as it is nowadays. Total video production spend to date? Well under £1000. It's all doable so long as you have the right attitude and don't give up before you've even started. [/quote] Remind me to use emoticons more often, you seem to have taken my remark a little too seriously.

Love the enthusiasm and hope they make it but doomed to fail. The stumbling block being transport. If you're 18-21, it must cost a couple of grand to insure the cheapest car. Bring back the good old days with a band van full of dog-ends and vomit I say.

Used properly and tastefully, they're a great tool. A lot depends on where on the stick you're hitting the rim. When I used to play regularly, I'd sometimes throw one in but the rim contact was only about 4" from the stick tip. I found this kept the volume right down but gave the required effect. Muscle power aside, the nearer to the hand that the stick contacts the rim, the louder (and more annoying) it's likely to be. I've met a couple of drummers who can only actually keep time if their playing super loud rim-shots and once they're in the habit, all is lost.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1463830229' post='3054373'] Doesn't seem that unreasonable. Bands I've played for have often been asked to. It would cost more though. [/quote] Well we have offered them a no extra cost solution which they've happily agreed to having had the logistics explained to them.

Leaving at 2p.m. for a big function gig 170 kms away. Huge 50th birthday bash in a chateau ballroom. Taking full kit with us. (Huge HK P.A., full lighting rig and everything else associated with the band. E-mail at 11am. this morning to the singer. We've decided to put up a large open ended marquee to welcome all the guests before going in so could you set up outside first, play some quieter numbers for an hour from 18.00 - 19.00 whilst guests arrive and have drinks and then after that, move your equipment inside for the main party event in the evening Er, no (But we're not unreasonable so the singer and me will do an hour of acoustic jazzy pop stuff and I'm taking a little P.A. to set up in the grounds)

Born in the early 50's, and didn't have a bad childhood apart from an overbearing and verbally violent father. 60's Were cool, discovered smelly Afghan coats and music courtesy of older brother and started going to the Marquee every week. It was great. Met the wife and I had BIG hair. 70's Played loads of gigs as a drummer then switched to guitar. Music was great (I was into rock so plenty of it) 80's I loved the music but not the Club-Sport track suits that everyone seemed to be wearing. Started a business. Took up bass. 90's Company went well so wasted loads of money on exotic cars, guitars and Italian restaurants. Loved every minute and no regrets. 00's Kids left home so we decided to move to France. 10's Still here and although we miss family and old friends, probably won't go back due to all the crap you lot have to put up with on a daily basis. I don't see it as remembering the past and waxing lyrical about the "good old days" so much as just realising I enjoyed what was the present time, at the time.

[quote name='operative451' timestamp='1463493747' post='3051778'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNSTerj2Kc[/media] [/quote] She lived opposite my sister.

Hate to admit it but have played 23 of the 25. However, my excuse is that I have been around for about 200 years My only saving grace is that one of the two un-played songs is the song I hate most in all the world. Did I say world? I meant Universe. (Maggie May)

Sorry if this has been on before but I couldn't resist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHsjFdsd5lA MJ's Beat it in a major key. I couldn't stop singing "Dance the night away" in the solo.