The Thread For Musicians

And usually accompanied with some patronising BS about how everybody else hasn't got a clue. Well, some of us have because we've been on the circuit too, so it's easy to see through that guff. Problem for HIAG is that we've seen the videos of his band and for all the crowing about how they are Dorset's premier rock band, the evidence was that it was a handful of old farts propped up at the bar, sometimes with some drunk bint dancing badly. It looked like the end of the night at a **** wedding.

As for the learning, you're right. Good musicians are always learning and the best ones are willing to listen to what other people have to say and offer. And that isn't always about technique, it's about feel and what makes good music. I had the opportunity to play with one of Van Morrison's drummers once, I was ****ting myself but he just spoke to me before we started and said, 'relax, don't play too loud and don't play too fast'. He kept it all really simple, no flashy rolls, fills, splashes etc just quality drumming, which allowed the rest of the band the space to express themselves.

 

I play what I like.

It’s great that enough people happen to like it to make it worthwhile.

When I was with TOG, I’d regularly get punters up ask us to play the kind of stuff that I will now be playing.

I cannot help the fact that my soloing was a massive highlight of TOG’s sound.

My audience has demanded more of that kind of thing and, being a selfless soul, that’s what I intend to deliver.

 

More often than not, bands are booked on the tastes of the management.

Also, we have a lot of dedicated rock and blues venues in our area that wanted more of the harder stuff in the TOG catalogue and less of the soft rock and pop. TOG is content to maintain the current balance, but I want to move on.

After 8 solid years playing the same old stuff, I think it’s time for me to progress.

 

Yes, I always encourage my bands to keep it simple and leave me lots of space.

With the amount of notes that I have to play, I really don’t have time for musicians who get in the way.

I get the impression that you are an economical bassist, so I’d probably be able to tolerate you on a session.

I’ll nod when I want to end the solo, yeah.

 

Give Daz time you said. I play what the punters want he said. California dreaming....

The only thing that was a massive highlight, was the drummer, then as the sun went down that evening on the horizon, the drummer left, and by sunrise, Hiag had woken in his bed and turned to pillow talk with Daz, whispering those sexy words, we're fooked mate

 

Good for you mate

 

FTFY

 

Well you’ve heard my band so you’ll know how I play and how it fits the dynamic of the music we play. We like to allow everybody to express themselves, so we create room within songs for solos for vox, keys, sax, bass and drum breaks. And then we’ll bring it all back together for the head, verses and outro.

A good musician compliments those around him and doesn’t try and dominate the sound imo. Nothing worse that somebody with an ego who doesn’t understand the dynamics of playing with other people.

 

The band has a superb replacement drummer, who is technically miles ahead of Rob. Ex pro.

They’ve also got a replacement guitarist. I’ve seen some of their rehearsal footage, and it’s clear that he’s still got a lot of work to do. I doubt he’ll ever set a venue on fire, but he looks competent for what they need, and I think he’ll be a better fit for that band, in the long run.

However, I do see it becoming increasingly dominated by the keyboards.

 

Just how HIAG talks I can tell he's potentially not just one of the most arrogant and annoying guitariarists to be around, but in general one of the most arrogant and annoying people to be around.

 

Hard rock and blues is, and always will be about how good the lead guitarist is.

 

Lol!

Don’t confuse my flippant posts on this board with how I am in real life.

I created that band, and let the other members run and control it. The music that we ended up playing was a massive compromise on my part, and is not the band it would be if I had imposed my will.

Or do you think that I liked performing Ultravox and Duran Duran songs, not to mention the endless tide of soft and rock pop that the band has slowly become synonymous with?

I’ve served my time and now I’m going to play what really inspires me.

 

You used to bang on endlessly about how your band was the premier rock outfit in Dorset. About how your gigs were packed to the rafters and how venues were falling over themselves to get you booked up. You were very much as Ultravox as the rest of them mate.

The reality was that it was just an average pub band playing boring rock covers to a handful of old farts down the conservative club.

 

Have you ever seen any footage of his band ? The reality doesn’t match the hype on here. Not by a long shot.

 

I fear it may now drift that way, Pix.

The was a time when we were playing the main stage on the bill at The Jurassic Rock Festival, and playing live on Wessex Radio.

Alas! I fear those days are now over for that band.

 

Wabout A cups though?

 

Well you must have been well and truly on the way out for a while mate, because the stuff I saw wasn’t anywhere near festival material.

Who knows, maybe some new musicians will give that band the breath of fresh air it badly needed.

 

That line up had a different vocalist and bass player.

The vocalist also played rhythm guitar, so our sound was much more firmly rooted in the classic rock idiom. The keyboards didn’t dominate quite as much as they do now.

The changes have brought an overall softening of the material, which doesn’t sit well with me.

See above.

From what I’ve heard so far, the band sounds exactly the same as before, except that the guitarist is clearly not going to set the stage alight.

As you clearly didn’t like the band as it sounded with me in it, I strongly suspect that you are going to like it even less, now.

As for me, I strongly anticipate that you will be startled at what I am about to embark on, as I will be playing the kind of stuff that really inspires me.

 

Bye then.

 

You’d shag Norah’s dad?


Fun fact; Ravi Shankar had a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Islington in the 80s.