Leonard Smalls

Year started playing: 1983 Number of basses: 5 Music theory: Did grade V theory 40+ years ago... Technique: 1. Or 10, depending on the criteria! Not many folks seem to play in the same way as me, though that may be with good reason! Groove: Yes. Mostly.

Smash It Up! - The Damned

Cocaine In My Brain - Dillinger

Sorted for E's & Wizz - Pulp

had a rehearsal with the Church Band last night (we're not really a church band, it's just that the vicar lets us rehearse in our local church - who knows why as none of us are at all religious!)... Drums sound great in there though, wot with it being large and Norman! Annoyingly, singer couldn't make it as she currently has no car and being rural, public transport is non-existent (we'd go and pick her up, except she's 1/2 and hour away!). It's slightly alarming as I may have got us a charity gig (our first gig!)organised by a local Actual Rock Star next month and she's only done two rehearsals with us. However, we seem to have got over guitar-man's inability to be funky and his constant pentatonic noodling - now there's far more rhythm and solos actual stand out. I've also settled on a slightly overdriven envelope follower sound on the Helix which makes things even funkier. Not only that, but we've done a blues GoGo song in the style of Trouble Funk, and a Sly Stone style blues.

Some buskers in Philly... Though the drummer is ex-Ornette Coleman, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and James Blood Ulmer sideman, Grant Calvin Weston!

What's a Telephone Bill (when you're in love?) - Bootsy's Rubber Band

Whatever will be, trilby - Doris Day

Talking of wibbling randomly, here's mine... I thought a breakdancing Gandalf deserved something with bass chords and an Ian Dury-style random vocal. Oi oi! Bass and rhythm guitar = Sandberg basic through Helix. Wah guitar = Squier Strat through Helix. End guitar solo by my m8 K, Strat thru Helix. Drums EZ and AG Techno kit. Mixed in Doblies with Ozone 9, mixroom and bassroom.

Deep south style rockin'

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Some Swiss (i think!) funkers:

Albumen? we are Devo! - Devo

Egg Man - Beastie Boys

Three of us! But then I'm a bit of a Laswell fanboi...

Still, sounds like they'll only make a paltry £50m+ each, how could they survive? And meanwhile, punters are paying £stupidmoney to go and see 'em rather than supporting the grassroots venues that nurture the upcoming bands. Still, when the small venues all close due to lack of interest folks will have two choices - go to the EnormoDome to see someone 100m away on a stage and pay £hundreds for the privilege, or stay home bemoaning the death of intimate live music...

Guff on me, Guff on you - Lonnie Mack

Aye... My heart bleeds for the fella!

(Heavy Metal Music) Loud and Proud (Mysterious Goblins, Dressed in Shrouds) - Dredd and the Badass Weeds (fortunately, no recording exists of this classic)

Shows they're only interested in getting money out of their fans - c.f Black Sabbath gig where proceeds went to charity! Never liked the arrogant and whiny Beatles impersonators...

Choked are doing more! good thing I didn't mention my jazzyfunkblues band too - The LD7...

Don't forget Weeds and Choked! Both original, though I have been known to nick basslines from everything from Ornette Coleman to Parliament to Magazine...

No f#ckin problem - Suicidal Tendencies

I'm in two "main" bands... Weeds, formerly Dredd and the Badass Weeds were formed in Leeds in 1985 with members going off in 1986 to do stuff like Utah Saints, Cassandra Complex, New Fast Automatic Daffodils etc, mainly doing funk and reggae extended jams for parties. But we got back together for occasional giggage and recording and finally - last year - produced our masterwork (actually, it's our only work). This got seized on by a Chester radio station who've convinced us to do an actual gig. So we're rapidly writing 5 more songs from our various corners of Europe (West Ireland, Shropshire, Manchester, Sheffield, South of France) ready for our one and only rehearsal just before the gig in October. Other band is funkpunk with female singer and 2 basses, we're called Choked and have been going for around 5 years. We get together far more than Weeds! In fact we've got 4 gigs coming up including Rebellion Festival. We've got an album and a single with our old drummer...

I'm a Stool For Love - Prince Charles and the City Beat Band