People who like the Pixies all have an opinion on which album was best. It usually revolves around which album they first heard.
I have a unique perspective on this topic because, prior to January of 2010 I never listened to the Pixies. I was vaguely aware that they existed and I think I knew that they did Here Comes Your Man and maybe I'd heard a few other songs like Ana and Dig for Fire and I don't know what else. My introduction to them was not a certain album, but their greatest hits record Wave of Mutiliation which was quickly followed by intense study (around March/April 2010) of the combo version of Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa. It was a long while before I acquired and listened to Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde. I am aware of 89 songs that the Pixies put to tape and I now (October 2011) know how to play about 50 or so of these...maybe more like 55 though I only have 50 memorized.
So what are my favorites? It is a complicated question...because my history with these songs is of learning to play them...not of just listening for fun. So my feelings about each song have to do with how hard it was to learn, whether I feel like I've mastered it, whether I feel like the band plays it well, and whether I get nervous and worried about messing up when we play them live. So I have two lists...the ones I think I like to listen to and the ones I think I like to play.
To Listen To:
Debaser (Doolittle)
Dig for Fire (Bossanova)
Nimrod’s Son (Come On Pilgrim)
I’m Amazed (Surfer Rosa)
Something Against You (Surfer Rosa)
La La Love You (Doolittle)
There Goes My Gun (Doolittle)
Wave of Mutilation (Doolittle)
Allison (Bossanova)
Build High (B side)
Head On (Trompe)
Bam Thwok (Single)
Palace of the Brine(Trompe)
River Uphrates(Surfer Rosa)
Alec Eiffel(Trompe)
Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons (Trompe)
Letter to Memphis (Trompe)
Manta Ray (B side)
Weird at My School (B side)
Winterlong (Cover)
Ain't That Pretty At All (cover)
To Play:
Break My Body (Surfer Rosa)
Wave of Mutilation (Doolittle)
Letter to Memphis (Trompe)
Dead (Doolittle)
Build High (B side)
La La Love You (Doolittle)
Here Comes Your Man (Doolittle)
Which album is best? Gun to my head I would have said Surfer Rosa and then maybe Doolittle. I would have said my least favorites were Trompe and Bossanova. But looking at my favorite songs...
Come On=1
Surfer =3
Doolittle =4
Boss = 2
Trompe =5
B side/single/cover =6
So that's confusing data. I definitely feel like I am more familiar with Come On, Surfer, and Doolittle. But look at that 5 for Trompe. Huh.
All this said...a better question is probably which songs DON'T I like, because I like almost all of them. I can say that my least favorite is The Navajo Know. It just sucks. I'm also not a big fan of U-Mass (hated it from moment I heard it). There are a bunch of songs that are hard for me to play and so that colors my opinion...and a pile that I'm just not that familiar with, like much of Bossanova and some of the B-sides. And when I say "not that familiar with" I mean I've only heard them 100 times and not 10,000 times...and that I get them mixed up.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Pero, 10/1, LRC
Peroxide played Ladies Rock Camp as a warmup for the big Halloween gig.
I was hungover because I am an asshole. I also was more nervous than normal I think because I was worried that I'd seem like a fraud...a music instructor who might not measure up in chops. Anyway, I'd say I didn't nail everything, but the basic ideas where there and reasonably well pulled off. The rest of the band did pretty well. We had one hang up where we were all obviously lost and I had the presence of mind to yell "key change" to get us all back to the same place. It worked and we kept going. We're still figuring out endings and everyone watched me really well for where to stop. I definitely felt, more so than usual, that I was driving the bus.
We played for 30 minutes and got paid $75. We were perhaps too loud for the small room...though a recording of the session revealed this wasn't as bad as it seemed. I know that we were all turned down about as far as we could go.
Setlist (in alpha order Pixies-style only because we are lazy):
Call Me
Denis
Hanging on the Telephone
Heart of Glass
One Way or Another
Sunday Girl
Tide is High
X Offender
I was hungover because I am an asshole. I also was more nervous than normal I think because I was worried that I'd seem like a fraud...a music instructor who might not measure up in chops. Anyway, I'd say I didn't nail everything, but the basic ideas where there and reasonably well pulled off. The rest of the band did pretty well. We had one hang up where we were all obviously lost and I had the presence of mind to yell "key change" to get us all back to the same place. It worked and we kept going. We're still figuring out endings and everyone watched me really well for where to stop. I definitely felt, more so than usual, that I was driving the bus.
We played for 30 minutes and got paid $75. We were perhaps too loud for the small room...though a recording of the session revealed this wasn't as bad as it seemed. I know that we were all turned down about as far as we could go.
Setlist (in alpha order Pixies-style only because we are lazy):
Call Me
Denis
Hanging on the Telephone
Heart of Glass
One Way or Another
Sunday Girl
Tide is High
X Offender
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Ladies Must Rock
This weekend is Ladies Rock Camp. I'm teaching bass, coaching a band, and performing with our Blondie tribute on drums at a lunch break. As always, I worry that I am not qualified for any of this...that I will seem a fraud...but in the end each time I put myself out there I become a little more qualified, and I guess that's all that I can hope for.
To be fair, while there are better bass instructors and players out there...I am EMMENSELY qualified to coach hopeful beginning female rock stars on how to
1) pick up an instrument they've never played before and make sounds from it
2) ask someone (friends or strangers) to let them play in a band with them (even to ask boys if you are a girl...or seem like a girl)
3) shamelessly proceed to play in that band...for fun or profit (well, for gas money anyway).
Indeed this three part process may be one of the few things I've ever been good at doing in life.
To be fair, while there are better bass instructors and players out there...I am EMMENSELY qualified to coach hopeful beginning female rock stars on how to
1) pick up an instrument they've never played before and make sounds from it
2) ask someone (friends or strangers) to let them play in a band with them (even to ask boys if you are a girl...or seem like a girl)
3) shamelessly proceed to play in that band...for fun or profit (well, for gas money anyway).
Indeed this three part process may be one of the few things I've ever been good at doing in life.
DIY 12-String TLC
Some time ago, I'm going to guess it was in about 2005, a coworker alerted me to the fact that a friend of hers was moving away and looking to sell his bass guitar. At the time I'd been playing bass for a couple of years...first a borrowed one...and then a cheap white one (The story of my basses is here). I didn't think I needed another bass...but what the hell. So I went and talked to the chap. Turned out that he wanted to sell me a bass, a practice amp, and an acoustic 6 string guitar all for $75. And who could say no to that. I had a habit of collecting cheap instruments at that time and somehow this turned into me trading the 6 string for a 12 string.
And essentially that is the end of the story of the 12 string until summer of this year. It sat at my house unused.
It was determined that "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1" needed no bass...but rather a 12 string guitar on top of the pre-existing 6 string part. And so began the life of my 12 string.
I noticed a slight string buzz and friends drew my attention to the fact that the saddle is too low...so that some of the strings rub against the bridge and buzz. I was told this was an easy fix...just raise the saddle with a shim. I feared breaking it in the process though...so ordered a back up saddle. Research was useless regarding the saddle...there are dozens of saddles on the market and nothing to indicate which one I needed. I took a crap shoot and ordered an all around type from Musician's Friend. It arrived yesterday and seems to be close to right. A bit big but that is apparently better than too small and I can sand it to size. Still not sure if all saddles work on 6 or 12 strings...but no where on the web could I find a 12 string specific saddle.
It never occurred to me that I'd have to take off the strings for this operation...and never mind that I've never changed them before anyway. So a trip to Woodwind Brasswind in South Bend and subsequent realizations that 1) they were closing their retail store and 2) I have no idea what kind of strings I wanted (extra light, light, or medium). I got two sets of lights...thinking ahead to a future broken string. No discount despite WWBW being in liquidation mode.
Whilst waiting for the saddle to arrive it occured to me that the strap is always falling off the guitar. There's a pin holding it is (later identified as an END PIN). I kind of want a more permanent situation. And so today's research and total uncertainty whether or not it is appropriate or possible to make a more permanent solution. All of the strap pins on the market seem to be designed for solid body electrics. I guess folkies aren't supposed to stand up. Anyway...it's off to Guitar Center tonight to see if an in-person trip will yield better results.
Either tonight or later this weekend I will take the whole thing apart and probably totally fuck it up. If I remember, photos of the destruction to follow.
All of this, of course, could be done for more money and an uncertain time frame at a shop...but it seems well within my abilities. The best option would have been to undertake the entire enterprise on my own, but under qualified supervision and guidance, at the shop of a former-friend...but I seem to inexplicably be dead to her suddenly.
And here an unneccessary and ill-advised tangent on that. First dropped off the jam contact list (more than a jam list, really, I thought I was the drummer for one of her bands) with no explanation and later unceremoniously "un-friended" on Facebook...the modern equivalent to being given the finger. I've searched my brain and am fairly certain there is nothing in my actions or words to have precipitated such treatment. I tried to be fair and kind all the way along and there was no indication from the other side that I'd not been. I can only assume that a mutual "friend" has influenced things (either by direct request, or just an uncomfortable silence), which is too bad. I've been more than my share of an asshole over the years...and this suspected "friendly" influence certainly bore a brunt of that behavior. It is my lot in life to regret those mistakes and to be banished for them...and that I can live with...and I do live with that...every day. But it feels unfair that the punishment should expand to everyone that we mutually know. To people who I've never wronged. I suppose folks always pick sides in a divorce...but the picking usually happens much sooner. Mostly it feels disappointing and a betrayal that a fellow person living in the middle ground of weird would choose the popular girl over her brother. It's easy to love a winner and to want to be on their team. It's hard to stand in strange. Of all people on this earth I thought this one person was more willing to stand in strange than anyone else I'd ever met...but put to the test it just wasn't true. I'm sure she has her reasons and feels totally justified...but it's sad and makes me sad that this is the way of people. Loyalities are fleeting. You can't really trust anyone. And in the end we are all out for ourselves.
Side note...it is an acoustic and this gig is most certainly electric. I'm going to use a Dean Markely humbucker pickup I bought several years back when I thought I was going to have a solo career or become a singer-songwriter/band leader. But I suck at both song writing and band leading. The pickup just sticks in the sound hole with a cable running out. So it too sat unused until in March 2010 Crackity Jones put it into service on RS's acoustic. It was returned to me last night after he bought his own (aparently my solution was a good enough balance of cheap and good). It is slightly beaten to hell, but still fully functional. He offered to give me the new one instead, but I kind of like that the Pixies rang through this one and sweated all over it. I'm planning to just plug the guitar into my bass rig and hope for the best (I am well aware that the reverse is not a good idea...that is, plugging a bass into a guitar rig).
And essentially that is the end of the story of the 12 string until summer of this year. It sat at my house unused.
It was determined that "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1" needed no bass...but rather a 12 string guitar on top of the pre-existing 6 string part. And so began the life of my 12 string.
I noticed a slight string buzz and friends drew my attention to the fact that the saddle is too low...so that some of the strings rub against the bridge and buzz. I was told this was an easy fix...just raise the saddle with a shim. I feared breaking it in the process though...so ordered a back up saddle. Research was useless regarding the saddle...there are dozens of saddles on the market and nothing to indicate which one I needed. I took a crap shoot and ordered an all around type from Musician's Friend. It arrived yesterday and seems to be close to right. A bit big but that is apparently better than too small and I can sand it to size. Still not sure if all saddles work on 6 or 12 strings...but no where on the web could I find a 12 string specific saddle.
It never occurred to me that I'd have to take off the strings for this operation...and never mind that I've never changed them before anyway. So a trip to Woodwind Brasswind in South Bend and subsequent realizations that 1) they were closing their retail store and 2) I have no idea what kind of strings I wanted (extra light, light, or medium). I got two sets of lights...thinking ahead to a future broken string. No discount despite WWBW being in liquidation mode.
Whilst waiting for the saddle to arrive it occured to me that the strap is always falling off the guitar. There's a pin holding it is (later identified as an END PIN). I kind of want a more permanent situation. And so today's research and total uncertainty whether or not it is appropriate or possible to make a more permanent solution. All of the strap pins on the market seem to be designed for solid body electrics. I guess folkies aren't supposed to stand up. Anyway...it's off to Guitar Center tonight to see if an in-person trip will yield better results.
Either tonight or later this weekend I will take the whole thing apart and probably totally fuck it up. If I remember, photos of the destruction to follow.
All of this, of course, could be done for more money and an uncertain time frame at a shop...but it seems well within my abilities. The best option would have been to undertake the entire enterprise on my own, but under qualified supervision and guidance, at the shop of a former-friend...but I seem to inexplicably be dead to her suddenly.
And here an unneccessary and ill-advised tangent on that. First dropped off the jam contact list (more than a jam list, really, I thought I was the drummer for one of her bands) with no explanation and later unceremoniously "un-friended" on Facebook...the modern equivalent to being given the finger. I've searched my brain and am fairly certain there is nothing in my actions or words to have precipitated such treatment. I tried to be fair and kind all the way along and there was no indication from the other side that I'd not been. I can only assume that a mutual "friend" has influenced things (either by direct request, or just an uncomfortable silence), which is too bad. I've been more than my share of an asshole over the years...and this suspected "friendly" influence certainly bore a brunt of that behavior. It is my lot in life to regret those mistakes and to be banished for them...and that I can live with...and I do live with that...every day. But it feels unfair that the punishment should expand to everyone that we mutually know. To people who I've never wronged. I suppose folks always pick sides in a divorce...but the picking usually happens much sooner. Mostly it feels disappointing and a betrayal that a fellow person living in the middle ground of weird would choose the popular girl over her brother. It's easy to love a winner and to want to be on their team. It's hard to stand in strange. Of all people on this earth I thought this one person was more willing to stand in strange than anyone else I'd ever met...but put to the test it just wasn't true. I'm sure she has her reasons and feels totally justified...but it's sad and makes me sad that this is the way of people. Loyalities are fleeting. You can't really trust anyone. And in the end we are all out for ourselves.
Side note...it is an acoustic and this gig is most certainly electric. I'm going to use a Dean Markely humbucker pickup I bought several years back when I thought I was going to have a solo career or become a singer-songwriter/band leader. But I suck at both song writing and band leading. The pickup just sticks in the sound hole with a cable running out. So it too sat unused until in March 2010 Crackity Jones put it into service on RS's acoustic. It was returned to me last night after he bought his own (aparently my solution was a good enough balance of cheap and good). It is slightly beaten to hell, but still fully functional. He offered to give me the new one instead, but I kind of like that the Pixies rang through this one and sweated all over it. I'm planning to just plug the guitar into my bass rig and hope for the best (I am well aware that the reverse is not a good idea...that is, plugging a bass into a guitar rig).
Monday, September 26, 2011
TD, 9/22, Great Dane
Basement gig at Great Dane Downtown opening for The Sesters. Despite last six weeks of minimal alcohol consumption, had one beer and one shot before show, one beer during, and two after. Though drugs are bad...I was fine. Life is confusing.
I played really well all except One is for Man...which is a song that just confuses me and we opened with it on a kit I was unfamiliar with. After that all was well. Sound was really good. The sparse audience, made up mostly of friends and band people...were excessively complimentary. Told us we're better than ever. I think they actually meant it and that it was actually true. To this I don't really know what to say.
The shared kit was vintage and quite nice. Good bass sound (no front head and a blanket in it...old pedal with felt beater)...great old Ludwig snare that was not part of kit and I guess borrowed...everything (pedal, throne, hardware) fit me just right. The setup was the same as my regular gig set up...with ride in front and only one rack tom. Only problem was that splash jumped off of stand with no top nut and a short screw...switched stands to one with longer screw and was fine. Note to self...in future could use gaffers tape to fix this problem in a pinch. What the experience taught me is that normal cymbals are heavy enough not to jump off of stands even without top nuts and when hit hard. I have this problem so often probably because the splashes are so light and thin. The hi hat stand was also walking away from me a bit too because it wasn't squarely on the rug...but I managed.
Setlist to come.
I played really well all except One is for Man...which is a song that just confuses me and we opened with it on a kit I was unfamiliar with. After that all was well. Sound was really good. The sparse audience, made up mostly of friends and band people...were excessively complimentary. Told us we're better than ever. I think they actually meant it and that it was actually true. To this I don't really know what to say.
The shared kit was vintage and quite nice. Good bass sound (no front head and a blanket in it...old pedal with felt beater)...great old Ludwig snare that was not part of kit and I guess borrowed...everything (pedal, throne, hardware) fit me just right. The setup was the same as my regular gig set up...with ride in front and only one rack tom. Only problem was that splash jumped off of stand with no top nut and a short screw...switched stands to one with longer screw and was fine. Note to self...in future could use gaffers tape to fix this problem in a pinch. What the experience taught me is that normal cymbals are heavy enough not to jump off of stands even without top nuts and when hit hard. I have this problem so often probably because the splashes are so light and thin. The hi hat stand was also walking away from me a bit too because it wasn't squarely on the rug...but I managed.
Setlist to come.
Monday, September 12, 2011
CJ, 9/9/2011, Mickey's
UPDATE: First 30 minutes of gig recorded by The Shabelles. It is not NEARLY as bad as I thought. It was actually Broken Face I goofed and not Isla (which is freaky) and by the third time through I'd remembered the riff. We actually sound pretty good. I think that we need to work on abrupt transitions though.
Here the recording be:
Sigh.
I was well prepared for this show and yet...really struggled. Literally forgot how Isla de Encanta went.
Regarding this...see the following clip from "Loud, Quiet, Loud." At 1:59, Kim Deal says "I'm horrified that I'm gonna spaz and forget like, like, Gouge Away. I'm gonna think it's in G...You think, there's a lot of people...it's sold out. You'd think that the bitch would have learned the song."
At least I am in good company (also, though I have no idea what key Gouge Away is in...I know that I play a G#, B, E, G#, E...though if I can forget Isla, some day I'll surely forget Gouge Away as well).
Couldn't hear my vocals for the entire first set. Felt like I was screaming and nothing was coming out. In particular this sucked for Into the White, which I was really disappointed in. Was very nervous and my legs were shaking the entire first set. I've been trying really hard not to drink, but just couldn't take it and had a beer during set break and another during second set. I know it isn't politically correct to say...but this helped emensely. RS turned up my vocals for second set, I turned the speaker towards me, and I settled down from the beer. Actually started to have fun. I know that alcohol is evil and that in an ideal world I would learn to deal with life without it...but there is no denying that it can on occasion help. That said, I couldn't sleep all night (from the beer) and felt like shit the next day. If it is a tool...it is a tool to be used sparingly. And a slippery slope for sure.
The Shabelles opened and kicked ass. Very tight and clean and sharp. It was hard to tell whether we had much of an audience for most of the show, but when we played "Hey" the entire place erupted in song and after that the place felt packed with huge numbers and energy. I probably had at least ten people come up to me and either request a song (yes honey, we'll play Gigantic...but only cause you asked), tell me how my voice sounded exactly like Kim Deal, how my bass playing was rock solid, or how, in general, we totally rocked. Given that I feel like the entire first set was pretty shakey...I take all of this with a grain of salt. That said, I really should give myself a break and enjoy the compliments. No one is paying these strangers to be nice to me.
Mickey's let us play until about 2:15am on the bar clock.
We took home $220 (which means we brought in $330 including The Shabelles share). The whole reason we played this gig was to raise money to pay for special effects for the Flaming Lips show. The goal was to bring in $200...so yay. I think this brings the bank up to about $600...which we will burn through quickly in a blaze of special effects glory.
Setlist
Set 1:
Crackity Jones
Isla
Broken Face
Sad Punk
#13
Cactus
I Bleed
Ed
La La Love
Caribou
Bone Machine
Break My Body
Dead
Monkey
Allison
Is She Weird
Into the White
Here Comes Your Man
Vamos
Set 2:
Debaser
Holiday
Mr Grieves
Something Against You
Trompe
I'm Amazed
Brick is Red
Alec Eiffel
Planet of Sound
Wave
River
Hey
Manta Ray
Gigantic
Gouge Away
Nimrod
Where Is My Mind?
Tame
Photographic evidence: I am reminded from the photos that it was, despite being September, quite hot. We were sweaty.
Paco is awesome.
I'm a head banger.
Seriously the man is gonna pop a vein someday.
We both yell a fair amount. Also...I am a lot closer to the front door than it seems here. I have to move the neck of my bass every time someone comes in the front door.
Here the recording be:
Sigh.
I was well prepared for this show and yet...really struggled. Literally forgot how Isla de Encanta went.
Regarding this...see the following clip from "Loud, Quiet, Loud." At 1:59, Kim Deal says "I'm horrified that I'm gonna spaz and forget like, like, Gouge Away. I'm gonna think it's in G...You think, there's a lot of people...it's sold out. You'd think that the bitch would have learned the song."
At least I am in good company (also, though I have no idea what key Gouge Away is in...I know that I play a G#, B, E, G#, E...though if I can forget Isla, some day I'll surely forget Gouge Away as well).
Couldn't hear my vocals for the entire first set. Felt like I was screaming and nothing was coming out. In particular this sucked for Into the White, which I was really disappointed in. Was very nervous and my legs were shaking the entire first set. I've been trying really hard not to drink, but just couldn't take it and had a beer during set break and another during second set. I know it isn't politically correct to say...but this helped emensely. RS turned up my vocals for second set, I turned the speaker towards me, and I settled down from the beer. Actually started to have fun. I know that alcohol is evil and that in an ideal world I would learn to deal with life without it...but there is no denying that it can on occasion help. That said, I couldn't sleep all night (from the beer) and felt like shit the next day. If it is a tool...it is a tool to be used sparingly. And a slippery slope for sure.
The Shabelles opened and kicked ass. Very tight and clean and sharp. It was hard to tell whether we had much of an audience for most of the show, but when we played "Hey" the entire place erupted in song and after that the place felt packed with huge numbers and energy. I probably had at least ten people come up to me and either request a song (yes honey, we'll play Gigantic...but only cause you asked), tell me how my voice sounded exactly like Kim Deal, how my bass playing was rock solid, or how, in general, we totally rocked. Given that I feel like the entire first set was pretty shakey...I take all of this with a grain of salt. That said, I really should give myself a break and enjoy the compliments. No one is paying these strangers to be nice to me.
Mickey's let us play until about 2:15am on the bar clock.
We took home $220 (which means we brought in $330 including The Shabelles share). The whole reason we played this gig was to raise money to pay for special effects for the Flaming Lips show. The goal was to bring in $200...so yay. I think this brings the bank up to about $600...which we will burn through quickly in a blaze of special effects glory.
Setlist
Set 1:
Crackity Jones
Isla
Broken Face
Sad Punk
#13
Cactus
I Bleed
Ed
La La Love
Caribou
Bone Machine
Break My Body
Dead
Monkey
Allison
Is She Weird
Into the White
Here Comes Your Man
Vamos
Set 2:
Debaser
Holiday
Mr Grieves
Something Against You
Trompe
I'm Amazed
Brick is Red
Alec Eiffel
Planet of Sound
Wave
River
Hey
Manta Ray
Gigantic
Gouge Away
Nimrod
Where Is My Mind?
Tame
Photographic evidence: I am reminded from the photos that it was, despite being September, quite hot. We were sweaty.
Paco is awesome.
I'm a head banger.
Seriously the man is gonna pop a vein someday.
We both yell a fair amount. Also...I am a lot closer to the front door than it seems here. I have to move the neck of my bass every time someone comes in the front door.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Even More Lately
When I started this blog it was mostly supposed to be about resources...things that others might actually find useful. But it is turning into navel gazing. But so it is.
I was despairing for a long time about vocals for Flaming Lips and a couple of the harder drum parts for Blondie. In the recent weeks I've just decided to give up. Take short cuts. Do whatever I can just to get through it and try to make it fun again.
Despite feeling like I've let myself down, particularly on the Blondie stuff, the strategy seems to be working. I'm getting through the tunes and starting to have a bit of fun again.
7 weeks to go
I was despairing for a long time about vocals for Flaming Lips and a couple of the harder drum parts for Blondie. In the recent weeks I've just decided to give up. Take short cuts. Do whatever I can just to get through it and try to make it fun again.
Despite feeling like I've let myself down, particularly on the Blondie stuff, the strategy seems to be working. I'm getting through the tunes and starting to have a bit of fun again.
7 weeks to go
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
