John Hendow

On Saturday 6/26 The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed at a wedding reception at the UW boathouse. The bride was a UW student who spent years with the UW Crew, rowing to victory. Being back on the UW campus is always a little nostalgic for me, and I enjoy seeing how it has changed over the years since I was first a student there in 1981. Our soundcheck was early in the afternoon so we had a few hours to wander around before the guests began to arrive. Stefan and I trotted over the U Village to look around in the bookstore and sip some iced tea.

The wedding reception included a large number of people who had flown in from the northeast, and I enjoyed chatting with some of guests. The wedding couple had chosen some great requests for the first dances. The bride is of Irish descent and had spent several years learning traditinoal Irish dance. After some cajoling from her father she performed a short reel on the dance floor, which was fun. Then it was our turn to get things moving. Some of the songs we performed were rarities for our set list, including gems such as “Hot Child in the City”, “Werewolves of London”, “American Girl” and “Cracklin’ Rosie”. All are plenty of fun to play, and I’m always happy to oblige a wedding reception with special songs that are meaningful to the newly married couple.

This event was the appearance of my new flight case for the Fender Twin. Having that piece of equipment in a wheeled case sure made it easier to move around, but now it’s more difficult to pick it up and put it in the car. I’m considering the purchase of a small ramp to make it easier to manage alone.

All in all, a fun gig and one that went very well.

Last Saturday the Dudley Manlove Quartet  took a quick road trip to Lake Chelan for a wedding reception performance. The road trip, as always, was full of crazy humor and musical chatter. We arrived in Lake Chelan early and were set up on site pretty quickly. Mack had been hired to play piano during the afternoon, from the time guests arrived, through the wedding ceremony and during dinner. So while he sat in the sun merrily playing away, the rest of us went back to the hotel and spent a few hours sipping bourbon and lounging by the pool.
The show went well and our set included several requests from the wedding couple. This was the first time we’ve played “Summer of 69” since I joined the band. We changed the key on the song, which meant several of the guitar licks – which involve open string runs – had to be refactored in the new key. As a result, it was quite a bit harder and required a few extra hours of woodshedding to get those parts to sound smooth. It went well and I’d expect to see it making an appearance in future sets.

The wedding reception was at “Karma”, a small winery near the lake. They made their wines available to us for sampling throughout the night, and they do a lovely blend (along with some nice single-grape wines). We performed our set in the underground wine cave. I’m always pretty happy to be out of the sun, especially on hot days like this one.

We’ll be busy this summer performing at private events, but there are lots of great public shows as well. Come join us on Saturday 7/10 for Redmond Derby Days, Friday 8/13 at the Tulalip Casino, and Saturday 8/14 at the Tractor Tavern.

I’m preparing a list of music equipment to sell, and in preparation I’m looking for some gizmos that will become my new rig. If anybody has a PedalTrain PT2 with hard case or a Line6 M9 they like to sell, give me a holler. I’m going to be selling my PedalTrain PT-Pro with hard case (that’s their big pedalboard setup) along with my Line6 Pod XTLive (with all model packs), and going to a smaller setup. Touch base if  you’re selling either of the units in boldface.

A few weeks ago one of my guitar pedals suffered a sad injury at a gig. My “Way Huge Pork Loin” (which is as much fun to say as it is to stomp on) had one of its adjustment knobs broken. I snapped the shaft off the circuit board-mounted potentiometer, and the knob went with it, skittering across the floor to begin their solo career (and they haven’t been heard from since). The pedal still worked but couldn’t be adjusted since the shaft was broken flush with the top of the pedal. Fortunately, the setting was fairly usable and I managed to get through a couple of gigs including the 80s Prom.

I made a few quick calls to the company who makes these pedals and they agreed to send me the necessary parts to effect a repair. Last Saturday I paid a visit to Jeff Stone at Veltetone Amp Works, and he did the repair for me. By the way, Jeff is a great amp tech and I recommend him. So, I’m all fixed up and ready to hit the stage again. I’ll get a chance to test drive the newly repaired setup tonight at 1 Uppers rehearsal; we’re prepping material for our upcoming gig at the Little Red Hen on June 27.

Last Saturday The Dudley Manlove Quartet hosted our annual “80s Prom”. This year’s event took place at Neumos on Capital Hill, and was attended by nearly 300 people. We arrived early in the day and did a lot of setting up… there were streamers to be hung, balloons to fill, and lights to set up. All in all, the evening went incredibly smoothly and everyone had a great time. I was especially impressed at the effort put into prom wear and costumes. Some very clever and fashionable looks were on display. The official prom photographer did a nice job of recreating the classic photo setup, with fake marble pillars and a fabulous backdrop.

We had been rehearsing for weeks with the Plan 9 horns and our guest vocalist. I felt pretty confident about the songs we had worked up and once we settled on a final set order it was easy to get my patches in order. My new amp sounded great and I’m delighted with it. Having the additional headroom and clarity is wonderful, and it has a very warm tone. For the solo section in “The Power of Love” I went with a very clean compressed tone and just let the amp do the rest. For the big rocker tunes like “White Wedding” I set the Pork Loin pedal up to push the amp into some tube distortion and it sounded terrific. I may actually downsize my pedalboard later this summer and look for a smaller multi-effect unit that can handle modulation / delay effects.

Our set list for the prom:

Set 1
Working for the Weekend
Don’t You Forget About Me
Sunglasses at Night
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
I Ran
Rio
Sister Christian
Betty Davis Eyes
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Don’t You Want Me
One Step Beyond
Power of Love
St. Elmo’s Fire
Let’s Dance
Our House

Set 2
Safety Dance
Take On Me 
I Melt With You
Hold Me Now
Video Killed The Radio Star
True
Poison Arrow
White Wedding
Goodbye to You
Kids in America
Love Shack
Boy Meets Girl
The Final Countdown 
Don’t Stop Believin’

Many thanks to all who joined us for this glorious prom evening. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Last weekend marked the debut of my new guitar amp, a 65 reissue Fender Twin. I’ve been using a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for most shows, but this amp is designed to distort at medium volume. That’s great for the 1 Uppers (my country band), but not ideal for The Dudley Manlove Quartet where I need a loud clean tone. For the past few months I’ve been looking at options for amplifiers and narrowed my search to a Fender Twin. The remaining question was whether to find a vintage silverface or get one of the reissues. After some hunting and a few test drives, I found a 65 reissue in fabulous condition and purchased it. I’ve already noticed how much fuller and warmer the tone is, and onstage it produces a beautiful sound.

So, why a Fender Twin? It’s probably the most common amp in the world, although I’m told the Hot Rod Deluxe has actually surpassed it in terms of total number sold. Still, the Twin has been omnipresent on stages since the mid-sixties, from blues to rock to country and beyond. It has the characteristic “big” Fender tone, can delivery prodigious volume, and has glorious reverb and tremolo. When we play music festivals, the stage is usually populated with “back line” equipment that has been rented by the promoter. You almost always find a Fender twin as the amp option. I’ve had many years of playing through this amp model, but until now have not owned one. Being a confirmed gear tweaker, I’m already considering some possible upgrades to this amp such as Weber speakers and a Mercury magnetics transformer. But my next purchase will be a flight case to protect this amp from the perils of the road. This weekend I’ll be using it at the DMQ “80s Prom” at Neumos. Come on down and join the fun!

Tony Levin has released a CD “Soup”. Show your support for artists by purchasing direct whenever possible.
Just who is Tony Levin you ask? Let me tell you. Actually, let’s start with a few quotes from other musicians…

“Tony Levin is one of the best bass players in the world, if not THE best” – Peter Gabriel

“…that’s lovely bass. I love it!…” – John Lennon, during the recording of ‘Double Fantasy’

“He’s really a genius. … he’s creating right in front of you… it’s like watching God make THURSDAY or something” – Ellis Paul

Tony’s musical resume is a musical history of the past four decades. He’s recorded and toured with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Paul Simon, Cher, Seal, YES, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, John Lennon, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, Lou Reed, Buddy Rich, Todd Rundgren, Gary Burton, James Taylor, The Roches, Herbie Mann, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Tim Finn, Richie Sambora, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. He appears in the movie “One Trick Pony” with Paul Simon.

Tony has been inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk and celebrated with a lifetime achievement award courtesy of Bass Player Magazine. His personal web diary has been actively updated since being founded in 1995, before terms like “blog” or “the web” were even in common usage. Ask any bassist to name some favorite influences and his name will come up.

He plays fretted and fretless bass, Chapman Stick, synthesizer and tuba. In addition to being one of the world’s foremost bassists, Tony is also an excellent cook, an espresso enthusiast, and happens to be one heck of a nice person. After his performances, people wait patiently in line to meet him, shake his hand, take a picture with him, or just to tell him how much they love his music. I’ve seen this happen every time I’ve been around him. The guy radiates joy when he plays and is a spark plug for musical fun.

Tony’s playing is perfectly groovy. He always contributes the perfect bass line, and it’s often the element that makes the song memorable. I’m primarily a guitarist, but Tony Levin drew me to the dark side… after years of listening to his playing I become so fascinated that I bought as bass *and* a Chapman Stick. Criminey. Then I subscribed to Bass Player magazine. Oh, and I got a fretless bass after that, but Mick Karn can also be partially held responsible for influencing that purchase. I love bass players who sit in that perfect spot in the groove, tying the melody to the rhythmic pulse, and providing that crucial fundamental element of the backbone.

So what makes Tony’s playing unique and interesting? I think there are several important elements. First, he’s classically trained and has experience performing in symphonic settings, therefore he has good bow technique, understands phrasing, and is accustomed to working in a formal ensemble. Second, he is not a frustrated guitarist. The man plays is a bassist. He can solo, and contributes lead lines to many songs, but he’s not playing “lead bass”. Third, he’s a good listener. I think his greatest gift as a musician is being able to rapidly understand and adapt to the music around him. Earlier this year I watched him in concert with Allan Holdsworth, Terry Bozzio and Pat Mastolotto. The quartet performed two full sets of improvised music. That’s adaptability!

This newest CD “Soup” is released under the band name “Stick Men” and features Michael Bernier, Pat Mastolotto and Tony Levin. The music is an combination of great textures, wild playing, and brilliant surprises. The title track “Soup” is a good first taste of what’s to come; listen through headphones to get the crazy overtones off the partially muted Stick notes, liquid modulation effects, and to pick up on subtle percussion elements. “Hands (parts 1-3)” is a rollercoaster with three sections; dig the crazy tones flying by as the piece moves toward the final part – which opens with a Philip Glass-style arpeggio. “Inside The Red Pyramid” has a swirling feel that wafts like desert incense; this track is beautiful. “Fugue” is anchored by a wild percolating Stick pattern (guitar tappers, listen and be appropriately freaked out) then moves into a nice largo at the end. “Sasquatch” is the most Crimsonesque song on the album with interlocking angular Stick parts and rhythm elements. “Scarlet Wheel” is a magic carpet woven from quacking envelope-follower tones, backwards tapping licks, and cross-cultural percussion. “The Firebird Suite” is a wild take on the Stravinsky classic; the third and fourth movements have fabulous arco tones that suggest bowing, but this might be clever playing and EQ. The album’s final track “Relentless” is an aptly named three-movement piece that flows like a river of lava, has a contrasting middle section, and returns with a furious recap of the first two movements. 

I was listening to this CD today at work and one my co-workers (a bassist) came by to ask a work-related question. I said “hey, check this out” and handed him my headphones. His three minute reaction was “hmmm… a solo album by a rock bassist?… wait, this kinda cool… whoah how did he do that?… HOLY CRAP!”

OK, so you get it. Tony Levin has credits and credibility galore, and everybody loves working with him. He’s also one of those important independent voices in music who makes music for all the right reasons. By purchasing this CD directly from Tony, you are participating in a 1:1 transaction with the artist. And that represents a direct source of revenue and support for their work. You’ll also find this new release in your local music stores, and via digital download on iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon. Audio samples are available on Tony’s MySpace page.

As you are probably aware, I play in a couple of local bands. People sometimes ask me to provide advance notice for my shows. So here it is: one of my bands is The Dudley Manlove Quartet and we’re hosting our annual “80s Prom” this month at Neumos. 80s prom?! Yes, that’s right… this year’s event is called Girls Just Wanna Have Prom, and we’ll be performing New Wave and Big Hair hits from MTV’s glory days, including chart-toppers from Journey, Cyndi Lauper, Night Ranger, Madness, Pat Benatar, Bryan Adams, David Bowie, the Buggles, Wang Chung, Europe, Huey Lewis and the News, and Duran Duran.

It’s like a Delorean-powered time machine to the land of total awesomeness. Think about it: you can relive your prom night from the 80s, possibly correcting errors in the space-time continuum (results not guaranteed). Here is your chance to (1) break out that great prom outfit that you’ve so carefully saved all these years (2) earn / re-earn your rightful designation as PROM KING / QUEEN (3) unabashedly sing along to your favorite songs from that zany decade and (4) stay out dancing until 2:00 AM without getting grounded (also not guaranteed). The decorating committee is hard at work… we’re making our horn section exercise their lung power blowing up balloons, and the tall guys are putting up streamers. And of course we’ll have a photo area, so you can carry a wallet-size memento of this glorious night. Dust off your best Molly Ringwald moves for an 80s Dance-Off, or compete for marginally valuable prizes in the Ugliest Prom Dress and Biggest Hair competitions. 80s-wear is WAY encouraged, but like totally optional. 

Advance tickets are available at eTix  http://tiny.cc/scfqq.

For more information, visit our web site: http://www.dudleymanlove.com/?p=816

Last Friday night the Dudley Manlove Quartet performed for the Seattle Rep’s annual fundraising gala. It was a fun event and I always enjoy being around the theater scene. After a late-afternoon load-in and soundcheck, we had quite a long break before we were to play. We took advantage of the free time to wander around and visited a few local restaurants for snacks and happy hour martinis. On the way back to the venue we stopped for some gourmet chocolate and espresso.

The first set was solid, and par for the course at such events, the audience wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about dancing until they’d had a few refreshments. By the end of the first set we had a good full dance floor. During the second set I turned up my amp a bit to get a little better stage coverage, and encountered the same issue I’ve experienced on a few previous occasions: my amp became increasingly distorted and I couldn’t get a clean tone at a decent volume level. We’re not all that loud onstage – especially at this kind of performance – and this issue has arisen more than once before. I’ve done some reading online in the forums and most people seem to feel this amp is designed to break up a bit at normal stage volume, producing an overdriven blues / rock tone. I really want the amp to be clean with a lot of headroom. It’s possible that I just won’t get this kind of performance from a 40 watt amp, but in Jumbalassy I used a 60 watt amp to drive my speaker cabinets and it was always squeaky clean at stage level. I’m not very interested in returning to that kind of setup, but it may be necessary to find a louder guitar amp for use in The Dudley Manlove Quartet. I’ve already started test-driving a few amps including the classic Fender Twin. I think I’d like to get a 65 Twin Reissue if I can find one at a decent price. If anyone is interested in selling one, please touch base with me.