Thoughts On The 7/21 Dudley Manlove Quartet Performance
On Thursday 7/21, The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed an outdoor show at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. This is both an unusual weekday evening for us to perform, and an unusual venue. The stage was outdoors near the South side of the mall, situated on patio that is sloped to help water drain away from the mall entrance. As a result, everything on the stage had a peculiar forward lean. I arrived early to scout the performance area. Once I was set up I ran through some scales to warm up. A few young skaters wandered by and one of them yelled “IRON MAN!” which I happily obliged him by playing. I found him later and asked why he had requested that song. His response: “because Ozzy fricking rules!” Difficult logic to refute.
Once the rest of the band arrived we were set up and ready for action pretty quickly. It was a bit chilly playing outdoors. One might expect a late-July outdoor gig to be warm, but this *is* the Pacific Northwest. It’s a bit of a challenge to keep a guitar in tune when it’s cold outdoors, and I had to tune a few times each set as the instrument reached a stable temperature. This is the second gig we’ve done since I pulled the buffer pedal from my pedalboard. I expected it would provide a quiet signal boost but it seems to be injecting significant RFI into my signal path… it sounds like I’m getting a radio signal. I haven’t attempted to troubleshoot the device and it’s currently sitting on the bench in my garage. Since removing it I’ve noticed my rig is much quieter.
I’m still on the hunt for a Boogie Lonestar, but the Fender is doing a great job of delivering the goods. Overall, another successful outing for the band, and certainly a memorable one as mall gigs go…