Guitar Shopping?

You won't want to miss THIS! LMAO!!!

My C-1 Is Here!!!

A 2002 deduction after all! Good thing, won't be much 2003 Schedule C (where my music income goes) income.

Married

Jay: I want it, I want it, I want it...

Kim: You CAN'T have it!

Apologies to Pete, Roger, 'n the boys who've passed on.

Five Faves of the Day

Five Happy-beat Songs with Somewhat Darker Messages

Ball of Confusion - Temptations
Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
Runaround - Blues Traveler
She's So Cold - Stones
Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z

Honorable Mention to:
Shattered - Stones
Forgot About Dre - Eminem
Feelin' All Right - Joe Cocker (the Dave Mason & Traffic original doesn't hold a candle...)
Panic in Detroit - Bowie
Talk to Ya Later - Tubes
Papa Was a Rolling Stone - Temptations
Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan (or check out Johnny Winter's hard rocking all-but-forgotten cover)

Have a BKHoliday!

Pinnacle Systems - Press Releases - Pinnacle Systems Agrees To Acquire Steinberg Media Technologies AG

Oh oh. Steinberg's been pretty good to deal with. Don't know much about Pinnacle - I think they're video guys?

I bought Acoustic stuff, they bit the dust, then Sequential Circuits, then Passport, then Alesis - now Steinberg. Rrrrr...

Santa was Done

She even showed me my gift (an 80mb Western Digital EIDE drive) to make sure it was the right thing.

Which is okay, 'cos a closer look at the Prodikeys shows it's got mini-keys, not full-size. It's never mentioned in the literature, and I had trouble telling from the pictures, but a demo video at the Prodikeys site made it pretty clear.

So I'll wait for them to come out with something cooler - full size keys, and maybe USB (only does PS/2 now). Still a really good idea.

Harmony Central®: One Keyboard to Control Them All

Oo! Oo! I want this:


Ninety-nine bucks! What a great idea! A pad goes over the keys for a wristrest when not playing. Wonder if Santa's done shopping yet?

Five Faves of the Day

Foods I Obsess Over

5. Egg Nog
I always liked home made, but the whole raw egg / salmonella thing killed that. It's chronic - each year I lose track of which brands I like, but Borden's is a good bet, and Berger's. Try the custard-style if you can find it. OMG!

4. Bratwurst
I love Kowalski for most things, but their brats are just so-so. Nietsche's were good, but it's been years. Best I've had recently are Johnsonville's Sheboygan brand. But even bad bratwurst is pretty darn good! Just boil it in beer first.

3. Mince Pie
From the jar (Crosse and Blackwell) or the dry kit (Crosse and Blackwell) is fine, though I'm sure I'd like homemade. Brandy sauce optional.

2. Lamb
Old fashioned chops, please, not the butterfly (though they're okay). Rub in garlic or don't, just give me my mint sauce (Crosse and Blackwell again) and I'm happy.

1. Spaghetti
My dad's recipe for Spaghetti was the best - took him a whole weekend to make, definitely worth waiting. For store brands, Prego's pretty good, but Kim usually fixes it up some more.

Honorable mention: plum pudding with hard sauce, smoked turkey, prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, popovers, gyros, buttermilk, yogurt, hard salami, italian sausage, most cheeses, maple syrup, marmalade, apple butter.

No wonder I'm 50 lbs. overweight!

Found out today my last mic, the StudioProjects C1...



... is on back order. Shipping strike or something. So, maybe January? Could mess up my taxes a little.

Five Faves of the Day

New* Stuff I discovered in 2002

Wilco,
Uncut Magazine,
Michelob Amber Bock,
The Sound Room, and...
...
...Blogging!

* - i.e., new to ME.

Five Faves of the Day

Five Favorite Female R&B/Soul/Gospel Singers

LaVerna Mason (check her out at mp3.com)
Mavis Staples
Aretha Franklin
Chaka Khan
Gladys Knight

Note that these ladies are all altos, except maybe Chaka. Lotsa sopranos I like, too, but these are the women that move me. Honorable mention to Yolanda Adams, Helen Baylor, Babbie Mason, Tina Marie, CeCe Winans, Vicki Winans, and Kim Rutherford.

It's Not A-L-L Spam

Christmas gift from Propellerhead Software

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A gift from Propellerhead Software and PrimeSounds.com:

FREE SAMPLES FOR NOTHING, FREE OF CHARGE!

It's the gift giving season again, and as a way to say that
we are really glad that you are using Reason, we have teamed
up with the on-line sample library PrimeSounds.com to give
all Reason users a gift of things that you can never get too
much of: Samples!

As a registered user, you will receive a download account on
PrimeSounds.com that will allow you to download 100MB of
samples. Primesounds has more than 48000 samples available
for instant download. The samples are categorized based on
styles, instruments, format, key, tempo etc and the easy to
use search engine lets you find what you need in this
massive collection of sounds.

Starting today, we will begin sending out the instructions
and registration codes needed to get access to the
PrimeSounds web site. We're not sending out the codes to all
registered users at the same time, since we don't want to
stall PrimeSound's servers. You will receive your personal
code via email within a few days.

We hope you will enjoy this offer and find good use for your
samples.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Propellerhead Software

Crap!

BPMmusic just sent me a note - my StudioProjects C1 won't ship until 12/15. I have a recording session this week, doggone it! The C1 was one of my two guesses for the best mic for my pal Caroline, with her gorgeous soprano voice. We'll try the Baby Bottle instead, with the MK-319 as backup.

Oo! Oo!
Sarah, author of "all feathered up", sez she'll link me* once she has the proper motivation. I'm guessing that's more about getting some sleep after finals (right there witcha, gurl - my last final's tomorrow) than about me finding her PayPal button.

So, Sarah Crabtree, if you read this while seeking motivation to link me*, don't forget my split-schiz alter ego, St. Cecilia Was Here, where I blather about church music, Catholicism in general, and try to figure out what the heck possessed me to go back to school for a church music degree at age 47.

* correction - Sarah HAS linked me, just hasn't come up with a description yet. That's me, indescribably, uh, something...

Here's Craig, another one in our long string of bass players. I think he was after Larry. Not sure anymore...

Speaking of Hockey Sticks

And of former bandmates, I found this guy, our old lead singer. FAVORITE GROUP ABBA???? Wow.

Funny story, they were practicing ('75ish, before I joined), didn't have a lead singer yet, and they heard this voice singing with a Zep tune they were practicing - it was one of their roadies/hangers-on, sitting in the other room, smoking one. Turns out the guy was a natural - just a great voice and stage presence. He did it for as long as it was fun, walked away when it split up ('79? '80?), and, I heard, never looked back. I haven't seen him since I got canned ('79), except when we split up equipment 6 months later. Fun guy to work with. I wasn't though, not then. Maybe now?

Growing Up is Awfuller...

Somehow, I managed to (eventually) make it through college - got my Econ degree in 1982, a mere NINE years after starting. I took a few years off after my junior year to pursue my rock-n-roll dreams***, got married, had a kid, got a Stupid Day Job, and went to night school, one or two classes per term, until I was done.

During my college years, I was the KING of the incomplete. Chronic. My MSU transcript showed term after term with an "I", later converted, most of the time, to a pretty good grade. I had a 3.43 going when I quit school, just shy of senior standing. But I also had a 15 credit incomplete for the field assignment from Hell, which shows as an incomplete (never became a "0.0") because I left. If a career in Econ was anything like what I experienced at the HFA, I might as well cut my losses! NOW! I mean then. I mean - well, you know what I mean.

When I finally finished up at WSU, I still got papers in late, though I don't think I had any actual incompletes.

The point of all of this is - my term paper is due today: "Sarum Chant and Metrical Psalters", a look at worship in England in the 1500s, and...

...I turned it in yesterday. What the H-E-double-hockeysticks has happened to me?

*** - the photo is of Larry Banner, one of many bassists who passed through our little band of hometown heroes. None of the KEY guys, the ones who were there for the full 4-5 years, have anything out on the web. Larry's with



now. We haven't talked since he quit the band in '78. Glad to see someone else is still gigging, though.

Followup Grumble

Alesis used to be great to deal with, with an excellent support network. No more, apparently.

They filed Chapter 11 last year, probably due to the precipitous drop in the ADAT (digital audio tape) market - they were the "A" in "ADAT". They were then bought by Numark, the deejay equipment guys. so their support network is gone, everything has to be handled through the main (west coast) office. What a giant pain.

Fred's back from vacation, but now Dan's gone. So no rehearsal for another week. Fred called me today, we'll try to do some songwriting together, but after final exams (we both have college classes). I'm supposed to be working on my term paper now - on 16th century English church music. Guess I'll get back to it.

There we go. Better'n new.

Okay, I hosed up my template somehow. Lessee if'n I kin fix 'er.

The Current State of the Mic Locker

More for my benefit than yours - getting to be too many to keep track of. Potential thieves are welcome to write for directions... [g]

BLUE Baby Bottle LD cardioid condensor, w/ shock mount and pop filter
Pair Oktava MC-012 SD condensors (matched by The Sound Room) with hypercardioid cartridges, x/y stand and shock mounts
Studio Projects C-1 LD cardioid condensor
Sennheiser 421 dynamic cardioid w/ shock mount
Pair Behringer EC-8000 SD omni condensors
Oktava MK-319 LD Condensor w/ shock mount
Pair Shure SM-57 dynamic cardioids
Shure SM-58 dynamic cardioid
Shure Green Bullet dynamic cardioid

This may be IT for equipment for a while. Should be enough...

Grumble

My QS-8.1 died on me - no amp output. We tried the headphones, the auxes, and the mains, even re-initializing. No dice. Still under warranty, but what a pain!!! I wound up using it as a controller for the guitarist's XP-50 at rehearsal last night.

About half in the doghouse now - Kim's had a bad week, and I made things worse by dropping about 2 grand on mics, a mixer, cables, and cases. And spending enough time at Guitar Center yesterday to make it so I couldn't run the other errands she needed me for. OTOH, I've got some very cool new mics: BLUE Baby Bottle, a second Shure SM-57, a Sennheiser 421, and, on order: 2 Behringer EC-8000s, 2 matched Oktava MC012s with hyper capsules from the Sound Room (it matters!), and a Studio Projects C1. Also a Behringer 1002 mixer, 10 1/4-1/4 cables, 4 mic cables, mic shocks and mounts, and a keyboard bag. Woohoo!

How the Mighty Have Fallen...

...and about what I expected from at-least-nominally-GNR.

Not sorry I missed it, but I AM sorry I missed Joshua Redman's trio at Orchestra Hall last night - I had to work late. Heard a live-in-the-studio preview on WDET Tuesday - some really hot drum-n-organ work backing up the best sax player they is.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Hosemonster.

Because Whitesnake was already spoken for.

Yeah, I know, Chris' blog already uses the name. But it's a pretty cool name, and we can do the straight-face thing with it, where we act like we never thought of THAT.

And we'll let Chris sit in, if he wants. I already have a hose-her-down song half-written.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Anima Mea

Or, "My Soul". Pronunced ah knee ma may uh. Could be cool if we go the Christian route.

Here's a shot of my latest keyboard acquisition:

A Novation K-Station.

Big fun. Have to figure out how to save patches still (definitely not intuitive).

Potential Band Name of the Day

Thumb Buddies

Can you tell I'm getting desperate?

Another big issue this weekend - a big "not everyone is pulling his weight" discussion. Way uncomfortable. My class-clown experience helped bring a lighter tone - I was neither attackee nor attacker, but I wish we'd all figure out a way to just get along. That's me - Bart Simpson meets Rodney King. We got through it, but I have to wonder how many times this will happen before someone chucks it in.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Landini.

Francesco Landini was a blind Italian composer/keyboardist in the 13th (I think) century. Probably the first significant and prolific secular composer - appears he never wrote for the church.

Landini even played a portable (portatif) organ. Anyone else see any Ray Charles comparisons?

No, Landini did not play a Wurlitzer...

In my church music life (how many lives are you living, Sybil?), I'm working on a hymntune named LANDINI now: 8.8.8 meter, form ab.ab.cb' - every line, plus two of the half-lines, end with a "Landini cadence", which is a 6-1. The tune gets a little chromatic, too - kinda fun to write in a defunct genre. Maybe I'll try bubblegum next.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Gray. Or Grey.

Think I like Graytail better though.

Rehearsal went pretty well Sunday - my Song 18 and the collaborative Somehow both progressed. Though Fred may wind up with the sole copyright, as he did lyrics and melody. I'm concerned about my piece, though - we cut a scratch with me "singing" (if you can call it that) so Fred could pick up the refrain melody - he fixed about 2 out of 8 places. I pointed this out, and he seemed less than happy throughout the rest of rehearsal. Track's sounding good, though.

Luke couldn't make it until after Fred left, so again, we didn't have everyone together. Still productive, but it would be great if we were EVER all in the same place at once..

Potential Band Name of the Day

Der Nippelsingers.

I wrote this song for my wife, posted in my other blog, where I mention her nipples in verse 2. It's really a love song, but the guys have been all over me about it since, calling it "the nipple song", etc. So mostly a joke, but if we didn't do the Christian thing, it might actually help sell records. Anyone have a focus group they can test the name in?

Here's one of my babies. I dragged it to practice last night, first time it's been out of the case in 3 years. It showed, too - acting up, and there's a dead D on it now. Still magical, though:

Potential Band Name of the Day

Ran Couldn't Hide.

Actually this was to be a project name for some Christian stuff my soprano friend and I were going to put together. That's still a possibility, and I could pull these guys on on that project. Or just take the name and run with it.

Here's my TX-7s. I have two. Not part of my main rack anymore, but they're waiting to be pulled in. Not like they've got anything else to do...

Potential Band Name of the Day

Graytail.

Kinda says it all, don'tcha think?

Here's a shot of my guitar. I love it, but can't play for crap. Might loan it to Carl to see what he can do with it, though he's already said he sees 335s as being more of a jazz guitar than a rock guitar. Personally, I like it because you can get great sustain and feedback at way lower volumes than a Les Paul.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Deep Thumb.

Not sure about this one - calls back SNL's Deep Thoughts and Deep Purple (both cool) but also Deep Throat, not necessarily the kind of connotation I'm going for. Though there was a time...

Here's a shot of an older version of my "main" keyboard, an Alesis QS-8.1. I'm mostly happy with it, though I have to slog through a lot of sounds to find a keeper. Also, the editing interface stinks. Great touch, though, and decent sounds are there, if you mine deep enough.

Potential Band Name of the Day

Thumbster.

We're all from Michigan's Southern Thumb region. Cute, huh?

Here's a pic of my D-152:

It's not at Carl's studio (where we practice), but it's maybe the coolest thing I own. I had to move out my M-3 to make room - THAT'S at the studio now, we used it Saturday. Sold it to Carl for whatever the D-152 repairs come to (with a cap, of course). Still need a Leslie!

Potential Band Name of the Day (PBND)

Freddie and the Geezers.

Lead singers name is Fred, but I'm the only one old enough to remember "Freddie and the Dreamers".

Oh yeah, here's the lineup (in the order we joined):
Fred: vocals, maybe some guitar or drums, songwriting
Jay: keys, bass, background vocals, songwriting
Dan: bass, guitar, background vocals, maybe some harmonica or drums, songwriting
Carl: guitar, songwriting
Luke: drums, vocals

Luke might write, but haven't seen any songs yet. Carl might sing, but haven't heard him sing yet.

PBND should become a semi-regular feature. We'll see.

We don't have a name yet. The other guys aren't quite as pathetic (read: old) as I am. And "back together" is misleading - I've never met these guys before. But after 9 years away from secular music, I'm back. And taking no prisoners. Watch this space.