The Bass Geek

Radio Radio presents Andrew Ripp, Brandon Whyde and the Tyler Bender Band tonight. Tomorrow, Red Light Driver celebrates the release of their new CD. Huzzah and kudos!

Sam’s Saloon has Permacrush, Ready The Destroyer and Pistola tonight. Tomorrow brings Black Cat Rebellion and The Gravetones.

And I’m sure somebody is playing at Deano’s Vino, but they haven’t bothered to tell me about it. Go ahead and stop by for a glass of something anyway.

Finally, the Country Christmas Cabaret continues its run at the American Cabaret Theater this weekend and next.

The new IMN podcast is up – download it here or listen at Indianapolismusic.net or WFYI HD2.

Wired has a gallery of music geek gifts up on their site.  Not only are there some cool ideas up there, but I also want to encourage the use of smaller and quieter guitar amps.  Get your tone, let the PA handle the rest, and everybody gets a break.  We win!

Every bass starts out as a hunk of wood somewhere – this one came through the friend of a cousin of a specialty lumberyard.  Looks pretty good, although I’d like more detail about he put together the neck and did the fretwork.  Wonder how heavy it is?

I must admit I was puzzled to learn that Kip Winger had a signature bass model (awarded to him in 2003, no less), but here it is, in all of its glory.  Even though it is used, if the videos I saw in the Eighties are to be belived, he barely touched the thing anyway.  Bid away, dear friends!  Bid away!

How great is it that we can still make Winger jokes in this day and age?

Starting Thursday night and running through six shows this weekend, I helped to entertain the following audiences:

1. Some sort of Red Hat Club gathering.
2. A local Presbyterian church.
3. Underprivileged children full of sugar and wondering when the show is going to start (there were conflicting reports as to the actual start time – sorry, kids!).
4. The patrons of the “Cocoanut Grove” lounge night at the Melody Inn.
5. Some extremely patriotic but otherwise unremarkable-but-pleasant folks.

That’s some radical culture shock to go through while sitting in the same chair (except for the Melody Inn, but that show added a fog machine, a hookah, jack-in-the-boxes, and the normal Playboy Psychonaut vibe).  Toss in some head cold goodness and a narrowly achieved book deadline, and I deserve rest.

It’s First Friday this evening, so there are quite a few events taking place in the greater Fountain Square area.  Of special note is the Wheeler Arts Building open house.  Not only will the building’s artists be featuring their work for holiday perusal, but you can also take in the music of Luke Daugherty tonight and Ann McWilliams tomorrow.  It runs from 6-10pm both nights.

Radio Radio brings in Gavin Mikail tonight and welcomes Bigger Than Elvis tomorrow.

Sam’s Saloon hosts a special early rockabilly show tonight featuring The Psycho Devilles at 7pm.  19Clark25, Jethro Easyfields and Terry Hickman take the stage at 9:30.  Knock Galley West and Johnny Murder and the 25 To Life play tomorrow.

Big Car Gallery hosts Amo Joy, Accordions, and Pons tonight as part of First Friday festivities.

Finally, I’m playing at the American Cabaret Theater’s Country Christmas Cabaret through December 20th, and the Playboy Psychonauts play Cocoanut Grove this Sunday evening at the Melody Inn.

The new IMN podcast is available for download – get it here or listen at the site.

I’m also jotting down notes in a new blog for the good For Dummies folks, so feel free to enjoy my musings over there as well.  There are some other notable blogs over there, like Bob LeVitus’s Dr. Mac blog.  The Wiley folks are moving a good deal of their instructional content online at Dummies.com, and I’m happy to be a part of it.

And now I’m going to get some sleep and try to avoid a head cold on a show weekend with a book deadline rapidly approaching.

Most notable about this night at Radio Radio was the packed house.  It’s a tough sell to get people out on a weeknight in Indianapolis once the temperature dips below freezing, but this band managed a big crowd on a otherwise unremarkable Tuesday.  Nice work.

The fact that the performance justified the crowd level was a bonus.  The Duke Spirit had an instant rapport with the audience despite the singer’s admission that they were wracked with some form of respiratory ailments, and they put on a high-energy show nonetheless.   Trashy, driving fun.

Also, I just found out that Dick Dickinson died Monday, and it’s a huge loss for the Indianapolis music community, jazz or otherwise.  The Chatterbox downtown will have a memorial show Wednesday, December 10th.