Blues Bass Players Club

[mike phillips]

im in. everything blues from blind lemon jefferson to zz top.

[seanm]

Just starting up a blues band. First gig at the end of May. So count me in.

[62Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by EBodious

so, i see that i am not the only one who sees the day job/family as a distraction, eh?

Hmmm, I guess that didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to.

[Yamahammer]

Count me in, #55 please. I'm a dyed in blues noob .

[DogBone]

Here's what I have added, correct if wrong...

#31 R Upsumgrub
#420 GlennW
#35 mike phillips
#36 seanm
#55 Yamahammer

List so far...

#1 blues_bassist
#2 62Jazzbass
#3 JohnFrancis
#4 nickn
#5 Dogbone
#6 specter6A
#7 Sleeq
#8 derrenleepoole
#9 mongo2
#10 Freelancer
#11 Santraginus
#12 billoetjen
#13 Stumbo
#14 deepbluesuk
#15 awall
#16 Fenderjazz6823
#17 bassflyer19
#18 mlafrancis
#19 reno88
#19 bhubb3rd
#20 lonote
#21 main_sale
#22 jbassbob
#23 tlr1293
#24 Saliboat339
#25 dlb1001
#26 smakbass
#27 watspan
#28 scottbass
#29 thumpbass1
#30 woodsideh
#31 R Upsumgrub
#32 EBodious
#33 lug
#34 bassist4dalord
#35 babaseen
#36 Walter Ego
#35 mike phillips
#36 seanm
#55 Yamahammer
#420 GlennW

[gmanbass]

Finally a place for me. I'm in a Blues Band and we're in the middle of recording our first CD at the moment. Five covers and five originals. I've been a blues player for a long time. Four old geezers still rocking some blues. Count me in.

[emjazz]

Originally Posted by babaseen

Count me in...I'm playing blues every other Tuesday at the Strange Brew Tavern in Manchester, NH (been doing it for several years) with the Strange Brew All Stars. Been using a P-bass with flats lately but may switch to a fretless with rounds soon.
--Tom

Hey Tom, stop by the Strange Brew on June 20th. I'm playing with the Bruce Marshal Band (blues band) on that date. I've haven't played that room in many years. Looking forward to it.

[ffeJ83]

Please add me in, been playin strickly the Blues for a while now.

[Honk'n_down-low]

I got da Blues - please add me.

[dronnba]

Hey! I'd like to be added also. I've been playing blues for 7 years now in a band named Crossfyre. We've got a few videos on youtube, please check them out.

Dronnba

[Kenny Allyn]

We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long ...

Not what you might call traditional blues we kinda push the limits ... but then I think Memphis musicians have always done that!

Blackkat Bone



Although I do go back to a more traditional style when I do some of the MBS (Memphis Blues Society) functions.


Credit where credit is due Slim Louis got me started playing bass years ago he was Jason Riccis bass player
at one time and currently up for a BMA award for his work with Delta Highway


... Heck I even gave the speakers a Blues name MOjO Sonic, so pencil me in I guess

[Fajah]

Would love to join. A couple of crappy vids to watch, but you'll get the picture.

http://www.left4dead.ca/ with our regular singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAVuGKRDEqU with a guest singer.

[scottbass]

Originally Posted by EBodious

also: scott, you guys sound tight. do you ever play down here in iowa?

Thanks for the compliment!

We don't have any Iowa shows on our agenda - YET! Can you point me at some good festivals we could play this summer/fall? We probably aren't going to travel as far as Lamoni, but Des Moines, Waterloo and points north are probably doable.

[dlb1001]

Originally Posted by butchblack

Here's a question for the group. Over the years I've gotten into many "interesting" discussions as to what actually constitutes the blues i.e. when does it cease to be the blues and become something else? Up here in the Boston area we seem to run the gamut, everything from if it's not a medium tempo I,IV,V shuffle it's not the blues to any song you can play a blues scale over is the blues, to if it's played by a rock band it's not the blues (i.e. Aerosmith's covers of Train kept a'rollin and Big 10 inch record). Another good example a blues guitarist friend of mine considers SRV to be a rock guitarist with blues licks, not a blues guitarist.

So how do you define blues and what is a blues band? Try and keep this one civil please.

There is no hard defined line...as someone else wrote, the lines get blurry since blues is the root of the many other genres (r&b, gospel, jazz, etc.). As you said about SRV about being a rock guy doing blues licks, I have a friend who considers blues to be only acoustic instruments (meaning Delta); if it is played anything electric, it ain't blues!
I just try to be more open and learn as much as I can...I don't want to do just one style. The teacher that I take lessons from, has a band that the standard stuff but he also gets gigs to back jazz people, too.

[topcat2069]

Me at The Monterey Blues Festival

[EBodious]

maybe its stating the obvious, but, i think a lot of what distinguishes the blues from its many off-shoots is the rhythm section. its the groove that will turn blues into soul or rock (or country or reggae or ...).

i have a question :

several of you have mentioned recording cd's with covers on them as well as originals. how do you handle the coryrights? my band is working under the assumption that we need to have a full cd of originals before we record/sell something.

[EBodious]

Originally Posted by scottbass

Thanks for the compliment!

We don't have any Iowa shows on our agenda - YET! Can you point me at some good festivals we could play this summer/fall? We probably aren't going to travel as far as Lamoni, but Des Moines, Waterloo and points north are probably doable.

good festivals in iowa? well.....
what we have, now, is 80/35. its in des moines and it started last year (july 4th weekend) and it was the kick in the pants that iowa needs. but it is an alt rock event. a lot of fun but not the blues.

besides the winery circut, which is pretty good in central iowa, i am not sure there is much. what i would like to see is a blues fest at the surf ballroom up in clear lake. i would love to play there, just to say i did!

btw, last nite i was listening to your clip thru laptop speakers (sacrilege!!!). today i put it thru the headphones. nice bass! somewhere between mary had a little lamb and i saw her standing there. fast fingers, man!

[mightypog]

Count me in! I play blues in the Seattle area with two bands, Polly O'Keary and the Rhythm Method and Too Slim and the Taildraggers.

[mightypog]

good festivals in iowa? well.....

Check out Bowl Full of Blues. We'll be there this summer

[mightypog]

several of you have mentioned recording cd's with covers on them as well as originals. how do you handle the coryrights? my band is working under the assumption that we need to have a full cd of originals before we record/sell something.[/quote]

Go to the Harry Fox website and buy the mechanical licenses for the songs you want to cover. It's not too much money, if you're doing less than 1,000 cds. Duplication companies are supposed to make sure you have those licenses before you can dupe your cds, and most take it seriously.