scalpy

Hi all My producer friend has overseen the design and build of this new project. https://studio250.co.uk Having played for the test flight session I can assure you it’s fantastic, if anyone in the area or indeed further afield is looking for somewhere for a recording project I’d recommend getting in touch, I believe rates will be very reasonable to begin with.

Many apologies for the late reply, taken a break from social media. Basically like a good Jazz, with the option of having a very passable stingray tone as you move towards the bridge. The roasted maple neck is less spanky than traditional maple necks I’ve had and feels great, although I’m waiting for an opportunity in the gig diary to move the strings on to Elixiers. It’s odd not having reductive EQ, you can only boost and the lack of tone control might bother some- I’ve never found rolling tone off works for me however. Build quality is excellent. I was delighted with the set up straight out the box and will leave it like it is for as long as possible. The neck has some nice graining and overall I’m quite taken with the looks and the weight, which makes my old sire v7 fiver feel like a boat anchor.

Very late to the party but yesterday an MJ5 arrived from Thomann, in vintage champagne- basically their version of shoreline gold. Some slight marks on the scratchplate and neck pickup but no issues with much else. It has the roasted maple fretboard- is the protector that comes it with strictly necessary? Gigged it twice already. Last night we had a tricky room to play in and I couldn’t really get a handle on the tone I’d set up, especially coming from a G&L ASAT which has been my mainstay for years, but tonight was much better. Sounds great, completely different flavour but enjoyed it. Also, much lighter and very well set up straight out the box. Got to get used to the pickup pan working the wrong way round and my fx patches are going to need a tweak, but it’ll be fun.

Thank you, that’s my wife on harmonies, she’ll be dead chuffed you mentioned that.

Just got some footage of the penultimate song- warning, Robbie content, we ain’t making musical fusion here. 7df2d8ff-83df-4485-b7ea-829eafa69251.mp4

Been waaay too long since posting here and to be honest, my gig rustiness showed, having a few numbers where I just made stupid mistakes. But the rest of the time was ok, at the Playhouse Cheltenham. Very difficult to sell tickets at the moment, especially for an out of town band doing its 1st gig in the city but we got about 70 in a 190ish capacity venue, so enough for a party. Tenor sax player went down ill the day before but fortunately the trumpet 2 player lives a member of the RSC orchestra so she slotted in just fine. Took our own FBT Pa, great quality stuff and the foh and in ears sound was great, plus the drummer turned up with his dad’s DW kit so we sounded fruity. Played much better as the gig went on and the audience were good fun. Much less time to wait until the next one.

Now that is a tasty bass. On my lottery win list one of those.

Pre-penultimate gig for our residency and it was the one we thought might happen at some point. The whole room was one firm, lots of gentlemen dressed in what I call Haute de Countrywide- gillet, checked shirt brown boots, aggrieved at having to pay inheritance tax, you know the type. Just a general stand offish impress us attitude. Anyway, we get them ticking over nicely in the first half, get to the break, have ten minutes in the room we’ve been provided to modify the set to taste and return to a distinctly frosty atmosphere. Turns out two factions have had bit of argy bargy outside and now no one’s interested in partying. Until, and isn’t this just typical, we play our last song to indifference really, the dj insists we do an encore, we play Fairytale and then they go nuts and want another…. Left quietly as the police watched the would be pugilists get taxied off. Two more gigs to do- I think they’ll be much better.

Thank you, we know we’re not creating musical fusion but we like to tear it up if possible. We joke that the band has some players with serious musical ability, Ed on trumpet is a monster Baroque piccolo trumpet specialist and Matt on sax is actually a seriously good flautist that plays concertos as a soloist for various orchestra- yet we enjoy that number loads featuring as it does No Limits, Barbie Girl and I Like To Move it amongst others. Got some other camera angles from the other nights, will sort another clip for the end of the run with a shot of some skinny chap in a hat plucking away on his ASAT bass.

Fun how life turns out isn't it? 30 years of gigging and it turns out one of my absolute favourite things to play is this. Really enjoying our residency at the Green Dragon in Hereford. 5 nights in, dead easy set up, journey home, venue being really friendly and helpful, Christmas Parties well up for some silliness and letting their hair down, A-team playing in the band. Shame the day job comes in between- more coffee please! House Party Clip.mp4

If we’re being really geeky I’d consider verse 3 is A minor, the tonic minor of the bridge being in A. I’m aware this is the relative minor of C major. The early verses also modulate halfway through. They start in G# minor then use a harmonic sequence, repeating the progression but up a minor 3rd- B minor, again, the tonic minor of the chorus B major, so my preference is to think of those minor chords at the start of each phrase as a chord I. It’s potato porarto though, that young lady who said it was easy is mistaken. When it comes to it should be a doddle but it ain’t I Am The One And Only is up there with the sax solo in Respect. Trainwreck on the horizon!

Yep, so many apples we call it the orchard.

First of a run of 9 at a local hotel, 2 this weekend, three for the next two weekends and then NYE. It’s works do-s mostly. Nice room to play in and the sound guy only had his bigger FBT rig available so ‘making do’ with that. Tonight’s were a mixed bunch, some ready to large it and some absolutely not, but most were dancing and joining in. Will try and get some footage before the run is over.

We did a gig a few years back and Chesney was in attendance. You guessed it, he was asked by the hosts to sing and we had to back him. Fortunately we had chance to prepare and you’re almost right, it modulates down in the bridge before going back up. Chesney himself was totally pro, walked up, checked we were doing it in B, sang it brilliantly (he’s had enough goes after all) thanked us and disappeared into the night.

Hey Yahs back up and running after a month. Retirement do at a working man’s club type affair, no horns so tracks used. We fire up the desk and the intermittent fault we’ve been having rears its ugly head at a gig- 7 channels have this weird distorted clock running through them. No clue from the X32 community why it happens. There is a plan be in we could repatch the routing and use spare DIs etc but it’s hassle we don’t need. Fortunately the usual turn it off, unplug, leave it off and hope the best play works. 😅 After that, nice crowd, all into it and our favourite dep keys player is getting more and more comfortable, really good player and locking in nicely.