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mark555

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Blog Comments posted by mark555

  1. On 10/23/2022 at 9:29 PM, TalismanRich said:

    Mark,  good to hear from you again.

    Glad to hear you're enjoying your time.   I missed reading your tales (sometimes good, sometimes tales of woe).    Should there come a day that you get the bug,   you'll surely find some like-minded mates to scratch the itch.

    Don't stay away so long next time.

     

    Hi Rich,

    Thanks for following my blog, it's been great to write it as I've gone along. I think that many people who don't play in bands will watch a band and wish they were up there playing, especially if they play a guitar or another instrument that might fit in a band line up. But I think you have had to play in a band over time to really know that's it's not all about getting on stage and looking cool, or however you might be perceived! I tried to show life in the band as it actually was. Right now it would take an incredible offer to get me playing in a band again, but I wouldn't mind depping or doing the odd jam night.

    Stay safe and we'll catch up on the forums.

  2. On 10/23/2022 at 12:46 AM, skydog52 said:

    I am glad you are able to start doing some of the activities you missed with your family and friends.

    I've enjoyed your blog because I have never played in a band and probably never will at my age and talent level.

    It gives me the insight of being in one through your eyes. I am glad your mates realize that You were the glue that held it together.

    Good luck enjoying life and checking out new gear.

    You don't have to be as good as you might imagine you need to be to play in a band, although you obviously do need a certain level of competence. Thanks so much for reading the blog, it's good to know that someone has enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to just enjoying guitar playing as and when I want to now, and perhaps depping with the odd local band now and again. 

  3. On 7/5/2022 at 7:23 PM, DetroitBlues said:

    I can definitely relate to with my own past and present experiences with a band.

    Ultimately family comes first and if the thrill is gone.... Well, you know the rest.

    Best to move on, I bet there will be days you'll miss it. But I think when you're building memories of family, you'll find you don't miss it all.

    I realised I was running the band and playing in it to please three other people - the other guitar player, bass player and drummer, and not enjoying it myself. Last night I would have been out at a gig. Instead, I have had a wonderful Saturday with my wife.

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  4. Thanks both Skydog and Pegleg. - 

    thankyou both for the kind words and for taking time to read the blog - I can't believe it's taken so long for me to write the end of my story with the band. I think there is a time for everything and for me the time for playing with the band is done with, but I shall enjoy my guitars without the pressure of having to learn new songs, guitar parts etc. Sure, there are things that I would like to have done, songs I never got to play. But personally for me, I feel that better things are ahead.

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  5. 43 minutes ago, bobmeyrick said:

    Playing in a band should be fun, and that sort of behaviour is totally unnecessary. Getting gigs is hard enough, without alienating the person who runs venue. Luckliy the four of us in the Pete Donaldson Blues Band get along well.

    On the subject of guitars, do you have any particluar idea of what you want? I have a couple of H150s that aren't getting much use - a Trans Black H150CM and a Gold top H150 Special (a slightly thinner and lighter body). I've changed the bridge and tailpiece on both for Nashville units, and reinstated the original Schaller pickups - at one time the Trans black had a pair of Phat Cats in it, and the Special a pair of P-Rails with the Triple-shot rings. Hmm... I might put them back in. Let me know if you're interested.

    Yamaha make fine guitars - I used to have a PAC1511 Mike Stern model, a bit like a Tele on steroids, with a Seymour 59 in the neck and a Hot Rails in the bridge.

    I really need a guitar with access to the higher frets for a particular song - Jail Bait by Wishbone Ash. I don't like schaller pick ups, I find them somewhat cold. If I was to buy a another Heritage it would have to be a highly figured top, but I have always fancied a gold top, which I am sure I will get at one point, but it's a case of needs at the minute. Ideally I would like a PRS but at £3800 for a new one that is not going to happen, however, if the right used one comes along then I might well got it. I know the Mike stern Yamaha, I've played one and they are great.

  6. Thanks for reading the blog and all your replies, 

    On 11/23/2019 at 2:30 AM, yoslate said:

    Mark, your tale really resonated with me.  I could go on and on...so I'll try not to.  We had a pretty good band going for nearly five years.  Great venues, festivals, opened for a number of national acts, several multiple times.  We demanded and got better money than most of the acts at our level.  We produced three studio and two live albums, of which we're mighty proud. We have two tunes on a You Tube channel with over 80,000 hits.  There were...or my business partner and I publicly said there were multiple reasons for euthanizing the band a year ago.  But there was one root cause.  Our very talented frontman, a crowd favorite, was a toxic personality.  And he was directly or indirectly responsible for several episodes such as yours, not to mention being pretty abusive to one of the band.  We tried, all four of the rest of us, and mightily, to cover, compensate and apologize for, and explain away his behavior.  In the end, he was the end of it.  We really were at the top of our game, but now Ed and I often reflect on what a great decision pulling the plug was.  Sure, there are aspects of performing I miss, but just to excise this guy from the lives of the rest of us was worth it.  Good luck!  

    Wow, I didn't know you were playing gigs at such a level. Keith Richards talks about your situation with your front man as lead vocalist syndrome. It is a shame to see success wasted though because of a toxic individual but it is more important to be away from such people.

  7. Thank you for your reply Koula, our other guitarist just needs to learn to control himself. He's not apologized in a suitable manner regarding this incident yet.

     I am aware of Eastman guitars and have played them, I am very impressed with them, particularly their 335 variant.

  8. Hi Rich, Losing Allen was bad because he is such a great guy and excellent drummer. Getting the replacement players set us back at least a year with bookings, we are down from forty gigs a year to about sixteen for this year. We are not wanting to play more than once a week and even then not every week because we are family men with children and grandchildren who we want to spend time with. As you say, I hope the drunks will stay away from us now, it was a terrible episode, I don't know why people choose to live their lives like that.

    The problem with posting clips is that I don't have anything to make a decent clip with and I also don't know how to upload, but I will see what I can do.

    Thanks for the lovely comment.

  9. Hi John,

     

    I've just got in from tonight's gig, we played and sounded great. I made a point of meeting out other guitarist when he came, I offered him my hand and said enough bad words were said last week to last a life time. So hands were shaken and we played a good gig and got on well until we were packing up and she started again. It's crazy. He's also said next week is his last gig with us. Our drummer is furious because he feels badly let down, but I am just grateful that we will be rid of them. Good luck to the guys who take him on in his new band because they will need it.

  10. Thanks for the comment John, and the kind words. It was a case of getting what I wanted and then doing what it took. If we have to go down this road again the drummer and bass player have told me we will put a united front up and confront them both.

  11. A friend of mine has a Tokai Love Rock and it is a stellar guitar! - Good luck with Mrs Satan, folks like that are hard to deal with. One can only hope she will change her ways.

    I believe that Tokai are few and far between in America, so many Americans are not familiar with them. Get the right one and it will serve any musician really well. Mrs. Satan is just an out and out spoiled child who needs to grow up. I can't believe the trouble she has caused though. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it when people take time to read and post a comment.

  12. I had, on the evening concerned told Carole to be quiet as I was trying to really get us in with this venue for repeat bookings, having had too much alcohol she was very agitated and said she didn't care about the fee's, to which I replied that I did and that she should be quiet and not cause any trouble. At the next couple of gigs she was quietly difficult to be around and also she was sending me some stupid e mails. I think that because of a few weeks off gigs (about a month) both her and her husband perhaps thought about things and didn't push it any more and were fine with me the next time we all met. So, I did get the result I wanted, but I became so close to quitting, it was by a thread.

  13. Thanks for the comments John, the Duesenberg is a semi solid in the same way a 535 is. the trem on the Duesenberg is without doubt the best trem I have ever used and is beautifully engineered. The gretsche would be purely for pleasure but I would really use the Duesenberg. Many players will not consider them because for a guitar that is not American, they are not cheap guitars - something like the blue one is about £1600 over here. But the equal Gibson easily and play and sound fabulous. If I come across one at the right price and I have some gig money saved up (I always save gig money) I just might get one. The more I look at it the more I want it !

  14. Thanks for your comments John, I won't play for free any more, however, we did play for nothing at a club that recently had a fund raising event for prostate cancer research, maany people had given a lot of their time and effort to raise £7000. No one gets drunk in our band, two of us do not drink as were are both of the same faith and the other two are very moderate in their consumtion.

     

    Thanks for the kind words about the solo, I perhaps expect too much of myself, and also some of my friends are players that are way above my level and I tend to judge myself against their standards. T=some of these are guys who could walk into a studio and play sessions at a moments notice. But on the whole I really try to give the best performance I can.

     

    God bless,

    Mark.

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