The London Bass Guitar Show 2014

[deepbass5]

Had my picture taken with Lee Sklar and realised i am getting more like him not shaving for the rest of my life is the easy part but i must practice more if i am really going to carry it off.

[bumnote]

Not much love for Jeff Berlin it appears, I found him quite interesting

[Russ]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1393967948' post='2386486']
Can someone tell me who is TM Stevens?
[/quote]

Crazy-haired journeyman session guy, played with Joe Cocker, The Pretenders, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, even Miles Davis and James Brown. Well known for his brightly-coloured Africa-influenced fashion sense, signature Warwick basses and groovy slap chops. He was seen playing in James Brown's band in Rocky III, doing "Living In America". Top bloke too.

[TheGreek]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1393967948' post='2386486']
Can someone tell me who is TM Stevens?
[/quote]

http://www.londonbassguitarshow.com/masterclass/tm-stevens/

Check out the two videos I posted earlier...

[ezbass]

[quote name='Floyd Pepper' timestamp='1393968197' post='2386494']
For me, I always go to see the live stage / masterclasses and the exhibition is the bonus.
I really enjoyed Leland Sklar ( love the 'producer switch' story).
[/quote]That and the Tommy Tedesco anecdote were priceless; his groove was to die for, I would have liked to have heard him play his Dingwall too but of course he was representing Warwick for the performances.

[quote name='Floyd Pepper' timestamp='1393968197' post='2386494']
The whole event enthuses me which can only be a good thing but I fear that some people will only appreciate it when it's gone.
[/quote]I certainly wanted to get home and play my basses but I think it's fair to point out the show's shortcomings, it could be, as it was originally, so much better.

Edited March 4, 2014 by ezbass

[visog]

[quote name='Russ' timestamp='1393968936' post='2386509']
Crazy-haired journeyman session guy, played with Joe Cocker, The Pretenders, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, even Miles Davis and James Brown. Well known for his brightly-coloured Africa-influenced fashion sense, signature Warwick basses and groovy slap chops. He was seen playing in James Brown's band in Rocky III, doing "Living In America". Top bloke too.
[/quote]

Not on any Pretenders, Steve Vai, Billy Joel I know and I've seen Miles many times, and have many records, with a whole host of bassists (sometimes two at a time!) but not with him.

[Russ]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1394002906' post='2386693']
Not on any Pretenders, Steve Vai, Billy Joel I know and I've seen Miles many times, and have many records, with a whole host of bassists (sometimes two at a time!) but not with him.
[/quote]

He played on Get Close by The Pretenders (I think he was calling himself Shaka Zulu at the time), Sex & Religion with Steve Vai (with Devin Townsend and Terry Bozzio) and Night Calls and Unchain My Heart by Joe Cocker. He also played with Miles but I don't think he recorded with him. There's a fairly comprehensive discography over on Wikipedia.

[fluffo]

plus the tina turner stuff

[Kiwi]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1393968874' post='2386506']
Had my picture taken with Lee Sklar and realised i am getting more like him not shaving for the rest of my life is the easy part but i must practice more if i am really going to carry it off.
[/quote]

Was that your photo on Lee's facebook page? You look like brothers

[molan]

This is how I always think of TM Stevens - killer bass line and I think he co-wrote the song too - if you don't want to listen to the whole song then check the bass solo part from 3:00 onwards.

This used to pack dance floors when it came out in '79. At the time there was only really Bernard Edwards & Chic that had quite such a prominent bass line in 'mainstream' disco (of course there were loads of other great players around but not many had the level of omnipresence in every club in town!).

http://youtu.be/R1H7P8XJZqE

There is a promo vid with Randy Jackson playing the part but I've always understood TM actually played it on the record

Edited March 5, 2014 by molan

[molan]

I'm also still really impressed that Ernie McKone was working on Andy Baxter's stand all day on Saturday - he's a real legend amongst UK funk players & a super-nice bloke. Can't believe he was simply standing there and covering Andy's stand!

Here's a recent recording of him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLtj24m9B-g#t=43

[visog]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1394019433' post='2386918']
This is how I always think of TM Stevens - killer bass line and I think he co-wrote the song too - if you don't want to listen to the whole song then check the bass solo part from 3:00 onwards.

This used to pack dance floors when it came out in '79. At the time there was only really Bernard Edwards & Chic that had quite such a prominent bass line in 'mainstream' disco (of course there were loads of other great players around but not many had the level of omnipresence in every club in town!).

[media]http://youtu.be/R1H7P8XJZqE[/media]

There is a promo vid with Randy Jackson playing the part but I've always understood TM actually played it on the record
[/quote]

We that's quite nifty playing... [size=2]* mumbles if it's actually him*[/size]

[BaggyMan]

Did the Sunday.
Surprised by the lack of mainstream builders (FEnder, Gibson etc where the hell were you??) . well done to Ernie Ball for at least being there.
Loved getting the chance to chat to some of the smaller builders whose wares the mainstream manufacturers really need to take note of.
Spoke to someone from AC guitars (from Scotland apparently) and they have a £1200 that looked like awesome VFM (in fact some of my current stable of basses may be for the chop...)

some of the East european builders had some cool stuff on show as well. Had a nice chat with Jon East too.

Good enough to want to go again, bad enough to remember it was a bit expensive being that I didn't have time for any of the master classes, and the interminable bloomin' slap bass showboating from every corner of the building (clickety clickety clickety Ahhhhhhhh )

[UglyDog]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1393967948' post='2386486']Can someone tell me who is TM Stevens?[/quote][quote name='visog' timestamp='1394002906' post='2386693']Not on any Pretenders, Steve Vai, Billy Joel I know and I've seen Miles many times, and have many records, with a whole host of bassists (sometimes two at a time!) but not with him.[/quote][quote name='visog' timestamp='1394043701' post='2387337']We that's quite nifty playing... [size=2]* mumbles if it's actually him*[/size][/quote]

Did TM Stevens spill your pint or something? You seem to have a bit of a 'problem' with him.

[UglyDog]

I didn't go thanks to fiscal and geographical factors. Skint and too far to travel, basically. I rather wish I had done though, if only to do some catching up and to worship at The Beard Of Sklar.
I went to a music show guitary fest exhibition type thing quite a few years back, and [i]every[/i] stand was 'headphones only' (the ones with guitars/basses anyway... IIRC there were very very strict volume levels on the amp stands). It made for a much nicer experience. I think it should definitely be considered for future LBGSs, with maybe (as suggested above) separate rooms for the amp manufacturers.

[Dingus]

Does anyone else share my slight concern that, on the back of all this positive publicity for the London Bass Guitar Show, slightly dyslexic bass players might end up buying tickets to LGBS events ?

[Kiwi]

Dog knows!

[Jonnyboy Rotten]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394134969' post='2388374']
Does anyone else share my slight concern that, on the back of all this positive publicity for the London Bass Guitar Show, slightly dyslexic bass players might end up buying tickets to LGBS events ?
[/quote]

I'm not even dyslexic and I always struggle with this!

[yorks5stringer]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394134969' post='2388374']
Does anyone else share my slight concern that, on the back of all this positive publicity for the London Bass Guitar Show, slightly dyslexic bass players might end up buying tickets to LGBS events ?
[/quote]
Well. there'd probably be less slapping for a start.....

[dudewheresmybass]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1394184133' post='2388743']

Well. there'd probably be less slapping for a start.....
[/quote]

Maybe not....

[Silvia Bluejay]

Update on the blog: I'm almost done selecting, editing and uploading nearly 150 photos, and I've started writing the text itself.
Anyone know why bloody Wordpress always calls every photo uploaded to the media library "???????????????" despite the photo having a name? And why the question marks are what gets displayed when someone clicks on each photo even [b]after [/b]I spend ages adding names and captions and other settings such as centred position to each photo? I wish I could shoot the effing interface.
(Basically this is one of the reasons why it's taking so long!)

Edited March 7, 2014 by bluejay

[DorsetBlue]

Well my attendance this year ended when I found out that my daughter's cheerleading competition was taking place in Exeter on the Saturday (they did get a 1st and a 3rd though ). Was originally hoping to go to the Arenacross event at Wembley on the Saturday night and then the LBGS on the Sunday. Maybe next year,

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1393849155' post='2384921']
Myself John East and Haydn Williams might be doing a small gallery show later in the year down in London with a view to having a much more controlled environment in which to try out instruments.
[/quote]

Ooh, might well be an excuse for another London trip.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Jonnyboy Rotten' timestamp='1394144221' post='2388518']
I'm not even dyslexic and I always struggle with this!
[/quote]

At least you must have some interesting nights out...

[visog]

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1394129154' post='2388283']
Did TM Stevens spill your pint or something? You seem to have a bit of a 'problem' with him.
[/quote]

I do, don't I? By all accounts he's a super chap and I'm sure his is but he sort of popped up from nowhere to become a tradeshow vet and Warwick spokes-thumper with a seemingly endless reference list of bands and players I like but without appearing on any of the records I know. I'm sure I saw one reference saying he was in the Mahavishnu Orchestra!? I've go all their records - and have enjoyed Rick, Ralph and Jonas tremendously over the years but TM?

Right, I'll shut up about him. And moan that I preferred the LBS when it had the likes of Gary Willis and Mark King... and makers like Status. Those were the days...

Jumpers for goal-posts. I remember when this was fields, etc.

Edited March 7, 2014 by visog

[Russ]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1394215777' post='2389285']
I do, don't I? By all accounts he's a super chap and I'm sure his is but he sort of popped up from nowhere to become a tradeshow vet and Warwick spokes-thumper with a seemingly endless reference list of bands and players I like but without appearing on any of the records I know. I'm sure I saw one reference saying he was in the Mahavishnu Orchestra!? I've go all their records - and have enjoyed Rick, Ralph and Jonas tremendously over the years but TM?
[/quote]

To be fair, he's been around for years, so he's hardly come from nowhere - I was aware of him back when I started playing 22+ years ago, and yes, he still played gaudy-coloured Warwicks back then. He gave up the Warwicks for a few years and endorsed Corts for a while, but then came back to them. I think this is just the first time he's done a show like this in the UK.

I own the Pretenders and Vai records he played on - the Vai record with Devin Townsend is one of my all-time faves and it came out back in '93.