Archive for the ‘My Bands’ Category

Gearing up for some Dudley Manlove Quartet shows

March 4, 2010 by John No Comments »

The Dudley Manlove Quartet is playing a few great shows this month. In preparation I’ve been working on my parts and gear. One of the interesting discoveries of recent weeks is that my wireless system seems to be very particular about its power supply. According to the manufacturer it runs on 9VDC at less than 800 mA, but it doesn’t operate correctly when connected to my pedalboard’s buffered power supply. So I have installed the original power adaptor for the wireless receiver and plugged it into the power strip under the board.

The band is doing a few new songs at the 3/13 show, and the 3/19 show will mark the debut of the Plan 9 horns. We’ll be rehearsing material with the horn section for the next couple of weeks. Mark you calendars for these gigs, It’s going to be a fun month!

 

Preons Rehearsal 2/23

February 24, 2010 by John 1 Comment »

Last night The Preons had a really great practice. We’ve been getting into some interesting stuff lately with experimentation and exploratory free-form sections. The band has been working on songs for the upcoming recording sessions and it’s beginning to sound more solid. We should be ready to start putting down the reference tracks pretty soon. Last night we spent some time running through older material as well… it had been a while since we ran through songs like “Listing and Lost”, “Grove of the Patriarchs”, and “The Conflict of the Cobra Kai”. While we were at it, we dug into “48 Express” and “Charlie Munden”. It’s interesting to hear how the band has solidified and become more relaxed. We haven’t played a live show in a while, and we’re definitely ready to hit the stage again soon.

 

Thoughts On The 2/13 1 Uppers Gig

February 18, 2010 by John 4 Comments »

On Saturday 2/13 the 1 Uppers performed at Slim’s Last Chance Chili Shack in Seattle. It’s a cozy bar with a great vibe, and we were definitely in our element with great chili, tasty beer (served in jelly jars) and a cozy stage. We were the final act on a three-band bill, so we spent time  listening to the other bands play and chatting with friends. Our set was pretty tight and felt great. My fellow electric guitarist Kris Geren wasn’t here for the gig, which left me with some BIG boots to stumble around in. First off, I couldn’t figure out how to set up my amp… I like to have it on the floor because it benefits from the bass coupling effect when sitting directly on stage. But it would have been firing right into my ankles, which isn’t any good for being able to hear it. I wound up pulling a chair up on stage and perching the amp on top. This worked pretty well and I could hear myself at a moderate volume.

The set consisted of the usual mix of originals and covers. I felt that it went well. Jon Hyde and I spent the evening flipping solos back and forth, sometimes sharing sections and trading ideas. On the Lloyd Green tune “3 Picks” I had a double solo, covering a section that usually goes to Kris. This was one of those moments when I did my best to sound like two guitarists, rather than attempting to simply run a solo throughout the entire section. It’s always interesting to have this kind of challenge. We played an original “Fall Back” at a slow pace, which brought out a new level of melancholy. As we started that song it seemed like we were struggling with whether to pick it up or play it slower. Within 16 bars we had settled into the tempo and it became a great rendition.

All in all, a good night with the band and fun one. The 1 Uppers rhythm section is very solid, and it’s a gas to set up those great country grooves with Caben and Eric.  Jon Hyde rocked the steel as always. David was in good form, and played a fine show despite battling a cold. I look forward to the next gig, and to having Kris return to the fold. If you haven’t visited the 1 Uppers web site lately, I’ve made a few updates. Stop on by and click around.