Saturday's Gig

You know... my main memories of getting ready on an afternoon before a gig is rushing around like a headless chook, feeling stressed and sweaty, getting all those last-minute things done that need to be done before you can actually walk out the front door.

Not last Saturday arvo! After spending a really positively happy morning with the boys, I found myself sitting at home, the car packed, everything on "The List" done, sitting on my arse watching a DVD! I couldn't believe I had like 2 hours to sit back and do nothing but relax before a gig! Whew!

Box of Sox all met at Julian's place, picking up various bits of PA and gear from various places along the way, and headed out to the venue together. Arriving at about 6pm, we quickly set-up - 45-minutes from go-to-woe for setting up a whole band - for the first time - seems pretty damn good to me, really. We even had like 45 minutes to do nothing before we started playing! Whew.

This was getting better all the time!

By the way... in Australia, a 'thumbs-up' sign is a sign of positive affirmation, not a negative! lol

Altho the function was being held outdoors, there were two large marquees set up, and we were able to find a flat sheltered area for us to play OK.

But it was BLOODY COLD! We got thru two-and-a-half sets of music (about 2 hours of actual playing) before it just simply got too cold for us to keep our instruments in tune! Yes yes, it's not the best picking up a guitar for a song, and it being like a whole semitone sharp, simply because the strings have shrunk with the cold night air! lol. The bass guitar strings, big fat wirey things that they be, at times felt like ice... not always indusive(?) to good playing!

And then there's the effect of cold night air on your vocal chords... Mick was fine, but I was struggling right at the end. That's what I get for not being a lead vocalist! (I can sing backing harmonies until the cows come home, but as a lead vocalist, I'm pretty average! lol. Thank goodness for Eddie and Mick, who both sing REALLY well).

HOWEVER - "A good time was had by all!"

We played really well together, sounded fine, and the vibe was all positive between ourselves and the 40 - 50-or-so people at the party.

It was my first live 'gig' situation with a whole band (when I stopped and thought about it) in about six years, which came as bit of a shock. But it's like riding a bicycle - you don't forget how to 'perform'. All those years of slogging it out in the pub and club scene in Sydney pays off in the long run.

Mainly - I adore playing with Julian as a drummer! As a bassplayer, we can really lock in together and get some really good feels, grooves and moments happening 'in the pocket' between us. wOOt!

I didn't get any pics of us actually playing (silly me!), but the few photos I took just after we set-up doesn't show the little lighting effect I've been using. It's a small but powerful folding-up overhead projector (that was actually given to me as payment for services-rendered for doing some church workon the South coast about 10 years ago!), that I've printed out some transparency cells and use as a different lighting effect, when shined onto the drum kit or the white space on the back wall. Different photos enlarged printed onto cells look really good - different textures, shapes - but I didn't have it on when I took those few fleeting pics. So yeah, it's fun to think outside the box when it comes to some simple lighting effects - plus I'm getting to use the OHP that has been sitting covered by a white cloth under the phone table for the past 4-1/2 years! wOOt! (Here's some examples of things you can easily do with a simple OHP! (One - Two).

We wound things up by about 10.45 - it was outdoors, and there were neighbours nearby (who were there anyways! lol). But yeah... you've still gotta be considerate with an outdoor thing. And yeah... we weren't getting paid for it either! lol. So yeah... it only took us about 45 minutes to completely pack up and out the door - which also, for a bands' first gig together, must be a close to a bloody record!

And yes - they all raved and waxed-lyrical about us... even the people who weren't drinking! So that's a relief.

Afterwards, we all headed back to Mick's place for a coffee.

This, for me, was the better part of a great day. Just the four of us (Eddie was unable to play that night due to family commitments - family always comes first!) sat around for about an hour, just relaxing around some tea, coffee and bikkies! Chatting chatting chatting. Fan-bloody-tastic time. It's these casual social hanging-out times that really make hanging out in a band so enjoyably memorable, in so many various ways.

We're playing a paying gig this Saturday evening as well, but Matt has done a backflip and I'm feeling really annoyed with him at the moment. So yeah, he won't be playing with us this Saturday. Oh, it's nothing as dramatic like he's been fired or anything, not at all. He just simply cannot get his shit together.

Like.. apart from ferking around today flip-flopping around (he's rung twice this morning already with two different stories...)... he turned-up to the after-gig coffee with a bottle of vodka... he wanted me to go back to the place he's staying at and get pissed with him (basically), but I just wasn't in that kinda mood. I had to get up at 7am the next day to take disabled people out sailing... sailing with a hangover = no good! (I don't drink that much anyways - honestly! lol).

But yeah... Matt went home and drank the whole bloody bottle himself. Jeebus... o.O

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How are you going trying to guess those Movie Quotes, hhmmm...??? [smiles happily]

Peas be with ewe

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