The Bass Geek

Feel like braving the hysteria that comes with a snowstorm? Why not trod out to Metromix’s best venue in Indianapolis, Radio Radio? Bigger Than Elvis takes the stage this Saturday.

The Vollrath Tavern gets all heavy and stuff tonight with Off With Their Heads, Junker, The Slow Death, and Stand and Deliver.

Big Car Gallery returns to the swing of things with a First Friday opening that features the music of Burnt Ones and The Perennials.

Naptown Juice goes all bluegrass and stuff with Andy DeCarlo tonight and Judd Juggs tomorrow.

And, of course, there’s live jazz at Maria’s Pizza tonight and some form of live entertainment at the Brass Ring Lounge as well. Have at it!

And, of course, there’s always the Playboy Psychonauts show at the Knickerbocker in Lafayette on Saturday. Tunnel your way there, if you can.

The new IMN podcast is up – download it or listen at the site or on WFYI HD2 Thursdays at 4pm.

The Playboy Psychonauts play up in Lafayette Saturday, barring delay or Snowpocalypse™©®, and thus you have a chance to hear a real sitar in action. However, a friend of mine shared this article on the iPhone pocket sitar with me, so you’ve got that to fall back on when the snow drifts engulf your house. It’s definitely not the same experience, but at least you don’t have to tune the thing.

The image below says it all – a great bunch of folks are putting on a benefit for Haitian aid and relief next Saturday, and everybody should probably go and drop off as much as you can.

1. Even if you wear silly smoking jackets and feature a sitar as your lead instrument, rockabilly crowds will love your credibly performed version of “Ring of Fire.”
2. Classical guitars, even with plugged soundholes, can make a lot of feedback.
3. The new pickups sound great, even as I try them out in a real-life gig situation and not just my little home environment.
4. The Fuglees still represent the epitome of power-pop genius. Their new album F-Bomb swings from world-weary hope in love and life to world-weary wry cynicism, but the songs manage an upbeat infectiousness that insinuates itself in your ears. Basically, you’re forced by very persistent monkeys to listen over and over again, and I don’t mind.
5. This does not represent Friday’s show – it comes from an unnamed gig in the past that my drummer only now made me aware of. And so, I rant: DO NOT PLACE YOUR DRINKS ON OUR INSTRUMENTS. Clubs are generally unfriendly places for gear – musicians know this, and we’re accepting of the usual risks of cigarette smokes, accidental droppage, and the like. The smallness of clubs also mean that there’s no giant storage spaces or backstage areas to store gear. Again, we know this, and we acknowledge some risks. But who thinks it’s a great idea to sit your cup of liquid delight on a drumset? It’s not yours, it needs to stay dry, and the drummer is not going to like you. Think about it – you’re angering somebody with an instinct to hit things in a sometimes rapid rhythm. At least try setting your drink on the singer while he or she is looking in the mirror – more than likely, they’ll be there for awhile and your drink will be safe. But not the drums. The drummer doesn’t like it, and that’s enough for me. Plus, I have to carry them sometimes, and I don’t want to be touching your fluids, either.

Through weird and arcane machinations I have no ability to comprehend, the Playboy Psychonauts are now finally on Facebook. Which I think means that we’re caught up to 2008 now. In any case, have at it, dear friends.

First, the Playboy Psychonauts take the stage at the Melody Inn this very evening around 10 or so. These are club gigs, time is malleable, but show up around then and we’ll give you a good show. New material, the whole bit. How’s that for a sales pitch?

Radio Radio jams it out tonight with Midwest Hype, Red Moon, and Post Script tonight. Enjoy your tasty grooves.

The Vollrath crams five bands (those bands being Goliathon, Dudes of Lord, Doc Brown, High Tide Trio, and OMNIFI) onstage tonight. Tomorrow, they spread out a bit with Shadeland and A Thieves Parade.

Naptown Juice has Joe tonight (no, not that Joe, another Joe) and Mr. Take It Easy tomorrow.

And, as always, there’s live jazz at Maria’s Pizza. Think I’ll stop by there before tonight’s Mel show. ‘Cause I like pizza and jazz and stuff. Enjoy!

The new IMN podcast is up – download it or listen at the site or on WFYI HD2, Thursdays at 4pm.

The local edition of Metromix provided a guided tour through a night in Fountain Square this week, and it hits some good spots that I highly recommend. However, please don’t forget that Arthur’s Music and the comic book store aren’t open at night, so you might want to drop by a little earlier to drop the little ones off for some music lessons and pick up some prime reading material. Or get some lunch, too. Really, it’s not that I don’t want Fountain Square to blossom as a late-night destination of choice – when you sport Peppy’s Grill, it’s your destiny to host those who do, indeed, go on and on ’til the break of dawn. And I love love LOVE being able to walk to music gigs down here. It’s just okay if we see you in the morning, too.

And speaking of that, a lovely neighbor of mine pointed me towards these artist’s renderings of what’s on tap for the Fountain Square area itself – gawd, that’s gorgeous. I can see this becoming a destination for adventurous buskers, and good for them. The only representation so far has been the saxophonist moonlighting as a human sign for the tax place down the road. He sounded good, but the Lady Liberty costume kept getting in the way. Come on back and play for real, sir.

Doug Wimbish made a big impression on me when he talked about having already done the P-bass through an Ampeg B-15 sound on sessions, and now he was moving on to something newer and more modern. However, that’s exactly what the recording I did this weekend called for, and so that’s what I did. The modern tones can wait for something else, like maybe February Album Writing Month. If any participants out there need some bass lines, let me know.

The Jazz bass is still in the shop for the new Nordstrand pickups, so I’m not sure how it sounds just yet. I found these samples on the Youtubes that come from a remarkably similar bass, so if it comes out sounding like this, I’ll be okay with it.