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mark555

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.)
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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."
  12. mark555
    As I said in my last blog entry, our band, now officially known as Route 62, is getting close to our first gig, which although is being done for free as a thank you for some very excellent rehearsal facilities which we enjoy without cost, we are expecting some sort of spin off one way or another via a couple of paid gigs. However, on a personal basis, I have not played live for a few years, so it will be good to dip my toe in the water again. Also, it will give us a chance to see which songs work and which ones we are not going to use at other gigs.
     
    Talking of gigs, they local live venues, usually pubs, are closing at rather an alarming rate and there are less and less places to play at and actually get paid, but there is no way I will be playing at any venue where the operator gets money off my guitar playing yet will expect us to play for nothing. There are too many of those venues and too many musicians playing for nothing - which of course means that other bands are less likely to either get a paid gig or have to pay for free, on the promise that if they go down well they will get a paid gig next time. But the question I ask, is will next time ever come? If my gut feeling is right, those who run these none paying gigs will just wait for the next band willing to play for nothing and book them. Sadly there are too many bands willing to believe these people, and also younger kids who are just desperate to get out and play to an audience.
     
    Which, leads me on to something else. Because of the rise of shows like X Factor and American Idol etc, in many cases young people just see bands as four or five kids who dance about with their trousers round their backsides supposedly singing, with not a guitar or any musical instrument in sight. So, when they do get to hear a proper band, they don't know what is good and what is poor, so they accept a lower standard. Now that is not to say that there are not some really good young players out there, far from it. It's just that young people are being denied the opportunity to see and hear them because the likes of the afore mentioned shows have got such a grip on the music industry right now that in England anyway, real talent is being strangled and choked out as it can not get through the system and that was said by no less a luminary than Brian May.
     
    Anyway, I digress. As a band we are meticulous about trying to get the sings we do as good as we possibly can, and we will work on a number until we feel it is good enough to gig. We were not happy that we were progressing the set fast enough, so we planned a rehearsal that would start at 1.30 in the afternoon and go on until the evening, which in this case was 10pm yesterday. The plan was to learn four new songs and and rehearse at least half the set.
     
    The practice was a real success and four numbers duly added, including Before you Accuse Me and I hear you knocking. Easy ones, it is true, but none the less good live numbers. What we found with the other songs though, particularly some we had not rehearsed for a few weeks was that we had forgotten arrangements and had to re learn them, but they were done very quickly as we soon remembered them. I was really pleased that my slide playing, which although I am at the very beginning of, is coming along nicely. Having recently had a really bad cold which has left me with a nasty cough, at 5.30 I was ready for a break and something to eat. So, leaving Pete of the yellow telecaster fame to watch over the guitars and equipment, the rest of us set off for the local fish and chip shop. Very few American's have had really good English fish and chips, and you really are missing a treat here.
     
    On arriving at the fish and chip shop, we placed our order as they deep fried the fish fresh, and the lady asked us if we wanted fish and if so how many. Allen, our drummer asked if he had to catch the fish himself, and the lady asked if he wanted to borrow a rod. To which I could not resist replying that "Allen has his own rod, but please don't ask him to get it out." The two fifty something women behind the counter just burst into laughter and one said to the other that she had walked into that one! We all had a good laugh, went back to the practice hall and enjoyed our food.
     
    The rest of the evening was very productive, and for me there was a nice surprise in store. We actually rehearse in a church which is a nice modern building and away from the chapel part is the recreational hall where we rehearse. Around the building there are other rooms of varying sizes for teaching areas etc, and while we were rehearsing our set, the children of the congregation had come down to an activity of some sort. Among those attending the activity were my twin nephews who are eight years old and their little five year old sister, my niece. These are the children of one of my younger brother who died three years ago this coming April. So, as you can imagine, I take my responsiblities as their uncle very seriously and I love them very much. As they were looking through the door I asked them to come in and they give me huge hugs and kisses, and thought it was great to see uncle marks band! they had never seen a live band before and were enthralled - maybe they might want a guitar one day.
     
    By the time it was ten we were all tired but were very pleased with our long session, it had been all work and had paid off. We will do another one in a couple of weeks time with a normal three hour rehearsal next week. We know that when we start gigging, which will hopefully be soon now, that we will be ready.
     
    Thanks for taking the trouble to read.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. mark555

    getting back on track.

    By mark555,

    This entry the story continues of our band trying to consolidate with a new drummer, Allen, an old hand enjoying retirement from work. You can see pictures on the thread I started entitled Band Practice.
     
    We very sadly had to let our last drummer go. We liked him very much as a person, who ticked the essential box as being a nice guy. He could play well and we all liked him. However, he was the weak link in the chain and was the reason we were not going forward. Alongside a lack of communication from him, Shaun, Pete and I had a three hour meeting at my house to decide what we were going to do and we came to the conclusion that as three nice guys, it was against our nature to want to throw some one out. But we came to the conclusion that if we kept our drummer, we would be no further down the line in six months time.
     
    So, off I went and did the rounds of the notice boards looking for drummers who wanted to play with a band. I phoned Allen, who had put an ad on one of the notice boards looking for a band. I invited him for an audition, and he duly accepted.
     
    The audition was not as we anticipated because we had not played together for a while and we did make the fatal mistake of letting the drummer audition us. We offered him the job of drummer in the band and he was a bit none committal, so we pushed him to give us a yes or no and he said he would turn up at the next practice, the rest of us thought he was going to see how it went and make his mind up after the rehearsal. So, we decided on four numbers to rehearse and went our way. Pete (our other guitarist of the yellow telecaster fame) and I felt very strongly that we would find out at the practice if Allen was in or out, and we said we would have none of this 'you practice and I'll turn up and drum' business. If we got any of that we decided that we would shake hands with him and wish him well, we want a band member with full commitment. At this rehearsal we really took charge and showed our new member what we expected of him and that we were not push overs desperate for a drummer.
     
    The practice went really well and we nailed four new numbers, one of them being one of my favourites, Whiskey in the jar. At the end of the evening we planned four more numbers for next week, one of which is Bad Compnay's 'I can't get enough' which is another one of those songs I just love to play. I really like Mick Ralphs guitar style and I can get into it without any problems. We always sit round the table for fifteen minutes at the end of rehearsal and plan our next practice so that there is no wasted time, we are very business like at rehearsal, although we have a good time and we enjoy one another's company very much, in this band there are no ego's and no arguments, just a good work ethic.
     
    So, for now we have a full line up and and we are gelling well and getting things together. We aim to learn four numbers each week and get on the road in the new year. One thing we have learned from this experience in changing drummers is that if we need to, from now on we will be ruthless in getting rid of the drummer if he does not give us the commitment he has promised us. Three us go back twenty years, and we are aware that it can be hard as an outsider to come into such an established trio of friends, but we do make a great effort to welcome the newcomer and it is up to them to make that commitment.
     
    But here's the question I want to finish this entry on: Why do drummers think that every one else should rehearse and they should just turn up occasionally and take the money, without putting in the rehearsal hours with every one else?
  16. mark555

    Getting re organised

    By mark555,

    It's been a while since I last updated my blog here on the HOC, Been meaning to, but I have been waiting until some developments came along so I had something more to write about.
     
    Our band of four more was seeming to grind to a halt this year, Pete's daughter's brain tumour surgery took him out of action for two months, then he ended up in France picking grapes for three weeks, came back insect bitten but sun tanned and having a good time. He has a house of some description down in France and was getting it ready to shut down for the winter and decided to stay around a bit. Our drummer, Tony, works shifts and and has had all sorts of reasons why he can't practice, the main one lately being that he has hurt his shoulder.
     
    But, Shaun our bass player, Pete and I decided that something needed to happen to progress this along as we feel that we have a fair bit of potential for a half way decent band, so we sat down in my living room and had a three hour meeting and chat about what was holding us back. We knew already that it had been the lack of band practices and we knew why, but now were facing a more permanent situation because of our drummers lack of availability. The common consensus was that if we stayed with our present drummer we would be no further along in six months time than we are now. AS three very nice guys, we do not like the idea of kicking some one out, it seems to be against our nature, but what is in effect happening is that we can not achieve our goals because one of the four of us seems to take it or leave it. Coupled with a lack of communication because he doesn't like e mail, which makes getting messages to him somewhat awkward because he doesn't answer his phone much either.
     
    So, the inevitable decision was that we find a replacement drummer. Shaun and I had played in the past with a really good rock drummer called Jonathan and we thought we would invite him along as we felt that he would slot right in, however he never returned any messages so we have had to look elsewhere and we are not prepared to hang around.
     
    The next step was a trip to the local musical instrument stores where there were ads placed from people looking to connect with other musicians, I found three, one of which was a guy called Alan who seemed to be a good fit for us, and last night I called him up and had a chat for fifteen minutes with him and the upshot is that next wednesday night he is coming for a session with us and a chat to see if we all like each other. Hopefully things will work out, then if they do we shall have to find a nice way of letting our drummer go. I am not one for unpleasantness.
     
    On a different note, Shaun and I went to see Wishbone Ash last week, Which is Andy Powell and three other musicians, but Andy Powell has been the one member of the band that has evolved to it's present stage, which is an extremely competent band with excellent musicians forming the line up. The gig was excellent, the sound, everything was top notch. For those of you who are not aware of Wishbone Ash and their brand of music, it is very much twin lead guitar and it would be fair to say that they are more or less the originators of that style. They were incredibly tight and not a note out of place. Playing over 150 gigs a year they should be. But the venue was a 550 capacity building, no seats. What made me really sad was that here was a band with a tremendous pedigree, unsurpassed ability and a back catalogue of great music, playing to 500 people, while the dross on the X factor (UK talent show) America's got talent etc all end up touring the stadiums, and even those who appear on these shows with the audacity to call them selves a band, don't have a guitar between them, and very little talent. Yet bands such a Wishbone Ash (and others like them) not one only play to a very high standard, they write their own material.
     
    I can only say that mediocrity rises to the top and the mass markets are fed a musical diet of straw.
  17. mark555
    So here we are, with a band up and running that can play some half decent songs, we have a superb practice facility which is free to use and the two guitarists and bass player duly spend our spare time practicing at home so we can at least get things done at rehearsals. We are fortunate, our drummer is a guy we get on really well with and has constructive input and good timing, knows his job and does it well.
     
    But why do drummers seem to think that they can just turn up at a few practices and expect the other musicians to practice? I really like our drummer, he is a sound guy, just the man for the job. It is difficult to get together on a weekly basis because he works shifts, so we have to look at it every fortnight. But just now it seems like it is getting harder and harder to get the drummer to practice, we have all said we will work round him. He works evenings, no problem, we will practice in the morning for a few hours.
     
    I do not believe that the band is the be all and end all, our other guitar player had to take a lot of time out as his daughter recently had an operation to remove a brain tumour, so we were behind him 110%, and thankfully all went well. But where is the commitment these days? If you are going to join a band, you know that it involves practice. Why do drummers think that every one else can practice and they can just turn up and put the beat down??
     
    A band needs to be a tight, unified unit that plays spot on together. It's not a jam night or an open mike night, paid gigs expect a lot, and that takes effort.
  18. mark555
    It's 5pm here in very sunny Yorkshire, which as you may or may not know is the centre of the universe as we know it. And as I have been tidying the house for when she who must be obeyed arrives home from the surgery, I have been thinking about various guitar related stuff.
     
    Since the arrival of my brand spanking new Tokai Les Paul, which I thoroughly believe to be better than the current Les Paul Standards I see in the shop, I haven't been able to put it down, and as a result, my playing is sharpening up, something which I am very pleased about. For Years I have had a book in my chest of drawers called Jam with Thin Lizzy, Eight songs tabbed for total accuracy plus a CD to play along to. Well, I didn't need the tabs to play Rosalie, but sometimes I use them like a road map, you know, look at which road I need to be on to get to where ever I am going, then just pick on reference points. So, this last week I have been learning 'Don't Believe a Word' which was about 1975 or 76, and one of my all time favourites.
     
    I was playing what my ears were telling me what's right, but the tab was saying I should be playing the second half of the lead solo two frets up, and that just wasn't working. So, just how are accurate are these books and stuff we can download?
     
    I am all for anything that helps us play better, but I think the more we can do for ourselves, the more accurate our own judgement becomes. I now have this solo and the rest of the song down spot on, and it ain't what the book tells me to play.
     
    Happy playing to all......
  19. mark555
    We all love to make live music with our guitars, and it has been a good nine months since the last band I had put together called it a draw when all of a sudden the other guitar player decided that he didn't want to play in a band anymore. But I can respect that, he was after all, coming a long way and was working some long hours. So, we called it a draw and that was that. However, after a few months had gone by, Tony, our drummer, who incidentally had been brought in by Mike, our old guitarist, got in touch and said we ought to carry on. I was very pleased about that and got in touch with my friend Shaun, our bass player, about getting another guitar player into the line up.
     
    I put some ad's out wanting players interested to contact me, and sadly, very few did. I think that there are many people out there who want to play but perhaps are a bit nervous about doing it, and also guys of my age (50) seem to be more content to have their nice guitars and just enjoy them at home. There is nothing wrong with that of course, but we needed a player who had experience of playing live, and the few that contacted us were people who were looking to be in their first band. Anyway, it turned out that Pete, a mate of mine and Shaun, who we had played with before in a previous band in the early nineties, and recently played in a band with Shaun (that had never got off the ground gig wise) was at a loose end and asked Shaun what he was doing musically, and did he know if any one wanted a guitar player?
     
    So When Shaun brought this to my attention, I thought yeah - why not? Pete is an exceptionally nice guy, not exactly a killer player, but solid and easy enough to get along with and will give a proper committment and not let you down. As I like Pete very much I was pleased to have him on board. Pete is pretty minimal when it comes to gear, two guitars, one of which is a USA Telecaster in bright yellow and an electro accoustic. I myself favour guitars with humbuckers in them for the kind of music we are going to play and I am trying to persuade Pete to get a Heritage or something similar. I have recently bought a Tokai Les Paul which is made in Japan - more of that later.
     
    For weeks we tried to get an initial get together, but at Tony our drummer works alternate shift patterns we can only rehearse every other week. This is fine with me as none of us want this to rule our lives. But illness and severe colds and one of the band members daughter having a brain tumour held us back for at least two months. But eventually we managed our initial get together last night.
     
    The oldest guitar in my collection of four is my trusty old strat which I got about '88 brand new. I have never been fanatical about Fender guitars, but they are what a mechanic would define as a good adjustable wrench, able to fit different nuts. And this is what the strat is for me. It evokes no passion in me what so ever, it's a working guitar, nothing else. My next guitar is my Heritage 555 which fulfills the desire I have had since I was fifteen for a high quality semi - few 335's are even in the same ball park as this guitar, it is in mint condition and I intend for it to stay that way. But recently I have bought a stunning Japanese Tokai copy of a 59 les paul standard. Right now I can not afford a 150, I refuse to buy a modern day Gibson as they are just too over priced and not worth the money. I am pleased to say that the tokai performed fantasticly well, sounded superb and is a match, if not better than the current les paul standards out there in the shops. Tokai's that sell for the same money as Gibson's just leave them hanging on the shop wall, mine was £1000 less than a Les Paul standard and is better - that's the Japanese for you, they take what you make and make a better version of it for less money. These are guitars not only for players on a budget like myself, but for real players who are not tied to having a lifestyle brand guitar just for the sake of it.
     
    The rehearsal went well, the best number we did was the old Thin Lizzy version of the traditional Irish folk song "Whisky In The Jar". The three we want down next are All Right Now, I Can't Get Enough and Rosalie, shouldn't be too hard at all, but I'll bet we get a few more down as well next time.
     
    So now I have three great guitars, nowhere near as many as some here, but they all do an individual job. The next purchase for me is change of amp. However you look at it, the Fender amps they make these days are just not built to last. My ideal amp will be made by a local company called 'Matamp'. Completely hand wired point to point amps, these are as good as anything on the market. A small producer of amps that exports mos of its production the the states, but Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash uses them and they sound fantastic live - they will also last for ever.
     
    But for now, it is a case of getting the show on the road. Watch this space.....
  20. 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.
  21. mark555

    when I was a lad

    By mark555,

    I have been having a sort out lately of some stuff in the house and came across some old pictures which I had lost track of a long time ago. Among them was this picture of my first band. We were a trio, and it is a funny story how we got this band going. I met Shaun and Louis, two brothers, when they moved to Wakefield from Belfast because of the 'troubles' as they are known over there. Originally from Rochdale, Lancashire, just over the pennines from me. I hit it off well with these two friendly lads, and I said to Shaun one day, Do you fancy being in a band? His reply was that he could not play any instruments. Well, I was pretty much a lousy guitar player who only knew a few chords and I didn't even have an electric guitar, just a classical one my parents had decided I was going to have if I was to have a guitar - I never did learn the classical guitar, but wish I had. Anyway, I digress.
     
    So I said to Shaun that I couldn't play much either, but if we got some gear we could practice and form a band.
     
    I eventually got a really cheap and nasty Japanese copy of a Les Paul custom with the 'Sumbro' Brand on the top of the headstock. The pick ups were horrendous, but in the days of fuzz boxes etc you could get this horrendous distortion which at least gave you some sort of rock sound. The bands we were listening to at this time were British rock bands, Status Quo being our favourite along with Thin Lizzy and UFO. Anyway, One day I was in Huddersfield ;looking at a music shop when I saw a bass guitar for £20. It was a real cheap and nasty Egmond, a Dutch brand which was along the lines of the Gibson semi acoustic basses. So Shaun got that as a starter to practice on.
     
    I had by now been playing through a Vox AC30 top boost with a Gibson Slope sided 2X12 cab with jensen speakers, and before long had traded up to a used Marshall Plexiglass 100 watt head - if only I had that am now. Back then in the 70's, the rage was for guitarists to have the new solid state transistorised amps and you could get these fantastic valve heads really cheap, especially if they looked a bit tatty. But the general opinion was that you could spill a pint of guiness down the inside of a Marshall and it wouldn't hurt it.
     
    Louis, Shaun's brother, decided he wanted a go at playing drums, so we thought why not? He found a Premier Kit used for £125 and an older friend of ours who was the best drummer in town, took us to see if it was any good. It turned out to be ideal for a sixteen year old and it was duly bought, Louis started lessons and became quite proficient as his teacher was the above mentioned guy. So, there we were with the basis of a band but other than Louis with his premier kit, the other two of us had poor guitars. Shaun had been saving hard and eventually we went off to London for the day with his mum and dad and came back with a sunburst Fender Precision, so he was now up and running on a serious guitar. Not too long afterwards I got my first Gibson, a used SG DeLuxe for £175 from JSG in Bingley, the best guitar shop around at that time - sadly it no longer exists. So now we were away, all of us up and ready. We rehearsed as and when we could get lifts to the local church hall we used and got a few gigs. The most adventurous song we played was the Wishbone Ash number 'Blowin' Free' - quite adventurous for a bunch of young kids, but we made a passable version of it. Other numbers included 'Back in the Night' by Doctor Feelgood and 'In My Chair' by Status Quo. Our early gigs were three quarter of an hour slots at dances etc.
     
    Today I still play in a band with Shaun, who is now bald... But then again, I am overweight... we still practice in that very same church hall we played our first gigs. Sadly, Louis gave up on the drums, he would have been excellent, he had great timing and was very solid, I wish he had carried on as he is a great friend to this day and I would love to be in a band with him. The SG Deluxe went a long time ago and was eventually replaced for a short period by a Tokai Telecaster, which I traded for an SG Standard.
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