I'm baaaaaaaaaack.... :)

Wow...it's been such a long time since I've posted...and the last post was by a guest blogger!!

Well, that's gonna change! I'm back at the music thang full force now that my shoulder has healed and other life stuff has started to settle down...I'm baaaaaaack!!

I have BIG announcement to share in the next little bit...and then I'm going to be blogging pretty regularly! And only this blog, and it will be only bass and/or music related posts moving forward...sound cool? 

Look forward to reconnecting...blessings!!

@RevGroove

The Meaning of Life is ____________________

Happy New Year! 

It's been another minute, but you will hear from me more this year, I promise! This first blog though, please welcome guest blogger, friend, co-worker, and fellow musical artist extraordinaire Bianca Bernardi! I saw her NY post and she graciously allowed me to re-post it here-

               The meaning of life is ____________________.

With the beginning of a new year, many of us take the time to ponder this question. What is the meaning of our life? What is our main purpose here? The joy of January 1st is that we have the socially accepted opportunity to start fresh - to simply scratch everything that we have done in the past and begin again. Henry Ward Beecher said, “Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.”. 

So here is my challenge to you… Figure out what the meaning of your life is. At least the one you are currently living. At this moment, what is the meaning of YOUR life?Instead of setting all of these limitations for yourself on what you cannot/allegedly “shouldn’t” do this year (eat chocolate, swear, watch marathons of Say Yes To The Dress etc.), take January 1st as a chance to do some self-reflecting in a positive manor. 

Instead of saying “no, no, no”, say, “what, what, what”. As in what do I want to accomplish this year? Or what do I feel are my best personality traits and how can I utilize them to grow and develop further this year? Or better yet, what is the meaning of my life and why? 

Take this wonderful gift of a new start and do the best you can to make yourself the happiest you have ever been. Remember that life is truly a beautiful gift and should be enjoyed every single moment of every single day EVERY single year. 

Be happy - you were made to be. Love and Happy New Beginning. Xo

“Don’t look further for answers: be the solution. You were born with everything you need to know. Make a promise to stop getting in the way of the blessing that you are. Take a deep breath, remember to have fun, and begin.” 

-Jonathan H. Ellerby

Thanks B! You can check out Bianca at her YouTube Channel or like her Facebook Fan Page!

I'll be back SOON! Blessing's on all y'all!

RevGroove

Whoa, it's been more than a min...

...6 days after my last post here, my world fell apart. I took an overdue break from gigging, and in fact haven't played bass during that time while I tried to reclaim what's been lost (deets in my other two blogs)

Well, that's about to change.

Gonna "get back in shape" over the next few months, and then come back, hopefully better, wiser, and more TASTY than before.

It will be on a limited basis though, because my four kids need to come first before everything.

I'll keep you posted...blessings!

The Rev

February Update

Yikes, more than 6 weeks since the last post!

Did a gig with @DavidJuliet this past Friday at the RockPile, it was pretty hype! Being first is no fun though...hoping to go back, be a little later in the night and have a bigger crowd! Danial Cowans was on Keys and Brooke Nicholls sat on on BGV, it was good!

Looking forward to working with Honee Haye and other Voices Ent. artists...if you have Shaw, check her out on Urban Star...I'll post the link to the website later.

Always hunting gigs, students, and opportunities to make an earning from music...so hit me up!

Blog soon...blessings!

The Bishop of Bass- Rev. AJ Groove!

Looking Forward; Christmas Greetings!

Well, it's been a minute or two since I last wrote. Unfortunately, the day after my last post, my dad passed away.

He was a good man, lived a full life, and while we mourn our own personal loss, we CELEBRATE his life!

He was an author, and I have his unfinished work to edit and complete. In addition, we'd talked about putting some of his poetry to my music; we'll hopefully have some stuff on both those fronts to share in 2012.

In the meantime, working on the new project (see Dec. 3rd 2012 post) and updating some stuff on my Numubu profile. Every working musician should consider one...if you need or want an invite, holler at me!

As usual, looking for opportunities to gig, teach, etc. so hit me up...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Bishop Rev. AJ Groove

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Now playing: Sarah Story - The Advent Song
via FoxyTunes

Finally, RevGroove has come BACK to Blogspot!

What's up fam? Been a minute...like more than 9 months, eh? Well, it's my b-day on Monday, and I've decided not to wait until Dec. 31st...my New Year's starts NOW!

So I'm going to blog more often, but in smaller posts...quick, in and out, done (no "that's what she said" or "sounds like my first time" jokes please!)

Just working on my Numubu profile http://www.numubu.com/profile.php?id=96333


Looking for new gigs, new opportunities...still working on some current projects (in one way or another), but it's time to stir the pot! 

Also, I'm putting together an outfit for corporate events to back any/all of the various artists I work/have worked with, if you're interested in rates and availability for your event, contact me! It's all about musicianship yo!

Need a bass player? Look no further...call me. Text me. Tweet me  . Facebook me...MySpace me...nah, it's played out, I've stopped using it, to be honest...but the deal is, I'm ready, willing, and able to back up artists and/or fill in on a sub basis (R&B, Funk, Hip Hop, Gospel, Motown, Top 40)


Looking forward to this new year...it's only going to get better!


BE BLESSED!


Rev AJ Groove
];o)

10 Apps Every Gigging Urban Musician should have! PT.2

Whew! Been awhile! Hope everyone had great Holidays, Happy New Year, and alla dat!

Okay, time to finish off the 10 'Apps...I'm probably going to go more bass centric here, but bear with me as I'm sure there's equivalents for other instruments.

Okay, so in PT. 1, we discussed getting the gig, getting the gig organised, getting to the gig, and communicating.

So, once you get to the gig, you set up and you need to tune. I use a Petersen StrobFlip Tuner on my pedal board, but for the smaller gigs where I don't bring it, I'll bring along my iRig interface and plug into my iPhone to access iStrobosoft:

Super accurate, quick, gets it right every time, just as good as one of the hardware options IME! Definitely a must have. I'd also recommend T.C. Electronics' PolyTune App; you can strum all the bass strings at once and it will tell you which one(s) needs to be adjusted...okay, here's a screen shot:

I try to warm up my hands a bit with some exercises before gigs (not as often as I should, granted); I have a few metronomes on my iPhone to help with that (I'm from the school where timing is an important part of practicing...unless it's free jazz, natch! Discussion for another blog...) So again, using the iRig and some in-ear head phones, I'll do some scales and warm ups using "Metronome Reloaded":

I have two others that I won't name that I'm going to delete because I don't use them...if you have any other suggestions, throw them my way please!

If you're on a gig and you get thrown an odd ball song you maybe have to figure out chords on the fly...someone might say "after the head hit a Db Min...open tuning..." and the guitarist may say "huh?" Whip out Planet Waves' Chordmaster LE App and you can show them how it's done!

(Note: this is just an example, not a knock on guitar players or an alleged lack of theoretical knowledge on their part...again, perhaps a blog for another time? To be fair, there's a keyboard version as well, Chord Board:

Before the gig, during breaks, I usually chill with the band, if I'm the MD I may be checking with the client or the manager of the venue...otherwise, I may want to play a game or something to pass the time if it's an especially long break...so I mess around with something productive to keep my mind in the game so to speak. Sight Reading Trainer Bass App helps me improve on my reading skills (which is admittedly the weakest area of my skill set, but improving greatly!)

Great way to pass the time and sharpen up, killing two birds with one stone!

Actually, a good "all in one" trainer is the Gibson L&M (Learn and Master) Guitar App. It has a tuner, a metronome, chord trainer, and links to guitar lesson videos...supper cool!

With the exception of the tuners, all of these apps are for the low low price of...FREE! So check em out, see what you think and make a comment! Any suggestions for useful apps for the gigging musician, please share!

As I come closer to the completion of my bass pedal effects board (just waiting on the MXR Bass Compressor to hit the production line) I'll begin a series of blogs giving my take on each of the individual pedals, ending with my take on the whole ensemble. Sound cool?

Until next time...keep it low and phat, eh? Peace!

The RevGroove

P.S. I need to upgrade my iPhone 3G...love it, but too slow, especially compared to 3GS and 4G models...and then 5G is rumoured to be coming out this summer? So the thought is to pick up a used 3GS (or an NOS one that I can sell) and then upgrade when the new model comes out...if you have any ideas where I can pick one of these up at a decent (read: inexpensive) price, please comment and let me know, peace!