The Bass Geek

Radio Radio puts Bigger Than Elvis onstage tonight, and they bring in singer/songwriters Andrew Ripp, Ben Rector, and Steve Moakler Saturday night.

The Vollrath has Only Theives, A Thieves Parade, Hello Victor, and Lit Endz onstage tonight. Tomorrow, you can check out Verona Red, Spare Time Killer, and Glass Identity Crisis.

Naptown Juice has folksinger Andy DeCarlo tonight and Andrew Rosborough tomorrow. Speaking of folksingers, Cheryl Wheeler plays Sunday night at the Wheeler Art Center.

Big Car Gallery presents the Outside Orchestra tonight as part of the First Friday celebration, and you can head over to Maria’s Pizza for live jazz. Finally, check out some soothing lounge music at the Brass Ring. So there you go – enjoy!

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

Also, please take a moment to head over to Girls Rock Indy and see what you can do to support their cause. Their first benefit show takes place March 5th at Talbott St., and they’re looking for some materials to put on the first Girls Rock Indy camp in July. They’re getting more bassists out there, and that can only be a good thing.

Fantabulous musician and all-around good guy Jon Martin took this back in November, and it’s purely my lateness that has kept me from sharing this with you until now. Enjoy the Playboy Psychonauts and our take on “Ring of Fire.”

Before the Interpages came around, issues like the Bass Player Session Legends and Studio Gear or the Tone and Technique specials would end up on the newsstands for a certain price, and the regular subscribers would get zilch – “newsstand specials” don’t end up in the subscribers’ mailboxes. The content came from previous issues, so the subscribers aren’t really missing anything. However, a nice combined reference issue would be a great resource.

Now, these issues come in a digital format. We get the issue, the publishers don’t have to outlay the publishing costs, and there is joy for all. Minus the newstand sales, however, – instead, it becomes a bonus for readers instead of an income source.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way, Bass Player magazine. I have the vast majority of your issues, minus a few in the beginning, and I’ve been a subscriber for almost 17 years. And I would still pay for a digital archive. A searchable, high-quality digital archive like what Modern Drummer put out would be fantastic, and you’d have my money in a heartbeat. Besides, are you really going to let drummers get a leg up on us?

You don’t even have to put it on quickly-going-obsolete optical media. Sell it in conjunction with a bass-related collectable of some sort and make it a download. You’ve already done it with these special issues. Do it to the rest of the issues, and we’ll be in business. Thanks in advance!

Radio Radio features Starlume, The Empires, and All Day Holiday tonight. Tomorrow, they turn the stage over to the old school country madness that is Cash Bash. Mandy Marie and the Cool Hand Lukes, Ed Wank, and many more pay tribute to the Man in Black by performing his songs and such.

The Vollrath Tavern hosts State, NoStar (GA), and Maravich tonight, while Saturday’s bill includes Thunders, Jabberjosh, Waxeater, and the Gunshy. State’s show is the last with their current lineup. Either night should satisfy the discerning modern rock fan, however.

The Wheeler Art Center hosts Catie Curtis Saturday night as part of the Indy Acoustic Cafe Series.

Mr. Take It Easy plays Naptown Juice tonight, with Hobeeluv taking over on Saturday.

And, it’s Swing Night with Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band at the Fountain Square Theater tonight. Top it off with live jazz at Maria’s Pizza tonight, and you’ve got a full weekend. Enjoy.

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

Also, check out, if you will, the poster for March 13th’s Shakti World Music Festival at the Vollrath Tavern. Between Mumbai Taxi, Kwanzaa Pops and the Indiana Reggae Band, and the Playboy Psychonauts, I think we have quite a few continents and islands covered. Or, at least, a brief shore leave or layover. In any case, that’s the name and we’re going with it. We’re really looking forward the show (and the fascinating conversations we inevitably have with the Vollrath’s neighbors when the sitar comes out), so hopefully  you’ll be able to make it.

And, if course, if you can’t make it, there’s always Robot Unicorn Attack. Seriously, I can’t get enough of this game, and it makes me want to buy a copy of Erasure’s greatest hits. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

I’m getting a little more time to practice (courtesy of my soon-returning-practice-schedule-containing notebooks and some Meshell Ndegeocello bass line transcriptions), which also means that I’m getting a little more time to play around with Record as both a recording program and as a virtual amp. The program hasn’t surpassed the Ampeg as my amp of choice, but the SansAmp into the program gets a credible sound. Also helping me get a credible sound are some good video tutorials from the Propellerhead folks – I’m really enjoying the short, focused topics both the company and their product specialist provides.

Sure, I’m still not recording anything longer than your average ringtone, but it’s a little easier. Plus, I’ve got a patch that turns my bass and a random mic into a nice vocoder. And it’s better than listening to the new version of “We Are The World.”

Radio Radio presents Green River Ordinance, Sleeperstar, and Sun Domingo tonight. Tomorrow, you can take in the Dear Companion Tour with Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore.

The Vollrath has HaHa Tonka, Jascha, and Nightjar tonight and Last Good Year, Kids in the Way, and Tyler Bender Band tomorrow. Sunday, there’s Modoc, Pictures of Then, and The Effects.

Naptown Juice brings in the Shirtless Biddles tonight. The jazz duo of Bergdall & Lismicchia take the stage tomorrow.

And finally, there’s live jazz at Maria’s Pizza tonight (and probably somebody at the Brass Ring, too). Enjoy!