Leonard Smalls

I usually use D'Addario NYXL rounds. They give a good growl! I never use flats because I've never found any that sound right with my slap'n'tickle playing style... A "pop" on flats doesn't quite do it for me, and I'm too mean to experiment on the off chance!

Lovin' a bit of Tribal Tech with Mr Gary Willis himself on bass(ball cap). Proper rockin' wig out from 6'30ish...

That's why I've got a 1500w amp! But even playing lightly, callouses are an occupational hazard... The only solution I've discovered is to play no more than half an hour at a time, which is difficult if you rehearse every weekend and practice as well!

I've been playing for a little while now, and have callouses on my right thumb joint (where I slap), on my right index, second and third fingers (from plucking), my right thumb just by the nail (where I use it as a pick) and on left hand first, second and third fingers, with a little one on the left pinkie... Perhaps I'm doing it all wrong - should I have one on my left thumb as well from the reach-around technique? I found that if it's too tender to play, and I had a gig coming up a bit of superglue carefully applied worked wonders. Though I did stick my fingers together once!

Had a good one today... Bit too loud, as usual but I can't get the drummer to be quieter! Still, polished up some endings in our existing set, And worked out structures for 3 new songs - one of which is my offering in this month's Composition Challenge (though the singer has completely jettisoned all my lyrics, so it's only the "music" wot I wrote). Need to be tight as for our Rebellion debut!

Loving this!

The Friday night headline is yet to be announced!

Next for Choked is Wolverhampton... 3 new songs to debut!

I've got one strap that's prone to doing this (only ever at the end of a song, luckily), but my Gruvgear Duo is rock solid. So I only use that now...

Am I the only one who's never used straplocks?

Haven't heard this in a while...

Punk isn't really a specific musical genre! As you said, it's about attitude; in order to be a punk you don't have to necessarily sound exactly like Cockney Rejects and wear the requisite jacket and 12 hole DMs. When I were a youth, punk was about confronting norms, pushing the boundaries, doing what you want to do. But because folks like to label things and stick 'em in the appropriate box punk became a parody of itself - it must only have 3 chords and a shout-along-a-chorus. But as far as I'm concerned Bob is just as punk as Dead Kennedys, or Idles, or the Exploited. Adding grime, or rock, or jazz or funk to a punky mood doesn't make it any less punk; after all, Devo were punk. Essential Logic were punk. James Chance and the Contortions are punk! The main point of punk is/was individuality, not homogeneity!

I watched ep 1 as well... OK, but exactly what you'd expect. I'd have preferred a dramatisation called, say, Iggy and the Stooges. Or perhaps George and The Parliaments. That way you'd be guaranteed grit and out-of-order rather than just Hollywoodisation!

All originals: Choked -punk funk Dredd and the Badass Weeds - dancefunkrock (est. 1983) The Complete and Utter Bastards - freejazz improv. TBA!

2 disc bulges here as well... The consultant at Gobowen told me years ago (15!) that I had 2 courses of action; either have surgery, with all the risks that entails and no guarantee of success, or build core strength in order to support the injured area (I got it attempting to lift a Triumph spitfire back end!). So every morning I do an exercise routine - some yoga to help keep joints moving, 300 fully supported crunchies (twist and straight), some Pilates/yoga back stretches (cat, upenarsinan or whatever it's called etc), 2 minutes plank, 50 press ups, lunges, hip flexes, Sun Salute (i.e reach right up then touch the ground with as straight legs as you can). It's kept me pain-free and able to mountain bike, climb etc, though it took nearly 6 months of exercises to get to that state. I shall continue with this regime until I'm no longer able to move at all!

I done one! Seeing the pic had someone with a gun in their hand, I thought it best to do a cover of Hendrix' classic "Hey Joe" 😁 Drums, EZ, bass and rhythm "guitar" , Wal. Vox, me (who else!), lead guitar, bashed up Strat. Bass through Ampeg SVT plug in, rhythm bass through BX Rockrack and Bias amp, Vox through Raum and Nectar, lead through Bias FX, all mastered with Oxone 9.

I understand that Friday night's headline is going to be announced as a Take That reunion complete with Robbie!

I think it's only HR... Remember seeing them in the early 90s though at Subterrania in Portobello. Crackin'!

We do! We're most certainly not balding men playing 3 chord songs... Some of ours have only 2 chords, others have at least 20! I'm the only one who's a bit balding, and our singer isn't a man! And I'm also looking forward to Sunday's prominent punk headline, Steel Pulse!

Bizarre double post!

Cool! We're also on just before you at Going Feral Fest in September...

Anyone else going to this celebration of all things slightly punk? Looking forward to THE DAMNED THE EXPLOITED BOB VYLANTHE DICKIES BIG COUNTRY BAD MANNERS ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE RUTS DC U.K. SUBS THE REZILLOS BAD BRAINS THE METEORS THE VAPORS GAYE BYKERS ON ACID WASTED YOUTH CONFLICT SPIZZ ENERGI HEADSTICKS and of course, DAFFODILDOS 😁 We've managed to get ourselves onto the Introducing Stage! [/thinly disguised plug]

When it gets to that stage I know my opus is finished and ready for its adoring public... 😁

Widdlefest heaven!

I read the book, and thought at the time it was destined to be a film or tv series! Might give it a go, though I found the book slightly annoying in the egomania stakes - I'll bet this doesn't tone it down! and mixing that with 70s style MOR might be pushing it just a little to far for li'l ol' me! Anyway: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/03/daisy-jones-the-six-review-not-even-elviss-grandkid-can-save-this-70s-rocknroll-saga