So do you know I-IV-V now? Interestingly, I'm going to be playing with some guys this weekend whose bass player, Ron, died of a brain tumor a few years ago.
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Ever "Saved the Day"?
- Thread starter Bass Viking
- Start date
So do you know I-IV-V now? Interestingly, I'm going to be playing with some guys this weekend whose bass player, Ron, died of a brain tumor a few years ago.
Thanks! And every bass player should get a chance to hear a little theorbo. its the instrument that made me fall in love with the low end.
Yeah, years ago I was a member of The Birds standing between Roger McGuin and Nicky Hopkins for about...oh...10 minutes when their bass player got held up at the airport.
Fastest rise and fall ever in the music industry. 10 minutes.
Please, PLEASE tell me this is true.
I have risen to the occasion to save the day many times and I am always glad I was there at the time to help out some fellow musicians and friends.
I had two recent occasions to help out.
My band had a weekend off and I went to see some friends of mine playing on a Friday. Right in the middle of their show, the bass player, who is well known to blow up and do erractic things, started a fight with the guitar player and said he was quitting the band after the show. I had no idea this happened until the guitarist and drummer called me over and asked me if I could play with them Saturday night. As luck would have it, I was available and did the gig to a packed house and got paid very well. They needed some of my P.A. too since their bass player owned some of theirs. They were not playing simple songs but I had worked with these guys before and brushed up Saturday afternoon. I ended up playing about 6 gigs total with them until they got a new guy and I saved the day for all the gigs so they could play.
Another time I got a call on a Saturday morning from a couple young musicians I know. They had an outdoor motorcycle festival gig about 25 miles from my house and the fill in bass player bailed on them 1-1/2 hours before the gig. They called me and I rushed to get ready and made it to the venue in time and played the gig so they could save it and make some money. They were very grateful. Interestingly, I had a gig that night another 30 miles from there and would have had to drive through the same town on my way there. As a turn about, 6 months later, our drummer fractured his shoulder and could not play but could sing and I called the same young drummer to fill in with my band for 6 gigs. He was thrilled for the opportunity to work with us and he worked hard to do a good job.
I had two recent occasions to help out.
My band had a weekend off and I went to see some friends of mine playing on a Friday. Right in the middle of their show, the bass player, who is well known to blow up and do erractic things, started a fight with the guitar player and said he was quitting the band after the show. I had no idea this happened until the guitarist and drummer called me over and asked me if I could play with them Saturday night. As luck would have it, I was available and did the gig to a packed house and got paid very well. They needed some of my P.A. too since their bass player owned some of theirs. They were not playing simple songs but I had worked with these guys before and brushed up Saturday afternoon. I ended up playing about 6 gigs total with them until they got a new guy and I saved the day for all the gigs so they could play.
Another time I got a call on a Saturday morning from a couple young musicians I know. They had an outdoor motorcycle festival gig about 25 miles from my house and the fill in bass player bailed on them 1-1/2 hours before the gig. They called me and I rushed to get ready and made it to the venue in time and played the gig so they could save it and make some money. They were very grateful. Interestingly, I had a gig that night another 30 miles from there and would have had to drive through the same town on my way there. As a turn about, 6 months later, our drummer fractured his shoulder and could not play but could sing and I called the same young drummer to fill in with my band for 6 gigs. He was thrilled for the opportunity to work with us and he worked hard to do a good job.
Once, at a small church.. The leader asks if there was a bass player in the house. I said I would do it, but i could tell they weren't so sure of me. ( I was only 15 at the time) I got up there and went after it. Not to boast or anything, but i did good and they were all very grateful afterward.. 
Made my day. too!
Made my day. too!I saved the day at a buddies gig a year or so ago. They were playing in a bar about 35 miles away from our town. They were doing sound check, got it done and proceeded to walk of stage. While doing that my buddy hooked his foot around his cable and sent his guitar slamming into the stage, breaking the head stock clean off. So as I'm heading out the door to go to the show I get a call from him panicking about his situation. Tells me to run to his house and grab his 73 thinline reissue and make it quick.
I run to the house to find the door locked, so I then proceeded to find the nearest unlocked window, crawl inside and search for his thinline. He has guitars and cases scattered (and hidden) in his house. I finally find it in the closet in the spare bedroom, because the genius cant remember where he put it. Then I hauled it too the show.
They only had to wait 5 minutes for me to arrive. Good thing I had a dentist appointment or I would've rode up with them and they would've been screwed.
I run to the house to find the door locked, so I then proceeded to find the nearest unlocked window, crawl inside and search for his thinline. He has guitars and cases scattered (and hidden) in his house. I finally find it in the closet in the spare bedroom, because the genius cant remember where he put it. Then I hauled it too the show.
They only had to wait 5 minutes for me to arrive. Good thing I had a dentist appointment or I would've rode up with them and they would've been screwed.
So is it safe to say that we all enjoy saving gigs? In truth, taking care of each other serves to make us all stronger. The Golden Rule.
I have done it a couple of times, with varying degrees of success. Once, I was at a small private festival of about a hundred people or so, already pretty drunk since I wasn't supposed to play anything, and I got told that a bassplayer didn't show and they needed a sub. The funny thing was that this band performs every year at this festival and their set is always the entire Dookie album by Green Day. So I had to drink a couple of liters of water and sober up, then take the shoddy bass that was available and learn the album in about an hour and a half. Now Green Day isn't hard to play at all, but it's the same three chords in different combinations, no sheets, for about fourteen songs, so I probably messed up a few times but they were happy. Actually, every year after that they have done the same stunt at the same festival brought on new bassplayers. Strange band, really...
Another time I was asked if I would join in on a jazz set for a friday party at my university. I said that I would do it but that I hadn't really played a lot of jazz before so we would need to rehearse the set. Cool, we could do that. As it turns out, we had two hours to rehearse a two hour set and the other guys didn't know the tunes yet either. Needles to say, it wasn't my best performance, but at least there was free beer.
Another time I was asked if I would join in on a jazz set for a friday party at my university. I said that I would do it but that I hadn't really played a lot of jazz before so we would need to rehearse the set. Cool, we could do that. As it turns out, we had two hours to rehearse a two hour set and the other guys didn't know the tunes yet either. Needles to say, it wasn't my best performance, but at least there was free beer.
It was 1996 I think, it was a Saturday night, my band didn't have a gig, and the singer/guitarist and I were on the phone trying to decide what bar to hit and were looking at who was playing in the newspaper. There wasn't a whole lot going on except this blues guy who is fairly well known in the region was playing at a bar that's in walking distance from our practice space, where our guitarist, Jay lives. So he says he's heading over there, and I drive about 15 minutes to meet him. So I get there and Jay comes running over to the door yelling "John, don't pay the cover, Linwood's bass player is sick in the bathroom and they need you to play with them." I didn't know what to say because I never met these guys before, or had ever seen them play. The bar owner, who we knew well from playing often at this place had initially asked Jay if he could do it, he said"I have a bass at my house, but i'm not very good, but our bass player is on his way here, I'll ask him". So finally I talk to Linwood the guitarist and asked what they played. He told me it was all going to be straight blues, mostly standards, a little bit of Hendrix too, he'd call out the keys to me. So Jay runs back to his house, grabs his '77 P-Bass for me, and I wind up playing two 45 minute sets and get paid $100 for the night, which was sweet since I had just paid a lot of bills and would have been low on cash for the week. The gig also went really well and increased my confidence level as far as sitting in with people.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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I was a a ski resort dance club in Vermont back in the stone age, watching a great funk band out of Boston. Bass player breaks a string, and immediately singles me out of the crowd: "Hey man, got a D string?" Not missing a beat, I ask him what gauge he wants. I go across the street to the music store (I had the keys since I did tech work for them) and grab one. I asked him how he knew to ask me, he just kind of shrugged. Not the last time something like that has happened, by a long shot.
Lesson #1: Always bring a backup
Lesson #2: At least bring extra strings
Monday I get a call to sub for my guitarist's other band that night. His bass player threw out his back and can't play. This was my first three set night. I even had enough tunes to play the entire night. Fun night!
Saved the day? I doubt it. Saved the gig? Maybe.
I've been at clubs and changed strings for people who have broken them on stage. Usually it's between songs and I tell the singer to start talking it up with the crowd and plugging every website the band has!
I've been at clubs and changed strings for people who have broken them on stage. Usually it's between songs and I tell the singer to start talking it up with the crowd and plugging every website the band has!
