The Bass Geek

That title sounds wrong.

It seems strange to post on the Bassgeek blog about my desire to try out another instrument (I’ve been known to curse bands to various pits of damnation I don’t even believe in for refusing to include a bassist in their lineup), but more and more I’m drawn to trying out a Chapman Stick. It’s an instrument that appeals to all sorts of geeky urges I’ve either entertained (or suppressed) over the years:

1. Tapping on the fretboard - usually the province of shredding metal guitarists and bassists; there may or may not be tales of superheroes or dragons involved
2. A tendency towards use in progressive rock - see the above about superheroes or dragons, add possibilities of hobbits or Ayn Rand discussions (I’ve even heard one album dedicated to the Magna Carta)
3. All sorts of esoteric tunings and setups - it’s not contentious like Mac vs. PC or Linux flavors, but multiple options always inspire geekery
4. It can use MIDI to trigger sounds and loops - I’m already doing this on the bass, but it’s still geeky

The problem is that these things start at around $2500 (before you get into all the accessories, and there are ALWAYS more accessories), and there’s about a 9-month waiting period for new instruments. The folks over here seem to all want one, and I’ve only ever seen one on eBay (for way more than I can afford; I am a new homeowner, after all). So I’m going to wait for a bit to find out if it’s possible to be funky on a Stick. James Brown’s “Licking Stick” gives hope, but I think he was talking about something different.

Making my way down the alley that leads to my garage is an adventure - you never know what you’re going to find on your journey. Located on that scrambled mess of concrete slabs, gravel mess coming out of parking spaces, and some weedy overgrowth are some surprises and some inevitabilities. People lounging outside the rapidly degrading house behind us? Always. The next-door neighbors managing to park on our sidewalk, just ’cause they want to? Indeed. Assorted trash? Yep.

Occasionally there are deposits of kitty litter (because putting in the trash is just too much work) and broken televisions full of beer bottles and pork chops (I thought it was an ongoing art project before it became rancid, and I set aside my appreciation of the work to trash it). Currently, there’s a microwave resting next to a tree, for no apparent reason.

Today, however, I saw a nice landscape painting on a wooden fence. It’s certainly not visible from the sidewalk or the street, so I’m guessing it’s just a present to the neighbors. Or a more reasonable and less maggot-infested art project. In any case, it’s a welcome diversion. There’s quite a bit of art present in the neighborhood, stored mostly in galleries or artist lofts in a couple of studio/housing buildings. And now it’s leaking out.

Fountain Sqaure is one of the cultural districts of Indianapolis, as declared by whatever governmental organization has been charged with such responsibility. A green stripe of paint running down Virginia Street (one of the roads leading to the heart of this district) and a couple of pedestrian pedestals (which look like upended music stands painted orange) indicate that we’ve received this honor from the city - plans are to build a cultural trail along that length of green paint, terminating in a new pedestrian park. Construction has already begun downtown, near the interim library location and the tapas restaraunt my wife and I occasionally drop by. We’re looking at a couple of years on the trail back home, more than likely. The paint will have to serve until then.

There’s a fair share of business and community in the Fountain Square area, radiating out from the central location at the intersections of Virginia, Shelby, and Prospect. So it’s not so much a square, I guess. The name stuck, though. In any case, that’s where most of the life of the area starts. There are galleries, restaurants, the local coffeehouse, a music venue (and what a pleasure it is to have a place to play within walking distance), an old theater (a remnant of the district’s former life as the city’s theater district), and other assorted businesses. It’s coming along - there’s still a lot of work to be done on the neighborhoods, but the intentions (and finally the work to back it up) are coming along.

This site gives a good summary to the outside viewer, but it’s a little bit different living here. Not bad at all, just a little different.