RTYD-related gigs this week include RTYD @ The Fiddler's Elbow, NW5 & The Outbursts @ Peter Parker's, W1: Gig Calendar: http://bit.ly/cTt8ZG

Leaving your band? Trisha McNair has some tips on the best ways to do it: http://ping.fm/o0yVo

Pavement for the ninth time

Went to Brixton to see Pavement last night. For those that don't know the band, they are a slacker-style indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California at the end of the 80s. Brilliant. Funny. Very dynamic. Quirky. Heavy. Gentle. Beautiful. Stupid. I remember hearing songs from their first LP Slanted and Enchanted on XFM, when it started trial-broadcasting in 1992. I had long hair and went to loads of gigs back then by less-well known US indie and hardcore bands. Pavement 'disbanded' in 1999, only to re-band this year.

When I got home last night I counted up nine old Pavement gig-tickets including a couple of festival shows. Before last night, I had last seen them play in 1999 at The Scala. This might explain why I was sort of underwhelmed by the gig last night. To be honest, I wasn't that bothered about going but the wife was keen.  And, perhaps because it was her first time, she absolutely loved it. Or perhaps, it was simply because she's not a grumpy old git like me.

The Pavement songs I had (nearly) forgotten sent the shivers, the rest seemed largely a slacker lesson in how to play your songs like you really don't care, and in the process murder the nuances.

Rattled by the Rush, Debris Slide and We Dance were the highlights for me, the forgotten gems.

Here's a link to The Independent's Spotify playlist containing most of the songs from their Brixton live set: http://open.spotify.com/user/theindependent/playlist/0CxYWe4YK99AMEWxHcamP5

And here's a link to my own Spotify playlist of my favourite Pavement songs, minus We Dance and a couple of others that Spotify won't let me stream: PAVEMENT-TIL-I-DROP.COM

I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows
I must stop going to reunion shows

The right gig at the right time

In September 2008 just before I started ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP, I had just found a drummer on Gumtree. I ran an ad much like the one that is out there now. An honest one. It got one response. Thankfully, one was enough. I got lucky and met a new friend as well as drummer. Since then, because of hobbyist-differences, we had to part musical ways.

I'd already conceived of RTYD in September 2008, and wanted it to include a musicians ads site devoted to older musicians in order to cut out all that scrolling through teenage and 20-something drummers who aren't yet desperate enough to join a band comprising three grumpy old grey-hairs.

What I was yet to discover was that there was something else, other than age, that divided drummers, and mature drummers in particular. And that is the requirement of many that they join a semi-professional or professional band, i.e. one that plays regularly and gets paid to do so. They aren't interested in practicing. They don't care if it's originals or covers. They aren't interested in putting a new set together. In being in a 'gang'. They just want to get on with it. They want instant gratification. They are after all in high-demand, and can therefore afford to be choosy.

Mature hobbyist drummers are good honest people. However, as well as being few and far between, they are also virtually all already in bands. This, or their drum kits are in the loft gathering dust, or the garage gathering rust. Since October 2008, I have met loads of drummers, many of which I would happily play with. Unfortunately, they are all taken. This reminds me of school and when I fancied girls who were already spoken for. This happened a few times. Often, the most I could do then, was wait, and the best I could hope for was that before too long the boyfriend would find some other girl to finger at the Wilfred Noyce Disco and the girl of my obsession would chuck him. I had to be patient basically, and then in the right disco at the right time to get the girl, in the end.

So along with checking the usual musicians sites, I may well be found waiting in the wings at the end of your gig, hoping that your quietly frustrated drummer finally throws in his towel and storms off stage, knocking me over in the process. After the apology and hand up, and on receipt of the replacement pint, I am given the perfect opportunity to introduce my drummerless-self, if my drummerless-self is not already familiar to them.

Lock up your drummers.

Photos from yesterday's great 'Acoustic Afternoon' at The Libertine: http://ping.fm/Arwwk

Matt Russell of The Outbursts kindly sent me this link for drummers: http://ping.fm/5eKOS

Check out John Moore's Secret Diary Of A Rock & Roll Star, Aged 45 ½: http://ping.fm/0z0mR

Ning's New Price Plans

So Ning, the company that provides the platform for the RTYD Musicians  and Bands Fans & Industry networks is phasing out its free service, and introducing three new pricing plans. Basically, they'll want $199 annually from me to run each site, as part of their mid-priced package. On the plus side, they will be introducing the ability to sign-in with Facebook, Twitter or other authentication services, more text boxes, that I could be used to run fee-paying ads/links, as well as a couple of other functional additions.

Ning does have a $19.95 (annually) price plan, but it lacks some of the functionality that we have got used to including Facebook integration, Events and so on. On top of this, it only allows a maximum of 150 members, which is no good. I would also lose the right to use my own domain name. So that's out.

The Musicians' network has 500 members, many of whom, as you know are mostly absent. Maybe they check in from time to time but they do it without leaving a trace. They have little to offer in the way of news, blogs, discussions, information, reviews, musicians wanted ads, or whatever. They are members in name and profile only.

The Bands, Fans & Industry site has 254 members, 133 of which claim to be a band, though some of these appear to be individuals, and again many seem to have gone fishing.

All this starts in July, so there's time to think it over.

Do I suck it up myself? Or charge members a small fee to help cover costs?

Sunday 1pm @ The Libertine, SE1: Gray Dourman, Toby Nuttall, Jim Faupel & Manir Dongue and Strange Behaviour. Family friendly, free and fun.

Photos from last night's RTYD gig at The Libertine featuring The Moths & The 35mm: http://ping.fm/d8q0a