Spinal Tap Recording

Yesterday we did drums for three songs. We've devised a technique to allow overdubs, while keeping a "live" feel (especially for the drums sake). I have no doubt that we could each chug through to a click track solo. It's a lot better to record drums, one guitar, bass and vocals in one pass. It seemed to work out for "Stevie Johnston", so we've kept it up. The next couple of weeks means overdubs of violin, vocals, bass, cymbals and several guitars. I really enjoy working with everyone in the studio because it's all about teamwork and everyone does their part for the art. After we finish up, it actually feels good; like we've accomplished something.

My orange one's new pickups seem to sound pretty nice. The Fralins are definitely more aggressive than stock. I actually used the Sansamp (check out the new and improved model) as intended instead of using a Radial DI. Greg commented that it's nice because it compresses quite a bit, so I don't have to be so careful. I still think that the damn thing sounds too bright, but it actually sits in the mix (very rough at this point) pretty well. It's not as crunchy as my amps, but it'll work for the overdub sessions for everyone. Apparently, that bass has a lot more sustain than I thought it did. It was out-ringing cymbals and Josh's Reverend. We're all standing around looking at each other at the end of each song, waiting for the bass to stop. It was a lot like this:

Organ Parts?

Today I got asked if I'd like to play organ on a friend's upcoming record. Apparently, the word is out, and Jeremy Paul Jones rides again. I replied that I'd like to, but I can only give an Oklahoma guarantee as far as the quality of my performance goes.

Wow...Not Even On The Television News Yet

Seriously. Channel 31 is more concerned that it's fucking snowing.

I can completely understand how someone can feel such a way. I've made it known that the Colorado Department of Revenue and Qwest aren't two of my favorite things. The IRS only sort of gets me down. My biggest gripes are with the inherent inefficiency in bureaucracy. I got in a (verbal) fight with a sociology professor about that once. Fucker.

There's some creepy (to me) details in CNN's Story:

Texas plane crash pilot: 'I have just had enough

It's crappy to crash a plane into an occupied building, for sure. My band mates also mostly avoid political and religious talk, because it could potentially tear the band apart. We're there to make beautiful music together, not bitch about the man. If something's really bothering any of us, though, it's not unusual to vent a little to each other. Both of my bands are quite therapeutic that way. They're awesome for me.

Time Capsule

Recently, Ross found some of the "Adolph sessions", which were recorded November 7, 2004 in the big, bad studio at the Auraria campus by the one and only Chris Adolph. I can sort of make out the phantasmal backing vocals on the chorus. Those singers were Marie Litton, Joe Sampson, and "some dude from the DU recording school that was there helping Chris". This is the only existing track, which is complete with studio chatter during the solo (I'll bet that the talk back microphone was left on by accident--this seems to happen a lot). The others aren't complete, and Chris has misplaced the DAT tapes, so they never will be. It sounds pretty nice; I've got a couple of gripes, but no big ones. I'm glad that these recordings surfaced. That wicked Abby Road console sure did sound nice.

"...Sinister Overtones, But It's Also Beautiful."

The BLC somehow managed to get airplay on Route 78 West this last Sunday. Uncle Jeff's show usually makes my morning mood instead of going to church, and is probably my favorite radio show. Check out the play list and podcast here.

Hilarious.

I didn't know that this was being announced already. I'm stoked to do it again. It looks like we're going to have to eat candy canes and kick ass.

Red Cloud plans to put the old gang back together for a show later this summer
By Dave Herrera in Hearsay
Wed., Jan. 6 2010 @ 10:32AM

Just received word that Red Cloud (aka Red Cloud West), which has been on hiatus for quite some time now as its members devoted time to their other creative endeavors (Git Some, Bad Luck City, the Fire Drills, Ross Etherton & the Chariots of Judah), has plans to reconvene at some point this summer for a one-off show.

The revered live act, which features our own Jason Heller, will reportedly be playing its self-titled debut in its entirety with original bassist, Jeremy Ziehe (who now holds down the low end for Bad Luck City) in tow. If a single show doesn't sound all that noteworthy, you clearly haven't seen Red Cloud live -- or it's been so long you've forgotten just how epic the band can be. A date hasn't been set yet, but we hear that 3 Kings Tavern will most likely be the venue. We'll keep you posted.

The difference is that it won't be nearly as drunk. Sadly, I don't remember most of those shows. Those early shows were a hell of a good time, even if they were drunk and hairy and sweaty:

I Don't Know What I'm Doing.

I finally figured out DVD ripping, but I'm not getting the fiddle-dee that I'd like. Maybe there's a trick to YouTube that I don't know. If I figure this out, I'll "fix" it.

Finally.

Great news really caps off a great weekend for me. I learned of this a few weeks ago, and I was stoked, but didn't want to announce it. Now that it's official, I can comment. It's about fuckin' time for this. I was pretty bummed out to hear about the break up. The SOBs are some of my favorite guys to hang out with. Here's the note from the band:

Hey ya'll,

Well, it's official.

On March 5th, come join us at Dante's for our first time on stage together in over three years. We're going to be playing a long set to fit in all of our favorite songs. It's going to be a night that you won't want to miss!

We'll have T-shirts available. If things go as planned, we will also have a new CD available containing songs that we had recorded, but not yet released. We're all excited that you'll finally get to hear them.

We haven't hammered out all of the details for the night yet, so check in with us before the show.

Come check us out on Facebook and leave a comment with the top three SOB songs you want to hear at the show, and a favorite SOB moment if you have one!

Mike D, Jon, Dave, Flap, and Mole

www.icanlickanysob.com

Like Goin' To Church

We made our offering to the music and radio gods this morning. Technical issues aside, I think that we pulled it off. Magical Trevor was hung-over, and Ross hasn't had enough sleep recently, so we were a really rough bunch. It was fun, though.

Once the podcast is up, I'll link through to it here (the audio link is up at the top of the page). Photos were taken, so those will probably wind up somewhere, too. Hopefully, Ross' impromptu noise session will make it out for public consumption, even if it didn't go over the air. I did get a BLC mention on the air.

The Route 78 West crew are really a fun group. Music has been bumming me out lately. Talking to and seeing people really excited about music (all different kinds) really was helpful for curing my bad attitude. I wish that I had been feeling a little better (I feel like I'm coming down with some crud), and could have gone for the "traditional" post-show margaritas (maybe next time). Jeff said that he has a bunch of bootlegged early RC shows that I'm interested in getting my hands on.

I feel like I've got a hangover, but that's impossible. I've certainly got a case of the dehydration. I require fluids and vitamins.

----------------
Now playing: Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down

1372 Overton Park full album stream by Lucero @ ARTISTdirect.com

1372 Overton Park full album stream by Lucero @ ARTISTdirect.com

I don't know if I like it quite as much as them playing our equipment; drunk as hell at Monkey Mania for one of those after-hours deals. That was a fun show/party.

I really don't dig the horns on this recording. I generally like horns, but it feels like it loses something, like some of those super-produced Who records. NMH did horns right.

Jazzed.

I'm totally workin' for the weekend this week, just like Loverboy says:



Next weekend exemplifies why I require at least two music projects (Kelly and Andrew both make me horribly jealous because their other projects actually play out often--I do like that mine is Nice 'N Easy, though):

Friday night is a rehearsal cum laude with the Chariots.

Saturday night is with Bad Luck City, opening for Slim Cessna's Auto Club--this should be completely off the hook--costumes are ready; the music is ready.

Sunday night, Ross Etherton and The Chariots of Judah are live on the radio. Ross and I did our last (or only) live radio gig November 21, 2003 (listen over here)...this is going to be super-fun.

Truly "A Heavy Metal Overdose"

Ross finally put up one of the demos on the space. The track in question is 'Any Port in a Storm.'

"Magical" Trevor really did a nice job for a "let it bleed-style" recording in one room, really. All the years of recording econo have paid off. The solo guitars are overdubs, but that's it. The solo feels really like some slow version of low-fee NMH chaos, but that's completely understandable, because they rocked:



I still want to know how we got the "round sound" going on. The bass was so quiet during the tracking that the tubes couldn't really do their thing--I need to get myself a low-wattage rig for such nonsense.

One For TM

I've Never Been Home This Early After Playing A Show.

This one goes down as one of the best damn shows that we've played together. Peppered among the unsuspecting, inappropriately-dressed cougars, were some of our superfans (who've heard these damn songs enough times that they know what the mix is supposed to be). The superfans (something like the SuperFriends) said that the sound was great. As far as "monitors," it was way sweeter than a certain sandstone amphitheater that I can think of. Actually, it was just like rehearsal, except not in a boomy concrete room, and with freaked-out-looking watchers. We're often much better at rehearsal because we're comfortable. Shania gets to experience the best versions of everything.

Apparently (I played virtually the whole set with my eyes closed), a little girl made her way to the "stage," and was looking rather stunned, according to onlookers. I hope that it wasn't during the "fuck" songs. We've been trying with these last few sets to build up to "Stealth" and "Blood Trail" since every BLC + unsuspecting public is an experiment. Apparently, they had some truly terrible shows before I joined the band (the Ogden; the burrito place). I really want to play a chicken wire country bar (there's a term for that, but I can't think of it) with this band, as well as a real juke (we'll have to go to 'sippi for that).

I did, however, have one missed note. A dude was doing flash photography (odd since the lights were on), and it totally got me for a beat. I had one measure of bizarreness on "Stealth" when the hands were doing their own thing for whatever reason (I was thinking about this leg/foot/ankle pain). I got right back on it, and I don't feel that bad 'bout it since the rest of the set was damn good.

Andrew Warner is my favorite drummer to play with, period. After all this time (starting in 2002 with the OG-RC), we generally play pretty damn well together, but tonight was really really special for me. The rhythm section was on like donkey kong, and I think that the rest of the band grooved (far out, man) on that. I love that guy. I can't imagine playing better with anyone else. I do indeed use him to make it sound like I'm playing with power. He's probably my best musical buddy. It was a trascendental set, rhythmically, for me. I hope that he gets that. Somehow, we were completely on the same wavelength for the fills [our art (improvisation) is in the fill, a la Ringo]. I love that guy.

Great fun tonight, for sure. I'm so done.

A Sausage Fest (could be "Gothic Power Violence" v. JZ)

Recording was a hoot, and there was a lot of sausage eaten (seriously, no double entendre here). Dameon, Andrew, Greg and I did parts for two songs: "God Damn Sinner" and "Rebel". Both were a piece of cake. Shortly after we did our parts, some of Uncle Chuck's friends arrived (BLC is too punctual, usually). The female voices really filled the parts out nicely--you get punch from the male voices and clarity from the female voices. It could have been done in a handful of takes, but Chuck wanted some really thick sounds (probably to compete with those bad-ass guitars). This is going to be a great record. Of course, Eve got in on the action, and she doesn't stick out in the unmixed group (totally amazed me; she's a neat kid, even if she's taken to calling me ZEEHEE).

Margret brought more [Polish] sausage and [Polish] cheese and [Polish] beer. After bratwurst, I was waiting for someone to have an infarction. There otta be a law...

Greg introduced me to someone as "our amazing bassist and, now, organist." That was actually pretty cool, because I'm not amazing, but I've learned to take a compliment. Ray Manzarek I'm not, but I guess that once that comp drops (late September is what that email sez), I'll be the bassist/organist. It doesn't count if you don't do it live, though. I won't allow that to happen. I never really dug playing keys live, although it gives you a good place to hide when the sequencer goes berserk (MIDI is evil; don't get me started).

I heard some stuff from the RR show, too. It was Andrew's recorder that was stationed at the FOH desk. The mix was a lot better there than in the monitors, for sure. Besides the lush lush lush natural reverb (too much, really), it sounds pretty good. We're going to see if we can dry it up a bit with the SPL Transient Designer. It seems that there's no limit to signal processing these days. The Norse Audio God was explaining this "magic box" to me, and I'm stunned that one can manipulate transients' attack and decay so easily. I'd have to fiddle a lot with compressors and gating to remove excessive reverb, but this thing apparently makes it easy easy.

Not Too Shabby.

Last night, the BLC did the UMS set fairly well, considering that 2/3 of the band was injured. The magic of pharmaceuticals was working for us.

I actually think that we killed. The crowd was into it, but more people were probably at the HD to check out the quitter bands. Uncle Chuck was stoked on our set, and he's seen this band longer than anyone. I hope that LA works out for him--he's worked pretty damn hard at what he does.

I realized that I actually know quite a few folks, too. Once a year, everyone comes out of their hobbit hole for the UMS, and it's cool to see some people and say high.

It was a good time, even if I had to work very early this morning. The oxycodone and soma are treating me well, even if I'm not so into doing much of anything. Hopefully, this injury will subside soon.

Like Those Hip Musicians With Their Complicated Shoes!

I had to get a new pair of sneakers because I've walked the sole off of my 507s. Actually, only the left shoe is totally done. I think that's part of the reason that I'm getting the sciatica again--this time, it's on both sides, and really unpleasant--I need to get to the doctor for some drugs once it's debilitating. Hopefully, I can get through August before getting disabled again.

I think that Andrew and I are the only people that wear the New Balances. I like 'em because I can easily get an 11.5 EEE.

These 473s are like a stealth bomber for my feet, but at least they're made in the USA:

I love that New Balance imports Indonesian 4-year-olds and makes shoes in this country. I also love that I can't manage to find a pair of jeans that fits my stubby legs.

The "Bird" Chord (I'm Just Like Clapton)

Back in the day, while watching a live Eric Clapton video, my brother and I realized that dude uses a lot of "bird" chords. Certainly, these are related to barré chords, but when Beavis and Butthead and watching, it's a "bird" chord. I thought for years that Clapton does it for the A-barré chords, but the cover of Slowhand (probably my favorite EC record--call me lame) reveals that it's a really serious G chord (with a high D...nice). I love the "bird" chords:



Doug Beam caught me with my eyes open last Saturday night. I've harassed him before, but this one is pretty good (NOT a D.Boon shot, thanks so much, Doug):



Clearly, I'm doing a "bird" chord (I'm watching my hands). Doug must've snapped me during "Choptank River", "Stealth", or "Accident". I'm in fifth position, without teeth-gritting, so it's probably at the coda of "Accident". I play a lot of chords in this band, so that the 'fuckin'' guitarists can do their 'banjo' stuff.

Damn...my past life's (one of 'em, anyway) hand-breakage is evident in that photo. I would've taken better care of my hands if I ever would've thunk that I'd be playing a stringed instrument.

If I could go back in time, I'd have a talk with myself.

Presidential? (show recap, equipment woes, etc.)

I don't see the resemblance, and it's sort of troubling me. I should've had more than one beer, then I wouldn't even care this morning.It was good to finally meet Katherine--having a face to put with a name is pretty wild. She's been really great to us, and I hope that the benefit was successful.

Our set was alright--we ended on a strong note, anyway. People love Girls of St. Maggie's Parish, and it's always cool to get a reaction from the first two notes. We had one near fail on the newest one. I hate that crap--you play beautifully during rehearsal, and just about eat shit on a stage. Oh well...we'll just have to work on that one some more.

The new speakers are a lot brighter than the blown Chinese set. It sounds really great soloed, but with the rest of the band, I miss the dull tone. I ran the gain up a little high, but I need to pull some of the highs out. Now that the 4x10" is mine, I need to figure it out. I'd like to do it up with Duratex, along with the electric grandparents. Once I get that project completed, I've been really interested in some DIY cabinet designs that are out on the Talkbass:



A 1x12" might be really cool. I've been looking at lots of smaller alternatives--I'm so tired of hauling big cabs around town. I'll be needing serious amps for later this summer, though, so I can't get rid of the big guns (both Josh and Greg are looking for extension cabinets). For bar shows, though, a little (light) cab that handles 200 watts is what I'm after, assuming that I'll get some PA support. I totally need to get one of them Radial boxes--I'm starting to prefer DI to FOH (gasp).

Exhausted.

A couple of days of burning the candle at both ends, and I'm done. I totally require some performance-enhancing drugs, or something (sleep would be best).

The recording didn't happen for me; I played control room terrorist, instead. Seriously, though the songs wouldn't be served best if I were to do my thing. Once a drummer is secured, then I think that bass will be required. Baritone singer-songwriter stylings are going to be buried by bass guitar. The songs are fucking great, though. Short, but really great. My favorite one was the "Sirens' Song," which is a translation done from The Odyssey done up as a blues holler deal. It's really really really amazing.

Dude needs to release a solo ep ahora, if only to get a couple o' dollars. I think that an electronic (cheap) release could be best, and pay for a 'real' record.

Y Mucho Más Para El Cinco De Mayo

I've volunteered to play bass for a quick recording project. Should be pretty painless, but could turn into something very interesting. It's not really too unusual, but sort of 'folkie' (I'll get my ass chewed for saying that), but in a sort of John Fahey sort of way. The songs are translations of Chinese death poetry, and actually really cool. I'm excited. Tonight, I'm practicing this new music.

This really gets me off:

Show Recap; Stuff

We were far from perfect, but the crowd was pissed enough that they didn't care (this is what we count on). We made some new friends, and sold some cds. I'm still astounded by the amount of money--when I joined the band, a point was made that this band is not commercially successful (that isn't isn't even the case).

The Limbs is a one-man deal. Dude did a Tom Waits cover to close his set, and, although TW gets on my nerves usually, I was stoked. Totally worth seeing; I'll be a repeat offender.

The DJ/VJ did a mashup of Wild Thing



and Lick It Up



it was awesome.

Light Travels Faster did their thing (solid set). Later, Todd and I talked amps. I really like that guy, the rest of the band isn't very chatty.

It was great to re-connect with Mark from The Construct. I played with him 15 years ago, briefly during that post Neglected Mind period. Mark is really flourishing with the loop pedals. Dude always had impeccable time, so I'm not surprised that he's doing something technical. He's really a great drummer, along the lines of Mike Ricketts.

Tito made it down. He isn't used to seeing me play with so much tone. The new electronics and new BLC songs that I'm playing helmsman on really are different for me. I used to be uncomfortable with sparse arrangements, but not so much anymore.

BLC had some equipment casualties, though. Greg's two Les Pauls were not happy with tuning and it sounded bad, or in another key. Either my amp or Josh's made some bizarre sounds (the verge of pure DC clipping) 3/4 of the way through the set. I think that I was the offender--but it could have been the PA. After I get some rest, I need to see WTF. At least we don't have anything scheduled until 5/16, so I can work out the amp crap.

I'm stoked that I have the BLC cab at home with me, so that I can play the new bass through it and see if a useful BLC eq is to be found with a 4x10".

It looks like we're on the hook for a major (maybe) fiasco in October. Whatever...we'll be stoked to do it up--playin' for despondent college kids is totally our bag. Playing in a truck is an experience that I welcome.

I heard the preliminary mix for the compilation submission. Dameon sounds a little too AM radio; I'd like the bass and drums louder. I'm not going to bitch too much. The fuckin' Hammond track doesn't sound too bad with the new context (Josh really did some nice distortion guitar work).

I require sleep now.

Busy Weekend.

I guess I'm supposed to be "tweeting" stuff like this. LRC says that I'm supposed to use that for "I'm taking a dump" type posts. I can do that here--why would I want to subscribe to something else for people who aren't savvy enough to use feeds and aggregators and whatnot? Oprah is doing it, so perhaps I will. Maybe someday.

Friday night was my amazing tacos and vodka. I've actually been a light-weight since my ancient Chinese secret. It's a lot cheaper to catch a buzz since my Lenten booze fast.

Saturday, I awoke to no snow aqui (where was the 4 feet, dude). I cruised down to LRC's pad--it was 'nother story there--big car-sized snow boulders in the road and shit. Lame.

I wanted to see a movie to get out of the rain. We missed Fast and Furious, and I actually wanted to see He's Just Not That Into You, because Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore are in it (hot chicks to me).

During the movie, I got a call back from dude who's bass I was interested in. I arranged to meet him later, after the kids were in bed.

We picked up the minivan of doom. The dumb asses broke a bolt off in the timing cover and replaced it for twice the price. I bit my tongue, because my Mexicans would've done it cheaper (free+parts) but it probably would've involved Bondo, a sledgehammer, JB Weld, or a die grinder (likely all four). The coolant that I smelled a couple of weeks ago was indeed a fucked up water pump--I called it but didn't press the issue at the time. Whoot to me for my nose diagnostic (when driving trucks, you have to use all your senses).

<bass nonsense>

I went to Aurora to investigate the bass. Indeed it was clean, with the modifications that are required to make a 1951 design usable with modern strings and amplifiers. I'm still lukewarm about the schoolbus bass (the color needs to grow on me still):



Dig that goofy strap con los conchos, hombres. That'll go away. It only requires Grover strap locks, and some of those white felt washers (I have a bunch of 'em 'round here somewhere). It has a modern bridge, a fret job, a decent case (with keys, of all things), a setup for heavy-gauge roundwounds (I'll have to fix that), an extra set of new strings, the original bridge (in the case), a Lindy Fralin ham-backer (I'm a believer in the Lindy's hand-wound creations)--the original single-coil pickup is also in the case. I was looking for a twangier toned bass, and this one delivers--I haven't fingered it out enough to use it for BLC yet, but it's tempting. We're doing just fine with the ultra-dark JZ tone on the orange one (with over-wound Lindys).

It was cool to get an instrument that I've had on my list, and meet another local player. None of my friends actually know much about bass guitars (everyone I know plays guitar, it seems). Certainly, my pals appreciate good bass tone, but how to obtain it is sort of mysterious to them. Along those lines, I love the title of this post, even if I think that it's lame to not do your own electronics.

</bass nonsense>

After picking up the bass, I went to Tito's show. I saw Spoke Shaver (Josh Cool's new band, not what I expected, but I need to tap his luthier skills for this damn Rick) as well as Lonesome Tommy and His Lovely Lushes (looking forward to a full-band at the Meadowlark). LRC got zapped by an energy vampire and wasn't coherent enough for any more, which was a bummer because the harmonium rock afterwards looked very very very interesting to me.

Today, I cleaned house and took it easy. Then, I went to rehearsal. We ran through the set for Saturday, and basically rocked. We haven't played together as a band in a non-writing or recording session in several months, and there was only one significant stumble (which we played through--Greg was distracting me--I fucked up a chorus on one of the "hits"). It's nice to be playing with a solid group that doesn't really get cobwebs. I think that the key is that we're focusing evenly on new material as well as old material for the show. The new, old, new, old format is great for the set. I'm so excited to play a 'real' show since our last three were "events." Indeed, this one is an event, too, it appears, but it's at our "home" venue. It's going to be fun.

<recording angst>

Apparently, my Hammond parts from Friday are going to be kept, even though I 'bout had a nervous breakdown recording 'em ('how the fuck am I going to get there from here'--it was totally slow-motion playing). It almost sounds like I had lessons, so that paid off for mom (truly a funny story), but it's so damn legato and liturgical that it's not exciting by any means. I'm holding down eight finger chords and paralyzed with terror while I await the next measure--it wasn't relaxed at all. I don't even know the names of the chords--minor sevenths with suspended fourths or something--I nailed the last chord, which is what matters for the song (is he going to beat her?). Tension and release and then, maximum tension (Gm + Gmaj, interpolated and arpreggiated, and lots of tremolo/vibrato on both).

</recording angst>

EEK!!

Man...this is horrifying:



I've been watching some Hammond videos since I have to do it on Friday. I can't remember if Greg's has waterfall keys or not. I might not be able to do the glissando that I want to do (maybe I'll just eat some Popeye's first). It'll be an easy part, but hopefully add to the track. I hate the idea of burying my (actually decent for once) bass part that I did on the chorus, but I think that between the two of us, it'll be tasteful.

Greg's is an M-100 or M-102. Spinets got the nod for some classic tunes, which is awesome since BLC has two of 'em. I don't miss fold-back. His definitely has a wicked reverb tank.

This is an M-102. This article got me thinking about the song, again (wow):



This is an M-100, and it sounds totally majestic to me still after all these years. Not my favorite song, though.

Mine is a "rare" M. They only made a few of 'em in 1947 or 1948. It has waterfall keys. What it really needs is a new amp with a line out (has a hinkey field-coil speaker setup) and percussion, like an M-3. Booker T was the coolest M-3 user (check out those Marshalls, though):

He Is Risen!

As much as I love Jesus (zombie worship is cool), it seems that Easter was a much more secular deal at my haus as a kid. It was way better than Christmas, because we got lots and lots of candy (which was verboten the rest of the year), gifts, and it was the beginning of Spring. I was horrified recently to learn that none of my friends grew up with an Easter tree, and (even more horrifying) that that don't have Easter trees for their kids (note that Nitwit doesn't have an Easter tree, though--it's tempting to put some ears on her for Easter, though). Ross informed me that Easter trees are a very German thing and he had an impressive one when he lived in Austria. I'm basically out of touch with WTF is my German heritage and what's normal. So, I had an Easter tree and bunnies and baskets.

Apparently, Ross is right, and the Germans take Easter quite seriously. This is awesome, even if the title is "Scary German Bunny Man":

Scary German Bunny Man
Uploaded by DiagonalView

I'm happy to have had that experience growing up. I really ought to explore my heritage a bit more.

I Hate Working On Cars; More Weird Ipod Finds

I made the batmobile run correctly this morning. Cars suck to work on because there's lots of fragile parts to break. I busted a square (!!) plastic hose that was brittle--why don't they just use cheap, round, rubber hoses?!? That's what I replaced it with. The little bastard runs awesome now, and it only took three hours. Note to self--it helps to remove the little cardboard piece from the spark plug before attempting to thread it--I was horrified that I had cross-threaded the head--fortunately, I'm just a total dumb-ass.

I'm so done with foreign-made conveyances. I require a big, old, domestic pickup truck, I think. There's a late 50s GMC stepside that I've been eyeing on my Monday route. It's really pretty--a recent restore with silver paint. I need to take a photo of that one.

Now that I'm back home (went to the shop to use the tools), I'm attempting to organize stuff, including music files, papers, and the cable entropy. I have lots and lots of duplicate music files. I get distracted when I hear tunes, which makes it so much worse to do housekeeping with a soundtrack. I had to learn this one because I love the "upside-down-power-chord" bass parts. It's one of those "psychedelic" deals with fourths--the late sixties were full of this interval in "rock" bass lines. I use it for its "hypnotic" quality as much as I can get away with (it's easy to thump away a lot of notes, but requires super legato and clean muting for the best effect).

Curiously, though, Zager and Evans are from fuckin' Nebraska. You learn something every day, right? This one's for Fuckin' Ronny:


2525 is total fantasy since we're all doomed in 2012. It's a cool pop song, though.

"Unbearably Beautiful"

Like Pete Townsend, I can't explain...any better than Ronny does. Thanks for eine kleine suessspeise:

Dude!!!
It is imperative that you check out this outstanding guitar playing/singing....an outstanding and unbearably beautiful combination of flamenco, Moroccan, Arabic and Jewish religious music.



The notes that dude holds are incredible. The flamenco thing made me think of you.

I don't know why I'm so flamenco (perhaps my obsession with the palmas), and but I dig it, especially when the band gets going.

We're All Going To Get Sued.

I like to find myself via Google just to see what nonsense I'm up to. I was a little frightened when I found this. Sure, you have to click 'read more,' but I'm totally there. The bad thing is that the boys got a cease and desist letter after I left the band, thus, the name change.

I'm sure that sending this photo when the christian festival asked for a band photo back in the day didn't help our lawsuit viability. I can't believe that I found this...



Note my BLC t-shirt, Ross on the BMX, and Jason's stunt double (he was out of town). Madness. Andrew's beer got cropped out.

A New Project; A New Trick

Last night I got a demo of one of the tracks that I'm to do up a bass part for. This is really really sad music. I can do sad music, but I'm starting to wonder about doing so much of it. The best part is that I'm not sad (not happy either), and neither are my friends that are writing such material. It'll be good stuff, and another four tracks under my belt.

My new trick is that I can crack my loose rib in my sternum. It sounds terrible, but it actually only hurts as much as cracking a knuckle. This is totally something to have the D.O. take a look at next time I go in. Besides the new trick, the pain is subsiding (no estoy muriendo) and I feel great.

I need to put on some pants and get to work on this tune (super-excited).

Recession Rock.

I was listening to the playback today while eating mustard potato salad with Andrew, and we decided that this is a really morose record that we're building. Today, we made big progress--next, guitars and vocals and done. It's a damn good thing that we played those shows last week, because everything is completely fresh in our minds. The studio is behaving itself for the time being, but something bad will surely happen at some point.

Into The Briney Deep.

Tonight, we begin tracking at Briney Deep mk. III (or is it up to V?). I'm stoked to be involved from the beginning, while important decisions are made. I'm glad that the voiceover work has enough of a break for us to do this. I've heard some of the SS stuff that's coming out of the room in an expidited manner, and it's the best stuff I've heard from Uncle Chuck.

Last night, I made it down to the Moonspeed show, and I'm glad that I did. It was completely worth the $4. When I saw 'em at the hi-dive, it was too small of a room for them. In a bigger venue, it's a lot less jarring. The sound at the Bluebird usually leaves a lot to be desired, but I really like a lot of the textures that they're building. It seemed to be midrange-infested from where I was standing. Do they even turn on the subs there? One thing that I want to hear from the Moonspeed is quiet, though. I know that the band can literally go to 11, but that has a lot less impact when it's all 8-11. They did it on their closing number (dropped down to maybe a 2 or 3 and crescendo), so I know that they can (and I almost shit my pants). It could've been bad sound engineering or my crummy hearing....I don't know.

I'm really looking forward to their record, which Jeff says should be done by the summer.

Ha Ha.

The payoff is totally worth it. Weird, but good as shows go. We made some new friends.

Sweet.

Not perfect, but not so bad for being a little rusty. I only had one fuck-up, on the 6-count ritardando on the stalker song (those are difficult to do sometimes, but when we all do it right, it's amazing). We scared some blonde girl with the "meaner, darker" new material. I was nervous that we'd fall on our faces with the new stuff, but it was pretty much on.

It was great to get back on a stage with my friends and freak at least one person out. The bartender was way into it, and we got shots. Whoot.

Five Years Ago.

Super Bowl Sunday reminds me of another particularly hilarious incident. I did recount it, briefly, a week later.

Note The 'Wet Empire' Shirt

This is great; from 1980. I love the filthy tele sound.

Sidebar: The RC should've covered some of his material--that would've been at least as interesting as covering Chambers Brothers (that was great fun, though--it wouldn't have had the damn six-minute interlude). Maybe when we get the OG-RC together again, right? We are not, however, on a mission from god to do that anytime soon--that BLS show was as close as we dare to tread.

BTW--did I post this one? The OG RC with BLS 09262008 + my 'mastering magic' to balance the stereo (and louder, but still averaging -17dB RMS, so we're totally in the 'normal' range of 'good' recordings, unlike some of the nonsense that's coming out these days). I sort of got buried in the mix, but that's what I've come to expect, and I'm totally fine with it (sounds decent with my default Winamp EQ).

A YouTube Friend.

Seriously, though. I like to make connections to Europe on the YouTube. SlikkTim rocks. I love that bouncy stuff. Tasteful.

His drum & bass dub is hilarious, especially since I can't play my way out of a paper sack on drums:

Another Write-Up.

I really don't like that photo at all. That one that Claypool did at Cocaine Blues really is great, even if it probably won't publish well. Anyhow, here is the new write-up, in Syntax.

One For My Donner Bruder, Ronny

Check out those giant hollow bodies, dude.

Number Three.

Now I'm done with rockshows until next spring, unless something unplanned happens. We intentionally didn't promote this one as the last until spring, but it was.

A. Tom Collins was really jaw-dropping (albeit a little sloppy), and I went into the show ready to be unimpressed. I'll be back for more, though.

Bad Luck City played a ferocious set that felt great to me. It's been a long time since I got my rock on like that (2004 Red Cloud Grand Junction--apparently an unfinished post, and probably better that way). Josh called it "high energy, even though no one showed up." Seriously, everyone there was like (or was) family--it was the same crew that turns up at the barbecues and corn mazes.

The truth is, I think that sitting in chairs and being stifled by the weird cinema experience really allowed us to get moving tonight. The next show should be epic.

We're all looking forward to working hard together for the next few months. We need to have a sit down meeting and pull the trigger on this shit.

Bad Luck City Blast (a repost, sort of)

Howdy! Bad Luck City is playing a live soundtrack to Bruce Bickford's claymation masterpiece Cas'l, at the Starz International Film Festival.

We have two dates booked, the first showing is November 15th at 2:45 PM, the second showing is November 16th at 9:45 PM. Both showings are at the Starz FilmCenter (in the old Tivoli building). Do some crazy drugs and rock out with us for a truly intense, at times, schizophrenic claymation movie!

Like this:



Thanks, readers! Hope to see you all there!

Please Be Careful, Friends (repost)

I hear stories like this and it makes me sick, especially since one of my bands frequents the 3Kings Tavern. This one's from the DMB. I'll never leave a drink undrunken, and since I'm immune to attractive women, I don't worry about this crap. Maybe you should, though:

Something bad happened two weeks ago at a local club

Posted by The Big C7 on Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:37 pm

I wasn't going to talk about this out of respect to the guy, but he grabbed his shit and left Denver the other day, and he's never coming back.

One of my wife's coworker's went to 3 Kings to take in a show a couple of weeks ago. He was by himself since he had just moved here.

At the end of the night, an attractive woman started talking to him at the bar, and asked him to join her for a smoke. He left his water at the end of the bar and went outside.

He came back in, finished his water, and headed for the door.

The next thing he knows, it's 10am, he's in an alley off of Broadway, he had been raped and robbed. Doesn't remember any of it. He couldn't walk or talk, and had to crawl to the street and flag down a cop.

I post this as a word of warning and a reminder, and it's NOT an attempt to knock 3 Kings, it just happened there, could have happened anywhere, and it could have been any of us...
Josh

For The Survivor

Those disco bass players really had some endurance. I love disco.



I have to include this too (not disco):



Nichols needs to get a white explorer. Dig that "light show".

Dameon Turned Me Onto This.

Santa Muerte is awesome. Weird Mexican folk-saints are the best. I picked up the black version and the white version in the Mexican food aisle at Albertson's. I had no idea that 'Holy Death' was something to pray to:

Prayer To The Holy Death

Oh! Conquering Jesus Christ, that the cross defeated. Like you would tame a ferocious animal, tame the soul of (name). Tame him (or her) as a lamb and as rosemary flower. He (or she) shall come to kneel before me and obey my every command. Holy death I plea of you immortal powers that God has given you towards mortals. Place us in a Celestial Sphere where we will enjoy days without nights for all eternity. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I plea for your protection. Grant all our wishes until the last day, hour and moment that your Divine Majesty orders us to appear before you. Amen.

So Un-Scary.

Tonight was Josh's birthday shindig. We wound up at the Anderson Farms corn maze. A bunch of folks flaked out and cruised, but 'Terror In The Corn' wasn't even worth it. Final attendance wound up like this: Me, Magnum (best new nickname ever), Greg, 'Uncle Chuck', 'The Evil Charlie', as well as Eve, Heather, Sarah, and the obligatory LRC.

They didn't do a great job of frightening us, or even really disorienting us. Eve seemed to have a good time, though, so it was worth it for us. Playing the gettin' to know you better game with my band member's families is really awesome. It's like I know who they are, but I never get to chat socially. That was good, and I'm glad that I did it.

I think that we listened to Thriller about 20 times. 'Uncle Chuck' threatened to cut loose with a dance attack. After 25 years, it's still a pretty cool video.

What might be more frightening is one of those "hell houses" that the jeebus people do. If there's a free one, I might have to check it out, even though they'll attempt to save me at the end. Magnum said something about a haunted house that rocked, but I missed out on the beginning of that, so I have no idea WTF.

Big, Gaping Holes

I always find out about something cool that everyone else knows about when I get a mixtape. LRC gave me one, and it has "So Sad About Us" on it. How'd I miss this one? I'm pretty good with Whosongs, but maybe this one was just too much pop to listen to. Anyhow, it's fuckin' brilliant, and simple. They're cool-looking dudes in 1967. I dig that odd 1966 non-contoured Precision Bass (cool as hell!):



The Jam covered it rather nicely, apparently. I like this version a lot--lame slideshow, though:



LRC likes The Breeders somewhat, but it's not even as good.



Pete and Paul Weller do a nice version together. I find myself singin' the harmony (Pete) part. An amazing song.



Thanks, Linda, damnit. There's a fuckin' peregrine falcon. Eat shit, bitch....

Drinkin' Wit' D.

Dameon totally put a gun to my head today--I showed up early (put on your surprised face). He was disheveled and offered me some of this beer that he couldn't finish. It was New Belgium Mothership Wit. Upon reading the label, I said, "dude, this is totally the local version of Hoegaarden." It totally is, so I dig it. I'm not a serious beer drinker; it has to be special. Hoegaarden is. This stuff is, too. Dig what the brewery sez (it's fuckin' organic, and shit):

Our first venture into organically-produced beer, Mothership Wit Organic Wheat Beer elevates the zesty Wit or White beers of Belgium. Our far-flung Beer Rangers affectionately refer to our Fort Collins brewery as the Mothership, a name that conjures images of earth shot from space and the interconnectivity of it all. Mothership Wit is brewed with wheat and barley malt, as well as coriander and orange peel spicing resulting in a balance of citrus and sour flavors held in suspension by a bright burst of carbonation.I still dig the Hoegaarden, more, though. It's got a cooler name, and hard to find on tap (Forest Room Five), and so great. Thank you to Fuckin' Ronny for turnin' me onto it.

Their U.S. distributor sez (I'd love some of those special glasses--not beer goggles):

Hoegaarden is totally different - by nature. It is different from virtually any other beer or beverage experience in the world - different in the kind of beverage that it is, and in the naturally refreshing taste experience.

Hoegaarden is the authentic Belgian wheat or white beer. It has a unique and extremely complex brewing process whereby the brand is first top fermented and then is refermented within the bottle - ending up in a unique cloudy-white appearance. The brand's unique appearance is mirrored by its one-of-a-kind taste - sweet and sour beer with a little bitterness, slightly spicy, with a strong touch of coriander and a hint of orange, perfect for warm summer days, instead of other refreshing beverages. Refreshing, a little quirky, and decidedly different - naturally.

One Of These People Doesn't Belong At The Show (not a music post, just whining)

Why? Dig this (or watch me rationalize my anti-social):

• I don't even dig the social bullshit that comes with live music. I love love live music, but I really don't want to deal with people. I'd rather listen to the soundboard recording at home, honestly. So, obviously, I totally had to get the fuck out of there. Too many people were vibin' me out completely.
  

• Steve's cousin made an appearance (need to get that checked out--now that Manuel isn't in jail and Kip's not on vacation, I ought to be able to do that). Shittin' blood just ain't cool, my dudes, especially when you're at the show.
  

• After all, it should've been Neil's show. Next time, I'll just say 'no thank you.' It would've been different if he'd asked me. I feel entirely dirty. It was one of those things that at the time seemed like a good idea. My friends encouraged me, and they're pretty convincing (and mean well, I'm sure).

• I totally fucked up, too. All the energy drinks and lime green wristbands in the world couldn't have stopped that. I just ain't Rocks Tar material, friends. I can't even play the instrument after 20 years. In fact, I ought to just quit.
  

• I'm fucking tired. Getting up and starting work before the sun comes up and then having to drive fast and run all day makes for complete exhaustion.

Tomorrow, though, it all starts again. I just wish that I could live up to the tattoo. I'm so fed up with this shit. Seriously.

Maximum R&B (epic narrative of my weekend)

Since Wednesday, it's been non-stop, my droogs. I'm fucking burnt out, seriously.

Wednesday was the OC photos. I'm not so into getting photographed, but Laurie seems to be pretty cool. I think that I screwed up my neck posing.

Thursday night was Bad Luck City's big bad tour to Fort Collins, where we played with Badman (who are awesome). The 'tape' of the show sounds amazing as far as the band goes. The vocals sounded shitty, though. I had fun.

Friday was a fucking painful day at work. I'm glad that I don't do that shit every day. It was a special occasion.

Friday night was the baddest show in town: Reverend Deadeye (who's learnt hisself some tricks on the road), The Omens, Badman (killer set), and us. The Larimer Lounge has two blown monitors at the moment: stage right and the drum monitor. Uncool.

Saturday was picking up Mesa number two at the shop. Next, I killed some time with LRC (I wanted to buy her lunch but she had other plans). Then, it was off to the BLS band rehearsal. We're going to pull this shit off. Live music needs a little danger to be exciting to play (I think that Steve Harris said something like that once). I went home and got myself drunk (finally).

Sunday was agonizing over rehearsal tapes and then delivering 'em to BLS. Then I went to LRC's where French toast was waiting for me (with a couple pounds of bacon). Killer. We screwed around and went to the rock-stick-mega-haus because I needed another rack case for numero dos. We ate chinese food and watched Clue (I hadn't seen it through--just bits). I passed out and got a nice little nap before going to rehearsal again. We rocked.

I'm fucking tired.

Wow.

This is a tremendous find on the YouTube. This is some creepy Turkish bootleg remix of In The Light, one of my favorite Zep tunes, off my favorite Zep album. That harpsichord shit is amazingly creepy. BLC might have to tap that shit.



This is the original version for y'all that aren't down:



In BLC news, we wrote a new one today. When we're all together, it just flows, even if we have to figure out how the song should end. Kelly is excited for us about the Nick Cave show, and thinking positive thoughts. She's hilarious; we had a good laugh together about what the sticky shit on the floor is in the dungeon. We ought to have at least one new one (hopefully two) for the next show.

I really feel like I've hit my stride with 'em, finally (only took a year). It's totally easy and natural playing, and I can improvise walks as I see fit. They'll let me play chords all day if I want. They all seem to trust my judgement, which is awesome.

Andrew and I get a lot of interplay going (doesn't that sound dirty?), which is what I missed most after not playing with him--most drummers don't really try to push back or play something interesting and changing. Playing against Andrew is like a stimulating conversation...that probably doesn't make sense, but remember that I'm not that good with metaphors.

Speaking of Andrew, if y'all don't have anything going on Friday, y'all should come to his opening (click to enlarge):

Cool: Tone Snobbery Links; Ronny's Mix Tape

• Tales From the Tone Lounge;
• BassFuzz.com (like I really need a fuzz);
• All-Tube Bass Head Buyer's Guide (from bassplayer.com - the Mesa Bass 400 is a cheap sleeper, I swear)

Ronny made me a mix tape that's bad ass. It makes the drives to work better, especially since I've been doing the immersion to learn the songs for the Sound Diapers show (more on that a little later, after another beverage). Ronny is the dude that turned me onto Smog:



and the Neutral Milk Hotel (studio version is here, with a nice write-up)
(one of those old Roadstar basses would be awesome):



and John Fahey (fingerstyle steel string turns me on):



I need to get my act together and discover some shit for Ronny--I owe him some tunes.

Not So Good With Metaphors (keyed up tonight)

Seriously, though...people make me crazy with "warm" and "muddy" when describing how something sounds. Occasionally, I catch myself using 'em, though--lately, "fizzy" has occurred a few times.

Apparently, the bass track that I cut tonight sounds "like Salisbury steak gravy." WTF?!? It's probably the most descriptive anyone's ever gotten with my tone. I dig it. Thanks, John.

Dude also said that there was a kind of Geezer Butler vibe to it, which I can totally dig. I was 14 or 15 when I shoplifted a $3 bootleg of "We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'n' Roll" the track order was wrong, and the cover was something weird, but I was hooked. When I saw him last year, I thought that he was playing a bass like my black ho, but it looks to be a fuckin' Lakland.

That stuff changed my life.









I totally need to bring "Denver Concrete Vibrator" out of the online gaming realm, and into reality. Like I have time for four bands, right?

Mel Rocks...and only Fuckin' Ronny will get this.

Some Texas TV advertisements from back in the day:

Depressed.

I think that this deal has blossomed into a depression/anxiety sort of thing. That 12-gauge is looking appealing, again. The drive to practice from Lakewood made me want to seriously do myself in.

I'm feeling completely tapped-out (cashed) for the creativity. It's getting to be agonizing to come up with something new as far as bass goes. With two bands in hard core writing mode, it's getting a bit arduous for me. I discovered a new trick tonight, though, and instead of listening to one guitarist and crafting my line based on that, I listened to what the other guy was doing and did a counter-harmony on that. It changed the song a lot more than I intended, though. Changing the fundamental is almost too much power to wield for me.

This bummed me out a lot; I want to disappear. Dude is building a database of front range bands and shit, so I guess that it's an admirable task, but just about impossible to keep up to date.

Today, I loaded 10,000 pounds of pine needles and cactus into my truck with the help of a couple of 17-year-olds (they REALLY impressed me, actually). Airborne cactus spikey things are currently infesting my epidermis, and making me miserable.

Tomorrow is 14 tons of gravel to deliver and spread in Mahoney's driveway. That's a lot of fucking gravel, but with my new dump truck, it ought to be easy work. The temporary tag expires on the 26th, so I need to get all of my gravel hauling done ASAP. We're selling the dump body and replacing it with an awesome compactor as soon as we finish shortening the New Jersey monster truck.

Tomorrow is also getting together with the RC to work out the set list and shit. I'm glad that fuckin' Ronny is so enthusiastic about this deal. That makes me feel like I'm doing good. I'm all about high-exposure gigs, if it means a string deal (that's the reason that I said yes).

The bass amps and speakers are not pleasing me at the moment. I caught the SWR 1x15" on fire a couple of nights ago. I picked up an Eminence replacement that's rated 600 watts at 8 ohms--this might be usable (shit, Tommy Shannon uses 'em). Go Kentucky! It's a nice nice speaker, for sure. The Booger is STILL in the shop. Dude is busy, and faster than Stubby, but shit, I'm miserable without that amp. Equipment nightmares are the worst kind.

Mostly, I'm FUCKING TIRED. People want stuff, and I deliver, and I'm miserable. Soon it will be over.

Hot Brown

No, not Tom Ventura's alter-ego:

Not the sandwich with the gross name (it sounds tasty if I could get my mind around that name; I'm certain that Mornay sauce is being withheld, like gravy, unbeknownst to me).

That's what August is like in Colorado. Twenty degrees cooler was welcome for today's drive about Boulder, but I've had about enough of this shit. I loaded 10,000 pounds today. The slight breeze was just enough to make the Styrofoam peanuts dance faster than I could shovel 'em up. At the landfill, it was indeed a dust o rama, again. I accidentally got some lime in my eyes from a construction/demolition load.

Hee Hee, the UMS Write Ups, Part I

Over here, from Elana Jefferson, Bad Luck City's next door neighbor (she's a great cake-baker, and a forgiving neighbor).

This is great:

The Overcasters later delivered epic psychedelic new wave at 3 Kings, followed by a ballsy Bad Luck City performance that showcased these thoughtful rockers mining their gothic Americana for all its spooky loveliness.

Whatever, I just love that music is a personal experience, and hearing different voices is great.

Gonzo, Man.

Last night, I went to Gonzo with LRC after Jose's pechanga in Longmont (excellent food, dude, but no music). (tm) met us there.

The movie was sort of an overview (a biopic). The best bits were the home movies, for sure. They had his ex-wives on, but really didn't get too into WTF was really up with the dude. Now, I really want to find out what his deal was, and I'll probably never know. There's just too much of the "Kentucky Wildman" character going on to really dig too deep.

Still, I learnt of startling similarities between myself and the dude:

• Although I am a better typist, both of us drink whilst we type--I totally know that fuckin' smirk when you've just put down something hilarious;
• Both have an affinity for the "Austin Nichols, WILD TURKEY":
  
• Both like to torment animals and talk to birds. Not hurt 'em, just tease 'em:
  
  
  
• Both like the guns. I sold all of my handguns, though, because I'm suicidal much of the time--the same reason that I'm really dangerous on a motorbike. Dude's BSA was pretty cool, though.
• It's really just observational comedy, really. He's WAY better than I am, though:
  
  

For Tom....

I want to get a photo of TM in front of the bus stop in question--maybe with a 40 and Laverne. That would be funny as hell. Meanwhile, Math Monkey is some vedic system for math mastery. Fuckin' Indians.

For Shaina...

Don't stick your fingers in the huge metal fan, friends. That was seriously funny, and I totally couldn't have "saved her," because I was without the power of speech when she did it.

This Is Going To Be Agonizing

Tonight had more boominess a la the weekend writing session. I actually turned down several notches, too. I hate that lately the orange one is sounding something like a TR808, with no changes. It's not like I didn't know that it wasn't sounding good. The strings are totally full of skin and sweat--this is indeed a case of the summertime blues, for which there ain't no cure (so I hear):



Either way, I need to change 'em out asap--BLC requires 'em to be slightly less bright than I like 'em.

Someone is going to make this really difficult, and I'm not going to name names. I almost wish that it was to be a piecemeal, soulless deal so that I didn't have to deal with "my guitar doesn't sound like I have several thousand dollars in pedals."

It's irritating at the moment, and I'm just venting. I think that I'll get a musicman pickup installed...hell, I'll just get a musicman so I get that awesomer modern sound. I suppose that I can turn down more so that there's nothing to whine about--that's a better solution. This isn't a bass-heavy band anyway. If I'm inaudible, I don't even care.

The Cocktail That Doesn't Work

And, I was totally not wanting to rock today, but I did make it to the writing session:

20 mg of that amazing cyclobenzaprine;
800 mg of the ibuprofen;
1160 mg of magnesium salicylate; and
440 mg of naproxen sodium

It did make me quite sleepy, however, my droogies, I still have the agonizing pain. I think that I require some opiates, friends. I swear that I'm not just thrill-seeking. I need to cool this crap out so that I can rest. I went to the booze barn this afternoon, just in case I will require alcohol therapy to pass out and get some sort of sub-standard sleep.

I hate this painful shit, really.
----------------
Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand

The Official Version

Tom Murphy was right there on Saturday when the dude was coming unglued. Tom's excellent write up (excerpt below) comes from here (I'm an admitted plagiarist). I had no knowledge of the so-called "fire alarms."

Seriously, how was I supposed to hear/see 'em when I was fully engulfed in sound/fog?:

Overcasters setting the mood.

Overcasters really know how to set the mood for a show with their custom projections, stage lighting and fog machines set up to act in accord with the music being performed. And yet none of it seemed contrived, because all of it served to enhance the experience of the show and not cover up for shortcomings in the music. They performed five or six songs each with an elemental beauty and expansive voicings. It’s unlikely that Bar Standard typically plays host to music possessed of such dreamlike magnificence, live or otherwise.

Overcasters' set was comprised of great, controlled torrents of sound pouring from the stage like Echo & The Bunnymen bolstered by a cloned Will Sergeant, along with great lyrical one-liners from Kurt Ottaway, especially toward the end with lines like, “There is no time like the present, so better get moving” -- a reminder that life doesn’t wait for you to get yourself together before it passes you by. At some point during their set some guy came to the stage all hot and bothered and asked bassist Jeremy Ziehe about who was using “the fog pedal.” Apparently the fog machine had set off a fire alarm elsewhere in the building. But with their set almost over, it came to nothing.

EEK

I have audio from the RC at the Larimer in which The Chief stands on the bass neck for a couple of seconds at the end of the set--it sounds truly horrible. I'm sure that the mighty Black Ho didn't hold its tuning.

This is pretty cool, even if it's an ugly instrument:


----------------
Now playing: Overcasters - My Acid Rock Band, Part IV

Guitars On Auto-Play

A hilarious discovery at practice this evening--hitting a certain note sends the big hollowbody into bizarre droning harmonic feedback. It seems like it would be a huge handicap, but K makes it work.

The dude is unbelievably tolerant of my nonsense. He rocks.

An Incredible Record, Really

Thank you to Kaptain K for turning me onto Chameleons. I stole a song that we were going to cover (and never did) months ago, and just recently picked up Script Of The Bridge. Honestly, the eighth note bass lines are a bit much to tolerate, but dude has to sing his ass off, so it's okay.

I still don't know how I completely missed this band. I must not have been dating the right people (that's the only reason that I have any knowledge of most cool stuff).

----------------
Now playing: The Chameleons - View From A Hill

My Connection Is All Fucked Up

There must be water in the wires or something (or, they're busy in Paris). Help me Reverend Deadeye, you're my only hope.

I Was In This Acid Rock Band Once, Part III

Thank you Tom Murphy for the footage. Thank you to Erin for a five-hour upload. Most of all, though, Thank you to Shane for the fuckin'amazing light show--you're our new secret weapon, dude.

I think that the clipping on the loud parts is mostly from Tom's position directly in The Electric Grandmother's kill zone (a fuckin' Nichols term). If Tom didn't wear 'plugs, I'd be apologizin', for sure. It could be the six 6l6s flexing, too--my master volume was half of what it is at practice if that's any consolation, TM (thanks for putting up with us for the last year and a half).

For Linda Ruth...

or others that aren't so into the Poison video-o-rama....

My Brother, Dr. E-dogg, was totally into the Poison. Our father trasheed all of those records because of the 'sex on the beach' from the 'open up and say ahh' record. Anyhow....here's the shit from él señor de amor a la roca:

Actually...it's all about 'talk nerdy to me,' LINDA. Think that I require a lime-green B.C. Warlock, really:




Indeed, I require a Warlock (and lots of cocaine);...is that the RATT or Randall sound?!? Priceless '80s video (love the Newman-lookin' father):



Overcasters require more choreography; certainly for the videos. 'F'J.N. certainly has enough banjos to pull off nonsense such as this:



Classic...I require some crazy brunette groupie (I love 12-string anything):

He Is Risen

I had to get rid of the hover bacon because now my friends are singing it. Thus, I un-drafted some posts and this one, for the easter. No, I didn't eat ham to slam Jews today. I ate an onion bagel with the vegetable cream cheese. John's family eats rabbits for easter, and apparently babies for christmas. Excellent...I didn't think that he had a funny bone in his body.

It ain't JC Superstar, but funny, and only semi-blasphemous (I heart the Gloria Gaynor; I'm so gay; who were those producers?):



I still dig the JC Surferstar. That version of "Overture" is pretty boss. It's like they doused the guitars in spring reverb and called it surf music, though.

"Heaven On Their Minds" is probably the best track from that show--I dig the stutter guitar/bass lines. I'm convinced that Judas was doing dude a favor by turning him in to the man. This has some lame costumes, but the sound is decent:

FW: Ross is a Father

Congratulations to Chas and Ross.

Funny.

Here.
Josh really isn't a jerk. I've been reduced to a tag on a blog. Oh well...at least the OC got mentioned. Point well taken, Eryc:

Mile High Makeout: Sharpening the Saw

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 04:54:10 PM

One of the most beautiful things about the Denver music scene is the cross-pollination that occurs among bands. It seems as though every musician worth his or her salt has at least two musical projects going on at any given time. The word “incestuous” gets thrown around a lot, affectionately.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at the Skylark Lounge to catch some singer-songwriters. The Skylark recently engaged Gregory Dolan of Kissing Party to book “Underground Thursday” shows that are a little different from the psychobilly stuff usually associated with the club. It’s an exciting development, but it remains to be seen whether the historic bar’s modest sound system will be able to keep up.

On this particular night, the Skylark’s little stage featured mellifluous singer Tim Pourbaix and charmingly tortured artist Jason Cain. As I drank in Pourbaix’s impassioned performance, I looked around the room and spotted Andrew Solanyk and Eric Mocko, two of Pourbaix’s bandmates from his other project, Killfix. When Cain – whose band, Astrophagus, will be releasing a new album at the end of this month – took the stage for his Janovian set, he was joined by Born in the Flood’s Matt Fox on lap steel.

I was watching Widowers on the hi-dive’s stage a couple nights later and remembered that I’d received MySpace friend requests from frontman Mike Marchant’s solo project and from Women Gathering Gems, the experimental project of Widowers drummer Cory Brown and keyboardist Mark Shusterman. This wasn’t the strongest set I’ve seen Widowers perform, but I still marveled at the ability of its members to spread themselves so thin, yet so effectively.

A week or so later, I found myself chatting with the six members of Bad Luck City and the topic of moonlighting came up again. Bad Luck City’s drummer, Andrew Warner, also plays with Red Cloud West and Jefferson Slaveship, and probably others I don’t even know about. Jeremy Ziehe, the band’s new bassist, once played with Red Cloud and now also plays with Overcasters. The group’s fiery fiddler, Kelly O’Dea, was hard pressed to name all of the projects with which she’s involved: Strangers Die Every Day, Coyote Poets of the Universe, Tarantella, Painted Saints and Juice O’ the Barley. This reminded me of another extremely talented moonlighter, Carrie Beeder, who has played violin and cello with Bela Karoli, the Wheel, Nathan and Stephen (now Hearts of Palm) and probably a bunch more.

When I enthused aloud about the way in which creative energy gets shared, dispersed and amplified by all the collaborations in the Denver music scene, I was taken aback by Josh Perry’s response.

“It kinda pisses me off, actually,” the Bad Luck City guitarist said. When I asked him why that would be, he responded, “I just don’t see how people find time for it all, I guess.”

“Just work a few hours a week and be poor as fuck,” Warner responded matter-of-factly. “What else do you have to do with yourself?”

Of course, the situation isn’t as simple as Warner suggests. I looked across the room at guitarist Greg Kammerer, who has the responsibilities of being a husband and father. I thought about all the musicians I know around town who have families, health problems, ailing parents and a host of other difficulties that answer the drummer’s glib question definitively and harshly.

However facile and reductive Warner’s statement might have been, it also revealed such clarity of purpose and values that I could only smile admiringly. Essentially, it’s a variation on the tired “do what you love” cliché, the other half of which is, “and the money will follow.” It’s obviously bullshit, especially when you’re talking about playing music. For most musicians, a more accurate adage would be, “Do what you love and the money will disappear.” But Warner’s question was so unpremeditated and sincere that it transcended its own corniness. What else do you have to do with yourself? A hell of a lot, right? Feed your family, pay your medical bills, get your meds adjusted, take the dog to the vet, keep a roof over your head, buy diapers, fight that speeding ticket, yell at the neighbors. The list is endless.

And I think that was Warner’s point. Not that we don’t all have a lot to do, but that we have to keep an eye always on why we do those things. When we’re clear about our purpose and priorities, all those pressing matters still exhaust us with demands on our attention and time, but they aren’t quite as loathsome because we understand the big picture. Maybe that’s what keeps Denver’s talented musicians involved in so many diverse and divergent projects. The money certainly doesn’t follow, but maybe if you do what you love, the money doesn’t matter quite so much.

Maybe.

-- Eryc Eyl