colb

Krakatoa and Drummonds/Tunnels have to all intents and purposes stopped being venues for anything that isn't a tribute act or battle of the bands. There are still promoters around - we put a show or two a month on, and we generally get enough people in to pay the bands and keep a float for the nights we run a lil bit short. My experience, the scene in Glasgow isn't any better than the scene up here, it's just bigger with more bastards in it. We're putting on gigs down there ourselves now to save dealing with said bastards. I'm too old to care about making it, so I'm quite happy that the big boys from London aren't cutting about Aberdeen. Would be nice to get a venue the size of Downstairs back on the go, we're kinda missing that more than 50 but smaller than Tunnels kinda room.

Callahan got roped into playing a comedy night by Gav Downstairs once - after 2 hours of horrific unfunny worst student improv nonsense you've ever heard they all left and we played to Steve Bruce. Steve only stayed cos Geoff was on drums - and he was getting paid to do sound.

I like the sound an SG makes but I think they look horrific, also I am big and they are tiny - it just looks silly when I play one

Yeah - they're not going away though. Just an american way of restructuring the company and separating the bits that make money (guitars) from the bits that don't (not guitars). You'll still be getting gouged for a Les Paul for years to come...

I have a feeling most people do what I do*, time is an issue. Plus if you take someone else's top 30 you're still having to make some cuts. Also I don't really know enough about anything to be informed about when people might die - except American Hardcore bands from the 80's, and they were mostly all too straight edge to be candidates for early deaths - or too obscure to be recognised as celebrities. *Although I have had a few unique picks, so maybe not.

Every Dec/Jan I google death list 201-whatever, copy the top 30 of the first one that comes up and then pick 20 from that - takes 2 mins and i've been top 3 the last 2 years, only being beat by 2 ghouls that are actively trying. Plagiarising is so much easier than strategising...

Racist Gran would be a great band name.

I've got Mugabe as my joker, this coup has been a pile o shite, what happened to the good old days like Libya when a dictator got shot instead of this house arrest capers....

Knowing people's real names tho...

Nah - I've got him. also Tony Booth who died last month and I think forgot all about...

Don't do him like that.

Heartbreakering

Apart from all the complaints of sexual abuse?

My first gig in Aberdeen was the Goo Goo Dolls in 2006 - also Buffalo Sabres fans, also meh.

Final solution - Helix LT and Yamaha DXR 10. Doesn't sound 100% like the amps it's supposed to, but between 85 - 95% is enough for me. Does the valve amp thing where you turn down the volume on the guitar and the amp cleans up which is cool. Effects are good and you can route them whatever way you want. I can replicate my Eventide Space and huge delays and the fuzzes are well modelled too. Probably not for everyone but it definitely works.

The depot is in Dunfermline - it;s the big huge warehouse with Amazon written on it that you drive past just before the Forth Road Bridge...

Any roller bridge should work fine - I used a roller with tusq saddles on my jazzy - the only thing I had to do was screw it right down so it didnt rock back and forwards like a jazzy bridge. Mastery are affa dear but they do work...

if the gig has monitors straight into the board, if not get something like the Yamaha DXR 10 and use that. We don't have a gig til the 16th of October so plenty of time to fuck about and find the right solution.

I bought a Line 6 Helix. Probably won't sound as good as a Valve Amp and Pedals, but that is massively outweighed by carrying a lot less stuff. #nevercarryinganamporcabagain

Watching Eugene and Duglas trying to hit those Fleetwood Mac harmonies will be entertaining if nothing else... Sorry - no matter who's doing it it's just another tribute act for me. McFleetwood played Newmachar in July, I wasn't interested in that either.

I'm aware

It's been a while innit, and all it took was me sabotaging any chance of ever getting a gig off APA...

I wish riders were a negligible cost. We're putting on a decent sized band in a couple of weeks* and when you count in accommodation and food costs the rider is nearly 50% on top of the performance fee. Now there are different levels and scopes for performance fees and riders - but the bands aren't paying for accommodation and food because it's either in the rider or it's built into their fee - but it costs more to bring a band in than put a local band on, it just does. I'm not sure how you can say that there aren't any relevant or good enough bands to fill these slots though - unless you've listened to every support band that's been booked you're taking a fair old swing in the dark there - they could all be terrible? *shameless plug - come and see this gig and help me pay for it, also it'll be fucking great!! https://tinyurl.com/y774lchr

APA is a charity, and this festival relies on sponsorship - it absolutely is charitable cause. Also, part of APA's mission is to support the arts in the North East. Part of that involves bringing art in, and part involves encouraging local art. This festival does not fit their mission (in my opinion). I've not heard of all the support acts, but I bet they're not all better than bands in Aberdeen. And I agree that bands should be great, but there are different degrees of great, and it's hard to get great without playing the odd gig that's out of your depth isn't it? - plus for me i'll take keen over polished any time. Using local support instead of bringing acts in would save money more in terms of rider/equipment transport and costs rather than performance fees, although I would be interested to find out what APA are paying the supports for this compared with what they pay local supports (when they use them). I agree that local bands do need to promote themselves a bit more - but in this case i'm not sure it would make a difference.

A band playing a full record from start to finish isn't unique either - without even going out of my way i've seen Teenage Fanclub, The Breeders, Roger Waters and Television do it. I'm willing to bet a quick internet search would turn up a load of tribute bands doing it too. I'd have to have a proper look at the line-ups to match bands to gigs - but off the top of my head I could see Seas, Starry supporting PSB or Wild Beasts, Rich Wyness on a bill with Kathryn, Audiokicks playing with Start to End. These are good Aberdeen based bands/artists - but you don't have to be great to play a support slot, just keen - very few people buy a ticket based on who's supporting and no one leaves because of a support band. Plus it would save a ton of money, and given ACC is sponsoring this shindig, and we're allegedly skint - this can only be a good thing....