How was your gig last night?

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='233455' date='Jul 6 2008, 09:16 AM']So... are they going to carry on without you? Assuming they can find their way out of the pub now you're gone, that is...

YES!


I'll give it two weeks. [/quote]

Noooooo!



Been listening to The Caffreys for the last 1/2 hour, sound great. If it all gets too much for you give me a shout

I'll see you later tonight.

[wateroftyne]

Cool... my 410L may well be making an appearance, if the silicon dries in time...

It'll be overkill for an acoustic gig, but.. meeeeeh.

[Mickeyboro]

Played a big charity ball in Surrey in a marquee to 142 p***ed up posh people who all wanted to let their hair down after a sit down meal.

I was depping in a pop party band and must have been concentrating too hard as I was chided by one beauty for 'not smiling enough'.

I was at the end of the night when they upped our fee by 25%!

Prize for trickiest song of the night: 'Come up And See Me (Make Me Smile)'...the middle 8 lasts an age if you're bluffing it.

Prize for most optimistic punter: The girl who wanted 'December 1963 (Oh What A Night)' by 4 Seasons.

Prize for most satisfied punter: The guy who perusaded us to do an impromptu 'Wild Thing' with him singing as 'last time I did it the ladies tore all my clothes off'. On second thoughts he wasn't happy - they didn't.

Final song of the evening '500 Miles'. I ended up singing lead as the singer (now in Superman costume from a dinner jacket) didn't know the words. On seciond thoughts what am I saying? The audience took it. Oooh my head.

Edited July 6, 2008 by Mickeyboro

[ianrunci]

Played in Reigate Liverpool last night to a bunch of coffin dodgers. but we got paid which is the main thing

[bassninja]

Town pub in Bognor Regis. A bit apprehensive on arrival as the AC/DC and Van Halen were audible from some distance from the jukebox and we're an acoustic three piece (no drums) doing more or less the complete opposite.

Anyhow, they turned out to be a really friendly bunch and we got paid before the first note, didn't have to buy a drink all evening and got a string of return gigs throughout the rest of the year! We've only played together for about an hour in the last month, so it was great to get back in the saddle and jam. It was a bit random to have a swarthy geezer with Harley tattoos and abundant ear-hair say "I F***in' [i]love[/i] Django Reinhart, do some more.." WTF?

It all feeds into my "Gigs you look forward to turn out rubbish, gigs you dread turn out great" general hypothesis.

Still gassing for a Jazz V, though...

[EskimoBassist]

Well i played my largest gig ever with the band yesterday! This was at CultureShock Festival in Northallerton and we were the local band support on the Main Stage for BoyKillBoy and Utah Saints. We played to over 300 people, which isnt bad i dont think considering the appalling weather!!

Pedalboard malfunction though halfway through our last song, i lost power to half my board! ARGH!!!!!!!!!

Rich

[yorks5stringer]

Bit apprehensive about our gig at the Queen Vic in Northowram as the Landlord asked if we bring many supporters and of the many I invited, only 2 turned up!

However gig went very well, Landlord manages another pub too and was down there for the crowds seeing Chantel McGregor, leaving us for the more discerning clientele!

Very few left during the evening, the bar staff were singing along (always a good sign) although I managed to step on my lead twice and come unplugged( Yes, I know one should wrap it round something first...).

Our singer, after over a years gigging, still needs the crutch of her music stand with words, which we just about get away with as we do some "Jazz" but I think she hides behind it and needs to project and communicate more with the audience....

Anyway, the Bar Manager will recommend us for a re-booking: we like doing some pubs as we invite along prospective Wedding/Function Clients so they can see us in the flesh.

Gave a CD to a couple who had just come for a quick meal and stayed to watch us: they said they'd come and see us at our next gig.

Next gig is on the singer's home turf, let's see if I can hide that damned stand!

[tonybassplayer]

Things were not looking good at the beginning of the week when our drummer announced a health enforced two month break due to a hearing problem that turned in to a "best to look for someone full time".

Tuesday was spent in a delightful 8 hour non stop meeting at work and then Wednesday night had me down at the local hospital with my 6 year old daughter having an emergency operation on a broken arm after a climbing frame accident.

By the time Friday nights gig came along at the Barge at Brighouse ( sister pub to the Queen Vic ... see above ) I was well up for a chilled out gig and what a cracker it turned out to be. The dep drummer ( we met him for the first time at 7.30 that night ) was brilliant, loads of friends and family came to see us and loads of people up and dancing. To cap it all the dep says he is interested in joining the band !!!

Apologies to Keith ( yorks5stringer ... see above ) for not turning up on Saturday but during our gig my girlfriend got talking to the guitarist from another local band and said we would go and see his band on Sat night but I promise we will get to a gig soon and I will put the £5 for the auction on paypal.

[attachment=10502:P7040031.JPG]

[johnnylager]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' post='233847' date='Jul 6 2008, 11:14 PM'][attachment=10502:P7040031.JPG][/quote]
Your sax player looks like he fancies your singer.

[Bilbo]

Latin gig in Peterborough - dogs breakfast in terms of organisation and so, after starting to play 3 hours after we should have, we got home at 6 a.m. All to an audience that numbers less than 30. And the in-house PA gave us a dreadful on-stage sound - too loud and no definition.

Al round sucksville.

[tauzero]

Busy weekend.

Saturday - the future Mrs Zero and I did a little session in the acoustic tent at Cotteridge Park in the CoCoMad festival.

Then it was dash home and load up the bass gear for a 60th birthday party for the covers band (no, it wasn't us that was 60). This actually had arisen from parting ways with the singer - we started rehearsing again and the rehearsal studio passed the request for a covers band on to us, which was nice. So there was this 60th birthday party, a bit of a pain loading in (it was upstairs) but a really friendly bunch of people. It was all a bit static until after the buffet (a phenomenon I've noticed at barn dances too), then the alcohol kicked in and we had a floor full of dancers for the next two hours.

Home again and leave the gear in the car, as Sunday afternoon was a gig at a Birmingham club, the E57. The singer's absence was noticed - fortunately, our performance demonstrated that we didn't need him and we did get comments about it being better without him rabbiting on between numbers, and the gaffer wants us back there. And our guitarist really does need to sort out his leads, had to borrow one off me after three of his turned out to be duff. Oh, and we got booked to play an engagement party as well.

So all in all a very satisfactory weekend. We've finally got some new songs in after two years of being static, and we're moving up to the parties and functions as well as doing the clubs.

[dave_bass5]

Two hoilday camps this weekend.

First, on Friday we had to sound check without a drummer a she was working. when we got there (a bit late) we decided to use their PA. Not a good move.
We tried to get a good mix without the drums but it all seemed to got to pot once we started playing.
the guitars were too loud and too bright, the snare was too loud at first but i sorted that and my bass was loosing volume gradually during the first set.
my mind was on this rather than the gig and i had to keep turning the amp up between songs. It turned out it was the battery in my Opto-stomp as when i clicked it off suddenly the bass way way too loud. so that also put the mix out. spent the rest of the set adjusting the levels up and down.
Second set went ok but they cut it short by 15mins. Hope we weren't that bad. The room was dead though so i think they wanted to put the disco back on.

Sat was a really good one. Again we used the house PA but we had a good sound check and all sounded fine. The crowd we much better and there were two hen nights in so that helped. One girl asked for my pants, while i was playing :-0.
Best part of the night (for me and the drummer) was when the guitarist and singer decided to leave the stage door and office door behind the stage open while they loaded their car and the camps smoke machine set off the detectors. We could just hear it and didnt think much of it as me and the drummer we driving away. When we got around the front of the venue we noticed about 300 people standing outside the venue. We had to laugh.
Just hope there aren't any comebacks on the band.

Getting the 1212L was a really good move. Normally at these venues im struggling to get the bass out in the room. High stages, big rooms and just a small PA but its really cutting through well and ive been very happy with how well the lows have reached the back of these rooms.
As we play mostly on wooden stages the 1212L seems better suited.

And here is a rather cluttered pic of my room slaying rig. complete with old guy.

Edited July 7, 2008 by dave_bass5

[Shockwave]

Some choice pics from a month or so ago.


Steve Harris eat your heart out!

[Matty]

She looks like a girl i used to know.
Shes not called Cecile is she?

[bassace]

Friday evening played Chicago style jazz with the Seven Stars at a golf club at Droitwich as part of their Music and Arts Festival. The URB and amps fitted nicely in the new Merc C Class.

Sat morning did a shop opening in Witney with a scratch jazz four piece; trumpet, sax, me on URB and a female banjo player with a broken leg - you couldn't make it up! The shop owner let me park in his service bay but then told me that there was no power available because we were under a gazebo in the middle of the pedestrian area. So I played my old German lami unamped for two hours. Haven't done this for decades but it sounded quite good and my fingers were not too shot.

Dashed back home to change gear and then off to Hook Norton Music at the CrossRoads where I played in the acoustic tent with FiddleBop, a fiddle, guitar and double bass trio. I set my stuff up and offered the sound gorrillas a pre-eq feed out of my amp but they insisted on putting in their own DI [i]before[/i] my impedance-buffering preamp - so the sound was pretty crap. Then when we were clearing the stage after our set they knocked a glass of beer over my EA cab. God bless em.

Backstage hospitality was good, beer, wine and a good food buffet. Then home to be reunited with Mrs Bassace, a nice bottle of wine and crap telly.

Edited July 8, 2008 by bassace

[OldGit]

Oh dear .. Got a gig in a tent tomorrow .. last time we played in a tent they'd borrowed a few gardern gazebo things for the band to cower under at the end of the real marquee .. of course it was teaming down ..
We spent the first setup hour gaffa taping the seams and creating gutters to stay dry, and alive ....
Weather forcast for tomorrow is "wet wet wet"
Best take my wellies I think ..

[bassninja]

A 'country' gig at Borders in Oxford Street, CD launch for an album I did about a year ago. Not my regular gig, but I know the material and the other players well, so hey ho...

There's some narration on the album; a story from the American Civil War. Who should turn up to do the spoken parts but Peter Donaldson, voice of Radio 4. I tried to get him to quote some classic selections from the shipping forecast, but he declined gracefully. I'm glad to report, however, that he [i]did[/i] wear a dinner suit and bow tie. Various media types about too, with talk of doing a documentary at some point.

Also in attendance were some folks from an American Civil War reenactment group in full regalia with flags and the like. Not my cup o' tea really, but it all added to the vibe. There will be a few more of them over the next few months, but I've made my excuses (study, other band commitments etc) and there's a good dep on standby.

Festival gig next week, so fingers crossed that the rain will indeed stay mainly on the plain. Preferably in Spain.

[Mr. Foxen]

Played my first gig on Tuesday supporting Asva. Went pretty well, put a mic at the back of the room, on listening back am painfully aware of my fluffs. Sound was great, mic'd up and DI from my sansamp, as knew the sound guy (props to Joe Garcia). People stayed for the whole set, clapped at the end, I didn't freak out. Best part was we went and found the promoter to see if we got anything for playing and he gave us a stick of gum and told us not to chew it all at once. Then I had to carry my whole rig home by foot (1x15", 4x10, Firebass head).

[joegarcia]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='237004' date='Jul 11 2008, 01:01 AM']Then I had to carry my whole rig home by foot (1x15", 4x10, Firebass head).[/quote]

All the way next door! Gosh, you poor thing.

[bassninja]

Disastro! Gig at the Fountain, Chichester.

I discover that my Trace kit (just back from the repairer) still has the same terminal problem it went in with. My 'spare' combo (Peavey Databass) is still in the van from last night's gig somewhere in Sussex, custodian out of reach of phone. Only the 35w Laney 10" practice combo available. This gig is with a flailing drummer and enthusiastic punters playing Little Feat/Allman Brothers/Grateful Dead type stuff.

A couple of calls later, managed to convince a reluctant band to use one of my other bands' 1K HK rig (sub & stereo tops) with the wee Laney on a windowsill as monitor, DI into the rig from my Sansamp, and persuaded the guitarist to use a small valve combo with an SM57 on it. Much harrumphing and complaining from embarrassed old me, and many *tsks* from the fellas but the show must go on...

Surprise, all went really well and a lower on stage sound with more room was a real pleasure to deal with, such that the other guys suggested we try the setup more often. Another one for my 'Anticipated crap gigs that actually turn out really well' hypothesis (two in a week? I must have moved into the Twilight Zone).

Now much relieved and settled down with a bottle of Hoegaarden and crap telly.

[tonybassplayer]

Unfortunately we had to pull out of last nights gig as our singer has lost her voice. We managed to organise a suitable replacement for the pub and all was well until I got a call from our sax player at 9.30 last night who had decided to go watch the replacement band ( The Harry Coffey Band .... thank you guys ) to say that a bunch of my friends, including one that I hadn't seen for over a year and had travelled 60 miles, had pitched up at the gig as a surprise to see me !!!

To say I was gutted was an understatement !! They had been surprisingly quiet on the texting/emailing front this week and now I know why !!

[ARGH]

Bitter,weird,nice,but not as nice. Hope tomorrows goes ok.

[hatori]

Newt beer festival near Bridgewater last night. We (The Ben Fletcher Band) were second on the bill. Loadsa people, loadsa beer and very good atmos. There were large numbers of people all sat outside smoking during the first band which was a shame. When we came on it rained so they all came in, estimated about 1000 plus. We proceeded to kick some serious butt during our 85 minutes with the Tobias sixxer (thanks again Dude) producing some 'brown moments' among the crowd!! I pulled off a solo on fretless which seemed to go down well. All in all a great gig, shame it cant be like that a couple of times a week! My thanks to all the sound guys who did an excellent job.

[thumperbob 2002]

Had our first gig for my 7 piece Soul Band at a wine/ bistro pub bar thing just near me. The venue have never had any bands there before- just an open mic acoustic night and the odd single artist. The idea was to have a shakedown gig as we have some function work coming up and after a couple of months rehearsal our brass section were not really improving. I though the threat of a gig would sharpen them up.

I went to see the owner of the bistro who really didnt know how to deal with bands- he wanted to put us on on a Sunday- the venue is particularly busy on that night- I told him to put us on on a Thursday- the venue is normally empty and I informed him we`ll get some posters done and try to get some people in the venue for him. After a bit of negotiation he agreed to pay us £100 ( the least I have ever played for!! ) but the idea was really to get us out there as a sort of paid practice for the well paying gigs we have lined up in the next few weeks.

I have gigged with only one of the band before ( the drummer who is probably the best drummer in this area ) but the rest of the band were an unknown quantity- it showed- it was like dealing with children in soundcheck- some were quite nervous and did not really know what to do. Out trumpet was having a bad time with his partner so had to miss the soundcheck ( he had to go home to deal with the mrs ). We thought that he wasnt coming back.

Anyhow the gig went really well- loads of people in the venue- Owner was amazed and has booked us for a monthly Soul night and has agreed to increase our pay by 300%. My Marcus and Marshall VBA and 4 X 12 filled the venue with warmth- we had a really simple rig- 900w Mackie active speakers, desk and backline ( no monitors ) -back to the old days!! The band really stepped up and the musicians there were all impressed that it was our first gig- said it sounded great. We also arranged another function gig with one of the audience- result!!

It just goes to show that if you invest a bit of time in what may seem like a useless gig things turn out for the better in the end.

The band are all looking forward to our next gigs and certainly, when the Soul Nights start we will be able to put in some off the wall stuff to keep our interest up ( and the audience )

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' post='237795' date='Jul 12 2008, 08:47 AM']Anyhow the gig went really well- loads of people in the venue- Owner was amazed and has booked us for a monthly Soul night and has agreed to increase our pay by 300%. My Marcus and Marshall VBA and 4 X 12 filled the venue with warmth- we had a really simple rig- 900w Mackie active speakers, desk and backline ( no monitors ) -back to the old days!! The band really stepped up and the musicians there were all impressed that it was our first gig- said it sounded great. We also arranged another function gig with one of the audience- result!!

It just goes to show that if you invest a bit of time in what may seem like a useless gig things turn out for the better in the end.

The band are all looking forward to our next gigs and certainly, when the Soul Nights start we will be able to put in some off the wall stuff to keep our interest up ( and the audience )[/quote]
Great story!

We played at The Elms in Worthing last night and it was one of those gigs where everyone in the band was a bit below par! It took me two-thirds of the gig to get up to what I would consider a decent level of playing.. Up till then my hands felt like they were coated in treacle!!

Odd thing (or is it a sad thing?) is that the audience didn't seem to notice our failings at all?? They were quite happily singing, cheering and dancing the night away..

Playing a wedding at some caravan park in Bognor tonight the thought of which is enough to make me want to take up basket-weaving or patchwork quilt making instead..