The Bass Geek

So I finally got the chance to work on my M-Audio Duo USB interface last night - this was the unit that didn’t work at the Vogue, and I wanted to troubleshoot it before I took it out again. I started out reloading the driver (something I’m not used to having to do with a Mac, and kudos to M-Audio for leaving legacy drivers up on their site), which didn’t initially work. I also swapped out the USB cable and rechecked a switch on the front (it was recording audio without a problem, but I couldn’t get it to take audio from Reason). After this, I rebooted a couple times and . . . poof, it was working again. I played for a bit and then rebooted a couple more times, to see if it was a fluke.

Nope, working now. So now I have a working setup again, but I’m not entirely sure why. And that’s extremely frustrating. I’m going to take backup cables with me to all future shows in case I have to go out of the headphone jack again. Grrrrr.

Not that I haven’t bought plenty of music online, but I’m more likely to get the CD of a band I really like, for the sake of completeness. I want the liner notes, the album art, and everything that comes with it. just seems like a fuller experience. The online purchases are usually reserved for difficult-to-get recordings or higher-risk music - things I haven’t heard before that fill out my monthly eMusic allotment easily.

The break seems to be the new Roots album, and it’s motivated by a few factors:

• PDF liner notes (and the brevity of those liner notes compared to past releases
• Bonus track not available on CD or by separate purchase
• I bought it before the record stores were open

I don’t think I’ll be going to buy the physical copy now - it’s a great album, dark and fierce without being alienating, but I’ve also already got my copy. I’ll give it a few more listens to decide if the appreciation in sound quality is worth it, but the sale was already made. Between this album’s liner notes and the lyrics included in the new NIN single file, it seems to me that online purchases are only one step away from replacing most physical sales - higher quality file downloads. Once I can purchase lossless, it’s over.

Exception made for great physical packaging, of course. Gimme a box set like the Miles Davis Bitches’ Brew or the Sly Stone reissues, and I’m on it.

If you want to listen to the radio interview I did for http://wsradio.com, check out this link.

I tried to sound intelligent.

I’m considering a spree (negative in results) of some sort after receiving this MySpace bulletin:

James Brown fans and all true Funkateers, our James Brown tour has been backed up till after our Europe & Japan dates which are in June and July
so I can tell you now that it will be after we get back, so check the website for more currect detains which will be posted starting next week at:

www.bootsycollins.com

This hurts me as much as it hurts my fans JB’s fans everybody, but it was out of our control. We hope you all understand our position and all we can do is funk you extra harder when we do funk.

Instead of one nut you get two.

That’s the only way I know to make it up beings that it was not our fault in the first place, everybody was ready to go and they pulled the plug.

So we ain’t gonna whimp out about it, we just gone be ready when the horn blow we will Pee-Red-to-Go!
Love & P-funk hugs and thanks for tha prayer’s yall!
One Nation, One funk, One love baba!
Bootsy!!!

I was totally geeked up for this show, and my only consolation is that we were waiting for a check to come in to purchase tickets. I want rescheduled dates now. NOW.

According to this Wired article, the popularity of Guitar Hero is causing some folks to pick up the actual instrument and give it a go.

I’m all for getting into music and learning an instrument, but we’ve got too many guitarists already. Seriously, the streets are littered with them. From busking folk-singers to metal wannabes to plumed-hat-wearing SRV clones, everybody already picked up a guitar. Guitar Hero wouldn’t have been a success if nobody wanted to play guitar already.

There aren’t enough bassonists. Time for Bassoon Hero.