Wacky Wednesday Report, July 7th.

I have my exceptional coffee and just finished a pear, and not too long ago 2 mangos (ataulfo, regular sized). There is a sandwich in the midst (swiss and peppered pork loin on white), probably after my coffee. I am an odd fellow who does not eat and drink at the same time.

Like most people over the age of 60, I tend to do the daily crossword. This one can get me looks time to time as you don't see too many young folks doing them in my experience. Sudoku yes, but not so much crossword. I have found this is an excellent tool for keeping your vocabulary sharp, and aids in thinking around corners. I am also a scrabble player, a friend in Ottawa and I have something of a rivalry when it comes to that game. I would say he has the slight edge, as our games get ridiculous (they look like crosswords). I do the Sudoku too, but they are pretty simple patterning and logic (from this academics ivory tower anyway). What do you do with your day to 'keep sharp'?

What band made you drastically alter the way you look at music?

There were a few for me, I initially picked up my fathers bass to play with friends, we played modern music of the 90s, within a week we knew a handful of songs, it was all too easy. Even the most complicated stuff at the time, like Tool would fall into my lap and was easily played. Then I bought a RUSH song book. I had passed RUSH before, even though my father tried to tell me they had really good bass lines, I was not mature enough to appreciate the music, even though I was always more of a rocker, not really into what the bands at the time were playing. The band was just a hang out for me. That song book, paired with my fathers cd's and whatnot really got me thinking about composition, what a bass could do, and improved my playing drastically.

My Favourite Rush song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyXOOZHcvE (can't make the bloody you tube tags work.)

I never liked shred music much, although nowadays I do appreciate some speed metal (like Racer X). Guys like Yngwie, heck even Vai are a bit much for me, I don't really listen to them as super talented as they are. These guys would pretty much all be passed by for me, if not for Joe Satriani. He opened up this genre for me, I have always found that his solos, of all these guys, get least far from the melody of the song. A lot of the other ones I feel lose the song in the solo. I do listen to some Vai now albeit (but Satriani is go to studying music).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIeCCqWSRnw - revelation, Joe Satriani

Victor Wooten is an insane bass player, him and Stu Hamm once again began to redefine how I looked at a bass guitar, I began to explore more of the chordal and melodic oppurtunities of the bass, as well as the dynamic changes and feels available with thumb and taps styles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcgzpmzCCI0 - Classical Thump

Lastly Arjen A Lucassen or Ayreon as his productions are titled is a ridiculous man. He recruits a horde of singers and occasional guest musicians and puts together Rock Operas. The early ones range more to 1 singer per song, and metal/ambient music, however the farther he goes in his career the more diverse it becomes. They now include genres ranging from metal to folk, they have dialogue style vocals with over 10 singers on an album playing parts, and are truly an adventure to listen to. My favourite albums are 01011001 (y) and The Human Equation (leaning towards that one). The man is brilliant, and I greatly appreciate how he has 'modernized' the opera. Another man who does this, although not as familiar with his work is Tobias Sammett (of Edguy, power metal band, they rock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkod0GA5Qj8 Loser - Ayreon

And as I almost forget, some more of my noodling, Today will be funk day I guess, I only have 1 'real' funk tune, but the other is just me noodling over a lopper with the bass.
The real one:
The Flight of the Kiwi

The noodling!
Funk Jam


And here it is, out of the closet the bass that started it all for me, it has only 1 working pickup, scratchy pots, finicky input jack, virtually no frets left (didn't have much to begin with old school 1975 style 'frets' and tonnes of battle scars I added to it, with action a mile high. The nut is epoxied as we could not find one that was the right width, and the original strings gauge cannot be replicated nowadays. I played that until 21 when I got my beloved LB75. I plan to fix it up one day, probably into a fretless. It has been through everything, even hit with a ceiling fan (gouge out of back edge of headstock, not in pictures. Light as afeather too, might be 6 lbs, the body is plywood of light and dark (walnutty almost) layers




Enjoy the day folks, hopefully that bass is old enough to interest you 'vintaged' patrons

Kyle

Yes, King Crimson, Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Edgar Winter, Frank Zappa/The Mothers, Laurel Aitken, Funkadelic, The Grateful Dead, The Cars, Boston, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judas Priest, The Police, CSN&Y, T-Rex, Los Lobos, Led Zepplin, The Who, ELP, Badfinger, Massive Attack, Black Flag, Captain Beefheart, Todd Rundgren, Rush, Queen, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Heart, War, KISS, Lou Reed, Percy Sledge, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The Eagles, Jethro Tull, Santana, Van Morrison, Patti Smith and Warren Zevon.

All are/were influences. Just didn't think time would move so fast... Most "younger" folks have no idea who any of these artists are too. However, their influence is unmistakable.

Yes, King Crimson, Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Edgar Winter, Frank Zappa/The Mothers, The Grateful Dead, The Cars, Boston, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judas Priest, The Police, Led Zepplin, The Who, ELP, Rush, Queen, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Heart, KISS, The Eagles, Jethro Tull, Santana, Van Morrison.
All are/were influences. Just didn't think time would move so fast... Most "younger" folks have no idea who any of these artists are too. However, their influence is unmistakable.

Cleaned up the list to be only ones I recognize/know, I am huge Tull fan, almost got to see them this year. I grew up in my fathers Cd collection as I did not like the music of the time.

I am a geezer but not much for crossword puzzles. I was hooked on Scrabble Blast for a bit but kicked that one. But I do enjoy a good computer game where I can wreak death and destruction upon something.

Life Altering Music

The Blues
Back when I was starting out I was a folkie. One day I was looking through a friend of my Dad's 78 rpm collection for songs to record on Dad's Roberts reel to reel recorder. For whatever reason I put on "Toothache Blues" with Victoria Spivey and Lonnie Johnson. I was too youg to really get what the song was about but I knew it had to do with something subversive. And there was that voice and that guitar playing. I was hooked. Funny thing is I still keep thinking if I could just learn one Lonnie Johnson solo note for note I would have accomplished something.

Then I was given a copy of a Son House record. Lordy have mercy - that slashing slide guitar and a voice like a preacher feeling the spiti coming upon him. Sent me off in a whole new direction.

Liverpool
Ah, The Beatles. What can you say. When I first saw the Beatles with those electric guitars on the Sullivan show I knew I had to get me one of those.

What do you do with your day to 'keep sharp'?
I do like a crossword every now and then. My wife and I used to do them more often. She has gone to suduko but I just haven't given it whirl yet. I get a daily newspaper and always work the jumble. More of a word man I guess. Wonder how many have dailies delivered round here?

What band made you drastically alter the way you look at music?
Quite a few made me look or listen to music in a different way. After my intro to music with the Beatles, brit invasion and California surf Tull and King Crimson took me beyond my chord crunching. (I still crunch chords today though ) Duane Eddy introduced me to reverb, man can that guy play!! BTW I'm a Rush fan as well.

I do listen to some Vai now albeit (but Satriani is go to studying music).
Go see them if you can. i love those guys and their shows just leave you in awe and a bit smaller in the chair watching them cover the fretboard.

Thanks for the tunes.

What do you do with your day to 'keep sharp'?
I do like a crossword every now and then. My wife and I used to do them more often. She has gone to suduko but I just haven't given it whirl yet. I get a daily newspaper and always work the jumble. More of a word man I guess. Wonder how many have dailies delivered round here?

What band made you drastically alter the way you look at music?
Quite a few made me look or listen to music in a different way. After my intro to music with the Beatles, brit invasion and California surf Tull and King Crimson took me beyond my chord crunching. (I still crunch chords today though ) Duane Eddy introduced me to reverb, man can that guy play!! BTW I'm a Rush fan as well.

I do listen to some Vai now albeit (but Satriani is go to studying music).
Go see them if you can. i love those guys and their shows just leave you in awe and a bit smaller in the chair watching them cover the fretboard.

Thanks for the tunes.

I saw satriani last october, Mountain was opening for them that tour, Leslie can still rip, the drummer is insane, the bassist for Michael Schenker was stand in. Satriani and Stu Hamm were an amazing duo for the evening, Rhythm guitar was drowned out . It was a small venue, less than 3000, called Massey Hall in Toronto, beautifully intimate show.