rustneversleeps + Musician in Burlington, ON

SEEKING

ABOUT

Hey! Thanks for checking out my Bandmix page! I have a ton of info here, but I feel it's all relevant & you may as well find out all the basics now! lol :)

1. I focus mainly on keys/synths/organ, plus rhythm gtr & backup vox I can play bass if the parts are straight-forward.

2. Location for practices/gigs: Anywhere in the GTHA. Cool with meeting near the 401, 407, 404, or the 403 as far west as London. I'm retired & have my own transportation, so no problems driving a bit to get to/from practices/gigs.

3. Commitment: Practices once per week (perhaps more before big gigs?) & do shows once or twice per month.

4. Experience: It has been a while, so, I don't have a huge repertoire memorized & I have a bit of rust to knock off. However, when I work with a band I'm enthused about learning/re-learning tunes & I have a good honest work ethic. I have a good ear & sense of rhythm, plus I "get it" in a wide range of styles of music.

5. Contact info: If you don't have a premium membership, you can contact me at "blueznjazz" (at) "hotmail" (dot) "com

6. Attitude: Not tolerant of massive egos, pissing contests, or those who get totally wasted/stoned before/during a gig. Let's all respect the music & your bandmates, right? :-)

7. Venues: House parties, charity functions, park/festival events, pubs, clubs & corporate events are all cool. (as long as it's a place where body armour, armed guard, or a plexiglass shield in front of the stage isn't necessary, I'm good with it. lol)

8. Approach: FWIW, I prefer if everyone in a band works on their parts between practices, then focus most on working on timing/groove/dynamics/etc at practice. Multiple reps of each song is important.

A practice should not feel like boot camp either, so let's have fun, get to know each other, be patient, encourage each other & not rush the process, but at the same time, not lose sight of the goals & high standards.

9. My Role: I'm a team player (It's about the song, not about me), and I'm an excellent listener/communicator. I like a supporting role during performances, not the focus of the attention all the time.

10. Input: Between performances & practices, and during practices, everyone to have the opportunity to offer their opinion & offer constructive suggestions/requests re: music, sound, and logistics.

11. Songwriting & Originals: Huge respect for this, but I'd rather not focus on originals in a cover band...but if I dig your music, I definitely could get into supporting originals.

12. I am vaxxed & have had boosters for CoVid-19. Bandmates should be too. ********************************************************************************

Screen name:

rustneversleeps

Member since:

Aug 03 2012

Active within 24 hours

Level of commitment:

Committed

Years playing music:

20

Gigs played:

10 to 50

Tend to practice:

More than 3 times per week

Available to gig:

1 night a week

Most available:

Nights

Influences

1. In General, I've been heavily influenced by. a huge range of music between the 1700s to now. Classical, blues, jazz, pop, rock, gospel...pretty well everything except 'new country' & speed metal/doom & the like.

2. Specific Project Ideas: Got the itch to be part of a cover band project based on one or more of the following, with (a) & (b) being my highest priority (the two combined would make for a very eclectic, energetic & danceable show!):

(a) snappy, witty New Wave-ish pop/rock/ska (The Jam, The Cars, Talking Heads, B-52's, Joe Jackson, The Smiths, Madness, early Elvis Costello, Blondie, The Beat, Missing Persons, The Pretenders, The Specials, etc),

(b) a band performing interesting & inspiring 80s music that can get people dancing (Talking Heads, Simple Minds, Madonna, The The, Bowie, Sandra, Iggy, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Prince (& Sheila E), The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Talk Talk, Parachute Club, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Box, DiVinyls, Level 42, Peter Gabriel, Italo-disco, etc., etc.),

(c) a band backing a gutsy female lead with talent & musical 'attitude' (eg. Shirley Manson, Pat Benatar, Patty Smyth, Alannah Myles, Chrissy Amphlett, Carol Pope, etc..) and an interest in projecting that talent/stage presence onto an eclectic mix of tunes,

(d) a Power-Pop/melodic rock band with crunchy/jangly guitars & great harmonies (Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, The Grapes of Wrath, Jeff Buckley, Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, The Smithereens, Big Star, 54-40, Gin Blossoms, Weezer, Matthew Good, The Pursuit of Happiness, The Knack, etc)

(e) a 'Manchester-sound' band (Charlatans UK, The Verve, Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, etc...& Oasis without the egos & fights! lol,

(f) a garage/retro sound (The Black Keys, the Love Me Nots, The Clique (UK), The Chevelles, The Woggles, The Boss Martians, Dandy Warhols, The Mooney Suzuki, The Sonics, etc)

(g) or I could totally get into a tribute band for Simple Minds, The Cars, INXS, R.E.M., or U2....

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Instrument experience:

Vocalist - Baritone:

Moderate

Rhythm Guitar:

Moderate

Acoustic Guitar:

Moderate

Keyboard:

Moderate

Bass Guitar:

Intermediate

Other Percussion:

Intermediate

Trumpet:

Intermediate

Piano:

Intermediate

Background Singer:

Intermediate

Trombone:

Beginner

EQUIPMENT

* a midi controller keyboard, an audio interface, a laptop with dozens of top-quality VSTs/plug-ins that do a GREAT job of reliably emulating vintage/modern synths & vintage/modern drum machines, plus a mic & stereo keyboard amp.

* Rickenbacker, Gibson, and Godin guitars

* tube amp clones of Vox, Marshall &Fender amps

* ....and other stuff that I probably have lost sommmmmwhere in the house. ;-) lol !
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