The Stevie Ray Guy

pepsbro · #1 06-20-2007, 09:42 PM

Me and a drummer friend of mine where doing a backup gig at an open mike blues night. A guy walks in with the hat the boots and the Strat. Wants to do Voodoo child. He starts counting it off and turns and tells me he's slack tuned. May have been the biggest train wreck I have ever been in.

Kenny Allyn · #2 06-20-2007, 10:01 PM

Been in more train wrecks at blues jam nites than I can count ... Attachment 61675

... Goes with the territory

Johnny Crab · #3 06-20-2007, 10:50 PM

"goin' off the rails on a crazy train...."

It's almost as bad when you learn a tune in one key, D, and the night of a gig you get the ..."Oh, yeah we do that in C sharp". And of course all of the speedy little bass lines that a certain bass player wrote USING OPEN STRINGS(!) that you figured out note-for-note are no longer useful....as the 4th fret on the next string down must be used......

txbasschik · #4 06-21-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsbro

Me and a drummer friend of mine where doing a backup gig at an open mike blues night. A guy walks in with the hat the boots and the Strat. Wants to do Voodoo child. He starts counting it off and turns and tells me he's slack tuned. May have been the biggest train wreck I have ever been in.

It isn't every day that you get to see a genuine, living, breathing cliche walk in and create a train wreck.

I've seen guys like that playing in Memphis.

Oi.

Cherie

lonote · #5 06-21-2007, 08:24 AM

I spend 4 years in the "house band" for an open stage blues jam and I could tell you stories for hours. I think every area in the world has tons of SRV wannabes who, apparently, enjoy screwing up open jams. We had a guitar player who frequented every open jam in the area who had a "roadie" to carry in his 12 space effects rack...to an open jam!

txbasschik · #6 06-21-2007, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonote

I spend 4 years in the "house band" for an open stage blues jam and I could tell you stories for hours. I think every area in the world has tons of SRV wannabes who, apparently, enjoy screwing up open jams. We had a guitar player who frequented every open jam in the area who had a "roadie" to carry in his 12 space effects rack...to an open jam!

SRV clones...THEY'RE EVERYWHERE, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIVES!!!

Seriously, I can't stand those guys. A roadie for an effects rack at a jam. UGH!!!

We've encountered a Chris Layton wannabe, too. He plays for a hot young local blues guitarist, and he thinks he is God's gift to drumming, the honor handed to him by St. Chris, Himself. My husband had to share a kit with him once, at a festival, and was so aggravated, he looked like he'd like to strangle the dude. He treated my husband as if he were Wannabe's roadie, and dictated to him how to set up *his own kit* (Wannabe was playing Hubby's kit).

SRV & Double Trouble were/are truly great. But this whole "clone" thing makes me ill. Its sooooo uncool and silly. Its one thing to cover their tunes, but quite another to pretend that one is SRV reincarnated or ordained by Chris and Tommy. Oi.

Cherie

Steve · #7 06-22-2007, 07:50 PM

Not to be a jerk but, why didn't you just play it in Eb?

I feel your pain having done a bunch of those gigs. It's one of the reasons I moved to a 5 string.

The other thing you can do is look the guy straight in the face and say, "Freeze! Let me help you out and tune down so this doesn't suck"

Yeah, I can be a little cranky at those gigs.

Amateur night is a tough paycheck.

joegeezer · #8 06-22-2007, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonote

I spend 4 years in the "house band" for an open stage blues jam and I could tell you stories for hours. I think every area in the world has tons of SRV wannabes who, apparently, enjoy screwing up open jams. We had a guitar player who frequented every open jam in the area who had a "roadie" to carry in his 12 space effects rack...to an open jam!

Jellybean?

Munjibunga · #9 06-23-2007, 01:29 AM

Solution: five-string.

Akami · #10 06-23-2007, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Not to be a jerk but, why didn't you just play it in Eb?

I feel your pain having done a bunch of those gigs. It's one of the reasons I moved to a 5 string.

The other thing you can do is look the guy straight in the face and say, "Freeze! Let me help you out and tune down so this doesn't suck"

Yeah, I can be a little cranky at those gigs.

Amateur night is a tough paycheck.

+1

pepsbro · #11 06-23-2007, 08:59 PM

Wow you guys are good. I would have had about as much chance of pulling that off on the fly as this guy was going to have trying to get laid that night. I had all I could do to find notes that where in the ball park. Plus I wanted to kill the Kook. Did I mention the back up guys drank for free? Whats a five string?

Steve · #12 06-24-2007, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsbro

Wow you guys are good.

Nah, it's "Nashville numbers". Check it out. Once you get the concept, you can pretty much play anything in any key instantly.

99% of that tune is out of the 1. the turn around through the vocal section is 3-4.

That doesn't change no matter what key Stevie Ray guy wants.

txbasschik · #13 06-25-2007, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

"Freeze! Let me help you out and tune down so this doesn't suck".

Aaaaaamen.

Cherie

Ian N. B. · #14 06-25-2007, 11:04 PM

Good... I'm not the only one who's dealt with an SRV wannabe... man, I've wanted to smack the guy over the head with my bass a few times, and I doubt that it'd hurt my bass...

Of course, I'm one of those prog rock nuts, so I really can't talk about people with annoying and incompatible music tastes/styles...

Still, I'm considering dropping my amp on his guitar or something next time I see him...heh.