It’s a strange thing to be on stage, wearing a suit and tie, before dawn. This morning 80s Invasion played a show at Seattle Center with a 7:00 AM downbeat (!). The show was a kickoff for the United Way’s “Day of Caring” program, hosted by Lori Matsukawa of King 5 News in Seattle.
For this gig I decided not to haul my guitar rig, opting to use my smaller bass amp. It actually works out pretty well, and since the amp is designed in the shape of a wedge (like a monitor), it sits nicely and projects directly at me. I got a little far afield on “Take On Me” because it was our second song, and (more likely) because I hadn’t succeeded in finding any coffee yet. Fortunately, the Seattle Center has a Starbucks location just a stone’s throw from the stage and I managed to get my morning inspiration between sets. The Mural Amphitheater stage was covered with a big all-weather plastic tent, which means the stage sound was something like being inside a hamster ball.
Overall, I’d say it was a succesful gig. People got up and danced. They sang along. Some people even “walked like an Egyptian” which is amazing considering the early hour.
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Posted in:
Music,
My Bands
A few years ago, OLP introduced the Tony Levin model bass. I was intrigued by Tony’s comments about the planning and design of this instrument, and was in the market for an affordable fretted 5 string so I ordered one from a local dealer. In the two years I’ve owned it, I’m happy to report I’ve really enjoyed this instrument. It has been solidly performing on all my gigs with The Preons, and sounds great on my various recording projects. This is the only fretted bass I currently own; my other basses are a fretless Warwick Corvette and a fretless P-Bass.
The Tony Levin model is based on a 5 string Music Man Stingray, but this model has a slightly narrower neck profile. OLP produces these instruments in China under license from Ernie Ball / Music Man. It’s not a Stingray, but it’s a decent instrument and is a very good value. To get an appreciably better bass, you’d need to spend a lot more than the $349 suggested list price (a 5 string Stingray is priced at about $1,000 more than the OLP version). In my limited email interactions with OLP, they’ve been responsive and helpful. One a scale of 1 to 10, this instrument rates an 8.5 from me. It’s a great balance of value and features.
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Our show at The Comet Tavern last night was interesting and enjoyable. The Comet is a justifiably celebrated venue in Seattle’s punk / DIY music scene, and many great local bands played there on their way to either stardom or obscurity. It’s one of the those places where great energy still fuels the creative output of musicians.
The stage is small. So small, in fact, that it’s really more of a triangular drum riser. After Janie set up her drums there was sufficient space remaining for my bass amp and for me. So I had a cozy spot on stage right, which is opposite my usual outpost. I turned toward Janie so I could watch her; she hits her drums with a lot of energy and it’s easier for me to sync up if I can see how she’s playing. Josh and Brad set up on the floor in front of us, more or less facing each other, which was a cool staging idea. There were four bands on the bill last night, with the Preons playing second. I really enjoyed hearing “Gozer” (local band with awesome name) and “Bear Hunter” (on tour from Chico, CA). Unfortunately I didn’t stay long enough to hear “Knives” play. One of the disadvantages of working so early in the morning is that I just can’t stay out and hear music on school nights. Josh was fighting some kind of cold bug but he persevered, bolstered by a cup of hot herb tea.
Overall, I’m increasingly satisfied with how the Preons are coming together. Last night’s show was musically satisfying, and I think we did a good job of putting the music first and finding new ideas in the more exploratory sections of our songs.
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Posted in:
Music,
My Bands
I have always gravitated toward interesting musicians who deliver a compelling, well-crafted groove. One of my favorite musicians is Tony Levin, and he always seems to be at the center of music I’m listening to. It’s largely due to Tony’s playing that I bought a Chapman Stick. My first attempts at transcribing bass parts were a result of hearing Tony’s recordings with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson. I consider myself blessed that I have been able to spend time with him and chat over an espresso. Heck, I’ve even loaded his gear down a couple of flights of stairs… guesss that makes me a fan / friend / roadie / guy.
Tony recently sent me a pre-release copy of his forthcoming CD Stick Man. I own all of his solo releases along with a large number of his band releases (I don’t make any attempt to collect everything he’s recorded… the man’s discography is immense). The upcoming release is a bold and musically adventuresome recording, and it’s become my favorite CD of the year. Among Tony’s gifts is the ability to always create an interesting tone and a well-crafted bass line.
Based on the CD title you can guess that Tony plays a lot of Chapman Stick on these tracks. It’s sometimes difficult to determine the bass from Stick tones. There is some very interesting processing on these instruments, and I hear a little of Tony’s classical training showing up in these sounds. Overall, it holds together cohesively as an album, which is every bit as important as the individual songs. I’m also intrigued by the vocals on this CD and look forward to hearing the material played live.
This release is stellar. Get out there and love this CD immediately!
Posted in:
Bass,
CDs,
Music
I’m experimenting this week is using a new desktop application that helps manage my work day by breaking up each hour into 5 units consisting of
- 10 minutes of uninterrupted work
- 2 minutes of break
In the project management community, this is known as the “(10 + 2) * 5” rule. The concept behind it is pretty simple, and it is designed to accommodate the interruption-driven nature of the workday.
So, every ten minutes my little timer application informs me I have 2 minutes to do other things such as check email, get up to stretch, or in this case, to write a quick blog posting. I’ll keep notes on my weekly productivity to determine whether this has actually yielded a benefit. But for now… the timer says BACK TO WORK…
Teri and I replaced our ancient CRT computer monitors this weekend, opting for identical LCD units. Both of our office computers were in need of upgrades, so this was a welcome change from our old units. The new monitors are much thinner and lighter than our old tube-based units, and look very nice. Teri’s upgrade was much easier than mine. It seemed like all she had to do was plug it in and everything was working beautifully.
My computer was a little more difficult…
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This summer that I made my first visit to the Evergreen State Fair. I’ve lived in Washington state for thirty years but just hadn’t managed to get to it. Fortunately, my wise friend David suggested that this might be a fun expedition for our families. It turned out to be a wonderful day full of animals, small donuts, and fun. The comedy team of Ball and Hendow was expanded to a rapid-fire improv troupe including wives and children. Definitely a good day at the fair.
This fair has the classic vibe one would expect… it has the exhibition halls full of animals, a large equestrian arena, race track for sprint cars, rides, midway, delicious unhealthy food and (to Teri’s delight) pig races. This was a wonderful day and I’m delighted that we went.
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