Noise
In prepping for the big drum session a couple weeks ago I did some digging in the basement closet and found my drum stick bag from Musicians Friend. I misplaced this delight ages ago – even before buying the junior Ludwig kit for my budding percussionists. Finally I can whip out the nylon brushes and old school ginormo-mallets that I picked up along the way. So much fun.
Who doesn’t love banging on things after all. Right?
Noise
The new music project is under way. It has been WAY too long, so I’m pretty jacked. Sure, there have been some starts and stops, but this new piece has been bubbling and churning for a while. There are 15 songs that assemble to sort of tell a story. Tuning, key, overall mood… it all ties together. A couple of weekends ago we laid drum tracks for 10 of the songs. All 10 now have bass and I’m just starting to work on the guitar parts. We’ll probably never have a horn section or exciting cello strings or anything, but the pieces are coming together and it feels great.
Life
I’ve actually got a few new projects. Two involve music and one is a new comic, but the one I’m thinking about right now is my custom bass. I recently picked up a decent used bass neck and plan to rebuild an old instrument I’ve had since high school. We’re talking new pain, new electronics, a new pickguard. It should be suh-weet. I might have to buy an actual bass amp. I mean, I’m not all ampeg 6×10 bas cabinet at guitar center or anything. At least not yet. But maybe someday…
PS Blog
Let’s face it, heroin rehab ain’t for everybody. Some people just need to overdose. Am I right?
Maybe it’s just me.
And maybe that seems harsh, but the ongoing willingness of people in this country to forgive celebrity idiocy simply because someone is on the front page of a supermarket tabloid, yet pointing the finger of condemnation at someone who is just trying to scrape by in this tough world…
People suck.
Noise
I saw the Pixies the other night. Great show. Best I’ve been to in quite a while. As with any good show, I came home inspired, and not just musically. Also hardware-ily. Or something. See, they had these cool bass pedals I have long lusted after. I wish it was as easy as shopping Moog at Musicians Friend, but unfortunately it ain’t. Yeah, Moog is the primary maker of these crazy awesome bass pedals, though I have seen one or two knockoffs. They’re just so super cool and they let a simple dude like me create his own bass lines with one agile foot while rockin’ out on the guitar and mic. The Pixies bassist used them on one song while playing a counterpoint high bassline on her actual ax, but I know I could do so much more!
Noise
In these days of Facebook and email and Google+ and even MySpace (yup, it’s still out there) it’s hard to believe how important a mailing list was for a touring band 15 years ago. Every micro-tour required mailings. Every major gig or even minor shows a distance from our home turf was preceded by a trip to the post office. I don’t know if you can even affordably print postcards in NYC or Boston or… well anywhere anymore. I mean sure, there are always the online quick print places, but the shipping alone could cripple a start up band. I miss the old days of postcards and handwritten personal messages. Those were good times.
Life
Some people get rings from the phones. Some people get rings from a doorbell. Some people get rings from Reeds jewelers. I got a ring from my wife. It was a Christmas gift. A replacement for the real one that I lost a few months back the one I mentioned in a post musing about the state of my current vows, given the loss of the ceremonial symbol. Well… sorry ladies, but I am now doubly owned because I found my lost ring just days before Christmas (completely ruining my wife’s thoughtful gift). Ain’t I a stinker?
Noise
A week before Christmas I had a great request – some friends wanted to buy a starter guitar for their son. Expecting a simple two line response, they had no idea… I wrote a book in response. a veritable tome of introductory guitar shopping delight. I included everything from local shops to options for a kids guitar at Musicians Friend. Thorough? Hells yeah. Could I do any less? After all, the very future of rock and roll could be at stake!
And the first lesson is free.
Noise
How have your holidays been? Can’t top mine. Best Christmas gift ever…
The wife is taking me to see the Pixies.
Simultaneous Rock & Roll AND Christmas miracles.
Gigantic!
Noise
Ever since the Traveling Wilburys hit the scene in the 80s, I’ve sort of wanted a Danelectro Bass. Do you remember that super cool double horn bass Tom Petty played? That was a sweet Danelectro. I think it was called a longhorn. Something like that. It kind of looked like it was made out of cardboard, but man, it looked pretty sweet. Of course, when you’re Tom Petty’s bass in a band with 80s Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison, you’re going to look pretty good no matter what. And seriously, anything next to Jeff Lynne in those days would look like a super model. And that includes a paper bag full of marshmallow fluff.