The Last Bass Outpost

 I told ya! 

 Hey, it's a nice shade of red, I only have a Cherry Studio to keep it company - I need another Thunderbird!

  For the past two years the Talkbass Thunderbird Group has had a fun informal GTG, they were both in Hollister, California with some activities in nearby Santa Cruz as well.
This year, the event travels north to Seattle and I'll be hosting it, dates will run between 7/25- 8/3. We plan to visit Seattle's better bass shops, including Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Emerald City Guitars and The Bass Shop. We'll also likely take a trip to Seattle's Museum of Flight for a tour through, it's a World Class place, even has a Hellcat and a Corsair on display. We'll have plenty of Thunderbirds (and a few other basses) to play at my home, most likely my bandmates will come over for an afternoon jam, so folks can play along with The Nasty Habits. There's lots of great food nearby so we'll eat and drink nicely. My home is just south of Seattle's SeaTac airport in lovely Des Moines, so it's pretty easy if you're flying in.
 Want more details? Please don't hesitate to drop me a note

 Some pics from previous events.......


 





 








   

Alan, here you are:

The song is based on a true story about forgetting to pack a guitar , panicking on the plane half way to Memphis, and having the instrument shipped by train to Oriole Kentucky. On collection the instrument is badly damaged (electric junk). The shame presumably comes from being treated with indifference by the black shipping clerk, and possibly from being responsible for it ending up in that condition. The guitar belonged to Mick Ralphs although Ian Hunter sings the song in the first person. The incident is referenced in 'The Ballad of Mott the Hoople': "Buffin lost his childlike dreams, and Mick lost his guitar"

Ian Hunter is an old geezer, born pre-WW II, back then “spade” probably wasn’t the worst thing you could call a person of color in Ole Blighty. And certainly, the black GIs that began to populate the UK ahead of the Normandy invasion were surprised about the non-segregationist society they found. I’m sure he  never meant it in a denigrating way, he loved what Black Americans brought to wartime England.



These days when he sings the song the “spade” is replaced with “dude”.

PS: I thought the same thing about Ace and Ariel. Being the Anglophiles they were, I’m sure Ace’s inspiration for his “stutter guitar playing” helped him win the audition with Paul and Gene. They had actually already settled for Bob Kulick when Ace stumbled in as the last guy they auditioned.

 The cover you love to hate............But hey, at least they have a German on guitar!


I likes it!

I’m flexible re the color, but nuthin’ underneath the apron please! 🙏

   


 Well, this took an unexpected turn 

"Thain, I really admired him a lot."

Yet you never became a finger player - that particular aspect being pretty determinative for his style.

While there are finger players like Thain, Trevor Bolder, Geddy Lee and Neil Murray I really like, I've always been drawn to (mostly) pick players like Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, Martin Turner, Macca, John Gustafson, John McCoy, Joe Bouchard, Dennis Dunaway, Gene Simmons, Bob Daisley or Jim Lea.

   

 Our current set list does give me the chance to play finger style quite a bit more it used to, I have to say that I really enjoy it a lot. But, I do not possess the strength or dexterity to really carry the whole night, that''ll never happen!
 I probably like more pick players too, but then I hear Andy Fraser getting that huge woofy tone of his and I wonder why I don't have a nice EB-3 with some cool banjo tuners

A junkie and a friggin' alcoholic!

But yeah, Thain had great rhythmic and melodic feel and a sober Byron could front a band, though I thought his best work was actually with Rough Diamond.

 

 A junkie and an alcoholic.................Like I said, Rock Stars!

Both gone way too soon, Thain, I really admired him a lot.   

I know, Valerie B and all that even though you don't really tap.



But Gwyneth said she'd accommodate you if you forgive her!



You're a very difficult man, Dave.

 


 I had such a crush on her when I was young!