Louvaine 16th December 2007

Louvaine 16th December

We playing at a bar in South London in a week or so. And the bar's closing, so we get to drink it dry :)

Scuzzbuckets

Scuzzbuckets

A photoshopped "Guitargeek" style layout of the equipment I've been using. I'm sure after a few more gigs and a record deal Guitargeek will want to do their own official version, but in the meantime... ;)

I can live without the wah wah. I used to play with various Boss pedals back in the day (delay, octave, another distortion, chorus, flanger, compression), and another no-name distortion pedal that could sustain till the audience went home, had kids, raised them, introduced them to live gigs, and then those kids came to see us. They'd find me still holding that note. Anyways, life's simpler now. And the planet waves tuner (as recommended by Devin Townsend) is a life saver.

Post Arch Aid

Simon (drummer) has quite a philosophical approach, and after this gig he said "Well, it's all a learning experience". And I learnt that sitting outside for an hour (we were supposed to play at 7.30, but didn't go on until 8.30) meant that my hands froze. And while Simon quickly realized he couldn't spin his drum sticks, I quickly realized I was having trouble playing at all.

And things got worse: my guitar went out of tune during every song. I've no idea why, but first the A string, then the E string, then the B string. I would play a power chord, discover that it sounded shit, guess which string was playing me up, and quickly shift to playing that chord in a different position. Which would have been ok had my hands not been frozen.

After four songs (we were playing a short set - there were seven bands due to play), I was glad it was all over. I thanked the audience, my guitar strap came off, the leads came out, and I looked up to see the rest of the band staring at me. We had another song to go. Sheeesh. Plug back in, strap back on, and we knock out 'Too Drunk Too Fuck'. In this case I was too cold to play. And slightly too wired. But since a disastrous Inn On The Green gig I've learnt to play it cool with getting wasted before playing. Now I've learnt too stay warm too.

As for the Gibson going out of tune, well, that I don't know about. I was weighing up between taking the Fender Strat and the Les Paul before the gig, and Kirk (my son) recommended the Gibson because of the sound. Which was a good call - it sounded great. Just wish it had stayed in tune too. Perhaps locking tuners are in order.

Arch Aid

Scuzzers

Karim (from Firemouth) is trying to raise rent after Railtrack repossesed their studio. We're playing in place of a band that dropped out. If I can get a babysitter...

Gig details here

Boys Are Back In Town

Well, almost. My hike in the States for a month, Jamie's work/holiday in Brighton and the States, and Gary's trip to Spain has meant we've all had an extended break and are itching to get back gigging.

Gary's due back in a few days, so hopefully we can hit the studio again and get back to speed with some new songs (covers and originals).

But family in Australia mean Gary will only be back for a short while, so chances are we'll only squeeze in a one gig somewhere.

Inn On The Green - Video

Inn On The Green - Dance video

Here's a video of us playing Motörhead's 'Dance' at the Inn On The Green, 1st of June. It's 30Mb, so you might want to pause it when it starts and let it download a bit before watching.

I love that Jamie has a piece of paper with the words on, and throws a bottle in the air that hits Gary on the head.

Inn on the Green, Second time around

As we come off, the guitarist/singer from the next band says "How do we follow that?" and that's as much praise as you could ask for. Sure, we weren't a 100% (finishing on a song we had only recently learnt wasn't wise), but we were a 100% better than last time we played here, and more importantly: I enjoyed playing this time. The songs were tight and even if Si had been drinking all afternoon, he's still too good for it too really show.

Chris came with a couple of cameras and filmed us, so it will be interesting to look back and see how we perform. I tend to enter my own world, concentrating on not screwing up, and it's easy to forget to look up every now and again and smile. After all, people have paid to be there. Gary and Si have that down, and Jamie is a stage presence unto himself.

With the offer off a lift back home (well, back to a local pub) I pop back stage to get my stuff as the band that followed us on is coming off. I've missed their entire set. The guitarist asks me if he sounded in tune, obviously worried. "You sounded fine," I lie. "Great set." It ain't easy getting up in front of a crowd in place you don't know, so anyone that does it deserves a pat on the back, but I still feel bad I didn't hear them.

Highlight of the night? Their music may not have been entirely to my taste (my Michelle Shocked days are long gone), but the Siskin Sisters showed how to entrance an audience with some of the finest cleavage I have ever seen. Highly recommended, especially if you catch them in a Jazz bar where they aren't followed by the Scuzzbuckets...

Gig details!

After a flood of emails*, here's some rough details of our next gig. We've been asked back to the 'Inn On The Green' despite me being so wired last time that the only recollection I have is of me playing our tightest song** wrong, and playing another at a different tempo to the rest of the band, who were obviously wrong and just getting me back. =/

So... Friday May 25th June 1st, 'Inn On The Green'. We're one of three bands, and we're pushing to go on first (before playing: less time for me to drink, after playing: more time for me too drink = win win).

The other two bands are a couple of girls on keyboards (alriiiiight) and The Dead; which is impossible to find on MySpace, so I've no idea what they're like. Probably freakin' awesome, though.

Expect flyers soon, as I've offered to knock some up.

*a comment to my last post
**Dead Kennedys - 'Too Drunk Too Fuck'

Scuzzbuckets, Evershot, Dorset

Scuzzbuckets play Evershot, Dorset
Originally uploaded by wetwebwork.

Evershot was great. Gary (bassist) and I caught a train down on Friday morning. This is after practicing Thursday night, and then me rushing off to catch a French band called 'Marvin' playing on a barge on the Thames near Vauxhall, who were amazing. They were a drummer, guitarist and the cutest French girl on Keyboards playing at a venue organized by a friend from work who put me on the guest list to see them play. And they rocked. A combination of heavy metal and jazz.

Then a few hours sleep and down to the studio/ex doctors surgery to pack all the gear in the van, see Simon (drums) off in a van, and then a lift from Gary's Mum to the station. Quick pint before we board the train. Two hours later we check in to a hotel in Yeovil (the closest we could afford to stay in near Evershot), when Simon and Jamie (singer) arrive, we head off to Evershot to set up.

The hall was something else. Old school play sets on stage, a bar out back, and if someone had set up a bake sale in the back of the hall it wouldn't have been out of place. Jamie and I head off to the nearest pub (an old local with a ten pin bowling lane and Polish staff, natch) because the singer and lead guitarist really shouldn't be worrying about the sound and lights and plugging stuff in. And we happen to be totally imcompetant and get in the way. But we'll learn. Who knows? One day there might be someone in a pub who can clue us in.


Fame!

Having learnt the hard way a week back playing the Inn On the Green in Ladbroke Grove, I know I can't play if I'm too wired, so I take it easy. Doesn't help the nerves, though. Especially as 'Something Blue' are playing great. The hall is fairly full, a strange mix off Mum's and daughters - including one in a prom dress - and local kids out for the night, as well as some old Jazz heads.

We're on for the middle set, and our meagre six song set is going to whip by. But we're on form, the kids are dancing and cheering, and the only song that trips me up slightly is AC/DC's 'Live Wire'. I just haven't got the timing on the opening nailed. And my finger's give out before the solo (we're playing the whole set at a faster tempo that normal). But when the set's over the kids are begging us too stay on; they've had their fill of blue's, I suspect. They even want to have a vote as to whether we stay on or 'Something Blue' come back. But I convince them that the next half will be great, and we get off.

And now I can drink!