How was your gig last night?

[Gasman]

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

So where did you play Mike? your facebook page seems to be a bit neglected!

 

Sounds like a good night anyway, especially when you are winging it!

Hi Woody - we were at the George Inn, Castle Cary. Alas, the FB page isn't mine to maintain!

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Gasman said:

Hi Woody - we were at the George Inn, Castle Cary. Alas, the FB page isn't mine to maintain!

 

Ooh, Castle Cary, how posh, they don't let scum like us in there

 

[Bluewine]

On 01/01/2025 at 06:35, casapete said:

Played at The Palm Court Hotel in Scarborough last night for a NYE dinner dance.

 

Despite horrendous weather warnings we made it there okay, the 50 mile journey

affected mainly by high winds. Got set up in the hotel lounge whilst the guests were 

dining - took my usual Rumble 100 combo to use with a Squier SS Jag bass which

has been given to me on permanent loan by a friend. Sounded fine and easy to play

for the three long sets we did, starting around 8pm through to 12.30am. 
We were well looked after by the hotel manager - we took our partners and they were

given lots of bubbly and stuff, and we had a few drinks too although as I was driving

I stuck to water and coffee. 🙁

Playing wise it went okay. Had a keyboard player with us ( old mate Steve ) as

well as singer guitarist Doug who is well known in the Scarborough area.

Songs requested and played were the usual dance standards ( Sinatra etc)

right through to slightly more recent stuff. I got a request to sing ‘Dead Flowers’

by the Stones - slightly unusual choice for a NYE do - so duly obliged , along with 

some other 60’s and 70’s stuff and of course ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at midnight.

Got packed very quickly and then had a dreadful journey home - roads were 

virtually rivers in places, with biblical amounts of rainfall. My trusty Skoda didn’t

 miss a beat though, so back around 2.30am, absolutely knackered!
Not the best of gigs I’ve done recently, (made worse by wearing dinner suit and

bow tie which I despise!) but a lovely venue and being well paid made up for it. 
Mrs CP had great fun too, and after the terrible few years she’s endured health

wise it felt like we were celebrating the start of better times. Here’s hoping. 😃

 

 

 

A very Happy New Year to all BC people, may 2025 be a great one for you. 
 

 

 

Love the black jag. What a classy looking gig !

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I have never had a bad NYE, I have had a couple that weren't that great, but most have them have been just like a pub gig only busier and paid double for being up an hour later. Actually, that is the same with wedding gigs for us - not sure why anyone would book us as a wedding band, as we are going to do most of the same pub set in pretty well the same way with maybe a special song, but I guess for a wedding band we are cheap compared to the silly rates people can charge, and people who book us are people who have seen us anyway, so they obviously want what we do.

 

I would say NYE gigs in my neck of the woods are always a great night and lucrative.  However for me they've always been what we call early NYE celebration, 3-6 or 4-7. And it's all old people, too old to get out of hand. Lol

 

Doing a late night NYE gig would be challenging for me. 

 

Daryl

[mikebass456]

Guess it's going to be a bit of a quiet period gig-wise for the next few weeks at least.....

What's the next thing anyone's starting to prepare for/looking forward to?

For me, the next gig with the full band is a private birthday party on Feb 15th, and the acoustic band first gig is a paddys day gig on March 15th. Having to learn a load of stuff for this one, including some stuff new to me (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys).  We currently do lots of Levellers stuff which can slot in nicely as we have a fearsome fiddle player and can 'borrow' an accordion player so I'm really looking forward to that one.....Happy New Year everyone - power to your callouses!! 😆

Edited Friday at 08:12 by mikebass456
Grammar!

[asingardenof]

2 hours ago, mikebass456 said:

Guess it's going to be a bit of a quiet period gig-wise for the next few weeks at least.....

What's the next thing anyone's starting to prepare for/looking forward to?

For me, the next gig with the full band is a private birthday party on Feb 15th, and the acoustic band first gig is a paddys day gig on March 15th. Having to learn a load of stuff for this one, including some stuff new to me (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys).  We currently do lots of Levellers stuff which can slot in nicely as we have a fearsome fiddle player and can 'borrow' an accordion player so I'm really looking forward to that one.....Happy New Year everyone - power to your callouses!! 😆

The next gig we have booked in is early March at a cricket club we play at regularly and where one of their committee is one of our core crowd. Hopefully we'll have some new songs to keep them interested by then.

[dmccombe7]

Next gig for me is early Feb. We normally use this quiet period to learn new songs or polish up on the things we haven't managed to finish.

Also i joined an 80's classic rock project that was put on hold during Dec because everyone was busy with other bands.

Still no idea what's happening with the punk covers band either. Nothing has changed since we decided to have a break until New Year but there doesn't appear to be any great interest in it so i'm guessing its done and dusted.

I also enjoy the quiet period after New Year as it gives me time to chill out and catch up on other things i wanted to do.

Dave 

[mikebass456]

26 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Next gig for me is early Feb. We normally use this quiet period to learn new songs or polish up on the things we haven't managed to finish.

Also i joined an 80's classic rock project that was put on hold during Dec because everyone was busy with other bands.

Still no idea what's happening with the punk covers band either. Nothing has changed since we decided to have a break until New Year but there doesn't appear to be any great interest in it so i'm guessing its done and dusted.

I also enjoy the quiet period after New Year as it gives me time to chill out and catch up on other things i wanted to do.

Dave 

My February 15th gig is with a punk covers band - all the British 1976-1982 stuff. We only 'publicly' play 4 or 5 times a year, so it tends to attract a crowd. This year is our 10th year, after which we're taking a year off to try and write some of our own stuff.......inevitably we pick up a couple of private gigs for the old punks who are enjoying it for the second time around! Three of the four of us are in our 60's, so it does take it out on us a bit now!!  Hope you still get to go out and punk it up places - it's a great atmosphere when you've got near OAPs bouncing around and singing along to every song!!

[dmccombe7]

58 minutes ago, mikebass456 said:

My February 15th gig is with a punk covers band - all the British 1976-1982 stuff. We only 'publicly' play 4 or 5 times a year, so it tends to attract a crowd. This year is our 10th year, after which we're taking a year off to try and write some of our own stuff.......inevitably we pick up a couple of private gigs for the old punks who are enjoying it for the second time around! Three of the four of us are in our 60's, so it does take it out on us a bit now!!  Hope you still get to go out and punk it up places - it's a great atmosphere when you've got near OAPs bouncing around and singing along to every song!!

My apologies there Mike i meant no interest within the band. The guitarist who is the original member since 78 has been playing the same songs for approx 16yrs now and feels like a change. He is in a Ramones tribute as well so i think its down to him.

If he decided he's had enough we might change the name of the band and look for another guitarist and perhaps move in a slightly different direction maybe adding in a few other songs from bands like The Jam etc.

We do get a decent audience in one of my fav venues The Dreadnought in Bathgate but to be honest we kept playing the same venues 5-6 times a year each. Audiences get fed up with the same bands or same songs so we need to make some changes in that department too.

I'm 64 and drummer is 65 with our singer the baby in her 50's shall we say trying to be polite there 

Dave

Edited Friday at 12:24 by dmccombe7

[lozkerr]

4 hours ago, mikebass456 said:

Guess it's going to be a bit of a quiet period gig-wise for the next few weeks at least.....

What's the next thing anyone's starting to prepare for/looking forward to?

For me, the next gig with the full band is a private birthday party on Feb 15th, and the acoustic band first gig is a paddys day gig on March 15th. Having to learn a load of stuff for this one, including some stuff new to me (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys).  We currently do lots of Levellers stuff which can slot in nicely as we have a fearsome fiddle player and can 'borrow' an accordion player so I'm really looking forward to that one.....Happy New Year everyone - power to your callouses!! 😆

First gig of 2025 with the punk band is a two-day mini festival at the Home Bar and Leith Depot in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th January. We're kicking off the evening slot at Leith Depot on Saturday the 18th.

[mikebass456]

29 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

My apologies there Mike i meant no interest within the band. The guitarist who is the original member since 78 has been playing the same songs for approx 16yrs now and feels like a change. He is in a Ramones tribute as well so i think its down to him.

If he decided he's had enough we might change the name of the band and look for another guitarist and perhaps move in a slightly different direction maybe adding in a few other songs from bands like The Jam etc.

We do get a decent audience in one of my fav venues The Dreadnought in Bathgate but to be honest we kept playing the same venues 5-6 times a year each. Audiences get fed up with the same bands or same songs so we need to make some changes in that department too.

I'm 64 and drummer is 65 with our singer the baby in her 50's shall we say trying to be polite there 

Dave

Hi Dave - no apology needed there!

I didn't take your comments as a knocking of the punk genre at all.  There's a time and place for it - if we were out every week doing it then it would gradually get less and less folks coming.  Less is definitely more we've found! Good luck with whatever direction you end up going this year - it's great to be out playing in the current climate (and respective ages! 😆😆)

Cheers

Mike

[mikebass456]

5 minutes ago, lozkerr said:

First gig of 2025 with the punk band is a two-day mini festival at the Home Bar and Leith Depot in Edinburgh on the 17th and 18th January. We're kicking off the evening slot at Leith Depot on Saturday the 18th.

Sounds like the perfect antidote to the new year slump - have a great time all! 🤘🤘

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, mikebass456 said:

What's the next thing anyone's starting to prepare for/looking forward to?

 

Was expecting a quiet period but picked up a couple of gigs in late January.

[Bluewine]

On 03/01/2025 at 02:12, mikebass456 said:

Guess it's going to be a bit of a quiet period gig-wise for the next few weeks at least.....

What's the next thing anyone's starting to prepare for/looking forward to?

For me, the next gig with the full band is a private birthday party on Feb 15th, and the acoustic band first gig is a paddys day gig on March 15th. Having to learn a load of stuff for this one, including some stuff new to me (Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys).  We currently do lots of Levellers stuff which can slot in nicely as we have a fearsome fiddle player and can 'borrow' an accordion player so I'm really looking forward to that one.....Happy New Year everyone - power to your callouses!! 😆

 

We're playing the Anodyne at the end  of the month with an opening act. I'm not sure how we got the gig,they usually only book national signed touring bands.

 

Daryl

[dmccombe7]

39 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

We're playing the Anodyne at the end  of the month with an opening act. I'm not sure how we got the gig,they usually only book national signed touring bands.

 

Daryl

Your reputation now precedes you. Either that or that phone call i made for you has paid off. Send your cheque to my usual address Daryl. 

Dave 

 

[Lozz196]

Just got in from a Spacewasters gig in Wingham, Kent (a 100 mile journey which the drummer did).

 

Was a sort of private party, it went well, 3 bands on with us 2nd though we left as soon as we’d finished due to the possibility of snow. I played my CIJ Mustang bass through the provided - I think - Harley Benton combo, probably a 1x12 but was fine for on stage sound.

 

My footwear was my winter DM Chelsea boots. We did encounter snow though thankfully wasn’t too bad til we hit Watford dropping off the guitarist. 
 

 

[MacDaddy]

38 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

We did encounter snow though

 

Start panic buying now before the country grinds to a halt!

[mikebass456]

5 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

 

Start panic buying now before the country grinds to a halt!

I've already cleared the local Tesco out of Cadbury Creme Eggs........,👍😆

[Ed_S]

Last night was my second dep with a really good local band that has a guitarist in common with my main band - both power/operatic metal originals, ours a bit heavier with two guitars - theirs a bit lighter with guitar and keyboard. The first dep was an acoustic-ish birthday party set as they were missing drummer and bassist, so got me in to play a 50/50 mix of covers and their lighter originals. This one was another private party, but a full electric gig with only their bassist absent.

 

It all looked like it might not happen as the planned venue had an unforeseeable problem so had to pull out at the last minute, but another nearby venue stepped in to host and it all went ahead just a short walk down the road. Then one of the bands pulled out of the gig as they were travelling in and didn't fancy the idea of getting stuck on the way back due to the weather - again, perfectly reasonable. So we ended up all taking longer sets, which is fine if you know the full back catalogue of the band due to being... well.. in the band, but I'd only learned one spare original so we ended up adding a cover that they recorded and released their version of during lockdown, and which I'd done acoustically at the previous gig so had no problem rocking back up.

 

45 minutes passed very quickly and I don't actually think I messed anything up. There were a couple of bits where somebody else came in early, and a missed cue for a guitar solo that resulted in another loop through the chords before commencing, both of which I spotted and adjusted accordingly. I wouldn't normally congratulate myself for such basic musicianship but they're original songs that move at a fair pace, so I was quite pleased not to get tripped up. I did forget to put in my earplugs for the first song, which was interesting as it showed me just how much top end detail the Doc's ProPlugs take away, and how I might like to have some of it back to a safe level. I shall have to try some different ones and see if there's something a bit better for me out there.

 

The other bands on the bill were great and I was able to have a few drinks and enjoy them as we were opening the night and I was getting a lift. Got home just in time to see the snow start settling, so I reckon the band that decided it was a bad idea to travel 100 miles each way made the right call.

 

Signal chain for the evening...

Ibanez SR1105B -> [G30 wireless -> TU3 tuner -> Thumpinator -> MXR M87 compressor -> SansAmp BDDI v2] -> GK MB500 -> Blackstar house cab - might have been a Unity Elite 115C

Tuner operated using a pair of Skechers Industrial Workshire boots - to say they're safety boots they make even moderately damp surfaces feel like well greased glass, but they're black and comfy.

[Staggering on]

Seven piece swing/jazz band gig yesterday afternoon for a 90th birthday party for a very lively 90 year old lady. Probably 50 in attendance, they drifted in and out and most were of a certain age (three were 90 or older) and a few danced and they all seemed to enjoy our music, mostly big band charts from the lady's birth in 1935 into the '60's.

The band has existed for about 8 years and for the first time we used two subs (deps in your part of the world), one to replace the trombonist who was ill and the other to fill in for the drummer who had family commitments. Both are outstanding musicians and excellent readers who sight read the 40 or so songs we played with no problems, and some of the charts are quite challenging. It was a fun gig, basically a wallpaper music gig but we had applause after every song and went home happy with our performance. Unfortunately they had cleared away the buffet of sandwiches and finger food before we finished but at least coffee was available for the ride home.

Usual Shen SB100 into our Bose PA with a Schatten Design mini preamp that only has a volume control but is really handy on a gig like this, wireless (NUX C-5RC) into the preamp and EQ on the Bose and great sound. A bit crowded on an 8x12 riser, I was on the riser behind the big music stand on the right, no room for the Hercules bass stand so it stayed on the floor between sets.

 

 

[steantval]

First gig of the year last night, it was a late one where we stopped playing at 12.40, new venue to us and thought it might be quiet just after Christmas, it turns out it was very busy and a lot of folk up dancing in our third set.

Started loading out about 1am and realised it was snowing heavily, the cars totally covered in snow, the journey home up the A1 was horrendous, hardly any traffic so the snow had covered the dual carriageway so bad it was difficult to navigate what lane you were in, plus the snow coming down at the windscreen always makes your eyes feel funny.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 20:21 by steantval

[dmccombe7]

11 minutes ago, steantval said:

First gig of the year last night, it was a late one where we stopped playing at 12.40, new venue to us and thought it might be quiet just after Christmas, it turns out it was very busy and a lot of folk up dancing in our third set.

Started loading out about 1am and realised it was snowing heavily, the cars totally covered in snow, the journey home up the A1 was horrendous, hardly any traffic so the snow had covered the dual carriageway so bad it was difficult to navigate what lane you were in, plus the snow coming down at the windscreen always makes your eyes feel funny.

 

 

Yep i've had many a night driving experience in snow over the years and it can be hypnotic. Secret is to keep your eyes focused on the headlight leading edge and never at the snow flakes themselves. Regular eye movement out the side window always keeps me centred on my driving.

Dave

[casapete]

Played at our monthly residency with the acoustic duo in Beverley again today,  The Sun Inn.

Horrible weather when we arrived at 4.30pm, and not very busy. However,by the time we

started at 5.30pm it was getting comfortably full, and we started our first of three sets with a good

handful of requests. These included ‘Piano man’, ‘Substitute’, ‘Love the one you’re with’ and

unusually ‘anything by Boz Scaggs’ so we did ‘We’re all alone’ which I’ve never played before 

but is a great song. Had a few friends in, including one of The Beautiful South - fortunately no

requests for any of their stuff from the audience as could have been rather embarrassing.

 

Finished the last set off with Albert Lee’s ‘Country Boy’ at breakneck speed - don’t know how my

guitarist mate can play it like that. Packed down and still heavy rain outside so got wet loading 

the van, but overall a very pleasant gig ( after our last one there being rather mad just before 

Christmas.)  Nothing now till next weekend in Scarborough, when the bad weather will hopefully

have subsided. 

[martthebass]

Only just getting around to posting the XMas gigs........bit of a washout to be honest.  First time in 10 years that I haven't had the Flu jab and, yup, came down with a dose on XMas eve eve.  Scuppered the XMas eve gig (and XMas dinner that I'd pre-paid....) and the betweeny Saturday.  Was just about compos mentis for NYE and managed to get through it.  To be honest, the gigs I did make weren't the best, not as well populated as usual, not sure if this is a trend but I've noticed the last couple of silly seasons have been hit or miss for gigs.  Still we take the rough with the smooth.  On the positive side our IPO registration for the new band name came through so an ex-band member who had caused 'difficulties' after leaving the band can no longer cause grief on that front.

 

A bit of a break now as I go in for more surgery but will hopefully be back at it beginning of Feb.

[casapete]

4 minutes ago, martthebass said:

Only just getting around to posting the XMas gigs........bit of a washout to be honest.  First time in 10 years that I haven't had the Flu jab and, yup, came down with a dose on XMas eve eve.  Scuppered the XMas eve gig (and XMas dinner that I'd pre-paid....) and the betweeny Saturday.  Was just about compos mentis for NYE and managed to get through it.  To be honest, the gigs I did make weren't the best, not as well populated as usual, not sure if this is a trend but I've noticed the last couple of silly seasons have been hit or miss for gigs.  Still we take the rough with the smooth.  On the positive side our IPO registration for the new band name came through so an ex-band member who had caused 'difficulties' after leaving the band can no longer cause grief on that front.

 

A bit of a break now as I go in for more surgery but will hopefully be back at it beginning of Feb.

Sorry you’ve had a rough Xmas, and hope things go well for you Mart.