leftybassman392 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) Hey guys. Following on from last year's event, this is a feeler to gauge the mood for this year. I'm sure that everyone who was there would agree that it was small but perfectly formed. (The feedback certainly suggested so.) As things are at the moment Patch and I are very busy, so the event would not be taking place this side of late June at the, er, earliest. In due course I'll be happy to organise things again, and I'm sure Patch won't mind mind either when he has time. Some things we'd like to know though:- 1. Are you up for it? (No point if nobody's interested...) 2. Where would you like it to be? (Most people agreed it was very easy to get to last year but found it a bit annoying to have staff keep asking them to turn down! - hence whatever happens it'll be a new venue.) I seem to remember somebody suggesting that somewhere in the Birmingham/Leicester/Northampton triangle would be good as it's central and there are lots of motorways. What do you think? 3. What format would you like? The format last time was very relaxed and friendly, but it would have been nice to:[list] [*]turn up a bit! [*]have a perfomance area and perhaps a house band (no details as I haven't though it through but I like the idea in general). [/list] 4. Anything else? Food & drink... BC shop... ladies of easy virtue...? (ok, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea.) 5. Financial issues (I lost a bit of money on the last one and will probably lose a bit more on this one, but hey!). That's about it for now.... over to you! Edited October 4, 2013 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throwoff Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Missed the last one but still interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonin-in-the boneyard Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Sounds good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I've tweeted this thread, and will retweet periodically. I'm not saying yes or no just yet, seeing that last year I was all for it and then I couldn't make it. This time, I'll jump on board - or won't - after you guys have decided the date and place, if there are enough takers. Thank you in advance Patch and Leftybassman for organising the meetup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Sounds like a good plan. I couldn't make the last one but I will really try to make this. I'll bring all my basses and my Aguilar DB680 and maybe my Techsoundsystems 6x10, just so people can lift it up and say WTF!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Bass Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Im in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Brief update (which will be my last for a while as we are about to move house and will have no internet until 16th at the earliest and no fibre optic until the ending of the world etc. ): Comments noted with thanks. Once the mayhem of the house move has settled a bit I'll get back to it. If you don't hear anything for a while don't worry 'cos I haven't forgotten! See you soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borisbrain Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Would love it, since I missed the last one. Birmingham-way would be a bonus too... BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew-Bass Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Would love this to happen! Such a rarity to get any decent lefty gear up north.. Nottingham would be a good place to meet up I reckon, very central and seems to be a fair few members from there too (oh, and the fact I go to uni in Nottingham might make me a little more bias ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 (edited) Still looking into it but no definite plans as yet. The basic problem is that it is by it's nature a national event, and wherever we hold it there'll be some who can't do the journey. Another option I've considered is to hold multiple events so that everybody gets a chance to attend one within reasonable travelling distance. I would hope that 2 would be enough to satisfy everybody's needs - I've picked York and Reading out of the air as possibles. I live in Greater Birmingham so would need to travel a fair distance to both. Thoughts? Anybody? Feel free to offer alternatives. Edited August 18, 2013 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 For reasons much to tedious to go into, this is now looking like becoming LBB 2014. Still keen to make it happen though, and willing to organise two venues in different parts of the country if we can get it to work. (I seem to recall that quite a lot of people who would've liked to come to the last one didn't because of the journey.) So.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I don't want to be Capital-centric, but holding one of the meetups in London would probably have a reasonable level of attendance. Not sure about anywhere else, unless you're happy with just 3-4 people turning up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 (edited) [quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1380045185' post='2220083'] I don't want to be Capital-centric, but holding one of the meetups in London would probably have a reasonable level of attendance. Not sure about anywhere else, unless you're happy with just 3-4 people turning up. [/quote] Yup, it's a fair point. Maybe the other one should be somewhere like Manchester? As I'm sure you already know I need to find a way of turning something that really ought to be a national event into a couple of regional ones, so I guess holding them in or around major cities would make a lot of sense. Even so, some people will be travelling further than they would to a regional event. As to numbers, well 16 people (I think that's right) made the effort to get to what was essentially a pub just off the M40 outside Warwick, so I would certainly hope for more than 3 or 4 in a place like Manchester! So what do people think about London and Manchester as venues? Edited September 24, 2013 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Bass Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I wpuld have no issue travelling to London or Manchester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 I'm beginning to warm to this idea. If we're gonna do it then, we need some suitable venues and an idea how it should be done. Do we want a house band? If so, we need a stage. And, er, a band. Do we want a little privacy? Personally I had no problem with people wandering up at the Porridge Pot, but some may feel we should keep it to ourselves a bit more, especially if we (that is to say 'me' with hopefully a bit of support from you) are paying for it. If the answers to the above are both 'yes', then we need to think about venues. Any ideas? Small, self-contained and easy to get to might be a good thought to keep in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Small pub function room? That should't be too difficult, provided we are allowed to make some noise. I can think of one in my area, off the top of my head. Only problem, mine is an expensive area of London and having that space for an entire day may not be as cost-effective as hiring a function room in a less upmarket area. On the plus side, I believe some local bands hire - or used to hire - it for rehearsals, which means noise should not be a problem. The above is just an example, of course. Hm, should we perhaps start a new thread to discuss the 2014 meetup, and then I can pin that one, as opposed to continuing on this old one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 [quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1380875113' post='2231686'] Small pub function room? That should't be too difficult, provided we are allowed to make some noise. I can think of one in my area, off the top of my head. Only problem, mine is an expensive area of London and having that space for an entire day may not be as cost-effective as hiring a function room in a less upmarket area. On the plus side, I believe some local bands hire - or used to hire - it for rehearsals, which means noise should not be a problem. The above is just an example, of course. Hm, should we perhaps start a new thread to discuss the 2014 meetup, and then I can pin that one, as opposed to continuing on this old one? [/quote] Sounds like a good start. Depends a bit as to whether we want a stage, and whether we want it to be in public view. As to cost, well yes it is a factor - after last year's bash I was around £120 out of pocket. I certainly don't expect to make money, and won't actually mind losing a bit... just not too much if I can help it. As to the thread, I'll just redo the title a bit but would prefer to have it all in one place if that's ok. (I tried running two threads for a single topic a few years ago when I did the piece on Ancient Greek music, and TBH it was a bit of a pain to keep track of.) Could you pin this one up instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 (edited) Absolutely fine. Done Re the cost, I don't think anyone should be out of pocket. If we see that not enough people are guaranteed to attend, we should cancel - I don't see why in such cases the project should go ahead regardless and the organisers have to shell out. Edited October 4, 2013 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 (: siht ekil nettirw eb dluohs daerht siht ni stsop llA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Leonardo da Vinci used a mirror to do that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 [quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1380902816' post='2232253'] Leonardo da Vinci used a mirror to do that... [/quote] At the risk of being overly picky and anal and so on (and not wishing to offend one of our esteemed moderators - Ma'am), but I think Da Vinci just wrote it out. It was the people wanting to read it that had to use the mirror. And not wishing to be overly pompous and smug and so on, but I can actually do it as well - you know, with an actual pen and paper. I think a lot of Lefties can actually... It might be nice to see if Righties can do it without smudging the ink. But I digress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Bass Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Personally I think the primary goal of the Bass Bash is to meet other lefty players and try other lefty basses. Therefore i would say no house band. When else are you going to have such a diverse selection of left handed basses to choose from. I liked the chilled out atmosphere of last years bash but it would of been improved if we didn't need to keep turning down/ have people stare at us. A pub function room is ideal i think either that or a practice space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 [quote name='Dread Bass' timestamp='1381135344' post='2234628'] Personally I think the primary goal of the Bass Bash is to meet other lefty players and try other lefty basses. Therefore i would say no house band. When else are you going to have such a diverse selection of left handed basses to choose from. I liked the chilled out atmosphere of last years bash but it would of been improved if we didn't need to keep turning down/ have people stare at us. A pub function room is ideal i think either that or a practice space. [/quote] It's certainly a fair point. It was a nice atmosphere wasn't it? It would be my choice as well as it happens, but let's see what the Lefty collective says... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neillb Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (Hi, all) Up for it?: Definitely, if it were in London, and maybe, if it were in Manchester. It sounds like a rare opportunity, indeed. I've never met another left-handed bassist or guitarist! House band: No. I agree with Dread Bass. I'd prefer to hear the basses and the people I'm talking to. Keep it focused. Privacy: not a big deal to me. Finance: I'd be happy to pay a fee to attend, and even to pre-pay; you organisers definitely shouldn't lose money on this! There's my £0.02. I'm just a beginner on bass, although I've been playing guitar left-handed on and (mostly) off, for years. Thanks for your effort! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) Thanks Neil. Last year's Bash definitely had a vibe to it, and I think I can see where this thing is moving.... Sooooooo....... The current plan (insofar as there is one) is to have 2 Lefty Bashes; One in or near London, One in or near Manchester. Timing will be broadly similar to last year (late March/early April), though there will be some flexibility. If people would like to attend but can't make certain dates around that time, then do please speak up - on here or PM me directly. Next we need some venues. I'm going to need your help here folks, as I don't know many suitable venues in London and none at all in Manchester: London (west) would be ideal I think for those coming up the M4 corridor, but all solid suggestions gratefully received. Manchester likewise (except for the M4 bit...). What we seem to be looking for is a venue that will allow up to around 20-30 individuals plus gear to make some noise and with a little privacy, but also without being on top of each other all the time. If food & drink is near at hand then so much the better. (On the subject of food & drink, I'm inclined to let people sort it out for themselves this time - I paid upfront for the venue to organise it last time, and wound up taking a bit of a bath on it. I hope you'll understand guys...) If we have to pay a bit to secure a decent venue then fine - I'll pay the upfront fee and look to claw it back from those willing & able to contribute. I think it's important to stress that if I lose a bit of money on this then so be it - I don't want people to be put off because they're struggling to pay towards the event. Obviously I'd rather not, but if I do, then fair enough. Also I don't mind doing the donkey work to get it organised, but it's the initial contact points that I'll need from you. I think that's about it for now, so let's have a few ideas folks... Edited November 13, 2013 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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