Jackroadkill

Hi all, I'm after a bit of advice. I play in a covers band and have done for about 12 months now. Song choices are always by consent, with the understanding that there will be some that an individual loves to play, some that they're happy to play and some that they may not like as much as the others. I've been lucky so far in that most of them so far I really enjoy playing and the few that I haven't initially been keen on have grown on me after a while for the most part. However, I've just hit the immoveable object of a song I just can't like. I've tried my best and I find it a very boring (heaven knows what an audience would think of it) and needlessly fiddly dirge, bereft of hooks, groove or anything I find attractive. I'm aware that some of the other guys in the band absolutely love it and it would be a personal high point in the set for them, and also that they've played songs that have held the same joy for me even though they don't particularly like them. I've no problem with the abstract that sometimes I might have to play a song I'm not keen on (this is a covers band after all), but the reality seems to be different. It would be better perhaps if I thought it would go down well with an audience - this happened with PUSA's "Peaches", which I think is rubbish but I can see why the audience might like it, and when we've played it live the reaction has been very positive. The problem I have is that I dislike the song we're supposed to be learning for practise on Sunday so much that when I sit down to learn it, it turns me off so much that I just can't focus on it or even stomach hearing it played enough to follow the tabs. "Don't play it, then"-type answers aside, how do you old sweats deal with this? Thanks very much, JRK

This.

I used to case all of my instruments, but these days a decent padded gig bag is all that I use. I'm not touring in the back of a knackered Transit or owt like that, so my basses aren't exposed to the rigours of life on the road. I'm careful with them when at gigs but so fat the gig bags (Fender 20mm padded jobs) have been fine; this is a good thing, because they cost an arm and a leg.

My stage clothes tend to be stuff that's now too knackered to wear on the farm and slightly sweary t-shirts. My mum says I'm cool.

Welcome to the magical kingdom of Basschat; I'm pretty new here myself but am finding the community to be very friendly and supportive.

There's always something, isn't there? I find changeovers can be a rush but there's no point in letting it spoil the gig for me. The daft thing for me about this one is that there were many ways to get it sorted and he just chose to be grumpy rather than proactive. "I can't hear my amp" isn't going to solve anything, but changing your position in relationship to the amp or relevant monitor may well do, to say nothing of getting on a mic and asking for more guitar onstage.... The mind boggles! Not being a Wrexhamite (Wrexmundian?) I'm not best placed to say, but there was a proper buzz at the show, so very possibly that is the case.

Nah, they were long gone by Sunday!

We had a bit of an odd one on Sunday; it was at the Wrexham Tattoo Show, and while the set went very well and the crowd were enthusiastic, the rest was a disaster, band-wise. The organisers and the venue were great, the punters complimentary about what we did, the sound guys did a top job..... But operationally the band was a car crash! I'll elaborate: Band politics (drummer/life difficulties) Late arrival of the drummer The previous act, some burlesque dancers) over-running A farcical soundcheck in front of the punters which saw three of the band being unable to play from any point that wasn't the beginning of a familiar song (this one really got on my t!ts, because we were trying to save time and ended up wasting it) The guitarist moaning that the engineer had disappeared at the beginning of the set and wasn't available to turn the guitar up in the monitor; said engineer was out front operating the desk from a tablet, as has been routine for about fifteen years.... The set being cut slightly short. Anyway, it was a learning experience and from an audience point of view there were no big problems. After all that we managed to play pretty well and the organisers and punters enjoyed what they heard. Onwards and upwards; we'll learn from our mistakes as a band. Cheers, JRK

Yeah, pretty much. I don't worry about is it the perfect rig that gives the perfect tone, I just go for sounds I like and that suits me fine. I use a really simple set-up, just a P-bass into a Strobostomp and an Ampeg bass overdrive pedal and then the amp, which is either an Eden WTX500 with a 2x15 or an Ampeg Portaflex PF500 with a 2x10.

Definitely a gurner.

If there was three hundred quid lurking in our band's kitty, the drummer would drink it.

I think that daring to go there was brave, and you pulled it off very nicely. If I was wearing a hat, I'd remove it. Touche, sir!

That's your next band!

The Cungs Really, they're (were?) a punk band, as if you couldn't guess.

I refinished a Telecaster with nitro rattlecans. It's easy enough and quite rewarding.

When and where is your band playing next? Asking for a friend...

I'm very partial to this one, too.

That sounds quite similar to our approach - no standards but stuff people will know. We try and find songs by famous bands but not play the obvious ones, or songs that were huge and the artist never heard from again, for example. The majority of our stuff comes from the 1990's, too.

You guys seem like the sort of band our lot could share a stage with!

One that I love to hate is Can't You Hear Me Knocking; I love the song apart from that stupid conga and brass jam in the middle. That part sets my teeth on edge, and it just goes to show that heroin is bad for you.

I know the feeling well. I suppose the trick is to try not to worry about how long it took to find the bass and to just enjoy the experience in the moment.

And of that 97%, a large chunk is made up of Peter Steele's bass sound.

I absolutely love playing that song, and I'm hoping that Father Christmas might help me out with a chorus pedal for it.

Today it's Ginger and his mates:

Sad old Goth I may be, but I challenge anyone not to dig the bass (riffs and sound) in this song: