Doh!

You'd think that being in a band was pretty much all about learning to play a guitar and/or sing, learn the songs, turn up roughly on time, plug in and you're away. If only. Maybe if you're well and truly established with a road crew, sound guy, guitar tech guy etc then you can forget about how the sound gets from your guitar and mic to the audience. With everyone else it's an ongoing battle (which I'll no doubt bring up fairly regularly in future posts)

Anyway, do you remember that episode of the Simpsons where Homer has his beer cans wound around the power cable running over his garden (as you do) and climbs up to reach them. He can't get them off the cable but can flip the ring pull so a can's open. He then sees if he can drink the beer.

So at the last gig I picked up my trusty Rickenbacker 12 string and launched into the Byrds My Back Pages. As I started to sing the first few words I leaned into the mic and felt a shot of  voltage buzz my lips. Doh! Following Homer's fine example I then kept singing, periodically sustaining shocks until I moved further from the mic and shouted louder.

I survived to write the blog and thought it was about time I tracked down the problem. It had been happening for about a year since we had the new PA desk, bought from Germany via Tinternet. We'd sort of got around the shock thing by putting those willy warmers on the mics (mine was wet with saliva, hence the shock) So today I thought I should concentrate on sorting it. The power lead from the desk was a two pin one which I'd used an adapter to fit our three pin plugs. "I wonder" I thought "if going from two to three plugs it's leaving the earth behind?" A quick visit to the excellent MORMusic shop and a chat to Lloyd and the answer was/is "Yes"

So just a matter of replacing the european plug with a trusty UK three pinned one. Picked up a plug, went home, took out my cable cutter and promptly cut the wrong end off the cable. Doh!

I had a spare UK power cable anyway so all sorted.

Next thing to concentrate on - making sure Ann's accordion has sufficient volume through the PA without causing howls of feedback

Spot of bother with the Tour Bus

Afternoon before gig

Start to load up the gear into the car. All fits in nicely now we have the nifty trailer (all loaded up yesterday) Go to take off the trailer wheel lock and notice we have a flat Not a problem, still plenty of time

Grab the spare out of the trailer and realise there's no jack. Unload the gear from the car to get at the jack under the floor. Reload the car and put the jack under the trailer. Realise there's no wheel brace. Unload the car, grab the wheel brace. Load up the car. Wheel brace doesn't fit the nuts on the trailer tyre

Drive to Halfords and buy a wheel brace. Take off the tyre and put on the spare. Spare is flat. Still lots of time. No need to panic. Take both tyres to Kwikfit. "We don't do wheelbarrow tyres" "It's a trailer tyre. Know anywhere that does?" "Try ATS"

Drive to ATS. Spare tyre needs a tube (none in stock) Main tyre ok when they pump it up and reseat it on the rim. Leave the spare and arrange to have both tyres fitted with tubes later in the week. Drive home, fit tyre on trailer, hook up trailer to car. Time for a cup of tea.

I think Elvis started like this