starting agin at 67 1/2 again

[BeenDown139]

For Colorado folks, we're playing at the St. Julian on December 15th at 6pm.

would this be the jazz hands collective? they pinged me when i was shopping myself around but it kinda dropped into the cracks when this roared to life.

rehersal friday.  not used to being a musical director, but i've kinda had to morph into that.  coupla guys are on vacation so we've had a week long breather.  rehersal friday.  been working with our singer to get a set list together we can hit an open mic nite with just to get our range.  i like this woman.  we're gonna do a rent-a-studio so it's gonna be a hit-and-run practice.  here's the lineup:

kryptontite
browneye girl
bad moon rising
gimme 3 steps
mama's broken hart
fall in l0ve
runaway
wanted dead or alive
plush
fever
gravity

we're doing this as a 3-piece backing a singer.  i got my hands full.  kinda sweated how we were gonna do the intro to gravity without a keyboard, so i faked it on the A-bass.  gotta learn the rest of hte song next but i tink it'll work out:

side note: i really dig the A-bass.  i can tell the guy who built it was a bass player like me.  when i'm playing this thing i kinda lfeel ike holding one of my babies.  probably not gonna drag this one into the dewdrop inn.  this might be an issue as we go along. 

gonna drag the selfie tablet along.  maybe we'll get another keeper out of it.

long day ahead.  gotta hit the hot tub.  smoke some more d0pe.  hit the woodshed.  dunno i can take this pressure.

[BeenDown139]

been a little slow around here lately.

got a little band hiatus going with vacations and illness.  gonna get back in the saddle friday, got a 13-song set we're gonna hammer out. black friday.  lock everybody in the bandroom.  nobody leaves 'till we're all deaf and sweatin.  been working with our singer in the meanwhile.  trying to get her range.  she gives me these two songs she wants to do.  so i learn the riffs and put together a coupla scratch tracks:

i don't think i've ever heard gimme 3 steps rendered on an SII and sung by a woman.  we're a 3-piece, so i gotta cover a lotta ground if it's gonna work.  so here's what i'm showing up to practice with.  props to leon.  guy was a monster. i hope i do it justice.

never cared for this song that much, the video was kinda lame imho.  once again, doing it as a 3-piece so i hadda get creative.  i was pretty baked and at working at high volume on this one.  overloaded the tablet mic in spots.  glad the nieghbors weren't home, surprized someone didn't call the cops.  the open B string on the ebony amazon has t0 be heard in person to be believed.  i like that bass :-)

cheers!

[BeenDown139]

last week the singer went AWOL.  just got an email from the guit@rist and drummer, they're going back to their old band 'cause all of a sudden they got gigs and so who cares  if thier old singer falls asleep between songs and the bass player can only thump along with roots and fifths.  we got gigs!  thank you.  please come again!

so....band #6 in the works.  gotta go get my gear from the drummers house tomorrow.  might get tense.

sounds like a trip to the smokehaus and hot tubbe is in oder..

[pauldo]

Sounds frustrating.  Maybe wait until after the new year prior to searching again.   Go to YouTube and jam along with your favorites until then.   

[lbpesq]

Sh*t happens.   After our gig last Saturday, the keyboard player sent out an email telling us we were all fired and he was putting a new band together and taking the gig we had booked for this afternoon playing at the street fair on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley!   I had to contact the event organizer and embarrassingly explain the situation.   She confirmed we still have the gig, but a big hassle and total B.S.   Band’s are like marriages, except with 4 or 5 people.   When they work, it’s great, but they often don’t and then it can be a huge PITA!   Good luck on your next project.

Bill, tgo

[StephenR]

Highly suggest trying to find an existing band that is already out working and only needs to replace their bass player. To do so may require hanging out in clubs networking and making personal connections, not looking at Craigslist ads. Can understand the frustration, hang in there... something will come up.

[gtrguy]

Best of luck to your quest, Frodo!

Bear in mind that no band lasts forever. Starting your own band is also often a PITA. And the artistic mentality often does not lend itself to good business practices.

[BeenDown139]

Bear in mind that no band lasts forever

i'd settle for making it to one performance in front of at least 2 living bodies not connected to the band.

to find an existing band that is already out working and only needs to replace their bass player.

this close to the holidays the best i think i can hope for is for someone else's bass player to be hit by a truck just at the same time i'm updating my bandmix profile.  tomorrow, that is.

Band’s are like marriages, except with 4 or 5 people

including the part where ya pull up to the house and all yer stuff's piled on the front lawn.  that's how i left band #1. 
just got back from getting my gear from the drummer's house.  i think maybe one word passed between us.  both my rotator cuffs are flaking out on me, elsewise violence may have ensued.  as it is, i'm not sure i could fight my way out of a wet paper bag these days, so i'm keeping my temper in check.  barely.
that being said, somehow my music stand wound up taking out a huge chunk of the ballister on the stairway on the way out to my car.  still not sure how that happened.  big enuff that it left a skid mark on the stand.  kind of a passive-aggressive virtual middle finger from mr. BeenDown that somebody's wife will find later on when she's sprucing up the practice room.  she already didn't like me 'cause i busted a sweat when i played and i always smelled like dope.