It's been about a month since we've played together, and everybody made it. The first couple of songs were predictably rough around the edges, but then we got it together. We focused on the songs that sounded the worst at the last show, and sounded better today than we did then.
We hadn't successfully agreed on any new songs to work on via e-mail, so we talked it out in person during this session. It didn't surprise me when it turned out to be a fairly large list, but the composition of that list did surprise me. New songs included: "Birthday" and "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "867-5309" by Tommy Tutone, "Movin' On" by Bad Company, "No Matter What" by Badfinger, and "Surrender" by Cheap Trick. "I'm a Man" remains on the list, but semi-sidelined. "Jesse's Girl" and "Some Kind of Wonderful" weren't mentioned. There seemed to be solid consensus on the new choices, with no more than one band member seeming to dissent in each case.
Andy has been playing "Let It Be" from time to time while testing keyboard sounds, so no surprise there, though we hadn't really discussed it as an actual band choice before. "Movin' On" was a spur of the moment thing originating with Keith, and since it worked well enough on the fly, we'll refine it a bit and keep it. I'm looking forward to "Surrender", as it's been years since I played it on a regular basis. The vocal parts are Big Fun and I think they'll sound amazing.
I'm going to be sonically experimental again for a while. I'm not going to replace my wireless rig (at least for now), so I'll be putting my pedal board back in place to buy myself some distance from my amplifier and to provide some options to modify my sound that I haven't used since before I upgraded to a more powerful amp. I'd like to experiment with using the harmonizer on the string break songs to fill out the band sound when we're down one guitarist. I'll also almost certainly return to using a chorus effect here and there for emphasis. And I'll explore some other options as I come up with them.
I stuck with my Ibanez 5 string throughout today's session (though I'd brought the Rick as well), and changed my sound there as well. I kept my amp settings the same, but backed off the treble and overall volume coming from the bass itself, so the active electronics weren't as hot as I've been using. I plan to experiment heavily in the coming weeks to see if I can still have a quality sound and lessen the difference in volume I've had between my two workhorse basses.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Splunge - 12/16/2012
Jason, Sal, Nick, and I on board. No, you aren't having a flashback. Played with Splunge again this past weekend due to a week off from Jefferson Wheelchair. Had the itch to play and thought it might be fun, and it was.
The other three guys have stayed together since I left the group, now nearly a year ago. They haven't replaced me, in spite of my encouraging them to do so. Instead, Nick has taken up bass in the last month or so, in addition to picking up all of the lead vocals, being the only singer left. So while I played bass for most of the session, I also played guitar for a couple of songs and mandolin on two others (each played twice, since we had the time).
They've cut the song list down substantially. I thought they might just get rid of a few songs that were more my choice than anyone else's, but it's a bigger change than that. I'd say the list has been nearly halved, and only two new songs added (the Kinks' "Victoria" and CCR's "Fortunate Son"), which I picked up right away. They've tightened things up a bit further, as might be expected, but the old characteristic rhythmic lapses still occur.
We played everything they still know, plus Rod Stewart's "Maggie May", with me on mandolin and Nick playing bass and singing lead. Not bad for a first run through, and it gave me the chance to test out my new electric/acoustic mandolin (birthday gift from my wife), which I also used on "Losing My Religion". Nick also played bass and sang Cracker's "Low" and CCR's "Fortunate Son", so I played guitar on both of those.
It was an odd experience for me to play another instrument and have someone else play bass. I kept finding my ears drawn to the bass part and hearing guitar or mandolin as though someone else was playing it. Weird. I'm sure I'd get used to it, but it was disconcerting going through it for the first time.
I'll probably continue to guest with them here and there when JW isn't playing. I'm obviously still welcome, and it'll give me a chance to experiment with playing other instruments from time to time if Nick keeps getting better on bass. It'll also give me the chance to sing some lead here and there, which I don't get to do often anymore (part of what I enjoyed about Splunge).
JW is also off for the next two weeks due to holiday scheduling issues, but another Splunge session should be out due to holiday activities on everyone's part. That's just how this time of year is.
The other three guys have stayed together since I left the group, now nearly a year ago. They haven't replaced me, in spite of my encouraging them to do so. Instead, Nick has taken up bass in the last month or so, in addition to picking up all of the lead vocals, being the only singer left. So while I played bass for most of the session, I also played guitar for a couple of songs and mandolin on two others (each played twice, since we had the time).
They've cut the song list down substantially. I thought they might just get rid of a few songs that were more my choice than anyone else's, but it's a bigger change than that. I'd say the list has been nearly halved, and only two new songs added (the Kinks' "Victoria" and CCR's "Fortunate Son"), which I picked up right away. They've tightened things up a bit further, as might be expected, but the old characteristic rhythmic lapses still occur.
We played everything they still know, plus Rod Stewart's "Maggie May", with me on mandolin and Nick playing bass and singing lead. Not bad for a first run through, and it gave me the chance to test out my new electric/acoustic mandolin (birthday gift from my wife), which I also used on "Losing My Religion". Nick also played bass and sang Cracker's "Low" and CCR's "Fortunate Son", so I played guitar on both of those.
It was an odd experience for me to play another instrument and have someone else play bass. I kept finding my ears drawn to the bass part and hearing guitar or mandolin as though someone else was playing it. Weird. I'm sure I'd get used to it, but it was disconcerting going through it for the first time.
I'll probably continue to guest with them here and there when JW isn't playing. I'm obviously still welcome, and it'll give me a chance to experiment with playing other instruments from time to time if Nick keeps getting better on bass. It'll also give me the chance to sing some lead here and there, which I don't get to do often anymore (part of what I enjoyed about Splunge).
JW is also off for the next two weeks due to holiday scheduling issues, but another Splunge session should be out due to holiday activities on everyone's part. That's just how this time of year is.
Sunday, December 09, 2012
JW - Third Show at the Horseshoe Pub
Very slick on the set-up this time, done very early and plenty of time to sound check. Good mix and good monitors before we got started.
The place was relatively empty before we started, which concerned me. There was some minor league adverse weather (serious fog in the general area). It shouldn't have kept most people home, but probably wasn't helping us. The crowd picked up during the first set, though. We need to start drawing some people beyond our own friends/family, and that's a slow process. Overall draw was okay, but not impressive.
I had some technical problems, as my wireless rig noisily gave up the ghost during the second set, forcing me to adjust my sound on the fly and limit my movement. We had a serious case of creeping volume, to the point where I couldn't hear the lead vocals at all, making harmonies (and keeping track of where we were in the song) a struggle at best. Definitely not my finest set as a member of this band. On the other hand, Keith prefers to play at high volume and was very happy with that set. He also wore light-up devil horns for "Dirty Deeds", which was fun.
We brought the volume down slightly for the third and fourth sets, and I managed to dial in a good sound on the Rick, so I stuck with it most of the rest of the way and felt I redeemed myself to some degree during those sets. Still too damn loud to really function vocally, though.
Bill's voice sounded ragged to me again, with jet lag (he'd just come back from LA) and the high volume pushing him to his limit. We'll see how it comes out on the recordings. Singing lead on virtually every song for four sets would be challenging for almost any singer, and those other factors didn't help. He always seems to be burning the candle at both ends, which concerns me.
Everybody else seemed happier with our performance than I was. I didn't think it was terrible, but I know we can be so much better than this. The new songs didn't go well, except for "The Twist" and possibly "The Boys are Back in Town". Overall, I think it was better than the first show, but not as good as the second. We're scheduled to be back in February, and I hope we can do better then.
The place was relatively empty before we started, which concerned me. There was some minor league adverse weather (serious fog in the general area). It shouldn't have kept most people home, but probably wasn't helping us. The crowd picked up during the first set, though. We need to start drawing some people beyond our own friends/family, and that's a slow process. Overall draw was okay, but not impressive.
I had some technical problems, as my wireless rig noisily gave up the ghost during the second set, forcing me to adjust my sound on the fly and limit my movement. We had a serious case of creeping volume, to the point where I couldn't hear the lead vocals at all, making harmonies (and keeping track of where we were in the song) a struggle at best. Definitely not my finest set as a member of this band. On the other hand, Keith prefers to play at high volume and was very happy with that set. He also wore light-up devil horns for "Dirty Deeds", which was fun.
We brought the volume down slightly for the third and fourth sets, and I managed to dial in a good sound on the Rick, so I stuck with it most of the rest of the way and felt I redeemed myself to some degree during those sets. Still too damn loud to really function vocally, though.
Bill's voice sounded ragged to me again, with jet lag (he'd just come back from LA) and the high volume pushing him to his limit. We'll see how it comes out on the recordings. Singing lead on virtually every song for four sets would be challenging for almost any singer, and those other factors didn't help. He always seems to be burning the candle at both ends, which concerns me.
Everybody else seemed happier with our performance than I was. I didn't think it was terrible, but I know we can be so much better than this. The new songs didn't go well, except for "The Twist" and possibly "The Boys are Back in Town". Overall, I think it was better than the first show, but not as good as the second. We're scheduled to be back in February, and I hope we can do better then.
Sunday, December 02, 2012
JW - 12/2/2012
Last practice before the 12/8 show, and everybody was there. Bill was a bit the worse for wear due to his activities the previous night.
We ran through the fourth set (the only one we didn't play last session), then reviewed some of the new material and some odds and ends to make sure we're ready, and we are. Sounded pretty good, all in all, but very loud. I had my earplugs in all of the way by the end, which is something I don't usually need to do.
Still wasn't feeling much like talking, which has gone on now for over a week, and I'm not sure why. Just in a phase where I'm taking everything in, I suppose.
Looking forward to playing in front of an audience again next week, and to taking on some new material after that show.
We ran through the fourth set (the only one we didn't play last session), then reviewed some of the new material and some odds and ends to make sure we're ready, and we are. Sounded pretty good, all in all, but very loud. I had my earplugs in all of the way by the end, which is something I don't usually need to do.
Still wasn't feeling much like talking, which has gone on now for over a week, and I'm not sure why. Just in a phase where I'm taking everything in, I suppose.
Looking forward to playing in front of an audience again next week, and to taking on some new material after that show.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
JW - 11/25/2012
Everybody on board this time, with Bill actually being roughly an hour early. So Bill has now made it for three of the last six, with one more practice before the next show.
I wasn't really in the mood to play, having spent most of the previous day at a memorial service for a good friend (more on that another time), but I don't think it hurt my performance much. I was feeling quiet, but I don't speak much at most practices anyway, so I doubt anyone noticed.
We went through three of the four planned sets, with few repeats. "I'm a Man" has been bumped to the last set because we want to play it in front of an audience, but we're not 100% sure it'll work. Overall, we had the sort of mental lapse mistakes you'd expect from not playing some of these songs for a while, but we still have one more practice to work out any remaining kinks, and don't have any major changes planned.
There was some discussion of getting work at other venues, which we really do need to do. I suspect we'll focus more on that after we get this particular show behind us.
I wasn't really in the mood to play, having spent most of the previous day at a memorial service for a good friend (more on that another time), but I don't think it hurt my performance much. I was feeling quiet, but I don't speak much at most practices anyway, so I doubt anyone noticed.
We went through three of the four planned sets, with few repeats. "I'm a Man" has been bumped to the last set because we want to play it in front of an audience, but we're not 100% sure it'll work. Overall, we had the sort of mental lapse mistakes you'd expect from not playing some of these songs for a while, but we still have one more practice to work out any remaining kinks, and don't have any major changes planned.
There was some discussion of getting work at other venues, which we really do need to do. I suspect we'll focus more on that after we get this particular show behind us.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
JW - 11/17/2012
No Bill again, which was the subject of some frustration on the part of all concerned. It's hard to feel prepared when the lead singer has missed three of the five practices since the last show, and we've got another coming up soon. I'm sure we'll be fine for the show itself, in that even the new songs are pretty solid, but it slows progress, and he'll have to catch up on any changes we've made on the back end. We now have two practices left before the next show, so I don't see us getting anything done during those practices except refamiliarizing ourselves with what we plan to play.
We went through the planned first two sets of four, skipping songs that we all felt were still solid, or that we really needed the lead singer to do. I'm concerned about harmonies, since Keith and I aren't practicing them when we're pinch hitting on lead vocals, and for some of those songs, it'll be six weeks since we've played them and been able to sing those harmonies.
On the plus side, the band has been very tight instrumentally, which builds confidence. I know we're all feeling that because Andy had commented on it. So in spite of our frustration with our lead singer, the band itself is still on solid ground.
We went through the planned first two sets of four, skipping songs that we all felt were still solid, or that we really needed the lead singer to do. I'm concerned about harmonies, since Keith and I aren't practicing them when we're pinch hitting on lead vocals, and for some of those songs, it'll be six weeks since we've played them and been able to sing those harmonies.
On the plus side, the band has been very tight instrumentally, which builds confidence. I know we're all feeling that because Andy had commented on it. So in spite of our frustration with our lead singer, the band itself is still on solid ground.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
JW - 11/11/2012
Everybody but Bill again. Not thrilled with that, but we got done what we could.
Most of the focus was on the new songs again, "Boys are Back in Town", "I'm a Man", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", "Lights", and a slightly revised grouping of old school rock songs that should work pretty well. We also touched up some things in some of the existing list like the group riff in "Call Me the Breeze" that we hadn't had down.
Keith and I split lead vocals again depending on what was needed and what we could do. We didn't worry too much about finer points, focusing more on helping to keep the structure intact than on truly singing well.
Andy had a new pedal board and was changing up his sounds. Should be an upgrade, once he's worked out what he wants to do with it.
Dale had a new tentative set list for the 12/8 show, with the new songs in and a couple of the old songs out. Not many of the sidelined songs are back, but a lot has been moved around, so we will be shaking things up a bit, anyway. He also incorporated the list I'd given him of 5 string versus Rick songs, which should make my bass changes easier.
We should be able to fit three practices in before the show, and we have the new songs down pretty well, so we should be okay in spite of many partial band practices or entirely missed practices since the last show. I think we could've been a lot further along, though. On the whole, we've been surprisingly tight in general lately, but I'll feel more confident after we revisit the old material.
Most of the focus was on the new songs again, "Boys are Back in Town", "I'm a Man", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", "Lights", and a slightly revised grouping of old school rock songs that should work pretty well. We also touched up some things in some of the existing list like the group riff in "Call Me the Breeze" that we hadn't had down.
Keith and I split lead vocals again depending on what was needed and what we could do. We didn't worry too much about finer points, focusing more on helping to keep the structure intact than on truly singing well.
Andy had a new pedal board and was changing up his sounds. Should be an upgrade, once he's worked out what he wants to do with it.
Dale had a new tentative set list for the 12/8 show, with the new songs in and a couple of the old songs out. Not many of the sidelined songs are back, but a lot has been moved around, so we will be shaking things up a bit, anyway. He also incorporated the list I'd given him of 5 string versus Rick songs, which should make my bass changes easier.
We should be able to fit three practices in before the show, and we have the new songs down pretty well, so we should be okay in spite of many partial band practices or entirely missed practices since the last show. I think we could've been a lot further along, though. On the whole, we've been surprisingly tight in general lately, but I'll feel more confident after we revisit the old material.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
JW - 11/4/2012
Hooray! We had everybody for this practice!
Still focused on the new songs, though we touched on a couple of old ones. "Lights", "Wicked Game", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", "No Particular Place to Go/Johnny B. Good/The Twist", "I'm a Man", and "Boys are Back in Town" were practiced.
"867-5309" and "Jessie's Girl" are still on the agenda, but probably not for the December show. That's fine; it gives us new material for the next one.
Overall sound was surprisingly good in light of the fact that we haven't been able to get everybody together before now. I attribute that to relatively low group volume and the fact that nobody is bored of the new songs yet. We're still having scheduling problems for next week; we're either going to have to practice on a weekday or missing a member again.
We had some discussion of which sidelined songs to bring back, without much of a conclusion. The main concern seems to be potential drop-off in quality if we bring back too many. I think it's worth a slight drop in quality to show substantial variety, as long as it's a slight drop. Looking forward to the next set list to see which songs made the cut and where the new songs will be.
Still focused on the new songs, though we touched on a couple of old ones. "Lights", "Wicked Game", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", "No Particular Place to Go/Johnny B. Good/The Twist", "I'm a Man", and "Boys are Back in Town" were practiced.
"867-5309" and "Jessie's Girl" are still on the agenda, but probably not for the December show. That's fine; it gives us new material for the next one.
Overall sound was surprisingly good in light of the fact that we haven't been able to get everybody together before now. I attribute that to relatively low group volume and the fact that nobody is bored of the new songs yet. We're still having scheduling problems for next week; we're either going to have to practice on a weekday or missing a member again.
We had some discussion of which sidelined songs to bring back, without much of a conclusion. The main concern seems to be potential drop-off in quality if we bring back too many. I think it's worth a slight drop in quality to show substantial variety, as long as it's a slight drop. Looking forward to the next set list to see which songs made the cut and where the new songs will be.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
JW - 10/26/2012
No Bill this time, so it'll be over a month since all five of us have practiced together. Not good in terms of keeping things tight, but at least we've had a couple of productive practices with four of the five of us. Might even be a good thing in terms of stepping away from the material a little and keeping things fresh, to a point.
Dale gave us the good news that we have our next show lined up at the Horseshoe Pub in December and two more in the coming year. We'll probably have four practices or so before the December show, so that gives us some time to regroup and tighten up again, as well as adding some new songs. Now what we really need is one or two more venues, preferably some distance from the Horseshoe.
We continued to focus on new songs, spending time on "Boys are Back in Town", "Lights", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", and "Wicked Game". There was also some discussion of which of the sidelined songs we were going to bring back for the upcoming show, the possibility of bring back some songs from before Bill and I had joined the band, and which new songs we've discussed that we'll actually start playing. We didn't touch "867-5309", "Jessie's Girl", or "Some Kind of Wonderful" this time.
Keith and Andy don't seem especially interested in "867-5309" or "Jessie's Girl", saying that the guitar parts are more complicated than they sound, so these songs aren't as easy as they seem to be. They both said the same thing regarding Badfinger's "No Matter What". The thing is, I believe it would do us some good commercially to be a little more female-friendly and play more danceable, somewhat more current, material. The right mix of guitar heavy '70s rock and danceable '80's rock could have enough appeal to both genders to make us popular with general audiences. I learned a long time ago to put commercial considerations ahead of my own tastes, but each musician draws that line in a different place. The place where the band as a whole draws that line is going to depend on all of us together, and will have to be worked out over time. We pick up material faster than any other band I've ever been in, so we can have a large enough song list to draw that line differently every night if we want to. It's good to have options.
Dale gave us the good news that we have our next show lined up at the Horseshoe Pub in December and two more in the coming year. We'll probably have four practices or so before the December show, so that gives us some time to regroup and tighten up again, as well as adding some new songs. Now what we really need is one or two more venues, preferably some distance from the Horseshoe.
We continued to focus on new songs, spending time on "Boys are Back in Town", "Lights", "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", and "Wicked Game". There was also some discussion of which of the sidelined songs we were going to bring back for the upcoming show, the possibility of bring back some songs from before Bill and I had joined the band, and which new songs we've discussed that we'll actually start playing. We didn't touch "867-5309", "Jessie's Girl", or "Some Kind of Wonderful" this time.
Keith and Andy don't seem especially interested in "867-5309" or "Jessie's Girl", saying that the guitar parts are more complicated than they sound, so these songs aren't as easy as they seem to be. They both said the same thing regarding Badfinger's "No Matter What". The thing is, I believe it would do us some good commercially to be a little more female-friendly and play more danceable, somewhat more current, material. The right mix of guitar heavy '70s rock and danceable '80's rock could have enough appeal to both genders to make us popular with general audiences. I learned a long time ago to put commercial considerations ahead of my own tastes, but each musician draws that line in a different place. The place where the band as a whole draws that line is going to depend on all of us together, and will have to be worked out over time. We pick up material faster than any other band I've ever been in, so we can have a large enough song list to draw that line differently every night if we want to. It's good to have options.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
JW - 10/20/2012
No Andy this time. It's been a couple of weeks since we've played together, between scheduling issues and illnesses. Turns out Bill and Keith both had the same bug I'd had. My voice was still weak, and I stopped being able to hit high notes about halfway through the session.
We stuck to new songs rather than going over old ones without Andy. Consensus was that the ones we'd been playing were fairly solid and that there wasn't much point in reviewing them while missing a member. So, we went over "I'm a Man", "Lights", "Jenny (867-5309)", "Jessie's Girl", and "Some Kind of Wonderful", spending some time on the vocals for "Lights" in particular.
All sounded good for a start, though they still need a few runs with Andy on board, obviously. So for next time, we'll have those songs, plus "Boys are Back in Town", plus we're going to bring back some of the songs we'd sidelined next practice. And we're going to start on BTO's "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", which the original members had played before, but Bill and I haven't played with them yet. So, plenty of new songs for next time.
Dale has been in touch with the Horseshoe Pub about playing there again. Nothing set yet, but it sounds promising for the future.
We stuck to new songs rather than going over old ones without Andy. Consensus was that the ones we'd been playing were fairly solid and that there wasn't much point in reviewing them while missing a member. So, we went over "I'm a Man", "Lights", "Jenny (867-5309)", "Jessie's Girl", and "Some Kind of Wonderful", spending some time on the vocals for "Lights" in particular.
All sounded good for a start, though they still need a few runs with Andy on board, obviously. So for next time, we'll have those songs, plus "Boys are Back in Town", plus we're going to bring back some of the songs we'd sidelined next practice. And we're going to start on BTO's "Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", which the original members had played before, but Bill and I haven't played with them yet. So, plenty of new songs for next time.
Dale has been in touch with the Horseshoe Pub about playing there again. Nothing set yet, but it sounds promising for the future.
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