Brush with Greatness (or, "Hey, I once played a gig with him!")

[EliasMooseblaster]

The nearby "Worst Auditionee" thread has been hilarious (thank you all!) - but it's thrown up a couple of stories of auditionees who turned out to be absolutely stellar musicians and went on to greater things. I assume, between us, we've a few more stories about somebody you played with / drank with / had an argument with who you've since seen on the telly or suchlike.

 

My example: played a gig with two or three other bands at The Victoria in Derby back in 2015(?), and we were a bit surprised when the first band loaded in - they didn't look old enough to be there! (In fact, I think a couple of them were only 16 and there with a parent!) But they were really good. Hard rock with harmonised guitars, definite shades of Maiden and Wishbone Ash. Nice guys, too.

 

I never did know what happened to the band - or where the others ended up - but one of the guitarists was clearly destined for greater things. He now plays lead guitar for Inglorious, and I'm pretty sure I heard about him starring as a young iteration of Slash in a biopic about Guns 'n' Roses.

 

Over to you...

[Lozz196]

Many moons ago my then band played a gig with a bunch of youngsters who were called The Jennifers, later to become Supergrass.

[miles'tone]

Jesse Wood's band once supported a band I used to be in.

(Ronnie Wood's son, now in Reef I think).

[Pow_22]

When living at a pub on Anglesey, what was left of Lieutenant Pigeon played our pub and let me join in on bass for Mouldy Old Dough.  Can say I've played a number one song with a number one band.....technically 

[Steve Browning]

I have had the honour of playing with David Gilmour, Ronnie Spector, Dave Mattacks and a few other rather better names than myself.

 

Before then, when in a band in Brighton, I shared the stage (pub floor) with a young chap, a very fine player (rather obsessed with Dave Weckl) who went on to be the drummer in an outfit called Bush. I don't think they did much here but they sure did in the US. Robin Goodridge. Nice guy and excellent drummer.

Edited March 7 by Steve Browning

[tauzero]

A few decades ago, a friend started an open mic night in Tamworth, and a relatively old chap called Duke I knew from drinking together in another pub came along with his guitar. I finished up playing bass with him, and learnt that he had been the vocalist and guitarist with the Vikings, the band that morphed into The Move, but had to leave to do national service. http://www.brumbeat.net/vikings.htm - he's at bottom right of the photo labelled "The Vikings in 1959".

[tubbybloke68]

8 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

I have had the honour of playing with David Gilmour, Ronnie Spector, Dave Mattacks and a few other rather better names than myself.

 

Before then, when in a band in Brighton, I shared the stage (pub floor) with a young chap, a very fine player (rather obsessed with Dave Weckl) who went on to be the drummer in an outfit called Bush. I don't think they did much here but they sure did in the US. Robin Goodridge. Nice guy and excellent drummer.

I done my first gigs supporting the band Robin was in at the time called’ Boxing clever’ . We’re all from the Horsham area. Still see the singer Brent around to chat with. First gig was in a village called Blindley Heath in East Sussex. Blue anchor pub, no idea whether it’s still there! 

[chriswareham]

Two of my keyboard playing friends, one of whom I have played in a band with, have been touring members of Killing Joke. The brush with greatness is not mine though, but that of one of the keyboard players. When Tool did their first big stadium tour of the US after resolving their long running legal problems, they asked Killing Joke to support them. They were so impressed with my friend's keyboard playing that they actually had him play the synth parts on Descending:

 

[lidl e]

My buddy Scott was Dio's keyboardist from 1991 until he passed. He also toured with Heaven and Hell but they made him play backstage!

 

 

[Len_derby]

1 hour ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

The nearby "Worst Auditionee" thread has been hilarious (thank you all!) - but it's thrown up a couple of stories of auditionees who turned out to be absolutely stellar musicians and went on to greater things. I assume, between us, we've a few more stories about somebody you played with / drank with / had an argument with who you've since seen on the telly or suchlike.

 

My example: played a gig with two or three other bands at The Victoria in Derby back in 2015(?), and we were a bit surprised when the first band loaded in - they didn't look old enough to be there! (In fact, I think a couple of them were only 16 and there with a parent!) But they were really good. Hard rock with harmonised guitars, definite shades of Maiden and Wishbone Ash. Nice guys, too.

 

I never did know what happened to the band - or where the others ended up - but one of the guitarists was clearly destined for greater things. He now plays lead guitar for Inglorious, and I'm pretty sure I heard about him starring as a young iteration of Slash in a biopic about Guns 'n' Roses.

 

Over to you...

The band was Parasight. They called it a day when Danny De La Cruz moved to London and joined Inglorious. The rest of them are still involved in music although not as high-profile as Danny. Joe the bass player is with Eddie and the Wolves. The drummer, Tom, went to study music full-time in Birmingham. The other guitarist, another Tom (Platts) is playing in a covers band while completing a Masters degree in music production at Derby University.  Were you part of the local scene then, or just visiting the Vic? 

[bass_dinger]

My cousin was in a punk band that did nothing and split up. The rhythm guitarist (Graham Jones) still wanted to play in a band so my cousin's then girlfriend introduced him her friend, Nick Heywood.   They went on to form Haircut 100.

 

 

 

As for me, I turned up to my ukulele night in a cafe, and someone had bought along their drummer friend (Charlie Grima out of Wizzard). He struggled to lock in with  us ,- anyone who has ever played with a ukulele band will understand that the fault was with us!

 

(That same cafe was where the Beatles had had a meal while shooting a video in nearby Knole Park, down the road from an antique shop where John Lennon found the poster advertising a performance from Mr Kite).

 

 

 

[Lfalex v1.1]

I've shared a bill with Skindred, The Darkness, Biffy Clyro. Doubtless some others.  Benji from Skindred is a good laugh. Real nice guy. 

[BassTractor]

Taking the thread is about people who became famous later:

Jean-Michel Jarre.

I was to study in Paris in the mid '70s, and one of my teachers-to-be introduced me to one JeanMi, a semi-ex-student who reportedly was recording an album ... in his kitchen LOL.
Amongst other things, JeanMi showed me around in Paris, guided me to my dwellings, and told me we were gonna be great friends.

Didn't see him again after that ...
... until I recognised his face in a musicians' mag much later  -   in an article about him and a certain album called "Oxygène".

Only recently did I happen upon the fact that Jean-Michel in fact used "Jammie" as his moniker, not JeanMi, and it explains how I really didn't get it when he wanted me to pronounce it without any sound that could remind of a half-hidden "n".

 

 

Edited March 23 by BassTractor

[EliasMooseblaster]

55 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

The band was Parasight. They called it a day when Danny De La Cruz moved to London and joined Inglorious. The rest of them are still involved in music although not as high-profile as Danny. Joe the bass player is with Eddie and the Wolves. The drummer, Tom, went to study music full-time in Birmingham. The other guitarist, another Tom (Platts) is playing in a covers band while completing a Masters degree in music production at Derby University.  Were you part of the local scene then, or just visiting the Vic? 

Indeed it was Parasight! Glad to hear the others are still in music one way or another; they were a lovely bunch and all really good musicians.

 

We were very much passing through - the band was called Cherry White, and a local group called Thunderous Jones were headlining. Were you there that evening, by any chance?

[EliasMooseblaster]

1 hour ago, lidl e said:

My buddy Scott was Dio's keyboardist from 1991 until he passed. He also toured with Heaven and Hell but they made him play backstage!

 

 

 

I've heard before that Sabbath (and so presumably H&H too) had a weird bee in their bonnet about keyboard players being visible onstage...didn't Rick Wakeman get stuffed behind a curtain when he toured with them?

[TheGreek]

Long before I picked up a bass , several of us from the 6th Form took the day off school to watch the filming of "Stand and deliver" by Adam and the Ants in Hatfield Park. 

Despite being at the height of his fame he took the time to chat to fans and sign autographs. 

I even managed to leave with a signed mirror used in the video.

[Doctor J]

I was in the school band with a fantastic drummer called Glen and, on his recommendation, joined the rock band of a mate of his once we finished school. Eventually, he joined the band, too, as we were involved in a thing which was going to be on national TV. We got to go to a nice studio to record, as we were going to be miming during the show itself. On the day, all the acts had to go through the full show several times, so camera angles and the like could be sorted out. Once we had finished our bit, he and I hit the bar until we were called back again. Come showtime, we were both a little worse for wear, we were not quite late teens yet. The song was a power ballad type (it was the very early 90's and grunge hadn't killed that scene yet) and during the emotional intro, I heard my name being whispered loudly. I turned around and, as the bass drum started booming through the PA, he was shaking his right foot wildly out the side of the kit at me, but still the bass drum boomed out loud and proud. Miming to yourself in public is, as it turns out, quite an unusual sensation if you're not used to it. This made us both crack up laughing. We recomposed ourselves got through the show in an earnestly appropriate fashion, though. It wasn't caught by the cameras, thankfully, and the performance came across fine on TV. A while after, the band fell apart and we went our separate ways. He was a top man and a truly savage drummer. I was delighted to see, years later, he was playing stadiums and shifting big units with The Script.

[lidl e]

50 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

 

I've heard before that Sabbath (and so presumably H&H too) had a weird bee in their bonnet about keyboard players being visible onstage...didn't Rick Wakeman get stuffed behind a curtain when he toured with them?

Lol. They did that to Rick Wakeman!

 

yeah, 100% the case with H&H. He played behind a curtain the whole tour.

He was front and center with Dio.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Warren that's him. his younger brother was my boss when i lived in SF in them90s

[TheGreek]

I worked for the Homeless charity,  Shelter.

At a 5 a side football benefit event I managed to meet Blur, Reef, Chesney Hawkes and Jamiriquai (not Stu Zender though)

They all signed a football which we later raffled - the only person we had issues with was Damon Albarn who was unhappy to pose for photos.

[SimonK]

This was the kid I mentioned on the other thread who we let audition, and then realised he was rather good:

 

[Len_derby]

1 hour ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

Indeed it was Parasight! Glad to hear the others are still in music one way or another; they were a lovely bunch and all really good musicians.

 

We were very much passing through - the band was called Cherry White, and a local group called Thunderous Jones were headlining. Were you there that evening, by any chance?

I’ve been going there since about 1973, so it’s quite possible I was there - although most of it’s a blur! 
After a shut-down of a couple of years the place is back in business and somewhat tidier. When on stage, the pungent aroma of the nearby gents’ toilets seems to have gone. 

[SamIAm]

Only the tiniest of brushes for me.

 

For a year or so back in 1999 I lived in a flat that was next to 'The House that Jagger' owned (My partner at the time was flatsitting long term for a super well off college friend).  On a couple of occasions, we were kept up into the wee hours by the sound of partying and the smell of weed (Jagger had bought the flat below the one we were in and turned it into a music space.

 

About 7 years ago the ukulele band I was in (playing ubass) got the chance to perform on the main stage at the Brighton Dome (OMG it was SO much fun!), where ABBA won Eurovision ... and to top it off, we were assigned the same dressing room they had used ... jättebra!!

Sam x

 

Edited March 7 by SamIAm

[Greg Edwards69]

I played a few gigs with a guitarist friend (Clive Murray) who had released an album of instrumental rock (satch/vai type stuff). He's quite good actually, check him out*

 

Anyway, we played a "festival" on London around 2003 called Jemfest, organised by the Jemsite forum, for lovers of all thing Ibanez, pointy, instrumental rock. We shared the bill with Rob Balducci (who told me he loved my tone). And a relatively unknown Herman Li of Dragon Force fame joined in the end of the evening jam.

 

*FWIW, I recently supplied bass for a couple of tracks of Clive's new album 'Love and Painkillers'. Please do check it out if you like that kind of that kind of thing

[sprocketflup]

 

3 hours ago, Pow_22 said:

When living at a pub on Anglesey, what was left of Lieutenant Pigeon played our pub and let me join in on bass for Mouldy Old Dough.  Can say I've played a number one song with a number one band.....technically 

How awesome! I also have a story about LP, possibly trumping yours, my father was in Lieutenant Pigeon

[NJE]

I was playing a pub local to me and Cerys Mathews, singer with Welsh Indie rockers Catatonia, happened to be in celebrating. They were doing quite well at the time and had a couple of charted songs, and a manager/friend/record company chap came up and asked our guitarist if she could sing with us.

 

There were stories that her group had been partaking in a little Peruvian marching powder in the toilets, so the guitarist told him to do one, much to his shock.

 

I was a bit gutted, could have been a fun story to share on an Internet forum one day if he had said yes.