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Nostalgia: Or the depressing reality of my fast approaching mortality.

paul h

By paul h,
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paul h Rising Star

paul h

Posted
Posted

It is with great regret and sorrow that I inform you that I will be experiencing yet another birthday right soon.

:D

As is the case at such harrowing times, one starts to think about the past. This week, with absolute horror, it has dawned on me that my first ever gig, which was at The Coach and Horses on Marsh Lane in West Bromwich, was pretty much 29 years ago.

29 years.

29.

I borrowed a short scale Vox catalogue bass of some sort which was hand painted black and had a broken tuning peg. The whole band just tuned to my A string. We had about three rehearsals and played a mix of covers...20th Century Boy, Sweet Home Alabama, Sunday Bloody Sunday, C'mon Everybody etc. etc.

2.9.

We supported some bigger boys and the whole night was pretty awesome.

(Some years later after crossing paths at various pub gigs I actually joined the bigger boys band and we tried to conquer the world. We failed. But we did give West Bromwich and the surrounding areas a good kicking. We played at places like The Jug of Ale in Moseley, JB's in Dudley, The Robin in Brierley Hill. We had songs played on local radio, we were interviewed by radio stations and newspapers. Our manager drove me around all the time so I was constantly drunk. It was by far the best time of my life and the guys in the band are like brothers to me to this day.)

And it all started 29 years ago.

29 years.

:D

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bartelby Grand Master

bartelby

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As I've never had massive goals in gigging there are only 2 venues in the country that I'd loved to play.

JBs (as my dad and his mate were closely involved in the early years. My dad designed the original membership card and many of the gig posters, plus did the hippy moving colour lighting for gigs)

and TJs in Newport. I got to play several gig in TJs before it closed.

So I'm kind of happy.

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paul h Rising Star

paul h

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[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1473760149' post='3132784']
JBs (as my dad and his mate were closely involved in the early years. My dad designed the original membership card and many of the gig posters, plus did the hippy moving colour lighting for gigs)
[/quote]

Oh that's awesome. JBs was a great venue. Always good fun.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1473760643' post='3132791']
I`ve got one venue I still want to play, Hammersmith Odeon, or whatever it`s name is this week.
[/quote]

Not getting much sleep then at the moment? ;)

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Marc S Veteran

Marc S

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Posted (edited)

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1473760149' post='3132784']
....and TJs in Newport. I got to play several gig in TJs before it closed.

So I'm kind of happy.
[/quote]

I also got to play TJ's in Newport - and it's one venue I'm really glad I played in. It's unlikely to ever open again. Last time I passed, the whole block of buildings looked in such a state - almost ready to fall down. I know there were several people who wanted to save it, but my guess is some developer is waiting for it to become a dangerous structure, and will have to be knocked down :(

Re the OP; Don't worry!
I had a playing break of over 20 years! :o My 1st gig was in a Punk band, in a now demolished venue at Lavernock, near Penarth in South Wales. We supported Psychobillly band "Demented Are Go" - it was a wild night - we ended up sleeping on a small deserted train station, in an open shelter, and didn't get much sleep.

My "ambition" such that it is, is to keep playing, and keep enjoying playing bass. Though I had such a long break - I'm enjoying my playing more than ever, and I'll keep doing that for as long as I can - play till I drop lol

I don't care if I never play anywhere "really big" (though I've played some big-ish gigs, to quite big crowds)
The big one upcoming for me, is that I'll be playing the Porthcawl Elvis Festival in a couple of weeks :)
Really looking forward to that
EDIT: Just realised that 1st gig was 34 or 35 years ago...... when I was young.....

Edited by Marc S
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discreet Grand Master

discreet

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My first gig was 42 years ago.

42 years.

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1473762276' post='3132819']
My only concern is where the hell have the last 29 years gone!
[/quote]

Mine were mainly spent looking at the world through the bottom of a glass and spectacularly failing to understand the situation. Now I'm a bit more sussed and stoically trying to make up for lost years... which is why I hardly spend [i]any [/i]time on Basschat. :lol:

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Staggering on Grand Master

Staggering on

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I hit 70 last May.It seems impossible that my first gig was at age 16 playing folk music at a function in a church hall.I can't believe that was in...gasp...1962.Lots of gigs and a crazy variety of music and venues since then.On the one hand all that nostalgia is a bit depressing but I have been so lucky to have had all that music and those experiences and people in my life.I picked up the bass in the late 80's and now that is my main instrument and I seldom reach for my guitar-bass is way more fun.I am still playing and gigging,now it's mostly my Yamaha SLB200 EUB as part of a jazz standards quartet and I have no plans to stop.

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rushbo Mentor

rushbo

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Posted

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1473759531' post='3132776']


(Some years later after crossing paths at various pub gigs I actually joined the bigger boys band and we tried to conquer the world. We failed. But we did give West Bromwich and the surrounding areas a good kicking. We played at places like The Jug of Ale in Moseley, JB's in Dudley, The Robin in Brierley Hill. We had songs played on local radio, we were interviewed by radio stations and newspapers. Our manager drove me around all the time so I was constantly drunk. It was by far the best time of my life and the guys in the band are like brothers to me to this day.)

:D
[/quote]

What was the name of the band? We may have been fellow travellers...

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Dad3353 Grand Master

Dad3353

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Posted (edited)


I hit 70 last May...



Good for you, old fruit, and many thanks for making me feel just a bit more like a young whipper-snapper. All too few opportunities, these days, so doubly welcome. Yes, 16, Methodist Church Hall, a pub or two in Hounslow and a couple of youth clubs got the ball rolling for me, too, with the Martin Spicer Band. My first bass lines were played on the bottom strings of my Hofner President guitar. Innocence, eh..? It didn't last. :D Happy daze. Edited by Dad3353
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rushbo Mentor

rushbo

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[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1473767854' post='3132906']


Powerbelly. Busby was the singer (he always seemed to know everyone) and we rehearsed at Arcadeia.

What about you?
[/quote]

Ah....I remember Powerbelly. My wife was a fan...."Rock Helicopter" is spoken about in hushed tones, chez Rushbo. I was in indie darlings Little Red Schoolhouse. We were never chauffeured by our manager whilst drunk, but we did manage to squeeze an album out of Cherry Red Records. Happy days...

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paul h Rising Star

paul h

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[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1473774592' post='3133007']
Ah....I remember Powerbelly. My wife was a fan...."Rock Helicopter" is spoken about in hushed tones, chez Rushbo. I was in indie darlings Little Red Schoolhouse. We were never chauffeured by our manager whilst drunk, but we did manage to squeeze an album out of Cherry Red Records. Happy days...
[/quote]

Ha, that's awesome...and has made my day! Rock, rock, heli....rock, rock, heli...rock, rock helicopter! Lol.

Those were happy days indeed.

:D

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Happy Jack Grand Master

Happy Jack

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Weirdly enough, 29 years ago is roughly the point at which I gave up on 'modern music' ... crushed between the twin juggernauts of rap and synth-bass.

I withdrew into my Beatles and my Stones, Yes and Pink Floyd, Bach and Beethoven, and didn't re-emerge until my daughter became a teenager and I took her to see Foo Fighters at Earl's Court.

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