How was your gig last night?

[Muzz]

2 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

At first glance, I seriously thought you meant "Elixir of life" rather than strings

I wish...especially just as I'm getting up in the morning...ooooff... 😐

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

You guys that are gigging that frequently must have very understanding “ better half’s “ !!! 
 

Im restricted to around two gigs per month and a weekly rehearsal !!! 

Yes i do and she goes to all my gigs these days. Not the rehearsals tho. Maybe she doesn't trust me at gigs, but at my age she has no worries there. 

Dave

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, Muzz said:

I should add that SWMBO is fully on board with it - the cash helps (got a Boy heading off to Uni in three weeks)... 😀

 

As far as wear and tear goes, I'm 60 next year, but a combination of Elixirs and mostly pick playing keeps that under control (and inears and minimal backline to shift), and I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy all of it...even if a lie-down now and then is required (not onstage, obv...) 🙂

 

The setlists have some overlap (tho there's key shifts from one to another, too), but 70-odd songs to be remembering how to play bob on is the toughest bit...

Jings you're just a few yrs less than me then and i have to admit i couldn't do that many gigs over a weekend.

I've just put elixirs on one of my basses and they are easier on the fingers than the DR Black Beauties that seem to burn if you slide. The Elixirs don't do that altho they do have a fair bit more tension and i had to straighten the neck on the Sandberg by almost a full turn on the truss rod. Will see how they last.

Between my 2 bands i have to remember around 85-90 songs that don't overlap as one band is Glam covers the other punk covers. Its a pain when one band hasn't played for a couple of mths and i need to rehearse at home to get back on top of them usually the punk songs 😀

Dave

[casapete]

4 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

WOW just WOW All the very best with them.

I personally couldn't do that many gigs as my finger tips would be leaking fluid when my blisters burst altho when i was gigging regularly few mths back i had no issues. Things have quietened down a bit this last month but picking up again soon.

Still 5 gigs and a rehearsal in five days would kill me at my age. 

Impressed tho.

Have fun and enjoy cause that's what its all about.

Dave

I honestly think Dave that it is better to keep doing frequent gigs than the odd one with gaps between.

For me I find your body gets into a ‘routine’ of doing it, and so long as you can get quality sleep most

days it is more of a state of mind than anything else. 

For example, in the last ten days of July,  I managed to do gigs in Bury St Edmunds (2 days), Scarborough,

Hull, Swindon, Manchester, Sunderland and Beverley, plus a full day’s band rehearsal too. At 65, I do get

the usual aches and pains but can fortunately overcome them most of the time - worst bit is getting out

of the band bus after a 5 hour journey! 

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

I honestly think Dave that it is better to keep doing frequent gigs than the odd one with gaps between.

For me I find your body gets into a ‘routine’ of doing it, and so long as you can get quality sleep most

days it is more of a state of mind than anything else. 

For example, in the last ten days of July,  I managed to do gigs in Bury St Edmunds (2 days), Scarborough,

Hull, Swindon, Manchester, Sunderland and Beverley, plus a full day’s band rehearsal too. At 65, I do get

the usual aches and pains but can fortunately overcome them most of the time - worst bit is getting out

of the band bus after a 5 hour journey! 

I would have thought you just turned up and played at your gigs Pete. Iss that not what roadies are for. 

My biggest problem over the years is i can't sleep when its daylight. If its not the brightness its the daytime noises. I have blackout blinds but the cats love jumping up between the vertical slats and hey ho i'm awake as the sun hits our bedroom window in the mornings.

I think you're right tho. Once you get into a routine of doing regular gigs its no different from doing most other jobs with odd hours.

Dave

Edited August 22, 2023 by dmccombe7

[Bluewine]

This Saturday 

 

Maple Road
This Saturday 8/26

Zeigler Winery

 

"Outdoor rockin' blues on Lake Winnebago @ Ziegler! We're thrilled to be playing this beautiful venue for the first time! Come enjoy some fantastic wine, (they have a great beer selection, too!) an awesome menu and a whole bunch of live music! Don't miss it!  And we'll have Tim Sardina on drums."

 

I'm looking forward to this gig. I've done acoustic stuff there before.  This is the  first time we're bringing the full Maple Road band. The grounds are beautiful.  

 

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

Blue 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

On 22/08/2023 at 12:21, dmccombe7 said:

I would have thought you just turned up and played at your gigs Pete. Iss that not what roadies are for. 

My biggest problem over the years is i can't sleep when its daylight. If its not the brightness its the daytime noises. I have blackout blinds but the cats love jumping up between the vertical slats and hey ho i'm awake as the sun hits our bedroom window in the mornings.

I think you're right tho. Once you get into a routine of doing regular gigs its no different from doing most other jobs with odd hours.

Dave

 

Dave,

 

What a coincidence. I put up room darkening panels today. I don't think they're the answer. I should have gotten black out panels 

 

Daryl

[Stub Mandrel]

On 22/08/2023 at 12:13, BassAdder60 said:

You guys that are gigging that frequently must have very understanding “ better half’s “ !!! 
 

Im restricted to around two gigs per month and a weekly rehearsal !!! 

 

My better half met me because she came to one of our gigs to see if we were worth booking, so she understands! 🙂

 

She's coming to all three of my gigs at the weekend as she's never seen the dep band and the Sunday gig is at our favourite venue... but we go to see a band she book on Friday and Son of Man, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, and Hawkwind on Monday. What a weekend!

[Stub Mandrel]

On 22/08/2023 at 13:59, Muzz said:

I should add that SWMBO is fully on board with it - the cash helps (got a Boy heading off to Uni in three weeks)... 😀

 

As far as wear and tear goes, I'm 60 next year, but a combination of Elixirs and mostly pick playing keeps that under control (and inears and minimal backline to shift), and I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy all of it...even if a lie-down now and then is required (not onstage, obv...) 🙂

 

The setlists have some overlap (tho there's key shifts from one to another, too), but 70-odd songs to be remembering how to play bob on is the toughest bit...

 

After >9 hours of rehearsals in four days (plus practice at home) Ibuprofen is your friend...

[Stub Mandrel]

8 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

Dave,

 

What a coincidence. I put up room darkening panels today. I don't think they're the answer. I should have gotten black out panels 

 

Daryl

 

I fitted a blackout blind instead of curtains. But light still gets in around the edges.

[dmccombe7]

50 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

After >9 hours of rehearsals in four days (plus practice at home) Ibuprofen is your friend...

Only realised after 20 yrs of asthma that it was the Ibuprofen that was triggering it.

I have to make do with paracetamol these days which isn't so fast acting when a migraine comes on.

Jings i'm an auld duffer these days. 

Dave 

[dmccombe7]

51 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

I fitted a blackout blind instead of curtains. But light still gets in around the edges.

If you want total darkness blackout curtains might be the better way to go.

I don't mind a little bit of light at the edges but when the cat pushes the vertical slats aside in the middle of the window and the sun directly hits your face its a bit of a nuisance to say the least. 

Dave

[Muzz]

Luckily, I can nap on a rail in full sunlight if I'm tired (or in front of a blaring TV, which might occasionally happen...allegedly), but yeah, I have a very dark bedroom...

 

On that, years ago a friend of mine had moved into a new (shared) house, and his bedroom was at the back overlooking some woods; there were blackout blinds already fitted, and he set his radio alarm for 5am (it was Winter, too), because he had an early shift. It turned out instead of the alarm tone, he'd set it for the radio, so he was awoken to the ethereal sound of Enya, in an unfamiliar place, in total darkness...he said 'I just lay there, blinking, not seeing anything but black, with a choir of voices around me...for about a minute I thought I'd died in the night...'   😁

Edited August 25, 2023 by Muzz

[Franticsmurf]

1 hour ago, Muzz said:

he'd set it for the radio, so he was awoken to the ethereal sound of Enya

Now you mention it, wasn't Enya's 'Orinico Flow' the start up tune for Radio 4 in the mornings? I sued to wake up to that, too. Never thought I was dead though. 🤣

[Merton]

Just got back from Alex James’ farm, following a wicked mid/afternoon set with Katy Hurt at the Big Feastival. We had a blast, and apart from a complete mind fart on the last chorus of the last song I think I played OK 😀

 

Started with a reasonably sparse crowd (pic below) but it felt like most people who walked past stopped and stayed for the whole set which was delightful

 

 

Bass was my glorious Zoot P5, onstage duties handled by my Elf and a single Barefaced Two10. Marvellous!

[moley6knipe]

@Merton - brilliant!! Good work… I checked out her stuff when you joined up, she’s great! Nice gig to land

[Merton]

23 minutes ago, moley6knipe said:

@Merton - brilliant!! Good work… I checked out her stuff when you joined up, she’s great! Nice gig to land

She’s awesome! Best singer I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with, and the songs are cracking. Very privileged to have the opportunity to gig with her and the band

 

[Lozz196]

Just got in from our (The Spacewasters) first gig this year, and also our first since our singers motorcycle accident last year which sadly resulted in him having his leg amputated just below the knee.

 

Was at The Black Heart in Camden, 4 bands on the bill including my old band Knock Off who were headlining. All played well, was a good evening, only downside was it was soooo loud, at some points on the other bands I couldn’t hear the vocals at all where the bass was just dominating the mix. 
 

We went down really well, prob the best of the night, and sold a good bit of our new merch so all well & good, especially with our newer material going down just as well as songs the band have had for over 10 years.

[Richard R]

On 22/08/2023 at 18:21, dmccombe7 said:

My biggest problem over the years is i can't sleep when its daylight. If its not the brightness its the daytime noises. I have blackout blinds but the cats love jumping up between the vertical slats and hey ho i'm awake as the sun hits our bedroom window in the mornings.

 

A while back I bought a very soft, padded,  eye-mask for sleeping on a plane journey.  I've since found it invaluable in the summer, or when I need to hit the sack in the evening to be up for an early start.

[scalpy]

Local carnival last night. Big aspirations on a show string budget. PA provided and backline, but we have our own idiosyncratic rack in ears system so had 15 minutes to clear backline (to make room for a our 5 piece horn section) and get 11 of us on stage in 15 minutes. Our sound engineer and guitarist had another gig so it was my job to oversee all of it. Just about managed it with some delegation, then we managed to keep a crowd for an hour and half set.

 

Two more gigs today- set ups will be much more straightforward!

[dmccombe7]

8 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Just got in from our (The Spacewasters) first gig this year, and also our first since our singers motorcycle accident last year which sadly resulted in him having his leg amputated just below the knee.

 

Was at The Black Heart in Camden, 4 bands on the bill including my old band Knock Off who were headlining. All played well, was a good evening, only downside was it was soooo loud, at some points on the other bands I couldn’t hear the vocals at all where the bass was just dominating the mix. 
 

We went down really well, prob the best of the night, and sold a good bit of our new merch so all well & good, especially with our newer material going down just as well as songs the band have had for over 10 years.

Great stuff, and well done to your singer coming back from such a serious accident. 

Well done.

Dave

[Lozz196]

Thanks Dave

[theplumber]

Great gig in a tiny pub in Lanark,Scotland. The Horse and Jockey. I had been told by some folk it was tiny and....it was! We managed though but it was like playing in a goldfish bowl at times with folk all around us. No stage to speak of just a corner next to the jukebox! It was a bit of an odd set up for us as the guitarists combo sat on my speaker cab and faced side on to the band. The keyboard player was also side on and looking at a wall or the bar all night! It got really full at one point when folk from the concert hall down the road piled in after a show! We went down a storm with folk asking us when we are coming back! The guy in charge gave us two more bookings for this year which surprised us as the usual carry on is doing a gig then spending the next month trying to get hold of the guy to book us again even when going down a storm! They are either too busy or never even seen the band on the night! Next time in we may spread out a bit. I really didn't want to take up any more of the space or tables as it was a mainly middle aged....ok old! audience and standing about all night right next to a band isn't really a fun night out! Well maybe not for everyone! It was very tight and I had to raise the neck of the bass to let folk pass and yes..it had to happen! Some guy tripped over my mike stand and it went flying towards me! Managed to catch it!!! Yes a great wee venue!

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Thanks Dave

How did he feel getting back into it. ?

Dave

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, theplumber said:

Great gig in a tiny pub in Lanark,Scotland. The Horse and Jockey. I had been told by some folk it was tiny and....it was! We managed though but it was like playing in a goldfish bowl at times with folk all around us. No stage to speak of just a corner next to the jukebox! It was a bit of an odd set up for us as the guitarists combo sat on my speaker cab and faced side on to the band. The keyboard player was also side on and looking at a wall or the bar all night! It got really full at one point when folk from the concert hall down the road piled in after a show! We went down a storm with folk asking us when we are coming back! The guy in charge gave us two more bookings for this year which surprised us as the usual carry on is doing a gig then spending the next month trying to get hold of the guy to book us again even when going down a storm! They are either too busy or never even seen the band on the night! Next time in we may spread out a bit. I really didn't want to take up any more of the space or tables as it was a mainly middle aged....ok old! audience and standing about all night right next to a band isn't really a fun night out! Well maybe not for everyone! It was very tight and I had to raise the neck of the bass to let folk pass and yes..it had to happen! Some guy tripped over my mike stand and it went flying towards me! Managed to catch it!!! Yes a great wee venue!

Wish i had known Stevie and i would have come down for an hour. What is the bands name. (you do change bands a lot )

Great wee pub and they have a live band on every Fri night and always pretty well attended.

Last time i was in it got too busy for me and i left after the first set. Being sober i find it difficult to put up with drunken idiots in pubs unless i'm playing and getting paid for it. 

Maybe next time. Let me know when you are back.

I'll come down and stand right in front of you as i did with another BC'er @Angelus who plays there regularly.

Dave