oggiesnr Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 OK so I should get a life but earlier this year I joined Rackaback, a Border Morris team, reckoning on playing a bit of squeeze box or whistle. First practice I took along my acoustic bass guitar and, as thank ***, they don't have a drummer it was felt that this would be most useful. My bass guitar is fine and quite loud (even acoustic) but once the squeezebox quotient gets over four it gets a bit drowned out. So, two months ago I bought a double bass . Now I am actually having lessons and hope to learn to play it proper like but I know my way round the fingerboard well enough (in first position) to be able to play most morris tunes (in tune). Today at Malton Folk Festival I got to play it in public for the first time, the rain held off and I had a blast! Eight dance teams there so not lot of continuous playing but one of the other teams, the Raving Maes, agreed that they could stand some bass as well so it was a case of "This one's in E minor" and away we went. Great fun and I get to do it again and again this summer. Next date is 5.00 am on May Day at the Black Mill on Beverley Westwood. Rackaback, the Maes and whoever else turns up! I even get to dress up Have fun Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Good beard too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdirtyrob Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 [quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1335043379' post='1625224'] Good beard too. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 [quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1335043113' post='1625222'] Great fun and I get to do it again and again this summer. Next date is 5.00 am on May Day at the Black Mill on Beverley Westwood. Rackaback, the Maes and whoever else turns up! [/quote] So when do you get to dress up then? I used to play a lot of morris stuff and absolutely loved it, such good fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Hahaha! You look ace! Glad you had so much fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Is that your own beard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1335049912' post='1625304'] Is that your own beard? [/quote] All my own Fifteen months ago it was cut with a number two. Another foot and I've a gig lined up, bass player in a ZZ Top tribute band! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 [quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1335125949' post='1626160'] Fifteen months ago it was cut with a number two. Another foot and I've a gig lined up, bass player in a ZZ Top tribute band! [/quote] You certainly look the part. Good luck with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Don't encourage them for gods sake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) Welcome to the dark side. I was out with the Wild Hunt this weekend - a St George's day thing in Horley on Saturday and a Pagan Festival in Balham on Sunday. Yes, I agree, it's the most fun I've ever had as a performing muso. Out again tomorrow night for a barn dance in Purley, and we're doing a set at dawn (well, 5.30am anyway) on Mayday at Box Hill, and then Rochester Sweeps and the Hastings Jack in the Green festivals over the Bank Holiday weekend. Oh the joys of turning up with just the squeeze-box in a small rucksack, and one other small bag for kit - no setting up, no soundchecks, no gear-sharing hassles. Bliss! Not to mention not having to keep trying to persuade friends to come to gigs - we never seem to be short of an audience. A couple of weeks ago we performed in Downe - a small village near Biggin Hill. We started performing in a deserted village street, and at the end of the first dance, we were greeted with a round of applause, as an audience had appeared apparently from nowhere. Can't see me going back to electric bands now (though never say "never"!). EDIT: CORRECTION - apparently we're not doing the Mayday dawn after all, as we couldn't get enough dancers for the day (6 is our minimum). Edited April 25, 2012 by Earbrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Tom Bombadil? Sounds like you had a blast chief, which is always a good tonic for a dreary Monday morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) ...and a small post-script: I've just been out into the City (in my lunch hour) to see what St George's Day stuff was going on. Found some cool "medieval" entertainment in Spitalfields market, then moved on to Leadenhall market, where I found a morris team performing to a large crowd. I asked one of them what side they were, and his immediate response was "Are you a Morris Man?". When I told him I was a box player for the Wild Hunt, he asked "have you got your box with you?". Well, I hadn't, as I'd just popped out of the office. He immediately produced a spare box and invited me to join in. I knew a couple of the tunes, and could vamp on the basses for the others. Brilliant fun. It turns out they are one of the sides that we will be dancing with at Box Hill on Mayday dawn. That's one of the things I love about the morris scene - it's all very friendly and, on the whole, all the sides support and help one another, like one big "morris family". Edited April 23, 2012 by Earbrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBbass Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 [quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1335043379' post='1625224'] Good beard too. [/quote] x3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Morris is magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbird13 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 [quote name='Earbrass' timestamp='1335173449' post='1626531'] Welcome to the dark side. I was out with the Wild Hunt this weekend - a St George's day thing in Horley on Saturday and a Pagan Festival in Balham on Sunday. Yes, I agree, it's the most fun I've ever had as a performing muso. Out again tomorrow night for a barn dance in Purley, and we're doing a set at dawn (well, 5.30am anyway) on Mayday at Box Hill, and then Rochester Sweeps and the Hastings Jack in the Green festivals over the Bank Holiday weekend. Oh the joys of turning up with just the squeeze-box in a small rucksack, and one other small bag for kit - no setting up, no soundchecks, no gear-sharing hassles. Bliss! Not to mention not having to keep trying to persuade friends to come to gigs - we never seem to be short of an audience. A couple of weeks ago we performed in Downe - a small village near Biggin Hill. We started performing in a deserted village street, and at the end of the first dance, we were greeted with a round of applause, as an audience had appeared apparently from nowhere. Can't see me going back to electric bands now (though never say "never"!). [/quote] Seems like your playing near to where I live - I should really check your group out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 [quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1335264776' post='1628147'] Seems like your playing near to where I live - I should really check your group out [/quote] We're based in Croydon, but we do get about a bit! Check out our diary of events here: http://www.wildhunt.org.uk/events.php (though I notice it's got one or two dates missing!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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