Gasman

Ah, band vans! My 70s covers band 'Sweeney' were loaned the bass-player's hotelier mother's spare diesel Transit delivery van and told to take care of it! We became one of the AA's best customers, usually due to a random cutting-out of the engine on accelerating from rest. Then, while returning from a gig at RAF Northallerton (supporting the Pioneers 'Let your Yeah be Yeah') there was a crunching noise from the engine and the oil light came on. 'Just keep going, it's only about 150 miles to London!' said our gitrist. but after five of them the poor old York diesel had a Julius seizure, fortunately right next to a phone box. To add to the fun, we had the lead singer from the Pioneers with us, sitting on an speaker cabinet. He was dressed only in his satin form-fit stage gear, after he'd fallen out with the other two singers who'd left him stranded and gone back to London without him. Having called the AA and suggesting that they bring a new oil pump (they laughed), we were resigned to a very long wait in a tiny village at two in the morning waiting for rescue. However, Mr Pioneer had other ideas. He phoned for a taxi and offered to take one of us back to London with him. Guess who insisted upon going? No prizes, it was our gitrist... We were towed to a garage at 4am. At 8am the mechanic told us that the engine was toast, The bass-player's mother went tonto on the phone and insisted that her long-suffering partner came up with a pal to tow the van back to London the following week because she was sure the garage was ripping us off - turned out, it wasn't. In the meantime, we had a gig the next night in Deal (Kent). I got a lift from the garage guy to Lincoln racecourse, not to so as get a horse and cart, but to the van rental company that operated there (they couldn't spell, their vehicles all had 'rented from the Wining Post' loud and proud on the tailgate). We loaded up the gear, left the Tranny and drove via Epsom (the three of us remaining all lived near there), had a sh*t, shower and snack then picked up our gitrist in Clapham and went on to Deal - just in time. After two more gigs using the rental in Sussex and London, we unloaded and I drove it back to Lincoln. Got a train back to Kings Cross, tube then Southern Electric (ah, civiiisation at last!) back home. Two days rest, then a local rental van (lovely brand-new Bedford CF with sliding driver's door) for next gig in Plymouth. Not hard to see why we didn't make much money...

Very true - today it's more 'monos' than 'trios' around here in many venues - one player and backing tracks, played senselessly loud most times. The old '2 in a bar' rule went out years ago - to get round it my trad jazz band (yes, I'm sorry!) in the 60s used to have a bass drum and pedal that the banjo player (double-sorry!) bashed as well while the trumpet, sax and trombone played one-at-a-time, sitting in the audience until coming out to do a solo, then returning after a couple of choruses... and yes, we only got paid for a duo but it was still a quid each (plenty for a couple of halves of Mild, a chip supper, and a deposit on a new suit from Burtons... ah, those were the days!)

Forever remembered for her version of 'Life on Mars-bar'...

Interesting question. I've played basslines on 2 hour gigs using a baritone or bass sax, but always for classic jazz bands (think Bix Biederbecke/Adrian Rollini), usually playing just root and fifth with the occasional run and 16 bar solo - it's very hard on the lip and sanity! I wouldn't underestimate the amount of wind you'll need to do the same for a reasonable set of pop/funk numbers with long notes low down on the instrument as per the dance monkey number above... Two questions if I may: 1) What prompted you to want to this on sax - maybe to become the Charles Berthold of brass? 2) What other instruments would you be playing along with? Good luck...

Currently I've reverted to '69 with East of Eden's album SNAFU, very influential on my proggy group 'Moebius Band' when I was supposedly doing a law degree at Oxford uni at that very time! Fab mix of rock with saxes and violin (Dave Arbus), oriental soundscapes, adventurous time signatures, their breakout hit Jig-a-Jig' and Peter York on bass. Oh yes...

Hi Woody - we were at the George Inn, Castle Cary. Alas, the FB page isn't mine to maintain!

Two days later I'm just about recovered from Mustang Sally's NYE gig in South Somerset so here's the report! Due to last-minute illness and domestic problems our usual 5-piece line-up was reduced to just three of us on the day before the gig - drums, bass+BV (me), plus electro-acoustic rhythm guitar+Vox, so no KB nor LG. I'd put a setlist together the week before to cope with having no LG numbers, but that all went in the bin once we found the KB guy wasn't going to be able to play either so no sax numbers, and no second lead vox. All a bit nerve-wracking, but the show had to go on... Luckily our lady singist cut her gigging teeth many years ago as a solo act (G+Vox), although very much in the Country/Irish/MoR pop vein. She sent me a list of the titles from back then she still felt confident in playing, from which I managed somehow to make up 2 x 60 minute sets using some of our standards as well. Many of her numbers had no keys against them - never mind, I said, you'll remember them once we start playing, just make sure I can see your fretting hand (although this involved me mentally transposing on the numbers where she used a capo!) Still, we got through and amazingly enough the punters loved it - maybe there's a takeaway there for us, a complete change of genre from our previous line-up where we played quasi-metal and hard-rock with an ex-stadium-rock gitrist... Oh yes, so what about my debut on BVs with this band? I've studiously managed to avoid doing BVs while playing with three other consecutive bands over the last 8 years, but needs must on the 31st, so I dropped a couple of VocalZone lozenges and went for it - a bit like getting back on a bike after years I suppose, I fell off a couple of times but once I got some decent foldback from our sound guy it went OK. Shame I suppose, as now the singist is thinking about us doing 3-part harmonies when the KB guy comes back! Mrs G came along with me, determined not to let her Parkinson's get in the way of a night out, but leaving home at 19:00, 100-mile round trip, and getting home at 02:30 was a long session especially for her - but she enjoyed herself and thankfully had none of her balance problems, largely thanks to kind people who helped her through the evening. So it's on to 2025 - next gig is near Minehead (North Somerset coast) on 25th January - another 100-mile round trip and new ground for the band, so let's hope for mild weather (the Exmoor area can be a bit wild in Winter) and a full band!

Playing 10.00 - 12.30 with a 30 minute break at a pub in South Somerset. Booked for our usual 5-piece, but KB and LG now down with Covid so it will be just Drums, Bass/BV(me) and and lady Singist/rhythm guitar. It's going to be very hard work and seat of the pants stuff material-wise, but the pub is just happy that we're still going to play, having sold tickets and got food in...

Main theme running through this thread seems to be that the bass players with the best job security achieve this not by being a Charles Berthold wannabe, but by bringing added value to a band - lead and/or BVs, taking on admin (bookings, media), providing PA, transport, doubling on another instrument. The other factor is being able to somehow get along with all the other people in the band, even when provoked, otherwise it's eventually gonna end in tears and/or bruises!

I've sung harmonies and sometimes lead vocal in many bands, but always while strumming a six-string (easy enough) or playing sax or harp (but not at the same time as singing of course!) - but I have to say that I find any kind of singing while playing bass much more difficult - the challenge is keeping a bassline going (involving two hands and half of one's brain) while remembering the words/arrangement and singing in time and in tune (involving the other two halves of the brain) - so yes, I really do admire successful singing bassists who must have a brain and a half - I certainly don't! BTW, do you ever see lead gitrists singing while soloing playing sequential single notes like we do? Must be a fine un-natural sight...

Does anybody remember the panic over the introduction of the GDPR personal data protection regulations? A bit of hazard analysis and form-filling, then nothing unless some particularly egregious data misappropriation occurs. Hopefully the same with this flustercluck... If you want an example of a data, technology and user management system with real teeth, have a look at the US ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) - God help you if you transgress anywhere in the world - they will come for you, shut you down, fine you millions and lock you up... (probably with Bubba as a cellmate...)

I guess that the OP will want a different handle to use on GC - perhaps BassSubtractor60?

I must admit that I was rather hoping to spend Saturday slumped in the warm while storm Bert lashed Dorset, but no such luck! I was down to umpire a (field) hockey match at 2pm which for some reason wasn't cancelled but took place in rain and a gale. I accepted the ritual abuse I usually get without sending anyone off - poor chaps, running around in soaking shorts, I had to give them some leeway (I was well-waterproofed) After that it was back home to change and chance my luck on the roads to get to a gig in Milborne Port (near Sherborne). No, they don't actually have a port there, but there was rather a lot of water about... The venue was a large pub with multiple side-bars around a hub where Mustang Sally set up - the event was a celebration of life for a popular local lady, and the place was rammed. As the last to arrive I got the sought-after space in front of the slot machine through which the male punters had to walk to pump ship. Luckily their bonces were not in danger as they shuffled urgently to the convenience thanks to my short-scale H-B but the Bongo would have claimed some scalps! It was nice to see some enthusiastic skanking to 'One Step Beyond', [EDIT - VIDEO BELOW!] and generally a great sing- and dance-along response to all the classic pub-pop we did. I don't think our previous set-lists with rather more adventurous material would have gone down so well in this truly traditional village pub, local crowd situation. Our remote rehearsing tactic seems to have worked out well, with the Gillingham-based core band (vox, keys, drums) getting the structure and keys right, while the guitarist (from Weymouth and permanent now) and me (bass & sax, Bridport) learn them at home. No musical challenges were involved but we were able to play Monkey Man, Burning Love, I'm a Believer and This one goes out (REM) for the first time together without any problems. Thanks to an early start at 7.30 we were able to finish at 10.15 and I was on the road home by 11.00. The rain had continued hammering down all evening, and once again I was glad to be in the Jeep, getting through some serious standing water and even a road that had become a small fast-flowing river with no problems on the way back! PS - As I was packing up a very large and 'happy' lady crushed me against the fruit-machine and begged me to give her some sax lessons - well, I think that's what she said! Of course, being a gentleman I recommended her to our guitarist (he is a music teacher) then made my apologies and fled... Pic below - very low lighting pre-first set - me and the fruit machine, I'm looking gormless as always! WhatsApp Video 2024-11-25 at 10.27.18_3dda95f8.mp4

I handed in my notice to my current band back in May this year when our guitarist walked out due to a row over which PA to use. I scanned JMB and BAndmix diligently for a couple of weeks, realised that there was absolutely NO opportunities in my part of the world so withdrew my withdrawal just to keep playing and looking at the wanted lists until something better turned up. And you know what? Since then there has still been sod-all on those sites within 40 miles of me, the band has recovered from the loss of the best gitrist I've ever had the privilege of playing with, and is making steady progress with new gigs and numbers. What did I learn from this? If you're going to jump ship from a band but want to continue playing, find and join the new band first! (actually, the same approach is essential for any job-change; resign in haste, repent at leisure!)

Addendum to my post above - just received a pic of me being a saxonob again, complete with hat and shades, band's playing 'Geno'. Our gitrist is a teacher, and obviously agrees that 'academic inspiration, I gave him none..."