Post by Dave on Apr 28, 2009 12:54:53 GMT
Well Dave R has been a very busy boy this morning that ended up with a nice reunion and one not so nice ear bashing from the lovely Carol.
You see I needed to test the PA system that I'm lending the TUST for Lou's big question and answers night and I thought I could get it all done while Carol was down the town.
The very best news is it all fired up and still looks like new, but then I have always looked after anything I own.
I soon had a mike in my hand and just had to start singing, even did part of my Jethro routine that had men in tears and ladies wetting their nickers, a real trip down memory lane for me today.
It was not the singing that upset Carol, she loves my beautiful tones and have heard them many thousands of times before, no it was that our hallway had disappeared completely.
Speakers, amps stands, flight cases, three large keyboards, even more cases full of leads and a lighting system, did I really take all that gear out with me? I also forgot just how heavy it all was, fine if the venue was on the ground floor, but a killer if it was up on the third floor.
The good news for me is the young and handsome Jamie will be the roadie for the night and be doing all the donkey work. He will be collecting the PA and taking it up into NO 10's and then I will set it up, we only need to take half the gear anyway so it should not be too much for our Jamie.
So firstly I will tell you about the reunion and then a story about such a venue that was three floors up and how Carol and I were close to being assaulted and had to drive out of town very fast indeed.
I used a double keyboard stand to rack up my two Roland keyboards, the stand also had an extension I had built onto it, to house my Yamaha sound module, a sort of keyboard with out keys, it was fed into one keyboard and gave me extra Yamaha sounds as I love their organ sounds.
Always sat on the cross member of the stand at every single show was a dear friend of mine, now I know after reading this you will think I'm some sad person, or one who needs to be locked away.
I was given a nick name by a fellow milkman a very long time ago, it was Roland Rat and someone only went and bought me one. I do not know the reason I sat him on the stand at my very first show, but as I said he sat there at all the others I did.
Was it really seven years ago I packed him into a flight case? well I have now promised him he can live in the house and will not be going back into the fight case ever again.
Now to the other story, it was a Saturday morning and I was looking forward to a rare night in at home with Carol and then the phone rang It was my agent who was trying to get me to do a show for him that night. He knew only too well I did not work the pub circuit, but he told me this pub near Exeter was just like the Inn On The Green, a real family pub.
He told lies and Carol and I arrived and knew straight away that this was a real rough pub and not the sort of place I would perform in. Still we were there and I said to Carol I'll keep the show to the agreed time and not go over, get it done and get the hell out of there.
The pub was on the ground floor, but they were having a big bash in a room three floors up, those stairs were nearly the end of me I can tell you. There were some punters already in the room, scary and hard looking people and I was now feeling that my type of show may not really be suited to such a venue and audience.
The landlady was covered in tattoos and you would not want to take her on in a fight, I bet she has sorted many drunken men out in her time. Where do I set up, I asked her, in front that pool table she barked. Sorry I said but I have loads of equipment and I need more room than that, maybe you could move the pool table?
She swore and cussed and I was now feeling even more uneasy about the night that laid ahead, she then got three heavies to move it against one wall. I started unpacking the gear and got the speakers up on their stands. I then asked a further question and the answer I got made my mind up it was time to get out of there.
I simply asked where the electric plugs were, I have rows of plugs built onto a unit I use to sit my amp on as I needed 14 outlets in total, but I still need to plug into the mains.
Behind the F*****G pool table came the reply and she went on a real mental fit, shouting and swearing at me. That was it for me, I worked smart hotels and not shit holes like this place. I said to Carol in her ear, "we will wait for her to go downstairs and then we are packing up and getting out of town.
She did not take any notice of the fact we kept walking out the front door and taking our gear with us, maybe she thought we were bringing more in. Just as we were taking the last bits out she realised what was going on. She was shouting again and telling her punters that the entertainer was trying to leave.
One guy with a bald head and leather jacket on stood in our way as we tried to get into our car. We got lucky as a policeman walked around the corner and the bald guy stood back against the wall of the pub.
We were in and the tyres were smoking as we made our getaway and the next morning I told that so called agent just what I thought of him.
If you have not yet put your name down to go to this great night, then come on what are you waiting for, a top carvery cooked by the beautiful Nina, some top men from our past to talk to us, what could you really be doing better on the night.
Main amp
Roland Rat
You see I needed to test the PA system that I'm lending the TUST for Lou's big question and answers night and I thought I could get it all done while Carol was down the town.
The very best news is it all fired up and still looks like new, but then I have always looked after anything I own.
I soon had a mike in my hand and just had to start singing, even did part of my Jethro routine that had men in tears and ladies wetting their nickers, a real trip down memory lane for me today.
It was not the singing that upset Carol, she loves my beautiful tones and have heard them many thousands of times before, no it was that our hallway had disappeared completely.
Speakers, amps stands, flight cases, three large keyboards, even more cases full of leads and a lighting system, did I really take all that gear out with me? I also forgot just how heavy it all was, fine if the venue was on the ground floor, but a killer if it was up on the third floor.
The good news for me is the young and handsome Jamie will be the roadie for the night and be doing all the donkey work. He will be collecting the PA and taking it up into NO 10's and then I will set it up, we only need to take half the gear anyway so it should not be too much for our Jamie.
So firstly I will tell you about the reunion and then a story about such a venue that was three floors up and how Carol and I were close to being assaulted and had to drive out of town very fast indeed.
I used a double keyboard stand to rack up my two Roland keyboards, the stand also had an extension I had built onto it, to house my Yamaha sound module, a sort of keyboard with out keys, it was fed into one keyboard and gave me extra Yamaha sounds as I love their organ sounds.
Always sat on the cross member of the stand at every single show was a dear friend of mine, now I know after reading this you will think I'm some sad person, or one who needs to be locked away.
I was given a nick name by a fellow milkman a very long time ago, it was Roland Rat and someone only went and bought me one. I do not know the reason I sat him on the stand at my very first show, but as I said he sat there at all the others I did.
Was it really seven years ago I packed him into a flight case? well I have now promised him he can live in the house and will not be going back into the fight case ever again.
Now to the other story, it was a Saturday morning and I was looking forward to a rare night in at home with Carol and then the phone rang It was my agent who was trying to get me to do a show for him that night. He knew only too well I did not work the pub circuit, but he told me this pub near Exeter was just like the Inn On The Green, a real family pub.
He told lies and Carol and I arrived and knew straight away that this was a real rough pub and not the sort of place I would perform in. Still we were there and I said to Carol I'll keep the show to the agreed time and not go over, get it done and get the hell out of there.
The pub was on the ground floor, but they were having a big bash in a room three floors up, those stairs were nearly the end of me I can tell you. There were some punters already in the room, scary and hard looking people and I was now feeling that my type of show may not really be suited to such a venue and audience.
The landlady was covered in tattoos and you would not want to take her on in a fight, I bet she has sorted many drunken men out in her time. Where do I set up, I asked her, in front that pool table she barked. Sorry I said but I have loads of equipment and I need more room than that, maybe you could move the pool table?
She swore and cussed and I was now feeling even more uneasy about the night that laid ahead, she then got three heavies to move it against one wall. I started unpacking the gear and got the speakers up on their stands. I then asked a further question and the answer I got made my mind up it was time to get out of there.
I simply asked where the electric plugs were, I have rows of plugs built onto a unit I use to sit my amp on as I needed 14 outlets in total, but I still need to plug into the mains.
Behind the F*****G pool table came the reply and she went on a real mental fit, shouting and swearing at me. That was it for me, I worked smart hotels and not shit holes like this place. I said to Carol in her ear, "we will wait for her to go downstairs and then we are packing up and getting out of town.
She did not take any notice of the fact we kept walking out the front door and taking our gear with us, maybe she thought we were bringing more in. Just as we were taking the last bits out she realised what was going on. She was shouting again and telling her punters that the entertainer was trying to leave.
One guy with a bald head and leather jacket on stood in our way as we tried to get into our car. We got lucky as a policeman walked around the corner and the bald guy stood back against the wall of the pub.
We were in and the tyres were smoking as we made our getaway and the next morning I told that so called agent just what I thought of him.
If you have not yet put your name down to go to this great night, then come on what are you waiting for, a top carvery cooked by the beautiful Nina, some top men from our past to talk to us, what could you really be doing better on the night.
Main amp
Roland Rat
;D 
