Dep for Coast at Home Guard Club Bury St Edmunds

Preparing for this local gig I decided to try out another 'music tech toy' I'd got hold of earlier in the week - a TC-Helicon VoiceLive3! I hoped this single unit would replace 3 floor based units to provide Vocal and Guitar effects processing with a much smaller foot print and simplified wiring. I'd spent a couple of days checking it out and building a set of sounds for gigging. Inevitably there are a few compromises in how to operate it but the sounds seemed good to me. So I loaded it in the car for the gig along with my trusty Boss GT100 as insurance if it didn't work out.  a 6:30 departure on a dark, windy and wet evening got me to the club by 6:50.  Chris and Ian were loading in so I only needed to back up to the fire escape door to join in.  I was only carrying my Bose L1 T1 single B1 bass cab system with just one guitar for this compact gig,  so load in was easy.  Steve arrived about 20 mins later with the PA

Setting up was straight forward except for a couple of issues with the new FX unit.  I had colour coded two vocal XLR leads to the PA, red for dry voice and yellow for vocal FX. First issue was these leads were tight in length to reach the PA - balanced on top of Chris's bass stack.  I re-routed to gain enough length for health and safety purposes (of course these leads will be plenty long enough when I operate my PA on my side).  The second issue was,  ignoring my colour code,  I had put the leads in wrong way round in the FX output XLRs,  so initially all I was hearing was the fully wet echoes!?!  That was soon fixed and I threw a basic PA setting together  -  it all worked!  The guitar sounded ok ish though the Bose but it was only when I pushed the jack fully home in the back of the FX unit that the sound level came up to expectation!

All well and good, we sound checked with half of "Heartbeat" which I thought was nicely balanced for the room.  I tried out some of the vocal and guitar FX in this and they sounded good to my ear.  The main challenge would be operation which was somewhat different to what I was used to.  The concert sec came over and bought us a beer and indicated that band beers would be on the house all night - brilliant!

It was soon show time and as we opened with "FBI" I could tell the guitar sound was improved. I had based it on TC's Fender Bassman amp model and it was producing a tighter,  clearer sound than the GT100.  Maybe it will need some EQ tweaking for mid and hi's but the bass end was spot on with a tight low end roll off that kept the band soundscape uncluttered and the guitar well defined.  We carried on through the set relatively smoothly.  I was finding operation of the FX on basic guitar duties of rhythm and clean soloing straight forward,  but I was learning stuff as we progressed e.g. you can switch the FX footswitches between vocal (the switches light up blue) and guitar (they light up red).  My default tends to be blue so I can switch vocal FX in and out on the fly.  But sometimes you want access to all the guitar FX and I switch to the red guitar layer leaving vocals to take care of themselves.  I had thought that switching to a new preset would reset to the default vocal blue,  but it seems selection of vocal or guitar layer is a live user operation that is not stored in a preset.  Actually I soon got to prefer this approach and, by the end of the set,  I was happy on pop and rock n roll stuff.  

Chris introduced a young lad 'Eddie' in the break.  He'd come to see the band (with his mum) with a view to taking on the guitar role.  I reckon he was under 20,  but,  talking to him, he had a good grasp of what was needed in a covers band and seemed to have the skills.  Commenting on my guitar sound he said it was just great.  I was pleased to hear this 'cos you don't always know what it sounds like out front.  I explained how I was doing it.  He understood the principles and I think he was impressed that an old fella would take on such a challenge.  His own style was old school:  using a valve amp (Laney) with a Gibson /  Fender set on the edge of break up to allow a mix of clean and crunch sounds.  And,  most importantly,  he said, unlike some of his compatriots, he recognised how important it was to be able to produce a good clean sound for rock n roll and covers.  But when he played the blues he preferred a crunchy sustain.  Much in line with my old head thinking as well!

We got back on for set 2 with demo of the Shads walk to "Apache".  This was well received and Eddie's mum came up to join in the dance - all a bit 'Strictly'.  We followed quickly into "Do You Wanna Dance".  Like many of the other numbers we do,  Steve carves his own arrangement out and its different every time.  But we did see the first few folks to come up and dance to this.  Things carried on well enough through a mainly pop set.  Cunningly,  when someone called for "Freebird" we did a bird related number: "Albatross",  and got a good round of applause for that.  It was when we came to do a rockier toned number I ran into trouble.  Chris called for "Honky Tonk Women" and I selected the drive setting on the FX unit.  It was quite poor - more of a bassy fuzz tone than overdriven, middly break up!  I had to carry on with it because I couldn't see an alternative I could switch to but I knew I would have to find a solution in the next break before we tackled "All Right Now".

So during the break,  I cranked up the middle EQ on the pre-amp model a couple of dB and that was enough to force the Bassman simulation into break up using full volume on my Godin XTSA.  I was still able to maintain a clean sound by winding the guitar volume back 10% or more.  We opened with "Great Balls" which proved the clean sound worked (actually it did break up a little as I dug deep but it fitted).  When we came to "Alright Now",  to be on the safe side,  I started on the powerful bridge humbucker pick up.  But it was too much and when I switched immediately back to the single coil middle pick up it was about right - maybe I'll increase pre-amp gain a dB or two when I get home.  I drew the conclusion there is no need for the drive switch with its old fashioned and unpleasant fuzz tone - I'll probably re-configure it to deliver volume gain for solo's.  The rest of the night went OK,  the audience were forgiving for the continuing arrangement mess ups.  I made a few cock ups as well but hopefully nothing too noticeable out there.  We finished with "Johnny B Goode" and encored with "Mustang Sally" to a good reception - despite the errors it had been a good night for the band.  We were in a good mood as we did glad handing - Chris reckons he got another couple of gig leads out of it.

As we packed up Ian said he wasn't too sure about taking on Eddie - would he have the commitment?  But Chris was keen and I urged them to at least try him out.  Chris asked me would I host a session to try him out?   I said yes - so its up to them now.  I was home by 12:30 am,  time for cocoa and a snack before bed.  Reflecting on the VoiceLive guitar sounds I think it does make sense to have one set of ultra clean sounds for Shads etc and another based on break up when pushed for rock n roll and rock.  Vocally, it might need a few touches as well.  I reckon it will take another gig or two to tweak the unit to satisfaction.



 

Dep for Coast at Burwell Social

The next gig in this run of deps was at Burwell,  not far from last weeks gig at Bottisham.  I had played this gig before but memory was hazy as to exactly where it was.   I took a look on Google Maps.  I couldn't actually find it on Street View,  but I knew the street it was on and decided no Sat Nav necessary.  Come 6pm I loaded my guitars in and set off about 6:10 on a dark, windy,  rainy night heading West along the A14.  I had pin pointed the junction I needed to come off at but for some strange reason,  driving along,  I re-fixed in my mind to aim for the junction after!?!  So the junction I came off at was actually the Bottisham exit of the previous week.  I thought 'strange that they make the roads all look similar in Cambridgeshire'.  But as I followed the signs to Burwell I felt disorientated because, still believing I was a junction back,  Bottisham and Burwell were signed posted in the 'wrong' directions.  I stopped after a bit but not enough signal for the phone to show location on a map and looking at my paper map I couldn't make sense of it at all.  I wondered if some youths had switched the signs!  I decided to follow the signs to Burwell regardless. It was considerably longer than the 6 miles I thought it should be and all the places I passed through were unfamiliar. But eventually I arrived in Burwell and spotted the club 'on the wrong side of the road?'  I had clearly approached it from the West rather than the East and was about 20 minutes later than intended.   Anyway I put all that to one side and concentrated on load in.  Chris and Ian were already there setting up and as I came out to get some more gear Steve arrived so we were quorate!

I was using my Bose,  Godin XTSA and PRS 12 again.  This is a much more absorbent hall than Bottisham and after set up we did a soundcheck with "Folsom"  and I went out front on a long lead to assess it.  After adjusting the PA and bass to match up with the drums I thought we had a decent sound and a nice overall level for the 20 or so mainly seniors already in the hall.  I had brought my Jazz bass copy for Chris to try through his rig.  It sounded very classy but didn't have quite the 'big bottom' of his G&L bass.  Mind you he pointed out that the controls on the amp had plenty of scope to sculpt the ideal sound.  With the G&L he doesn't use sub-bass and even his bass control is only on 25%.   I left him the copy bass in case he wanted to try it in the sets (he didn't actually do that though).  I turned my attention to the monitors - they seemed to be ok if a little muddy.  Good to go I declared and went off to enjoy the club's beer -  the band's first drink is on the house!

We opened set 1 with "F B I"  and it sounded fine and we got a good round of applause from the (by now) 30 ish in the concert room.  Steve came up to do "Heartbeat" and almost immediately the monitor on my side started distorting.  I just bent down and turned it off! We completed the set.  Steve was better than the previous week and close enough for me to tap him on the shoulder to alert him to the various solos.  He has his crib sheets in front of him but, reading the words, he doesn't scan correctly on some songs - but "Smiling" was a lot better this week.  Mind you we in the band were making odd fluffs  e.g. I was so concentrated on getting Steve to do the gap and scream before the solo in "Can't Buy Me Love" that I missed the start of it on guitar!  We carried on through to the end of the set with good applause and bits of dancing and finished with "Runaround Sue" which Steve does a good job of.

In the break I replaced the dodgy monitor with a spare Behringer 1x10 monitor I had brought along to try and diagnose where the fault was.  I connected it up using one of my jack to jack leads and it sounded good and clean (brighter than the other monitor).  I told Steve that therefore the fault was either in his lead or the monitor itself. He said he'd check it out but I resolved to keep bringing the Behringer to be on the safe side!

Set 2 we opened with "Apache".  This always goes well at these clubs and Steve joining in the dance sells it even more.  This time we had a few come up and do the 'Shads Walk' along with the band and it got a great response at the end.  We got back on stage to start "Do You Wanna Dance".  A good rhythm driven by Ian was rewarded by the dance floor filling.  Steve carved his own arrangement out which would have shortened it so I made him go round another verse and solo before we brought it to a finish.  Then there was a bit of a band discussion on what to do to follow it up (I sat this debate out 'cos I was the hired hand)   - but by the time that had been sorted several had left the floor.   And that set the pattern for the rest of the set which lacked the continuity and slickness I like to see.  Despite this,  the band was doing well and responding to audience mood.  For instance,  after "Raining In My Heart" they needed another slowey and Steve called for "Nights in White Satin".  This went down much better than I would have thought and we played it well.  Mind you I missed the synth strings and harmoniser of the good old days!

There was a long gap before the final set and I noticed Ian was on the whiskey chasers.  Some folks had drifted away by the resumption.  Nevertheless, the band did well doing a rockier set that wasn't excessively loud and Ian, myself and Chris put in quite a few accents and tight ends to spice it up. Mind you I reckon some of Ian's fills were noticeably 'under the influence'.   We finished with an unexpectedly good rendition of "Summer of 69" and encored with "Mustang Sally"  rather than the usual J B Goode and that worked well enough. 

We set about packing up in broadly good humour but there was slight atmosphere I couldn't put my finger on.  I think Ian was struggling with a combination of a lot to drink and his own concerns about the band quality.  In my opinion he is now the 'top dog' in the band and the others toe his line to an extent.  As a dep I am clear of all of that;  but I did think it had been a good night for the band and when the guvnor came over he was happy and will be rebooking.  A few folk on their way out chatted kindly about the night,  but in general there is an air of the club in decline and needing new blood to continue in the longer term.

I left the others eating burgers sourced from a van outside the club and set off home.  Well,  I set off on the right road in the right direction,  but I missed a turning in Exning and ended up going over the A14 into Newmarket and then back out from Newmarket to join the A14 a junction further East than intended - adding about 15 mins to the overall journey.  It was only when I saw Bury in the distance that I realised I had forgotten my bass.  I called Chris who was probably about 10 minutes behind me on the A14.  His car is similar to mine so we established a complete Ford hands free connection!  'Yes he'd found it but no room in his car 'cos it was full of Ian's drums'  so Steve had taken it.  That was a relief and I continued home getting in about 1:30 am.  Ms J was till up catching up on Strictly so we had cocoa together.



 

Deputizing with Coast at Bottisham British Legion

Chris from Coast asked me if I would deputize for Coast up to Xmas because their guitarist,  Glyn,  had resigned after becoming somewhat disillusioned with the band - particularly its singer Steve.  Chris also asked me to host a practice session to look into Glyn's criticism of Steve.     Chris also asked me if I'd mind looking into Glyn's criticism of Steve.  So in the week we had a session in my back room and it is true Steve does have some timing and consistency issues and some songs just don't suit.  I suggested they drop a couple of the worse ones and pad out the sets with some Shads instrumentals while I'm depping with them.   

 

On a windy, mild Autumnal evening,  Jacqui and I set off for Bottisham at 6:25pm arriving at the gig just after 7pm.  Chris and Ian were already there and Chris gave me hand in with my gear.  I had decided to give my Bose system with T1 mixer and single bass bin an airing and that set up and sounded just fine with my usual Godin XTSA gig guitar.    I planned to to use my PRS 12 string for some songs in set 1 and I gave that a good sound test in the empty hall.  Interestingly,  what sounds too toppy near the Bose sounded good in the hall.  I had in mind a comparison with the Rickenbacker which is quite a toppy, compressed sound and was quite pleased with the PRS which I think is more strident and less compressed.  My view is that it fills the guitar spectrum better in a single guitar,  bass and drums line up;  but I see how the Ricky could work better sharing the soundscape in a 2 guitar band set up. 

Steve arrived and the boys swang into action with the PA  which seems to be a combination of Ian's Behringer Europowered mixer with (Steve's) 15" plus horn speakers (not sure of the make).

To be fair the vocal mics sound OK through the main PA but the monitors are crackly,  slightly distorted (and later on cutting in and out).  The whole thing could do with an overhaul in my opinion.  They don't make much use of FX which was OK for this lively hall.  Even with maximum bass EQ the bass drum mic wasn't deep enough for me (miss that sub-bass on my Line 6 mixer).

We sound checked with "Smiling".  Steve carves his 'own' melody out but it was fine sound wise.  I suggested bringing the volume down to help deal with the lively hall,  then it was off for beer!

Probably about 25 in the room by 8pm.  We got changed and poppied up for an 8:30 start (Remembrance Day on the way!).  I was happy to start with FBI - it sounded OK to me and we got a good round of applause,  Steve came up and opened the vocals with "Heartbeat".   About 3 numbers later Chris broke his D string.  We decided to continue with "Alright Mama and Folsom Prison" while he changed it. Then we continued with a typical Coast set. I enjoyed playing the PRS 12 string on the Beatles and Searchers numbers and they went down well.  After a few unexpected spells of Steve singing over solos and coming in early or late making for strange arrangements,  I found I was having to signal him from afar as to when solo's and middle 8s were coming.   We finished with "Runaround Sue" which he sang very well - nailing that Dion over saturated vocal sound.  In the break Jacqui let me know the band was too loud and my harmonies were too low in the mix,  so I pushed up my mic volume a bit (Steve has a very middley, penetrating voice and is very loud to compete with).  

We returned to open with "Apache"  to which Steve and I did the Shadows walk.  It was quite fun 'walking' with another person and we got a truly great reception for it with thunderous applause from the 30 or so in the hall! 

The set continued the patterns of before but I was stronger in conducting than before and we tightened up quite a bit to get some dancing going.  Right at the end we had a request for "Moon of Love" so I took the boys into it.  Steve knew enough words to karaoke it and it went surprisingly well.

In the break a local DJ had come up and talked about recently departed musicians and said he'd love to hear "Diamonds" from Jet Harris.  I had told him about my time with the Checkmates and he said do "Eyes" as well (even though Emile is still about).  So when we returned we duly obliged with a verse of "Diamonds" then into "Eyes" which Steve knew enough to improvise the words (and Chris remembered from my time with him in ReTrio).  We now had the audience well onside and we rattled on through the set to "Johnny B Good" to finish.  We got a lot of shouts for 'more'  so Chris called for "Mustang Sally as the encore.  As we came off my ears were ringing - the band had been very loud in the last set.

Looked at Chris's bass as we packed away.  On the night, I couldn't see any sharp edges that would have led to the D string breaking.  He said he'd restring the bass in the week and asked if I would give it a onceover and check intonation before the next gig.  No problem I said.

Jacqui and I were able to get away quickly and made good time home - in for cocoa at 12:40am!  Headachey the next day.