Band Scene XI: Great News...

No introduction is necesary. Tim Reynolds is coming to Hartford on April 27th. At the Alternate Routes/Will Hoge show they passed out fliers for him and The Wailers (April 20th, $10 students). The best part is the world renowned guitarist Reynolds will be playing in the Wilde Auditorium which has a 200 person capacity, so it will be a very intimate and up close show, unlike his tours with Dave Mathews The other best part- $5 student tickets. (That's what you get for going to a private school with an enormous budget for student entertainment). So naturally I already have my ticket. If you still are not convinced, watch and listen to his simply amazing "Stream":

Band Scene X: Straight Outta Nashville

Part II of the excellent March 28th concert at the Hawk's Nest, featuring Will Hoge and his band. You can't much more rockin' than a crew from Nashville, and they definitely proved it. Their current hit "Sweet Magdeline" was a great sing along for the packed house. Hoge's use of harmonica and vocals intertwined was very bluesy effect and unique in a way. The lead guitar was impressive, and the keyboards, which sometimes are drowned out in a high powered jam held it's own. I think their onstage energy portrays their looming explosion in the music industry to make it really big.

Band Scene IX: Adventures of Chopek

After tracking a second session of the Foo Fighters song "My Hero" with Tom and Mike, I was lucky enough to get to watch a free concert at the Hawk's Nest, a fast food joint and extremely small music venue right next door on the Hartford campus, headlined by Will Hoge (who is featured in the above post- I figured each band deserved their own post). Anyhow the opener was some unknown group by the name of The Alternate Routes from Bridgeport, CT. Featuring a solid mix of acoustic/electric driven rock, and bright vocals I was instantly hooked. Not 5 minutes into the show my friend and fellow Audio major Rob and his brother Mike asked me if I recognized the drummer. "Any Given Thursday?", they said. Wow, I watched that on my iPod last night. It was the same drummer featured on John Mayer's 2002 Any Given Thursday DVD, Mr. Stephen Chopek. No doubt a quick check on Wikipedia confirmed our certain beliefs. Chopek seemed to be the eldest, and most experienced of all the band members, having worked with famous 8-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, who just recently played for Mayer's Continuum on the track "In Repair". If I only had the guts to ask him for a photo as I passed him on the empty stairs after his set...

Pro Bono Amplitube

With my new firewire multitrack setup (featured in previous posts), I have been recording a lot of direct guitar through the MOTU 828mk2. I do have a Digitech RP200A multi effects pedal, but for recording use I would prefer a software base modeling solution. Last year I found a simple free amp from IK Multimedia called Amplitube UNO. The much improved LE version comes bundled with Pro Tools LE. The full version, now called Amplitube 2, is one of the best at head cab and mic modeling available. So when I found out that the free version of version 2 (seen above) is a huge step up from UNO, I was using it instantly. The highlights include being able to load MP3s to paly along to, and vary the speed, and loop the file as well. There are about 100 presets with all types of editing capcabilites and unlimited user presets. The GUI is incredible, and the amp style changes for different presets. There are 5 screens in the software: Amp, Cab, Rack, Tuner and Stomp, all configurable to work just like the real thing. Wow, there's a lot too this program, it makes me wonder why it's free? Kudos to IK Multimedia for putting out such a killer freeware amp. Back to learning the solo to "Who Did You Think I Was".

The not so exciting Amplitube UNO.


edit 3/28: The Amplitube I downloaded is a 10 day demo, then after that an agonizing noise is emitted from the program, but you can still use it. Ebay here I come.

Band Scene VIII: They were new...in 1995

Naturally as with any web surfer, I have dangerous tendencies to Wikipedia (yes, that is a verb) random people, bands, places to find out the truth. I'm sure many people will disagree because while Wikipedia is not necessarily the 100% truth, it is close enough in Layman's terms. One such person I search for on the occasional basis is John Mayer. Anyway, it turns out one thing I had not known about him was that he was part of a band in high school called Villanova Junction, after the Hendrix song. Instinctively, I searched for John Mayer on bt.etree.org, the largest collection of free live concert recordings on the web. After figuring out what a .shn file was and decoding using xACT and encoding from WAV to MP3 in iTunes I finally had the first listen. Wow, 10 years ago Mayer was ripping it up just like he does at a live show. The format of the VJ songs are quite different, as he doesn't sing, so the lyrics offer a different tone. The vocals are reminiscent of Dispatch, and the rhythm section is a solid-no frills foundation for every song. The same soulful bluesy riffs can be heard, especially in "Saturday Morning Feeling" and the intro to "Sky Blues". Oh yeah, the best part is this was a demo only released on cassette? It doesn't get much more homely than that. Just to think this guy now has a handful of Grammys...

Sounds of Nawlins

Last Wednesday the 14th, our group had the day off from building houses in Slidell, and we took our tour bus into the city for a day of sight seeing and cultural experiences. After walking around the French Quarter for a few hours buying token tourist t-shirts and food, my friends and I made our way to Burbon Street to check out the clubs. We had passed bye a few Jazz clubs, including the famous Jazz Emporium, but none were open early in the afternoon. As we walked by The 544 club, my ears were attracted to the funky and bluesy sounds coming from within. We all walked in and sat there, enjoying the fantastic guitarist, rhythm section and keyboards. Later that night we came back to the same club to watch a similar group play for a much larger crowd.

I wasn't sure of what to expect in the French Quarter almost two years after Katrina, but the vibe seemed so positive and fulfilling that it was hard to notice any struggle by the artists or clubs around. These small clubs with no name bands should provide enough of a foundation for the music community to thrive in the area for a long time. So do yourself a favor and check out local clubs of your taste to support budding live bands across the country.

Into the Land of Soul

Notice to all readers- do not be afraid, but there will be a weeklong break in posting, as I will be down in Slidell, Louisiana with Habitat For Humanity, working on Katrina-affected areas. This suburb of New Orleans is just across the bay, north of the city, but it right along the coast, and was badly damaged. I have no idea what kind of conditions our group from UHa will be working in, but hopefully we will be able to accomplish a lot. Upon the slight chance there is internet available, I'll try and post up some interesting pictures. Not to mention the 22 hour bus ride. How is this music related? It just so happens that on our break day, wednesday, we are going to wander around downtown New Orleans. First stop: The House of Blues. Just to see this landmark venue will be awesome in itself, not to mention it's setting in the heart of New Orleans. I'm also interested in seeing if the famous Burbon St. musicians will be out, busting out some soulful grooves.

YouTube Star

I felt inclined one day to be entertained, so naturally I went onto YouTube and browsed though the featured videos, which are usually hit or miss in my opinion. Usually anything musically related catches my eye. So obviously the featured video showing a bald, bearded man playing acoustic guitar made me click on it. Perhaps it is my inspiration or desire to deepen my base of knowledge of guitar playing techniques that makes me so curious to see what people have to offer. Well this such video was remarkable. Andy Mckee, a high school dropout, knew what he wanted to do with his life. He was introduced to the guitar and was instantly hooked. The song he plays, "Drifting" is one of his earliest songs written, yet is his catchiest and most creative composition. His combination of slapping and drumming the body and strings is incredible. (Yes, this technique has been around for decades, as guitarists aimed to create rhythmic drumming-without a drummer). The most intriguing aspect of his songs is it feels like one can hear the lyrics to the song, even though Andy is only playing, not singing. It would be extremely difficult to find a vocalist of equal caliber are creativity.

Not impressed? Check out his many other videos on YouTube or visit his website. Still don't feel it? Watch any other acoustic videos on YouTube, and then go back to Andy and note the difference.

Band Scene VII: A Sampling

What do you get from a renouned producer/DJ whose musical tendencies are genre-bending? An album worthy of industry-wide attention? Definately. Introducing...DJ Shadow's The Outsider, a collection of hip hop, soul, folk, rock and jazz/funk influences, as well as electronic beats, and many tracks with live vocals. The only other artist I can seemingly compare Shadow to would be Cut Chemist (They did a mixtape years ago called Product Placement- more on that later). Yet, there is hardly any audible signs of scratching or turntablism in Shadow's work, as Chemists' album The Audience Is Listening is based on scratching techniques. Two very different techniques from two producers with similar experience. Shadow's ability to collaborate and effectively produce beats along with other artists is something a lot of DJs cannot do without proper experience. Stars like David Banner, Q-Tip and E-40 all show up on the album with strong performances. A lot of the tracks, such as "Backstage Girl" and "Broken Levee Blues" have strong Southern influences with bluesy guitars and agressive angst in the lyrics. Instrumentals like the placid "Triplicate" and "Artifact" show the true sampling talent of DJ Shadow. The deciding factor for me to give this a deep listen was how on his previous albums, specifically Preemptive Strike, Shadow was able to create not just beats, but effective songs, all by sampling and DJ'ing. It was something I had rarely heard out of any producer, and I knew this album would be worth the wait.

Video Scene II: Band Tryouts

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers certainly know how to make catchy singles. They also are music video innovators. For their third single off their 2006 double disc release Stadium Arcadium, "Tell Me Baby", the Chilli Peppers came up with a stellar idea. They held an audition for musicians who wanted to make it big, or get a record deal. So they told them to sing/perform "Tell Me Baby." Except, they didn't know it was a Chilli Peppers song, and they didn't know they were there, watching them. The video is a quick-cutting montage of the artists, some of whom are astonished when The Chilli Peppers come rocking out onto the enclosed set to play with them. The looks on their faces are priceless. How would you like to play along to a sang written by one of your favorite artists? Very cool concept indeed. Of course there are the token weird outfits of Flea and high energy vocals from Anthony Kiedis. Must watch for any aspiring rocker.

Band Scene VI: How Alternative Does Hip Hop

I get a feeling similar to that of Christmas morning when Beck unleashes a new album. It is always a surprise as to what he does with a record, mostly depending on his emotions and his producer, in this case bummed-out and Nigel Goodrich, respectively. Why so down? Beck had intentions of finishing this not too long after he started it in 2003, but along came The Dust Brothers and they made the the ever so popular Guero. So you can imagine how after four years of on and off production, Beck wishes he had done not dragged this project out, whether it was unforeseeable or not. In terms of his previous albums, it is not nearly as slow and dark as Sea Change or Mellow Gold, but does take have some lyrical similarities in the mood he sings in, such as in "We Dance Alone." Beck also has some of his hipper new sounds like those heard on Guero. DJ Z-Trip provides the scratching on some songs. Like most of his trademark songs, Beck uses acoustic guitar to drive the melody, which could be any number of different genres. "Nausea" features exactly that, with sampled voices in the background, and a breakbeat with tambourine. The deepest of the emotions are in "Dark Star." Beck tends to use a lot of reverb on his vocals when the song is gloomy or down. Then all of a sudden, is a harmonica solo, and his string fills reminiscent of "Round The Bend." The one track that separates this from all his previous work is the last one, entitled "The Horrible Fanfare, Landslide, Exoskeleton." I really don't know the whole meaning of the title (if any), but then end of the song features Music Video Director Spike Jonze and Writer Dave Eggers speaking about what the greatest album ever made would be like. Granted their responses are not very practical, but imaginative: "I picture like an illuminated manuscript, ya know...you'd have to have them hand done... each time like change depending on what mood your in."The coolest part of the album besides the music, is the customizable artwork. The cover is a blank grid that just says "Beck" in the upper left-hand corner, and included are pages of different colorful, Beck-designed stickers to customize it. (the two lower pictures show some examples of these designs). Beck said he "wanted every no two albums to look the same, everony will be different." How cool. However, because the the artwork was seen as a "gimmick" to increase sales, the album was prohibited from the UK charts. I don't see how a bunch of stickers included in the product is going to render an album "illegal." Why are DVDs or enhanced CDs allowed, isin't that the same type of gimmick so the consumer will want to see exclusive content or never before seen footage of the artist? It's the British after all. Anyways, check out the album, and listen to "1000 BPM" to see if you think Beck has reached your personal threshold for "free-alternative" sounds.

In The Studio

Tuesday night was the first booked session time I had for recording. I had Rob on acoustic guitar, and brother Mike on drums. The goal was not a perfect mix, but just to record the raw signal. Everything for the guitar was going great; used two AKG 414 B's for the body and neck. I was thinking about adding a room mic, but I liked the sound as it was already after a listen. Only thing I did was put the 40 Hz low pass filter on the body mic, and changed the pattern to supercardioid on the neck. Sounded a lot like Jack Johnson's tone. Very dry, but bright and thick. The levels were not as high initially, and the preaps on the MCI were around 80%, and the recording levels were around 0dB. All it needed was a little more preamp, and the signal was strong. Recorded two minutes of that, and then moved to drums. Were going to use the 414's as overheads, but the shockmount broke as I was adjusting it. i felt bad, but honestly, its a plastic shockmount, just not sturdy enough for the heavy, and expensive 414. Oh well, good thing Pat came and brought his Groove Tubes 55, and used that along with the studio's 55 for the overheads. I really wanted to try two mics on the snare: 58 on top, 57 on bottom, I've heard that is a very popular technique. I also wanted to put a small diaphragm condenser on the hi-hats for that close intimate sound. I had my Audio Technica 2021, but I decided against it because it was the first session and I didn't was the mix to sound bad...unmixed. Used just the 58 for the snare, didn't want to complicate it with the underside miked as well. Two of my 57's for the toms, and the other 58 for the floor tom. Of Course the D112 for the kick, placed at the opening of the soundhole, facing the closest side of the drum. The 7 track mix was excellent unmixed and unpanned. The overheads were very sensitive, and could have been brought down in the mix, but they picked up a great overall sound. Unmixed, I can't believe how good it sounded. So I was very satisfied with the first session.