theplumber

True but at 64 I don't think my vocals will get any better! I could have put the work in and yes it could have led to something else,but it had echos of a similar originals project which faded away after a few months of practise and a gig where the punters were the support band and a guy hired to take pictures! Originals are always a hard sell!

So I answered an advert on Facebook from a guy looking to restart his band after a couple of years break. It was a 3 piece doing mostly original songs in a blues/rock style. A bit of Rory Gallagher/Captan Beefheart. type thing. I liked what I heard on ReverbNation as they have about 40 songs. I was given two covers and 5 originals to learn about 2 weeks ago. I set about learning them and as you know it's always a bit harder to remember songs that you have never heard before! Anyway I met the drummer and singer last night in a practise studio and had an hour and a half of a run over the songs. No issues really,nice guys,good players....couple of things put me off. It looks like it's going to remain a 3 piece,ie guitar bass and drums. The drummer doesn't sing so backing vocals are needed from myself. I have done backing in bands before but usually with others pitching in. The journey was a nightmare in the Glasgow rush hour for a 6pm start at the studio. The drummer works so no chance of and early practice and late ones are pretty much a no no as we all get too tired lol! Anyway there was another guy to try out at 7.30 so I left. They asked me if I was up for it and to have a think about things and they would call later...by the time I had reached the car I decide it was not for me. Been down that road too many times before and I could see my interest dropping off as the band had zero gigs lined up,the drummer was in another busy band and my vocals are deffo not up to scratch! I had to try at at least to see if it would work and I hope I did not waste their time. But I really felt after thinking about it that I could not really be bothered! Apathy...guilty!

Wow!!!!! (Wal) Love it!

So I left my last band at start of November. I think my last gig was 2nd Nov. Not picked up or played the bass since then. Took it out the case today and played it for at least 2 minutes! It felt very,very strange! I think I better get back in the saddle!!!

Playing the same old riffs to the same old riff raff.......

I could....the keyboard player can't/won't....

Yes.. Mainly that and after trying out other venues and finding that they are not very well attended. The band spoke in the spring of this year about putting some more songs in the set and even as mentioned trying out two different sets in rotation of our stuff but it was decided that due to the singer being busy with work and having a limited vocal range ie he is struggling a bit with some of the keys and the keyboard player by his own admission not really able nor willing to take on new material due to him having difficulty remembering our current set. Not ideal but not something I can do anything about. I thought long and hard, tried to put it to one side as the guys are great and we go down well in our favourite venues. I just hit the wall during a gig a few months back and realised I was bored to bits with the whole thing. Time for a change. No hard feelings.

Agreed!

Been in a covers band for nearly two and a half years now. Since I joined there has been no new songs added to the set.The songs we play go down well enough but as you might imagine it's getting a bit stale. I can see that if it was a tribute act we would be stuck with more or less the same songs week in week out but it's not! My last gig with the band is this week and the drummer is off as well. So...do you add new songs now and again or stuck with the same set of songs?

64 next year. Yes it's just a number but that means I have been in bands since I was 14. 50 years is a long time to do anything! Maybe I should be a lot better than I am! Gave notice to my current band about 3 months ago and doing the last gig with them this coming weekend. Great bunch of guys and have had a really positive 2 and a half years with them. But recently noticed that I was really bored playing gigs. I learned the set when I joined and over the last couple of years on a positive note the band has become super tight. The downside is there has been zero new songs added to the set. The singer and keys guy feel that there is no need to change the set. There was some sort of attempt to bring new ideas to the table at the start of the year but only if the keys guy approved them or indeed could actually play them...Fair enough! But as it seems no one in the band apart from me are doing anything towards getting gigs,only me and the drummer engage with facebook to promote gigs and a few other things which I won't moan about I thing it's a pretty bum deal not getting to suggest or work on songs to keep things fresh. We are out 3 to 4 times a month on average so it would have been nice to have some new stuff for the punters. I tried and got us some new venues,about 5 in total and more or less all of them turned out to be a bit of a waste of time. Playing to 4 folk at one point was a pretty low point. Most of our other gigs are well attended. Anyway I gave up and now I am on the lookout for something else. But it's pretty hard to find anything never mind anything decent! I will keep looking for the next few months at least but am starting to think about giving it all a miss! Sad to think about it but I have had a decent run over the years and who knows.....something else may turn up!

Harry Nilsson .....Nilsson Schmilsson.

From our set....Mr Blue Sky and Live and Let Die also Beds are Burning.

Contacted E bay about this....they said it doesn't go against their standards...usual crap. Contacted the seller who insists it's a genuine Fender. He asked me to tell him why it wasn't! Where do you start! Then said what do you think it's worth then? I told him £50 on a good day! But change the listing and start low. He has put it up again at same price stating again it's genuine. Buyer beware blah blah blah!

We had 52 booked this year from end to end... Dropped about 8 of them after finding some of the venues are very short of punters on a Friday or Saturday night. Playing to 4 folk in one venue and 7 at another. Also pretty poor turn out on some Sunday gigs. Yes.. Well still got paid.. And yes it's a paid rehearsal but not really worth the bother.

There is a change in that pub for sure and as I see it they are trying to bring in decent bands and acts and that's not bringing the takings in. There are other factors involved as we all know with the general downturn in pubs/live music. I can see why they may think the ''woman's night'' Thing might work better as they are hopefully prepared to pay for the turn whilst dragging some mates along for a night out! Well that's what happens with my wife and friends. They will be off at the drop of a hat to go and see some drag act,mind reader or Motown tribute and it comes at no cost to the pub. All they do is sell tickets and pay the agent for the acts! As for live bands in that venue. It's a smallish room and they have had run ins with the neighbours so the pub could well be fighting to stay alive! But no,Jerry..not good news for us folk in bands.,not good for Ruff Edge moving in to next year...unless you happen to be a cross dressing mind reader who can belt out a bit of The Four Tops whilst hypnotizing folk in to giving up smoking!

Played one of the last,for me,gigs with my current band in Paisley last night. At the end of the gig when getting paid I had a word with the owner about gigs going forward as this was the last one that the band had in the diary. She told me due to the Fridays falling away,bands letting her down,bands asking too much money(whatever that was...wasn't us!) and a few other factors that the pub would only be putting on 52 live band gigs next year. She said she had been run off her feet recently and had not started booking for next year but would be offering us 2 gigs. She said there was so many bands chasing gigs in her pub.Not what we wanted to hear though she did chuck in that the band could do any of the 4 charity gigs that the pub puts on. The bands get a very small fee for playing and you usually get an hour slot . Played it a couple of times and its not worth the bother due to change overs.etc. She wasn't too happy when she found out that the band lineup was changing as me and the drummer are both leaving at the same time. I explained that the band have just about sorted out replacements which will be as good,if not better than us but she moaned a bit and stated she would have to see videos before she books the band again...fair enough I suppose. A few bar folk have told me this kind of thing has happened and the ''new'' band turns out crap. She then went on to say she though we were not loud enough today and she could only hear one singer! When the singer and keyboard guy came and joined the conversation she did not actually know which one was the singer! When I explained that there is 4 of us singing in the band as we do harmonies she said again...so who is the singer then? Anyway it won't be a worry for me in that band but will have a knock on affect if and when I do join another band. Though after all the ups and downs gig wise recently I am having thoughts of just playing along to records and staying in on a weekend! But this is the second time in a few weeks we have heard the same thing from one of our venues. Another city centre one offered 3 bookings for next year. Again that's down to them and I know some bands will get more depending on how many punters come out to see them.

The local Co-op where I stay in Falkirk is called Scotmid for some reason. Same shop but different name. I stay in Falkirk. The usual rubbish is piped in all day and between songs a voice over guy will tell you about the latest offers in store! I actually worked with the guy in a local radio station years ago who does the voice overs! He also does TV adverts and corporate work as well. Great voice,soothing,calm,friendly. The only thing is I know he was an alcoholic,left his wife for a younger woman then found god.....Still,it doesn't make you a bad person and that's a cracking offer on crisps and nuts!

So me and the wife popped in to the local Farmfoods for a few bit's and bobs. As these wee jaunts go 5 minutes becomes 15 minutes. The music in the back ground was Sweet Surrender by Wet Wet Wet. After I while I noticed that the song was still playing....then it came on again!! I spoke to the guy on the till and he said,yes it's been that way for over an hour and we can't turn it off. Seems it's a remote playout system somewhere and they could only turn it down! Could have been worse I suppose it could have been in B and M where the music is blasted out at disco levels regardless of what cack they have on a loop.....Bing Crosby anyone?? Anyway yes.....I did surrender and we left the shop (well we had to go home at some point! Anyone else been trapped with not so great music ( muzac) playing?

I also seen Aimee Mann live in Glasgow a good few years back.. Wonderful on records but almost put me in a coma as a live gig it's was very boring.. Laid back is an understatement.. 😂

Recently tried to get tickets for Thomas Dolby in Glasgow but as usual did not find out till days before and the gig was sold out. I love Dolby and have seen him live before and was not disappointed! I did notice that the support act for the shows was Martin McAloon...former bass player with Prefab Sprout! I thought..that's a pity I liked Prefab Sprout! A few weeks later on Facebook an advert for some solo gigs from Mr McAloon came up on my Facebook feed and If I had not known who he was I would have been fooled in to thinking that he was indeed the front man for Prefab Sprout going by the pictures and blurb! I decided to have a look on You Tube just to see what was actually on offer......oh dear!! Oh deary me!. No harm to the man as he has some great stories to tell and its maybe an audience with rather than a tribute to Prefab Sprout and his very talented brother but I have to say,sadly.....thank goodness I never went! Anyone else ever been disapointed/had/etc with a live act who may have at one time been...better! (Yes we all get old and I suppose I don't have to earn a crust from music!)