Cat Burrito

Well?

I once walked onstage to a room full of work colleagues. They weren't regular gig goers and it was complete silence. It was horrible. I said down the mic, you can clap and it was almost like they were relived that they now knew how to behave at a gig. So I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Nice theory but the reality was not good.

I like variety in my bass guitars but I am surprisingly loyal with amps, effects and strap manufacturers. Orange, EHX and Couch being my personal faves. The second I play my Thunderbird for a few shows, I start missing my Precision etc.

Personally I'd play one that lasted for about 40 minutes. That way I'd increase the chances of not being asked again.

GG Allin did it better

Agree 100% @Chris2112. Too many roles, like schools officer, get derailed by lazy hiders BUT used appropriately can absolutely cause a massive positive impact. But such chat derails this thread… as you were!

Most of those are civilianised now. I just want to pick you up on Safeguarding though. There's nothing snooze-fest about protecting societies most vulnerable, especially kids getting mixed up in gangs or with sex offenders. The role is what you make it and Safeguarding in a police way can be way more gritty than some of the more self styled macho roles. Other than that, I thought your post was bang on the money.

True, although CID are so stretched these days that the hours are through the roof. You're right, in that some do specialise early. However, a lot of the departments people go into are long hours and last minute shift changes. I can't think of any examples of people landing into 8-4 Mon-Fri roles without a few years in. I'm sure a few do but it is the exception, not the norm. There's a real issue with new recruits leaving because it isn't quite like the coppers on the TV!

I find if you play with musicians who are noticeably below your standard, you wind up not being friends because you moan at their lack of practice. Always best to play with people who are better than you because you push yourself. Personally, from my experience, I'd pass. Being in a rehearsal studio with a lumpy drummer and an out of tune guitarist is one thing but being seen live with them is another. Good luck finding something more suitable.

Core shift, she'll be up against it, a little. Once you get your 2yr probation out of the way you can specialise. It's easier on departments but frontline 999, either the band works around your availability or you get deps. Being a probationer, she'll need to get experience so there will be changes but she'll have an idea on availability. Once she is properly in, you'll have an idea of her shift pattern - that'd be the best time to have that conversation as realistically she won't know beforehand. In the nicest possible way, things change all the time and every force is different. There aren't a lot of 8-4 type jobs in the police but they do exist.

I lent a bass to a guy in a similar situation a few years ago. I got an absolute critique afterwards about how my bass wasn't really good enough for him, which started with the phrase "I'm usually a guitar player..." I cut him dead with "next time I'll leave you onstage with a dead bass for you to sort out as my bass is clearly beneath you". He soon changed his attitude.

Personally I make a point of learning the name of the sound engineer. If something is not right, I query it down the mic but quickly move on. I always thank whoever does the sound regardless. It's just good manners.

Just finished the second leg of a short UK tour, first since covid. Last night was Reading, Birmingham the night before and London the night before that. Completing 6 shows in 9 days. Every show was great and it was genuinely amazing to return to what I used to do before this all broke. Negative LF test upon coming home so hopefully more of this in 2022. Best highlight was playing one of John Entwistle's basses on a brief stop at the studio between Reading and Birmingham.

Audio. Great stage, sound and lively crowd.

We started our tour on Friday, 4 lockdown related postponements later. Manchester was a Great opening night, followed by my first time in Glasgow. Great city! Last night was Sheffield. We played better each night. A couple of days rest before we pick up the southern leg.

There are some guitar players who have contributed some beautiful bass playing. I think the problem is around this assumption that because you can play guitar, you can automatically play the bass. Clearly it's often not actually the case at all.

We all had our moments

All is restored https://www.nme.com/news/music/simon-gallup-confirms-re-joined-the-cure-3071612

If you listen to these recordings with the string section really carefully through a decent set of headphones via a high end stereo, you can actually hear the scraping sound of the bottom of the barrel! 😏

That is a good deal. I remember seeing these around loads back in the 80s.

I nearly bought one but the one I tried was so heavy that I was put off immediately. My Gibson is really lightweight and two of the 3 Epiphones I have owned were also fairly light. The sheer weight of the Tokai meant I didn't even pay attention to the build quality or tone. It could have been a one off but it shut down that avenue of ownership for me.

They all seem to play identikit low slung white Precisions these days. I'd rip up the rule book by playing a headless 6 string bass with LEDs, right up high! Surely punk is about not having rules? 😂

Mainly for me. I'm in my late 40s playing original material so I can't always bank on having an audience. 🤣

I think Orange are really reliable. I don't know a huge amount about amps but have been told by people who do that usually faults are small and fixable. If you've had 10yrs out of it, I would keep it going if you can.

Last night I teamed up with my old friend of 32 years to perform a few 80s Alternative / Darkwave / Goth songs on acoustic folk instruments. So a bass free gig. It can't be everyday that you walk into your local and someone's playing Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart on a bouzouki!