Spooky low end: Halloween gigs, anyone?

[_Sweet Willie_]

OK, who played (or is going to play) a Halloween gig? Let's hear about 'em.

 

If memory serves, Bump is gigging this evening with his cover band, Grunge, and Erik's band, Cottonmouth DN has a gig as Kiss. (I just don't know if #6 has the tongue for it!)

 

Anyway, let's hear the bass tales of Halloween 2003!

 

Happy Halloween to my low end brethren!

 

--sweets

[Scoot]

My drummer and I are playing with local phenoms Nutsnack , one of the funniest bands I've ever seen in my life. Greatest hits include "Two Fingers for Thinner Thighs", "Kay, Why?" and "Vowel Movement". I'm dressing as "The Dude", my drummer is "Walter" from The Big Lebowski.

[SteveC]

I'm heading out to play the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" at the university theatre tonight. Damn, I better get going.

 

Have fun all.

[All Tubes]

I'm not playing tonight, but we did have a gig last year on halloween.I wanted to dress up like a homeless guy and pour some water on the front of my pants so it looked liked i peed in them.Instead i just dressed like a dead guy.Our drummer was a blueguy and our singer/guitar player was a cowboy.I remember having fun but that's abotu all i remember.

[rockinredneck69]

Hey all, just got home from seeing Bump play with "Grunge"! They F@#*ing rocked!!! Grunge headlined with two other local bands, both were pretty good...but Grunge toook it! It was especially cool meeting a fellow low-ender, Bumps enthusiasm here is two-fold in person. By the Willie..."Jesus Christ Pose" was thier encore.

[rockinredneck69]

....I wanna hear how Cottonmouth's gig went...Kiss is the "house band" here in my humble abode!

[Tedster]

Had a gig tonight. Didn't go too horribly, even though the gal who sings harmony vocals was sick and unable to be there, and my throat is scorched after blasting my voice all night.

[...]

Originally posted by rockinredneck69:

Hey all, just got home from seeing Bump play with "Grunge"! They F@#*ing rocked!!! Grunge headlined with two other local bands, both were pretty good...but Grunge toook it! It was especially cool meeting a fellow low-ender, Bumps enthusiasm here is two-fold in person. By the Willie..."Jesus Christ Pose" was thier encore.

Hey man, thanks again for coming out to see us and sticking around until the wee hours! It was great to meet you and your wife!

 

So, yeah, I gigged tonight.

 

The evening was as follows:

 

Two opening bands, one was called "Nothing Sounds Good" and the other was "Jus Defy". I bought a copy of Jus Defy's cd ($5 is cheap!) and intend on giving it a listen tomorrow. They were angry, pissed off metal. Not a bad show at all.

 

We played one really long set, it clocked in at just under 2 hours of playing. The setlist was as follows:

 

Stardog Champion

Evenflow

Spoonman

Them Bones

Go Heart Shaped Box

Tripping On A Hole In A Paper Heart (the bassline owns on this song)

Black

Loud Love

Vaseline

Animal

Sex Type Thing

Jeremy

Man In A Box

Sober

Outshined

Come As You Are

Let Me Drown

Would?

Plush

State Of Love And Trust

Jesus Christ Pose

Smells Like Teen Spirit

 

We may have added one other song somewhere there in the middle... but I can't remember for sure.

 

I played the MM Sterling for most of the night, but picked up the Lull M4V fretless for Plush, State of Love and Trust, and Jesus Christ Pose. I brought it primarily as a backup, but I just couldn't resist playing it for a few tunes. I used a pick (made from a broken ride cymbal) on Sober and Would?; rest of the night was all finger style fun.

 

The sound was hell on stage. I couldn't hear myself in the vocal monitor at all... which made singing those backup vocals rather difficult, especially on the Alice In Chains stuff where the vocal harmonies are more counterpoint than a simple follow-the-lead-line a 3rd lower (or whatever). According to people in the crowd, they sounded fine. I certainly have no idea how I managed. I also couldn't hear one of the guitar players at all, as there was no guitar in the monitors. Blarg!

 

I pretty much re-learned Jesus Christ Pose as we played it. I'd learned it before, about 6 months ago, but hadn't touched it since. Originally we had axed that song from the set. That song is harder to play than it sounds. It's pretty much non-stop, fast sixteenth notes for 6 minutes.

 

All in all, I had a great time. There was a costume contest near the end of the evening, and the girl who won was dressed as a demon... and was originally wearing only two small pieces of electrical tape on her breasteses; but that was removed for the actual contest. She had very ample thingies. She gave me her phone number after the show with explicit instructions to call her so we could go out. Ahhh yeah. Feelin all kinds of love.

 

I want to know how Erik's night was. SO Kiss cover band. That rules.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

Originally posted by rockinredneck69:

... By the Willie..."Jesus Christ Pose" was thier encore.

Hey man, thanks again for coming out to see us and sticking around until the wee hours! It was great to meet you and your wife!

 

...I pretty much re-learned Jesus Christ Pose as we played it. I'd learned it before, about 6 months ago, but hadn't touched it since. Originally we had axed that song from the set. That song is harder to play than it sounds. It's pretty much non-stop, fast sixteenth notes for 6 minutes...

 

All in all, I had a great time. There was a costume contest near the end of the evening, and the girl who won was dressed as a demon... and was originally wearing only two small pieces of electrical tape on her breasteses; but that was removed for the actual contest. She had very ample thingies. She gave me her phone number after the show with explicit instructions to call her so we could go out. Ahhh yeah. Feelin all kinds of love.

 

I want to know how Erik's night was. SO Kiss cover band. That rules.

So did I get my dedication or not?!

 

Please tell me that the demon wasn't rockinredneck666's wife...

Maybe those trips to the gym are paying off, Pimpcity...errrr...I mean Bumpdaddy.

 

I, too, hope to hear from Erik.

 

Peace.

[bassric]

Is her name Crissie?

[Bob Gollihur]

My classic rock band "Breeze" did its regular Friday Happy Hour gig down the Joisey Shore in North Cape May. Nothing special other than a mix of costumes among the crowd and a visit from EMS when a patron who had started drinking late afternoon passed out and fell off her barstool. It's a fun gig with a bunch of locals coming out for the free buffet and a few drinks to unwind from the work week.

[JulieCat]

I'm not sure it's my place or not, but I hate to see people hanging and I know Erik has a lot on his mind lately...

 

The Cottonmouth D.N. halloween show was canceled.

 

Apologies to Erik if this post was inappropriate.

[g.]

Some nice stuff in the setlist there, Bump. Outshine too, I see, besides Jesus Christ Pose. Kind of intense ; }

 

...Same old halloween here, playing pretty much the same mix of blues rock and classic rock (it's not my fault!). But I manage to subvert it to a fever pitch and throw people around the club floor like sockpuppets.

 

Same drunks, same greenboy getting down on the dance floor for a couple of tunes lambadaing with a chick in a bubblebutt costume, trying to arch my hand over the string courses enough to keep the strings undamped and the line chugging along while I simultaneously do a souncheck (since I run the PA onstage).

 

Same roadhouse drunks and well-wishers to party with between sets, same rather nondescript cheap costume I used I couple years ago - I alternate a couple themes so I don't have to go to any great lengths - Nick Danger, Third Eye / Mickey Spillane type, with a stuffed toy eye I glue to my forhead that actually has a moving pupil that glows in the dark.

 

For my piecederesistance I have a pair of shades I put on the back of my head for the start of the third set, after having put my suitcoat on backwards as well, and then I turn my back to the audience. Kind of like the ol' Birth of the Cool days - except I'm not shooting smack - and people are laughing like crazy when I do a couple trick manuevers with my bass, or turn around to sing with a wiglet obscuring my entire face.

 

This was my last gig with these guys (unless I end up subbing for them). I gave notice a couple weeks ago because I need something better, and though we have often rocked the house and I've always gotten away with turning the tunes more intense and modern when I've wanted, and get treated like a Ghod by audience peeps a fair amount, the things that were supposed to happen when we got rolling were just more wiggling mouth from guys that really can't or wont stretch beyond what I consider some pretty restrictive comfort zones.

 

I've had what fun I can in this setting. I feel totally smokin' DURING the gig, but when I wake up the next day the band itself doen't mean much at all. I know the other guys aren't ever going to do their homework on parts that SHOULD be in the songs, and that the rhythm guitarist substitutes volume and extra distortion for ideas and dynamics and won't change in this lifetime.

 

Edit: the other item that became Old was that since the start I've been supplying a highpower quality PA (and all topnotch cables) with enough amp to supply mains, subs, and two monitor mixes. All they have to do is come up with two monitors, which they end up borrowing real crap ones that are not loud, squeal easily, and bottom out well before mine, then complain they can't hear themselves.

 

Each band meeting I've been assured that they would buy ones that matched mine, and some mics that didn't say Fischer-Price on them. And that someone would get a minimum of real lights that set up quickly so I didn't have to supply that too in places that are bereft of such amenities.

 

Now they HAVE to get this stuff together themselves if they want to continue, or find another sucker (good luck on finding one that can make it loud and full and clear) and they don't have a clue about setting up or running a PA. Or the finance it took. Ah, and a practice space. No more of my great coffee for them!

[bassplayer7770]

Originally posted by Sweet Willie:

OK, who played (or is going to play) a Halloween gig? Let's hear about 'em.

My cover band had our first gig last night (Halloween). It was a good time. Plenty of people were in costume. For our first gig, I thought it went rather well, and the venue asked us back.

[ibescotty]

Played a private party last night and got all dressed up. I think I'll post a pick on the official picture thread. We had a good time and we gave out some band business cards for the curious. Here was the set list.

 

Every Little Thing She Does (Police)

The Middle (Jimmy Eats World) I got vocal duty

3 a.m. (Matchbox 20)

Reply - Original

Brown Eyed Girl - In my sleep

Monster Mash - I got vocal duty and the guitar player played bass. I did my best spooky voice throughout. People seemed to dig it.

Found out about you (Gin Blossoms)

Broadway - (Goo Goo Dolls)

Beautiful Jasmine - Original

December - (Collective Soul)

Other Side - (Chili Peppers) Vocal Duty

Millenniums's Child - Original

 

What I like about you - (Romantics) Vocal Duty

Angel Marie - Original

The Way - (I forget who does this ditty. Good for tango though)

Girl Like You - (Smithereens)

Tell Me - Original

Learn to Fly - (Foo Fighters)

Walk Through Fire - Original

Wasting My Time - (Default) Vocal Duty

Bad Day - (I forget)

Hard to Handle - (Black Crows) Vocal Duty

Baby when you cry - Original

New Years Day - (U2)

Open up your eyes - (Tonic) Keyboard duty

Every Distance - Original

Let it Be - (Beatles)

 

Had a great time and I loved the hours.

 

7-10!!

 

I got to take the kids trick or treating. Go play music, and I was home by 11:00PM. Sweet!

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by JulieCat:

I'm not sure it's my place or not, but I hate to see people hanging and I know Erik has a lot on his mind lately...

 

The Cottonmouth D.N. halloween show was canceled.

 

Apologies to Erik if this post was inappropriate.

Thanks, JulieCat. I didn't know that the Kiss impersonation gig got cancelled. Bummer. I did know that Erik had some non-music stuff to sort out.

[rockinredneck69]

ummmmmmm...no, the demon girl was'nt my wife.

The sound for Bump's gig really was'nt too bad out in the masses. The sound guy had trouble from the start and slowly put it together as the night progressed. The bass was extra loud for "Grunge", nothin' wrong with that! I think the lead guitar finally went dead on the last song, it was in and out a few times through the set...but all in all it was a helluva good show.

[Bassplayer58]

does this count:

 

Holloween was my high school's home coming game. So Since I am in my school's marching band on the drumline I had to be at a foot ball game watching brainless foot ball player loose what little brain they have (sorry to any fooball players the only reason i say that is because in one season the band gets more trophies than the foot ball team has made in all the the years of the school). But at least we did a really good show that night.

 

-dan

[Basshappi]

Hey Bassplayer58, Of course it counts!

 

A gig is a gig!

[ClarkW]

I played the first half of a Halloween party dressed like this. Unfortunately it was a small family party with about 30 or 40 people in attendance, most of whom had probably never seen a live band play, so they didn't really know how to act. Oh well. A gig's a gig, right?

[rockinredneck69]

Cool costume Clark! don't feel bad, I was dressed as a "redneck" for halloween....oh wait, I am a redneck.

[JLsound]

Our Holloween gig was on Oct. 25th. It was a house party, but we had a decent size crowd. People were even dancing to some of our classic rock tunes. Our band did dress up. One was Zorro, another a sports referee, the other was a Flasher with raincoat. I was a Zombie, which I basically got a chance to wear an old shirt and old blue jeans, and I painted my face, it was very original . Here are some songs we played that seem to be the highlights:

 

Jealous again - Black crowes

Change in My Pocket - Georgia Satellites

Happy - Rolling Stones

Come Together - Beatles

Same Old Song and Dance - Aerosmith

Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

Adams Apple - Aerosmith

Can't Get Enough - Bad Company

 

I hope to get some pics and I will post at my music sites. Here is link to a web page we are currently working on for the band I am in. No music, just two pictures of us for now:

 

Good Times Band