Cold and light snow. Opened for Something To Do and The Toasters. My amp was really buzzy so I unplugged my pedal and ran straight through the amp. Ground lift didn't help. Don't know if it was related to amp being cold...or that I was using a new 6er plug...or what. Just fucking weird and random. The stand light that I bought because of the Jan 10th show ended up being WAY TOO BRIGHT. Blinded me with reflection off the page. Ended up not needing it because they basically left the house lights on on stage ...or it felt like that. I put a piece of paper over the light for next time. The audience was oddly quiet. Between the lights and the audience, the vibe was really, really weird. Really dead.
We argued about the set list until the last minute.
I've been feeling grumbly about things lately, but I was more relaxed last night than on Jan 10th and my playing was better. Still not "perfect" but respectable.
Setlist:
Wallet
Lemuel
Metro
Sergio
I Will Survive
Point/Counterpoint
Thigh High
Spiderwebs
Lost Again
Red Rubber
Rascal
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
SVFD Jan 10th Frequency
I totally forgot to post about this show. It was a benefit for a lab animal retirement facility. We played two sets. There was an ice storm. My brain was broken and had trouble reading my music and forgot things that are deep in memory. Lights made music extra hard to read so I bought a stand light for Jan 20th gig.
Set 1:
Freedom
Rascal
Spiderwebs
Dear Sergio
Dandelions
I Will Survive
Wallet
Somewhere in the Between
About a Girl
I Don't Love You Anymore
Set 2:
Rudy
Lemuel
Came Out of a Lady
Point/Counterpoint
Grazing in the Grass
Superman
Metro
Mr Smiley
Thigh High
Lost Again
Red Rubber Ball
Set 1:
Freedom
Rascal
Spiderwebs
Dear Sergio
Dandelions
I Will Survive
Wallet
Somewhere in the Between
About a Girl
I Don't Love You Anymore
Set 2:
Rudy
Lemuel
Came Out of a Lady
Point/Counterpoint
Grazing in the Grass
Superman
Metro
Mr Smiley
Thigh High
Lost Again
Red Rubber Ball
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
End of Days
A while ago I was horrified that KiS was bringing this beast on stage with Pixies. Call it coincidence, reverse-foreshadowing, a trend, or the end of days...but this photo pops up yesterday on KeD's twitter feed:
It makes one wonder if the piece of shit was KiD's contribution to Pixies sessions back in fall 2012 after all. To which I say...I have to rethink everything I've ever believed.
Side note: I'm also really sad that KeD isn't playing the Aria in this pic.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Piano
So I just signed up for 10 weeks of adult beginner group piano lessons.
O.o
It's in line with 1) looking for more stuff to do (yes it feels necessary) and 2) being impulsive. Luckily, this is the kind of impulsive that only puts me out $150 and makes my Thursdays a little hectic this spring. Which is a-ok.
When I was little I wanted to learn to play piano and acoustic guitar. I loved the way that both sounded. My dad had an old chord organ (later he bought a second, more modern version) and sometime between ages 5 and 10 I taught myself to play it. Basically you played the right hand like normal and the left hand you played chords with a single button, kind of like an accordion. I don't think that I taught myself to read music, so the note names must have been written above the notes for the right hand.
Anyway, that was the extent of my experience with keyboard until I was about 25 (despite having been bought an electric keyboard in my teen years, which I still have). At that point I was living in a house with a piano and feeling ambitious, so I tried to teach myself to play. I actually did okay. At the time I was also teaching myself finger-style guitar in two lines (bass played with thumb, melody with fingers), so I kind of had the hang of reading music in two lines. I didn't advance very far by the time I moved out of that house, but it was at least a start.
Since then I've sort of lost interest in keys. I don't really like the sound of the piano anymore...or the acoustic guitar either really. I've moved on to harder rock. But I still think that keys provide a fantastic theoretical foundation for writing music. And it is a great mental exercise in limb independence. And I've always wondered what the pedals were for and how they worked.
So, ya know, what the hell? I hestitated at first thinking "oh maybe I'll do that SOME DAY but now doesn't seem like the time." Then I noted that the 10 week class goes until May...and that's a long time from now. If I wait for the next round of classes, it'll be next fall. Now is as good a time as any, and honestly, now is probably a good time to have more things to do. And, having taken classes from this particular program before I know, they aren't very high pressure. If I bail on some or don't do so great...it isn't a big deal. So...like I said...what the hell?
O.o
It's in line with 1) looking for more stuff to do (yes it feels necessary) and 2) being impulsive. Luckily, this is the kind of impulsive that only puts me out $150 and makes my Thursdays a little hectic this spring. Which is a-ok.
When I was little I wanted to learn to play piano and acoustic guitar. I loved the way that both sounded. My dad had an old chord organ (later he bought a second, more modern version) and sometime between ages 5 and 10 I taught myself to play it. Basically you played the right hand like normal and the left hand you played chords with a single button, kind of like an accordion. I don't think that I taught myself to read music, so the note names must have been written above the notes for the right hand.
Anyway, that was the extent of my experience with keyboard until I was about 25 (despite having been bought an electric keyboard in my teen years, which I still have). At that point I was living in a house with a piano and feeling ambitious, so I tried to teach myself to play. I actually did okay. At the time I was also teaching myself finger-style guitar in two lines (bass played with thumb, melody with fingers), so I kind of had the hang of reading music in two lines. I didn't advance very far by the time I moved out of that house, but it was at least a start.
Since then I've sort of lost interest in keys. I don't really like the sound of the piano anymore...or the acoustic guitar either really. I've moved on to harder rock. But I still think that keys provide a fantastic theoretical foundation for writing music. And it is a great mental exercise in limb independence. And I've always wondered what the pedals were for and how they worked.
So, ya know, what the hell? I hestitated at first thinking "oh maybe I'll do that SOME DAY but now doesn't seem like the time." Then I noted that the 10 week class goes until May...and that's a long time from now. If I wait for the next round of classes, it'll be next fall. Now is as good a time as any, and honestly, now is probably a good time to have more things to do. And, having taken classes from this particular program before I know, they aren't very high pressure. If I bail on some or don't do so great...it isn't a big deal. So...like I said...what the hell?
SOS on Bass
Speaking of Breeders shit I've been working on....SOS on bass...here's good view of Jo's left hand around 0:23:
Looks like a 1-4 finger pattern on the 2nd -5th frets starting on E string and moving up
Another ok shot
Looks like a 1-4 finger pattern on the 2nd -5th frets starting on E string and moving up
Another ok shot
Flipside
I've been goofing around playing Breeders tunes on drums for about three years now. At one point I was gonna record a tribute album with me playing all the parts, but gave up on that when I figured out that #1) I can't play rhythm guitar like KiD #2) I can't really sing like KiD #3) I probably don't have the right effects pedals or even know how to figure out what the correct effects pedals are.
Since I saw the band play in concert five times this year, and the same basic set with different encores, I watched Jim more closely on the drums. And I got the idea to try playing Last Splash front to back on drums.
It is harder than it seems.
"New Year" and "No Aloha" and "SOS" are still pretty tough for me...but the most interesting song might just be "Flipside." It sounds like a stupid simple song, but there's some kind of weird shit going on. What drew my attention to it is that it looks exhausting when Jim plays it live.
He's just "Ringo-ing" along for a while and then...HERE'S THE MELODY with both hands. Who knows what his feet are doing at that point. It's weird. I can't quite play it right yet.
I think there's a lot to be learned from Jim. Mastering this album is a worthy exercise.
Since I saw the band play in concert five times this year, and the same basic set with different encores, I watched Jim more closely on the drums. And I got the idea to try playing Last Splash front to back on drums.
It is harder than it seems.
"New Year" and "No Aloha" and "SOS" are still pretty tough for me...but the most interesting song might just be "Flipside." It sounds like a stupid simple song, but there's some kind of weird shit going on. What drew my attention to it is that it looks exhausting when Jim plays it live.
He's just "Ringo-ing" along for a while and then...HERE'S THE MELODY with both hands. Who knows what his feet are doing at that point. It's weird. I can't quite play it right yet.
I think there's a lot to be learned from Jim. Mastering this album is a worthy exercise.
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