The Rickie Hinrichsen Collection from Gibson

[TBird1958]

Long time ago - I have neither the room nor the remaining lifespan for it!

And I haven't really played bass seriously since last summer. My last band petered out so frustratingly, it's created a psychological barrier. No doubt this will go away eventually and I'll get my momentarily rusty playing up to scratch again, but I need a band to motivate me. And that is currently difficult or maybe I am: I want a band that plays at a professional level and with professional commitment even in the absence of gigs. I'm fine with gigs and can slot into a band comparatively quickly (I tend to be prepared), but really the live experience is not the major reason I do it. I prefer a good, productive rehearsal to a so-so gig; gigs aren't really about creating, they are about re-creating. I've also realized that playing in a tribute band is not for me, it bores me to tears, faced with being the Roger Glover or the Ian Hill in a DP or JP tribute, I think I'd give up bass-playing for good. I'm ok with doing a few covers, but then I lean towards radical rearrangements (I'm a so much better arranger than I am a songwriter, I never run out of alternative ideas) - that doesn't seem to be a popular thing anymore, people don't want to go the Vanilla Fudge or Manfred Mann's Earth band route, they want to replicate as close as possible - that bores me to tears. I don't even like real bands that replicate their studio material too close live.

So I really want the impossible:

- a band not only consisting of 20 year olds that still (perhaps rightfully, but I can't join them in that) believe they can be rock stars,

- that does its own material (with all or most band members chipping in) plus a handful of excellent, alternative-arrangement covers that really floor people,

- that features a nimble-footed drummer, a keyboarder/organist that can fluently improvise plus a similar guitarist as well as a singer who works well within her/his limits and knows how to handle an audience,

- that rehearses twice a week on average for several hours and really get's something done, even if not everyone can join for a particular rehearsal (there is always work to do) plus

- has a dozen decent gigs or so annually. Less is more if the gigs are good, yet at the same time the band should have a playing standard to at any moment be ready to play a good gig on the next night.

Surprisingly, for the last 30 years or so I haven't found a band like that. You will notice that I have not written anything about the style of music - that is because it is of secondary importance to me as long as it is well-made and I can contribute meaningfully to it.

 You're still working aren't you? I still have a couple years to put in, at most. I do still love to make music with my band, we really finally seem to have a good combination of people and going out to play 12-15 times in a year is about what I can handle for the next couple years, after that I think I'll be done as my hands just are not up to the task anymore. On our most recent show at the second song of our third set my left hand cramped very badly and I struggled through the remainder of the songs - quite unpleasant!
 The end of playing out with TNH will be difficult for me as I do enjoy being onstage with a good crowd in front of me. I haven't finished being a kid yet, growing old sucks. 

[uwe]

Naw, I'm basically in semi-retirement. My partnership ended as scheduled in May last year, since then I've been an of Counsel with the firm on a freelancer basis, so I still do work, but nothing at the scale it used to be. I have time on my hands, two rehearsals a week wouldn't be an issue, even three wouldn't.

[Ken]

Long time ago - I have neither the room nor the remaining lifespan for it!

And I haven't really played bass seriously since last summer. My last band petered out so frustratingly, it's created a psychological barrier. No doubt this will go away eventually and I'll get my momentarily rusty playing up to scratch again, but I need a band to motivate me. And that is currently difficult or maybe I am: I want a band that plays at a professional level and with professional commitment even in the absence of gigs. I'm fine with gigs and can slot into a band comparatively quickly (I tend to be prepared), but really the live experience is not the major reason I do it. I prefer a good, productive rehearsal to a so-so gig; gigs aren't really about creating, they are about re-creating. I've also realized that playing in a tribute band is not for me, it bores me to tears, faced with being the Roger Glover or the Ian Hill in a DP or JP tribute, I think I'd give up bass-playing for good. I'm ok with doing a few covers, but then I lean towards radical rearrangements (I'm a so much better arranger than I am a songwriter, I never run out of alternative ideas) - that doesn't seem to be a popular thing anymore, people don't want to go the Vanilla Fudge or Manfred Mann's Earth band route, they want to replicate as close as possible - that bores me to tears. I don't even like real bands that replicate their studio material too close live.

So I really want the impossible:

- a band not only consisting of 20 year olds that still (perhaps rightfully, but I can't join them in that) believe they can be rock stars,

- that does its own material (with all or most band members chipping in) plus a handful of excellent, alternative-arrangement covers that really floor people,

- that features a nimble-footed drummer, a keyboarder/organist that can fluently improvise plus a similar guitarist as well as a singer who works well within her/his limits and knows how to handle an audience,

- that rehearses twice a week on average for several hours and really get's something done, even if not everyone can join for a particular rehearsal (there is always work to do) plus

- has a dozen decent gigs or so annually. Less is more if the gigs are good, yet at the same time the band should have a playing standard to at any moment be ready to play a good gig on the next night.

Surprisingly, for the last 30 years or so I haven't found a band like that, in Germany at least. If they are abundant in your neck of the woods, let me know, I will consider a move there.   

You will notice that I have not written anything about the style of music - that is because it is of secondary importance to me as long as it is well-made and I can contribute meaningfully to it.

I doubt that situation is abundant anywhere.  I've been in a band for about 2.5 years that almost perfectly describes your "impossible."  It's out there, but rare it seems.  We're all between 52 and 62.

[TBird1958]

 Well, I'm jealous, I want more time away from work at this point in my life, even though my job is not difficult and pays reasonably well, I just don't feel like doing it anymore!

[exiledarchangel]

Lol Uwe, you could just write "Bassist looking for adults that know to play and respect other people's time, no boring lazy assholes please" and there you go

[Highlander]

I suspect for some of us it's just a point in our lives...
My head is still not really in the right place but I'm still working through things so...
Also struggling with my writing..
Quality over quantity...
Yes. I love doing covers as originals just don't work live where I live, but I wanted to de-construct and re-construct material, and twist it, like Warren Zevon's subtle twist to Raspberry Beret, and the way we re-worked NY's Old Man into a rock song...
But I just quit a band I'd been playing with for 4 years as some started to push me towards playing fretted and I just prefer to play fretless... shame that they were using my rehearsal space... lol
It's a "red-flag" to tell me what bass I should be playing, let alone fretted or fretless...
I recently upgraded my keyboards and have been dabbling with those... Korg DX5 and a baby Triton, and a Novation Mininova... I need to re-tune my piano, but the old German beast is 150 years old and solid as a rock... lol
Still buying bass's... recently got a "paddle" to convert to fretless and intend to convert my Epi VP T'Bird to fretless too...
Still working on my studio space, when the readies run to it...
Also bought a baby MAG250 1x12 combo for small gigs... still love my MAG300 4x10 but crazy loud... 
Still not sorted my Hiwatt...

[uwe]

"But I just quit a band I'd been playing with for 4 years as some started to push me towards playing fretted and I just prefer to play fretles s... shame that they were using my rehearsal space ... lol
It's a "red-flag" to tell me what bass I should be playing, let alone fretted or fretless ..."

Wow, you must have had academics as bandmates, in the bands I played no one ever noticed a difference unless I guided their eyes to the fretboard and said "Look, no frets!". No amount of fretless style playing would ever have them take notice. 

[Pilgrim]

...never mind....

[exiledarchangel]

Wow, you must have had academics as bandmates, in the bands I played no one ever noticed a difference unless I guided their eyes to the fretboard and said "Look, no frets!". No amount of fretless style playing would ever have them take notice. 

Aaaa, the joys of playing with (tone) deaf people ..

[ilan]

Aaaa, the joys of playing with (tone) deaf people ..

I used to play in a swing big band and the leader had a sick level of perfect pitch. He would hear everything, and unlike most conductors who listen only to the violins and brass, this guy hears the bass. It can be a hard. There were times when I was like, how the hell did you hear THAT?

Going back for a moment to the Gibson carver guy, sometimes I like these lovely plastic-y kitsch creations better:

[ilan]

/

[uwe]

Aaaa, the joys of playing with (tone) deaf people ..

Not tone deaf, they hear that something is wrong alright, but they are unable to determine that you are the culprit!  I am guilty of sometimes having done that on purpose for fun - play something a half-note higher or lower. The look on their faces is priceless, they immediately notice that something sounds awful but they can't attribute it to the bass.

[doombass]

Not tone deaf, they hear that something is wrong alright, but they are unable to determine that you are the culprit!

Haha, that reminds me of a happening at a gig about 15 years ago. It was an extra gig really since we actually broke up the band 2 months earlier. The opening song had the lead guitarist doing the intro and the rest of us made a bombastic entry. Sounded like crap and lead guitarist meaningly pointing to our side of the stage (rhythm guitarist and me). I quickly turned on my tuner for half a second in spite of being 99.9% certain we were ok then and pointed back at him. The look on his face was great to see. He had tuned his guitar a half step up from us. I'd guess he might have regretted smoking that "strong" tobacco before the gig. I might add that the breakup of the band had a lot to do with that guy.