Band at the wrong gig. Full report - videos & photo's

Andy

Honorary Member
As some of you will know, I've taken on a new gig with Ria, a solo project in the form of a trio. After only 5 or 6 rehearsals from scratch, this was our first gig. 1st gigs are always a bit challenging, but insert a quirky alternative rock/pop act with a punk edge into a blues night, & this is the result. The audience were there to see Mick Ralphs of Bad Co & Mott the Hoople fame. We played fairly early, so only half the audience. I'd say we were received "politely" ;)

Local drumming royalty Martin Chambers (The Pretenders (first two pictures) ) turned out too, so no pressure then Andy ;)

The other angle was we supplied the little Guru In-Tense ash kit as back line. Incredibly well received (see FB post), & it was great to hear the drums in the hands of different players.

Anyhow, here's a load of photo's (taken at soundcheck in a freezing cold club) & short videos (more photo's to come I believe). Three songs by the new trio, & a some short clips of the other bands (Mick Ralphs/Troy Redfern) performances for context. All recorded on my Zoom Q3.

Ria trio - "Fighter Plane" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfpfWADAAfs

Ria trio - Jar of Fishes" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeQVIBPPJV4

Ria trio - "Turn on a Light" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG5uLIcrAqI



For context - Mick Ralphs/Troy Redfern clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2u9mnqxMc&feature=youtu.be

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Everybody looks cold in these pictures. How cold was it in there?

Nice pictures though. Thanks for posting. Guru kit looks nice.
 
Everybody looks cold in these pictures. How cold was it in there?

Nice pictures thought. Thanks for posting. Guru kit looks nice.
Pictures were taken late afternoon at sound check. Club heating wasn't on for some reason. It was F cold in there. Warmed up later though, but still cold for our performance. You can see how stiff we all were in the video clips. My hands were like claw shaped rigid. Poor guitarists suffered something terrible.
 
Quite a smattering of musical types at one gig. Great PR for your drums too.
Doesn't Martin Chambers kind a look like he belongs in Lynyrd Skynyrd, not the Pretenders?
Glad it went well.
 
Nice stuff Andy, I subscribe to your YT channel so I saw these as you put them up.
 
Quite a smattering of musical types at one gig. Great PR for your drums too.
Doesn't Martin Chambers kind a look like he belongs in Lynyrd Skynyrd, not the Pretenders?
Glad it went well.
Thank you :) Yes, Martin looks dressed to head out on the ranch! Lovely guy actually. I'm automatically jealous of anyone who's spent time with Chrissy!

As for a smattering, we were absolutely the odd birds in the flock. Everything else was great quality buttery blues, we were - erm - different, as well as suffering the usual first gig stiffness :(

Nice stuff Andy, I subscribe to your YT channel so I saw these as you put them up.
I forget I have a channel Bob. Thank you :)
 
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All 3 tracks sound great- not sure at all about the stiffness you mention, it was all good to my ears. A nice Siouxsie/Joy Division kinda vibe but with a rockier edge. Oh, and really nice playing as usual Andy. Your 2 partners in crime were none too shabby either.
 
first, that is one strange looking guitar! second.....not bad at all, big departure form All Fired Up.
 
first, that is one strange looking guitar! second.....not bad at all, big departure form All Fired Up.
It's a hollow body Gretsch, & without silver sealer I believe ;)

Yes, a complete turn around from Fired Up, & why I wanted to do it. Fired Up is easy & comfortable for me, this project tests/concerns me on many levels.

All 3 tracks sound great- not sure at all about the stiffness you mention, it was all good to my ears. A nice Siouxsie/Joy Division kinda vibe but with a rockier edge. Oh, and really nice playing as usual Andy. Your 2 partners in crime were none too shabby either.
Thanks Iain! :) There's some serious starting tempo/tempo drift issues here, & the rhythm section isn't flowing that well, even taking account of the urgent nature of the material. Overall though, & considering minimal preparation on awkward material, I'm fairly pleased as a first outing.

I'm with you on the Siouxsie/Joy Division vibe. Acts that I never "got" or liked that much, & that's another aspect to my challenge here.
 
Andy, just a quick question: why does the mounted tom wobble around so much?

Just curious.
 
The pretenders drummer used to use a real hammer while playing the hi hat at times, I would have loved to see your face if he played and took out a hammer...hahahah Tattooed Love Boys is such a strange mixed up beat he plays, awesome drummer.
 
The pretenders drummer used to use a real hammer while playing the hi hat at times, I would have loved to see your face if he played and took out a hammer...hahahah Tattooed Love Boys is such a strange mixed up beat he plays, awesome drummer.
7/8 - 4/4, pretty radical in a pop song of the day. Yes, a hammer would have prompted a suitably reciprocal response ;)

Martin didn't actually play the drums in any meaningful way on the day, but was hanging out for the sets, & liked the drum sounds very much. We did have a brief "discussion" :)
 
Three songs by the new trio

Ria trio - "Fighter Plane" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfpfWADAAfs

Ria trio - Jar of Fishes" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeQVIBPPJV4

Ria trio - "Turn on a Light" *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG5uLIcrAqI

I like it Andy, it's pretty raw and in your face... I can't stop comparing Ria to Toyah Wilcox, the vocal is so much alike, even when she introduce "Turn on a Light" she speaks like her, lol.

For someone who's out of his comfort zone you seems pretty much at home to me, I can't wait to see more live performances... if I've been there I would have been more than just polite :)
 
I like it Andy, it's pretty raw and in your face... I can't stop comparing Ria to Toyah Wilcox, the vocal is so much alike, even when she introduce "Turn on a Light" she speaks like her, lol.

For someone who's out of his comfort zone you seems pretty much at home to me, I can't wait to see more live performances... if I've been there I would have been more than just polite :)
Thanks Henri :) The more I look back at these recordings, the more "flat" they're sounding. TBH, the vibe in rehearsals was much better. Ah well, this is phase 1. A quick rush to get a few numbers together for a (pre booked) first appearance. I went to a band meeting last night, & Ria went through a load of new song material. Some great stuff in the mix, & I'm looking forward to developing those songs together, rather than just interpreting previous material as has been the case until now.
 
Is that a 57, or a 58 with the ball taken off on the Laney cab?

I noticed you're smiling. That's awesome and really important.
 
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