Cat Burrito

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...

Just to buck the trend, I have at least played Norway a few times. We had a touring deal there at the start of lockdown which we lost. Whilst I don't particularly see Lichtenstein as a new horizon of opportunity, Norway was very good to us. I'd rather during the exit negotiations Britain had taken the offer to have the whole of Europe available to touring bands but at least Norway is a start. As long as it isn't the end too.

I find booking shows easier but it is the keeping the show that is hard. Lockdown restrictions are pushing tours back and back. The outdoor festivals are usually fine but our last UK tour is on it's 4th list of dates for the same tour. We also had Spain booked which looks very optimistic at best.

We did a birthday post on our Basschat Instagram page on her big day.

I think that's literally the guy who wrote the book. He swears a lot, especially considering he's only making a simple pasta sauce but I adapted some of his recipes for a more wholesome culinary experience.

I was the only kid at school with long hair who never even had an Iron Maiden phase. About the heaviest I can listen to is Guns N Roses and they are not my favourites. I spent a lot of time on the rock scene playing punk and glam type stuff but came to it via my parents rock n roll records and more of the 80s alternative bands. I do have a Death metal cookbook though which was bought as a present for my last birthday!?! I cook heavier than I listen.

The first trend I noticed in my bass playing career was Baddass bridges (it took me over 25yrs to get one myself). CIJ / MIJ Fenders were massive in the old Bassworld days but are rarely mentioned now. And then the Sue Ryder basses were a thing. And yes, fretwraps too. I'd agree on the Terror heads but as a (very happy) Orange user who plays a lot, I've rarely met anyone who uses the cabs. I think my criticism is more that they are a bit one trick pony - if you like the trick, great, otherwise they are probably not for you.

Facebook usually has a musicians in (names local town) type page so have a look at one of those two. Good advice re open mic. I tend to find these things seem impossible but once you open the floodgates it does rather snowball. Good luck.

My Rickenbacker would have to be a BMW or Audi, in that everyone else hates us!