Hi, I'm Goatbreath

[Goatbreath]

Hi,
I've not been on a guitar forum for a long time. I'm 58 now, I don't keep as well as I did, so no longer in a band or gigging.
I'm very near housebound . I've been through serious problems with my Heart. I would like somewhere I can discuss guitar with likeminded people. I hate confrontation.
Hopefully this place will be supportive and inspiring, not competitive and abusive. I've had mixed experiences in the past.
I used the name Goatbreath way back, I might catch up with a few folk who I've not spoke to in a decade or so.
I've been playing 40 years now, but just do what I do. Some of it probably wrongly or at least unorthodox, but it's not harming anyone.

[Olly]

Hey Goatbreath and welcome to the forum

Certainly not going to get any negative judgement from this forum.

We just love guitar and music in general.

So what do you do now? Write music? Play for your own enjoyment?

[Goatbreath]

Hi, I play for my own enjoyment, sometimes write music. I find Garageband useful as a sketchpad. I go through different spells, exploring different things, I try to enjoy the guitar.
I was in too much of a hurry when I was younger . The journey can be the really interesting part, I find guitar a good place to use my mental energy. I don't have as much energy as I did though.

Nearly all my Electrics are modified in some way. lol .I've gathered a fair old collection of guitars over the years, but none are really vintage. A few are a bit too heavy now, but I'm too sentimental to part with.

I don't do much jamming with others anymore if any. I still work on my playing, although I tend to work more on being me than learning the work of others these days.

I am unfortunately an absolutely terrible singer and I have tried , I did / do write music. Sometimes lyrics, I was always more of a sideman./ guitarist.
Although I've formed my own band in the past ,which was more of a comedy thing, but getting the right singer was difficult.
The last singer I worked with, I had to stop because of my Health. He is out doing so much that we don't have much time anymore. We still keep in touch and are good friends, he is in a different Town / City.

I love Music in Multiple Genres too. I'm not tribal about it. I think Music often picks us rather than us picking it, if that makes sense.

[Olly]

I definitely rushed guitar when younger too. Now I don’t have so much time for playing but I really enjoy it when I do. Still learning something about music everyday.

Personally never played in bands and always just been a bedroom player. Maybe that will change one day but I can’t see it happening soon!

[Goatbreath]

Last person I worked with had the unenviable task of replacing Dan McCafferty in Nazareth. He toured the World a couple of times and decided he hated it.
About 8 years ago now he made an album on a budget with me. I done the guitar, the arranging and wrote some of the songs, I was particular about my guitar sounds and sort of co produced.
Well helped with the mixing.
Some songs are pretty generic and obvious. lol . That was the remit really. Classic Rock in this case.

Here's Linton with Nazareth here,



Here's a few that are Linton and myself. The first 3 are written by me with very bad cliched lyrics. Linton doesn't appreciate deep meaningful or poetic. lol







Linton's song, I was quite proud of the riff it starts with though which was me, I think it sound quite Spiders from Mars.



And a quick fun number. Started out as Linton's, it came together in minutes, but fun I think.



Sorry I've put rather a lot there expecting you to listen to it. If it takes you a while to get around to, or if you have better things to do. I understand.


I never really recovered after the Covid Lockdown, I had another heart attack just before it. With not meeting up with anyone and playing with others, I didn't get any exercise when I was supposed to be getting a recovery course after that heart attack.
I'm unfortunately not capable of much physical anymore. Even playing standing up is very difficult. Linton has to sing for his supper, so he's singer for an AC DC Tribute band called High Voltage. The 3rd track I wrote is a total AC DC pastiche / Rip off. The first track is a bit of a Deep Purple rip off. It was originally a comedy number that one, about a Hamster on a Wheel.



Anyway, I've played a few different styles. I can do more than just Rock. I'm not saying I can do it well though. lol . I found covers bands soul destroying. It actually made me really depressed although you actually get paid. I'm happiest when I can be creative., so done a fair amount of that since the late 1980s.
I started playing in 1986. I was actually originally a Punk and I might not have started if not for that. I wanted to be part of things and contribute to the scene. Picking up the guitar made me aware of so much more music.

I'm still finding interesting stuff all the time. When I don't, I swap over to acoustic and find interesting stuff there instead.

I wish I had some type of jamming partner, but it would be a case of doing it at my place. I live in Edinburgh.

Hope I haven't sent you to sleep. ZZZZZZZ !!

[Olly]

That’s amazing stuff. I’m away at the moment so
I’ll give it a proper listen when I get back next week.

I’m sorry to hear that Covid played such havoc with your health. I’m sure there must be musicians around your area to continue your creative passion with. I have no idea how you go about finding them though!

I guess you could attempt to do some remote collaborations. I have seen people have some success with this but I haven’t tried it myself.

Is there still a chance your health could improve?

[Goatbreath]

That’s amazing stuff. I’m away at the moment so
I’ll give it a proper listen when I get back next week.

I’m sorry to hear that Covid played such havoc with your health. I’m sure there must be musicians around your area to continue your creative passion with. I have no idea how you go about finding them though!

I guess you could attempt to do some remote collaborations. I have seen people have some success with this but I haven’t tried it myself.

Is there still a chance your health could improve?

I'm on new tablets for my diabetes which are supposed to make me lose some weight as a side effect. This will hopefully mean less strain on my heart and body,
but the less calories consumed are causing me to be tired a lot at the moment. I do feel there is hope though.
Part of my problem is not enough exercise, if I lose enough weight that would be a bit easier. I will still need motivation though.
I'm also anxious about being out in public, especially if there is a lot of people. I can go on stage, but crowded streets and buses I've grown to find really stressful. We all have our quirks.
Also back to over eating, If I'm hungry , I'm moody and miserable, being hungry totally drives me bonkers. I've always had a dodgy relationship with food.
The tablets I'm on seem to make me stop eating once satiated, before if I liked the food, I ate past that and got a high off that, now my brain signals a stop point.
Plus it has changed my sense of taste. I'm eating way healthier than I was. Crisps taste like cardboard suddenly.
So hopefully I will lose weight and my energy levels will come back.