Replace Me! (opportunity in London, UK)

Check out my signature below - you'll see that I'm no longer the bassist for Link Removed! Unlike most of the "I've left my band" threads here, I'm afraid there's no juicy gossip or stories of the drummer from hell (Brad, the LJ drummer is an amazing drummer and a great guy as well). The reasons I'm moving on are:

- to give me some breathing space in my diary. The last few months have been a bit slack with Lovesjones (although busy with the Teeth) and that's confirmed to me that the extra space will be a healthy thing for me.

- call me a wuss, but most of the gigs are too loud for my tastes. I don't like spending the whole night wearing earplugs! I've given it a good shot but central London pubs and clubs just aren't my scene (open mic events are where it's at for me at present)

- so far, we've earned enough money that most of our rehearsals have been paid for and there's been a little cash in hand to cover strings and things from one or two of the special events. The rest of the band want to push to making it a bit more of an earner (more gigs, including more corporate work) but, to be honest, I'm really not all that interested in playing for money!

Anyway, the bottom line is that there's a vacancy for a competent bassist in a urban jazz / soul covers band based in London, UK. It doesn't suit me anymore but it's a great gig for a bassist. I'd love to be able to pass the mantle on to someone else, providing another bassist with the opportunity and helping my friends in the band to keep the music flowing.

Let me know if you're interested and I'll fix you up with a chance to meet the guys (and, if you've got any questions, ask away here - the answers might help someone else even if you don't pursue it yourself).



Wulf

Probably... unless you've got a Lear Jet tucked away somewhere!

Wulf

matthewfoote said:

Hope they get a replacement good enough to fill your shoes

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I'm sure that won't be too hard - my bass playing shoes aren't particularly demanding!

Wulf

Yep... Ontario is quite a distance away. Ah well! Hope you find somewhere to groove that is better located from your perspective!

Wulf

Nothing solid yet - the only downside of the TB community is that most of you are too far away! I've had one nibble from someone who's away over the summer but might be interested come September and another from a friend who lives fairly close to me.

However, it's still an open slot at the moment - if someone is based round London, has some availability and likes the kind of music played by the band (or, at least, doesn't loathe it so much they're not willing to learn from it - I've been turned onto some great artists like Maxwell, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott who I'd probably have previously not given ear time to) come along for a jam with the band sometime at least! It's a great opportunity and I don't regret the time I've put into it in the past.

Wulf

No - it's not a live-on-able gig. It had got to the stage of paying for things like rehearsals and recordings (although that fund is pretty dry now and needs another gig or two to bump it up). I suspect that the band will probably get a few more bookings for big paying corporate gigs but I'm not sure that would be enough to provide an income to live on!

It would possibly provide a good point for gathering contacts if you did come to England but I don't think I could recommend it as a reliable foundation for such major plans!

Wulf

It's just that I can envision a mammoth, Blues Brothers chase, as a horde of disappointed bassists who I've enticed to the UK come gunning for me! I'm sure the soundtrack would be groovesome but I don't think I want to go there!

Wulf

The slot is still open at the moment. Anyone interested in helping the 'Jones out, even if just for two or three months?

Meanwhile, things are still going great for me in the 'Teeth. If anybody is free around South London (Mitcham) next Thursday, we're hosting our monthly open mic evening - guests and performers all welcome!

Wulf