The Bass Geek » Battlestar Galactica

New IMN Podcast and Last New Battlestar Galactica

Ryan — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:36:08 +0000

The new IMN podcast is up - download it here or listen at the site or on WFYI.

And now it's time to prepare for the last Battlestar Galactica episode. Had to catch up on about three weeks, and I still don't care much for the "All Along The Watchtower" connection, but such is life. At least the little girl could write out the sheet music. No tablature there.

Production Week

Ryan — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:08:41 +0000

Having a straight week of rehearsals has been great for getting me up to speed on the score (the singers have been at it longer than us, but we get to read our parts for the whole show, so we win), but I'll be ready for Saturday night and a little respite. From then on, we'll only be doing show Friday through Sunday, and I can resume a little normal free time then.

Which will no doubt be spent with more writing, but that's okay. There's time for "Battlestar Galactica," too.

Side note: I'm also scheduled to talk to with Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen about "MySpace For Dummies" on wsradio's Computer and Technology Radio show Saturday at 12 noon Eastern (my location)/9am Pacific (their location). I'm glad they're the ones getting up early and not me.

Finally, the new IMN podcast is up. Download it here.

Back From Memphis . . .

Ryan — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:46:19 +0000

We got my mom moved in and took in as much as possible. Beale St. is still Disney, but we managed to grab some good food and took in the Stax museum again - they had a good exhibit from Otis Redding's personal records on a limited run. It was also a delight to see the basses used to record "Soul Finger" and some of the Booker T. and the MGs songs.

We also took in a night of boxing that turned out not to be professional, but a fraternity's charity event. Suffice it to say that we saw maybe one real boxer out of the night, and a lot of really ineffective swinging. Such is life.

I also noted an inordinate amount of truckers sporting signs about remaining strong and attentive 24/7/365 and never giving "aid and comfort to the enemy." I was unaware that these brave drivers manned a combat zone fraught with such danger and peril that their constant vigilance was required. I have visions of the borders being lined with semis blasting Toby Keith in unison, guarding our livelihoods with a combination of brute force and nausea. Yes, it scare me a bit.

Now I'm home, gazing at the unwatched episode of Battlestar Galactica on the DVR and waiting for my wife to get home to remedy that situation.

Languishing on the DVR

Ryan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:14:39 +0000

Don't get me wrong - I'm quite happy to be going to Memphis for a long weekend. It's got a certain Southern sleepiness to it (maybe that was because I last visited in October), but there's still vibrant music and culture to be immersed in, and taking the trolley to the Arcade again will be a joy. Plus, I'll have family down there now, which is an excellent excuse for more frequent trips.

Is it bad, however, to know that I'll be thinking about the new episode of Battlestar Galactica just a little bit? Hoping the DVR doesn't meet a violent end before I can get back to it? Realizing that the recently replaced electrical panel gives me more confidence in the recording going off as planned?

I'm a little saddened by this knowledge, myself.

The new IMN podcast is up. Download it or listen on the site. And enjoy your weekend.

Finally Stocked Up

Ryan — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:05:26 +0000

It should be a hard and fast rule for every player. Always keep an extra set of strings in your gig bag or case, no matter what. No matter how expensive bass strings can be (up to $75 in most cases for bass guitars, much higher for uprights), you should always keep a set at the ready, and maybe more at home just in case. I went ahead and splurged on some extra sets - partly because there's a new bass in the stable, and partly because I have to change the strings on the Jazz bass more often to keep things functional on the MIDI side. With the new Reason program, I want to program some new sounds into the Playboy Psychonauts set, and that means making sure the notes translate well through the MIDI pickup. The brightness of the new set is the biggest difference-maker in that department, and I just like the sound of them. Conversely, I've kept the same set on the fretless for a couple years or so because I like the duller, thumpy sound they make. Strings are a huge part of the sound, and even at $75 they're a lot cheaper, even in the long run, than the $8000 amp I just saw reviewed in Bass Player this month.

Also, I got just around to watching the "special event" of "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" last night after a few days' delay. It was decent, but I wonder if new episodes in March are still on the horizon given the writers' strike. I'm probably obligated by my AFM membership to support the writers in this case, but I'd come down on that side anyway. Just because the studios don't (allegedly) make money on Internet content yet doesn't mean the creative types shouldn't be reimbursed for their efforts in making that profit to happen. Here's to a swift and lucrative resolution.

Finally, anybody know where I can find a Cylon bass guitar?