Norm Stockton Bass Clinic Aug 20th 2009

Yeh, so I noticed my good friend Norm Stockton was going to be in Barrie doing a concert with Lincoln Brewster August 21st, so I dropped him an e-mail to see if we could get another Groovin' Clinic happen at Long & McQuade Burlington...he was into it, so it's going to happen! Norm is a clinician endorsed by Gallien Kruger amps and MTD Bass Guitars, author of the "Grooving for Heaven" DVD/Video Bass Instruction series, and as mentioned, bassist for Lincoln Brewster and others, in addition to being a solo bassist.

Clinic Info

Norm Stockton

Norm's Facebook Fan Page

This is a FREE Clinic, just register by e-mailing me at ajacksonsmith@long-mcquade.com or call me at the store (905-319-3330 x.43) so we know how many seats to put out.

Looking forward to seeing you 8/20, peace!

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Now playing: Norm Stockton - Pondering The Sushi
via FoxyTunes

Quick iPhone Update

Well, so far, so good. Got a call from the office of Rogers Wireless's president, within a few days I got an iPhone...not the 16GB that I'd requested, it seems they're out of those and who knows when (or if?) they'll get anymore. So I got an iPhone 3G 8GB at a fair price. There's some billing adjustments that need to take place, but so far, so good.

Special thanks to John and Rob who're helping right the ship as it were...I'll blog more about that once everything is finalized!



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Now playing: Kanye West - Good Life (ft. T-Pain) CLEAN
via FoxyTunes

I Hate Rogers!

As of Friday PM, they're still back ordered on the iPhone. So Maura gets a manager on the phone, told him straight up I shouldn't have to be calling them everyday, the onus should be on them to get me the phone, ship it direct from Apple (which Ray thought was a great idea, I think he's going to steal it...)

So he promises me he's going to take care of this...his colleague Gerard is going to call me Monday morning since he's going on vacation and he'll look in on this when he gets back. However...a friend who works at Rogers but can't get involved due to conflict of interest assures me that they received stock on Friday as Max had indicated. I'm thinking GREAT!

Well, naturally, no phone call, so I call Rogers and speak with Joe...and he sez none available. I almost CHOKE! I think "maybe it's just not showing yet...and call back after work that evening and speak with Dianne...she also sez not available...I told her straight up I was told by someone who would know that they have them available and I'm told sale staff have them but customer service doesn't????

Now, logically I would suggest that they get one from the sales staff...right???

So she's promised to get back to me by 5 PM on Friday...or she will have the system e-mail me when my order has been placed (which is what should have happened in the first place!)

At this point, my opinion of Rogers has gone 180 degrees the other way. I have no faith in them to restore my warm fuzzy feelings I used to have for them. So I'm formulating plan B for Blackberry...second choice, but it's a phone with browsing capability. It's a dang shame that only Rogers has the iPhone in Canada, otherwise I would have went to a competitor two weeks ago! I can understand conversation with them, but their customer service turns out to be just as lousy as Bell...and I think that makes me MORE frustrated!

So, if they can't get my iPhone in my hands by next Tuesday, my daughter gets her wish for a cell phone, she can have my number and the crappiest phone that she's able to afford (mine's toast, which is what started this whole thing...) Then I will approach Bell and Telus and see who will give me the best deal on a Blackberry and data plan and suck their crap for the contract term...


...cell phones really suck...if I win the Lottery I'm going to start a wireless service provider that cares about their customers and doesn't screw them over!



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Now playing: Snoop Doggy Dogg - It Aint No Fun
via FoxyTunes

Wow...still without an iPhone

...so, first off let me start off by again saying that up to now, I've been completely happy with Rogers. Their customer service reps have been courteous, they speak proper English (as in they're Canadians, not working outsourced to some third world company) and up until now have been able to meet my needs. After a series of bad experiences with Bell Canada, Bell Mobility, and Bell Sympatico, we decided...well, I decided...that we would not do any further business with Bell. Home and mobile phones are with Rogers, Digital Cable and internet are with Cogeco (who I keep hearing rumours are partially or wholly owned by Rogers anyways...) However, recent events have conspired to make me take a serious look at my relationship with Rogers Wireless. The story's getting longer, so I thought I'd put part of it up while it's fresh in my mind...I've been taking notes recently, but some of the early stuff is getting kind of hazy.

Our tale begins on Father's Day, Sunday June 21st. I'm flipping burgers for the big BBQ, our friends the Walls are over with their 4 kids playing with our 4, and I get a call from Rogers CS, nice young lady by the name of Kristi. She reviews the upgrade options in regards to going from our Nokias to iPhones and what not, and then we decide that she'd give us a call back in a week for a decision.

Sunday June 28th roll around, we decide on the plan and a 3G 16GB Black for myself and an 8GB model for Mrs. Groove. Mrs Groove's phone arrives two days later on our 8th anniversary...she claims it's the best anniversary gift I've ever gotten for her? Umm...okay honey, you're welcome! My phone does not yet arrive...

...so on Monday July 6th, I contact CS to find out what's going on. Keith (I think, not taking notes at this point) looks it up on the system and tells me my phone was shipped that day, should arrive next day. Yay!

Not yay! The phone arrives, I go into my office to crack the box and charge it up...uh oh...it's the wrong model, only an 8GB...so I call CS and speak with Juliette (I'm starting to get that feeling, so I'm taking note of names at this point...). She was absolutely no. help. whatsoever. She basically said there's nothing she could do! So I hung up frustrated...

...I stewed for a bit...then called back again...this time I got Adam (1.0) He was EXTREMELY helpful, he was able to look on the system and tell me that there were 16GB phones available. But they wanted me to send them the phone first before they ordered me the next one. We discussed the option of me keeping the 8GB, but I wanted to be sure I wasn't billed for the 16GB incorrectly, so he forwarded me to "Track and Trace" (aka Resolve?) Now that lady talked too fast for me to catch her name, but the basic synopsis of that conversation was:

1. First have to send the 8GB back for the 16GB
2. The billing for the 8GB if I kept it would not be at the same price as the first 8GB...it would be for another $50 more than what I'd agreed to pay for the 16GB phone!!! ($120 more than the first 8GB!!!)

I got referred back to Adam (2.0., a different, useless Adam) who was no help and throroughly unsympathetic to my situation. So I decided to ship the phone back and see what happened when they got the form I'd filled out.

Anyway, it turns out that you can't upgrade two phones at the same time...I contacted Chris on Thursday the 9th, and he was very helpful. He agreed that if I'd agreed to a certain price for a certain product, then that's what I should pay for that product! He issued me a claim number, and told me that a manager would be in contact with me within 48 hours (my account apparently had to be reset or over ridden by a manager.)

So, 48 hours roll by, no phone call. My buddy Geoff tells me I should wait 48 business hours...sure, no problemo...so after work on Monday night, I contact Rogers CS yet again and speak with Devine...he can look at my file, but can't get a manager, no manager works there after 5PM??? So I asked when I could talk to a manager...and he sez he can put me back in the que and maybe someone in Ontario will pick up...um, turns out he's in Quebec???

So, back on hold I go and back to Toronto to speak with Augusta who got her supervisor Bonnie on the phone...Bonnie was extremely sympathetic to the situation, apologized that Chris's manager hadn't gotten back to me, and told me that he was the one who had to reset my account...so she updated the notes on my account and went the extra step of finding out what was the best way for this manager (Darryl) to get in touch with me...and said he should be in touch with me tomorrow (Tuesday...)

...so, all day yesterday, no phone call...a guy that works in our P.A. department had a number that I could contact Rogers Wireless directly and avoid Silicone Sally and the voice prompts, so I called that today after work and got through to Candace...she looks up my file...and puts me on hold...and 20 minutes later, after listening to their horrible hold music, I'm DISCONNECTED!!! Wow!!!

So I call back, and speak with Max. Another sympathetic person, apologetic...looks up my file, it turns out that my account has been reset, but that my order can't be placed...because they ran out of stock...last weekend.

AGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

If only Darryl had contacted me within the 48 hours!!!

So, because they can't just order out of the blue, I have to call them back daily to see if they have any in stock and place the order (they hope to have them back in stock by Friday). Frustrated? You betcha!

It has however taught me an invaluable lesson in the Golden Rule...as an Account Services Manager for L&M, I need to make sure I don't make people feel how I've been made to feel in this process.

Again, I love the Rogers service (not the franchises. Got sold a phone that was represented as new, the text messages on there almost got me divorced. Got advised by corporate off the record to deal only with Rogers and not the franchisees...) They've for the most part been great! And I'll be extremely careful when making arrangements in the future. We just gotta get through this tough time in our relationship...and then everything will be "just, fiiiinnne!"




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Now playing: Warren G Ft. Nate Dogg - Regulators
via FoxyTunes

iCovetousness

If you've been following my Twitter and my Facebook lately, you'll know that I'm having some issues regarding resolution of my iPhone order from my wireless provider...well, there's only one WSP that works with an iPhone in Canada, so I may as well go ahead and say it's Rogers...and I still think they're the best WSP in Canada, and we will get past this issue and go on to have a great relationship again...

...it doesn't help that Mrs. Groove has had her phone for over a week and is thoroughly loving it...calls it at first the best anniversary present I ever got her, and then the best present I've EVER gotten her! She's constantly showing me the new discoveries she's making with her phone...which irks me even more as I await resolution regarding mine! This has prompted feelings of what my friend Geoff has termed iJealousy...

...aka iEnvy and iCovetousness...jealousy is one of the 7 deadly sins, so you could come up with the 7 Deadly iSins:

1. iExtravegance
2. iLust
3. iGluttony
4. iGreed
5. iSloth (laziness for you non english lit nerds)
6. iWrath
   
7. iPride

I was trying to come up with 10 i-Commandments, but it after no i-Dolls, it seemed pretty sacrilious to this boy who's a Holiness PK (sort of). I mean 6 through 10 are pretty easy though

• Thou shalt not iKill
• Thou shalt not iFornicate
• Thou shalt not iSteal
• Thou shalt not iLie
• Thou shalt not iCovet
  

I suppose I'm also guilty of iWrath, or iAnger...I'm definitely not happy so far that there doesn't seem to be a resolution in site...wrong phone was returned (just checked the UPS tracker, it was picked up and is on it's way, whew!) I decided not to make any more calls today, getting some good advice from people, both customers that have had not so great experiences as well as others in the customer service industry...we'll see what happens next, I may call again tmo...or not...but I needed to just chill for a bit, and was joking around with some friends tonite, and came up with the above...

...so, I will pray for forgiveness of my iSins, and that my iEnvy and iWrath be turned to iJoy (or some semblence thereof, an iPhone can't really bring true joy despite Mrs. Groove's and other's protestations to the contrary) when the right phone arrives...at the right price...watch for a full blog with the entire experience soon, I'm taking detailed notes now...

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Now playing: Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
via FoxyTunes

It's going to be a boring and interesting summer

So...still no gigs booked yet for the summer months. Schedule wise, it just didn't work out for some stuff, so I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs...the idea then with the down time is to work on boning up on theory so I'm not completely lost when I start the Bass Specialist program next spring through Berkleeonline.com.

Yeh...let me tell you, I'm REGRETTING skipping out on some grade 11 and 12 music classes, and on not retaining what Dave taught me when I took guitar at The 12th Fret on Danforth in TO. Theory is HARD! And it'd harder when you get older, almost like learning a language...so much easier when you're younger, can't quite get it the older you get...(note to self, get the kids into formal music training NOW!). It is mind numbing. Using the Hal Leonard Bass Theory supplement to start, and it warns you in the intro..."you may close this book in frustation..." or words to that effect...you ain't kidding! How encouraging Scott! Thanks, thanks so much...but it's one of my goals, I want to do it, so I have to suck it up, take three hours three days a week, and just DO IT!

And of course, G.A.S. has reared it's ugly head. There's an MTD ZX, the numbering on that one is also screwed up (#31 of 30, what???), that would be a perfect addition to my stable. But I have no gigs, and students taking the summer months off, so that equals no cashola to cover it...PLUS there's a Roland Keyboard I've been hunting for for a couple of years...discontinued, over priced new, but at less than half the original retail is a bargain...MUST have it, will give up my Alesis QS 8 for it, even though I'll take a bath on that...but again, the difference...agghhhh!!! Have to maintain my rentals and the last bit of my account as well...so it's going to be tough...but again, if you want something...

...but let me tell you though, about the adventures of the van, or, how to write off a van without a collision?


So, out with my friend Hank last Saturday morning, and the subframe on the front end of our 2001 Ford Windstar just SNAPS! Passenger side wheel pops off the transmission as well...NO COLLISION! It'll cost $1600 to fix...and book value is $189-$1100...so, unless I can get Ford to step up, and all indications are that they won't, the van is a write off...so we're back to the 5 seater Grand Am for a family of 6 for the summer, maybe longer...whoa, is that MORE financial strain I'm feeling?

But hey, not as bad as last year...last year, I ended up with two mortgages and a condo fee...now THAT'S financial strain! Here's a hint folks...sell before you buy! God is good, and we got through it, but I wouldn't wish THAT stress on ANYONE!

So, theory...creeping for new gigs, new students...trying to work out the vehicle situation...like the title sez, a boring and interesting summer! I'll keep you posted!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I was saddened to hear of the losses of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson yesterday. Farrah, while not an influence was definitely admired by myself and my classmates as a youngster back in the late 70's/early 80's...she was not only a beautiful woman but a great actress and will be greatly missed.

Michael Jackson, no matter what, was a great influence on me musically, and his contributions to the industry are undeniable. It irks me that people are using his passing as an excuse to bring up his personal tragedies an problems. This is a time to celebrate the positive aspects of Michael Jackson's life, not dwell on the negative! The music biz is a sadder, smaller place for his passing, and our thoughts and sympathies are with his family during this time...he also will be greatly missed.



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Now playing: Kirk Franklin - Blessing In The Storm
via FoxyTunes

New gear, new philosophy, summer stuff...

So, I FINALLY got that M-288 Bass Octave Deluxe pedal I blogged about say, 8 weeks ago now? It rocks. Really rocks! Get a great Moogerfooger like sound when using it with my MXR M-188 Bass Auto Q Pedal. Gonna be killer on funk gigs and stuff where I need to cover synth parts. I believe my pedal board is pretty much complete...

...but I'm probably going to be leaving it at home more often. WHAT???

...on some gigs, I use it like crazy. On the rock gigs though, I pretty much only use the overdrive and distortion pedals, and I can approximate that sound with my amp...and on gigs like Keys N Krates, on some of the small stages I play with them, it takes up way too much real estate. So, depending on the gig, you may not be able to hear the M-288...but...

...I am planning to (finally!) track some of my original ideas over the summer, in between the few gigs I have currently scheduled and prepping to get into Berklee (Online) for the winter or spring semester 2010. Some of the stuff will be full band, other stuff will be solo pieces, so you should hear it being (hopefully) tastefully used here and there!

Look out for GTA artist Danian , looks like I'll be doing a few shows with her over the next few months; details once the dates and bands are confirmed, but check out her tunes, and contact her for bookings. Great vocals, she's going places in my opinion!

Again, still looking for more gigs, still looking for students, so send 'em my way! Good Night!



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Now playing: Brandy - Almost Doesn't Count
via FoxyTunes