Acid-Trip Bass Porn For Today
The bass guitar has only been around for fifty or so years (pause to remember Leo Fender, please), and it doesn't look like anybody has hashed out a standard and accepted playing technique for it yet (like the Simandl method for the upright bass). Folks keep tinkering with the body and necks, too - something I'm sure those who work on classical instruments would find abhorrent. Most of the time, though, it's differences in body shapes or electronics. This thing takes an ergonomic look at the neck, and the results leave me interested, if a bit seasick. The only pain I've ever experienced while playing usually came in conjunction with doing a lot of typing at work, and leaving that job seemed to make a lot of difference (both mentally and physically). I did notice that switching to a trackball mouse made a lot of difference, especially on the "clicking" finger. I had that lock up once while playing, and it was a scary experience. Stretching, warming up, and washing your hands briefly in warm water before playing (helps keep the strings clean, too) are great ideas.
Back Up Your Data!
This story pains me on so many levels. First, I can't believe a hard drive from a musician is worthy of Homeland Security scrutiny. Since these drives are usually used by professionals only to store musical data and not normal system processes, it seems extremely unlikely that there's anything incriminating on there (the name "Field Manual" aside).
It further saddens me that Walla has to go back to the original tapes to recreate the mix and master of the album. It's so easy to back up and copy a data drive, and having to send one through a potentially ham-handed delivery service (over the border, no less) seems like a great time to create a backup drive.
So now I've joined the choir of those begging you to back up your data by any means necessary. It's a big choir, and we have more than our share of disgruntled looks at problem users and slow shakes of the head when faced with a crashed drive that's taken every bit recorded to its gleaming, spinning platter with it. I'll promise not to be too loud or nagging; just get an external or internal drive and do it, especially if it means you're going to redo a lot of work in case the data dies. And remember that ALL HARD DRIVES WILL DIE - it's just a question of when. Here's what you should have, in my experience:
- Backup of all data on your computer on an external hard drive
- Especially important files on optical media (DVD or CD)
- Be sure you copy your profile (under Documents and Settings in Windows, under username in Mac) information
- Include all of your devices in this backup routine, including PDAs, phones, and personal media players
- Some musical recording programs (like Garageband) store their files in one big package, while others (like Sonar) use a separate folder for audio clips that are arranged by the file's attributes. Make sure you collect EVERYTHING necessary for your recording.
Lifehacker has some good and user-friendly tips for this.
Okay, sorry for the PSA. More bass wankery to follow.
They’re calling me . . .
There are a couple shows coming up in Illinois that I may have to make spectacular work and driving arrangements to catch. Unfortunately, they're both on the same day, so that narrows it down quite a bit. November 13th has both Meshell NDegeocello playing at the Chicago House of Blues and the non-animated, touring version of Dethklok playing in Carbondale. I wouldn't normally be too impressed at the latter, except that the touring version features Mike Keanelly and Bryan Beller, two EXTREMELY impressive musicians that will no doubt have all kinds of fun playing big metal song instead of their usual highly technical, Zappa-esque fare.
The Ndegeocello show promises to be a little different than the last one I saw in Chicago, in that she probably won't leave the stage when confronted with fans expecting her more funky vocal tunes instead of the fusion jazz she was touring at the time. So that's a must-see.
In any case, they're both on a Tuesday, which means at least a day-and-a-half of travel time, 'cause I can't make that drive, come back, and still be functional in the morning. Feh.
Open Your Ears!
First, a great deal of thanks to Dawn at earEverything for her quick and professional turnaround on my new earplugs. These things are lifesavers, and I missed having them at some of the louder shows I've been to inbetween the time I lost them and the time I got the new ones (foam plugs just don't cut it anymore). These custom-molded plugs cut down volume without chopping out any frequencies, so it's just like turning down the volume knob on the world for a bit. She was able to use the old molds of my ears and send me a new set pronto. Musicians, you need these in your life - contact Dawn to make it happen.
I was going to start picking some stuff from my bass book to blog about, but I've been unable to find a copy in any of the bookstores. Since I've seen copies there before (and I've given out the copies I had), I suppose that's good news. I would like to encourage Border's and Barnes and Noble to restock, though. Guess I'll be making a stop at Amazon soon.
It's not like I'll be driving anywhere anytime soon, anyway - my car was hit Sunday, so I'm trying to sort out the insurance stuff right now while my Corolla (with new crumpled front passenger side!) waits in the garage for the claim to be processed. I'm hoping for word today, but nothing so far. I did have a nice conversation with one of the guys in the SUV that hit me about music, though.
Ever seen that before?
I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank the drunken gentleman who made his presence known quite forcefully at last night's Locals Only show. Never before have I seen a person so possessed by the music being played that he rubbed his butt on the monitors. That, sir, was a first. He later proclaimed that "Nobody's going to kick me out of this bar!" (a sure sign that he's getting ready to be kicked out) and left quietly.
Otherwise, the show went fine. The new bass (still in need of a name) sounded wonderful, although the rough neck threw me at times. Aside from this little ding that seems to happen on the exact some spot of the back of the neck on every bass I own (I don't cause in intentionally, but this going beyond random happenstance and it annoys me slightly), all of my instruments retain their original satin finish. This neck, appropriate for its existence, has lost some of that finish and gloss. I'm not holding it against it, though. I'm as old as it, and I most certainly have lost finish and gloss in my years on this earth. Maybe it was lack of sleep ('cause I'm dumb and don't sleep enough). I dunno. In any case, we made it through with aplomb. Thanks to those who came out.
I don't think I've played in Locals Only since the Bass Appreciation Day back in March for the release of my book, and I just realized that I have a spare recording of this little thing Rob G. and I put together. It's our attempt to pay tribute to some of the best bass lines and play at being the Breakestra at the same time. Feel free to download and enjoy.
I should also note that I did receive my Radiohead free download - I just had to search through my junk mail filter to get it. Infer from that what you will. I applaud them for both their ambitious undertaking and their sense of irony, unintentional or not.
Like a debutante ball . . .
The new bass makes its debut at Locals Only this very evening as the 
Warner Gear takes the stage for the last time this year - we're headed towards the nice, warm studio and not coming outside if we can help it. We're playing with Tom Shinness, who's making his way up from Nashville with just under seven thousand bizarre stringed instruments with which to entertain you. Seriously, take a look at this thing. It puts the 12- and 18-string basses I've seen to shame. If only it wasn't so high-pitched.
Also, there's a new podcast up at Indianapolismusic.net. I highly recommend it, as it comes with high Fuglees content.
Johnette Napolitano performed “Ghost Riders In The Sky?!”
Indeed she did. Complete with "Yippie-Ky-Yays" and all. It was but one highlight of an extremely interesting evening at Radio Radio Tuesday evening.
Local openers Mars or the Moon acquitted themselves nicely in the first timeslot, winning over quite a few members of the crowd. It was a little difficult to keep up with fellow opener Jim Bianco's set, though, as you had to slog through interminable stories to get to the next tune. When Napolitano finally took the stage, the audience was ready for her, and she delivered with aplomb.
The set relied on several songs from across the Concrete Blonde catalog, along with the addition of some songs from her new album "Scarred" (including a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist"*) and the aforementioned "Ghost Riders." Throughout the set, Napolitano was in stunning voice, seemingly having lost nothing at age 50 (a fact she proclaimed passionately from stage at one point). She also interacted easily with the crowd on topics ranging from wondering whether Hillary Clinton would care for Patron to the effect having broken fingers was having on certain self-gratification activities. As soon as these asides were made, though, she'd launch into another song and leave the room silent, stunned by the power of her voice. A brief encore ended with Janis Joplin's "Mercedes-Benz" (updated with obligatory biodiesel references), and it was back out onto the streets of Fountain Square for the quick jaunt home. Having a show like this that close to home is a blessing.
*Evidently, it took a strong voice and many months' separation to make the tune tolerable.
Trent Reznor goes solo
Not that Nine Inch Nails wasn't his baby anyway, but here's another former major label artist taking it on the road for himself, according to this link (there's no permalink there, so I'll quote for posterity's sake):
Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the
following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally
free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have
been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the
business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very
different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a
direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate.
Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008.
Exciting times, indeed.
Even if you're not a fan of the music (I'm sitting on the fence), the effort Reznor puts into creating awareness for his music (from posting tracks to be remixed via Garageband to the innovative "Year Zero" viral campaign) shows what's possible for the innovative musician without the assistance (some would say the hindrance) of an outside label.
Again, though, it should be noted that this ability comes after years of exposure via said major labels and the accompanying funds that come from said exposure. I doubt that many independent musicians will have the resources to create such huge campaigns, or will want or be able to create these elaborate sites and storylines. But not all of the fans are looking for that kind of thing, either. The overall appeal, then, is the direct connection between artist and fan.
Slappity-Tappity
First, I think I need to acknowledge some kind of spiritual debt to Mike Doughty for the faux onomatopoeia in my title. It's supposed to represent the various clicks, clacks, thumps and pops those bass guitar videos I mentioned in a previous post sought to purvey to the young bassists of my time. All kinds of secret, mystical knowledge into the advanced world of bass wizardry was promised, if only the young student would dig deep inside themselves and glean its secrets.
I'm not bashing or discounting these videos, really. I owned a fair share of them, practiced my scales duly, and promptly realized that I'd probably never use them in the bands I've been in. Except for the occasional chordal backup in a song, this has been the case. More than often, I've plucked (and sometimes slapped) my part and saved the flashy stuff for practice or the annoyance of bandmates ("Hey, this is what your song would sound like if I played it like this? Doesn't this sound GREAT?!"). Since I don't see a solo album anytime soon ("SWEATY B MELTS YOUR FACE WITH SPEED!"), this is probably how the situation will remain.
I bring up this situation because, in the course of my work with IMN, I came across a guitarist (I assume) who was looking for a throwback to 1987's style. He bemoaned the fact that there were no more bassists left who could launch the fireworks necessary to complement his music, and he added that such folks were way more prevalent "back in the day." I wasn't in Indianapolis during said time frame, so I don't assume to discount the evidently huge pool of talent present when he first started playing. What I do take issue with is the claim that the talent has gone away.
At least from my perception, there's been a marked shift in musicians from performers to songwriting between the days of Warrant to now. Most magazines oriented towards the guitar and bass crowd advertised learning the fastest licks and increasing your speed to hypersonic levels (yes, I mean creating sound faster than sound - it's THAT FAST). One memorable bass ad even advertised a blistering 37-notes-per-second speed rate (I guess if that's more important to you than the actual notes being played, more power to you). Since then, though, there are more people in bands, and these bands don't require the aforementioned face-melting speed to get their songs across. That kind of music is still out there (Hey, look! Shrapnel Records, former home of Racer X and Tony MacAlpine is still around! I LOVED their ads in Guitar For The Practicing Musician!), but I believe (again, without empirical proof) that musicians are more targeted towards integrating their playing into a song.
Case in point for me is the music of artists like Seth Horan, Michael Manring, Steve Lawson, Gonzalo Silva, Trip Wamsley, and more. These folks feature exactly the technique my throwback-jersey-friend wanted, but they've bent it to serve their own songs. It's not a launching pad for their tapping rocket, it's the structure built by their technique.
This shouldn't be regarded as a tired entry into the "technique vs. feel" war fought for lo these many years. We've lost a lot of good soldiers in this conflict, and I'm not gonna lose you too, man! LIVE, DAMMIT! LIVE!!!
Sorry. What I meant to say was that there's room for both - just make some good music and we can slap and tap all day. Or I can play your root-fifth stuff, too. I'm okay with that.
I'm going to turn on the Q-tron and whammy pedal before long, though. Just so you know.
The Bass Geek’s Twitter
- In the past few months, the #lnjf show had Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello & Victor Wooten sit in w/the Roots. I'm happy. Just sayin'. 9 hours ago
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