Just a quick update, but first, I neglected to post a gig report on the Keys N Krates gig at the Supermarket April 10th...great venue, the place was packed out! Free the Robots started the night off with a killer set, and then the KnK Krew killed it like usual! Great night all around!
Next show is London 17th at the Tap House in London, this is THE May 2-4 bash to be at (okay, this year V-Day is not on the 24th, but that's what we've been calling it since way back in the day!) Definitely worth the trip details here .
Before that though, I'm doing a worship gig this Sunday morning with the Weber's at the Joshua Centre in Hamilton, it's been awhile since I've played with them as we got the fam settled into our new church 24/7 , it'll be nice to play with them again. But if you're in Burlington on a Sunday AM or PM, swing by the old NRG/Kingdom Nightclub...it's in a club, but the church is NOT a club...unlike anything you've seen, totally change your paradigm of church!
So, those are the only two shows on the horizon...but I have a summer gig coming up that I'm really excited about! I won't say anything yet as the rest of the band needs to be finalized, but Tune and I are going to be really busy this summer!
Still working on simplifying the rig. As much as I love Traynor gear, I needed something powerful yet portable, so for now the amp is a GK 2x12 combo (Neo 1001/212), I didn't used to really like GK amps, but Norm Stockton showed me that not only are they great sounding amps, they sound great with MTD Basses! Seth Horan, another killer solo bass player, has recently signed on as a GK endorsee as well.
The bi-amping capablities and the ability to cut those high frequencies that I don't like sold me...plus it's distributed in Canada by Yorkville Sound, so it's still in the family! I still use a Traynor DB300T with a custom 2x12 cab as a house rig at church though, and will pull the combo for smaller gigs.
The rack has been gone for awhile now. Too heavy, and the extra noise added to my signal resulting in arguments with sound guys just got to be too much of a hassle. So I've been looking to add to my pedal board the one effect that left my rack that I feel needed replacing. The dbx 120a Subharmonic Synth was great, but the rack had to go...after some research, I decided on an MXR M-288. There's a wicked player Uriah Duffy that has demo'd it, check out his Youtube clips.
Here's the frustrating thing...they're for sale all over the place. You can get them on E-Bay, theperfectbass.com has them available, different stores in the states...but they're still on backorder here in Canada it seems! What gives??? I'm using an Octaver from a different manufacturer that will remain nameless, it was (a distant) second choice based on my research and sound clips I'd heard...but it really doesn't track well down low...it sounded great when a colleague played a Strat through it, but I wouldn't reccommend it for bass. So, I wait in frustration...no love for the Canadian bass playing consumer, argghhh!!!
Hoping it comes in this week...then I'll be pretty satisfied with the set up...and be looking to a.) do Berklee online sometime next year and get my Bass Specialist Certificate and b.) get that MTD Saratoga 5 string...though if I can find a Czech NOS version I may go for that...
...until next time...
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Now playing: Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Ce qui se produit dans Sainte Adele, reste dans Sainte Adele
Yeh...so last Saturday, I drove out to meet my boys from Keys N Krates out in Montreal to go and play the Shakedown After Party at the Bourbon Street venue in St. Adele, about an hour north of Montreal.
The guys flew in from Vancouver to M-Town earlier that day, so I had a long 6 hour drive to think about stuff...like getting the music thing back on track. I really need to start buckling down and work on original projects (...and then I returned to find an e-mail from my old man, somebody else is also trying to put my dad's poetry to song...after I finish working on another one for him and one that's long overdue for my Uncle Merv....so I have some stuff on tap to keep me busy for the next little bit...but I'm looking for more students and gigs as well...it's all about generating the income, dig?)
But I digress...now it's time to rant a bit...maps.google.ca SUX!!! Sent me in circles for half an hour when I got to Montreal trying to find the Delta Hotel where we were staying (nice digs btw!), and then when we left Montreal to go "nord", to St. Adele, the directions were screwed up again!
And when we stopped to ask for directions...another round of mess up the English speaking dudes! Tune know's French, he got directions from a gas station/convenience store to the spot...and then we almost ended up driving straight off a cliff that had no warning or barrier at the end of the road! Totally ambiguous directions! Grrr....
...so we finally made it to the spot, and got our gear in, sound checked up...and then got to the shared Green Room...which also happened to be doubling as the dressing room for 8 lovely Coors Light Girls (Coors Light was one of the event sponsors.) Um...yeh...and only two of them spoke any passable English...very interesting situation! Translate the title of this blog post to English Boys and Girls...but never fear, even in that situation, Rev Groove only had thoughts for Ms. Groove, it's all good! We tried to get one of the girls to do an on camera interview, but she declined...I think she felt a little weird, at that point, it was me, the KnK boys, and DJ Truespin in the room with just her, the rest of the girls were out working the crowd, she was finishing her hair and makeup...I think the language barrier got in the way...
...so after the Troublemakers got the crowd hot and jumping, Keys N Krates went up and showed them how they re-invented the re-mix...once again, a killer show! Then Truespin got up and kept the party going...we chilled for a bit, but Flo had an early flight, so we booked back to Montreal...and got lost AGAIN!!! I think we got back to the hotel...and then Flo basically just packed and took off for Mirabel...we got about 4 hours sleep before we had to take off to head back to TO...
...and my reward for partying with Coors Light girls and leaving Ms. Groove at home with sick kids??? Rushing home to a house that should be quarantined...there'd been a couple of kids sick when I left the day before, the whole house was ill when I got back...and now, I too am begining to suffer the same symptoms....dragged myself into work the last few days, hopefully I'll be able to get through tomorrow, rest up on Thursday and Friday during the day, and get ready for the Keys N Krates gig at the Supermarket on Friday evening. Should be another killer show, some new tracks to be dropped, as Flo sez, if you're lucky enough to live in T.O., be there Friday night!
That's all for now...I have a messy toddler's diaper to go change...lovely...
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Now playing: Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
via FoxyTunes
The guys flew in from Vancouver to M-Town earlier that day, so I had a long 6 hour drive to think about stuff...like getting the music thing back on track. I really need to start buckling down and work on original projects (...and then I returned to find an e-mail from my old man, somebody else is also trying to put my dad's poetry to song...after I finish working on another one for him and one that's long overdue for my Uncle Merv....so I have some stuff on tap to keep me busy for the next little bit...but I'm looking for more students and gigs as well...it's all about generating the income, dig?)
But I digress...now it's time to rant a bit...maps.google.ca SUX!!! Sent me in circles for half an hour when I got to Montreal trying to find the Delta Hotel where we were staying (nice digs btw!), and then when we left Montreal to go "nord", to St. Adele, the directions were screwed up again!
And when we stopped to ask for directions...another round of mess up the English speaking dudes! Tune know's French, he got directions from a gas station/convenience store to the spot...and then we almost ended up driving straight off a cliff that had no warning or barrier at the end of the road! Totally ambiguous directions! Grrr....
...so we finally made it to the spot, and got our gear in, sound checked up...and then got to the shared Green Room...which also happened to be doubling as the dressing room for 8 lovely Coors Light Girls (Coors Light was one of the event sponsors.) Um...yeh...and only two of them spoke any passable English...very interesting situation! Translate the title of this blog post to English Boys and Girls...but never fear, even in that situation, Rev Groove only had thoughts for Ms. Groove, it's all good! We tried to get one of the girls to do an on camera interview, but she declined...I think she felt a little weird, at that point, it was me, the KnK boys, and DJ Truespin in the room with just her, the rest of the girls were out working the crowd, she was finishing her hair and makeup...I think the language barrier got in the way...
...so after the Troublemakers got the crowd hot and jumping, Keys N Krates went up and showed them how they re-invented the re-mix...once again, a killer show! Then Truespin got up and kept the party going...we chilled for a bit, but Flo had an early flight, so we booked back to Montreal...and got lost AGAIN!!! I think we got back to the hotel...and then Flo basically just packed and took off for Mirabel...we got about 4 hours sleep before we had to take off to head back to TO...
...and my reward for partying with Coors Light girls and leaving Ms. Groove at home with sick kids??? Rushing home to a house that should be quarantined...there'd been a couple of kids sick when I left the day before, the whole house was ill when I got back...and now, I too am begining to suffer the same symptoms....dragged myself into work the last few days, hopefully I'll be able to get through tomorrow, rest up on Thursday and Friday during the day, and get ready for the Keys N Krates gig at the Supermarket on Friday evening. Should be another killer show, some new tracks to be dropped, as Flo sez, if you're lucky enough to live in T.O., be there Friday night!
That's all for now...I have a messy toddler's diaper to go change...lovely...
----------------
Now playing: Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Carjacked? NOT!
So, last Thursday's CMW show at the Wrongbar was off the hook! In the face of not having backline as promised, several bands came together in a spirit of community and put on a killer show. Great sets by Plushgun, The Framework, APlotAgainstMe, KeysNKrates (natch), The Wongboys, and Team Canada DJs made for an awesome night!
After a night off on Friday, we spent the day driving to Montreal for another show at the Academy...despite a language barrier with the sound guy, the team brought it again and entertained our Montreal Fans, along with Plushgun and The WongBoys. I was pretty wiped, and this old man fell asleep at the back of the club for a bit...but we still had a good time, all in all!
Now, to the subject of this post...Carjacked...not fun, not a good look, as they say...but as we were trying to find our hotel after the gig, a black SUV pulled up behind us, asked flashed it's lights, and used their speaker system to ask us to pull over. While there were no police markings, the it was consistent with a SWAT/SRU type truck that is commonly used...so after a brief discussion, we pulled over.
Next we were asked to exit the van, lie face down on the pavement, and put our hands behind our head...
...now, debate has occurred as to what would have happened yet. Maybe it was some jokers, just looking to pull a "harmless" prank...or maybe, it was something a bit more nefarious:
"Friday, January 30, 2009 at 11:37 a.m.
After a night off on Friday, we spent the day driving to Montreal for another show at the Academy...despite a language barrier with the sound guy, the team brought it again and entertained our Montreal Fans, along with Plushgun and The WongBoys. I was pretty wiped, and this old man fell asleep at the back of the club for a bit...but we still had a good time, all in all!
Now, to the subject of this post...Carjacked...not fun, not a good look, as they say...but as we were trying to find our hotel after the gig, a black SUV pulled up behind us, asked flashed it's lights, and used their speaker system to ask us to pull over. While there were no police markings, the it was consistent with a SWAT/SRU type truck that is commonly used...so after a brief discussion, we pulled over.
Next we were asked to exit the van, lie face down on the pavement, and put our hands behind our head...
...now, debate has occurred as to what would have happened yet. Maybe it was some jokers, just looking to pull a "harmless" prank...or maybe, it was something a bit more nefarious:
"Friday, January 30, 2009 at 11:37 a.m.
A 19-year-old man is wanted for impersonating a San Juan police officer.
Roel Garcia is accused of stopping a couple on Minnesota Road by using an unmarked car with flashing red and blue emergency lights.
Garcia was in plain clothes and allegedly told the victims he was an undercover investigator with the San Juan Police Department.
The 19-year-old man told the couple that he was on the lookout for a car full of cash.
Rolando Garcia with the San Jan Police Department said it became it obvious he was not really a police officer.
"When they said, 'We only have 10 dollars,' he grabbed it," the police spokesman said. "The victims made a comment like, 'You're a dirty officer and the suspect allegedly replied, yeah i'm a dirty officer so what!"
Police said only uniformed officers make traffic stops.
Action 4 News learned that red and blue emergency lights are actually easy to come by.
But Eddie Guerra with Communications Etc. in McAllen said he makes sure they don't end up in the wrong hands.
Guerra said he verifies that he's selling the public safety equiopment to legitimate police and firemen.
But he admits would-be criminals often offer him a pretty penny for the lights.
"I've been offered almost four to five times more than the light is worth just to purchase the lights, so they can go out in the streets and cause harm," Guerra said.
And then:"Feb. 4 - The man who has been posing as a fake police officer may be using a police scanner to listen in on the real cops trying to catch him.
The Escambia County Sheriff's Office says the fake cop tried to stop a woman early Wednesday morning. The woman was traveling on North Palafox Street near Nine Mile Road when a white Ford Crown Victoria with blue lights got behind her, said Sheriff's Public Information Officer, Sgt. Ted Roy.
The woman called 911 to check to see if a real officer was trying to pull her over, says Roy. The woman stayed on the line with dispatchers and was told a real officer was not trying to pull her over and to keep driving.
"I told my husband I wasn't going to stop unless I called and made sure somebody was stopping me," the caller told emergency dispatchers.
Deputies were about to initiate pursuit when the fake officer must have listened in on scanner traffic and turned around, Sgt. Roy said."
(Both stories found using Google.com search function)
So, keeping these things in mind, the final consensus was NOT to exit the van. At this point, I was pretty pissed...tired, cranky, alla dat. What we should have done, was called 911 to confirm whether or not it was a legitimate traffic stop.
Instead, I stick my head out the window and yell "let's see a badge first"...and was lucky I wasn't pelted with BBs or something more lethal....the SUV pulls up beside us, the passenger yells "F*ck off", and off they drove......they did circle around behind us and hit the siren again, but they grew tired of that game and took off shortly after...
...so, we lucked out...but I was pretty irked...and heard of the two stories posted above as well as some others, for pete's sake, is it really that easy to purchase that kind of equipment and not be involved in law enforcement, at least bonded??? There's other stories of worse occurences, people getting seriously hurt...something needs to be done about this...seriously...or as the Al Gore sez on South Park: "Serially!"On the way back to TO, Matisse turned me on to this really cool project the Duke's of Daville , check it out sometime, I'm spinning the Millenium Music The Prequel CD, Steady's my fav track right now. Peace!
----------------Now playing: Dukes of Daville - Steady (Mesh Up Mix)
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Rev Groove Update
Just a quick update on what I'll be doing this month (so far):
Playing bass with Keys N Krates next Thursday Mar. 12 at The Wrongbar.
If you're in TO on Thursday night, make this the CMW Event to attend. Keys N Krates IS re-inventing, and REINVIGORATING the re-mix. Check out the Keysnkrates.com for more details, videos, booking, and downloads. Love working with these guys...
Then on Saturday, it's off to Montreal for another Keys N Krates Gig at the Academy:
Then at the end of the month, I'll be the guest clinician for the Halton Board of Educations's Band Extravaganza, shaking the Burlington Music Centre with 10-15 bass playing students...one of the tunes they're doing this year is the Transformers Theme, I'm pretty excited about it. That's March 26-27th...not open to the general public though. If you would like me to roll by and do a clinic for you, drop a comment and I'll be in touch!
Things are starting to calm down from the family's health issues, so I'm hoping to get back to finishing the track I'm working on for my uncle's poem and laying the tracks for my dad's stuff. Hopefully we'll have that posted for you guys in the next week or so...that's all for now, back to the poke war with my west coast buddy Marianne...
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Now playing: Diana King - Shy Guy
via FoxyTunes
Playing bass with Keys N Krates next Thursday Mar. 12 at The Wrongbar.
TEAM CANADA | KEYS N KRATES | WONG BOYS | EH TEAM DJS @ WRONGBAR | |
| Hosted by: | WRONGBAR |
| Type: | Party - Club Party |
| Where: | Wrongbar |
| When: | Thursday, March 12 from 9:00 pm to 4:00 am |
If you're in TO on Thursday night, make this the CMW Event to attend. Keys N Krates IS re-inventing, and REINVIGORATING the re-mix. Check out the Keysnkrates.com for more details, videos, booking, and downloads. Love working with these guys...
Then on Saturday, it's off to Montreal for another Keys N Krates Gig at the Academy:
FUEGO! ☼ KEYS N' KRATES + GUESTS @ ACADEMY MAR14 | |
| Hosted by: | LOOKOUT |
| Type: | Music/Arts - Jam Session |
| Where: | Academy Club |
| When: | Saturday, March 14 from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am |
Then at the end of the month, I'll be the guest clinician for the Halton Board of Educations's Band Extravaganza, shaking the Burlington Music Centre with 10-15 bass playing students...one of the tunes they're doing this year is the Transformers Theme, I'm pretty excited about it. That's March 26-27th...not open to the general public though. If you would like me to roll by and do a clinic for you, drop a comment and I'll be in touch!
Things are starting to calm down from the family's health issues, so I'm hoping to get back to finishing the track I'm working on for my uncle's poem and laying the tracks for my dad's stuff. Hopefully we'll have that posted for you guys in the next week or so...that's all for now, back to the poke war with my west coast buddy Marianne...
----------------
Now playing: Diana King - Shy Guy
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Dealin' with the in-laws
So it's been a busy week, haven't had a chance to update the ole blog...first off, my oldest daughter hasn't been able to keep food down for over two weeks. Been to the doctor with her twice in that time, second time she was sent to the ER...STILL no results, we're supposed to go back on Friday for a follow up with the pediatrician...
...but this blog is about the in-laws. Now, I couldn't ask for in-laws that were better than what I have. Love them as if they were my own parents, and they've done a lot for us. My studio in the garage? Courtesy of my father-in-law. Stepping in to help out with childcare two days a week when our other arrangements fell through? There's Nana to save the day (and she makes a killer sandwich when I'm running late too!)
So, she's juggling a lot. Aside from helping us with our kids (ADHD daughter and son, toddler daughter, and the middle daughter trying to keep up and carve her niche and get her share of attention), she is the full time caregiver for HER own mother. Now, she's a piece of work. She plays the helpless victim, so dependent, everyone has to pay attention to her...if she isn't the centre of attention, she runs downstairs to her granny suite to sulk...
...so last week especially, she's been a big pain in the...you know...Mom is so stressed out from dealing with that, and with everything else going on, she ends up in the hospital with a heart attack, and several minor attacks since then. She'll have to have an angioplasty, and a bit of time to recover.
So the wife and I, we're looking for alternative childcare, but that's the least of our worries...but feel free to click on some links on the right hand side folks! Our main concern is how to create and maintain a stress free environment for Mom when she gets home.
Grandma is NOT co-operating. I tell you the truth readers, while Mom lies in bed, Grandma continues to stress her out. She has the nerve to complain that she doesn't know what's going on (not true, it's been explained to her MANY times), but she's upset that mom has "left her alone."
Umm...not by choice Grandma!
I'm extremely p.o.'d...if it was up to me, I'd go pack her things and deliver her tale to the retirement home IMMEDIATELY...while that is the best course of action (admittedly in my opinion), the general consensus is that it either needs to be Mom's idea, or the systems (Grandma has a nurse come by a couple of times a week, they can determine to move her if it's in her best interests.)
So, I invite you to engage in healthy CONSTRUCTIVE dialogue via the posting of your comments. When is the right time to make that difficult decision? It's hard, I know, and I'm not related to Grandma by blood, so maybe I'm a little detached...but I love my mother-in-law, and I'm tired of her being manipulated by my wretched grandmother in law, who is not as dotish as she would have people believe her to be...I mean, she's been dressing herself for the past 5 days, she "couldn't" when mom was home! Nuff said!
Now, I'm sure someone is going to say "When do you want your kids to pack you off to a retirement home?", to which I respond "NEVER!" I'll have a plan in place and a doctor I trust to let us know when it's time for me to have part and/or full time care.
So yeh, please share your thoughts! Am I off base? A cold, unfeeling rat? Let me know what you think, no worries!
Music content: I think my writer's block is starting to lift, I have some life experience to put to music...well, once I have time, after cooking, cleaning, and watching the kids while the better half is helping with her mom...which I don't begrudge...so I'll hopefully be finishing the demo for "The Breakdown", which was sent to a drummer buddy of mine to lay the good drum track, after which I'll re-track the bass and then lay an organ pad, and we'll post it here sometime soon!
----------------
Now playing: Orin Isaacs - Rock The Bass
via FoxyTunes
...but this blog is about the in-laws. Now, I couldn't ask for in-laws that were better than what I have. Love them as if they were my own parents, and they've done a lot for us. My studio in the garage? Courtesy of my father-in-law. Stepping in to help out with childcare two days a week when our other arrangements fell through? There's Nana to save the day (and she makes a killer sandwich when I'm running late too!)
So, she's juggling a lot. Aside from helping us with our kids (ADHD daughter and son, toddler daughter, and the middle daughter trying to keep up and carve her niche and get her share of attention), she is the full time caregiver for HER own mother. Now, she's a piece of work. She plays the helpless victim, so dependent, everyone has to pay attention to her...if she isn't the centre of attention, she runs downstairs to her granny suite to sulk...
...so last week especially, she's been a big pain in the...you know...Mom is so stressed out from dealing with that, and with everything else going on, she ends up in the hospital with a heart attack, and several minor attacks since then. She'll have to have an angioplasty, and a bit of time to recover.
So the wife and I, we're looking for alternative childcare, but that's the least of our worries...but feel free to click on some links on the right hand side folks! Our main concern is how to create and maintain a stress free environment for Mom when she gets home.
Grandma is NOT co-operating. I tell you the truth readers, while Mom lies in bed, Grandma continues to stress her out. She has the nerve to complain that she doesn't know what's going on (not true, it's been explained to her MANY times), but she's upset that mom has "left her alone."
Umm...not by choice Grandma!
I'm extremely p.o.'d...if it was up to me, I'd go pack her things and deliver her tale to the retirement home IMMEDIATELY...while that is the best course of action (admittedly in my opinion), the general consensus is that it either needs to be Mom's idea, or the systems (Grandma has a nurse come by a couple of times a week, they can determine to move her if it's in her best interests.)
So, I invite you to engage in healthy CONSTRUCTIVE dialogue via the posting of your comments. When is the right time to make that difficult decision? It's hard, I know, and I'm not related to Grandma by blood, so maybe I'm a little detached...but I love my mother-in-law, and I'm tired of her being manipulated by my wretched grandmother in law, who is not as dotish as she would have people believe her to be...I mean, she's been dressing herself for the past 5 days, she "couldn't" when mom was home! Nuff said!
Now, I'm sure someone is going to say "When do you want your kids to pack you off to a retirement home?", to which I respond "NEVER!" I'll have a plan in place and a doctor I trust to let us know when it's time for me to have part and/or full time care.
So yeh, please share your thoughts! Am I off base? A cold, unfeeling rat? Let me know what you think, no worries!
Music content: I think my writer's block is starting to lift, I have some life experience to put to music...well, once I have time, after cooking, cleaning, and watching the kids while the better half is helping with her mom...which I don't begrudge...so I'll hopefully be finishing the demo for "The Breakdown", which was sent to a drummer buddy of mine to lay the good drum track, after which I'll re-track the bass and then lay an organ pad, and we'll post it here sometime soon!
----------------
Now playing: Orin Isaacs - Rock The Bass
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Writer's Block
Yup, the big WB. I'm supposed to be composing tunes for my debut music project, and I've got two ideas in mind, possibly a third....tracked one of them for a Leland Sklar tribute that isn't going to be used (I'm not bitter or upset about that, it's not right for the project...) and was supposed to track a second for another shot at it, but I have no desire suddenly to create.
Stress at work I think has something to do with it. It's the end of our year and I need to shave $2k more from overdue accounts...kids are sick...gotta take my oldest to the doctor's first thing in the morning...
...now, see, I should be able to take that stuff, and generate a GREAT album! Lots of material for some bluesy, soulful angst driven tracks! But I'm tired of that. I don't want to write anymore love songs...even though I'm married to the love of my life, it's no reflection on her...I'm just feeling "meh" about everything.
Decided too, not to buy or rent (unless it's specifically needed for a one-off gig) any new (or used/new to me) gear for at least this year, with the exception of rental buyouts...partially a financial thing, partially to discipline myself to learn chops rather than gear. The thing is...I LOVE gadgets, and the thought of not giving into G.A.S. (see previous blog) is kind of depressing...no G.A.S for a year? Hopefully there's some prototypes coming down the pipleline from Traynor to try out...
Heck, even this blog is a result of the 'block, I couldn't come up with anything to write, so I'm writing about that!
So, I have a bar mitzvah gig this weekend, first one in awhile. Haven't played the Playground material in some time, so when I'm done this, I'm going to familiarize myself with some of the more difficult tracks, though all of our stuff is jammed out. The Playground is my favourite gig, I'm hoping this weekend will spark some creative juices flowing.
Also, I need to see if I can put together a jam band for a local establishment on a weekly basis. Used to show up there and actually sat in as part of the houseband a couple of times before the gig got shut down. The owner is looking for another band a different night of the week...if I can find the right guys...well, the right front person to build a band around...then a great drummer to hook up with to get a tight rhythm section...a sick guitarist, who's capable of leavng his ego at the door...and hot damn, we have a jam band!
So yeh, I'll sign off before I start writing nonsense. It's 2 PM, I need to flip the laundry and run some tunes...love that the studio is semi-detached from the house...hopefully I'll have something more interesting to write next week, peace!
----------------
Now playing: All-Star Tribute - What's Going On
via FoxyTunes
Stress at work I think has something to do with it. It's the end of our year and I need to shave $2k more from overdue accounts...kids are sick...gotta take my oldest to the doctor's first thing in the morning...
...now, see, I should be able to take that stuff, and generate a GREAT album! Lots of material for some bluesy, soulful angst driven tracks! But I'm tired of that. I don't want to write anymore love songs...even though I'm married to the love of my life, it's no reflection on her...I'm just feeling "meh" about everything.
Decided too, not to buy or rent (unless it's specifically needed for a one-off gig) any new (or used/new to me) gear for at least this year, with the exception of rental buyouts...partially a financial thing, partially to discipline myself to learn chops rather than gear. The thing is...I LOVE gadgets, and the thought of not giving into G.A.S. (see previous blog) is kind of depressing...no G.A.S for a year? Hopefully there's some prototypes coming down the pipleline from Traynor to try out...
Heck, even this blog is a result of the 'block, I couldn't come up with anything to write, so I'm writing about that!
So, I have a bar mitzvah gig this weekend, first one in awhile. Haven't played the Playground material in some time, so when I'm done this, I'm going to familiarize myself with some of the more difficult tracks, though all of our stuff is jammed out. The Playground is my favourite gig, I'm hoping this weekend will spark some creative juices flowing.
Also, I need to see if I can put together a jam band for a local establishment on a weekly basis. Used to show up there and actually sat in as part of the houseband a couple of times before the gig got shut down. The owner is looking for another band a different night of the week...if I can find the right guys...well, the right front person to build a band around...then a great drummer to hook up with to get a tight rhythm section...a sick guitarist, who's capable of leavng his ego at the door...and hot damn, we have a jam band!
So yeh, I'll sign off before I start writing nonsense. It's 2 PM, I need to flip the laundry and run some tunes...love that the studio is semi-detached from the house...hopefully I'll have something more interesting to write next week, peace!
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Now playing: All-Star Tribute - What's Going On
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Get Rich, quick!
Yeh, right! Pay $X, get some friends to sign up, and get them to sign up friends, and watch the profits roll in...
...well, the problem is, all the people who get in on the ground floor so to speak, make all the dough. The people who come afterwards, well, the market's saturated by all the "grounders" who recruited you along with others that you could have recruited or recruited the person who recruited you; they make their money off the people who come after them...so if you don't get in early, and/or get seriously industrious in recruiting in untapped markets, you're outta luck!
Now, I'm not necessarily a fan of these schemes, pretty much they all come off as a pyramid arrangement (See above paragraph, the top of the pyramid makes dough based on the next level, and so on down the line...) But if there's an opportunity to get in on something when it starts, why not?
So, I have a Facebook account (which is how some of you may have stumbled on this blog.) My wife in her neverending quest to help me get nice bass and studio gear without impacting family finances, signed me up for a brand new Facebook App called "ChattoText." My own main reason for signing up for it is that if someone needs to get in touch with me right away for a gig or something and they don't have a cell phone to text me but they have access to the net (yeh, how likely is THAT to happen...) then they can send me an SMS message through my Facebook page using this application...so it's useful, for $6/month, nothing huge, and I'll write it off at tax time anyways and get some back.
The interesting thing though, is that for each person you recruit, they'll give you some cash back right away. This little video promo they showed gave a figure of over $7K/month...sheyaa right!
Still...this is a brand new thing...and as I said before, if you get in on the ground floor...so who knows? So I invited 5 friends (current max/day) who I think may find it useful, and who I also think wouldn't mind making a few extra bucks...tomorrow I may invite five more...I truly don't expect this to make me a millionaire, but hey! Maybe in three months I'll be sitting on my very own island in the South Pacific drinking a cooler and typing this blog using a satellite uplink...
(...knowing Ms. Groove, she'll have the referrall link up within the next day or so, check it out and leave a comment to let me know what YOU think!)
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Now playing: J Moss ft. Anthony Hamilton - I'm Not Perfect
via FoxyTunes
...well, the problem is, all the people who get in on the ground floor so to speak, make all the dough. The people who come afterwards, well, the market's saturated by all the "grounders" who recruited you along with others that you could have recruited or recruited the person who recruited you; they make their money off the people who come after them...so if you don't get in early, and/or get seriously industrious in recruiting in untapped markets, you're outta luck!
Now, I'm not necessarily a fan of these schemes, pretty much they all come off as a pyramid arrangement (See above paragraph, the top of the pyramid makes dough based on the next level, and so on down the line...) But if there's an opportunity to get in on something when it starts, why not?
So, I have a Facebook account (which is how some of you may have stumbled on this blog.) My wife in her neverending quest to help me get nice bass and studio gear without impacting family finances, signed me up for a brand new Facebook App called "ChattoText." My own main reason for signing up for it is that if someone needs to get in touch with me right away for a gig or something and they don't have a cell phone to text me but they have access to the net (yeh, how likely is THAT to happen...) then they can send me an SMS message through my Facebook page using this application...so it's useful, for $6/month, nothing huge, and I'll write it off at tax time anyways and get some back.
The interesting thing though, is that for each person you recruit, they'll give you some cash back right away. This little video promo they showed gave a figure of over $7K/month...sheyaa right!
Still...this is a brand new thing...and as I said before, if you get in on the ground floor...so who knows? So I invited 5 friends (current max/day) who I think may find it useful, and who I also think wouldn't mind making a few extra bucks...tomorrow I may invite five more...I truly don't expect this to make me a millionaire, but hey! Maybe in three months I'll be sitting on my very own island in the South Pacific drinking a cooler and typing this blog using a satellite uplink...
(...knowing Ms. Groove, she'll have the referrall link up within the next day or so, check it out and leave a comment to let me know what YOU think!)
----------------
Now playing: J Moss ft. Anthony Hamilton - I'm Not Perfect
via FoxyTunes
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