lurksalot

If you can cast your minds back to November , you will recall that the challenge was won by @Jean-Luc Pickguard. .....Aahhhh He has thus provided the picture for the January Challenge .....Aahhhh so without further ado and no more fluffing about, as I'm sure you couldn't bear it , take care.... "Here's a pic that I think might prompt some interesting entries." ✔️ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded between now and the deadline. ✖️ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on ✖️ No Bagpipes, but as bears are known to be in the Andes, panpipes might pass this time. ✖️ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you.. Deadline-wise, we will go for Midnight on the 24th January A line or two of blurb as usual for the vote thread will be super smashing. Good luck, Have fun

Great stuff, congrats Moonbass Alpha , whilst you have the honour of Dad' certificate , the January picture has been chosen by Novembers winner, @Jean-Luc Pickguard so I will get that up and running shortly.

I forgot to pay the merseyflow bridge last year , remembered a week later so went on and paid . 2 weeks later I got the fine through , I refused it and went through the procedure. They claimed that because I didn’t pay within 48 hrs they couldn’t relate the payment to the crossing ! I’d only crossed once in the year and paid before they issued the fine . if their system can’t identify a non payer and send a fine out within 48hrs of the deadline but has to wait 20 days , then why the hell have I only got 48 hrs to pay for a crossing? I had a receipt for a crossing 14 days before they tried to fine me for not paying it, tossers

Up and running guys thanks for everyone joining in over the year, have a great Christmas and happy new year to you all

🎄 December Cover Song Challenge 🎄 As is tradition, we do something a bit different for December... so instead of composing to a photo, we run a covers competition. Basically, any song or instrumental that you like (or not) and write your own version of it. We can be faithful to the original or completely ruin it and get creative; the choice is entirely open. These are the splendid offerings this year Have 3 votes each . 1 @Leonard Smalls Famed conductor Leo von Klein's iconoclastic punk re-working of Cage's contemplative masterwork, 4'33". Soloist (piano) - Leonardo di Piccolo. Recorded live at the church of St. Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant by Mr. Leonard Smalls, BBC, PTFE, LdPE. 2 @upside downer I've done a cover of a song by the 60s garage rock outfit The Sparkles, although it's based more on the version performed by The Tribe in 1990. The good news is that I'm not singing on it 😁 the singer from my old band has belted out a fine vocal for it. 3 @MoonBassAlpha This tune is for the BassChat December 2024 Cover Challenge. Fire Brigade is a tune I've known and loved since it came out. I would have been 6 or 7 This year I have enlisted the help of the following lovely friends: Dan Coggins, pedal designer extraordinaire, 12 string Electric guitars (Rickenbacker and Gordon Smith), Godin and Eggle Electric guitars. Matt Sewell, Lead vocals x3. Phil Beavis, Piano glissando. I did the drums, bass, backing vocals and Tambourine myself. You can tell! 4 @xgsjx Here's my entry. Singer for new band did the vocals & guitar. Everything else is me. Love the original, so was good to do something different with it. 5 @SH73 Metal instrumental version of Synchronicity II by Police (feel free to sing) 6 Lurksalot A lovely tune , full of deep consideration and self reflection that suits me perfectly There you go , the last bit of composition fun for the 2024. Many thanks to all for contributing through the year you have made it great fun. Best wishes to those who find it difficult to get involved all the time , but everyone is welcome, whenever you get the opportunity to dip in when you can. have 3 votes and it will close at midnight on 31st december Happy Christmas and a great and safe New Year to you all Lurks

Have a few more hours to post an entry 😁 I’ve got to go and do my Christmas shopping now 🤦‍♂️

this is about as good as I am going to get it I reckon. I did want to rebuild the end, but time has run out on me. Very simple guitars and bass were me , a little EZ bass waltz , and Lurksalittle vocal harmony lifts the whole thing when it joins.

Mine is very nearly ready , lurksalittle has recorded some superb extra vocals, but I had a bit of a production problem last night. For some reason the left and right channels seem to have flipped. I must’ve done something and I can’t work out what it was, anyway, researching it for about 40 minutes last night, I still couldn’t suss it out. I got up this morning went to my computer and put the headphones on the right way round ..DOH !

I find that as soon as a holiday arrives, the stress levels chill out and the viruses move in. it just seems to happen that way , need to find a relaxing way of keeping up the motivational stress levels for the holidays.

that’s a bold statement 😉

go 7.1 full Dolby surround sound or ….. wait for it ….. MonoBassAlpha I thank you

The eldest can help play some of it I guess , he is in your band after all 😁

Bummer , that SoundCloud thing could prove an issue while we are posting covers , though we haven’t noticed it before. i guess that’s AI doing the VAR and making a hash of it 😁

When we were younger ? some of us think we still have one 😄

EXTC tonight, superb , you are absolutely spot on Steve , a great player, really at ease as a great frontman and certainly seemed to be enjoying himself , a brilliant evening.

I had an idea , and lo, auto tune, should save the day , Lurksalittle might even contribute some harmonies. She has heard my practice warbling and isn’t overly disturbed by it , she thinks the lyrics suit my personality to a tee. In fact, it’s not far off done , I usually draw a blank until the last minute and then rush it , this time it won’t be such a panic, but that doesn’t mean the playing or production will be any better 😂

OK Y'all Fill your boots

🎄 December Cover Song Challenge 🎄 As is tradition, we're doing something a bit different for December... so instead of composing to a photo, we're running a covers competition. Basically, choose a song or instrumental that you like and write your own version of it. You can be faithful to the original or completely ruin it and get creative; the choice is yours. All of the usual rules apply with a few additional caveats: 🎅 It doesn't have to be a Christmas song. 🎅 You're welcome to submit anything recorded this year (not just from December), so there's no excuse for those of you in cover bands not to enter. 🎅 Don't go lifting any samples from whatever song you intend to cover, as that will breach the usual terms and conditions leading to extreme punitive measures. 🎅 This is the only time of year that bagpipes are allowed! But that still doesn't make them right. The deadline for entries is midnight on December 23rd.

Congratulations to @Jean-Luc Pickguard a worthy winner indeed. If you hold on to the choice of photo, we will use it for January. December traditionally being a cover challenge , with a track you have recorded this year or have a chance to before 24th ish. I will put up the thread soon this morning

Ah Bollocks , just saw the timestamp , would have had a look next week!

😂 ah yes, the rubber stringed hand-me-down , that I too had played for cool Mr Quigley in various folky type arrangements of praising songs at assemblies and the like, prior to our kid picking it up. my first live performance however , was at Romford working men’s club. My uncle Dave played Keys in pop covers band back in the 60s and 70s and they would occasionally play afternoons at various social clubs and the like at weekends. On one occasion we were attending and I got thrown up there to massacre Mouldy old Dough when I was about 10 or 11. I don’t know if that still haunts me or I remember it through pride , probably the former, but didn’t seem to put me off 😂

Apologies for the shoddy timekeeping , I’m still helping Mrs lurks celebrate her birthday ! we are good to go ….

Another close call with a split decision in October saw the honours shared between @AndyTravis @Dad3353 and @upside downer Apropos of nothing, I asked Douglas to provide our inspiration , actually, I think he was due a turn anyway. here's the picture he chose , not much explanation needed... "Must you know that yours will be the “better” picture before you pick up the brush and paint? Can it not simply be another picture? Another expression of beauty? Must a rose be “better” than an iris in order to justify it’s existence? I tell you this: you are all flowers in the Garden of the Gods." Neale Donald Walsch choose your favourite 2 this month from the following 1. Lurksalot. start slowly and maybe a bit repetitive but build up the little victories until an inevitable crash , but then start again at a more progressive rate until you get more success. The title is an an anagram as I couldn't think what to call it 2 @AndyTravis Started messing about, didn’t really try to make it specifically Iris-ish. But, like her story, starts tentatively and full of tension and the second the bass player gets involved - there’s no stopping 3 @Dad3353 Rock'n'Roll, concert-going, half-pipe racing, whoops'n'bump ramps... Nothing stops this little lady. Rock on..! 4 @Leonard Smalls In a break with tradition, and possibly inspired by rediscovering my DOD Envelope Filter, I've ditched atonality and racket for ethereal vocals, a rousing PFunk chorus and a Phat bassline complete with solo... Not many lyrics, but they're about the joys of working together. 5 @upside downer A bubbly, bouncy little tune with some twists, some turns but always a happy vibe 6 @Jean-Luc Pickguard I aimed for a cinematic feel to go along with Iris's cool ramp action. There’s we go , a fine selection from an inspiring photo and young lady. shall we say, choose your favourite 2 from the entries Voting closes at midnight on 30th November

Bellowhead in about half an hour , I’m staying across the road so popped into the box office and picked up the last ticket , result 👍 Mrs Lurks is in the land of nod , so she won’t miss me for an hour or two , but I’ll give her a nudge when I get back 😁