Lately

Time for a hard to categorize navel-gazing, update-to-no-one-but-myself post.

It was rough going there for a bit, but I think things are improving. I'm still a bit over-scheduled and I guess that's what happens when you are in five bands. Just the same, I don't feel like I'm falling particularly behind anyone else and that any short-comings are likely only visible/audible to me. But I do wish I was practicing more and improving more quickly...but there is only so much time and energy in the day. I'm certainly not slacking very much or often.

Helping out at Girls Rock Camp this week. I wasn't sure how well I'd deal with children. I haven't really had to as it turns out because I've got teens. I AM learning though that these events are mostly about herding cats and much less about musical skills.

The new bass amp arrived and I've only barely messed with it. But it is nice.

Working to sell some old equipment that I don't use on Craiglist...and that's a mixed bag. Trying to both clear out space at the house AND feel better about spending the money on the bass amp.

Starting to bemoan the loss of the Boss BR-1180-CD multitracker again. I've gotten up the energy to ask a few folks about it and to post a question to Boss directly and on a discussion forum. I'm not optimistic that I can get it to work again. I've thought about maybe taking it to an authorized repair person...but I suspect that will cost at least a few hundred dollars and, at that point, I'm not sure if it is worth it or if I should just be looking towards new equipment. At some point I'll probably want to make the jump to a PC based recording system anyway. Just taking it as I'm able...the whole topic is pretty upsetting to me so I'm not really focusing too closely on it.

TD, 6/17/2011, Wisco

We played first in support of The Skintones and The Binmen. I used my black kit. I didn't drink at all. I had a decent dinner and but stayed up too late the night before (and had a gig the night before...see this post).

I found myself over-thinking this performance. The drums sounded weird to me and my mind was racing during songs. I was having trouble relaxing. I screwed up lots of things...but mostly the second fill on Gun In Your Grave (I need to nail this down. I've been trying to ad lib it each time and that really isn't working) and the bass drum on HSUL. Easy Life didn't go well either. I can't tell if I was just very sober or tired from the night before. I had the same problem with HSUL at the dress rehearsal. This was the first time we've played it last, so on Sunday I tested myself. I played it first thing at start of a practice session, and then again after having played for a few hours. Similiar results. It was close to perfect at start of rehearsal and a real struggle at the end. I found that if I slowed it down (like to the speed on the recording) I could play it at the end of practice.

I left right after load out. Several folks said it was their first time seeing me with TD. I wish I had played better...but really I'm not sure what more I can do but practice and eat well, rest, and stay sober. Maybe find a way to relax before the show...meditate or something. Definitely playing two gigs two late nights in a row is not ideal.

Setlist:
At the Door
Gotta Tell U
Jack
Easy Life
Going Down the Drain
It's Alright
Sent It
Gun In Your Grave
Better N Better
One is for Man
Movin' On
Haven't Seen You Lately

SSW, 6/16/2011, WORT

We played for Psychoacoustics' pledge drive. They posted our set list on Facebook and people could call in and request that we play songs. They set us up in the WORT vinyl library with 40,000 records surrounding us and a very nice sound engineer. The setup was weird...vocals were monitored via headsets and the rest was just live to the room. Very diorientating. My drums sounded weird (note here that my drums sounded weird the next night too...but I tried tuning them at home on Saturday and everything seemed great. I think the carpeted nature of my house produces a warmer sound than in other kinds of settings. Very hard to compensate for. It's worth saying that the drums sounded fine on the recording of the WORT gig).

I had plenty of sleep and ate well. Had three beers before the show, none during, and four after. This after a full week of nothing to drink at all. My playing was okay. The band had not rehearsed in three weeks and some of these tunes we haven't played very often over the last many months. I found myself forgetting some parts. Strangely my body would take over and play the right rhythm, but not always on the correct drums or with the correct sticking. Most of these songs I don't "practice" on my own anymore unless they are giving me trouble. So it is interesting to see what my brain does with things that I have played for a long time and know well, but that I'm not actively working on. It gives me a glimpse of the future of CJ and the 50-something songs that I have memorized for that band, but can't possibly actively practice every week anymore.

There is a recording of this show...but I'm having trouble extracting it from I-tunes. It will live online only for a week, so I'm not posting the link here. Hopefully I can back fill with the recording later. Note that songs with no curse words were played 9:30-10:00pm and those with curses 10:00-10:30pm.

Incendentally they made their pledge goal and brought in $666.

Setlist. Ah the setlist. We didn't have one. But here's what I THINK we ended up playing:
Helicopter
New Rose
Two Pints of Lager
Don't Give Me No Lip Child
I Hate the Rich
Teenaged Kicks
Boscobel Breakout
Suspect Device
Fucked Up and Wasted
Too Drunk to Fuck
I Am a Cliche
We Are the Ones

The New Baby

I decided to go ahead and buy the Ampeg BA600-115 amp. And just in time...it was out of stock and discontinued at every internet vendor I checked except Amazon...who had ONE LEFT. So I ordered it and hopefully the inventory was correct and it is actually on its way.

I'm hoping this is the last bass amp I'll ever need to buy. It was a financial stretch, but I had a little money from teaching coming in and I just couldn't get over the balance of tone, power, price, and weight. It was just exactly what I was looking for and once I had a testimonial and the chance to try it myself I was hooked.

Just for the record, I weighed my existing amp last night and it is 65 pounds. The new one is supposed to be 50. Awesome.

SSW, 6/16/2011, WORT

We're playing live on the radio tonight for a WORT fundraiser.

Tracks you can request along with your pledge:

9:30-10 NO FCC VIOLATIONS
1. TELEVISION PERSONALITIES: PART TIME PUNKS...
2. THE CLASH: HATE & WAR
3. THE DILS: I HATE THE RICH
4. THE DAMNED: NEW ROSE
5. MISSION OF BURMA: THAT'S HOW I ESCAPED MY CERTAIN FATE
6. THE UNDERTONES: TEENAGE KICKS
7. XTC: HELICOPTER
8. THE AVENGERS: WE ARE THE ONE
9. THE SEX PISTOLS: DON'T GIVE ME NO LIP CHILD
10. SHAM 69: BOSCOBEL BREAKOUT
11. X-RAY SPEX: I AM A CLICHE
12. M.O.T.O.: DANCE (4X) TO THE RADIO
13. JOY DIVISION: WARSAW
14. THE MINUTEMEN: POLITICAL SONG FOR MICHAEL JACKSON TO SING
15. THE BUZZCOCKS: EVERYBODY'S HAPPY NOWADAYS
16. THE HEARTBREAKERS: ONE TRACK MIND
17. SPLODGENESSABOUNDS: TWO PINTS OF LAGER AND A PACKET OF CRISPS PLEASE
18. CIRCLE JERKS: FABLE

10-10:30 [plenty of fuck the fcc violations]
19. WIRE: MR. SUIT
20. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS: SUSPECT DEVICE
21. THE DICKIES: YOU DRIVE ME APE (YOU BIG GORILLA)
22. PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES: MANIAC
23. THE DEAD KENNEDYS: TOO DRUNK TOO FUCK
24. ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE: FUCKED UP AND WASTED

Not listed here is Starman...shit we know 25 songs!

Tympani Mallets

This one



or this one

BBC 7 Ages of Rock Documentary

Not sure this is gonna work...but...
better link perhaps here for full "Left of Dial" segment