Gig advise?

I just got the call this morning. I've got a fill in gig next month with a country (!!!!!) band.

A little back story. I've been playing semi-professionally since '83, mostly in metal and cover bands, but have done many open mic gig where I backed up acoustic players.

I also play regularly at church, so I've got a good handle on my equipment and I'm a pretty advanced player.

Can anyone offer any suggestions on techniques and patterns (maybe?) that would make this gig a bit easier?

I'm planning on making cheat sheets for as many of the songs as needed, and I'll be ok having a music stand on stage with me too.

As far as the genre is concerned, I don't have much experience, so any pointers are appreciated.

 

The songs range from VERY early Johnny Cash to Nancy Sinatra to newer stuff. Lots of very easy stuff from what I've listened to so far.

 

Update: rehearsal went really well. Of course I didn't know any of the songs, but I was able to follow along and the band as a whole sounded great. Everyone was happy about my playing even though I'm a total noob to country.

 

Mostly covers, but there were one or two originals.

The gig is May 18, and we are having once a week rehearsals until then. I'm a little confused by the discussion after we played last night, though.

From what they were saying, it seems they're under the assumption that I am now a full member of the band. There's already talk of booking more shows. Gonna have to clarify that. Not a problem for me, just like to know where I stand.

All things considered, I had a great time. Yeah, I was playing catchup all night but I think I did pretty well. I managed to follow along with everything they played, and never had to "sit this one out". I'll be spending some time over the next few weeks learning the basslines a little better, on my own time.

As I said in previous posts, I have literally ZERO experience playing this genre. That said, I've been playing for long enough and spend enough time playing with other people, so after a little adjustment, I did fine. I actually had a great time, just laying back and grooving.

It'll be nice to not have to worry about jumping all over the stage, working the crowd. For this gig I can just hang back by the drummer and chill. Already ordered my cowboy hat!!

 

Yeah, I'm not concerned. They're all great guys and amazing players. Very helpful. The cool thing is that they are all old enough that there was no attitudes or pretension. Just friendly people who love music.

That's the best situation you could hope for.

 

I've noticed that. The length of the note seems to make the most difference.

It would seem that I have some studying to do.

The real fun happens because since I'm not a country "purist", I can still add a few ideas of my own, as long as they fit the song.

 

That's actually really good advise. One thing I made sure of last night is to really simplify my lines. Playing in a rock format normally, my basslines are all over the place. Doesn't really work for this style.

I have flats on all my basses so my tone was right where it needed to be. On a few songs I broke out my '54 P copy, which has ashtrays and foam mute. Sounded perfect.

 

Yeah, not sure how it happened, but over the last year my entire rig evolved into the perfect setup for this band.

My signal path is pretty simple. My main bass is a MIA 60th Anniversary P, backed up by my Dillion 5204 (53-54 P copy) and my Xaviere P. the first two are more of a tele style P, so they'll be at the front of the line. All three basses are strung with Chromes. The Dillion has ashtrays and mutes. The Xaviere is my "normal" P.

No effects (most of the time), straight into an Acoustic B200, Di'd to the PA. Sometimes I skip the amp and run my bass into Irig, which plugs into my iPhone and gives a pretty convincing B15R sim. I'm debating on using it live, it sounds pretty good and it's ALOT lighter than a 75lb combo amp.

 

One of the things I'm really enjoying is the space between the notes.

Over the years, I've backed up acoustic musicians on several occasions. It's alot of fun for me to strip down my normal playing and just lock in completely with the drums.

The band has enough musicians that I'm really able to lay back. The interplay between the lead guitar and the pedal steel is an awesome thing to watch.

I've got the tone nailed. Now it's just a matter of continuing to familiarize myself with the genre, and learn a crapton of songs.

I think that coming from a different style of playing is what is really making this so much fun for me. I'm a total rock player in every way, from the fast runs to the goofy stage moves. To be able to put on a cowboy hat and a pair of shades and stand back by the drummer looking cool, is extremely liberating.