Morning earworm: Bridge of Sighs, Robin Trower. This one has been lurking around in my head for a few days now, and for a reason. That distinctive swirling, trippy guitar sound comes from an oddball pedal known as the Univox Uni-Vibe. A curious thing, the Uni-Vibe - it isn't really a chorus, or a phaser, or a rotary speaker simulator, but some weird hybrid of them all, with its own unique sound. Trower is most readily identified with it; Hendrix had one, and a few others.
And I just scored one on eBay :D
OK, actually I got a newer model made by Voodoo Labs, a faithful reproduction but of much sturdier and more reliable construction - this was 1960's technology, after all. Still, it represents among other things the final piece of my new pedalboard, which will hopefully be up and running when we resume gigging next month.
Looking back, I notice with some amusement that I have come full circle with my stage rig. Twenty-five years ago I hit the road with a 1976 Fender Strat, a homemade pedalboard containing a volume pedal, Vox CryBaby Wah, Ibanez Tube Screamer, MXR Flanger, and an old Univox tape delay, run into a MusicMan HD-130 Reverb amp with a MusicMan 4x12 cabinet. Over the years this has evolved through a variety of guitars, amps, and multi-fx units, including several which ran direct to the PA, using no amp at all. Today - technically within the next month - I have assembled what I consider the best sounding system to date: a 1996 Fender Deluxe Strat Plus, a homemade pedalboard containing a volume pedal, Vox 847A Wah, Boss CS-3 Compressor, Soundblox Classic Distortion (set on the Tube Screamer model), Voodoo Labs Micro-Vibe, and a Boss RC-20 Loop Station, running into a Digitech TSR-24S multi-fx (for modulation and delay), feeding into the very same 30-year-old MusicMan HD-130 Reverb amp with a Peavey 4x12 cabinet.
I realize this means absolutely nothing to most of you - lol - but I am stoked. Maybe I should do a little video when I get this all together to explain what all of these gadgets do. In the meantime, thanks for your patience :D
The musician has three disciplines: the disciplines of the hands, the head and the heart.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Off the Road Again
Morning earworm: a new section of Shape of the World, to be worked on this week. Can't provide a link, as it doesn't exist outside of my head yet. It could be worse - yesterday I woke up with Les Paul & Mary Ford's Mockingbird Hill on the endless loop. That'll get on your nerves in a hurry - lol.
So, it was quite a weekend. Seems crazy in retrospect - 300 miles for a one hour show - but it was worth it in so many ways. Catching up and reconnecting with a number of old friends, some of whom traveled even farther that we did. There was, of course, a measure of adventure involved - I don't know that I'm ready for The Amazing Race, but my skills seem to be intact, despite not traveling much in recent years. The drive up was pretty uneventful; it still amazes me how close together everything is on this side of the country. Having spent my adult life either on the Left Coast or in the vast plains of the Midwest, I have difficulty grasping that DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and NYC are all on the same highway and only 1-2 hours apart.
Travel time is relative, though. It was nearly 1.5 hours from our hotel to the show, and the venue was nearly visible from our room. The map said it was ten miles. Working the system, we caught the free shuttle from the hotel to Newark Airport; from there, another shuttle bus into midtown Manhattan, a walk of a few blocks and finally a city bus downtown. Adventurous I may be, but I am quite glad that I chose not to drive that particular leg of the journey. My initial impression of the Big Apple is that it is claustrophobic. The legendary "concrete canyons" are as oppressive as they are imposing; everything is packed in so tightly and is so congested with both foot and vehicular traffic that it almost feels like a Third World city. Granted, this was Times Square, which rivals anything in Las Vegas for sensory overload. It wasn't quite as bad when we got downtown to the Financial District; being a Saturday, this was almost deserted by comparison. Indeed, the World Financial Center (the show venue) nearly looked closed, and may of the shops inside were. We were finally able to locate an open restaurant, on the recommendation of a friend we encountered there; a great meal with a delightful view of the harbor.
The performance itself, in the WFC Winter Garden, was exceptional, though the room itself was a bit challenging - it would be a bit like playing at a Mall; there was a fair amount of foot traffic through the space, mostly respectful but there were a few clueless individuals as always. One woman in particular comes to mind, charging through directly behind us during an especially quiet passage in heels that made her sound like a team of Clydesdales. Still, an amazing show, as always. There was surprisingly little weird energy, which I thought might be a bit of a concern, inasmuch as the far end of the performance space is a huge window looking out over the crater and constructions sight of Ground Zero.
On second thought, I can at least provide some sense of the performance.
I could see going back sometime and doing some tourist stuff, when the weather warms up, but all in all, if I feel the need for the Big City experience, I feel much more at home in Chicago.
So, it was quite a weekend. Seems crazy in retrospect - 300 miles for a one hour show - but it was worth it in so many ways. Catching up and reconnecting with a number of old friends, some of whom traveled even farther that we did. There was, of course, a measure of adventure involved - I don't know that I'm ready for The Amazing Race, but my skills seem to be intact, despite not traveling much in recent years. The drive up was pretty uneventful; it still amazes me how close together everything is on this side of the country. Having spent my adult life either on the Left Coast or in the vast plains of the Midwest, I have difficulty grasping that DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and NYC are all on the same highway and only 1-2 hours apart.
Travel time is relative, though. It was nearly 1.5 hours from our hotel to the show, and the venue was nearly visible from our room. The map said it was ten miles. Working the system, we caught the free shuttle from the hotel to Newark Airport; from there, another shuttle bus into midtown Manhattan, a walk of a few blocks and finally a city bus downtown. Adventurous I may be, but I am quite glad that I chose not to drive that particular leg of the journey. My initial impression of the Big Apple is that it is claustrophobic. The legendary "concrete canyons" are as oppressive as they are imposing; everything is packed in so tightly and is so congested with both foot and vehicular traffic that it almost feels like a Third World city. Granted, this was Times Square, which rivals anything in Las Vegas for sensory overload. It wasn't quite as bad when we got downtown to the Financial District; being a Saturday, this was almost deserted by comparison. Indeed, the World Financial Center (the show venue) nearly looked closed, and may of the shops inside were. We were finally able to locate an open restaurant, on the recommendation of a friend we encountered there; a great meal with a delightful view of the harbor.
The performance itself, in the WFC Winter Garden, was exceptional, though the room itself was a bit challenging - it would be a bit like playing at a Mall; there was a fair amount of foot traffic through the space, mostly respectful but there were a few clueless individuals as always. One woman in particular comes to mind, charging through directly behind us during an especially quiet passage in heels that made her sound like a team of Clydesdales. Still, an amazing show, as always. There was surprisingly little weird energy, which I thought might be a bit of a concern, inasmuch as the far end of the performance space is a huge window looking out over the crater and constructions sight of Ground Zero.
On second thought, I can at least provide some sense of the performance.
I could see going back sometime and doing some tourist stuff, when the weather warms up, but all in all, if I feel the need for the Big City experience, I feel much more at home in Chicago.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Yoiks! and Away!
Morning earworm: Don't Let the Rain Come Down, the Serendipity Singers. It's Pledge Drive time again in PBS world, and I made the mistake of watching their Brief History of Folk Music the other night. Amid the protest songs and no less than three different versions of Turn! Turn! Turn!, we were subjected to this silliness from the early days. Please make it stop!
http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Don_t_Let_The_Rain_Come_Down/22T8DP
It seems Grooveshark has changed their interface - and as with most upgrades, it doesn't seem to be an improvement. So it goes.
Hoping for a quiet day today, occupied mostly with laundry and packing. I generally go for this on gig days anyway, because I'm just that way; adding the final travel arrangements to the mix shouldn't be too much trouble. Fortunately, tonight will be relatively early - with a good load-out we should be out by midnight, which would ideally get me to bed around 1:30, enough for an early rise and out the door by 7:00. If the gods of travel and traffic smile upon us, we should make the room around 14:00, which would allow a brief nap before navigating the public transit connections to the show, with enough time for a bit of touristry and dinner beforehand. With that many Crafties in one place, I imagine there will be some sort of gathering afterward. The big question currently is Sunday - there is a good chance that the Wife may not have to work Monday, which would allow us an extra day there. There is also a rumor that TG will be holding a workshop on Sunday, which would be uber-cool, but potentially involve stranding the Wife for part of the day, which is not so cool, though she could potentially attend as well. We'll see what happens.
The quality of the question determines the quality of the answer.
http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Don_t_Let_The_Rain_Come_Down/22T8DP
It seems Grooveshark has changed their interface - and as with most upgrades, it doesn't seem to be an improvement. So it goes.
Hoping for a quiet day today, occupied mostly with laundry and packing. I generally go for this on gig days anyway, because I'm just that way; adding the final travel arrangements to the mix shouldn't be too much trouble. Fortunately, tonight will be relatively early - with a good load-out we should be out by midnight, which would ideally get me to bed around 1:30, enough for an early rise and out the door by 7:00. If the gods of travel and traffic smile upon us, we should make the room around 14:00, which would allow a brief nap before navigating the public transit connections to the show, with enough time for a bit of touristry and dinner beforehand. With that many Crafties in one place, I imagine there will be some sort of gathering afterward. The big question currently is Sunday - there is a good chance that the Wife may not have to work Monday, which would allow us an extra day there. There is also a rumor that TG will be holding a workshop on Sunday, which would be uber-cool, but potentially involve stranding the Wife for part of the day, which is not so cool, though she could potentially attend as well. We'll see what happens.
The quality of the question determines the quality of the answer.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Reward For This Work Is More Work
Morning earworm: Acid Rain, Liquid Tension Experiment - this is why I have a 7-string.
In an unusual burst of ambition, I got most everything done yesterday that I have been dragging on for the last week - the work room in the Bunker is cleaned and organized, the bass loops on Shape have been recorded. I now find myself faced with a bit of "Now what?" Been procrastinating for so long that the next step has become obscured - lol.
There is plenty to be done today though. Reasonably-priced lodging has been secured for the weekend, and I now find myself poring over transportation options. A cab from the hotel to the venue is going to run around $50 by all accounts; there is a shuttle bus for half that, but it only stops in Midtown, which is some thirty-two blocks from our destination. And apparently the City That Never Sleeps also doesn't run their ferries on the weekends - what's up with that? Guess I check the city bus schedule next. I could always drive, too, but God only knows what parking is going to be like there. But hey - we're going, so I shouldn't complain too much :D
We may do whatever we like, providing we can pay the bill.
In an unusual burst of ambition, I got most everything done yesterday that I have been dragging on for the last week - the work room in the Bunker is cleaned and organized, the bass loops on Shape have been recorded. I now find myself faced with a bit of "Now what?" Been procrastinating for so long that the next step has become obscured - lol.
There is plenty to be done today though. Reasonably-priced lodging has been secured for the weekend, and I now find myself poring over transportation options. A cab from the hotel to the venue is going to run around $50 by all accounts; there is a shuttle bus for half that, but it only stops in Midtown, which is some thirty-two blocks from our destination. And apparently the City That Never Sleeps also doesn't run their ferries on the weekends - what's up with that? Guess I check the city bus schedule next. I could always drive, too, but God only knows what parking is going to be like there. But hey - we're going, so I shouldn't complain too much :D
We may do whatever we like, providing we can pay the bill.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
December Already?
Morning earworm: Closer to the Heart, Rush. Going to be a good day :)
Much as expected, not a lot accomplished yesterday, but for once I'm not complaining. It was, if anything, what a weekend day is like when you aren't too fried to enjoy it. Feeling sufficiently energized now to get on with it today.
An added bonus - the Wife seemed amenable to my spur of the moment idea of a road trip to New York this weekend. Not as capricious as it may sound; my Teacher is playing a rare solo show, and upon checking out, I discovered it isn't quite as far as I had thought - a mere 6.5 hour drive. Considering I have friends flying in from Chicago and even Austin to attend the event, that isn't so bad, even after a Friday night gig in Richmond. We will just be heading up on Saturday, and probably only catch the final show, but it is still worth it. Word on the street is that Tony G will be doing a workshop on Sunday; this too would be worth attending, if it meshes with the schedule. Will have to catch up with some of the other attendees for details.
Signposts are useful when you know where you're going.
Much as expected, not a lot accomplished yesterday, but for once I'm not complaining. It was, if anything, what a weekend day is like when you aren't too fried to enjoy it. Feeling sufficiently energized now to get on with it today.
An added bonus - the Wife seemed amenable to my spur of the moment idea of a road trip to New York this weekend. Not as capricious as it may sound; my Teacher is playing a rare solo show, and upon checking out, I discovered it isn't quite as far as I had thought - a mere 6.5 hour drive. Considering I have friends flying in from Chicago and even Austin to attend the event, that isn't so bad, even after a Friday night gig in Richmond. We will just be heading up on Saturday, and probably only catch the final show, but it is still worth it. Word on the street is that Tony G will be doing a workshop on Sunday; this too would be worth attending, if it meshes with the schedule. Will have to catch up with some of the other attendees for details.
Signposts are useful when you know where you're going.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Distractions
Morning earworm: Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith. There is a story involved ...
A dream during the night; I am sitting in with a band, testing out some new experimental piece of gear. They decide to play this. As I'm adjusting my sound, they take off into it, in the wrong key. Nothing new there, so I transpose and join in, waking up around the second verse. I wonder how many other earworms are dream hangovers like this? It isn't the first time here, either.
Didn't get much done that I had hoped to yesterday, largely by allowing myself to get sucked into an online game. I confess a bit of self-indulgence there; as part of the morning routine I usually go a few rounds on something like Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire as part of the waking up / engage the brain process before getting down to business. Occasionally I will wander over to MSN and hit the Game page, knowing that these tend to take a bit longer to get through. Yesterday I opted for a round of Jewel Quest, which typically goes 15-20 minutes, timing out after 40,000 points on average. Once, a few days back, I passed this and got stuck for over an hour, finally letting it time out at around 170,000. Sure enough, I got that one again. Normally, these free online versions stop at a certain level - apparently this one doesn't. Again, I let it go entirely too long and finally gave up, letting it time out after I hit 300,000 points and squandered nearly two hours. Not my most productive morning.
Time is limited today as well - the Wife is only working a half day, so anything I want to get done in the Bunker will necessarily occur within the next few hours. Not that I am complaining, mind you - the prospect of distraction here is far more interesting than any computer game ;-)
The attitude that life owes us something, if not everything, encourages life to thwart our endeavours.
A dream during the night; I am sitting in with a band, testing out some new experimental piece of gear. They decide to play this. As I'm adjusting my sound, they take off into it, in the wrong key. Nothing new there, so I transpose and join in, waking up around the second verse. I wonder how many other earworms are dream hangovers like this? It isn't the first time here, either.
Didn't get much done that I had hoped to yesterday, largely by allowing myself to get sucked into an online game. I confess a bit of self-indulgence there; as part of the morning routine I usually go a few rounds on something like Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire as part of the waking up / engage the brain process before getting down to business. Occasionally I will wander over to MSN and hit the Game page, knowing that these tend to take a bit longer to get through. Yesterday I opted for a round of Jewel Quest, which typically goes 15-20 minutes, timing out after 40,000 points on average. Once, a few days back, I passed this and got stuck for over an hour, finally letting it time out at around 170,000. Sure enough, I got that one again. Normally, these free online versions stop at a certain level - apparently this one doesn't. Again, I let it go entirely too long and finally gave up, letting it time out after I hit 300,000 points and squandered nearly two hours. Not my most productive morning.
Time is limited today as well - the Wife is only working a half day, so anything I want to get done in the Bunker will necessarily occur within the next few hours. Not that I am complaining, mind you - the prospect of distraction here is far more interesting than any computer game ;-)
The attitude that life owes us something, if not everything, encourages life to thwart our endeavours.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Backfill
Morning earworm: Sleepless, King Crimson. Probably because I am.
It has been an interesting holiday weekend, as always. Seven hours in the kitchen on Thursday, ending in another culinary triumph - Turkey roll stuffed with homemade venison sausage, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cornbread and venison sausage dressing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Ended up passing on dessert, which is just as well, as we were stuffed beyond capacity as it was.
Friday and Saturday were both quiet, in the standard pre-gig fashion. I tend to prefer a day of inactivity before playing, whenever possible; part of the pre-game ritual, which is worth a post of its own one of these days. The respective shows were decent, though both began slowly and without a great deal of energy - possibly the downside of taking time off. We did eventually get on track. Hopefully this will carry us through our last three shows of the year over the next two weeks, after which we are off for a month. That time will be devoted to rehearsal and learning some new material.
Yesterday, a Day Off. I'm finding that in my advancing years, a full day of recovery is becoming necessary after a working weekend. Well, maybe not necessary, but certainly beneficial.
Today, a return to the Bunker, addressing both practicalities and creative work. My aim for the day is to lay down a few new bass parts on Shape of the World, which I have been putting off for the last week or so. Beyond that, continued clean up of the work space and possibly some more tweaking on the new live rig. Considering the option of a pedalboard next, preferably with a built-in power supply - I am discovering that my fuzz box eats batteries like crazy, and I am quickly going to go broke unless I plug it in. In other words, back to business as usual here :)
If we can define our aim, we are halfway to achieving it.
It has been an interesting holiday weekend, as always. Seven hours in the kitchen on Thursday, ending in another culinary triumph - Turkey roll stuffed with homemade venison sausage, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cornbread and venison sausage dressing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Ended up passing on dessert, which is just as well, as we were stuffed beyond capacity as it was.
Friday and Saturday were both quiet, in the standard pre-gig fashion. I tend to prefer a day of inactivity before playing, whenever possible; part of the pre-game ritual, which is worth a post of its own one of these days. The respective shows were decent, though both began slowly and without a great deal of energy - possibly the downside of taking time off. We did eventually get on track. Hopefully this will carry us through our last three shows of the year over the next two weeks, after which we are off for a month. That time will be devoted to rehearsal and learning some new material.
Yesterday, a Day Off. I'm finding that in my advancing years, a full day of recovery is becoming necessary after a working weekend. Well, maybe not necessary, but certainly beneficial.
Today, a return to the Bunker, addressing both practicalities and creative work. My aim for the day is to lay down a few new bass parts on Shape of the World, which I have been putting off for the last week or so. Beyond that, continued clean up of the work space and possibly some more tweaking on the new live rig. Considering the option of a pedalboard next, preferably with a built-in power supply - I am discovering that my fuzz box eats batteries like crazy, and I am quickly going to go broke unless I plug it in. In other words, back to business as usual here :)
If we can define our aim, we are halfway to achieving it.
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