The Bass Geek

Here’s a quick video from the Sharehead sessions I talked about earlier. Shows some interesting promise.

Also joining the movement towards new and different music distribution (and making it more difficult for me to finish stupid MySpace book revisions) is this news about MySpace negotiating with major labels to create a free-to-consumers music distribution service. As we learned with Qtrax, these things need to have all the correct signatures in place, with whatever fluids involved dried and final, before they can be taken seriously. I’d submit that, until the songs can be taken around in a portable player, such services aren’t really that great. If MySpace made the tracks downloadable or at least stream-able to devices like their Helio parters or the iPhone or another device, though, it might be taken more seriously.

If it happens at all, that is.

I should probably get ready to change that chapter, though.

Between holidays and travel (business and otherwise), it’s kind of hard to get a side project back on track. Nevertheless, the Playboy Psychonauts reconvened and started getting our set together for a March 3rd appearance at the Melody Inn’s Cocoanut Grove lounge night. In addition to brushing up some older material, we added a couple new songs to the repertoire, which can be harder than it sounds. Getting the sitar to sit comfortably in familiar pop songs can be difficult, due to fixed tuning issues. It’s something like working with bagpipes (which should sit around B flat and often drift here and there, depending on the skill of the piper). The sitar in this instance is set in C, although the frets can and do move around to accomodate alternate tunings. Given these circumstances, picking up the Cream tune that we did feels like a minor triumph. For those keeping score, that means our set list runs the gamut from Henry Mancini to Iggy Pop with several detours (from Motown to Manchester) in between. The drummer’s new stand-up cocktail drums also add some new vibes to the proceedings.

We also added an original tune to the mix, something we hadn’t attempted before. It just seems natural that any band with fezzes needs their own theme song. It’s a law or a cosmic truth or something.

Finally, I had some troubles getting the bass MIDI rig up and running Sunday afternoon - needed an oddly-timed reboot, and I couldn’t get the laptop to recognize the GI-20 interface. Turns out I’d neglected the driver when I reloaded the computer, and my reliance on “it just works” went a little too far. I should probably put a list together if and when this happens again to remind me what to install (or even better, work up a generic image for reinstallation), but that’s a lesson for another time. I could have just transferred the applications and my accounts from my old hard drive, but I wanted a clean installation.

Radio Radio goes all dark and synth-y this weekend - Freezepop and Boy in Static make their New Wave-styled music Friday night for $6, and Danz Poeta features goth and industrial music for only $3 Saturday night. Sam’s Saloon takes a decidedly earthier tone with Art Adams and Rumble Club tonight and Jeff Byrd and Bob’s Liquor Lounge Saturday night. $5 for each, I believe. The genius that is Lord of the Yum Yum pairs up with the genius that is classic Three Stooges shorts on film at Big Car Gallery for a suggested donation of $5 Saturday night. All in all, this is great entertainment for every budget.

Plus, I wanna see what a bunch of kids will do when exposed to LOTYY and the Three Stooges at the same time.

That’s the future of America, right there.

Yes, it’s a heart-shaped bass. Yes, I am that cheesy. But I also ask you to ponder this hypothetical situation. Take an instrument like this and plop it into the future identity crisis that is Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. Make the endorsement deal happen. Then, sit back and watch the explosion. I’m talking the bass guitar becoming an overnight status symbol and fashion accessory the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades. Stings and pickups debated with the passion and intensity of Britney vs. Christina (Christina won, by the way). Vera Ashley gig bags dominate the market. Fox picks up a new teen drama that’s just like “The Heights,” but they focus on the bassist this time.

Ponder that world for a minute.

Then go back to whatever you were doing before. It’s not worth a terrible amount of effort, really.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

There’s a new episode of the Indianapolismusic.net podcast available for download.  Get it from this link or listen to the site’s Flash player.I ranted a little bit on this podcast - it was taped on Monday, same day as the Fox blog.  I’d forgotten that they’d put forth a little bit of fear-mongering about Google Street on the air over the weekend.  The angle was that because people were occasionally photographed in these views, their privacy had been violated by posted their image on the Internet.  More than a little bit of overreaction to me, given that there’s much more potentially damaging information on the ‘net than somebody pushing their baby carriage.  I do wish Google had managed to catch the house down the street in a more complete state of renovation, but again, that’s just me.