AMTAG Rehearsal: If No Horn Players Show Up, Are They Still In Tune?

We got together at Adrian's after 2 weeks of failed attempts.  It's looking like the horn section isn't going to happen.  That said, we still have Shanti on board with flute, penny whistle, and other assortments.  Also, I believe Jason will play tenor, alto, perhaps baritone, and even some flute as well.  I gave Jeff a ride and we had a good hour to play before Rose's bedtime.  A lot of discussion over the setlist.  Timing is everything; J.T. had just constructed a nice horn-centric set that most likely will be scrapped for this upcoming mid-day showcase at Moonshadow.  Fine with me, I say.  We have plenty of tunes, many of which are as good or better than the ones already chosen.  Did we sound good?  Yes, a bit of rust here and there.  It comes down to the vocals, and the three frontliners deliver.  It seemed to be as good as ever.  Frankly, it was good to check in with these guys, but I had so much going on I could've perhaps concentrated on something more pressing...

Rose Ash - she was so cute, playing with Adrian's kick drum pedal.  My picture is almost not worth
 the trouble of posting, but she captured our hearts and deserves her moment in blogdom!

A moment in time with Matt, Shanti, and J.t., with special mention to Mr. & Mrs. Ash above the piano.

The King in his element, when he's not hoisting 60 lbs. of lighting cable in one hand while
 scaling the outer reaches of the catwalk 200 ft. above a stage in a shed near you!

A Private Function on Capital City Club Patio Holds the Billy Batts Ensemble at the Bay Window

Always great to be back with the cats in the Batts - Brian, Mark, and Walter.  Real good souls who sincerely want to play and seem to like what I do without any grief.  It's supposed to be fun, and it always is with this lineup.  We have been proactively upping the ante on bringing in new tunes to have in our book.  This time out, we had agreed on 3 more: Cause We've Ended As Lovers (from Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow, a Stevie Wonder composition that was originally sung by Stevie's first wife and longtime collaborator Syreeta Wright on this 1974 release - that was one I had always wondered about back in the day), I Want You (She's So Heavy) (the Lennon minor blues with pre-King Crimson dirge-prog grunge-stomp tailspin from Abbey Road, natch, not the cool, funky Marvin Gaye ditty), and finally, Radiohead's Paranoid Android (quite the magnum opus of modern alt-rock, proclaimed by an elite few to be the Bohemian Rhapsody of the '90's).  Turns out that PA was the only new one we got around to playing.  The manager on duty really enjoyed it.  I learned that crazy bass line in 7 and somehow memorized the whole form after listening to it over and over.  It's not as bad as I thought it would be.  I guess I'm very late to the Radiohead party.  They are fun to watch via concert clips such as this one, or a decade later on this one, particulary Jonny with his guitar noises and then his keyboard pads.

We also ran through Dear Prudence, Unchain My Heart, Just Friends, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, and, by request of more Allman Brothers Band, a rather faithful rendition of Midnight Rider, with Walt's vocal sounding eerily spot on to the Idlewild South track.  Good for me to remember the G minor in the chorus and the B flat during the solo section - I used to always black out during those critical changes back in the day.  It's like, "How well do you really know the song?"  That's what you have to ask yourself.  Can you talk somebody through it without your instrument in front of you?  Classic and southern rock are generally not the subject of this kind of discussion.  I always drift back in my head to playing Comfortably Numb and absent-mindedly (yet panic-stricken since it was a last-minute impulse move) jumping to the verse changes of Bm during the first guitar solo - of course, that solo is over the chorus changes starting on D.  Always best to be thinking ahead as to what's coming next.

When It's Last Call Early in the Afternoon: A Benefit for Breast Cancer Research at Meehan's in Sandy Springs

Last Call, North Georgia's Jangle-Rock & One-Hit Wonder combo, gave their time and energy to this recent deluxe performance in honor of Lisa Smith, a good friend of the band who had recently lost her life.  Really sad to learn of somebody your friend knows who just succumbed like that.  We knocked around a few dates and settled on a Sunday afternoon.  It turned out to be Cinco de Mayo.  It also turned out to be the site of an area bicycle race!  Getting there is half the fun, so they say.

Decent weather, but with storms the day before and then threatening later in the evening, we were teased by the sun and banished to the corner stage near the bar inside of Meehan's at Sandy Springs.  The band, with David Falkenstein (guitar, vocals, front of house and monitor engineer), Ira Kramer (drums, vocals), and Karl Rosenblum (violin, percussion), along with my usual shenanigans, welcomed a promising, young chanteuse in Farrel Anne.  Farrel joined us to sing on a few songs she was familiar with and had worked up. This girl has some amazing pipes and and is very impressive.  I'm always impressed with somebody that young who understands what it means to really sing.  She is on pitch with great projection, but almost more importantly, she knows how to entertain.  Actually, being on pitch is more important!  She was spot on!  Farrel sang Gimme Shelter, giving us another great rocking Stones number to breeze through, and the Joan Osborne staple One of Us, among others.  She was clearly a major highlight of the day, returning to the stage to grant her fans another chance to bask in her triumph.  We could all feel the energy lift when she was singing.  Quite a marvel.  Now here's where I can insert something that I probably shouldn't, but will anyway, for the time being.  I knew she was young, but seeing her birthday on facebook took me back;  I met my wife Sabina the year Farrel was born - 2 months prior to be more specific!  How's that for aging myself?  Music has the power to make us all feel young again.  Maybe that has a lot to do with its allure.  We're all kids up there chanting "It's just a shot away!  It's just a shot away!"

Once we had the sound dialed in, via the earbuds and David's magically clean mixing prowess, we were on our way.  A bump in level for the violin, perhaps a tad less bass (how could it be?), sounding better already.  It must be time time for some more Tom Petty music!  This was a chance to once again charge through our extensive repertoire and give the people what they want.  I had spent a few nights prior going over some of these songs I hadn't worked up as well already.  I made some charts and transposed my keys dutifully.  One caveat I have since come to grips with is that a chart isn't really a chart unless it's printed or available to be viewed.  That's a roundabout way of saying that I had forgot to print and /or bring said charts.  I had my book; it just wasn't as complete as I had hoped.  Many of the songs are indeed memorized.  Some are not.  Many of them use the same chords.  Really, if I went through our list and counted up all of the G, D, Bm, Em, C, and A chords - 4 chords per verse, 3 per chorus, 5 per bridge, 1 extra during the solo, it would just make me run!  Sure, the songs are easy, but it can all turn into one long series of chord juggling if I don't have a little reference.  I think for the most part we really nailed it.  David's guitar work was stellar.  The combination of his Rickenbacker with his Vox pedalboard gave us an appealing shimmer for my to flank with the deep bass tone of the NS/Stick.  That NS is a serious bass instrument.  Like the guy who traded it to me explained, it's made me a more careful bassist.  It's very responsive and even across the frequency spectrum.  I still find myself goosing up the lows on the active eq, only to back them down later in the set.

My pedals always take a long minute to rearrange, as I end up employing a second board dedicated to the guitar-half of the instrument and then consequently mixing in with the Boss LS-2.  It's worth the effect to have split tones on the one instrument for this band.  One tune I had been looking forward to getting to was Badfinger's No Matter What.  I worked up the solo, a fairly easy George Harrison-inspired melodic slide riff.  I make use of a large carabiner for the slide, a nifty trick courtesy of the great if not infamous Don Schiff.  He explains his technique with the carabiner here, while it's mentioned in everybody's favorite reference wikipedia here.  There, credit where credit is due.  Don is certainly a guy I'd like to sit down and talk shop with, over a donut or two, naturally!  His blog has multiple references to his enjoyment of donuts, a staple of green rooms in the Vegas area for the gigs he commands.  I had practiced it at home and the carabiner is really interesting.  With the NS/Stick, or perhaps any Stick, the strings are so responsive (even more so with the compression and a bit of tube drive I tend to favor), that all is needed is to lightly touch the string with the metal, not pressing down to the fret wire, and slide away!  It's an unusual sensation to be tapping with one hand and sliding with the other; different amounts of pressure, moving in different directions, different tones, straight groove on the left, familiar melodic statement with nuanced vibrato on the right.  At any rate, I had forgotten to pack my carabiner as well, so I had to play the solo without.  Oh phooey!  I still came out rather nice - one painful half-step accident, but saved with grace and a soaring finish to the high A and we were back to the bridge.  My first solo in the band!  Must make it a regular occurrence!  Other noteworthy stuff: I successfully lost my voice during the coarse of being hoarse.  My sinus affliction during the week had taken it's toll, with more than one night of waking to coughing spells.  I think it was just an unfortunate timing of events.  The dreck was going around at work and sooner or later one's luck runs out.  It didn't seem to hang around as long but while it was here it sure gave a good effort.  So I couldn't speak the following day, or really the next.  I started to fret a bit as I was to sing the first dance and a Cheap Trick ditty the following Saturday.  I got through it, with a little help from a friend.

Karl's violin filled in so much more this time around.  I can tell he's really getting more comfortable (as we all are) with the material.  It's really nice to have his sound in the group.  Electric violin is a marvelous voice, one that doesn't get mentioned in this city of horns and samples.  He gave Run by Atlanta's own Collective Soul a good bit of authenticity.  Great to hear him on Bowie's "Heroes" as well, emulating the Frippian infinite sustain.  Ira was so solid - we found that inner pocket to fall into.  Really, his tempo is unwavering - a real sense of pace that doesn't drag in a long show like this one. As I think back, his playing reminds me a bit of Bill Berry from R.E.M.  We played Sitting Still and Radio Free Europe, and yes, he is perfect for that driving back beat.  Later we met the guitarist/vocalist from a local area R.E.M. tribute band The REMakes, Geoff Melkonian.  Nice chap - if he heard us play either of those, he didn't say.  Thought we pulled 'em off rather well.  Had some folks dancing, with the beautiful Ruth, Julie, and Rebecca leading the way on the floor (a rather fantabulous visual image, wouldn't you agree?) - well, who wouldn't want to join them?  We were fortunate to enjoy a cold beer or two on a sunny Sunday afternoon, although the rain came back strong and the temps fell just in time for our load out.  Most importantly, we raised  a few thousand dollars for cancer research in honor of Lisa and her family.  Thanks to David, Ira, Karl, and Farrel for all of your hard work and your love of the music.

If you read this far, then you deserve to see some more pics.  These are courtesy of Farrel's father Chuck Meiers.  Thank you Chuck for sharing these shots that provide a favorable glimpse into our mindset as we are up on the sacred stage and becoming one with the music.  It is interesting to see how we handle our collective moments in the spotlight.  Farrel is just so natural and at ease; uncanny how she never appears to be out of her element.  These are revelatory for that point alone.

~ In loving memory of Lisa Smith ~

Platinum at Capital City Club: The Night My Amp Went Out

Played in the ballroom on the 3rd floor this past Saturday at the downtown Capital City Club.  Traveled rather light, with only the Stingray 5 and my (actually Jack's) trusty Fender acoustic/electric guitar (for I'll Be).  I plugged in everything (including the XLR to the DI jack in the back of the head), pressed the power switch, and poof!  Not a good sound.  Not at all, and no luck getting it to power up.  No accessible fuse in the back to check.  First had to make it through soundcheck, playing direct and having a monitor mix.  Went over a bit of Thrift Shop with Glen singing Superstition over the rap sections.  Then had to run home and get my Genz-Benz combo.  Run home - that's right.  I drove in the pouring rain - major storms this evening.  I was on a mission to get an amp, right?  The band didn't know, although i think Junius had an idea.  A gig without an amp - not in this band!  I made it back in the nick of time.

The Genz-Benz works great in that it operates normally in a bridged-mono configuration as a 200W combo driving a 12" and a horn.  It also has the capability to move the internal speaker to another speaker out and plug in an external cabinet into a third jack, thus delivering 100W to each cabinet.  Not tremendous power but it delivers a good amount of sound. Very nice indeed.  I made it back just in time, as the band was assembling on the stage and waiting to start the lead in jazz tune.  A true challenge if you have any clue what our rainfall has been over this past weekend - over 4 inches.  We started into Lonnie's Lament, a funky Marcus Miller-inspired groove that showcases a memorable (and dare I say hummable) Coltrane melody.  Lots of good vibes from the crowd as they entered the room.  One of the photographers was very complimentary, as he is a young bassist who confided that he is now driven to improve after checking us out.  Made me feel good, at any rate.  I'll Be was nice,even if I didn't feel it as being as liberating as it has felt in the past.  Kevin really enjoys it, and I do too.  Glen always plays some cool lines in it - another great bassist!  Funny to switch instruments - wish we did it more.

Got a humorous text from Judy - she was playing on the 2nd level and popped in to see us for a minute.  She told me to "keep it down!"  Very funny, Judy!  Made me smile at that.  It was a good night in spite of my equipment failure.  My head may still be under warranty.  The fuse is internal, so the downside is I cannot open it up without voiding the warranty.  Gotta take 'er in, after I find the receipt.  Stay tuned.

The Genz-Benz combo atop my SWR Go-Light 115.  The Combo powers both cabinets with its dual speaker out configuration at 100W per output, or 200W bridged mono.

My only other decent shot, a very nice one of Gus - what a shame I wasn't steady!

A Spring Party at Heritage Sandy Plains With Crazy Marty

Here's a posting from a few weeks ago.  I've fallen behind on my writings.  Partly not inspired to recount whatever interesting newsworthy items I may have.  Partly just too tied up with keeping this life thing together.  A lot going on lately, certainly with Spencer's 5th birthday and our wedding anniversary taking precedence.

I haven't had much contact with The MartaY (yes, stylized as The MartaY) much lately.  At this point, he's a solo artist and a very departmentalized vocalist/guitarist who knows a plethora of classic American Songbooks.  He is the man to have along for a campfire singalong, or more lucratively, for a gathering of folks representing our increasingly large elderly population.  He knows a lot of oldies but goodies, indeed.  Once in a great while, he asks me to join up with him to provide a small band vibe at one of his private concerts.  I am happy to oblige.

One tune he did that I hadn't played before was Lee Greenwood's God Bless the U.S.A. (he kept calling it I'm Proud To Be An American, which is a great Bill Spooner ditty from Tubes' Young and Rich - I knew it wan't that one).  He changed the key to C and sang it strong, holding that last note like the Chairman of the Board holding that final New York!  Good one to have up your sleeve in these troubled times of major events, in this case days after the bombings at the Boston Marathon.  Who needs foreign terrorists when we're so adept at handling it ourselves?  School shootings, and now, as I'm sending this out for review, a Mothers' Day parade shooting in New Orleans.  Hard to stay positive.

We were set up in the back yard on the sidewalk that wraps around the garden.  It was decent weather, but our location was not user friendly.  Really not much to report.  Spoke with MartaY at length as we packed up and ate our cold burgers and dogs.  I think I needed to catch up with him and clear the air, although we didn't discuss what I'd been up to in detail.  I know he stays busy and gigs probably about as much as any musician really wants to.  He's got some real strengths.

The Annual Carrollton Tent Event for Tanner Medical

Panoramic view inside the tent - it's a big tent, to say the least - from my spot on the stage.

Stepping back into this massive structure is surreal.  Has it been a year since I wearily drove home from the last time we played here?  Does it always rain on these types of events?  Not always, but it did tonight.  It was good to see Gyro tending to the audio needs.  I have his number but haven't made the time to venture over to his fine studio in Marietta.  Platinum brought their musical prowess to deliver some special requests and some old favorites.  A special dance kicked off the first set with the nearly century-old Tin Pan Alley chestnut Let Me Call You Sweetheart.  I have been playing it for some time now with MartaY.  I got a copy of a version by Connie Francis, so I suppose I'll always associate it with her.  Also have the duet with Pat and Shirley Boone.  They are similar in that neither includes the verse.  Songs used to have a verse that apparently wasn't entirely necessary.  Only folks like Tony Bennett still choose to sing verses of old standards.  We ended up playing it in the key of G, which was the key of the sheet music I had.  How convenient!  It sounded good.  I missed (we all did) the fact that we didn't play the customary jazz/dinner set - it seemed like forever until our time came along...

Speaking of being a year...  this tent-like structure is so massive.  I take for granted that it is set up solely for this annual function.  When I come here, I feel as though nothing has changed.  The tent looks the same.  The stage looks like the same one and is in the same place.  The fiberboard backdrop seems to be from the same warehouse.  Everything.  Even Gyro, our spot-on audio tech, the best in the biz, hasn't aged.  I've known Gyro since working some MMS/ASL shows out at the Ritz at Lake Oconee - we all but closed down the bar one year (another torrid story with a grey goose as the central character - nobody got too hurt.  Hey, rehearsal was at 8 a.m., so how much could you party, especially on the $35 per diem)...  The point was that  I used to believe that this incredible structure stayed out - it's just too big to move - so naive...

I hadn't played my NS/WAV in a while, so I brought it along for the first set. I used the Frame Strap System attachment along with my wireless for nice mobility.  One thing I adjusted was the angle of the bass, effectively tilting the neck towards my field of vision for a better shot at intonation - I need all of the help I can get on this!  Why hadn't I explored that before?  It may not be as hip as playing it without looking at the dots, but it sounds right.  One more thing to do for next time would be to lower the height (ie loosen the strap a bit more) so that the nut is closer to eye level.  I have been playing it a bit higher to facilitate thumb position.  Otherwise, it gets hard to see what's going on in that upper octave.  The truth is, I don't play much in that area.  Better to make it more comfortable for the money notes.  Another fine point here is to put the contraption on (likewise with the Stick and such) before the jacket, thus effectively hiding the strap.  Ah, it seems to just float in front of my torso.  I alone think it's cool.  I guess that's all that matters sometimes.

The long second set was handled well with my Precision, albeit with bridge position pickup engaged for added clarity.

We had Bogey filling in for Kevin.  He did a great job fronting the band and giving us some good energy.  We needed that, as it was a long wait from soundcheck to the first set.  No jazz set in between.  It was almost a 3-hour wait.  Good dinner, with chicken alfredo, asparagus  salad, cupcakes, ice cream, juices, anything we wanted...