so...
i played this small gig at a college coffee house, and after the show...something that has never happened in the history of bass players happened.

we were packing up our stuff

a guy walks up to me...("oh crap, hes probably gonna ask if i knew where the band went, or what they're name was or something")

he says.....

...are you all ready....??

hey man, i really liked your guy's sound...its great...you guys gotta stick together....im really diggin it...when are you playing next blahblahblah.....

did you all catch that???
he complemented the bass player on the band...HE KNEW I WAS IN THE BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thats one small step for me, but one giant leap for the rulers of the bottom end.

Well, quite honestly, i'm not surprised. Not everyone doesnt know what a bass is, you know! :p

I was in Mexico for a vacation last year (beuatiful place!) and there were bands that would play at the restraunt t hat we were staying at and I asked one of the bass players in one of the bands all sorts of questions, which he was happy to answer, while he was playing. :)

Pretty sweet, I haven't played out in a long enough time for that to happen.

Had our first proper gig with my new band on thursday, 3 people on seperate occasions came up and said that they loved the band :cool:

thats pretty cool

ive had people come up to me and say good things about the band too, very cool. though only people who actually kinda know me have complimented me specifically. mostly things like i didnt know you were that good at bass etc.

should it really be a surprise that someone knew you were in the band though?

it's not the number of strings, but the girth that counts

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it had something to do with the band "General Public".

Nice job, though. Always nice to get recognized.

I asked one of the bass players in one of the bands all sorts of questions, which he was happy to answer, while he was playing. :)

You couldn't have waited until between sets? :p

I wish I could answer questions and play at the same time. Singing/playing - OK. Talking/playing for some reason - can't handle it (although I know plenty of people who can, and they amaze me).

should it really be a surprise that someone knew you were in the band though?


no, it shouldnt, it was kind of a joke, because bass players have a reputation for not being recognized.

You couldn't have waited until between sets? :p

I wish I could answer questions and play at the same time. Singing/playing - OK. Talking/playing for some reason - can't handle it (although I know plenty of people who can, and they amaze me).


I'm the total opposite, I can talk and play all I want, but I can't sing and play for the life of me.

I've never really had a problem playing bass and not being recognised. Seems most gigs I've always gotten at least one compliment on my playing, of course the best ones come from chicks.

A few years ago, we were playing in a multiple band show and as our set ended the lead singer for the next band jumped on stage next to me and said loudly, to me ... "best tone I've heard man, you ****ing rock". This was picked up by my vocal mic and went out over the PA. I think that pissed off my guitarist for some reason, as he didn't speak to me much for the rest of that night :confused:

:bassist:

Funny - I had that same experience many years ago - and now that I think about it, it is funny!

We were doing a gig a Border's - really low-key, "acoustic" thing and this dude was in the "crowd" (20 people = crowd? ok...) and he was really paying attention to what I was doing. When we took a break he approached me and we sat down to chat. He was a bass player and was very complimentary about my playing and our band in general.

At that time there was a part of my brain that refused to believe that anyone "really liked" what I was doing and most likely had some ulterior motive to claiming that they do... Either that, or they just don't know what they are talking about. Hey, it was MY issue, I am not saying that was true, it is just how my twisted, "wouldn't join a club that would have me as a member" mind worked.

Ran into him last year at a Victor Wooten show - we exchanged hello's after I noticed all these people coming up to him and saying, "Hi teach!" - Turns out he was (and still is) an amazing player - friends with Chuck Rainey, studied with Adam Nitti and other heavy hitters... He is now my teacher.

The guitarist in my band is an AMAZING guitar player. He should be in a studio somewhere. Anyway, we play a lot of classic rock songs that turn into long jams where everyone stares in amazement at the guitarist. When the song ends, the lead singer always says something about the guitar player, but never anything about me...ever.

Well, one time, we just finished a song and the lead singer said his piece about the guitar player, and then a local musician sitting by us says (looking at me), "Wow, that was great. You're good."

GUITARIST-Oh thanks!

GUY-No, not you. Don't get me wrong, you're pretty good too, but he (pointing at me) just made that song.

Then he looked at me and says how he liked the way I complimented the guitarist and brought the song to life, and I was like :D. Without thinking I blurted out, FINALLY! The band looked at me funny, but whatever.

Guys ,you all have to sit down for this one...I sat in at a blues jam one night in Virginia Beach VA. and after I played a few songs...now get this.... THE DRUMMER actually said he liked my tone!!!!

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it had something to do with the band "General Public".

Nice job, though. Always nice to get recognized.

That's the new "English Beat" group, right?

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it had something to do with the band "General Public".

Nice job, though. Always nice to get recognized.

:eek:

We played a gig down in the south of England without our regular vocalist, and had to dredge up some old instrumental charts up from the early days of the band to fill the set. One number we included was "The Chicken".

The crowd we were playing to seemed a bit genetically challenged. You wouldn't have expected any sort of sophistication in their musical taste. I even thought they might ask for some country music. ;)


But in the interval, whilst I'm standing *at the urinal* in the gents toilet, some guy walks in and says, "Hey - The Chicken. That's Jaco Pastorius, right?" I doubt if one person in five hundred over here has even heard that tune. Maybe there is hope after all!

I can't hardly speak when I'm playing, so forget singing :) I'm not nearly good enough yet to be trying to talk to someone and carry on a conversation while I'm playing. As for singing, well, we'd like to keep people there for the whole show:)

I get compliments every time (and usually only when) I'm mixed prominently, regardless of how well I actually play.

Of course, it is a very rare occurrence.

After my first gig here in America with my brother this very large man, decked out in hunting jacket and orange hat, comes up and says "I dont know what kinda guitar that is Ive never seen it but damn you play it well!" I just laughed and my brother and his family had to explain that not all americans are like him :)

We played a gig down in the south of England without our regular vocalist, and had to dredge up some old instrumental charts up from the early days of the band to fill the set. One number we included was "The Chicken".

The crowd we were playing to seemed a bit genetically challenged. You wouldn't have expected any sort of sophistication in their musical taste. I even thought they might ask for some country music. ;)


But in the interval, whilst I'm standing *at the urinal* in the gents toilet, some guy walks in and says, "Hey - The Chicken. That's Jaco Pastorius, right?" I doubt if one person in five hundred over here has even heard that tune. Maybe there is hope after all!

is a jaco pastorius album labelled as a "Special Import" at your local music store? didn't think so, you've still got it good.

I always try and compliment bands, even if they suck.
Sure, it's hypocrisy, but sometimes they buy you beer!