Mark's Diaries - The unflinching account of trying to make it as a professional bass player

#5
Mark McClelland said:
It is what it says. Take a look. If you like it, please pass it on. This began on July 9 2014 when I decided to take a trip from Madrid to The Costa Blanca to see what, if anything, I could do down there. And it's still going.
marks diaries
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Sounds like a rough time with nothing to show for it. But, you know, sometimes life is just like that. I applaud you for making a great effort to achieve your goals! I do believe if you persevere you will eventually succeed. Good luck!
 
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#6
Robert, thankyou very much. I'm hoping so and I'm still going. And thanks for taking a peek into it. And I've not had nothing to show for it. I've had the diaries. In some of the worst moments, I've been able to think, 'This will look good in The Diaries.' The first moment like that was the peak of Day 13 in The Costa Blanca Diary, although at that stage, the word 'diary' had yet to be pluralised.

The latest entry up is back in November 2014. The diary, and my own London adventure, have been continuing ever since and are up to date on another bass site. As for what you've seen in this entry, it was so important just to get myself stabilised in London before anything else, and I was thrown deep into the mixer in a bad way so early on. These new entries just up are the direct result of that.
 
#11
thanks for sharing, interesting stuff. you're a braver man than i am :)

I have friends who survive on playing music in London, the overwhelming thing they have in common is that they juggle a LOT of different income streams - function bands, pub covers bands (O'Neills!), session work, teaching, and in most cases some kind of non-playing freelance work.

a couple of them even have paid gigs with originals bands... however in both cases these are "name" artists and it is the exception not the rule. even these gigs don't pay much.

there are a number of function bands in the area, if you have gear and transport you might be able to get some "dep" slots with existing bands. (i'm sure you know this already, but just in case.)

... anyway, good luck!
 
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#12
Marial said:
Quite the adventure. I can't say I envy you, but good on you for going for it!
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Marial, thankyou very much. That last part was some of the most emotional and stressful days of the diaries. But to quote the last lines of The Costa Blanca Diary: "I arrive in Madrid about 11pm with a non-existent bank account, no job and an August that offers very little prospect of one. Beware. That’s what can happen when you take a big risk and back yourself. At the next opportunity I’m going to do it all again."

knumbskull said:
thanks for sharing, interesting stuff. you're a braver man than i am :)

I have friends who survive on playing music in London, the overwhelming thing they have in common is that they juggle a LOT of different income streams - function bands, pub covers bands (O'Neills!), session work, teaching, and in most cases some kind of non-playing freelance work.

a couple of them even have paid gigs with originals bands... however in both cases these are "name" artists and it is the exception not the rule. even these gigs don't pay much.

there are a number of function bands in the area, if you have gear and transport you might be able to get some "dep" slots with existing bands. (i'm sure you know this already, but just in case.)

... anyway, good luck!
Click to expand...
Hey Knumb Skull. I'm not entirely sure which is your first name and which the surname. I'm just assuming it's that way round. Skull Knumb would be a silly name to call a child.

First of all, thanks a lot for reading and for passing on a few thoughts. Really appreciated. Second, all great stuff there. And yes, I very much see myself juggling a few streams, even some stuff outside of music if it keeps it all going and helps pay the bills. I've got my journalism/PR experience which may yet come in handy, and six years' experience full time teaching - English - I know this translates to music cos I've done it. And yeah, I've bumped into people here and knew people in Ireland who had the odd gig with name artists. Playing jam sessions like I do, you never know what can come of that. More of that kind of stuff to come in the diaries. And O'Neills - spoiler - I've now played the spectacular one in Muswell Hill a few times with different acts and am currently trying to get into the one on Wardour Street, Leicester Square, I was in there yesterday checking it out. What a great venue.
 
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#13
Mark McClelland said:
Marial, thankyou very much. That last part was some of the most emotional and stressful days of the diaries. But to quote the last lines of The Costa Blanca Diary: "I arrive in Madrid about 11pm with a non-existent bank account, no job and an August that offers very little prospect of one. Beware. That’s what can happen when you take a big risk and back yourself. At the next opportunity I’m going to do it all again."


Hey Knumb Skull. I'm not entirely sure which is your first name and which the surname. I'm just assuming it's that way round. Skull Knumb would be a silly name to call a child.

First of all, thanks a lot for reading and for passing on a few thoughts. Really appreciated. Second, all great stuff there. And yes, I very much see myself juggling a few streams, even some stuff outside of music if it keeps it all going and helps pay the bills. I've got my journalism/PR experience which may yet come in handy, and six years' experience full time teaching - English - I know this translates to music cos I've done it. And yeah, I've bumped into people here and knew people in Ireland who had the odd gig with name artists. Playing jam sessions like I do, you never know what can come of that. More of that kind of stuff to come in the diaries. And O'Neills - spoiler - I've now played the spectacular one in Muswell Hill a few times with different acts and am currently trying to get into the one on Wardour Street, Leicester Square, I was in there yesterday checking it out. What a great venue.
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Ah great! Nice one. Yes the Wardour Street one is the biggie, i think. Glad to hear you're making progress.
 
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#18
Thankyou very much for the props there. The bad adventures aren't always appreciated at the time but to be fair, I do try to appreciate even them. Day 13 in the Costa Blanca Diary is a definite case in point because even at the height of that, I was thinking, 'This will be great diary material.'

I really can't imagine being without the diary now. Getting to a certain point, any point really, and someone saying, 'Oh, you must have had some adventures. If you wrote them down you'd have a book.' I don't think I would know where to start. As soon as I'd decided to go to Costa Blanca I knew there were going to be some ups and some bad downs. You hope they don't happen but you know they will and have to accept it as part of the package. Otherwise, don't do it. Well, if and when they do, there's the drama for diary. Bloody hell. My introduction to London was absolutely horrendous. But people speak about it as some of their favourite parts of the diary. A friend even recently said that he'd just got through reading that stuff and was now not enjoying it as much now I was getting down to writing about bassy stuff. At the time I was thinking that this was supposed to be a diary about bass and not all that other crap that was happening. But like you say, the adventure around it all is absolutely what it's about. And yes, I can totally see that it isn't for everyone. I think I've said it before in this thread but a very good friend once said to me, 'Your lifestyle would terrify me.'
 
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#20
Hi Mr. McClelland,

I've just started reading your diary from the beginning, finishing up the first week. Wow, practically homeless with nothing but a backpack and a bass to get you by. That's a rough way to start. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be reading more when I can and that I'm enjoying your adventure so far. Thanks for sharing. Are you planning a book? (Has someone already asked that?)

I keep a gig blog here: BassCliff's Gigs, with a lot less doom and gloom. It's just weekend warrior fare, not nearly as dramatic as your experiences. I wish you continued good fortune.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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