LR: Friday August 19, 2011

[jonc]

I'd like to end the week with loss and hope and take a moment to remember loved ones now gone. My mom has been gone 4 years now and while I was very lucky to have her around until rather late in life, I'd give most anything to have her back. She was instrumental in so many things and most importantly the person I turned out to be once my "youthful tendencies" were in check. One thing that I'll always remember is her need to stay engaged, vital and to keep pushing and going and how important that is. If you fold up, crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head then it's pretty much over. So no matter how hard things are, you hold out hope for better times and keep kicking!

Lunch today is leftover pizza from last night. I've yet to come anywhere near being a pizza master and things are still hit and miss, but I finally got the sauce down and am still working on the crust and baking time. A couple of guys on the old board were real pizza kings and made some amazing looking pies so I have a long way to go.

The Bottom Of The Hill has been a long-time fixture in the Bay Area and I had the pleasure of playing a number of "Popfests" there. It wasn't just a club and in many ways took on the aura of a CBGB's or Max's Kansas City as a place to meet, hang out, and hear a lot of great music. Some years back a fire broke out on the top floor and while I had seen fires before, the impact of this one really hit home. Fortunately the fire was contained and with the help of the staff, community and the music industry, all returned to normal after a temporary shutdown. So many clubs (and movie houses, galleries, etc.) are now gone so it's more and more important to hold onto and keep those still around, around.



Question 1: any stories to relate about places now gone or hope for places that are being restored and rejuvenated?

As a kid I couldn't wait for the future and all that it promised but as I've grown older I'm not so sure I like where things are heading. Has technology raced (or is racing) so far ahead of humans or am I just being an old Luddite?

Question 2: Are you more the Luddite or one of those folks who can't wait for new technology and the promise of even more exciting invention and changes to come?

G&L's

Jos had asked early in the week to see some of the G&L's I had or still have. Unfortunately I don't have all that many pics right now as the drive with those are in storage. Instead I'm posting the compilation shot I posted a month or two back and hope that will suffice.



Question 3: While all elements need to come together that separates a great instrument from a mediocre one, what's the ONE most important aspect of any instrument you feel is crucial to achieving stellarness? Feel, look, sound, ?

I'm glad you guys have been enjoying the video spots and thanks for posting some as well. I'd like to end the week with a set of spots that were made for a local market here in the states. Why these never went national is beyond me as they're clever, spot on and a lot of fun. The first clip is a compilation of the first 4 spots and then there are two others. All are worth watching if you have the time

Trunk Monkey Spots 1-4

[youtube]apsgLdmG7Hk[/youtube]

Trunk Monkey Delivers

[youtube]AI2FIFY2Z6U[/youtube]

Date Night

[youtube]HmtcuJmEhs0[/youtube]

Thanks for the opportunity to be the LR this week!!! Next week's LR will be Katefan!!!

P.S.

Some tracks to leave you with:

Time To Grow (Coloring Book 7", my one foray into singing on a recording)

http://www.alapoupee.com/mp3/Time.mp3

Lovely Disaster (Evening Lights, never released)

http://www.alapoupee.com/mp3/lovely%20disaster.mp3

Cold Room (Evening Lights, live at Zoe)

http://www.alapoupee.com/EL/Cold%20Room.wav

Let's Meet Again (Pom Commercial Submission)

http://www.alapoupee.com/EL/Lets%20Meet%20Again.wav

Hurry Up (Evening Lights studio session, never released)

http://www.alapoupee.com/EL/Hurry%20Up%20Tony.wav

Ocean Coming (Evening Lights, live at Zoe)

http://www.alapoupee.com/EL/Ocean%20Coming.wav

[y2kc]

Jonc,

Great week Sir. We lost my Mom a couple of years ago. She lived with us and was great. When I would get a guitar delivered she had to see it and ask me questions about it. She would also tell me what a good guitar player I was. She would tell me that with a few lessons I could be pretty good. I figure if I had a few lessons everyday for the rest of my life,I would still be a crappy player.

Nice guitars you have or had.I dig that sc-3. Back when that Bluesboy first came available I tried to purchase it and just missed out.

Take care,

y2kc

[jonc]

the SC-3 was bought, i think, around the same time that the sb maple HG2 and sb maple SC2 were listed on Ebay, etc. I just missed getting the SC2 but it went to a very fine GBL'er so who can be mad? i looked at the BB home page for ever while that ASAT was the background image but never pulled the trigger. the amazing thing about this guitar is that it passed through so many hands before i got it. to be fair it's not the versatile do-it-all machine and the bound neck is not as comfortable as non-bound imho. what it does very well, and Tim probably described it best, the guitar growls. imho it truly embodies the Blues Boy aesthetic and if not as flexible as later BB's which ARE much more versatile, it does what it was built to do. it just happens to look "pretty" while being nasty. LOL

[Katefan]

Hey Jon,

Great Week!

My Mom passed just bout 3 years ago now and like you I was lucky to have her in my life for many years. Her passing wasnt easy but I was grateful that we had time to say goodbye. THe hole a parent leaves in one's heart is huge and something I had no reference for until I experienced it. I miss her heaps to say the least.

Cool photo montage - Nice Sunburst MM! Seems everyone I've seen is natural...

DOn't have alot of time today but I took in the vid clips and yeah, nicely done - esp date nite.

LIstened too to your first music clip - dug the guitar tones and you have a nice voice! Were you playing G&L's back then?

Growing up in Seattle I witnessed how much of the city & buildings changed over the years including seeing the house were my Dad was born/grew up in torn down in the early 90's. Circa 2003 I bought some music gear including a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp from a music store on Rainier AVe S that Hendrix got one of his early guitars from. THe owner's elderly Mom still taught piano lessons there as she did back in the day.
I found some Pre-CBS Fender catalogs in and amongst the stuff which was a really cool find.
Sadly, the store was barely making it and only had a few decent instruments - 80's peavey falcon and 90's fernandes strat - (I bought the falcon) and bout a year later they closed up for good. NOw I think its a combo hair salon/cell phone/car stereo shop.


Looking forward to my next week LR duties!

Cheers,

Kf

[blargfromouterspace]

Funny you should mention mothers and pizzas in the same report - my mother is thinking about selling the house she and my dad live in to buy a place with a wood fired pizza oven in the backyard. I'm behind this 100%. I'm lucky to still have my parents and that they're still married. Most of my friends parents spilt up years ago.

Old places: My hometown, Fremantle, is a completely different place than it was. It lost a lot of its character and became a pretty standard port city. It still has all the great old buildings but they're inhabited by a Catholic University so all of the grimey old bars and shops have been moved into purpose built shopping malls. Grumble.

I'm definitely a Luddite.

Thanks for an entertaining week Jon!

[Aussie]

Mothers: My mother passed away far too early - around 30 years ago. She missed so much ... never got to fulful many of the plans she had with my father, didn't get to see the results of some special projects she initiated and never got to see or know any of her grandchildren ... and they never had a chance to know and learn from her. While my father hasn't spent his life drowning in sorrow, you can certainly see that there is a constant void and that he still misses his life partner to this day.

Old Places: +more than 1 on Jamies comments on what has happened to Fremantle.

Guitars: Great collection. Would love to hear more about that Sabre. The one most important aspect? That rather intangible element ... feel.

Music: Love your stuff. Thats an ecellent body of work you have and you can rightly be proud as you continue working your way though your recordings and tapes. Quality of the live performances are great too - very tight band.

Thanks for the great week. Really entertaining and I love listening to peoples own works.

cheers, Robbie

[yowhatsshakin]

Howdy Jon,

Thanks for a great week of LR's. It was a pleasure to go through with some great contributions as well as responses.

Things gone: Like I stated in an earlier response this week, I still miss my granddad. Fortunately my parents are still around, but far away. And we're all getting older you know ... A couple of month ago I was searching for the house of my birth in Heerhugowaard, NL, once more and somewhat to my dismay noticed that it had been torn down and was a construction well at the time the picture was taken. Guess a walk from the railway station to my parents house, which takes me past this location, will no longer be the same.

Luddite or not: Not withstanding I have always worked in the exact sciences and high-tech industry , I am at least a partial Luddite. I have other people buy the newest gizmos to help the manufacturer iron out the wrinkles and then I buy that improved version just after the new version has come out. Usually saves you a bundle of money too without much sacrifice in terms of performance and technology.

Jos had asked early in the week to see some of the G&L's I had or still have. Unfortunately I don't have all that many pics right now as the drive with those are in storage. Instead I'm posting the compilation shot I posted a month or two back and hope that will suffice.

Well thanks for showing off the collection sir! And a very nice one at that!

Great instruments: It takes so many things I guess. Picking the right materials, with the perfectly (scatter) wound pups, put together by a caring craftsperson. And whereas the quality of work of and the love put in by this craftsperson can be judge right away, some other factor like the quality of the material only is borne out over time. But more than likely, a great sounding instrument at its birth will sound stellar over time if well taken care off.

Thanks again Jon,

- Jos

[Philby]

Thanks for a great week Jon. I hope to back track and listen to some of your tunes later on when I get some time. I'd love to have half your collection of guitars and songs.

I'm not really a luddite and I enjoy new technology, but only if the technology has a definite place. Unfortunately I think many of the social implications of technology are poorly thought out or ignored in the race to get it into action and make profits e.g. nuclear industry.

I remember seeing all those Trunk Monkey ads when they came out years ago and laughing my backside off. They're fantastic! Thanks for bringing them back.

[sirmyghin]

What separates a good instrument from a mediocre one isn't too simple in my books. Most important is neck shape and fret work. Fret work of course being objective. But at the end of the day I require the whole package. Sorry I haven't been chiming in much this week Jonc, it was a good one, I just have not had the best of them. Need to find myself a new guitar to re-invigorate me.