Paul S

An approach that has worked for me since I first started!

Another good point. We are there next month so will have a chat. But there are no massive surprises, nothing we do is wildly different, anyway - not reggae one minute, Black Sabbath the next (I've been in a band that really mixed it up like that) - all blues rock, which is a pretty broad church anyway. Never slavish copies of recordings but there is plenty of room in the genre to interpret songs - so maybe a Howling Wolf song followed by a Freddy King song followed by a Hendrix song, but all played the way we play them.

Good point :)

My blues rock trio have been offered one gig a month throughout 2023 at our favourite pub and we have accepted. Obviously flattered, at first we hesitated but, discussing it, we couldn't actually flag up too many cons whereas the pros were tumbling around freely. It is a big commitment on both our parts but potentially win/win. And, of course, not set in stone so we, or the pub, could change it if required. Being genre specific like this we struggle to go down well in the 'average' pub band environment. Playing where we know we go down well once a month kind of takes a huge pressure off trying to find gigs. They say we are the best band they have had so want us to play there as much as possible. People will know where to find us - 3rd Friday of the month, Toredown will be playing at the Shamrock. Easy. A venue specific con, Load/unload is OK but parking nearby is a problem. Will people get bored? Up to us to make sure they don't I guess. Keeping the set fresh with new songs - a responsibility lies with us to learn new material but I think of this as both a pro and a con. It's possible we might lose out on other gigs but the regularity of those in the diary would make up for it. Has anyone done this and can flag up potential pitfalls?

Had a support slot for Ipswich based 80s metal band Woden Forge's reunion gig. Venue 77 in Ipswich, which is basically a warehouse tucked behind a pub with a tented ceiling. Stage wasn't massive, Woden Forge boys had set up by the time we arrived so we had to squeeze onto the tiny bit of space left available to us. Sound was amazing, absolutely crystal clear. We've had the same engineer on other gigs and he is great. We played a 45 minute set to the sell out crowd of 200 and I reckon most if not all of them were there when we fired up. We played well (I made a couple of mistakes but nothing crazy) and we went down really well with a crowd who were absolutely up for it. Lots of people came up afterwards to say how much they enjoyed the set. Apparently the whole of the Woden Forge gig, plus our last two songs, went out on a live radio stream. I also understand that our set was recorded on the desk, so hopefully we can get our hands on that. A great night, assisted by a completely hold-up free journey home along the A12.

I was in a Bon Jovi tribute band, Just Jovi, for around 5 years. That sounds a long time but the last 2 years were during COVID so only really count nominally. It morphed from a classic rock covers band where there was a feeling that we would play better gigs and generally have a better time of it as a tribute band. Bon Jovi was picked as we did a few songs in the set and it suited the singers range. We made the change 2016, I stepped down in 2021 after lockdowns gave me time to reflect, Warren @hiram.k.hackenbacker replaced me. Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? Fair to say I only knew a handful of Bon Jovi songs when we started. Learning the basslines I grew to have enormous respect for Hugh McDonald as a bass player but, ultimately, not particularly liking the songs was the main reason I stepped down. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? We decided to do the whole dressing up thing - wigs and costumes for the main players. 99/100 Bon Jovi fans most likely couldn't pick out Hugh Mc in a lineout as he always took a step back from the limelight so visually my role wasn't so important. Physically I bear little resemblance to him but nevertheless wore similar clothes and the same shape sunglasses - that was about it. Musically was a different matter. I tried, best I could, to replicate the basslines note perfect. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? Just a gig, although I did a lot of reading around the band and HM in particular. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) At the time it was one of 3 bands and different to the others so, no, not at all limiting. If anything it made me grow as I was playing with some of the best local musicians, making me keep at the top of my game. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Not even remotely. Tribute bands have a very definite and distinct place in the market. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? No. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Discipline, as a player. It has given me experience of playing larger venues and also taught me the value of tribute bands as a whole. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I'd do it again but only for music that I enjoyed myself. That said I am knocking on a bit at 65 so opportunities and ambition may be a limiting factor! I am currently in a 3 piece blues rock band. In one sense it is a tribute to a genre of music but a different approach - we interpret songs rather than cover them, which is very rewarding. It is the music that I grew up listening to, it is a part of my DNA, it feeds my soul. I enjuoy it far more than any other band I have played in and hope it lasts until decrepitude forces me to give up.

My blues rock trio Toredown are playing a support slot on Saturday 22nd for local 80s heavy metal band Woden Forge's reunion gig at Venue 77, Ipswich. https://allevents.in/ipswich/support-for-woden-forge/200023467135535

I have had a few but these were my favourites. Yamaha SB-35. My biggest seller's remorse, getting rid of this. 32" scale perfection. I. Am. A. Fool. I have pestered the guy I sold it to to the point where I believe he is considering taking out an injunction Aria Pro II CSB 'Black n Gold'. I've had two of these, 32" scale again. Bit heavy and a bit middy and nasally but beautiful instruments. This was the first I had which was pretty much in museum condition. Not quite exactly symettrical as the upper horn is very slightly longer. Washburn Scavenger. A Precision bass in everything but shape. again, in great nick, probably 9/10. Had to sell it as is was way too heavy once I hurt my back but a fab thing.

I bought 4 of these smart floodlights (got a message from the seller, as sometimes happens, offering £37.99 for two) and they arrived today. Controlled via the app they are extremely versatile, easy to use, extremely compact AND cheap. Perfect for our situation. So many thanks for the heads up @redbandit599

i thought it was your sister I met that day, Pete?

I have a few of the Maruszczyk leather straps and they are the most comfortable padded straps I have ever bought. Various widths and finishes available, even one called Retro. Stocked at Bass Direct https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Maruszczyk_straps.html

I have massive affection for UFO - they were one of the first 'proper' rock bands I saw live. 1983 1973 (dimwit) at the Queen's Club in Westcliff. Phenomenon hadn't quite been released and a very young Michael Schenker made a huge impression, shirt off, patched jeans, flying V wedged between his legs, long hair dangling. Mogg and Way also shirts off running about like madmen. Saw them again some years later at the Roundhouse during one of their turbulent patches and Schenker stomped off for a bit. One of my favourie albums, apart from the first couple of early ones, is 'Walk On Water' during one of their brief reunions in the late 90s. They re-recorded 'Lights Out' and I think improved it. The track 'Pushed To The Limit' is just brilliant - Mogg's vocal is superb and the odd timings add real interest.

£39.99 for 2 on eBay, which is better than £109 for 4 according to my maths Like the idea of the frosted film, too. Thank you!

That is astonshingly bright for such little inexpensive things. They may well have been promoted up the interest order! Amazon saying £109 for 4, haven't checked anywhere else yet Thank you for posting about them!

They actually look really good. Can you sync them via the app? Edit, yes you can. Most interesting!

My story was quite similar except for going further along the blind alley. I decided aged 12 I wanted to be a pharmacist. I had a cousin who was a pharmacist and he seemed to be doing ok. So, cheerfully guided in that direction by the careers officer at school, I took the right Os and As, went to University, Did some work experience in my holidays, retail in Boots one year, in a hospital pharmacy dept the next. Hated it. Seemed to me, at the time, that 99.9% of the job was sprinkling tablets from a large bottle into a tablet counter then printing the label which didn't really seem interesting or challenging. I dropped out just before sitting my final exams, having completely lost interest. Not a popular decision at home

That would be my choice, too. £100 isn't budget in my book. But then I am a tightwad

Being a dyed in the wool tight wad I head down to the local charity shops and pick up a old lap top bag. Sometimes the zips work!

My little band are toying with the idea of maybe getting some lighting. Maybe. We only play small pubs, generally, when providing our own gear. Floor space is generally not vast, which kind of removes those party bars on stands from the equation. Don't want to spend lots. I've looked at LEDs that can clip onto pa stands etc but my eye was caught by this one - the Equinox SpectraPix Batten. 2 would suffice. They can stand upright, with a little end stand gizmo, can be connected via DMX cable to work together. Obvs don't need to have lots of chasing effects going on, looks like you can do what you like with the programming/good choice of presets - most likely simple colour washes. Does anyone use them? or anything similar that is around the same price? There would be around £150 for a pair, plus a bit for the end stands/cable/carry bag.

Davie, how would you say the Tonerider Precision Plus compares with the Entwistle PBXN? I believe you've had both.

I like the concept - band dressed as clowns doing a thrash metal cover of 'The Show Must Go On'

My blues rock trio Toredown played at the Shamrock pub in Ipswich last night. Only tiny but our favourite place to play, with slight uncertainty as it was the first time since a change of ownership. A lot of people came just to see us and a lot of new people stayed to watch us - we played very well, went down brilliantly, loads of the new faces came up at the end - has to be one of the most enjoyable gigs I've ever had. Guitarist Alan feeds on this and his playing was incandescent New owners loved us and asked if we could play there every month. We don't think we should or could but certainly we'll play there more regularly. A12 shut on the way home, diverted through country lanes, home at 2am, but it couldn't take the shine off the night really.

When I was in my teens, early-mid 70s, I used to occasionally jam with mates. Alan was on drums, Greg had a black Shaftsbury Les Paul, Dill had a MIJ Jazz bass copy, no idea of the make, and I had a guitar (a Hayman 2020 picked up in a pawn shop for £50!) We'd spend an afternoon trying to perfect Status Quo/Fleetwood Mac type RnB songs in a seemingly endless loop and often I'd swap my guitar for bass. Thinking about it, 50 years later (with a lengthy hiatus) I am still playing Fleetwood Mac type RnB tunes... I hope I'm getting better by now!

I don't know about unicorns but the mythical beast that springs to my mind is 'troll'.