Switching Gears

For once, I'm using more effects pedals than the lead instrument, and it seems to be working out well.  Last weekend's gig demanded a more lo-fi setup than I normally run (no PA means no computer), so I broke out everything but the Digitech Whammy for the show.  The octaver and Q-Tron worked fairly well in simulating the synth tones I normally use, and it was fun having the distortion to kick in for emphasis.

There's also the aesthetic value - I've heard more than one comment about how the laptop seems a little out-of-place with the retro-lounge vibe of the group.  Not the sounds, mind you - just the look of the technology.  I can accept that (although the geek in me seethes a bit), so I'm now thinking of what I can do to mask the laptop's inherent laptopiness onstage.  Ideas that spring to mind are a drink menu, a bamboo screen, or some kind of grass skirt.

I never thought I'd consider a grass skirt for a laptop.