12stringbassist

Played last night near Wigan. I literally pulled myself out of the house to play on the Saturday. I usually am like a coiled spring waiting to get out and get to it, but I hadn't been well all week. My throat had been a real mess, I was coughing up things that stood a fairly good chance in a fight with Doctor Who and sneezing all night and I was really uncomfortable. I had a semblance of a voice on the Saturday morning, so we didn't cancel. I didn't even tell the band all week how utterly sick and dreadful I was feeling all week, nor at the gig. I struggled through the gig and missed a lot of notes as my voice would crack and give up on the way to them. The punters didn't seem to notice or care. There would some quite pointed complaints from our guitarist about my bass volume in the second half, which doesn't seem excessive on the bits of video I have seen - but he isn't saying it for effect. It looks like there is a problem. I was quite upset about this and it was the straw that broke the camel's back for my confidence. I am obviously not hearing things properly if my bass is 'taking over'. My hearing is quite damaged. Should I carry on doing this if I am not hearing what the overall sound balance is like? If I don't get 'my sound' (the appropriate tone for my playing that makes me happy) from my amplifier without it being too loud, then it's really time I stopped doing this. I'm going to see what happens over the next few gigs and make a decision. Once I make it, I will stick to it.

Noddy Holder? Nah....

I do. At every gig. It stops venues playing whatever tripe that doesn't go with what we do. Also... I used to be in a band with a really OCD guy who was so set on playing the very same worn-out playlist of 80's clunge every night, that when I asked for a turn, he asked me "if I wanted to take it outside". Relationships in that band got so bad that I used to sit in the car until it was time to play. Every time I play my stuff now, it takes the edge off the fact that i never kicked his teeth down his throat.

I don't let other people use my gear. In the situation of supporting, "I am leaving after we have played". Nobody that I don't know quite well will ever touch one of my basses. I once played a gig supporting a former name 60's musician from Liverpool. His bass player (ex Eurythmics, allegedly) looked at my two Trace Elliot combos - which were already nicely balanced in the PA mix from our mindgame of a soundcheck earlier and he asked to use them. I was used to a nice low onstage balance. He wasn't and he turned them both right up, so the crowd out front got treated to what amounted to a terrifying bass solo from him, instead of turgid jangly 12-string 60's hits. People were holding their ears. He was not pleased when I walked onstage immediately and turned off and unplugged the one that wasn't mic'd up and turned the other one back down. On my way offstage, I told him (on mic) he was free to take a break between their songs to get his gear out of his car if he touched the volume again. -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - Having said all of that, I DO let people plug into my gear at the weekly jam night. But I have total control over the volume in that situation and take a spare bass for the mortals to use.

It just says WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE MUSICIANS in bloody huge letters.

Kiss on Friday in Manchester. Cheap Trick in Glasgow on the 21st.

It looks pretty dismal.

Anything else I say would get me into Jo Brand type trouble....

I had one of these. Bloody useless, except for bedroom practice. (Photo from net - not my amp) Then I got one of these. I had it for quite a long time. It was NOT in the slightest bit portable. I think there's a family, somewhere, with about seven children living in it now. (Photo from net - not my amp)

Joe Jackson does Bowie...

It is a great work. I have to give the prize to the Bass Culture book about John Entwistle's collection, though.

I just looked on the site. they have gone to a bigger venue. Tix still available. I will make do with my unsigned one from amazon.

Yup. He has a few of those.

Any pics of that? I think he had a red Hamer that was used in the video for 'Can't stop fallin' into love'. Apart from that, as TBirds go, he's always been a Gibson guy.

Milkshakes are not on sale that day..

Ordered (again). Let's see what happens...

Joe Jackson's Night Music album.

The Cabaret Years...

It was therapeutic to write about some people from my past bands. After all, I am not allowed to go after them with weapons...

Photo of Josie 'in the wild'