The Bass Geek

The new IMN podcast is up – download it or listen at the site or on WFYI HD2, Thursdays at 4pm.

The laptop may not be making as many appearances onstage as it used to with the Psychonauts, but I’m intrigued by this Mobius looping software. Super easy to install and set up, and it’s free to boot. Between it and the new patches Peff provided for Reason+Record, I’ve got a ton of options for live performances from the bass and the laptop. Now I just have to find a place to work it in.

And it goes beyond the gratuitous use of clip art in the source article.

40% of UK folks surveyed can’t name a legal music download site. The tagline about only knowing about Amazon and iTunes doesn’t bother me too much – people have resources to get on those services with little effort, so your recordings can be in the same store as the big boys. But almost have of the surveyed can’t even get that far?

If they can’t name it, they aren’t using it. And that doesn’t translate into purchased physical copies, either. Change is inevitable, I suppose, but would a little haste be such a bad thing?

The fans can connect directly with artists now – hell, how hard would it be to just ASK where the music is available for purchase? I’m sure they’d be more than happy to let the fans know?

Radio Radio puts Bigger Than Elvis onstage tonight, and they bring in singer/songwriters Andrew Ripp, Ben Rector, and Steve Moakler Saturday night.

The Vollrath has Only Theives, A Thieves Parade, Hello Victor, and Lit Endz onstage tonight. Tomorrow, you can check out Verona Red, Spare Time Killer, and Glass Identity Crisis.

Naptown Juice has folksinger Andy DeCarlo tonight and Andrew Rosborough tomorrow. Speaking of folksingers, Cheryl Wheeler plays Sunday night at the Wheeler Art Center.

Big Car Gallery presents the Outside Orchestra tonight as part of the First Friday celebration, and you can head over to Maria’s Pizza for live jazz. Finally, check out some soothing lounge music at the Brass Ring. So there you go – enjoy!

The new IMN Podcast is up – download it or listen at the site or on WFYI HD2, Thursdays at 4pm.

Also, please take a moment to head over to Girls Rock Indy and see what you can do to support their cause. Their first benefit show takes place March 5th at Talbott St., and they’re looking for some materials to put on the first Girls Rock Indy camp in July. They’re getting more bassists out there, and that can only be a good thing.

Fantabulous musician and all-around good guy Jon Martin took this back in November, and it’s purely my lateness that has kept me from sharing this with you until now. Enjoy the Playboy Psychonauts and our take on “Ring of Fire.”

Before the Interpages came around, issues like the Bass Player Session Legends and Studio Gear or the Tone and Technique specials would end up on the newsstands for a certain price, and the regular subscribers would get zilch – “newsstand specials” don’t end up in the subscribers’ mailboxes. The content came from previous issues, so the subscribers aren’t really missing anything. However, a nice combined reference issue would be a great resource.

Now, these issues come in a digital format. We get the issue, the publishers don’t have to outlay the publishing costs, and there is joy for all. Minus the newstand sales, however, – instead, it becomes a bonus for readers instead of an income source.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way, Bass Player magazine. I have the vast majority of your issues, minus a few in the beginning, and I’ve been a subscriber for almost 17 years. And I would still pay for a digital archive. A searchable, high-quality digital archive like what Modern Drummer put out would be fantastic, and you’d have my money in a heartbeat. Besides, are you really going to let drummers get a leg up on us?

You don’t even have to put it on quickly-going-obsolete optical media. Sell it in conjunction with a bass-related collectable of some sort and make it a download. You’ve already done it with these special issues. Do it to the rest of the issues, and we’ll be in business. Thanks in advance!