After succesfully setting up all the amplifiers for the guitars, doing the vocals acoustically, we went over Phantom of the Opera again to try and nail the more difficult parts. This proved a little difficult without the drums, especially due to the transition into the first guitar solo.
We also began learning an interesting piece that Ragnar proposed we perform as an on-stage intro. We arranged it so that Peter (guitar) would begin with the simple accompaniment, then Ragnar (guitar) would enter with the main melody. After a cycle of this, I would provide an ambient guitar-swell counter melody. Dominic on bass would then enter, completing the arrangement. The piece has a gradual tempo increase near the end, and this required tremendous levels of concentration to get right. Here is a link to a video of us practicing it:http://www.esnips.com/doc/b2a65fc4-e54f-4479-83cf-ddd3a29d1b7f/Intro-Track
We also began learning the guitar parts to Iron Maiden's "The Wicker Man", which was not hard considering two of us knew it already. For this song, I would only be doing vocal duties, taking up guitar only for the solo in the middle. This was because firstly, there was only two guitar parts anyway and secondly it would give me a lot more freedom as a frontman.
(2 hours 30 mins)
The next day we would run through all this material again with the drummer at the Polish club venue. Initially there were a few technological errors - to start with we had difficulty finding the necessary cables to hook up the mixer amplifier to the PA. Also, due to the number of instruments involved, the noise pollution system would cut the power to the PA mixing desk. Eventually we resolved this problem by hooking the mixer to a different power outlet.
I have included a link to a video of our performance of the Wicker Man and Phantom of the Opera, recorded on a camera phone becuase the real camera I had brought had run out of memory space.
After we had sorted these songs, I began teaching Ragnar the first parts to a song I had written, although this not extend beyond the first couple of verses. We arranged that I send him the tabs for it as well as the demo recording of the actual song. As well as this, I was tasked with learning the lyrics and tune to Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction" for next week since all other members of the band knew their respective parts for it already.
(5 hours)
Additionally, on Monday 20th this week I had an acoustic gig, which since my voice had recovered went very well, with a decent audience size and a payout of fifty pounds! I did end up having to play another half an hour for the money because I was three people short of the number I needed to bring.
Included here is a link to a video compilation of some of the moments my friend captured on digital camera: http://www.esnips.com/doc/613f7cc2-92c2-4023-9a4a-68e9a73368f6/20th-oct-gig-video_0001
(2 hours)
The songs shown in this video are: Drive (Incubus), Technically Alive (Exit Ten), Diary of Jane (Breaking Benjamin), Midnight Musings (me), Certain Shade of Green (Incubus) and Business Time (Flight of the Conchords).
The full setlist is as follows:
SET 1: Let it Die (Foo Fighters), Heartbeat (King Crimson), Losing the Gift (me) Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel) Drive (Incubus) Patriarch (me) Love Left Unspent (me)Starlight (Muse) Diary of Jane (Breaking Benjamin)
SET 2: Family Snapshot (Peter Gabriel) 7:45 (me) Message in a Bottle (The Police) Top Yourself (The Raconteurs) Midnight Musings (me) Betray (me) Would? (Alice in Chains) Leave My Heart (me) Time is Running Out (Muse)
SET 3: Old Enough (The Raconteurs) Technically Alive (Exit Ten) Too Close for Comfort (me), A Certain Shade of Green (Incubus), Rooster (Alice in Chains), Little by Little (Oasis), Business Time (Flight of the Conchords)
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