Cat Burrito

We were talking about this in the studio just the other day. We occasionally work with an ex-pro drummer who is fantastic in every way, except he does this with count ins. It is most bizarre!

My personal favourites from the 80s who loosely fit this genre.

Perhaps not the most exciting bass parts but I really like the Jesus and Mary Chain. I dug them out for the first time since Sixth Form and they had some decent stuff. (& before I get it pointed out, I know the bass is sequenced on this)

I hate musical snobbery when combined with stupidity. In Sixth Form my guitarist gave a long lengthy rant about how nobody can ever cover the Beatles. At the end of it I said, "what do you know about the Beatles?" which was met with the sincerest of replies, "It's George Lennon and that!" Over 30 years later and I still haven't forgotten that line.

My favourite gig was The Rolling Stones in Stuttgart 2018. My friend who runs his own business was going through a marriage break up and paid for everything. We were in the front row and even stayed at the same hotel as the band. The whole weekend was amazing. I was a Keith Richards fan but up close I realised my respect lay firmly with Mick Jagger. I previously had refused to see them a I didn't like the high ticket prices but I guess my principles were firmly compromised the moment I wasn't paying! The worst band I saw was Motley Crue around 2005. I always struggled with them but my ex-wife was a fan. Drummer Tommy Lee had "Tommy's Titty Cam" where he'd scan the audience and get girls to pull their tops up. At the risk of appearing like I am trying to be woke, it was bullying. I went out for a breather and there was a girl crying to her mate. She'd refused to lift her top up and had been booed by the audience. It was really low rent. To eclipse Vince Neil's dreadful vocal, it must have been something! I also remember Nikki Sixx addressing the audience about how much they love British music "We love The Stones" (massive cheers), "We love The Yardbirds" (massive cheers), "We love T-Rex" (massive cheers), "We love Elton John!" (tumbleweed). Know your audience.

As it happens, I am indeed wearing a cat suit from the party shop... but I'm just not in that photo!

Not me in the photo, despite my username

I just hate having to get up for work the next day.

Initially anything on the upright bass was a problem but I built up my stamina and it's never an issue now. Recently I was struggling with the three note constant repetition of The Mission's Wasteland but again practice solved that. I was literally removing my hand mid verse with hand cramps and I haven't had that in years.

I hate it when I see a bass player trying to be cleverer than their ability, fancy fills only to come back in out of time & or key. Showboating came up this week as a phrase that I hadn't heard much before. I don't mind flash but fine tune it at home, not on stage. Equally I am perfectly happy to watch a player who plays it safe but does it well. If you simplify parts to concentrate on a vocal, I am cool with that. I guess my point in a nutshell is be properly rehearsed for the performance you are able to deliver. Any deviation from this and I am not a fan. The occasionally mistake we're all guilty of but it shouldn't be every show!

Beat it myself in 2009 - chemo was just, wow! Good luck to the guy, It's one hell of a journey to go through.

A lot of those 70s Kiss basslines are really good. I know it's Paul Stanley / Ace Frehley on a couple but Gene generally was really on it back when he was still interested.

A 60s belter of a tune that I personally stumbled across in the mid 90s

Happy birthday for today then!!!

An 11 minute film that plays like three. Just out perspective but check it out if you're curious or bored ...

I personally cringe at basses being called she. I also find it bizarre that a dent by the Jack socket needs to be highlighted with "in no way affects the playability"

It wasn't called that then but it might have been run by a lady called Rhona. it was a married couple and I believe they are no longer together. It was just off a roundabout. I did a reformation gig in 2011 and we revisited it then. Again, it was done up sufficiently from my day.

God, I used to rehearse at Sanctuary back in the mid 90s. I'd forgotten the name. It was run by a big guy called Tony who offered a nice side-line in ridiculing our masculinity. So much more than just a run down rehearsal room. I did revisit it around 2005 and it was all done up and better managed. I kinda missed the snarkiness though. Farm Factory I remember too. There was a place Just outside Watford, might have been London Colney that was on a small farm that I liked. I left the area 20 years ago so it is all a bit of a distant memory now.

I actually think it's the best place to be. I hate being in a band where I am the best because I get frustrated with people not putting the work in. I don't mind a trier but when you learn 3 songs properly for a rehearsal and half the band spend the week binge watching Netflix only to then show up and struggle with a 3 chord rocker, it's not cool. I think great musicians are always happy with a pretty good musician who is working hard, has a good attitude, shows up when they say and buys the odd pint at the bar.

My Orange AD200B head which was funded by a chance pay out last summer. I did manage to use it for one show between lockdowns in November 2020 but it certainly hasn't had the use it would have had compared to my live schedule in 2019. The photo bombing drummer has been with me a lot longer.

As a massive fan of both records and small independent dealers, I am surprisingly not much of a fan of this event. Usually they tend to have overpriced remixes of songs I already own or desk tapes passed off as live albums. I own a couple of RSD releases but they were picked up after the event. Purely by chance, RSD2021 part 2 does have a couple of releases I am slightly interested in but this is definitely not the norm. I would rather support throughout the year, rather than have one token day that feels strangely corporate,

Presumably the island has electricity, or this amp is going to be a bit redundant?!

My 14th birthday saw a re-released Stand By Me hit the top spot. It has to at least get an honourable mention.

You may think you're cool but...