12stringbassist

The WhY

This is my usual rig at the moment. I do have the option of swapping in a 4x10.

When it becomes work.......

My band have been hosting a jam night for the last 9 years. It's getting to be rather groundhog day now, with a number of the same people fluffing their songs in the same place and the same way every week. I'm fed up of hearing the same joke week in week out for this long. I'm beginning to get really tired of backing people who aren't very good and who show no sign of improvement. We have built it up and it is very well supported. We have some new blood in recent times, a bunch of teenagers who are sticking in and learning songs and doing very passable versions of them. Last night they asked me to play Everlong as their bassist was on holiday. Never heard of it. They couldn't quite believe it. I'm 66 and an amount of more recent music that young kids like has passed me by. I am still stinging from the dirty look I got shot for a slight mistake during Sweet child of mine (not a song I mess with). I could hardly hear the guitar for the drummer they had last night. Cymbal city. He left the spare guitar tuned down a semitone which messed up the next act. I mentioned to our drummer that I want to stop doing the jam night in the new year. They can carry on with another bassist, but the money's not great and it's really hard work as I end up backing near everything all night. He wasn't overly impressed, but I've made my mind up to get my Sundays back and to play every other weekend The good point was that we worked up a song from our album and played it live for the first time at the start of the night and finished with it as well. It's a band album, but I ended up doing all the playing on about half of the songs and getting any of the album songs played live has been a problem. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-1W3deukY

I was talked into selling a Ric style bass made by John Birch by someone who pretty much begged me to, then he flipped it pretty quickly. I was annoyed when it suddenly reappeared in someone else's hands simply because I had always quite liked it.... but not enough to fend off an offer for it. Would I buy it back? No. I have never let a bass go and wanted it back. I sold a friend a Fender Precision Lyte bass and he gave me first refusal to buy it back with a practice amp thrown in, as he wasn't really a bassist, just fancied a go. Someone else took it off my hands a little while afterwards, as I preferred my other P Lyte

It's very much like the rise of reality TV shows where people become famous for standing around and being famous. Lowest common denominator no talent rubbish. What would be useful would be a reality show where a band is put together, consisting of people who have to actually play instruments and actually write and record songs. That would promote live music in some way and possibly create a worthwhile product. I know it was done a few years ago. Instead, TV sends various boys and girl off to an island to s*** each other's brains out and calls that 'good television'.

The big acts have their place in Record Store Day. Just as much as the 'second division' acts and independents. They get bums on seats. Can't see why they should be excluded. Looking at what I have bought in the way of RSD stuff in recent years... Del Amitri Sense Sickness picture disc 45 Cheap Trick Gimme Some Truth 45 / Found more parts / Live album Slade Ballzy and Power Supply albums Ian Hunter Dandy 45 / Defiance part II 2LP Ultravox instrumental version CD's Nick Lowe Pure pop for now people LP There are probably a few more...

The OP appears to be a cut and paste that once dropped into the forum has split all of the text up. Rick Beato has a point. The major companies still control the charts and the independents hardly get a look in, unless they are really organised and build up sales in advance that all count in one week when the product becomes available and ships. Too many young people today (certainly not all of them, though) are going down the road of accepting what they are sold, have little sense of music history and are content to listen to the warblings of Beyonce etc. Where are the bands? They are still hacking away at it with diminishing returns.

I quite like playing music that I like over the PA before we come on and seeing some baffled faces. We don't try to educate people with our set, but the PA is my domain. A few of the songs from playlists that have confused folks... 'Bay City Rollers we love you' (Nick Lowe as The Tartan Horde). 'Let's get f***ed up' (The Cramps) 'Bite it' (Cheap Trick) 'My kingdom for a car' (Jason and The Scorchers) 'F*** it up' (Ian Hunter) 'Drunk in a band' (Del Amitri) Various Sparks / XTC / Zappa things..

It's a life decision. You have to do what feels right for you. I think I'm in the last year of doing this myself, due to health concerns and other stuff in my own band. I'm 66 and don't need the money or the hassle anymore. The band nearly stopped this month. We have a full diary to the end of the year and I'll be surprised if we actually get to New Year's Eve. The idea of starting something else after this just gives me the heebie jeebies. I've already got some instruments on Ebay.

I don't think anyone on here would deny they have the perfect right to do a last hurrah if they want to. It probably will be The Last Time this time. It's good that Bill Ward is on drums too. Good for them sorting that. Ozzy doesn't have to be able to sing marvelously, but it would obviously be a lot better if he did. People can perform really well with Parkinsons (Justin Currie of Del Amitri being an example - but we're talking real quality there). I imagine the regular ticket price will be eye-watering, but we have the choice not to pay it if it doesn't suit us, but it's a total smack in the teeth to the fans who have supported him / them all of these years. Bloody Sharon... I will watch it on TV, probably. Or bits on Youtube. Sabbath only got through to me with the odd song. Anyone who's going will have a special night, regardless of whether Ozzy is 100% or not. If you're going, enjoy...

That's terrible. Hotels need to start providing 100% secure parking.

It will go kapow....

Years ago, supporting Dave Hill's version of Slade, we settled into the backstage dressing room area at The Queen's Hall, Widnes. We took up a very small corner of the room, but when Dave Hill appeared, it was all a case of a "no no no, this won't do..." tantrum and the rest of his band giggled at him as he struggled, huffing and puffing, trying to pull a mobile partition across to divide the room into two halves. I think when we had stopped laughing, we did the gentlemanly thing and put our stuff in our cars and got out of his way. He was absolutely insufferable that day and when the rest of the band tried to headhunt me because their bassist was leaving, I politely declined.