Last month I retooled my pedalboard a bit, replacing two of my Mission controllers with the new Fractal EV-1 controller pedals. I am finding the new EV-1s to be much smoother and better for fine control over volume and modulation blending, and the Mission is best suited for wah control. I have another small modification planned for the next few weeks involving the small black box just below the Mission controller. Stay tuned for the next solderfest!
Today I received two Fractal Audio EV-1 Expression Pedals. They will be added to my pedalboard, and will replace my current controller pedals. These expression pedals are beautifully built, and have a special planetary gear system. Like all Fractal Audio products, the EV-1 is engineered as a work of art, and the care that was taken in packing / shipping them should give you some idea of how thoroughly they design their equipment.
From the Fractal Audio web site :
The EV-1 is an all new EXPRESSION PEDAL, perfect for use with all Fractal Audio Systems products (and many 3rd party devices). Unlike most expression pedals it has a true linear response with planetary gearing and a long, smooth pedal throw. The EV-1 doubles as an analog volume pedal, with separate IN and OUT jacks connected to an audio-taper pot. It features a sturdy cast metal housing, comfortable non-slip rubber tread, and is available in either Silver or Black.
Naturally, I bought two black ones 🙂 I really can’t wait to mount them on my pedalboard.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been putting in some dedicated rehearsals for our upcoming BowieVision shows. This comes with the usual fun of loading up my car with a few hundred pounds of gear, loading up my cart, and pulling it into the rehearsal room. Fortunately, we typically rehearse at a facility where there is a fairly convenient ramp into the building, so generally there aren’t any stairs involved.
We’re adding “Beauty and the Beast” for this show, which is really exciting. It’s one of my favorite Bowie songs, and I enjoy playing Adrian Belew’s fantastic guitar parts. We are double-billing for the next two shows,with a band called “This is not my beautiful band”; they’re a Talking Heads tribute from Portland, and reputed to be quite good. I’m looking forward to hitting the stage tomorrow night for our show. Feels like our rehearsals are going well, and the material in our extended set is sounding really good. If you’re out and about in Seattle (1/24) or Portland (1/31), I’d recommend checking out the show!
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My Bands
A few months ago I added an expansion module to my MFC-101 controller. It sits on the left side of the pedal, and adds four switches and has allowed me to include scene up / down commands in a hand placement. I’m hoping Fractal Audio will eventually update the MFC-101 software to provide scene display in the readout so I know which setting I’m currently using. But for the moment, this is a big step in making my stage setup more flexible.
Last night I attended the Three Below concert in Seattle, featuring three incredible musicians: Trey Gunn, Michael Manring, and Alonso Arreola. Trey is one of my favorite musicians and composers, and he is a trailblazer in touch instrument technique. He performed and recorded with King Crimson for twenty years, and has continued to expand his musical horizons in other global projects. Michael Manring was a student of fretless bass legend Jaco Pastorius, and has a very interesting approach to using the eBow on fretless bass. Alonso Arreola is new to me; he is a remarkable virtuoso who employs a wide range of slapping / popping / percussion techniques, and has recorded with David Fiuczynski .
The experience of seeing three bass wizards might sound like a master class, but this is a true musical experience. Each member of the ensemble performs an extended solo piece, showcasing their technique and approach; in each case, the use of effects and looping expands the horizons of the instrument. They also play a number of pieces arranged for the trio ensemble; this really shows off the highly developed musical awareness they each possess.
They have multiple dates on this tour, including Portland on Wed 10/8, and Corvallis on Thur 10/9. Read the reviews and get your tickets!
I am looking forward to this evening’s performance by King Crimson. The band produces intense, adventuresome rock music that defies categorization. One of the things I’ve long admired about them is their stylistic diversity and restlessness. It’s difficult to pin them down, and the band’s lineup changes every few albums. At the helm throughout the band’s existence has been Robert Fripp, one of the most individually unique guitarists in the world, who has collaborated with many other high influential musicians that I love (Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, etc).
Starting in the 1980s, the band has also included my favorite musician: Tony Levin. To quote the Wikipedia page:
A prolific session musician since the 1970s, Levin has played on 500 albums, including those of Cher, Alice Cooper, John Lennon,Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Buddy Rich, The Roches, Todd Rundgren, Seal, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Warren Zevon, Kevin Parent, Laurie Anderson, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Gibonni, and Jean-Pierre Ferland. Additionally, he has toured with artists including Paul Simon (with whom Levin appeared in Simon’s 1980 film One Trick Pony), Gary Burton, James Taylor, Herbie Mann, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Tim Finn, Richie Sambora, and Claudio Baglioni.
Tony’s bass playing inspired me to pick up bass and to learn fretless. He always adds the perfect groove to every context. I’m really looking forward to hearing this new lineup of the band. It will be a challenging and inspiring night of music!
I’m pretty pleased with my AxeFX rig, and it continues to perform beautifully at shows of all sizes. My current setup involves a pair of Euphonic Audio VL110 cabinets. They’re great sounding and deliver a lot of punch. However, I’ve also been considering the possibility of using a monitor wedge for my listening position. I have been looking at the Xitone 1×12 passive monitor as a possibility. The advantage of a dedicated monitor would be putting the sound right at my performance position, and being able to carry a smaller rig.
Xitone cabinets get very good reviews from other AxeFX users, and I have been exchanging email with the owner of the company. It’s likely I’ll be adding this cabinet to my system in the near future.
On Saturday 9/30, two of my bands performed as a double bill at the Fremont Oktoberfest. We have performed at this event many times in the past, and it was great to continue our annual tradition of being a part of this great outdoor party. We arrived to find the usual crowd: huge, enthusiastic, and ready to party! The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed first, running some of our favorite pop and rock hits. The crowd really responded nicely to the 60 and 70s pop, and when we launched into the 80s material and rock classics, it was over the top.
We had just a few moments between bands to do some resetting, and to change clothes. BowieVision was a big hit, with the audience joining us to sing backup vocals on a number of songs.
For this pair of performances, I brought the full AxeFX system, which was very satisfying. When I started to set up, the stage tech manager came over with a mic stand, ready to put it in front of my speaker cabinets. I told him “thank you, but I don’t need a microphone, just the XLR cable please. I’ll give you a full-range output from my system”. He wasn’t thrilled about it and said something to the effect of “direct out for guitar never works”. That statement may be true for some processors, but with the AxeFX, direct is really the optimum connection method for the board. The AxeFX handles the effects, amp, speaker cabinet, microphone and room response modeling. At any rate, I checked in with him between bands to see if the FOH operator needed any adjustments. He didn’t ask for anything to be changed so I just carried on. The response and tone of the AxeFX is fantastic, and I’m really enjoying the system.
Looking forward to the next big public shows for both bands. BowieVision will be performing at the Crocodile on Saturday 10/25, and the Dudley Manlove Quartet will be performing at the Sunset Tavern on Friday 10/31. See you there!
Last summer I had my main guitar refretted by Mike Lull, luthier extraordinaire. I had worn down the frets on my black Stratocaster to the point where it was pretty difficult to play. Mike did a beautiful job of refretting the guitar, and it made a world of difference in the playability of the instrument. I took the guitar back to him last week to have a quick adjustment made to the neck, and while I was there I asked him to remove the stock “roller nut” and replace it with a standard bone nut. The roller nut on this model strat is a source of rattling and vibration dampening. I should have had Mike do this replacement when he was working on the frets, but it didn’t occur to me.
The overall difference since the nut replacement is very noticeable. The tone of the guitar is clearer, and I don’t hear that occasional rattle from the headstock. I also think it’s vibrating more cleanly, with less dissipation. I’ve only had a chance so far to use the guitar in a practice environment; the real test will be onstage this next weekend. I’m looking forward to hearing it in that context.
On Wednesday August 20, The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed in Everett, Washington as part of their summer concert series downtown. We arrived in the late afternoon to discover that we’d be outdoors facing the sun, and performing without any sort of shade. As much as I love playing music under any condition, I’m not fond of the sun, and I never like to be in the sun for very long. I did have some sunscreen with me, and a good pair of sunglasses, so at least it was manageable.
We had a fabulous PA system, provided by a local contractor. The FOH operator was ready for us when we arrived, so it was a quick and productive soundcheck. I really enjoyed the sound of the EAW monitors that are part of his system. They made it easy for us to hear ourselves with fantastic clarity at a low volume. For this performance I decided to bring my regular amp / pedalboard setup instead of the Fractal Audio rig. The FOH operator commented he’d like to hear the Fractal Audio system, but he really liked the sound of the Boogie as well. I had a nice compliment from a local guitar shop owner who was in attendance at the concert as well.
When the show was over, it took about ten minutes to clean the sweat and grime from my guitar. Playing outdoors seems to always involve a lot of extra mess. All in all, a good show, despite the sun 🙂 I’m looking forward to the next one.
