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Ask 411 Music is back! - 09.28.2008
From Monday the 6th of October, Ask 411 Music will be returning with my good self at the helm. If you have any questions, queries or quibbles please send an email to rob.samuels@yahoo.co.uk, and I'll do my best to answer in a witty and informative manner.
Warmest regards,
Rob Samuels |
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And we're rolling... - 03.08.2008
Hello all, obviously I have never written one of these so-called ‘blogs’ before and I don’t know how many people will actually read it but I’m gonna give it a shot. Before I begin I’d like to apologize for my two week absence from this website but worry not, the (Self-proclaimed) ‘Dreamweaver’ will be back this Tuesday with a classic Blues-Rock album to review.
In case you were wondering, the reason for this blog is for me to share my ‘greatest’ musical moments with you all. For those who don’t know, I play Bass for a sixties-esque band known locally as ‘The Sons of MOD’. We gig pretty regularly, and last night was no different as we were booked to play a local pub - ‘The DillPickle’ (Yeah – seriously). All innuendo’s aside, we were expecting a good crowd and a bit of a payday to boot. What we were not expecting was the Spinal Tap style fiasco that followed.
Anyway I arrived there at 8:45 – a mere fifteen minutes late to find myself the only MOD there. We were supposed to be on around 9:30 so I was a tad concerned. Eventually the others turned up just after 9:00 (bloody guitarists). As we started bringing the equipment inside the power went out. The new manager didn’t know were the fuse box was (seriously) so he had to literally search the place for it. He couldn’t find the feckin’ thing so he called in the Landlord. Being familiar with the building he found it, but he couldn’t figure out the problem. Together they concocted the brilliant solution of trying to call out an electrician (which is quite hard on a Friday night, apparently).
Meanwhile the pub is beginning to empty because some picky bastards don’t like sitting in the dark without a drink. By 10:30 things were looking grim, until a genius idea struck the Landlord – why not run a series of extension cables through to the flat next door and run our backline through it? Genius – plus the neighbours are Polish so they wont really understand what’s happening (Bless ‘em). So with all this in place we finally started moving shit around. As always I was given the job of setting up the PA system because I have a vague knowledge of the damn things. Of course I couldn’t find the bloody mixing desk (which is an essential part of a PA system I’ve heard), so I recruited the DJ to find it and I eventually started setting it up.
It’s now 11:00 and people are starting to get restless, fortunately the taps were back on so at least people could drink in the darkness (which is one of my favorite pastimes incidentally). The original plan was to play two sets around 45 minutes each, but we thought ‘Bollocks to it, one’ll do’. That’s until I couldn’t find any leads to plug the speakers into the PA. So I sent the DJ running off, throwing on a ‘funky record’ to keep things ticking over. Fortunately he was back within twenty minutes and we got it all plugged in – HOORAY!
The next phase of the operation was to do a mic check, to which we got absolutely fuck all. Of course my knowledge of PA systems is pretty basic so I started fiddling around with faders and knobs and shit. Eventually I discovered that the speakers also needed plugging in to the mains! What’s that about? After fixing this complex issue I was greeted with the beautiful sound of ear-shattering feedback. The DJ and me arsed around with it for ten agonizing minutes with various dick heads (and by that I mean punters) jeering. Eventually we were ready to RAWK… at 11:30. So in the end we managed to play six whole songs before we finished at midnight. We did get a roaring response from the crowd, loud demands for an encore and I got paid the same amount so I was pretty happy in the end. But what a ridiculous fiasco! It took us three hours to set up for a thirty-minute set, cracking.
So the lesson here is to be prepared, and if it all goes tits up - bring an acoustic guitar. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my little saga. I’ll see you Tuesday.
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(01.19.2009)
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Ask 411 Music 12.22.08: The Top 4 Drinking Songs, Most Compilation Albums, Self-Titled Songs, More
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Ask 411 Music 12.15.08: Kings of Leon lyrics, Top Documentaries, Johnny Rotten Selling Out, and More!
(12.15.2008)
Welcome to Ask 411 Music featuring the Kings of Leon's childish lyrics, the best documentaries I have ever seen, Johnny Rotten shilling butter (!!!) and more! |
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Ask 411 Music 12.08.08: Green Day, Christmas Hits, The Beach Boys Solo Work, Under-Appreciated Artists, and More!
(12.08.2008)
The grand return of Ask 411 music features an explanation from the writer, Green Day's many aliases, the most under-appreciated artists and the first ever teaser competition! Check it out! |
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The Classic Record Review: Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
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This week we look at the turn of the ultimate Folk man into the ultimate cynical Rock 'n' Roller... join me as we examine one of the greatest albums of all time! |
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Ask 411 Music 11.10.08: Iron Men of Rock! Plus: Worst Covers, Nickelback, Bands Reuniting and More!
(11.10.2008)
This week Ask 411 Music tackles all the major musical issues of the day! Did Nickelback half-ass their album? Should bands reunite just to tour? Are Hot Dog vendors sell-outs? All this and much more inside! |
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The Classic Record Review 11.07.08: Cream - Disraeli Gears
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This week The Classic Record Review takes a look at the original power-trio, and the band that made Clapton famous. |
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Ask 411 Music 11.03.08: Punk, Black Sabbath, Covers, Top Guitars and More!
(11.03.2008)
This week's Ask 411 Music features Heavy Metal madness, Corking covers, Great guitars and plenty more deplorable attempts at alliteration! Check it out! |
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The Classic Record Review: The Clash - The Clash
(10.31.2008)
We move from sixties psych to seventies punk this week as The Classic Record Review takes a look at one of the most influential Punk albums of all time. |
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Ask 411 Music 10.20.08: Lots of AC/DC, The Ultimate Supergroup, The First Music Video, and More!
(10.20.2008)
This weeks edition is the super bumper AC/DC edition. Featuring more AC/DC than you can shake a Gibson SG at! We also have supergroups, Music video's and more... |
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The Classic Record Review 10.17.08: Janis Joplin - Pearl
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Sticking with the 60's Californian theme this week, The Classic Record Review brings you a piece of history on the form of a top class album. |
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Ask 411 Music 10.14.08: Kings of Leon, The First Rock n Roll Record, Top 4 Drummers, Led Zeppelin, & More
(10.14.2008)
This week we look at the most influential drummers, the original rock n roll record, Led Zeppelin's reunion rumors and I have a pretend conversation with Blake! |
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The Classic Record Review 10.10.08: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds.
(10.10.2008)
The greatest American band of all time, with arguably the greatest album of all time. Now this is a Classic Record. |
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Ask 411 Music 10.06.08: Invasion Bands, Punk, Death Cab for Cutie and Magners Irish Cider...
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The Classic Record Review 10.03.08: The Kinks - Something Else...
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The Foo Fighters – Live at The City of Manchester Stadium - 06.02.08
(06.07.2008)
The Foo Fighters rolled into town on Monday 2nd June to dazzle the masses with a monster setlist. |
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Duffy - Rockferry Review
(05.29.2008)
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The Classic Record Review 3.11.08: ZZ Top – Tres Hombres
(03.11.2008)
The Classic Record Review is back at last! This week we’re taking a look at a piece of Blues-Rock history. You know you want to… |
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The Classic Record Review 2.19.08: Van Halen – Van Halen
(02.19.2008)
This week on The Classic Record Review: Samuels' shameless shilling, a poker marathon and one of the greatest debuts of all time. |
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