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mark555

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  1. mark555

    the set list is complete

    By mark555,

    What with all the stuff going on about the HOC site being down, I haven't been able to post for a while, but I'm glad we're all finding our way back home and I am glad I can write my blog again.
     
    Well, lots has been going on since I last wrote a chapter in the progress of Rout 62, my band. The band's name is a bit of a play on Rout 66, and is toungue in cheek because two of us live in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, and the two big motorways that pass our town are the M1 which runs North from London and the M62 which runs East to West from Hull to Liverpool and is the busiest motorway in the country.
     
    Our rehearsals over the last six weeks have been hit and miss because of Christmas and sickness, particularly with myself and Terry, our drummer. So we got back to it yesterday and although it was time well spent, we were out of it with one or two. However, we have now completed our initial set list by adding three more songs to it which we quick and simple to learn, they are Please Please me, Big Boss Man and Got My Mojo Workin'. So now we are just going to polish them all up. We have our first gig lined up at a pub called The Wagon and Horses about fourteen miles from where I live, it's a nice pub, no sawdust on the floor and no spitoons in the corners!
     
    We're getting a data base together of venues who are booking bands, all I am doing is looking at the websites of other bands in our situation and seeing where they are playing, and phoning the venue up. Gigs are getting fewer these days as venues are closing rather than opening up, or even some cases just staying open. We will be hopefully playing at venues round the Yorkshire area, which is quite a big place. If there are some gigs to be had in east Lancashire we will take those also, but you would have to know the geography of England to know why we would or would not play a town. One thing is for sure, I am not going to spend all my earnings for the night on petrol just to get there and back.
     
    Earlier this week, I finally found the right Telecaster for me. I had found a couple of really nice American ones, but at £1300 they were more than I could really justify spending. I have been trying all sorts of variations of the Telecaster theme, Mexican Tele's, Japanese Tele's, all of them. While looking on the net to see what was for sale I looked on a particular website of a shop I have never been to which is about 30 miles from where I live so I decided to visit them. Any one who reads my posts will know I am a big fan of Japanese Tokai guitars, and the store I went to had three. These guitars are getting harder to find in the UK because Fender and Gibson are telling UK stockists that if they sell Tokai, they will take the Fender and Gibson franchises from them. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I now own a Japanese built Tokai Breezysound, which is their name for a telecaster. This guitar is the equal of the American Telecasters I have played at a much reduced cost to me. It came in a tweed case and I used it at rehearsal on Saturday. It was superb for most of the songs we played and was just so versatile. I really have got a great guitar and I can see why every serious player wants a Telecaster. As one of my mates says, it's a grown ups guitar. You can see it in my post entitled NGD on the boards.
     
    The band has gelled so well as four individuals, Dave, our other guitar player has brought a superb PA with him and we have all the gear we need now to put on a good gig, the rest is up to us to manage that gear well to produce the sound we need that will be good for the audiences we play to.
     
    Thanks for reading.
  2. mark555
    Back to rehearsing after a couple of weeks break due to starting a new job and also having had a very bad case of bronchitis.
     
    I wasn't really 100% fit for practice today because my chest was still weak, and I do a lot of the singing, but others are committed to the band and you have to keep this in mind. We now have 25 numbers in the set list and we are now starting to go through them one at a time, sharpening them up. There's nothing difficult about any of them for a half way decent player, as The Stones Sang, "It's only rock and roll, but I like it". As long as our audience like it, that's all we're bothered about.
     
    "Old Dave", who wasn't old in years but was our last guitar player, is long gone now and "new Dave" is making his mark on the band. He is fitting in really well and brings qualities that we appreciate. He has a lot of experience in playing and is great at rehearsals in that he is always ready to get on with it and has a positive outlook, he is also good at making sure we are not in the "we're a rehearsal band" frame of mind and is always reminding us to get ready for gigs. New numbers are being added very quickly now and by February we will e gigging. We have one more practice before Christmas and then one between Christmas and new year when we're not working, although New Dave is retired.
     
    What's nice about this band is that we are all getting along really well and we're also playing the music we like, and we all bring a decent level of talent. But talent is not always about how good you are on your particular instrument of choice when it comes to a band environment, I personally believe that it's about everything encompassing the band.
     
    I enjoyed JeffB's post on the Family Tree about how not being in a band has improved his life, and right from the start I have said I do not want this to rule my life. I do not want to get to the point where I am booked out months in advance playing when I don't want to. Something to bear in mind.
     
    Meanwhile, I am going to try and attach a few pictures I took at rehearsal yesterday, but none of me.....
    Thanks for reading and best wishes,
    Mark.
     
  3. mark555

    a different practice

    By mark555,

    Normally we practice as a full four piece, but today was a little different in that Terry, our drummer called me today full of flu and not only that, his home was bugled on Thursday night while he and his wife slept in their beds. In truth, he just needed some time to unwind and rest. So, undaunted, Dave, Shaun and I decided to practice and just kick some songs about that Dave did in his last band and just concentrate on guitar and bass parts.
     
    It was actually time well spent, and we didn't have to play as loud as we normally would. On top of that, Shaun and I got a nice surprise, Dave turned up with a full PA and a brand new mixer, saving us a lot of money. Now what I can't understand is why singers do not want to spend money on anything but a mic, yet here we have a guitar player who has spent money on some nice PA. Mind you, he was earning in his last band for eighteen years.
     
    So today we kicked the following numbers about to see if we want to progress them to completion.
    Won't get fooled again
    Substitute
    The last time
    Keep on Running

    I think we will get them all to gigging standard, but I turned my nose up at Born to be wild, but it was pointed out to me that Bikers like it. I don't know about that one, it seems a bit cheesy to me.
     
    On topic that came up is when do we start looking for gigs. I have always wanted everything right before I even think about looking for gigs but I am being pushed in this situation to start looking before I think I am ready to look. I have to remember that I am one of four band members, but I am sure Shaun will come down on my side because he saw what happened when one previous band members pushed us to play before we were ready. When I gig I want the people watching to be impressed and enjoy what we do.
  4. mark555
    For those of you kind enough to read my last blog entry you will recall that we had lost our other guitar player to another band, and that had come at a bad time, as we were all about ready to gig, just working on a final few song ideas to get up to the magic number of thirty songs in the set list. So, we have had to look hard and find another guitar player good enough to fit in. I had placed several ad's on websites and was getting little response when a guy from Doncaster (about fifteen miles from where we practice) replied. So, we had a chat on the phone and arranged to get together for a session. That was this afternoon.
     
    We were very pleased when that he was happy to turn up so quickly and we had sent him our set list during the week. It's always a good sign when the guy you are auditioning actually prepares for the audition and has taken it seriously. He turned up with a PRS Swamp Ash Special with a trem and what looked like mini humbuckers without covers. The guitar certainly sounded very nice. Anyway, after an hour we had a break and offered him the gig. He was very pleased to be invited to join and accepted right away. He had brought his wife with him who was a very nice lady, and she enjoyed what we did. We immediately went back to playing with a serious look at the set list and started to play and gel together as a unit. The sound was as tight as you can expect for a first time get together, and a few of the songs we played sounded as though we had rehearsed them for a few weeks. So, next Saturday rehearsals start as a new line up in earnest.
     
    It is often the case that something you initially think is bad news (in this case our previous guitarist letting us down and leaving) can turn out to be a blessing in disguise given time. Dave, our new player is less highly strung and his choice of songs is more in keeping with the rest of us and I think, that given a few rehearsals, we will have a better band and will progress faster.
     
    Terry, our drummer, actually went to see our old guitarists new band and said that although they seemed to have a good following, they were very unprofessional in their attitude, going on stage half an hour late, letting their "followers" come on stage and mess with their guitars etc when the band should have been on, and their language on stage was very bad and their attitude was poor. Dave, (the old guitarist) told Terry that he had gone for the money, but they had not told him if he was in or not even though he was gigging with them that night. they have since lost their drummer. So the grass is not always greener on the other side.
     
    Last night Shaun (bass player) and I went to see Wishbone Ash as they were in town. They were nothing less than Superb! Afterwards they did a meet and greet and were very nice to talk to. We got some stuff signed by Andy Powell and the rest of the band, for me the three high spots of the night were Blowin' Free, Jailbait and Pheonix, all three were fantastic. HOWEVER.... The support band had come to the back of the theatre where we were and were making a lot of noise with some people who had come to see them and this was while WA were playing Pheonix. Now, if you're not a Wishbone Ash fan, you have to understand that this is an epic number that just builds and builds, and the noise this band were making as they talked loudly with their friends was just too much, so I walked over to them and told them that they were spoiling the night for all the WA fans, and that we had come to see Wishbone Ash and not them. They didn't like it, but they needed telling. The trouble was that they didn't shut up, but several people said "well done" to me afterwards. Their conduct was certainly unprofessional, let alone rude and inconsiderate. But I also thought it was very disrespectful to Wishbone Ash who are always very considerate of their fans. When I spoke to Andy Powell about it he was very disappointed about that. But it just goes to show that professional courtessy is a must, and if you are going to play live in any given situation, a professional attitude is required at all times.
     
    Thanks for reading,
    Mark.
  5. mark555
    Life is full of surprises, and I love a book or a film with a twist in the tale. However, I don't always appreciate real life's twists.
     
    Believing that all was well and that things really were heading in the right direction, I was ten minutes away from home on Wednesday evening when my phone rang in the car. As it is blue tooth and hands free, I could speak with no problems. Very unusually, it was Dave, our other guitar player. This was unusual because friendly fellow though he is, he never calls any of us between practices, so I was wondering why he called - the answer was soon to become very clear.
     
    "There's no easy way of saying this, so I'll cut right to the chase - I'm leaving the band"
     
    It turns out, so he said, that (to use his words) he had been head hunted by another band who were playing lots of gigs and earning a lot of money and he couldn't turn it down. So, all I could say was good luck and I'll see you as and when. And, that was it, just like that we lost a key member of the band - on saying that, I value each one of the other band members as key people. I knew I could not change things, so there was no point in falling out. I was not upset, but was extremely disappointed because of the extent of hard work we had put in, and also because of how we had accommodated Dave and some of his music choices. He knew we were so close to getting gigs. But what can you do? There's no point in getting upset, the upside will be that who ever joins us will have to go with the flow of what the three of us want.
     
    So, what can you do? The three of us who remain are getting together this coming week to decide how we move forward, I have looked at the set list and was pleased to see that I can handle 75% of the lead playing, but it does mean taking out a couple of really good songs that Dave played lead on, he being slightly a better player than myself, but we will replace them with other numbers. I don't want to carry on as a three piece either, another guitar player is a must.
     
    But the glass is always half full, we are much further down the road than we were when we first held auditions and Shaun (bass) , Terry (drums) and myself are all happy and very comfortable with each other and our style of playing, so intigrating a half decent player won't be very hard. We have put some ad's out on the net and we have had three guys enquire so far. I had a good chat with a really nice Indian guy today who go's by the fantastic name of Kishore Budha - Fabulous or what?? Anyway, I care not about where a guy comes from, as long as he is a really decent guy and he fits well in the band. So a first audition will be held soon, but we want to get a few so we can see who is available to us.
     
    Meanwhile I think we are going to have a couple of practices as a trio and see what happens.
     
    Once again, many thanks for reading and the kind comments you leave.
  6. mark555

    it's going well....

    By mark555,

    After a few weeks of not making an entry into my blog I am back to keeping those kind enough to read it up to speed on where we are at and the life and times of a would be semi pro player here in Northern England.
     
    Life in the band has been interesting, my Fender Hot Rod deluxe had valve issues and was horrendously noisy. It turned out it was a pre amp valve. This particular amp has three of those so I decided that as one of them was on the way out and causing so much trouble, I might as well get them all replaced. The guitar tech who worked on my guitars recently had recommended an engineer only a couple of miles away from where I live in the next village, so that was excellent in that there was no distance to travel, and on top of that the guy was very honest and very reasonable in his costs. I had used our other guitarists old amp, a Peavy Valve King for one rehearsal. It was as noisy as my fender before it was repaired. I think it also needs to go to the engineer.
     
    Anyway, we have moved our practice time from Saturday afternoons to Thursday evenings. Mainly because Dave, our other guitar player has met the woman of his dreams and moved in with her and wants to have weekends free for now. It's fine with me because it frees my time up on a weekend to do some jobs round the house that are in need of completion.
     
    We are almost at the point now of having enough numbers ready to play a gig with. We are aiming for thirty. It has taken quite a while on this journey to get here, but we have all put our families first and there have been times when we have all had to cancel rehearsal for various reasons. Another thing is that we have discussed what sort of songs to we rehearse: a) easy ones that we can get six of down in two weeks, or do we: do some that will be more challenging but perhaps give us a much better set. We have gone for the latter, the most recent one being Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. I have never been a big pink Floyd fan, but I have to say that this is a stellar song and credit to Dave for nailing the two guitar solo's in it.
     
    We are also finding that the midweek practice makes us focus more, as we don't have a full afternoon to go at.
     
    One thing that is happening now is that plenty of people are wanting to know when we are going to play so they can come and see us, which is a good sign for us. Of course, in the back of my mind I am thinking "are we going to be good enough"? Yet I know for a fact we can play some knock out songs in our own style. I Keep telling myself that we are not going to be playing to people who are saying "Go on then, impress me". The people I want to play for are just your everyday people who want to hear live music, may be they might want to dance a bit. I think we all have to remember that this thing we love, the guitar, if we choose to get up and play live gigs, that the we are paid to entertain people. I really hope that the songs we have thus far chosen will do exactly that for the cross section of people that we get in our British pubs that put bands on. When our set list is complete I will post it here.
     
    So, there we are, five more numbers and our set list has enough for a gig, then all we have to do is rehearse it until it is sharp enough to play for money!
     
    Thanks for reading and best to all.
     
     
     
     
     
     
  7. mark555
    Another Saturday and it's band practice - after a week of being up at 5.15 every day and lucky if I am home for 6.30 every evening, Thursday was horrendous. The motorway had been shut at a key point where two motorways merged and guess where I was. It took me three and a half hours to drive the 52 miles home from our offices.
     
    But, other good hings have happened within our family, my wife, Helen has secured a new job at a practice in the area after putting with dreadful treatment from the husband and wife team of doctors who have taken over the surgery where she has worked happily for thirteen years. She is very highly qualified in her nursing and was snapped up after a half hour interview. The people at the surgery where she is going to work could not be more different and the pay increase will be significant. On top of that, all our children are making their way in the world and we have a beautiful granddaughter who is a delight to us.
     
    As we were not rehearsing last week because I had too much to do at home, I took my Strat and Tokai (Les Paul) to the tech to get them adjusted and repaired. The strat trem block thread had completely gone rendering it useless, (it's twenty six years old and I have had it from new) the stop bar posts in the Tokai had lost their ability to hold the posts upright. It turns out that they were made of aluminium and not up to the job they were made to do. So, new parts were engineered and fitted, the trem block was drilled and a brass sleeve inserted and threaded. I also had some minor adjustments made, a set up etc on both guitars. If you read my last blog entry, you will recall I mentioned a guitar player who had made his own strat and the bass players precision bass. I took my guitars to him last Saturday lunchtime and they were both ready for me the following afternoon. They were superbly done and are a joy to play. While I was at the guy's (Dave) house, he showed me some of the other guitars he has made and I am seriously considering having him build a Tele for me. He has made a pink Strat that would rival Kuz's Kern Tele, with a stunning flame neck. He even winds the pick ups himself and builds them from scratch, they sound excellent.
     
    So, against a backdrop of good things happening, I was really up for practice today.
     
    Today we were going to learn Sunshine of Your Love and Lola, the old Kinks hit. Well, wouldn't you know it, that sometimes it's the easy songs that just won't work, and we couldn't make make Lola work for love nor money and after ten minutes scrapped it. So, on to Sunshine of your Love, which went so well it was great to play. We were so pleased with it, out of the blue I said wouldn't it be great to do Crossroads? Right away, Dave, our other guitar player went into the intro, we all hit it immediately and played a stonking version, we were all on a real high with it, we could not believe how well it went. There are not many bands with Crossroads in their set, but it's in our now, and we are very proud of how we play it. So, two really good Cream numbers in our set, so we just rehearsed some songs we had messed around with in the preceding practices. Those of you from the States will very probably never have heard of Cliff Richard, but he was Britain's first true rock and roll star and had a huge hit with a song called "Move it", which still stands up today, it is a terrific number. We revisited it and it was perfect. It was recorded with a Strat playing lead and I nailed the song perfectly. On saying that, it's not too hard to play, but you do need a specific "touch" to get it right. We also ran through a few of our other numbers to keep them fresh, one of our own favourites is Riot in Cell Block Number 9, but we play it with somewhat of a kick compared to how the original version was recorded by The Robins way back in the day. Look for Doctor Feelgood on youtube and watch their version of it.
     
    So today we are all really pleased with how things are going and very soon it will be time to start looking for gigs. The city of Sheffield is thirty miles south of here and has a lot of venues, so maybe we will be playing down there. We will soon be choosing two sets to play from our list, and polishing them until they are at a high standard.
     
    Meanwhile, Wishbone Ash are playing in our town in October, tickets will be bought!!
     
    To all of you who take the time to read my blog, thank you for doing so, and a thank you for the kind comments which are often posted, I still haven't worked out why I can not replay to them in the comments box.
     
    Once again, thanks for reading.
  8. mark555
    What a week it's been, the hottest week of the year so far, but when we get heat in England it can also get very muggy and can drain you and make you very tired.
     
    Last Friday a friend I have known for thirty five years or so invited me to go and watch his band as they were playing in the local pub in our village. I was very pleased to meet another of my friends who was also at the gig. Pete, owner of the yellow telecaster had come back from his place in the south of France for a week or so as he was going to a Neil Young gig in London later the following week then back to France. However, it was nice to see him and to learn he is actually gigging as a duo in France with another English guy. Our mutual friend, Rob, was the drummer with the band we had gone to see and each musician was of a good standard. What was interesting was the the guitars and bass had all been built buy the guitar player in the band, and were of a high quality. I was interested to see the band as we will play many of the gigs they play and I wanted to know how we would compare. They did play a few of the songs we play, but although this band was very good, I am pleased to (modestly) say, that the songs that both bands play, we play them better! However, I have to say that they were very good and did some songs that we wouldn't have done. they were nice chaps.
     
    At the pub there were two couples in their mid 20's and the girls were rather tasty, we had chatted to them on and off during the evening and for the last half hour of the final set, one of them came and got me up dancing with her! Now, I have no false hopes, but I have to say that it was very nice to dance with a rather attractive woman of half my age!! I am still basking in the glow of it!
     
    So, the next day was band rehearsal. We were all tired, I had stayed up too late the night before and could hardly stay awake for band practice. We were disorganised, too tired and just out of sorts. We weren't learning anything, just wondering which song to play next. Dave, our other guitar player was not a happy camper, and when we asked him what was the trouble, he said he was fed up. So, we all sat down and had a chat. He said we weren't accomplishing anything, just playing songs. He was spot on, we had got 24 or so songs in the bag and we needed to get down to it again. So, we kicked some ideas about and decided that we would learn a Snow Patrol Song "Chasing Cars" and Brown Sugar by the Stones, both his choice. Well, I am great with Brown Sugar, but my music tastes seemed to end with Bad Company back in the seventies! So a Snow Patrol song was a very new idea to me. But, as we all have input, we said OK, lets go for it.
     
    Well, today we had our usual Saturday afternoon practice and we kicked of with Brown Sugar. I had taken my 555 specifically to use on this song, tuned it to open G and away we went. The first two times we played it was so so, but then all of a sudden, Bang! We were in there rocking it like we were born to do it. Mick and Keith would have been proud of us. Terry, our Drummer was putting down a perfect beat. I must admit, I was very pleased how the snow patrol song went, and I really enjoyed playing it. We might be a bit slow getting to gigging level, but we are purposely ensuring each song we play can be done to the standard we expect of ourselves. Our one weakness is the vocal set up, but we are getting a sound engineer in to help us with that, we think we need better PA speakers.
     
    As for next week, we are letting Terry the drummer chose a couple of songs, which he will e mail to us. He's a big Stones and Kinks fan, so maybe something from them.
     
    Now then, about that rather shapely woman at the pub.......
     
    Thanks for reading and best wishes to all,
    Mark
  9. mark555
    There is a saying that go's "While the cat's away, the mice will play".
     
    Now I am not saying Mrs 555 is a cat, that would not be nice! But she and our youngest daughter went to Liverpool on Friday and got home at Midnight on Saturday, and I like having the house to myself! Friday night I watched what I wanted on TV and found that a Billy Joel concert from back in 87 in Moscow was being shown, and it was very good, so after that i climbed into bed and read for half an hour.
     
    Normally on a Saturday morning, after a week of getting up at 5.15am five days a week, I like to surface at a time of my choice, but not today. I was awakened by the sound of high pressure jetting going on at seven, not too far from the bedroom window where I was sleeping soundly. What had happened was that the sewer that tuns under our garden and the neighbours garden, had blocked up, and our very good neighbour had called out the water authorities to get it cleared. Those poor guys have an awful job to do, but I was glad that they came, even if it did cost me my lie in bed.
     
    So, after a morning of shopping for the family groceries for the week and going to the garden centre for new hanging baskets, it was time to set of for band practice. We always say that family comes first, and because of commitments we have had among the band within our own families we haven't rehearsed for a couple of weeks. And I was dreading the rehearsal because I ad not picked up a guitar since our last one. But how ironic, the first song we ran through was Whiskey in the Jar (I play lead on this one) and I played flawlessly! Would you believe it? Maybe two weeks of not playing unscrambled some of the wiring in my head and allowed my brain and fingers to communicate with each other a little better than usual! I was very surprised.
     
    We learned two more songs, Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream, and the Gary Moore version of Thin Lizzy's Don't believe a word, both great to play. And here's where the strength of this bands line up was showing, I could concentrate on playing as Dave, our other guitar player took the vocals on both songs. Just playing guitar is great, you do so much better, on saying that I take the vocals on Whiskey in The Jar.
     
    Today we had our first practice at our new rehearsal venue, which is our church in another town, about ten miles away from where we rehearsed previously, but this building has much better access than the previous one, and for some reason, we like it much better. I think that there was a very positive vibe going on between us all, it worked to our advantage and we were all pleased with the days results. We finished off with Rock Around The Clock, just for a bit of fun. By five pm we were all away heading for home.
     
    Last Thursday, Allen, the drummer from our old band dropped me an e mail inviting me to meet up with him at a gig he was playing about eight miles away across town. I always liked Allen, and when he left the band we parted on the best of terms and have stayed in touch. His band is called Roller Coaster. So after getting home, cutting the grass and getting a shower, off I went. The Venue was what we in England call a club, but is not anything remotely like the LA club scene that became famous. This is what you would call a Working Men's club, which are places where drinks are usually less expensive and the place has bands and other entertainment on at various times of the week. This was quite a nice club, but the concert room was not so big. The stage was triangular in shape, across one corner of the room and was very full with five people on it.
     
    I was interested to see this band because they work regularly and it would give me an idea of what was about as far as other bands go. They were very much what I would call a "Clubland Act", any Brits reading this would know exactly what I mean. In the 50's,60's and 70's the working Men's club scene was huge for bands to play, bands would work all over, sometimes playing what was known as a "Noon and Night gig" where they played at lunchtime and again in the evening. You got varying quality of acts and bands, but some were really good. Some bands came off the club circuit and made a good living. Anyway, Roller Coaster would fit in the bracket of "clubland" very easily. The youngest player would be about fifty, with the eldest two being 70. However, they were warmly received and what they played went down well for the audience they had. Twenty minutes before the end of their second and last set, the rhythm player broke an A string and didn't have a spare guitar with him, so as my own guitar was still in the boot of my car, I offered it to him to finish off the set with, he was very grateful.
     
    I was pleased to note that as a band we were much better. Now I don't mean that in any way big headed or egotistically, but when they played some songs such as Bad Company's "I can't get enough" and a couple of Stones songs, we would not have played them at that level as we would want them played correctly, and though they were obviously playing the songs, they weren't played correctly and some of those songs were lacking something. You can't play "I can't get enough" and not let that solo rock, it was like the Carpenters were doing a sacarin sweet version of it, there was no "Go" in the guitar. But I have to say, these were lovely friendly people who made me very welcome at their gig and also as we all sat together. I felt as though I made some new friends and they thought it was extraordinary that I would let their guitarist borrow my own guitar. I now know that we can really go out and offer a good quality show in comparison to some of the bands. However, please understand that I am not being big headed. I am also aware that many other bands are far better than us. But given what we have decided to do, we do it very well and no other band in the area will do it any better.
     
    Once again, thank you for reading my blog. I really appreciate the kind words and comments often written but just now for some reason I can not reply to them within the blog page.
  10. mark555
    It's been a busy day. Usually on a Saturday morning I treat myself to a lie in bed and get up when I want to and not when the alarm go's off. However, this morning I had to be at church to take my turn with some other guys to clean the building. It's quite a large church building with two wings away from the Chapel area and also the hall, when those two area's are opened it will seat 800 people very easily. So it was a very busy morning and with the early start I was tired before I went to band practice. I work 52 miles away from from home and the 5.15am alarm clock gets to you by the end of the week - I don't suppose I am young any more. So afterwards, it was strait home and load the car up for a noon start for band practice.
     
    We went to our usual rehearsal venue, which happens to be the church hall of one of our churches in the next town. We get it for free and no one disturbs us, plus the fact it is ideal. I didn't really want to have a practice today, but when I met up with the rest of the guys in the band it was good to see them, they are all great guys and we get on really well. Dave had done a self build telecaster and it sounded pretty good, so he had brought three guitars today.
     
    We didn't try to learn any new songs, just play some of the ones we've already learned as we need to have them perfect, although the next song we are going to learn is the old stones hit ""paint it black".
     
    I am getting real grief from my amp right now, it's a fender Hot Rod 40 watt valve amp and I am wondering if it was modded before I had it,(it was bought used about 12 years ago. It seems to be incredibly loud just set on 2 and has no gradual sound increase. I am going to have it looked at as soon as I can afford some spare cash. This month I have so far had to pay £330 for auto maintenance, £200 for our gas boiler to be repaired and that still hasn't cured the fault. So we will have to be patient. I am wondering if the previous owner put different valves in it than it should have. I have decided to get it to a good amp tech as soon as I can afford. Dave, our other guitarist is convinced some one messed with it before I got it.
     
    While we were rehearsing today we got a real compliment. A guy we know who used to see our old band saw us today and said that he was really impressed, he said that two years ago we were just another garage band (Thanks...!!) but now we are streets ahead and sounding fantastic. (It's because we have a new line up and hte dynamics are better). That is good because he isn't a musician but is really into his music, so good feedback from a guy in our target audience age who knows his music. We had to vacate the hall today pretty early because there was a birthday party for an eight year old girl. This kid was hyper - as if she had drunk a crate of Red Bull energy drinks. The first thing she said when she saw us was "are you the music for my party?" When we said no she almost demanded that we were!! I was just glad to pack away and leave her with her worn out parents who looked desperate to get rid of her for a few days respite!
     
    Thanks for reading, it's much appreciated.
    Mark.
  11. mark555
    After our first gig when we really fought the sound gremlins, we decided that we would devote our next practice to sorting out the problem of sound so that we are ready next time. So meeting up at our rehearsal venue, instead of our usual rehearsal positions facing the drummer and each other, we lined up and started playing as if we were on a stage, we even allowed ourselves only a small space to play from to replicate smaller stages.
     
    How ironic though that on this day when we wanted to sort out sound problems, Dave, our other guitar player then had problems with his brand new Fender Valve amp and could only get sound from the power amp, not the inputs for guitar. So being a bit of a genius with engineering and such, he managed to got some sound out of it but more of that later.
     
    We're a bit of a traditional band in that we are back line plus an old Peavy 600 watt pa amp, after all, our money has gone on guitars, and as we're not singers we don't have enough budget for a huge pa set up with monitors. However, we are going to have to do something because we have difficulty in hearing the vocals. I actually own a 150 watt 6 channel pa amp which although would be run seperately, we could use as fold back with a pair of monitor speakers.
     
    We had been playing too loud if the truth was known, so we set a level that would be pleasant for an audience and worked from there. We had two hours and it was time well spent. We now need to continue practicing the numbers we have learned over the previous weeks and perfect them, then start learning some more songs. We were messing with the Stones old hit, Paint it Black.
     
    Getting back to Dave's amp, at four pm he shot off back to the shop he bought it from where they offered to repair it. He said that as it is under 30 days old he is entitled to a new one, so they are ordering one in for him which should be here next week.
     
    Thanks for reading and best wishes,
    Mark.
  12. mark555

    The first gig

    By mark555,

    After only being together for about four weeks, we were playing our first gig. We all looked forward to it, having rehearsed as much as we could. We had arranged to meet at the venue at 5pm because that would be the only time we could set up and get a sound check (more of the sound check later).
     
    On the way to the venue, I decided to stop into a guitar dealer in Leeds and pick up a couple of guitar stands for the gig as I don't have any, and I bought a new mic clip to take my mic as the one on the stand I use is too narrow. While I was there I had a look at some PRS guitars as I may have to sell my 555 because the neck is too narrow and thin for my left fore finger to cope with when the tendonitis (well, I think that is what it is) flares up and it becomes painful to play). So, I am looking at a double cut PRS with a trem as a possible replacement. I really like PRS.
     
    So, on to the gig where we all met up and proceeded to set up. The stage wasn't particularly big, but not too small, we all managed to get enough space to play. However, we could not get a sound check because of the way the event was organised and that caused problems from the word go.
     
    The venue was very nice and we were made very welcome. The event was not as supported as well as the organisers would have liked and instead of about 150 minimum attending they got about 45, and about half of those people were 60 plus, some in their late seventies. Our target audience is people anywhere between 35 and sixty, and there were not many of that age group there. But, we were approached by the organisers who knew exactly what music we play.
     
    We played two sets, a mix of Rock and Roll, R&B (Proper R&B, not this awful stuff the kids call r&b toay) and some good plain classic rock. I am pleased to be able to say that the feedback we got was that we went down really well and that on the whole, the audience really enjoyed our playing. And, we can honestly say that there were people on the dance floor all the time when we played.
     
    However, there was another side to the gig that made it one of the hardest gigs I have ever played. From the word go we had sound problems, none of us know why, but we were getting signals that our vocals were not getting through. We were not playing any louder than we do at rehearsals where we have no trouble hearing ourselves, the drummers powered monitor was feeding back, it was as if every gremlin there is was coming out of the box. However, undaunted we carried on using a secondary sound system in the building. It worked fine for the audience, but we could not hear our vocals at all which made it very difficult. We know we have enough sound equipment even if it is not the latest technology.
     
    So we used the gig as a learning curve, and when we practice next we are going to spend our time set up as if we were in a gigging situation and get the sound right, taking note of all the amp and PA settings. The next time we gig we want everything correct right from the word go, even if we can't get a decent sound check. It was hard work all night, but on the whole well worth it.
     
    Thanks for reading,
    Mark.
  13. mark555

    In with both feet.

    By mark555,

    Today was our final practice before our first gig. Thankfully the gig is a friendly environment for us, which is good. We got next weeks gig when we had only been together two weeks and only had eight songs in the bag. So, we have done our best to get as many songs as we can together. The gig will be good for us because we can treat it as a shakedown gig and see what reaction we will get. Our bass players brother got us the gig and actually invited us, we didn't go looking for it. The audience will be perhaps 200 to 300 and will be in the city of Leeds, if we are not ready now then we will just have to do it right on the night. I am looking forward to it, my one fear is getting the sound right. We can be a little loud a rehearsal, I am keen to get things right for our audience who deserve the best we can give them.
     
    This week I had my first attempt at making speaker leads for the PA. You have to understand that I am pretty ignorant about doing this kind of thing, having never done it before. We needed some decent length speaker cables for the PA, so I bought a 25 metre reel of twin core heavy duty pa cable, each core of copper being 2.25mm. I didn't realise the soldering such thick core to to a 5mm jack plug was going to be so difficult, and being unskilled, I just had to try until I got it right. The end result was successful, and I am quite proud of myself! I could enjoy doing something with electronics, maybe developing a new skill as a hobby. I have a friend who builds replica AC30 amps that are really excellent - I'd have one from him but he lives in Canada. Mind you, he is really skilled, he builds aneasthesia machines for a living.
     
    So today we learned Sultans of Swing, and as it's all bar chords it doesn't half get your left forearm! But we did a great job of it thanks to Dave our other guitar player nailing the guitar parts and the vocals.
     
    One thing we did discover though, is that because we have had such a short time to get over twenty numbers together, although we got them down to gigging standard when we learned them, we need to revisit them and replay them. However, I am confident that we will get them right on the night. There's enough talent to make a good night of it.
     
    My main two playing guitars, my strat and my Tokai Les Paul both need some attention. The Stop bar is being pulled forward in the Tokai, so I will have to get it to a good tech. The Strat just has some wear and tear issues that are the result of 24 years of good use. It needs a new nut and the frets stoning, along with the thread inside the trem block. The Tokai needs seeing to as soon as I can it done. How ironic that they both need attention a week before our first gig, but isn't that often the case in these things?
     
    Thanks for taking the time to read, it's much appreciated.
  14. mark555

    Hi Ho Silver...

    By mark555,

    Another four songs in the bag today, once again rehearsed to gigging standard. We practice every Saturday afternoon, meeting up at 12.30 and after setting up we work until 4pm. And in a good rehearsal session, it really is work, getting all the mistakes ironed out until it is right. Last week it was my fingers and brain which were not connecting, this week, Terry the drummer was having a difficult time by his standards. All I can say is that if that was a bad day, he must be incredible on a good one. As is often the case, drummers are the butt of jokes. However, Terry is the bedrock of the band laying down a very solid beat. His fills and endings are superb, and Shaun and I offered him the job in the driving seat after only two numbers and we have been proved right at every rehearsal.
     
    We have been given a gig at a private function in the Yorkshire city of Leeds, an event run though the church Shaun and I belong to. It is regional and means that there could well be more gigs coming as a result. The gig is in April 26th and we now need to work out how to give a one and a half hour show at standards we set. #We have three weeks to get 12 more songs. So, we will be upping the pressure on ourselves.
     
    Dave, our other guitar player is a great guy, easy to get on with and willing to do what's best for the band. But today he did say that he wanted to sing more and give more to the band. He said it in a positive way, he was just being enthusiastic. I told him that he had come from a band where he was the best in the band by far and every one else probably depended on him to hold it together, to which he agreed. I then said that he'd joined a band where there are four strong musicians who can all do what is needed, and that is a lot different to his last band. He smiled and agreed, and I said that we have only had three rehearsals and over the next few weeks he will have those opportunities. He was happy at that. He wasn't complaining, I just think he wants to contribute to the fullest extent he can.
     
    Buying a 600 watt pa was a master stroke, it enables the band members with weaker voices to be brought into the mix. This was shown to great advantage in two of our choice of songs for this weeks rehearsal, Riot In Cell Block Number 9 and Hi Ho Silver Lining. You may know Riot in cell block number 9 by the Robins or from the Blues Brothers film. Those two versions are two slow for me and don't cut the mustard, so we beefed the song up a bit and put more fire into it, playing the Dr Feelgood version. It was superb, and I do not know of any other band playing this song. Hi Ho Silver Lining is a great number for an audience to dance to, and even of I say so, we did a great version of it. With three of us singing the chorus, it really made a difference. The other two numbers we rehearsed were I'm Hog For You and Tulsa Time. We are purposely looking for good numbers to play which other bands in our area are not covering. We know that we need to have a unique selling point, and as there are good bands out there, we need to be good but also different enough in our set list that we will get attention without being turned away.
     
    My good friend and fellow forum member Peter Alton, always uses a guideline for buying a new guitar which is "do I have a job for it?" So far in this band I have only needed to use my Tokai, which is performing admirably. But soon I will need to get my Strat back from my son and use that for some of the songs that we are planning to do in concert gigs. Also, there is a need for a Telecaster and I am sure that at some point in the near future I will be posting pictures of one, it's just a case of finance right now. Hopefully we will get gigs which will provide the funds so that I don't take the money out of the family budget.
     
    I know this band is going to be very good. There are better guitar players than Dave and I out there in the band world, but our two styles are very complimentary and Shaun and Terry are excellent in their own rights as bass player and drummer. The band's strength is that it is turning out to be greater than the sum of its parts. The timing is spot on and we are getting very tight. After three weeks we have twelve songs down to gigging standards, so it won't be long before we are good to go.
     
    Thanks to all for reading and best wishes.
    Mark.
  15. mark555
    Just an up date on the band and how things are progressing. One thing I did during the week was to buy myself a new mic lead. Thankfully that was all that was needed and not anther microphone. I like decent equipment and just right now I don't have a lot of spare cash for band equipment. We bought a 600 watt Peavy pa amp a few weeks back, that proved a good investment. It's old but good and kicks out the power nicely. A bit like a big V8 engine, gets you there nicely without putting your foot down to the metal.
     
    Our goal was to get another four songs down, Black Magic Woman, Before You Accuse Me, Rock and Roll Music and The Promised Land. All good rock n roll that will get your feel tapping even if you don't want to get up and dance.Today though, I just kept tripping over my fingers in the lead to Black Magic Woman, which I can normally play straight off. It was just one of those days.
     
    So, another target reached, which is nail down four songs a each rehearsal. We are purposely learning easier songs in our early days, so that we can get a momentum going, we want to get twenty songs down quickly. When we've done that we will go for some that take a bit more effort and maybe only learn two at each practice.
     
    The only problem we have now is thinking of a name for the band.
     
    Once again, thanks for reading.
  16. mark555
    Today our auditions came to a close for a further guitar player to compliment the line up. Earlier this week we organised today's sessions with three different guys coming at intervals of one hour and fifteen minutes so each one could have fifty minutes with us. Well, that was the intention. Earlier on this week I had an e mail from one guy who said he had gone down with a really nasty cold and was getting worse, he would let me know on Friday if he was able to come. I don't know if he was really saying "I don't know if I want to do this or not, give me until Friday night to decide". But Friday night came and I got an email from him saying he was really ill and couldn't come, good luck with the band. He didn't ask if he could come next week or another time, so I am guessing that he wasn't really wanting to make a commitment, or his heart wasn't in playing in a band, so strike out one. The guy I was really interested in hearing play sent me an e mail saying that he had really thought about it, but he had too many family commitments and that two bands would be too much for him. Well, we want some one who will give us their loyalty. But, having had a couple of conversations with the guy I did like him very much and we agreed to keep each other's phone numbers because who knows what the future will bring.
     
    So there we are, one guy left called Simon. Now Simon did turn up and brought his son with him, a nice kid of about sixteen called Mark. I am a big family man myself so I have no problems with him bringing his son and actually thought it to be a big plus because I have huge respect for guys who do things with their kids. Simon came with an Epiphone Semi, one of those 335 styles with the leaves inlayed into the headstock. His amp was a 75w line 6. Now I am always a bit concerned when people turn up with solid state and modelling amps, because being a traditionalist, I think that there can only be one type of amp for a guitar player, and no matter what brand the amp has, for me it has to have valves.
     
    However, I digress. We enjoyed a couple of hours with him, our session was slowed down by Terry the drummer's bad back so we had a few rests, no problem for me with the Tokai strapped on, always good to take it off for a few minutes. So, we played the same songs we had played with the other guys, whiskey in the Jar etc. We liked Simon, nice guy, even if his amp didn't have valves in it! as a person he would have fit right in and that is a big part of this band. We played some rock and roll standards to see how quickly he could pick up a song without it being rehearsed. As a rhythm only player he would have done well, but as a lead player he wasn't quite there, although he was on the way. So after a good hour and a half with him we all shook hands, thanked him for coming and explained that we had other players to see, which he knew any way. We didn't really, but we wanted to discuss things. We genuinely enjoyed the audition.
     
    So, after Simon had gone, Shaun, Terry and myself sat down and had a good talk between ourselves. As none of us wanted to spend any more time on auditions, having done three weekends of them, we felt we needed to move and complete the line up as we knew that we were happy with at least one of the guys we'd seen. Terry thought that Simon would fit in well as a person, which we all agreed with. But I asked Shaun and Terry that if it was a gut feeling, which guitarist we had seen would they choose? We all said it would be Dave, because we felt he could bring more to the band (a valve amp is always a good stat!!)and that his ability would allow me to step back at times and also allow a twin lead format when we want it. As a huge Wishbone Ash fan I want to cover a couple of their songs.
     
    So, while we were all together I phoned Dave up and invited him to join the band, and he was thrilled to have been asked and said yes please. So we start rehearsals next week for our first gig in six weeks time. More of that in a minute. I am going to wait a week or so before I call Simon and tell him we went for some one else, and There is a reason for that. I want Simon to feel that he wasn't dismissed out of hand and that we considered him carefully. I am mindful that when you say no thanks to some one who has bothered to come and put them selves on the line that they deserve treating respectfully, and I shall call him up and explain that it was a very close decision and on another day it may well have been he who we asked to join. Also if some one can turn up, they deserve the courtesy of a phone call. I hope we swap phone numbers because he will get to be a better player and there is always the future. However, we want what is best for us and I am glad we went through the auditions as we did.
     
    So, Next Saturday we start rehearsing properly. Shaun works for the inland revenue, or as the Americans would call it the IRS. His office is closing and he is transferring to Sheffield, which isn't far from where he lives. His office have organised a big party for about 150+ people and have asked him if he would get the band to play. We are doing this as a shake down gig to sharpen up and get a reaction to what we are going to play, so there is no charge as these are all Shaun's colleagues. Next week I am going to try and post some pictures, If I can work out how to get pictures on here from my tablet. A big thanks for taking the trouble to read this.
  17. mark555
    So, the story begins again. After trying so hard to get a band up and running a year or two back, and failing at the last hurdle of finding a singer, over a year on Shaun my bass playing buddy and I have decided to have a go again. Following a really good gig we went to last December to watch English Rockers "Status Quo" (American's might not know them, but they have sold 130million albums) we got motivated to play again.
     
    The first step was putting ads out for fellow musicians, namely a drummer and another guitar player and a vocalist. I felt uneasy about advertising for another guitar player because Pete who played in our last band is a very close friend and a wonderful person who we would love to play with. However, these days he spends six months of the ear at his place in the South of France, which does put a spanner in the works. He would love to get together musically and play, but I am not going to set up a full session just for fun because if I am going to do something, it has to have a point to work for. So, after a week or so we got replies from a few guys who were up to throwing their hats into the ring.
     
    We singles out two guys to start with, one a drummer and a guitar player who has a Rickenbacker, a Telecater, vox valve amp and a PA - He sings so that is a huge plus for us. We do own a PA, but it is nothing special. It could handle a three hundred seater gig, but that's it.
     
    So, last Saturday we invited Terry the drummer to come and have a session with us. When we met, he could have been our last drummer's twin brother, he even had a similar colour kit. Anyway, we got set up, played "Down at the Doctors" by British R&B band Doctor Feelgood (real R&B that is) and I hear you Knocking. Now normally when we audition some one we want an hour with them and then want to discuss it. But after these two songs we knew we had the man for us. We offered him the job there and then and he was as happy to join us as we were to get him. We all sealed the deal with a handshake and now there are three of us. I will post some pictures soon, all being well.
     
    So, this coming Saturday we audition a guitar player, but this time there are three of us making the decision. When our drummer joined he became one of us, there are no ego's in this band, nor will we allow any to come into it, we don't care how good they are. Watch this space!
  18. mark555
    After last Weeks session in purgatory, this week we auditioned some one who could actually play. We were going to audition two guitar players, but one of them decided to cancel on us because he liked half our song ideas but didn't get on with the other half. Well, at least he was up front about it and saved us the time. We are still recovering from last week when we had all lost the will to live.
     
    So, any way, Dave turned up on time, coming up from the South Yorkshire town of Wath Upon Dearne. Dave came with a Stratocaster, a Peavy valve amp and himself, I like that, just the basic gear, nothing flash, but loads of enthusiasm and a willingness to fit in. We started off the session with A couple of Dire Straights songs, Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing. I will give Dave his due, he really had the Sultans of swing nailed, both in licks and tone, so plus one for that. We also played Money for Nothing, but the humbuckers on my guitar had the sound needed for that one. Dave is a Strat player, but I think he could do with a 150, it would suit him - but I digress. Whiskey in the Jar went well once we had got the speed right, I think Dave was up for playing and he went off a bit too fast. We slowed him down on it and he was fine. I think he has played it in another band and they played it faster, where as we play it as the record.
     
    We were really pleased that he could pick up some of the songs he didn't know too well quickly enough, and he was fine about us telling him that we wanted some thing playing a different way, so at least we know that we are not dealing with an egotist. We played some great twelve bar rock and roll and we clicked very easily. At the end of the afternoon, we all thanked him for coming and said that we had enjoyed playing with him, helped him with his gear and waved him off. The three of us liked Dave, he had a no nonsense attitude and was easy to get along with, and most importantly he could play and would fit in with us.
     
    We told Dave from the word go that we are seeing three more players next week, so we were up front with him and he was fine, we told him that we would get back to him. I think out of the three players next week, only one of them will be any better, and I want to give this guy a chance. One thing is for sure, we are not going to keep on for ever with the auditions, hopefully next week will see us make our decision.
     
    We are not professional musicians, but we have had a professional attitude, treated people courteously and and it seems to have worked so far. We are all really nice guys, and people have warmed to us, I am hoping that the player we settle on will be able to fit in and just be a nice guy. At least we are not coming home having lost the will to live this week! Next week we will hopefully have made the decision. Thanks for reading.
  19. mark555
    After the fantastic success of last week when Shaun and I found Terry the drummer, we were eager to start looking for the next band member, so we started scouring the usual web sites where hopefully we could find a few likely candidates for joining us. We were looking for a vocalist and guitar player, or if needs be, one guy who could do both.
     
    During the week I had contacted one or two more people who seemed to fit the bill and we invited a guy to come for audition. I asked many questions of him, but missed the really obvious one, which was "what experience do you have?". I don't know why I didn't ask this question, from the way he was talking, I just took it for granted - I won't make that mistake again. He told me he had really good gear, which is important because good gear makes for good tone. So, a time was arranged and we all turned up.
     
    Our guest was an extremely nice guy, he came complete with Telecaster and what he said was a Vox Valve amp. Now I have owned a Vox AC30 and I know what the sound like and what they look like, and this certainly was not an AC30 valve amp. I can tell a valve (tube) amp as soon as I hear it and this was not what he said it was. Perhaps he was inexperienced in the amp market, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps he wasn't as knowledgeable as he needed to be when he bought it.
     
    We had e mailed him some very easy songs to get to grips with that he could sing and play at the audition, twelve bar stomps etc, the most complex song he had to learn was whiskey in the jar, chords only.
     
    Well, we started playing and it just was not working at all. Last week, when Terry joined us, it was Bang! Off we went and it came together instantly. This week, we knew from the word go that it was not going to work. However, the guy had turned up, and he deserved the courtesy of being given a chance, But half an hour later I had lost the will to live and our drummer was just desperate to go home. Shaun of course, as relaxed and laid back as ever, was just kicking the bass lines out, but we both shook our heads when we looked at each other.
     
    So here's today's lesson. There are loads of bedroom players who really think they can play and sing because that's all they do, but put them in with a full band, and the noise of it hits them and they are out of their depth. Our guest couldn't hold a tune and his timing was truly terrible, he had no strength in his voice and generally was terrible. After an hour (we were very generous) we cut it short and having already told him that we wouldn't make a decision there and then, we thanked him for coming and helped him pack his gear away. We then all agreed that I wold give him a call to thank him for coming but tell him that we needed some one with band experience and playing live.
     
    I really felt that it would only be good manners to actually speak to him, so I phoned him only to get his answer phone, so I left a nice message and e mailed him. he replied, saying that he had enjoyed himself but did find that he was not comfortable with the genre we play. So, there we are, all nice and polite and done properly.
     
    Next week we are auditioning a guitar player who says he has a lot of live experience and claims to be a good player. If he is good, that's great. But we will give him one hour and then hopefully audition another player i am trying to contact. Lets see what happens. Thanks for reading.
  20. mark555

    Itchy fingers

    By mark555,

    If you had asked me this time last year if the band would be playing again with the same line up I would definitely have said no because I was convinced it couldn't happen. Allen, the drummer, had decided that he was going to look for something else, and I couldn't blame him, he did it honourably and just said he felt things weren't going anywhere without a singer, and we agreed. So, we all shook hands and decided to give it a break. On top of that, Pete with the yellow telecaster went to his house in the south of France for the summer, so I suppose it gave us all some time to sit back and think. I had been convinced that the only way forward was with a singer in the band, and we just could not find one. In fact, recently I went for an audition with some local guys who were looking for a replacement guitar player because they needed some one with a bit more "fire" in their playing. I think I would definitely have been asked to join them, but When I spoke with them a few days after I told them that I didn't think it would work for me.
     
    These were good guys and I liked them, but I have a very deep friendship with Pete and Shaun, and that friendship means a great deal to each of us, I enjoy the company of these guys and Shaun and I have been like brothers since we were fourteen, and we are both 52 now. So, I politely said no thanks and decided to give it some more time to see what happened with the band, which is called Route 62, a spoof on route 66, as the M62 motorway runs just north of the town centre where we are from, and we have previously played gigs in towns along the motorway.
     
    Eventually, about three weeks back Shaun was asking me when we were going to do something, and Pete was also pushing for something to happen. We wondered about Allen, at 66, he is a very competent rock drummer and can lay down a strong beat, his timing and finishing are superb, so we wanted him with us. It turns out though, at the minute there isn't much call for really good experienced rock drummers, so Allen was more than happy to meet up with us. On Thursday of last week I packed my Tokai Les Paul (not risking the 555) and headed of to our practice venue. After nine months of not playing together I was surprised just how tight we were and also I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. We just relaxed and played some of the songs we did well, which included Thin Lizzy's version of Whiskey in the Jar, Black Magic Woman, Down at the Doctor's, The Promised land and one or two others that we enjoy. We all had a really good time and we are going to get together each week and put a new set list together, keeping the songs we played well and replacing others with songs we can play effectively. This might mean backing off some songs which I can play great guitar parts in, but fall down because to play them properly we can't do both vocals and guitar.
     
    So, we are going to get a new set list together and see where that takes us. But for a first get back together, it couldn't have gone better.
  21. mark555

    nothing's for ever....

    By mark555,

    Since my last entry, events just seem to have conspired against us. My dear friend and fellow guitarist in the band, Peter, is having tests because he thinks his cancer has come back. On top of that, he and his wife have gone off to their place in the south of France for an indefinite period of time, I think that he just needs to get some peace and quiet and get away from it all. I sincerely hope that he is ok, I have a huge amount of respect for Pete and I am sure that he has good reason for going away as he was so committed to the band. The first thing I knew about it was when I received an airmail letter from him explaining his situation and that he was therefore resigning from the band. Well, friendship counts for a lot, and I wrote back and said as far as I was concerned I would wait for him to come home and see what happens then.
     
    In the meantime, we had an e mail from our new singer saying that he could no longer be our singer because his mother had had a fall and damaged her hip. Personally, I feel he was just another time waster who didn't want to fund his own gear.
     
    The next thing that happened was that our drummer, Allan, decided that he had put too much energy into the band and now it was falling apart he would look elsewhere for a gig. To be honest, he is a fine drummer and good guy, I could understand his point of view. There was no falling out, just decisions to see what else is about. Allan said if he found anything and they want another guitar player he would recommend me...
     
    So, that just leaves me and Shaun, who have played together for years. For now, we are having a rest from things and just trying to work out our next move. Maybe losing the singer was a pain in the neck, but Pete pulling out was such a blow, he was such an integral part of the band and his absence was just too much to overcome. He is an incredibly nice guy. Shaun and I are putting everything on hold until Pete comes home, in this case it's more than about who is and is not in a band, it's about friendship and genuine care for each other. When Pete comes home, we will get together and see where we are all up to, but for now, it seems that all we can do is put it down.
     
    It has been a hard journey putting this band together, I don't know why it should have been so. the chemistry between the four musicians was great, both as players and people. In the end, it was the struggle to find a committed vocalist that was just too much, there just did't seem to be any one out there available who was really wanting to give it a go. The sad thing is, that although there are far better musicians than myself out there, our band could have done quite well and it is sad to have to lay it to rest. On the other side of the coin, Shaun and I are quite happy to get a rest from all the effort of trying to make it work. I am sure that in the not too distant future we will be making new plans. It's been a great journey and friendships have been made along the way that will last.
     
    Thanks for reading,
    Mark.
  22. mark555
    Here we go again. As you will know, if you have been reading my blog, that we worked really hard to find a singer to front our band, Route 62.
     
    One of the essential criteria for the singer would be his willingness to buy a vocal pa. After all, I would not join a band and expect them to buy me two or three guitars and a nice valve amp, but when it comes to singers, they seem to expect the band to provide their equipment. After all, we are not asking any one to buy a mega rig, just something to get their voice over the guitars and drums. We are not very loud, a couple of fender forty watt valve amps, bass and drums.
     
    "Oh yes" said our new singer, "buying a pa is no problem - blah blah blah, can I join the band"?
     
    So we got our new singer, had six weeks of rehearsals and were getting ready to look for gigs. So, off we went to a local music shop which specialises in band equipment and has plenty of pa for sale. The guy was extremely helpful and was giving us good advice about what we needed and not what he wanted to sell us. A very adequate pa could have been sorted out for £1200. Well, our singer took loads of notes and as there was a practice that coming wednesday we decided to let him think it over and then see what decision he had come to.
     
    Wednesday came and we were all at the practice waiting for the singer to turn up, and as time went by it was obvious he was not coming. He had sent one of us a text message to tell us, but we all know that in our band, we do not text because text messages do not always get picked up, there is an agreed rule that if you can't make practice, you phone and speak to one of the others in the band who will let others know.
     
    I knew there and then that our singer was not going to stay in the band, and the next day I sent an e mail (having tried to phone and speak to him several times) and asked how he was and how is search for a pa was coming along. It was my intention to get him to come right out with what he was thinking about, and sure enough he replied saying that he did not think it was the right thing for him to do to spend money on a pa at this time. This was very disappointing to us because we had been very straight with him at his audition and asked him if buying a pa was a problem for him because it was a requirement, and would the money be a problem? His answer had been very positive and that he would be very happy to get what ever he needed. I e mailed him again and expressed our disappointment in his decision and pointed out that we had been very clear and that he had lead us to believe he was quite willing to invest in a pa. At this point he has not replied. I firmly believe that had we had a pa which was powerful enough, he would have been happy to stay with us, taking his cut of the gig money and putting nothing into the band.
     
    So, where does that leave us? Well, my main concern is that Allen, our drummer, will go elsewhere as he could get a gig with a band very easily, for now there is a four piece line up just seeking a singer. I hope Allen stays with us, the personality mix in this band is excellent, nice guys and we all get along. I know that no matter what, the two guitarists and bass player will hold solid, so the nucleus will be sound enough.
     
    But I never thought for one minute that it was going to be this tough to get a working line up together. So for us, it's back to the search for that most elusive of band members, a vocalist who can actually sing. (And who will buy is own pa, after all, a couple of new Heritage guitars costs you far more than a good pa does here in England.)
  23. mark555

    Are you experienced?

    By mark555,

    OK, the gig was played, the autopsy was performed and we have hunted high and low for would be singers. We have put ads on internet sites, in music shops, and asked around. We are auditioning for a singer!
     
    One guy called us up, and wanted to come for an audition, but when we said that we would expect a singer to bring a pa with him to the band, he said he was going to buy his own mic and stand, Well, I suggested to him that when the rest of us have spent a lot of money on guitars, amps and drums, it was not fair that we should subsidise a singer and let him take an equal cut of the money. A couple of days later he e mailed me and thanked me for the offer of an audition but said that he wasn't prepared to buy a PA. Well, lets see how many people will take him on those terms, good luck to them if they will.
     
    However, one guy did very much want to audition with us and he said that he has his own 1200 watt PA, which is a good start, so we asked him what experience he has had, does he sing, has he been in bands, all of which brought positive answers, so the audition was set up for seven pm tonight. The band members made a special effort to get there and set up ready for when he came, and to give him his due he was ten minutes early, always a good sign. We had given him six songs we wanted him to sing and provided the PA so he didn't have to bring everything with him. Now our PA isn't the best, but there is worse, and what we have is very adequate for a rehearsal.
     
    Well, it turns out that the guy has dome lots of singing, as a karaoke singer in local pubs, has never actually done a live gig and just rehearsed with bands that never got anywhere, and hasn't any experience as a front man at all, which we specifically asked for. I don't think this guy was a liar, I just think that in his mind, he met all the criteria. Anyway, he wasn't up to the job and did in fact struggle. We didn't say yes or no tonight, because we wanted to discuss it thoroughly, as was the plan from the start, but the poor guy left somewhat dejected and I think he knew that he wasn't going to get the gig. However, we treated him well, did not criticize him in any way and made him very welcome and gave him an hour and a half to show us what he could do, even encouraging him to sing other songs he knew. But there was no escaping it, we need to look elsewhere.
     
    So we have made further plans to expand our search and we will be visiting music shops further afield and contacting stores where we buy our gear from. Also, making a strong effort to contact music stores that specialise in PA where singers tend to go. On a personal level, I was so thrilled just to play guitar tonight and concentrate on the playing, I felt so free and able to play mush better without having to stand behind a microphone stand. Now, lets see if we can't get a half way decent singer...
     
    Thanks for reading, Mark.
  24. mark555

    Going to the pub...

    By mark555,

    Our first gig was played, and we were not 100% happy with it, gremlins in the works the week before for me. As I said, I really went for it, but as I have reflected on it over the past week, I know I was way below the standard I should have been at on the night. I had too much stuff going on in my head - unemployment, a lousy job interview the day before, and other stuff. In truth, I did not feel personally ready to play live. But as I said before, we were well received by a welcoming audience. But something was still not right and we decided to meet up together and see what plans we could make to go forward.
     
    So, we decided that this week, instead of having a practice, we would all get together at a pub for a drink and a chat, and chose a nice pub in a nearby village to us called The Foxglove (see picture) and see what direction to go in. There was no way we were going to waste the investment in time we had all made in the band, so a way round the mountain had to be found.
     
    The mountain, so to speak, is the fact that I am the lead guitar player and singer, and to be honest, it is too much to deal with, unless you are Mark Knopfler or some one else with such a high level of ability. I never wanted to be a singer, although it is true to say that I do enjoy singing and always have done. When I was six years old I got out of bed early one morning, got on my bike and woke the street up by singing Manfred Man's Doo wa Diddy diddy at the top of my voice. But mainly, I just want to play guitar. When I was about five years old I say a sparkle red electric guitar, I can't tell you what make it was, but I just knew at that point I was going to have an electric guitar one day, it was what I wanted. I knew one of our neighbours had an electric guitar in his downstairs bedroom, I used to sneak round the back of his house to look at it through the window, it was probably a cheap one, but I didn't know, or care - it was a real like electric guitar, I can see it now propped up against the wall, some sort of sunburst finish if I am right.
     
    Anyway, to get back on track. I can sing (not the worlds best, I grant you) and I can play. I can do both on many songs, but in fairness, not too brilliantly. Any other guitarist worth his salt would pick up on this. So, we all met up at seven in the evening and had the autopsy and see what we could do to improve. Pete, our Yellow telecaster owning guitar player and general nice guy, was taking the attitude that as so much was on my shoulders, what could the rest of them do to help and contribute more? I told them that I never really wanted to be a singer and if that part of the job could go to some one else, I would be able to contribute much more by way of guitar playing, and that I would play much better with just the odd song to sing and the opportunity to concentrate on lead playing.
     
    As there are no real vocalists in the band in the other three members, we have decided to look for a singer to take care of vocal work, leaving each of us to concentrate on our own field of playing, be it bass, lead, rhythm or drums. There will be three of us capable of singing some good backing vocals to help a singer. We formulated a plan to recruit a singer as soon as possible, each of us taking some area of responsibility, mine is to contact some of the music stores and see if there are any singers in the area looking for a band. Pete is going to get some ads out on websites, Shaun and Allen are also doing various things such as putting ad's in music stores near their homes.
     
    What has been great is that there was never one suggestion of my singing and playing not being good enough, it was totally supportive of the fact that I have had most of the work to shoulder and they all wanted to make things easier for me, and the first question they asked last night was what did I want to do? The answer was just play guitar, and they are all now doing everything they can to help me do that. For me to just play guitar in a band is my life's ambition!
     
    I have attached a picture of the pub we met at, we sat round a table just to the right inside the door way, the pub is about 150 years old - it's great just to sit down with the guys and just sort things out. I am really fortunate because each one of the guys in the band is a really decent person, not one of them has an ego and we just help each other try to succeed. As far as people go, I could not be with a better bunch of guys, they are all good friends.
     
    Watch this space, and thanks for reading, Mark.
  25. mark555
    This entry tells of the week leading up to our first live gig and the gig itself.
     
    Did you ever have one of those weeks where after you have practised, practised and practised till you got your parts right, had some great rehearsals, then for some reason, you seem to just not be able to get things right. Well, that is what exactly happened the final week before our first gig. The catalyst was that we started to practise as a band line up would be on stage, with some borrowed monitors which weren't too much more above useless. It had been one of those weeks I could just have done without. I just could not get it together musically at rehearsal, and I put that down to too many external factors. Friday morning I had a 220 mile round trip down to Birmingham for a second interview with a guy who along with the company HR manager just picked holes in everything I said. In fact, after the weekend, on monday this week I just called the recruiter who got me the interview, and having met this guy at interview twice, I told her that I just felt the whole thing was not good for me. It turned out they felt the same - ha ha, I just wish I had made the decision on the friday and not stressed about it all weekend.
     
    We met for an afternoon set up at the venue and a run through of the songs we just weren't tight on, in fairness, it was me who needed it. But the other guys were very supportive and could see I was having a rough time of it. Shaun, our bass player, is like a brother. We have known each other since we were thirteen or so and Pete, our other guitarist says it's plain that Shaun and I are "an item" - but thankfully only in a musical sense - get one of us in a band, you get the other. But he is my true brother and is always the calm one, he spent some time with me and helped me get my head right for the gig.
     
    Showtime came and I just went for it, we opened with one of our best numbers "down at the doctors" by Britsh band Doctor Feelgood, followed by Bad Company's "I can't get enough". We just went for it. The audience loved it and we even got a standing ovation when we played Thin Lizzy's hit Whiskey in the Jar. What made that nice was that it was led by some guys in their early twenties who are guitar players. Other songs we played included This flight tonight, I hear you knocking, Alright now, and stuff of that Genre, and it went down well. Yes, I his a fair few bum notes, but I played some really good guitar as well. In the end, every one who came had a really great time and we will be getting another booking as a result. One of our strong points was our ability to build a rapport with our audience, and they enjoyed that very much.
     
    For myself, one of the best things of the night was the pleasure the gig gave to one particular individual, Sheldon. Sheldon is 35, the son of two dear friends of mine, he was born with a mental handicap. Despite being 35, he is always going to be a kid. But he loves the guitar, and when I let him hold the strat he was just in his element, he thought it was the greatest thing he has ever seen in his life, and he had a great time. He loves music but because of his handicap, unlike the rest of us he can't go out and find a band to watch. I am not one to push my beliefs on any one, but I believe whole heartedly that one day, in the next life, I shall meet Sheldon without his handicap and he will be a great guy.
     
    So all in all, I needn't have stressed so much. But it's somewhere in my nature to get wound up at times, I try really hard to fight it and most of the time I win. The gig was my first full gig on stage in several years and it was a great learning curve. It showed what went down well and where we should go with some of the songs and to go down certain paths and back off from others. I'm glad we did it. So, for now, it's a case of choosing ten more songs to learn and really getting sharp, we have another gig coming up in mid April, I'd like that to be really sharp.
     
    Thanks for reading, Mark.
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