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mark555

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  1. mark555

    it can be frustrating

    By mark555,

    Well, the band is gigging on a regular basis and we are all getting along incredibly well, no ego's, we all have a great time when we're out and about. this year we almost have the diary filled with the bookings we want, we only want to play one venue each weekend, it suits us all and earns us enough money to buy some more gear as and when we want it.
     
    But as well as pleasure, it can be somewhat frustrating for me as I feel that I am the only one trying to get us gigs. A couple of weekends ago I was in the phone all Friday and Saturday night trying to speak with the right people, I got us one good gig. We don't use agents, they take a big cut and who's to say that they will give you their best efforts? For example, I phoned one agent who's secretary said to email them. I did so over a week back and have not had any acknowledgement of my e mail at all.
     
    Our target audience are in Pubs and Clubs. The clubs I am referring to are Working Men's Clubs, something perculiar to the UK as far as I am aware. These are members only and over the years have provided great venues for bands to play and in the past earn good money. However, they are sadly in decline now. In the sixties and seventies, the clubs could provide a half decent musician with a full time living, and being professional did not need you to be Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck. Some of the clubs actually had some of the top names in British entertainment play at them.
     
    The guy who books the acts for the clubs is the concert secretary. Some of these guys are a total pain in the neck. They should be booking bands on the members behalf, but they often only book who they like, and many a band will play a venue, go down really well, and then get told they can not get a return booking. This has happened to us a couple of times lately and we find it very frustrating. We know there are good bands out there but some of them are nothing special and are getting bookings at places we can't get through the door at because they use an agent. A lot of venues are now booking singers with backing tapes, we call them karaoke singers and can not take them seriously. How can you call them a live act when their backing music is all tapes? In years gone by each club had a resident drummer and organist, and each singer would bring their music with them and have live backing.
     
    As a kid I would go and watch bands in the working men'/s clubs, and I saw some really good players on some of those stages, as well as some really mediocre stuff. But we didn't care, it was live and we were watching people play real guitars through real amps and we loved it.
     
    I have been looking at Musicman Silhouette guitars of late and they really appeal to me, but first I need a new amp, I will only buy for cash, no credit, no credit cards, just the old fashioned way of doing things these days. Debt is to avoided at all costs.
     
    Anyway, we keep finding new places to play, I target individual towns and cities to find out what venues they have and then spend several hours over a few days calling them on the phone. No one is unpleasant, they are all helpful even if they don't want to book you.
     
    Thanks for being kind enough to read.
  2. mark555

    It comes in threes

    By mark555,

    Our band of merry minstrals have been playing an awful lot lately, and in fairness to blog readers, reading about this gig and that gig gets repetative, so I haven't posted lots of duplicate blog entries. But these last few weeks have been eventful to say the least.
     
    They actually started off with a celebration, as my best mate and fellow band member Shaun married his girlfriend of the last eighteen months. I actually spoke at the wedding which was held at the church we both attend. It was a quiet event, not many people there are the bride wanted a quiet affair, and so it was.
     
    The Friday after, we were playing at a Social Club in Doncaster, which is in South Yorkshire. The club is very nice, full of friendly people. On that night it was mainly older folk in the audience so it was pretty much laid on that there would be a lot of rock and roll played, as that is what goes down very well at these venues. The club was filling up early so we expected a good night. We were on stage at 8.30 for the first of three sets. At quarter to nine I looked at our bass player and let him know I felt sick. Ten minutes later the room was spinning and I could not stand up. I managed to get outside for some air, but ended up laid down on the floor by the front door of the club being sick and sweating. The club insisted that an ambulance was called and I was taken to hospital. There was no way I was finishing the gig, I just wanted to lie down with my eyes shut.
     
    To cut a long story short, it turns out that I had experienced a viral attack which manifested itself with a very nasty case of vertigo. I spent 24 hours in hospital and in the late evening on Saturday night I was allowed to go home and rest. Shaun and his wife were visiting me that evening, so he took me home, which was appreciated, he is a really nice guy. I was glad to be home and in my own bed.
     
    But the real bombshell landed this weekend. I found out that my friend's new wife had tried to take her own life just ten days after the wedding. It was all to do with stuff from the past and goodness knows what else. my friend is devastated, and of course the question is; will this happen again? we and is extended family will rally round with support, but we really don't know where this is going to go.
     
    So, Saturday we had a practice to go over a couple of songs we want to put in the set, well three to be exact. It then turns out that Dave's Marshall amp wouldn't work, so he is going to have to sort that out this week as we have a gig on friday. It wouldn't surprise me if he turns up with a new amp. It has made me realize that I need to get a second amp for back up.
     
    Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of where we played in Doncaster.
     
    Thanks for reading and best wishes to every one.
     

     

  3. mark555

    it never rains....

    By mark555,

    Trying to get a band up and running is full of twists and turns that you just don't expect to find.
     
    having completed a set list of over thirty numbers we are now ready to polish them to performance level and we have gigs booked. Then, this week, we all get an e mail from Terry our drummer saying he is quitting. He told me that he is not going to join any other band, but he wants to do other things. He and his brother have bought a narrow boat and want to go off on it at weekends with their wives and just enjoy themselves. Also, he has lost enthusiasm for drumming and looking back this has shown because he hasn't learned new songs he needed to and it was worrying me just enough to make me wonder why he wasn't making the effort. Terry is truly a nice guy and a gentleman, and he told me that as far as a bunch of guys go, we are terrific to be around and good musicians to play alongside. We shall remain friends, and after all, if his heart is not in it, we might as well look elsewhere.
     
    Never being one to let the grass grow under my feet, I have contacted Allen, a guy who I get on with very well who has been in a band with me before that didn't get off the ground, It turns out that his band is doing nothing and he was pleased to hear from me, we always got along very well and stayed friends. The upshot is that he is coming to play with us next saturday with the intention of joining us if it goes well, and there is no reason why it shouldn't.
     
    We still had a band practice this weekend, if for no other reason than to keep the discipline of practicing going. However, it was a bit of a waste of time because it was playing with a huge hole in the sound which just killed our enthusiasm. However, we did use some of the time to mess around with one or two new ideas.
     
    Now on to things that really matter. Tomorrow is the funeral of our dear and very close friend Peter. Helen and I have been friends with him and his wife Sue since our kids were babies, and all our kids are the best of friends. Sue and Peter are more like family to us than some of our blood family and tomorrow will be a tough day for them, so we have to help them get through it. The next couple of years will be tough for Sue, in a house on her own, she and Pete were one of the most together couples I have ever seen, you didn't find one without the other. Guitars and bands are great, but it's people who really matter.
  4. mark555
    It seems like a long time since I last wrote in my blog, yet lots has happened. For those of you who read my blog, you will recall that we were auditioning a new guitar player. Well, Robin is now well and truly embedded in the band and is taking on his share of the load. He's a Les Paul player at heart and his go to guitar is an RI that cost an arm and a leg, but I have managed to switch him on to Telecasters, which he uses on Honky Tonk Women. He's become a real member of the band and has a huge input. I did actually buy the PA from Peter Alton.
    Would you believe it , the old guitarist and his wife were still causing us trouble and making a nuisance of themselves well into this year, but finally we seem to have them off our back. they even contacted Robin, our new guitar player.
    Just when we thought we had the band settled again, we were hit with another problem. Allen, our terrific drummer, had to retire from drumming because he was in too much pain from arthritis, it was making playing impossible and after our last gig of last year he called it a day. I was straight on the phone to Tony, who had stood in with us before and who had said he would gladly join us if Allen ever called it a day. Well, it turns out we missed getting him by two weeks as he had joined a band and was committed to them. However, he has played a couple of gigs with us and we have had a great time playing with him in the band. We held the usual auditions and had the usual range of ability or inability... One guy turned up and by his own admission didn't even try. We did eventually find a cracking drummer called Pete and offered him the job there and then, he accepted and we thought "great, we're away here". He played two gigs with us and three days before the third gig told us he was leaving to join a prog rock band. So, back to the drawing board. to cut a long story short, we offered the drum seat to a really nice guy called Rob, but after one gig it became very apparent he would not be able to make many gigs because of his work as a prison officer and his shift rota. So, back to the drawing board. Our Bass player has a mate at work who is a drummer, he stepped in totally cold and helped us out on a gig, and as we liked his as a person and a drummer, we offered him the gig. He went home to think about it and left the band he was in to join us. Sadly, when he told them he was leaving they got unpleasant and gave him a hard time. Well, he's more than welcome with us.
    Now our aim is to put some more songs into the band and open the set list a bit. Two must do songs are Brown Sugar and 19th Nervous Breakdown by the stones, along with some other standards that go down well.
    We have also bought more lighting, which is a side we want to expand and make the gigs a little more professional. we know we are not a big name band, but we like to try and offer our best. Also we are working on stage craft, looking at what we can do to make more of a show. There's nothing more boring than a band that just stands there. Shaun, our bass player, can be a bit of a BIll Wyman, so we're trying to get him in on the act a bit more. He's a good player and very laid back, so we either play to that or get him moving about a bit.
    This year we could not chase many gigs because of line up changes, the priority was getting the band stable. But we've made a fair few friends along the way and we will get plenty next year. e 
    On the Heritage front, I have put a Duesenberg Les Trem on the 555. There is no drilling and all you do is swap the stop piece for the trem, which is very neat and tidy. Duesenberg trems are superb and it's given the 555 a new lease of life for me and it's been great to gig with, superb on a good old rock and roll where you can just get a bit of sizzle on the pick ups. I couldn't upload a picture of my 555 so I have posted a picture of a Duesenberg with one of their trems on it, although the one in the picture is very different to the one on my 555 fixing wise. I love the Duesenbergs, maybe one day I will get one.
    Meanwhile I am looking forward to the coming summer, we have new venues to play at and new songs to rehearse. One I am really looking forward to playing is Jailbait, by Wishbone Ash.
    Thanks for reading.

  5. 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.
     
     
     
     
     
     
  6. mark555

    It's not always fun

    By mark555,

    Well, this band business isn't always as easy as we would want it to be. I still find that I am the only one chasing the gigs and when our other guitar players wife chimed in with all that she "does" to get us gigs I said that if she was trying there would be results to show for it, which went down like a brick in a swimming pool. So I have backed off the phone for a while to give myself a break although I keep going back to it to get us more gigs. We're earning better money just now which also helps.
     
    A few weeks back I thought it would just be much easier if we got an agent because they seem to have some of the gigs we want sown up. I can only say how much a regret even thinking of that. We ended up playing a "showcase" for an agent and I have never been to such an unprofessional event in my life. In fact, before we even set up two of us wanted to put our gear back in the cars and just go home. I haven't the inclination to go into it in detail but what a waste of time it was and the agent concerned has put some poison down for us a result. Well, we can deal with that in our own way. But from now on we see to our own affairs.
     
    One thing that really upset me was that on Saturday we played a really good venue for us in the city of Leeds, it was a well paying gig and the venue was a big social club. We hadn't played together for three weeks and I had made the mistake of concentrating my practicing on learning some new instrumentals by one of my favourite bands, "The Shadows". I wanted to learn Foot Tapper because it is brilliant for getting the flow element of your playing going really well. anyway, we were playing three sets that night, and we opened the second set with me playing lead on Whiskey In The Jar (thin Lizzy version). Well everything that did go wrong could go wrong and I really made a right mess of it all and really had a mental block. I just could not find those notes and it left a huge hole in the song. What I did was play an improvised melody within the scale of the chord sequence. I was sickened because I had found the episode with the Agent very upsetting and I really needed to get back on the horse (so to speak) with some positive experiences. Well we carried on of course, but although people enjoyed our set, I was sickened because I felt that I had let the rest of the guys in the band down. I can not tell you how upset and negative it left me feeling, it left me feeling that I just did not want to play the guitar at all for a while but also knowing that it was imperative to open the case, strap it on and practice,
     
    We have another gig at one of our favourite venues this coming Saturday, so I have been really practicing what I got wrong to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
     
    I think sometimes we can all forget how important it is to practice the stuff we know so well or we will forget it and risk doing what I did which was make a fool of myself on what is usually one of the high spots of our set list. I am going to make sure that never happens again.
     
    On to guitars: I recently played a fabulous strat style guitar made by Levinson, it has the "Blade" logo on the headstock and had a HSS pick up format, with a coil tap and boost switch for the pick ups that upped the volume from rhythm to lead volume in one switch, the pick ups were active and sounded fantastic. The colour was a translucent purple on a solid ash body with an ebony fretboard. this guitar was made in the far east and was the equal of anything out of the any of the California custom shops, Fender or otherwise. For what it was, £1200 was not a lot of money. I'm out of work just now, if I was in work I would have seriously considered buying it because by its nature it would have become my go to guitar instantly. Maybe later on next year if I can find another one that I can afford. They come in at about £1800 new, but you are not buying a brand when you buy one of these, you are buying a proper player's guitar. Here's a picture of it.
     
    Thanks for reading.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
     
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. mark555

    Life after being in a band

    By mark555,


    Mark's blog
    It's some months now since I left the band, Route 62. I was at the end of my rope with it all, the whinging of our other guitar player, no end of things and I'd just reached that point where I had had enough. I thought about it, and the positives of leaving outweighed everything else. I knew that once I said I was done, there was no turning back and I still left.
    So, four and a half months on, where am I up to, and with the benefit of hindsight, did I do the right thing?
    Well, I can answer yes, a resounding "yes" to having done the right thing in leaving. 
    I have already started reaping the rewards of having free time on my hands. I see more of my family, do more things with my wife, and I am able to plan so many other things I want to do. One such event was just taking a week out and going to the Highlands of Scotland, renting a house in spectacular Glen Coe for a week and touring the Highlands - I can't tell you how beautiful the Highlands are, you just have to go and see for yourself. I haven't done all the things I want to with my newfound free time yet, but I am far more relaxed, and I am enjoying the weekend evenings much more.  I just feel released from dealing with everyone else's expecting me to run everything, and then them coming and taking an equal cut.
    I have kept in touch with the bass player, who has been a lifelong friend, but who in fairness played his part in my decision to leave. Robin, the other guitar player is pretty angry at my going, but this is because I was the enabler who made it possible for him to go out and gig on a weekend after a week at home because he is wealthy enough not to have to work. Now, he has no gigs to play because they haven't been able to find a lead guitar player who can also take the lead vocal role and front the band, building rapport with the audiences. As Shaun, my bass playing buddy told me a couple of weeks ago, all they get at auditions are wannabe's and dreamers. I gained some sense of satisfaction when Shaun Told me that Robin finally admitted that "Mark was the biggest part of this band and made it work".  At the risk of sounding smug, I feel that I have finally been vindicated, and that their departing from the vision and formula I was working to is what brought it all down for them. They pushed me beyond my tolerance limit, and they are now the ones that are frustrated because they cannot find a replacement and get things going. I wish them well, but I don't think they will make it work. I have seen their ad for a singer to go down the route of becoming a tribute band.
    So what have I been doing? Well, the truth is, as far as playing guitar is concerned, absolutely nothing. I haven't had a guitar case open with the exception of taking one in to work to show it to a colleague, it's my MIJ Tokai Love Rock , which is a clone of a 59 les Paul Standard and plays beautifully. But I have to admit to almost getting my tele out and having a few moments with it.
    So where do I go next, musically speaking? For the time being, nowhere. I hope I get to play with other musicians at some point, but where I am now, there doesn't seem to be other musicians around who are easy going and on the same wavelength as myself so for now I'm just not interested. What I do want to do is swap my burst for a gold top, and I really do want a core range PRS, so one of my guitars is going to have to go. 
    But as I began, I will finish - with hindsight I really did do the right thing. Thanks for reading.
  12. mark555

    Making progress

    By mark555,

    A new year starts and we are back to getting the show on the road. Our new drummer has settled in and is now a part of the band fully. For a couple of months I have been very dubious about his commitment to the band, that he was just testing the waters and seeing how it goes with us - if he liked it he would stay, if not he would clear off and get another gig elsewhere when it came up. So, we are now a permanent set up as a band and I feel that I won't be having to get a new drummer again and bring in a new band member, which can be a real pain.
     
    The key to getting the band up and running will be consistent rehearsal, every week, our plan is to get four new songs down every week until we have thirty. We are half way there now, having had weeks of cancelled practices last year for various reasons, the band had a meeting last night and we have set a date for our first gig, which is Saturday February 26th. We practice at the church the bas player and I belong to, and we get a very nice facility free of charge, so we feel that it would be nice to make our first gig a free concert for them. The venue of the concert will be the larger centre the church has which has a hall within the building which is seperate from the chapel area and seats about four hundred people, it has it's own very nice stage with lights etc, so hopefully, with the right publicity we should get a really good crowd.
     
    I have finally found a role for the 555 in the set list, I tune it to open g and play the Stones songs in the set, which is great. By the way, One of the Christmas gifts I got was a fantastic leather guitar strap - black at the front, red leather at the back, red leather piping down the sides and double red stitching. Really high quality, made in Australia. So, the new strap has been dedicated solely for use with the Heritage - I always believe a really good guitar deserves a really good strap.
     
    So, we are now just finalising the date, we should get the official approval for putting on the gig by the middle of next week, which means we now have to get a name for the band. We were going for 'The Alligators', but it turns out that it is a very common name for bands and there are already two bands that could well be playing the same circuit we intend to get on with the same name. So, we are in the process of trying to come up with something that suits us. One name we have come up with is 'The M62's'. The M62 is the motorway that runs just north of our town and runs all the way from the east coast in Hull to Liverpool on the west coast. As three of us played in the same band some years back and the gigs we played seemed to be in towns along the motorway. In fact we have played in both Hull and Liverpool at either end of the M62, so we thought 'The M62's' has a certain ring about it. The other name we thought of was "Route 62", being a parody of Route 66. We do not have any roads classed as Routes here in England, so it's a bit of humour - the only problem is that I don't think too many people will get the humour.
     
    So there we are, we are now well on our way to gigging. A date has been set and a plan put in place, we just need to go out and find some paying gigs now.
  13. mark555

    management

    By mark555,

    As we are back on our world tour of nowhere in particular, I I'm finding that running a band is often harder work than it needs to be. Thankfully though, I am now able to drive once more and can find my own way to and from gigs. Saturday night we were playing in Sheffield at a venue we play three times a year and go down very well at. Sheffield in one of Yorkshires largest cities, if not the largest. It is a city built on steel production and there are still some big foundries in the city. However, although there are a fair few venues in Sheffield, it's not an easy place to get bookings in without and agent.
    We're all nice people in our band of wandering minstrels, each of us with our own perculiarities, but as I go along , I am finding more and more that the un asked for role of manager which I seem to have ended up with can be very much managing people. Graham, our drummer, is rock solid, turns up, sets his kit up and follows the set up plan. PA first, Drums next, then guitars and amps. Shaun, our bass player, is so laid back it is unbelievable, the worlds greatest fence sitter when we are hammering out band policy, but as decent a human being as you are ever going to get. Robin, our other guitarist, who I affectionately refer to as Moaning Myrtle (see Harry Potter) always feels under pressure, he's landed the job of running the PA purely and simply because he owns the mixer. Complaints? Oh yes - The Pa actually belongs to me and is a pretty good one, if basic. But it does handle the venues. Poor Robin get's very frustrated, he's not a natural sound guy, but he knows more than any of us about setting the PA up as he's learned by trial and error. I'll say this for Shaun, Graham and myself, we have our sound sorted. Shaun has some great bass's, nice big bass rig that produces great sound. Me, I know what I need to do to get a nice full tone without scorching the ears of the audience. Now for the fun bit. Robin plays a lovely Gibson R9 Les Paul through a Fender Vibroking amp. The thing is so loud it's unbelievable. My main amp is an American built Peavey Classic 30 which has hade a  a rather expensive speaker put in and now sounds great. I also have a Fender Hot Rod Delux. Now I know that these two amps are far from top of the range, but they go out and do the business and I make them work. I know my tones and settings and all is well.
    So, we come to Saturday night. Robin, with rather expensive kit, can not get his amp to sound right. He may well have a superb guitar and great amp but in between those two lies his pedal board, which I personally would like to strip out, and throw all his pedals except one into the dump and start again, minimising what he has on it and replaving the cheaper pedals with better quality. In cutting a long story short, his sound was truly horrendous on Saturday and was so far up the treble scale it was hurting my ears. No matter what he was playing it sounded. Now he is a nice guy, as nice a person as you could wish to meet and will do anything to help. But he was becoming somewhat snappy with me as I was getting a couple of negative comments from the audience and the guy who runs the venue, with an audience of about 250, we had to be right as we don't like complaints. So, when the opportunity arose and we were on our own, I asked my friend why he was so short tempered with me? Right away his voice rose and he lost his cool shouting and swearing, saying that I was putting him under pressure and he can't handle it. I soaked it up for a minute or two and calmly asked him to hear me out - there's a proverb that says "A soft answer turneth away wrath". I like that and try to remember it when I'm in challenging situations. I told him that no one was being criticised, but I get all the complaints about sound and as we are being paid by the club and return bookings depend on the enjoyment on the night of the club members. Well, I reacted kindly rather than with anger and Robin soon realised that there was no criticism of him but rather we need to help him get his sound right. He's no slouch, but in my opinion, he could do with a decent quality class A 30 watt amp, a decent overdrive pedal, a delay and a boost. Add a tuner and that's enough. I have never understood having a hue amount of pedals in fro nt of you when you don't use three quarters of them. Recently I have come to the conclusion that the less gear you are using the less likely you are to have problems. 
    In fairness to my band mate he immediately apologised for how he had spoken to me and was most sincere, I told him not to worry, it's done and forgotten. So now I am finding that so much of managing the band is actually people management, making sure every one is happy while sorting out problems. Robin is, as I said a nice person and he was quite bothered that he had been the cause of a problem and apologised again several times during the evening and went out of his way to be pleasant. 
    I'm pleased to tell you that even with the sound problem he had, we went down exceptionally well, plenty people dancing and a few encores demanded and three bookings taken for next year. I get on exceptionally well with the venues management, and the boss really likes our way of doing things, which is to turn up early evening, get set up and all ready for playing long before all the club members are ready for the evening to start. I was quite surprised when I was told that many bands turn up later and are setting up while other parts of the evenings activities are taking place, which I feel is totally unacceptable. So, in the end, we worked through the problem, Robin realised he has to do something about getting his sound right and the club members were all going home having had a great night and enjoyed what we did. My next challenge is to get Robin playing sixties style guitar and to not put Led Zeppelin into ABBA - poor analogy, but it makes the point. It's amazing how many rock players can't get out of that heavy chugging style. I spent all my early teenage years as a rhythm player and it did me a huge amount of good, laying a great foundation for later years.
    By the way, I used my 555 on Saturday night, what a guitar!
    On a totally different vein, I have joined Slimming World and at the end of my first four week period, I have lost 15 1/2 Lbs. I have eaten like a horse  and not been hungry at all. I am fed up of being the fat guy in the band and now I'm doing something about it. As I was walking up the stairs in our home to go to go to bed in the early hours of Sunday morning, I was carrying something and by the time I'd reached the top, my six week old jeans had fallen round my ankles. They fitted just right when I bought them but being fifteen pound lighter they now don't stay up. I'm hoping that this time next year I look completely different.
    Thanks for reading.
     
  14. mark555

    Moving forward

    By mark555,

    It's a Saturday night off gigging, which to be honest, I am glad about because I have been very tired and could do with a rest. No church tomorrow either so I will get up a little later than I usually do and enjoy the rest. Today I have enjoyed a day on the north west coast of England, where our daughter lives, we went to look after her as she is having a rough time with her pregnancy, the new baby is due in August. Today me and Mrs 555 did the seventy mile trip and had a wonderful day with our daughter and granddaughter, taking little Penny out and spending some Nana and Granddad time with our favourite three year old.
     
    Any one who read my last blog and my recent thread about our fellow band members wife causing great difficulty will be aware of the trouble this has caused and how the band was ready to part with our other guitarist. In the end I decided that a change of band member just wasn't in the best interest of the band and it's ability to gig and earn money. In the end I decided that I would be civil with Mrs Satan and speak to her, but at the same time showing her there was no way was I going to give any ground on this and put up with any such behavior again.
     
    I've come to the conclusion that something must have been said between her and her husband privately, because she has changed her attitude and is far better behaved at gigs, and has been pleasant with me. The other two guys have suggested that our other guitarist is enjoying being in our band and earning the money that comes with it. (Not that we earn fortunes, but easily enough to buy a couple of tasty guitars a year if we want). For her behavior to change so quickly we think that she has been told to stop her problem causing by some one! So, the outcome from all this is that she is backing off from interfering with band business and she has probably realised that there is no mileage in causing trouble and that I have the full backing of the bass player and drummer. She has also not been drinking as much alcohol at gigs, but I am pretty sure she is still drinking very strong lager. She seems to have accepted that she has no say in the band and that there is (for want of a better word) a "senior" band member and that is me, and that causing trouble hurts her the most. So the three of us who were united in the decision to fire her husband if needs be are glad that this very difficult and unpleasant period of six months seems to have come to a close and some sort of balance has been restored with Mrs Satan seeming to have realised her place in the grand plan of the band, which is, she is not in the band and has to butt out of business. As a result, we are all nice to her and we seem to have sorted things out by holding back from being aggressive, but still having a plan B for replacing her husband prepared and ready to put into action.
     
    I am really glad the situation is resolved and we are all getting along without the strain, I am glad I held back from speaking my mind too strongly and holding it all together, I think it has been well worth it. Also, calling in an exorcist was also a good move......!!
     
    We have played a few pub gigs lately, in and among the clubs (clubs generally pay more money). We have a total of three gigs at one particular pub this year and the manager of the questioned us as to why we don't have lights, because there is a much better atmosphere with bands that do. So we considered this and decided to invest some of our money in a small lighting rig that will work nicely in a pub or club environment. I was up in the town of Darlington, which is about 100 miles north of me and found a lighting dealer who had a good showroom and was able to demonstrate to me several combinations of what we could get for our budget. The guy really knew his stuff. I had done as much research on the net as I could and found that none of the music shops kept anything we could look at in store or set up, and the store I was recommended to go to was in fact a DJ specialist. But it was obvious they knew what they were talking about and they told me that they sell to a lot of bands. Mike, the owner, was able to educate me and show me that what I came in thinking I wanted, wasn't what I really needed, and what I was asking about was out of date. He showed me a rig he had set up on his wall as a permanent display and played the unplugged version of Hotel California through one of the sound systems while the lights did their thing. I got what he was telling me there and then, which was that we should use that lighting behind us and two warm white spot lights illuminating us from the front. That way we stay lit up naturally but have a stunning light show coming from the stage. So, I went back and told the band what I had found and sent them a couple of links to see the rig working. They were all impressed and said get it ordered. So on Monday, we take delivery of the two warm white spot lights which are bright enough and have enough spread the light us up between them, and the lighting rig. The lighting rig has two Derby Lights, Two cans, four Strobes and a laser which can do no end of stuff. It comes multi programmed with a foot board for changing settings and has wireless technology. When I was talking to our bass player, (he and I are the core of the band) we decided that we would like two of these rigs and to link them together. The effect would be stunning. So it would not surprise me if in another couple of months we are not ordering another one.
     
    I firmly believe that having a good light show will give us more return bookings as the customers of the venues will get a better experience when they come to see us. Once we learn how to get the settings we want for our set list, I think it will definitely give us an edge over many local bands who do not bother with lighting. This will mean a longer wait for my next guitar, but will perhaps enable us to raise our fee's if we can give a more complete and enjoyable experience to the customers of the venues. After all, once you get up on a stage, you are there to entertain your audience, regardless of the genre of music. I just want to be able to give my audience as good a night as I can.
     
    I will let you know how things develop with the lighting side of things, I think it will be a good investment and I am willing to invest some more into lighting later this year. When I can, I will post some pictures.
     
    Thanks for being kind enough to read and best wishes to all.
    mark.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. mark555
    OK, the line up is complete and there are no more auditions to be held. We made our choice and we are sticking to our guns. And, a good choice it has turned out to be. This evening I wanted to call Simon, the guy who came last week, but I can not for the life in me find his telephone number, and looking back it seems that all the communication we had prior to the audition was through a site for musicians looking to find bands etc. So, as much as I would have preferred to have spoken to Simon personally because i feel it is good manners, I have had to send him a message thanking him for coming but explaining that we had chosen some one else. I told him that not being selected was not a reflection on his playing and on another week we may well have asked him to join. So, there we are.
     
    During the week we bought an old Peavy 600watt pa amp, it only cost £100 so we thought why not take a punt on it? It turns out it is rather loud! But, it will give us a lot of headroom to work with for the vocals, the quieter singers will be giving enough volume to get their voices heard. The down side is that I need to buy a couple of new mic cables and possibly a new mic. I also treated myself to a really well made used mic stand in the week, which payed dividends at rehearsal today.
     
    Today was our first rehearsal and the objective was to get at least four numbers down and play them at a level we could gig them. We worked on the following songs: Down at the Doctors and Back in The Night(Doctor Feelgood) Whiskey in The Jar (Thin Lizzy) I Hear You Knocking (Dave Edmunds). We really did work those numbers and got them how we wanted them, I am pleased to say that if we had to play an audition and choose four numbers, we could play those to a gigging standard. We have chosen four more for next week. We're aiming for thirty numbers to give us a full set. Just right now in the region where we would look to get gigs from, there are loads of blues bands, all sorts of youngsters playing what ever it is they do, but we all think that there is a big gap for what we want to do, which is Rock with a blues feel with two lead guitar players. Hopefully we will plug that gap.
     
    We rehearse at the church Shaun and I used to attend before we moved to different towns, as it is easy to get to and free to us as Shaun and I are still active within our faith. I only mention this because it is relevent to the fact that our new guitar player Dave, is not at all religeous and he is having a hard time remembering not to swear! It's quite funny really, we have told him that we will get a swear box and fine him every time he comes out with something he shouldn't. But he is trying, and today he didn't go off the grounds for a smoke, I think he'd had one on the way to rehearsal.
     
    Our first gig has already been cancelled, the party organisers think that every one would just prefer to sit and talk, and they have a bit of a disco - what a bad choice, there is no substitute for a live band, but try telling that to the masses who don't appreciate what real music is - LIVE!
     
    As promised last week, here are a couple of pictures. I am the guy with the Sunburst single cut. Dave is the guy with the white single cut, and my life long friend and true brother Shaun is holding his P bass which he bought in 1977 when we went to London to buy it. Terry is our Drummer,a really powerful player.
     
    Well, I can't post any pictures, so here's a link instead.
     
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152070238653212&set=pcb.10152070239728212&type=1&theater
     
    Thanks for reading,
    Mark.
  20. mark555

    Now we are five!

    By mark555,

    Our quest for a singer has ended. The last guy who came to audition was not very good at all, and he left somewhat dejected looking. However, after putting posters up in every guitar shop and web site we could find advertising for a singer, we finally found the right guy. I must say though, that very very few singers got in touch with us, and I think that is because here in England the live scene is not very healthy for bands like ours. In years gone by, we used to have what we called Working Men's clubs. These were like a pub, but were for the working class man where he could get cheap beer and have a good night out. Most of these clubs had a concert room and would have entertainment on several nights a week, from comediens to singers, and bands. Some of the bigger clubs would house up to a thousand people in the concert room, but those size clubs were few and far between. However, they did provide a very fertile ground for talent to develop. But sadly, they have all but disappeared from the scene and along with their disappearence, many would be singers and bands have gone. Their heyday was the late sixties and early seventies. But, I digress.
     
    So, to carry on. Our new singer came to audition, a 29 year old police officer called Arron, and he can sing rather well! He also likes our stuff and sang some great songs such as Alright Now, and a few others we had asked him to. I knew right away he was the one we wanted, but we had agreed that we would give it a couple of days so we could all be sure we wanted to offer him the gig. So, after wednesday's get together, and the singing was done, we asked a few questions about his willingness to bring a decent qulaity (but not mega big) PA to the band, because after all, as I have said before, we as musicians have laid out a lot of money in amps and guitars, and we can not afford to subsidise him. He is very happy to bring his own gear to the party so now he needs to get a pa and decent mic. a 500watt pa should suffice as the two guitarists - myself and Pete, use 40watt valve amps and those are ample, so he needs real clarity.
     
    Arron is also a really nice and friendly guy, which suits us as there are no ego's in this band, just a a bunch of really good friends. On top of that, he's quite a handsome lad, which helps! So, now onwards and upwards, I think we now have the basis for a good line up. And, although I say it myself, on Wednesday my playing was cooking! As Pete of the yellow telecaster fame said, I was in the groove - it's great just to be able to concentrate on playing! Watch this space to see what happens next, and thanks for reading.
  21. mark555

    Onwards and upwards.

    By mark555,

    With over thirty gigs played now, we all have a nice share of the earnings. So far I have been able to d home improvements, buy two more guitars, and various bits and bats with the money I earned from playing.
     
    Just now I am concentrating on buying what I need rather than what I want. As I want what I need, it's almost an oxymoron, but I would still rather buy a Gretsch or PRS than what I am currently buying. BUT.... sound reasoning is ruling the heart.
     
    I have been wanting a monitor of my own to add to our PA, which is owned by our other guitarist, and have been on the lookout. Last week I was down in the town of Doncaster with my work when I visited Electromusic, a family run business I have bought this and that from over the years, but never anything big - mainly because when I have money they don't have what I want, and when they do, I have no spare funds. But as I was looking in their PA department I came across a pair of Peavey monitors they just wanted to clear. Used but in good condition I bought them at a ridiculously low price and took them to rehearsal with me on Saturday to try out. I am pleased to say they do a great job for me, and they help the other guys as we now have four monitors instead of two.
     
    The other thing I have been wanting is a second amp as a back up. As we are playing so many gigs now, I don't want to be without an amp if one of them breaks down. I have looked at many amps, the one I wanted was just too expensive for me to justify, although maybe in a year or two I might get one - Fender Vibroluxe. I looked at several amps but was discarding an amp I have seen lots of times until I tried a new one out the other day. this was a Peavey Classic 30. I was very impressed with the tones and thought that it would be a great amp to use. So, I started looking for a used one and found out our fellow forum member Bob Meyrick had one to sell, so tonight we did a deal and I will collect it tomorrow.
     
    Band continues to make good progress, but dealing with some of the people who book acts can often prove difficult as they are either brilliant or totally bad to deal with. As usual it is myself who ends up chasing the bookings and I often wish that the others would do more but they don't and there is nothing I can do about that. I am not going to make an issue out of it because it will only cause bad feelings in the band. I am trying to get new venues in other towns and cities where we do not play at the minute. My logic is that if I can get 20 venues that will book us two or three times a year we will have all the bookings we want. Our mist successful hit so far is one venue that books us four times a year, and we go down pretty well there. It's a pub called The Boot and Shoe. We get a good crowd there and enjoy playing to them as there are always a good few nice looking women getting up to dance! Some of them are very nice looking!
     
    So that's it now, all the things I have added to my gear are essentials, from now on I can just use the money for treating myself!
     
    Thanks for reading.
  22. mark555

    Out of the blue....

    By mark555,

    Just when I was beginning to wonder how long I could hold this band together, as we had recently lost our very new singer, out of the blue I get an e mail from a guy about seven miles from me asking if we are still looking for a singer. Well, of course I e mailed back and said yes, with my telephone number. I am careful about giving my phone number away on the internet, you don't know who is taking it down with some nefarious thought process going on in their heads.
     
    So, I spoke with the guy, who is called Chris, and we had a good chat. By now I am straight to the point, although always well mannered and pleasant. I explained that we had recently had a singer who was told exactly what was required and then when it came to the crunch had just wasted a lot of our time. Chris explained that he was singing in a band but there were alcohol issues with the drummer and other band members and that he was fed up with them, and was looking to get involved with a decent set of guys. I explained that we were not professional players, but that we have a professional attitude and we take practices very seriously and do not mess about and weedle away on our guitars, because we do that at home. I also made it very clear about the situation with him needing to buy a pa if he was to join us, and if he wasn't then there was no point going beyond the phone call. "Not a problem" he said, so we arranged an audition for the coming Wednesday, which was this last week.
     
    Peter, our other guitarist of the yellow telecaster fame, has been away at his house in France and only contactable by letter, so communication has been slow and I did not want to audition a singer without him there. For two reasons really, one was respect for him, and secondly he is a very wise individual when it comes to sussing people out, but as Alan,our drummer said, we need to strike while the iron is hot as there are a lot of bands out there looking for singers. So, Shaun (bass) Alan (drums) and myself decided to hold the audition ourselves as three of us would have to be in agreement anyway.
     
    Chris turned up on time, which is always a good sign, and had made an effort to at l;east try and get some of the songs he had not heard in his head and have a go at any of the fourteen songs we sent him. A very nice individual of 53 years old, he has been fronting a band for the last six years. We kicked off with my favourite Bad Company song 'I can't get enough' and he did well, we also did Alright Now, whiskey in the Jar and a fair few others. Chris did struggle with some of the keys we played in, which were actually geared up to myself, but on those songs he was comfortable with he was ok. He wasn't the best and not the worst, but definitely a guy we felt we could work with, so after the audition was through, (I had already informed him that we would not be telling him on the night) Alan, Shaun and myself stayed behind for twenty minutes and talked about it. The upshot was that we decided to go with him and that I would contact Pete and let him know of our decision.
     
    It has surprised me just how hard it has been to find singers, so we didn't want to pass up on a guy who could take on the role.
     
    The next day I got a call from Pete, just back from France and getting in touch. I explained what we had done and he was very supportive and said that we had done the right thing. I have known Pete for a long time now and I have a lot of respect for him, and explained that I was concerned about going ahead without him being there, but I needn't have worried. A true gent, he was just thrilled that we had a singer on board.
     
    So now all we have to do is get things going, and hopefully I will be soon telling you all about playing some live gigs.
     
    Thanks for reading, and best to all,
    Mark.
  23. mark555

    Plan A, what's plan B?

    By mark555,

    The weekly practices are happening and things are moving forward nicely. However, we found that our success and work ethic of the past few weeks was the result of a really good plan - we had the first fourteen songs pre selected so we knew exactly what we were doing. As the main lead player in the band, I could work on solo parts weeks in advance and be ready when they were needed at rehearsal. It was an excellent method and was working really well. Anticipating the arrival of the day when we would need to have the second set of fourteen or how ever many songs ready to draw from was fast approaching, my calls for a meeting to select the songs fell on deaf ears - very busy band members. Not that no one cared, they just didn't get round to it. This led to the last two practices finishing and then us scratching our heads to think of what songs to practice during the week so we would be ready for the next rehearsal.
     
    The net result of not having a plan in place is that we have selected songs that we would really take as second choice just to fill in. Not that they are poor songs, but you end up with the songs that have been done time and time again by other bands, but in fairness we are going to keep these songs down to a minimum, maybe a total of six in the set. Johnny B Goode may well be one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever to be put onto vinyl, but it is some what over done, and in many cases very badly. in fact, one of the worst versions I have ever heard can be seen on youtube and is done by Chuck Berry himself along with John Lennon and it is truly dreadful.
     
    So the remedy is that I shall be going through my CD collection and looking at quality tracks the match the ability of the players in the band and the vocal range of the singer, who by coincidence is myself. I never wanted to be a singer, but having tried to get a line up of four organised and reliable, the last thing we want is another individual who might not prove as committed to turning up at rehearsal as we are. If we have a good quality just now, it is the fact that we had a good attitude to moving things forward.
     
    Democracy is a fine institution, but I am finding that in the context of a band you can have too much of a good thing, so Peter (other guitar player) and myself have realised that we need to take charge and plan, then give the band the direction it needs. When we have next selection of songs, we will work to plan. the impending first gig is free entry and we are not taking any money because it is a thank you to the church for letting us use the facilities free of charge for rehearsal, so there is not the pressure that there would be from a paid gig where people were paying money either for drinks or what ever. But I do think it is important to put a well thought out set together and set yourself apart in some way from the other bands playing the same circuit.
     
    One really good thing I have to tell you about is that I am now playing a little bit of slide. We have put the Rolling Stones version of Little Red Rooster in the set and even though I say it myself, it sounds excellent. Do something simple and well, and the end result is usually very effective. I am really pleased how well little red rooster has turned out for us because is gives us a blues song to play that not every one else is doing and is instantly recognisable by those of a certain age, and the slide adds something else into the mix.
     
    Another good triumph for us was getting down a good version of "This Flight Tonight". Written by Joni Mitchell and covered by Nazareth (Scottish rock band) in the 70's, it took us a lot of effort to find the right key for the vocals. Again, not a complicated song, but we have found that simple does not mean that it will be easy to put together, particularly to do properly - for us, "nearly" isn't good enough, it has to be right.
     
    I have started to get some posters out to publicise next months gig, if we get two hundred out on the night I will be pleased. The purpose of a free gig is for us to test the waters with the set list we have prepared and get us playing live again. Once I get plan B of the set list finalised, I will be much happier. Selecting the right songs is critical - no use choosing something that is brilliant on record but is not right for you as a musician.
  24. mark555

    sharpening up

    By mark555,

    Since my last entry on my blog, the band, Route 62, has had two practices. Last week we added the final two songs to our set list for our forthcoming gig, and now we have the luxury of just polishing them up and bringing them to an acceptable level for public performance. As this is going to be our first gig, I am sure that we will be ok, but not as sharp as we are going to get through playing a few more live situations. The one pain in the neck though is almost having to re learn the earlier songs we put into the set list.
     
    Looking back a few months, it is now totally obvious to me that getting a new drummer was the best move we made to progress the band forward. Since Allen, (the old man of the band) joined us, we have had weekly rehearsals and this has been the thing that has made the difference. The band has moved forward much faster for it. And in fairness to Allen, he did bring with him an expectation that we were serious and it made us raise our game. We now have twenty four numbers which are more or less ready to play, and there is enough experience in the band to overcome any live hiccups.
     
    One thing that is bothering me is that our PA is not fully up to the job of gigs, although it is loud enough, what we do not have is a monitor system. Normally that would not be a problem, we would just go out and buy what we want. However, right now only one of the band is working, one of us being retired and the other two being out of work. So, today's task is to beg a second pa to use as a foldback system. WE have speakers we can use, but not a power amp. It will have to be the next thing on the shopping list when we get some gig money in.
     
    Other events which are band related have been a trip to our very own Peter Green's home, which I have made an entry about on the Family Tree. Peter and I have been friends a few years now, and he has a good working knowledge of wiring pick ups and also setting guitars up. Peter has some beautiful guitars of various brands, all if which are great player's. Anyway, Shaun, our bass player, has a new Precision, which is really a "bitsa" - bits a this and bits of that... It's a lovely white body with rosewood neck, and he needed everything wired in, with the Seymour Duncan bassline pick up it sounds excellent, Peter did a great job. I also changed the strings on the 555 because I wanted a lighter gauge for the style I am playing in the band. It did have 12's on it, but I have gone down to 10's for the string bends. I didn't know how to correctly adjust the truss rod, and Peter taught me how to do it, so now I am ok with that, which is a big help.
     
    Next wednesday is our final rehearsal before the gig, and we are going to do an afternoon and evening to polish everything up. We are almost there now, perhaps those less that perfect songs will just give us that raw edge - as the songs says, "it's only rock and roll, but I like it."
  25. mark555
    After a couple of months our trusty little band of four is now rehearsing once again. Having to deal with the problems life throws up at you can put things in perspective. For example, Pete, our other guitarist, has a daughter who has had surgery to remove a brain tumour, so he has been down in London where his daughter lives to look after her and make sure all has been well. Thankfully the patient has had a tremendous recovery and is doing well.
     
    However, all this time off has slowed progression down and we need to really get things going much faster now, life moves quickly and is there to be grabbed hold of, not pass us by. So, I finally got round to starting to play in open G tuning which just opens things up for playing all those Rolling Stones songs you wanted to do. Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman etc all now roll off the fret board so easily that I wonder why on earth I never did this years ago. But, better late than never.
     
    We have also given ourselves a name, and we go under the snappy title of 'The Alligators' which even though I say it myself, I think it is pretty good.
     
    Last Wednesday we had a short practice and rocked it with Brown Sugar, The Promised Land and Whiskey in the Jar, next weeks numbers for adding to the list are Rosalie and Back in the ussr, so we keeping up the dance rock theme. We don't play to impress other guitarists who just want to let you know they can play better than you, we are in for the fun and giving people a good night out for little expense - how many people work long hours for a low wage and just want a few beers on a weekend and get some entertainment they can enjoy and afford?
     
    Which brings me onto another subject. How many musicians strap on their guitar and just indulge themselves? I have seen many musicians in bands play to themselves - long drawn out solo's that are repetitious and boring, with obscure scales that just have no relevance to the song. Whjat a lot of players do is forget that once they are on stage they are there and are paid to play to and entertain the audience. I have seen some fabulous players just spoil it all by their own self indulgent playing - there's a difference between entertaining and bragging, they don't go together.
     
    I am still knocked over by my Tokai, perhaps I shouldn't be singing the praises of another manufacturer on a dedicated Heritage website, but this is a seriously good guitar, and incredible for the money, definitely one of the best buys I have made as far as a guitar go's. It performs great on the songs I use it for. It causes me to ask the quetion "why spend £thousands on a guitar when you don't need to? But if you DO need to, then that's a different matter.
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