John Hendow

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!

My existing live performance setup is very good. I use a combination of great instruments, boutique pedals, a central multi-effect unit and a fabulous tube amp. I’ve been very satisfied with the tone and versatility of my rig, but it has some factors that make it challenging:

• No presets for my boutique pedals. The only device in my system with any notion of “remembering” an effect setting is my Line6 M9. It does a great job of being the central nervous system of my pedalboard. Nothing else of my board has a preset mechanism, so making significant changes on the fly is limited.
• No computer-based editor for anything. I would love to have an editor / librarian system for my effects and preset management. Back when I had the Line6 Pod Pro, I used its GUI software on my laptop to manage presets. I sure miss that!
• Size and weight. My system is just about as small as I can make it, given my current requirements.

I have been considering the possibility of going to a fully modeled system, based around a central effect / amp modeling unit such as the Line6 Pod Pro HD X or the Fractal Audio Axe FXII. This would feed into a full-range flat response amplified speaker that would replace my tube amp. This type of setup would certainly address the issues I’ve outlined above, and it also gives me a single highly flexible system for guitar, bass and Warr guitar.

The challenge in this type of setup is selecting the appropriate modeler and foot controller, then completely recreating all of my tones. I have used Line6 equipment for over a decade and their newest lineup of gear is impressive; I’d say they have the front runner position based on my historic level of satisfaction with the company and their products. I have read a lot of testimonials from Axe FXII users and I’m impressed by what I’ve heard, but at 4x the price I’m uncertain of the value proposition. The next step in my investigation will involve some A/B testing. Stay tuned for details…

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.

Warr Guitar - Front

Last night we had the first Preons practice in quite a while. We intentionally took a little break last fall, though it wound up being a longer break than we anticipated due to work, vacations, Swine Flu, and the holidays. But we’re a hard bunch to keep down, and last night we reconvened for a full-band rehearsal. We played through the material from the most recent CD, along with the songs that we’re planning to record for the upcoming release. Generally it felt pretty good. There were definitely some moments where we had to search our mental files to recall our parts to songs, but I was satisfied that we got through everything we attempted.

I only brought my 5 string bass last night since there would be so much to remember as it was. Just a few songs into the evening I found myself wishing I had my fretless and Warr guitar. It’s pretty standard for me… I definitely love to play all those instruments. I’ve been putting some effort into Warr guitar lately and look forward to expanding my use of the sonic range, along with improving my general technique.

The band has the potential to really rise to something special and I think this will be a good year for us. We’ve been talking about a slightly different approach to composition and performance, and there may be some opportunities for us to introduce new instruments or technology into what we do. Brad and I chatted over dinner before rehearsal, and we’re both considering how we might spice up the band’s sound. I’m planning to transition more of my bass parts to fretless bass and Warr Guitar. The band has an interesting dynamic and I appreciate having so much freedom in what I do with them. Look for us in your local saloons. The Preons will be getting twisty.

Hey all… passing this along for a friend who is selling some gear.

As you can see from the list below, this is all top-shelf equipment and has been treated with care. I’ve included the seller’s email address at the bottom of the list if you’re interested.

• Raven Labs 2 Channel Universal Stereo preamp –mint condition $500—2 individual channels with EQ, or blend both channels into 1 output  http://www.raven-labs.com/pages/products/usip/usip.html
• Raven Labs PMB – II  Master Blender:, very small two channel, with eq, mixer/pre-amp http://www.raven-labs.com/pages/products/pmb1/pmb1.html $300
• SWR Henry the 8×8 cabinet (w/case) – $550 with flight case
• SWR Triad 15, 10, horn (w/case) – $550 with flight case
• 2(two) Euphonic Audio Cx3-10 Concert – 3×10”, with horn and tweeter. Full range tower design. With flight cases. $650 each, or take them both for $1100.
• 2(two) Euphonic Audio VL-110 – 1×10” plus horn and tweeter. With flight cases. $400 each, or take them both for $700.
• Switchblade 16 SoundSculpture $1000, 16 channel midi-programmable audio matrix with smooth crossfade between patches. precursor to this model:
  http://www.soundsculpture.com/products/switchblade_models.htm#GL
• 2(two) Digital Echoplex’s, with one foot controller. Perfect condition. $800 each or $1500 for both.
• Electrix Repeator $600, the classic four channel looping device. 
• Lovetone Meatball – amazing envelope filter, $500 http://www.lovetone.com/meatball.html
• TC Electronic Sustain EQ pedal – the classic $200
• Line 6 Bass Pod Pro rack, great condition $250
• Line 6 Filter Pro Studio Modeler rack, mint condition $250
• Roland VG-88 $250 (without GK pickup)
• Radial Tube Drive Classic $125. Nice stomp box driver.
• MXR Phase 100 (orange) $100
• Sans Amp Classic mint condition $125
• Boss WP-20G Wave Processor (GK pickup in, pickup not included) $125
• Boss AW3 Dynamic Wah pedal — $100
• Electro Harmonix Linear Power Booster pedal, vintage box $60
• Line 6 Pod $90
• M-Audio DMP3 2channel mic pre $40

For more information please contact tgweb@quodia.com

King Crimson is so incredibly great. This is one of their signature moments from (what I argue to be) their most amazing and creative period as a band. Adrian Belew, always the joyful rogue. Robert Fripp, mad scientist virtuoso. Bill Bruford, human clock. Tony Levin, multi-instrumental wizard. The three best albums from this lineup are Beat, Discipline, and Three of a Perfect Pair. There are also a number of live videos from this time, and all are worth seeing.

Last night during 1 Uppers rehearsal my trusty Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp started behaving strangely. It was randomly switching channels, the reverb was cutting in / out, and it was making profoundly unmusical sounds. I tried to switch out the cables, the guitar, and so on. Eventually I unhooked the footswitch and unplugged the guitar, and STILL it was doing all that crazy stuff. For the balance of rehearsal I was horribly distracted by how thin and crummy my amp sounded.
This morning I spent some time looking around on the usenet forums and deduced that either (1) my amp is haunted or (2) I’ve developed a cold solder joint at the +/-16V power resistors that control the op-amp switching. I’ve watched “Ghost Hunters” on the Sci Fi channel and since there weren’t any disembodied voices during the EVP session, I’m guessing it’s the resistors. Apparently this is a very common issue with this amp model and there are numerous postings to this effect. Fortunately it’s a pretty minor repair and I hope to have my amp back in time for Sunday’s gig with the 1 Uppers.

So, back to last night. As I was driving home from rehearsal I started making a mental list of my music gear, noting which items are need of repair. The list of fixes is bigger than I realized and it seems some gear maintenance is in order. Welcome to the world of a working musician! So here is my list, in order of severity:

Bring Out Your Dead

• Behringer 300XLA : This amp actually caught on fire while I was playing with The Preons. We all noticed it was increasingly stinky and it began to smoke. I made no attempt to save it – in fact, I turned up and let it die a truly rock-and-roll death. It’s probably unfixable at this point. But it was worth it.

It’s Just A Flesh Wound

• Fender Hot Rod Deluxe : Bad power resistors in the +/- 16V supply. Headed to the shop this week.
• White Strat #1 : Needs a new five-way switch, new output jack, new screws and springs to stabilize the middle pickup. I think I have most of those parts at home, and should be able to fix this easily. This guitar also really needs a setup. Once I’ve gotten my parts installed I might drop it off with a tech.
• White Strat #2 : Needs new bridge saddles. I’ll need to order these.
• Warr Guitar : Needs all potentiometers and switches replaced. They’re all the original components and are becoming intermittent. I definitely don’t have these parts on hand. I’ll need to order them. Or I might just drop it off with a tech.
• Ashdown 410T Bass Cabinet : Needs a new 1/4″ input jack. The Neutrik jack still works fine. I haven’t bothered fixing it yet, but as long as I’m making solder fumes I might as well.
• Telecaster : Needs a new output jack and the bridge hex screws ground down. Pretty minor. The new pickups, jack cup, bridge/saddles and 4 way switch are TOTALLY AWESOME! Thanks Kris!
• Fretless Bass #2 : My fender P-bass needs new pickups and a new wiring harness. Feh. This might be one that I have a shop do. Although I’m pretty handy and might take it on.

Looks like I’ll need to do some work on this gear sometime. With the ongoing projects at home I don’t know how I’ll find the time. Perhaps I’ll call up my musician buddies and host a solderfest in the garage…

For our gig at the Mix, I was the first musician to arrive. And the first to leave. There were three bands on the bill that night, with The Preons scheduled to go onstage at 9:00. We had agreed to be there for a 7:00 load in, and I was in the front door of the club with my gear at exactly 7:00, only to discover that I was alone. I chatted with the house sound engineer and described our setup and input list. Then I loaded my rig onto the stage, set up the Warr Guitar and bass, and got all tuned up. Then I drank a beer. And another. About thirty minutes later a few members of the next band drifted in. Then more members of my band, and people from the last band. We eventually were all ready and managed to start right on time. 

When our set was over, I tore down as quickly as possible to get out of the way. One of the challenges with having two instruments is the extra cords, stands, and cases. I really need to find ways to make setup / teardown faster. Once I was off stage I had a few minutes to visit with my friends David, Debby, Bill, Kim,. Shane, Wally, Bill (yes, another Bill), Dorothy and Dave. Then I loaded up my gear and we headed out to our next engagement of the evening, which meant I was out the door with all my gear before the second band had made a peep. My apologies to the other bands for this seemingly rude behavior; we had made arrangements to meet elsewhere for the remainder of the evening.

Last Friday night was the on-stage debut for my Warr Guitar. At rehearsals I have been refactoring my bass parts for “Cobra Kai”, “The Technologists”, “The Dalles”, and a few others. By grouping those songs together at the top of the set, it allowed me to start out on Warr Guitar and then switch to bass for “Sunrise”, “Charlie Munden”, “48 Express” and  “Listing”. Overall it’s pretty satisfying to have some facility on my new instrument and I’m becoming more comfortable with playing it with the band. Very few people actually know what the instrument is, so I wound up doing some explaining after our set. This is fine with me. When I played Chapman Stick I was a perpetual ambassador, demonstrating how it worked, how it was tuned, and why it’s such a great geeky fun. A few people seem to have some familiarity with the Chapman Stick courtesy of Tony Levin, but a Warr Guitar is more obscure. The occasional King Crimson fan knows this instrument, but that’s pretty much only high-profile gig you’re likely to encounter one (at least until The Preons seize their rightful place as global pop icons of the new millennium). The band played a great set. I thought our overall sound was very smooth and balanced, particularly impressive since none of the instrument amps were in the house PA. We did our own mix directly from the stage by simply balancing our relative volumes. We also kept the gaps between songs pretty short, which preserves the set momentum and helps keep the musicians “in the zone”. We’re also working on presenting the band in a more linear setup with Josh and Janie in the middle, while Brad and I act as bookends. I like putting the drummer closer to the front of the stage where people can appreciate the instrument more closely. Janie’s playing is a big part of the band’s kinetic energy and  it’s unusual to hear a female drummer who plays with her level of intensity. It’s also nice to have the drummer recognized as part of the “front line” rather than being toward the back of the stage.
During our set, the club projected “Baraka” onto the wall behind us, which was an interesting touch. I’m sure people wondered whether we usually played our set while video of the Balinese Monkey Chant was being projected onto us.

I’m looking forward to next weekend’s gig. We’re playing in Ballard at the “Live Girls Theater”, and the stage is somewhat unusual. It will present another opportunity for us to experiment with our setup. It’s my understanding that there is a projection screen available and we might attempt to put it to use during our set. Since we’ve already used “Baraka” perhaps we need to branch out into another choice…

Last night’s Preons practice was something of an avant-garde extravaganza. It was the debut of the Warr Guitar, the MIDI trigger pedals, the digitech Whammy pedal, and the Boss Slicer. I busied myself all night trying to consistently find the right strings and frets on the Warr Guitar, switching back to bass for a bit. Bass feels much more natural and effortless to me but I’m sure I’ll get there with the Warr as well. Brad and Josh had a twitterfest with the Slicer and they each took a few laps with the Whammy pedal. We accomplished the mission of expanding our sonic palette and I’m sure some of this sonic mayhem will find a place in our live set.

My immediate thoughts on the Warr is that I need to spend time dialing in some effects tuned to its enormous sonic range. All of my current effect patches are either set up for guitar or bass, but not both simultaneously. Clearly I need something specialized for this instrument and I’ll make time this weekend to do some programming. The Preons are proving to be an excellent laboratory for sound and music. I’m really enjoying the creativity of the band.

Last night’s gig was our best yet. We’re locking in on some great elements within our music and the internal focus is really improving. There are lots of external factors that influence the quality of a show, and among them are the other bands on the bill. Last night The Preons were the final performer in a night of four bands. Note to promoters out there: it’s really crummy to book four bands on the same night. The agreement among the bands, and with the bar, was the each band would play a 45 minute set in order to avoid having the last band (us) starting so late. Someone (sound operator usually) really needs to be the big meanie and enforce set times.

When I arrived at the bar at 6:30 last night I represented 25% of the total population of the room – including the bartender! The sound operator arrived about 20 minutes later, followed by a few social drinkers stopping by to get a quick cocktail before heading home. I left at 8:00 to run down the street for 1 Uppers rehearsal. At that point people and musicians were still drifting in. There was no indication the first band was ready to begin, but I assumed they’d be underway before too long. When I returned from my rehearsal shortly after 10:00 I discovered that the second band was only just starting their 45 minute set. One hour and ten minutes later they finished. The next band started ten minutes later, and they played an hour-plus set. Note to other bands out there: as much as it sucks to be slotted on a four-band bill and have your time restricted, please remember your brethren… starting late and playing late will impact everything that is scheduled to occur after you. And so some time around 12:30, The Preons began our 45 minute set, playing to the faithful handful of people who had stayed long enough to hear us. Two friends of mine stuck it out and stayed until the end of our set (thanks Chris and Don!).

The set was pretty standard for a Preons gig, but we really had a good lock on the music. Josh seemed very relaxed and comfortable, and his vocals had an unusual urgency. Janie was supremely confident. After our set, two people from other bands came up and complimented her on her playing. That’s especially gratifying when it comes from fellow musicians. Brad, as usual, was great. He plays with a consistently high level of musicianship and awareness, which raises the overall experience for the balance of the band. I was very satisfied last night with my playing, despite a couple of minor spots where my rhythm was a little loose. The Ashdown rig delivers such immediacy on the low end of my bass that I found myself tempted to dial down the lower frequencies a bit.

We hit our stride from the first notes of the opener “Cobra Kai” and cruised through the set nicely. I had a lot of fun playing big chords on the bass. I think my brain is already absorbing the idea that I’ll be using the Warr Guitar, and my patterns are opening up into wider voicings and two-handed parts. After the show I had a nice conversation with the young woman who played bass in the band before us. She played both electric bass guitar and 7/8 acoustic (upright) bass, and it’s obvious she has classical training. It’s probably one of more satisfying post-gig bass summits that I’ve had. That conversation probably lasted 15 minutes and by the time I loaded up the car and headed for home it was already close to 2:00 AM. Four hours of sleep, and I got up to head for work. Thank goodness for the awesome power of caffeine!