How was your gig last night?

[Downunderwonder]

On 29/04/2024 at 00:00, Mickeyboro said:

Glamping site in deepest Dorset. 

Cocaine being dispensed at the bar perhaps.

[StingRayBoy42]

YESTERDAY!
Another gig that's not really a gig... played Sousaphone at Upton Folk Festival with Beorma Morris - a Border Morris side from Birmingham.
A beautiful day in a beautiful part of the world, dozens of Morris sides from all over the place - lots of different styles on display, Cotswold, Border, Clog, North West and even some wacky medieval/game of thrones style belly dancing (it's not really 'Morris', but each to their own).
We had a good turnout and danced really well (so I believe .. I can't really tell) and we were joined by my lovely Trombone playing friend - she's Japanese and had never seen anything like it.
Bumped into lots of people I know (the Morris world is quite small, so is Upton-on-Severn) including my old boss and the other Morris Sousaphone player, a lovely feller called Mark. He joined us for a couple of dances - stereo Sousaphone action!
Lots of people asking  about the Sousaphone (mainly "What is it?" and "What's wrong with you?") and lots of requests for pictures and selfies... Obviously I demurred as I'm a shy, shrinking wallflower 😀
The day ended with a massed dance - about a hundred dancers and forty musicians making an unholy scene and having a whale of a time.
Shoe update: I wore the New Rocks for that goth/steampunk vibe, the highlight of the day was taking them off when I got back to the car.
Back to the 'proper' gigging tonight!

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

How very diplomatic!

Dave

[dmccombe7]

23 hours ago, WalMan said:

Landed back from hols at sparrow’s fart. Bit of a nap then lock and load.
 

A couple of ‘how does this go again’ moments to start but woke up and cleared ‘flight throat’ for backing vox and overall a great fun night as ever at a small but appreciative pub 🤘😁

 

I still need to get things sorted with the IEM feed as something doesn’t seem quite right. I should be getting pre-fade, but I’m not convinced that I am. I set my mix, and then it changes leading me to suspect I’m getting post.

 

i also need to get a damn sight fitter and shed a few stone!!!! New bike due I a week or so so I must get on it regularly!

Nice looking bass. What is it ? 

Dave

[dmccombe7]

23 hours ago, leschirons said:

I'm finding it difficult to meet people here with the same musical taste and mindset.  Not sure the venues exist for laid back jazzy influenced stuff, which is what I'd like to do. Seems to be Blues or pub rock all around.

I guess that's what most folks want but unfortunately not what I want to play. I also think that I'm slowly losing interest in music full stop.

Think that is a problem for many bassists. My preference is Prog or Jazz Rock but having tried over the many years i just can't find musicians that want to play the same styles.

I was in a band for a while about 5 yrs ago that were doing Doobie Bros, Greg Allman, Tony Joe White and Robert Cray material that was new to me but i really enjoyed playing it but i'm not sure there would be a big demand for it. Unfortunately the band folded because the guitarist / BL was a bit of a t*t to be honest. I left and then they just drifted away to other bands within a few mths.

I'd still love to do some prog like Genesis, Floyd, Camel maybe a wee bit of Bruford but that would be wishful thinking on my part. 

I keep going and living in hope that my punk band will have a go at Suppers Ready or Echoes. 

Dave

[dmccombe7]

12 hours ago, leschirons said:

You have a great sound, you're seriously tight and, because you have confidence in those on stage with you, you enjoy what you're doing and, make it look easy.

I think you nailed it with this comment. This is where i am now with both bands. It does make me happy to play gigs with both bands, i feel comfortable in them. If i chased the Prog dream i may end up with musicians i just don't click with and that would, for me, be a step in the wrong direction.

I'm in this mainly for fun and enjoyment altho the money is helpful but once the fun goes i don't really see the point but that's just my personal circumstances. If i was relying on the income i'd have a completely different attitude towards playing.

Dave

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, leschirons said:

Firstly, it's not that Blues or pub rock is, nor has to be,  any less demanding for a bass player than any other genre

 

What I like about blues rock is the freedom to improvise within a structure. There's always new things to learn as well. Having a 'set of rules' isn't always limiting. One of my favourite live songs we do a long playout in Em where anying goes, sometimes Alex and I do simultaneous finger tapping 😁

[Obrienp]

14 hours ago, leschirons said:

Thanks Pat, much appreciated but I should elaborate a little, based on your reply. 

Firstly, it's not that Blues or pub rock is, nor has to be,  any less demanding for a bass player than any other genre. It's just that I don't want to play it. Regarding standard of musicianship, in my case, I'm certainly no more than your average, intermediate player but,  I'd like to be playing with people where I don't have to worry about their performance in addition to mine and, who also like the same music.

 

Your reply also suggests that you're in a blues band or doing covers because you think that's what your ability limits you to. Having heard and seen you play on a few occasions, I would argue that you seriously underrate your ability. You have a great sound, you're seriously tight and, because you have confidence in those on stage with you, you enjoy what you're doing and, make it look easy.

Thanks Keith. I’ll take flattery all day. Seriously, I have always been in awe of jazz musicians. At the risk of upsetting loads of fellow Bass Chatters, I see accomplished jazz musicians as the “true musicians” of the non-classical music world (I just opened a can of worms I’m sure). This is partly because I can’t do jazz, either on guitar, or bass. I love it but I just don’t get how to play it. Hence I always see blues and pub-rock as easier and not requiring the same level of musicianship. That’s not to say there aren’t loads of accomplished musicians who play these genres and (IMO) prog rock came close to matching jazz for musicianship.

 

Getting back to the point; there are some serious musicians around in our area who would like to do what you want to. I think you need a new band.

[WalMan]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Nice looking bass. What is it ? 

Dave

It’s a Status S2. Generally my go to nowadays, that or a beaten up FPPR S1 for even tighter venues where cats cannot be swung and I’m likely to be knocking into things all night. Both really solid in tone, light and playable. The Wal doesn’t often come out to play at gigs anymore & just used for recording.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think that is a problem for many bassists. My preference is Prog or Jazz Rock but having tried over the many years i just can't find musicians that want to play the same styles.

 

 

Same here, not many groups like that and when they are there always seems to be ego problems, or keyboard player with 100 synths that spends the whole night getting one sound issues. So the pub rock is good now in that there is a lot of modern stuff and its not all blues and hendrix (and no oasis either!).

[Stub Mandrel]

30 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

Thanks Keith. I’ll take flattery all day. Seriously, I have always been in awe of jazz musicians. At the risk of upsetting loads of fellow Bass Chatters, I see accomplished jazz musicians as the “true musicians” of the non-classical music world (I just opened a can of worms I’m sure). This is partly because I can’t do jazz, either on guitar, or bass. I love it but I just don’t get how to play it. Hence I always see blues and pub-rock as easier and not requiring the same level of musicianship. That’s not to say there aren’t loads of accomplished musicians who play these genres and (IMO) prog rock came close to matching jazz for musicianship.

 

Getting back to the point; there are some serious musicians around in our area who would like to do what you want to. I think you need a new band.

 

I was listening to Ten Years After at Reading 83 (I was there) and realised how much I owe to Leo Lyons, back when I was learning I used to play along to Watt and Ssssh back to back.

 

Leo was/is a serious jazz player, listen to Undead.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undead_(Ten_Years_After_album)

 

[dmccombe7]

When i started playing bass it was Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Deep Purple and then moved onto Prog bands like Genesis and Floyd and eventually Camel and that's when i ventured into bands like Bruford, Brand X, Moraz, Mahavishnu, Gino Vannelli and a lot of other bands where the bass playing was that bit more challenging. 

I've never claimed to be a Jazz bassist but i did learn a lot from those types of bassists.

Dave

 

Edited May 5 by dmccombe7

[peteb]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'd still love to do some prog like Genesis, Floyd, Camel maybe a wee bit of Bruford but that would be wishful thinking on my part. 

 

 

There is a niche for most genres, although you might struggle trying to get an audience for playing Bruford covers! However, there are loads of Pink Floyd tributes doing well out there and a guitarist mate of mine is in a very successful Genesis tribute, who go out for a minimum £2k a night (even though personally I can't think of a band I would least like to be in a tribute to). 

 

I occasionally get the idea that I wouldn't mind doing the odd gig playing Billy Cobham 'Spectrum' type  stuff . The trouble is that it is such a small niche where you will be up against music college kids, where merely being good isn't enough. I could play it, but would be likely to struggle with the competition in that area, even though I think that I could more than hold my own against many of them playing anything with a blues element to it! You always have to balance what you like with what you're good at, along with what audience there is for any potential project. Luckily, my musical preferences are reasonably mainstream(ish)! 

 

Edited May 5 by peteb

[mrtcat]

48 minutes ago, WalMan said:

It’s a Status S2. Generally my go to nowadays, that or a beaten up FPPR S1 for even tighter venues where cats cannot be swung and I’m likely to be knocking into things all night. Both really solid in tone, light and playable. The Wal doesn’t often come out to play at gigs anymore & just used for recording.

Pretty much my dream bass. I feel I've earned the right to own one having played 512 gigs in the last 5 yrs but the prices are really high at the moment so I'm just struggling to justify pulling the trigger.

[dmccombe7]

1 minute ago, peteb said:

 

There is a niche for most genres, although you might struggle trying to get an audience for playing Bruford covers! However, there are loads of Pink Floyd tributes doing well out there and a guitarist mate of mine is in a very successful Genesis tribute, who go out for a minimum £2k a night (even though personally I can't think of a band I would least like to be in a tribute to). 

 

I occasionally get the idea that I wouldn't mind doing the odd gig playing Billy Cobham 'Spectrum' type  stuff . The trouble is that it is such a small niche where you will be up against music college kids, where merely being good isn't enough. I could play it, but would be likely to struggle with the competition in that area, even though I think that I could more than hold my own against many of them playing anything with a blues element to it! You always have to balance what you like with what you're good at, along with what audience there is for any potential project. 

 

I always fancied the idea of a Prog covers band rather than a dedicated tribute to one band.

That way i could cover songs by all my fav bands from Genesis, Floyd, Camel, Hackett, Kansas, UK etc. 

I think the Bruford level of musicianship is probably a bit of a stretch for me.

I agree that for me its best to compromise and be good at what you do.

I never thought i'd ever play in a punk covers band but its actually great fun and the stamina required is quite a stretch when you play fingerstyle.

Dave  

[peteb]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

What I like about blues rock is the freedom to improvise within a structure.

 

Exactly, the same here. It also has the benefit of being very listenable to a lot of punters. A mate of mine (who used to be a promoter) described it as everybody over 40's guilty secret! 

 

I'm currently doing a blues project with a mate of mine who is a very good pro guitarist (i.e. teaches, plays in a good paying tribute and does deps for function bands, etc). I originally approached him to help me out as I had some decent gigs offered, but had been let down by the earlier version of the band. However, he jumped at the chance to put together a permanent band, as he had missed playing that type of music. 

 

[peteb]

5 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I always fancied the idea of a Prog covers band rather than a dedicated tribute to one band.

 

 

The problem is that this isn't mainstream covers stuff that you could play down a pub. To get any audience, you have to be able to market it, which realistically means doing a tribute to one of the bigger prog bands. 

 

[Bluewine]

On 04/05/2024 at 07:42, leschirons said:

I'm finding it difficult to meet people here with the same musical taste and mindset.  Not sure the venues exist for laid back jazzy influenced stuff, which is what I'd like to do. Seems to be Blues or pub rock all around.

I guess that's what most folks want but unfortunately not what I want to play. I also think that I'm slowly losing interest in music full stop.

Unfortunately gigging is about what the crowd likes and wants to hear. Gigging is not about our personal taste.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

47 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

Exactly, the same here. It also has the benefit of being very listenable to a lot of punters. A mate of mine (who used to be a promoter) described it as everybody over 40's guilty secret! 

 

I'm currently doing a blues project with a mate of mine who is a very good pro guitarist (i.e. teaches, plays in a good paying tribute and does deps for function bands, etc). I originally approached him to help me out as I had some decent gigs offered, but had been let down by the earlier version of the band. However, he jumped at the chance to put together a permanent band, as he had missed playing that type of music. 

 

Were not a traditional cover band . We do ok in bookings with a full summer schedule.  However we don't get the same caliber of gigs the top local cover bands get.

[peteb]

9 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Unfortunately gigging is about what the crowd likes and wants to hear. Gigging is not about our personal taste.

 

Daryl

 

I don't entirely agree Daryl. There is an audience for most types of music, just the more niche it is, the harder it is to find it. But as long as there is a 'critical mass' of enough people interested in the type of music you want to play, then a project will be viable. And the audience for a blues, prog, AOR, ska or whatever band will be more appreciative and generally be prepared to pay more than the audience for a mainstream covers band in a bar. 

 

Of course, if you actually like the music that you play, then you will sound more authentic and come across a lot better to punters than if you don't care for it... 

 

Edited May 5 by peteb

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, peteb said:

 

The problem is that this isn't mainstream covers stuff that you could play down a pub. To get any audience, you have to be able to market it, which realistically means doing a tribute to one of the bigger prog bands. 

 

yep that's what i find. There is a band up here doing this called Outside the Original and they've struggled to get a decent audience at the beginning but the more they play the more people come along and they now fill or almost fill most venues they are playing. Venues i thought they would get a decent audience were surprisingly empty at the start..

I agree there's not a big enough audience for prog these days. 

One of my first decent bands around 1980 we played Magnum, Saga, Kansas, Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore and ELP Fanfare for Common Man. We also did a few rock type songs like Van Halen, Y&T and by some obscure Canadian bands (singer was Canadian). I had only heard these bands because he played them for us. Was a great band with fairly competent musicians still under 20yrs old. We played some great gigs and had great feedback but alas illegal substances within the band killed it off for myself and guitarist who stopped playing in bands after that. Shame 

Dave 

Edited May 5 by dmccombe7

[Boodang]

2 hours ago, peteb said:

 

The problem is that this isn't mainstream covers stuff that you could play down a pub. To get any audience, you have to be able to market it, which realistically means doing a tribute to one of the bigger prog bands. 

 

Funny you should say this…. have been in a very generic ‘jukebox’ covers band, good musicians, very competent, ok gigs. Accidentally (long story) have formed a Hendrix tribute (not an easy thing to do until you meet the right guitarist!) and the gigs have come pouring in. 

[Boodang]

2 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Were not a traditional cover band . We do ok in bookings with a full summer schedule.  However we don't get the same caliber of gigs the top local cover bands get.

Not traditional covers band in what way?! 

[steantval]

4 hours ago, peteb said:

 

The problem is that this isn't mainstream covers stuff that you could play down a pub. To get any audience, you have to be able to market it, which realistically means doing a tribute to one of the bigger prog bands. 

 

We have a band in our area dedicated to playing just prog covers, the band is made up from the cream of the crop musicians in the area, they only do a few gigs a year and they are always rammed with punters and a lot of local musicians seeing how it’s done, the musicians in the band play in mostly party/wedding bands on a regular basis.

 

 

 

Edited May 5 by steantval

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, steantval said:

We have a band in our area dedicated to playing just prog covers, the band is made up from the cream of the crop musicians in the area, they only do a few gigs a year and they are always rammed with punters and a lot of local musicians seeing how it’s done, the musicians in the band play in mostly party/wedding bands on a regular basis.

 

 

 

Once had a great day of drinking beer and watching bands with the talented Jim Gilmour just after he joined Saga. He's a local lad from back in early 80's.

Fantastic musician and really nice guy. We kept in touch for a while on FB but haven't spoken in a while now.

Dave