A year ago, I was really having a hard time coming up with new, "exciting" bass lines. I was convinced that my creativity was tapped out.
Apparently, I was wrong.
Since I've been having to come up with new lines again, I used most of my tricks up pretty fast. Playing in a three piece, however, presents a bunch of new problems, though (mostly having to play a lot less of my big, fat, tied whole notes). Tonight, serendipitous fuck-up led into something new that actually worked out quite well:
Play the line backwards.
Seriously, it's totally an easy solution to boring boring boring rock bass playing. Another great success.
I'm not the only one to mention this, but dude really did influence me a lot. I can't dance my way out of a paper sack, but I appreciate great dancers and choreographers; MJ was both.
Honestly, when I was a kid, MJ dating Brooke Shields really upset me--I wanted to date Brooke Shields, damnit. Hell, I still do.
For practice, I learn his songs. Playing sequenced synth-bass lines is a real endurance challenge, not to mention that usually they aren't really easy lines to play with any fluidity.
'Thriller' is a classic robotic line. I love to play it, but I could never never do the dance. The makeup is fuckin' great.
'Beat It' has a great main riff (thank you Quincy Jones) and Eddie VH on the solo. EVH makes it sound effortless on the record. This video has Jennifer Batten handling the guitar duties (she rocks, seriously. I should've gone out to Littleton to see her recently):
Slash did a dope version, though. I love the Slash....
I'm sad at his passing, and even more sad that he won't be frozen. The cryonics is one of my favorite things to read about. We won't care once the nanotechnology is a common thing. That's what I'm counting on (and saving for).
If we can improve for the next show, it'll be awesome. I only fucked up twice: once because I was in the ozone, and once because of a drum freakout fill that ran over the one. Otherwise, not too shabby for only being together for a month, really.
I'm actually a little bit edgy about tonight. My O'Dea visualizations just aren't helping anymore. Once it's over, though, I won't have to worry about the debut.
Ross asked me recently for a compilation of the old RC crap that I have. Unfortunately, I think that I have lost some tracks (notably, "AM Radio"), due to hard drive mortality. I still have the drives in question, but I'm not that motivated to pay someone to retrieve the data. Among the classic rock is surely crap that'll embarrass me. Once I'm dead, someone can recover that stuff.
I haven't listened to much RC for a long long lonely time (like Robert Plant). I still stand behind my playing, though. We were actually a passable band. I'd love to redo it all now, though, because we're all certainly better players now.
One of the coolest things that I heard tonight is the Local Shakedown live set from 11-21-2003 (I think that it was 2004, but that's what it's tagged as). I love that my brother recorded it off the air, so this recording has all the am boom box goodness:
There's so much material, mistakes, out takes, and instrumental stuff (and some duplicates). It's quite a catalog that I've kept up. Once I give Ross this crap, I think that I'll delete it once and for all.
I'm finally getting back in the swing with two bands. BLC is digging through all of our old recordings, so that we can finally bury all those unfinished ones. It's interesting to hear scraps of songs that already got used in some way. Some of the material is really quite metallic, which is okay, because those Master of Puppets-esque lines are a lot of fun to play (certainly, we thrash much slower, but I get lots more time to play fills, if I choose to, so it's cool). I still love that record.
I'm really digging the 4x10" since I switched out the Chinese drivers. It's a lot more aggressive and doesn't have the muffled tone so much anymore. It still doesn't exactly do that crappy compressed 4x10" sound (probably since Greg modified it into a ported cab). I've been obsessing about some folded horn designs that I found recently found on the internets, though. I don't know wtf is up with doppler distortion in drivers, but I'm reading a lengthy article about it. I might just have to build one once I get through with my other projects. That shouldn't take too long, really, if I just do it. I have a great start and I've learned some tricks at this point that will speed up the process of redoing the four cabinets.
I saw Bad Weather California Friday night, and they were bad ass. I don't know who the dude playing drums is, but he kicked some ass. The whole band was on. They've done some work at the Bluebird since I was there last, and I like the darker walls (the lighting isn't so freak-me-out in the crowd).
I went to the American Relay show last night, and they were great. 3Kings seems to have fortified the PA, maybe. I never pay attention unless I'm in the crowd. The real treat for me was Adam Lee and the Dead Horse Sound Company. They're doing a honky tonk-esque deal. I would've preferred a whole band, but the duo pulled it off. Add a string bass, and they would've been fucking amazing.
Tomorrow night, I'm going to make it to the Bill Callahan show. That guy's music mostly blows my mind. Last time he came through, I had some other obligation or illness.
Thor Harris is one of my favorite drummers. Seriously. I love that tiny rock-stick...most vile tones from that longhorn, though.
The Private Club of the Satan's Helpers debut show is on Friday. It's practically a secret show, which is how I'd like it to go off. I'm actually quite nervous (as one should be for a debut). We'll get through it, but I'm doing my O'Dea visualizations (which are hard to do since I know nothing about the venue). I've been pimping the band around town to people who will talk to me. At least one dude seemed excited about the new project. I'm excited to play in a trio because I actually get to play and filling in the gaps is great fun.
July and August are going to be off the hook busy for me. BLC has another two-month break coming up (that was the big news today). We're going to use it to write/record some shit. We're going to wind up with a full-length release if we're not careful.
I'm doing pretty well with the new "no blogs" policy, actually. It's hard for me to not bear my soul or post inane shit, really. I have some gear angst to post 'bout this weekend, or soon, though.
At work, I've been covering vacations for two weeks, and getting home late and drinking less (have to be thinking sort of clear in the a.m.), and kind of sick with some hurtful version of bad-ass-steve. That rat-bastard is back; trying to kill me. At least it isn't his brother, right? It all started with either the Chinese "medicine" or the Vietnamese food. Kip would damn zipper-heads at this point (he's allowed to say that shit, but unfortunately I'll start incorporatin' it into the JZ vernacular), but I'm more concerned with getting well and dealin' with this (amazing, really) shit. I feel better after some beverages, and I'm certain that I'll sleep through the night. I need to eat apples or flaked instant potatoes or popcorn (poopcorn) or under-cooked pasta.
Today, Mahoney and I had a morning meeting regarding the contract with the landfill. He apparently didn't feel like an open fly was an issue. I'm glad that he felt like putting on pants this morning. The old guy embarrasses me unbeknownst to him. He's always done that, though ("you've got big tits," etc). I wish that I had a little more control over the business, but he goes out of his way to elude me (then he gets pissed that I'm not reading minds).
Ross is my only friend that understands the acronym RCH as a unit of measurement. It must be like an "Oklahoma guarantee" or something. My mom taught me of that unit, and the guarantee.
Ross is interested in chorus pedals, apparently. I told him that they're satanic for bass players. He actually really likes 12-string guitar, it seems. That's more easy for my lame ears to deal with. Personally, I LOVE the 12-string sound. Some 12-string guitar video clips that I enjoy:
Stairway to Heaven (live, from The Song Remains The Same). The 12 starts at the 2nd verse (in my best estimation, that's what I'd call it).
Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower...all the rhythm guitar is 12-string acoustic, and the timing is so so so strange on the up-beat:
I've heard that Jimi himself played the bass line himself, after Noel stormed out of the session. The other rumor is that Billy Cox played it. I don't care, because I first heard it on a jukebox in College Station, TX, at a burger place, and it blew my mind.
This is a terrible cover/tribute version. On Quaaludes, or something. Lots of echo on the vocal.
Of course, there's the 'King of the 12-string," Leadbelly....
That classical-style headstock is badass, totally.
This is worth noting because I've had to keep it quiet for months. Conceptually, it's comedic because BLC and the general public are like oil and water.
