The Jam Room Blog Thread.

[Lumpy]

Picking up my bass again after taking a really long break, and thinking about switching to pick-style. I'm a decent fingerstyle player - I've been playing (off and on) since 1982. But it's been non-stop problems with my callouses (building them up, taking care of them, avoiding blisters, dealing with blisters when they inevitably come). Yes, I think it's possible to play everything fingerstyle that pick players can do (play fast, etc) -- if you're willing to dedicate the time to the instrument. But for people who are multi-instrumentalists (my goal now) I suspect it's easier to get good (good enough to play rock music) using a pick.

[everdrone]

I agree, I think it really is all about note selection, unless you are playing for a crowd of bassists and guitarists and slap-bass funkmasters

[jibberish]

Do you know what is an automatic blister?

Too much smoke and alkeehaul and "they call me the breeze".

..because it never ends until fingers fail.

[liquidsmoke]

Stopped in for strings and saw this weird little thing.

[mortlock]

where is that thing? i kind of want it.

[liquidsmoke]

Madison, WI

I kind of want it too but already have a small short scale bass. It looks cheap and junky but for a weird psychedelic band it could be the ticket.

I bet VOLVO would be willing to make you something better out of a guitar for pretty cheap.

[Danny G]

Stopped in for strings and saw this weird little thing.

That thing probably sounds and plays terrible.

You bought it, right?!?


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[jibberish]

heh.

has anyone horsed around with a ukulele?  I don't give those a second look usually, but there is a chris cornell song on the radio that makes really good use of one.
I would rather try out a mandolin or a cello first, but who knows, GC seems to really be stocking a large variety of those now.

I saw a used anniversary tele at Bruno bros music store today. I touched it.   I covet it. 

I must admit, I still like playing keyboards best of all. I can play for 2+ hours and not even notice the time passing. I wonder when stoner rock is going to need more keyboards now that it needs more sax, jazz, and metal, heh. although, there is no playing and singing for me on keys.  that is for the guitar.

[mortlock]

the only thing chris cornells songs should make good use of is a garbage can. 

[jibberish]

heh.     stay with me here, it was about the ukulele.   otherwise I basically agree.

edit:  I am having a blast swiping songs from youtube or wherever, then putting them in reaper, playing them at half speed(with NO pitch correction) and then doing a live take to get the half speed track recorded.   drums sound building sized haha. voices, handclaps suck.   but instant downtuned feeling.

I lost it on mambo number 5. too fucking funny.  well I guess it is mambo number 2.5 now BWAHAHA

[liquidsmoke]

That thing probably sounds and plays terrible.

You bought it, right?!?

I did not. It's very easy to play but I didn't plug it in.

[mortlock]

at least you got to touch it.

[Jor el]

   That's What She Said

[liquidsmoke]

I touched it good and it liked it.

[jibberish]

as long as you didn't bust a   the nut, no harm no foul

[jibberish]

mortay, I sense that in the future, you and I will play in an avante-jazz-noise band called "The Sun Ra Always Rises"

edit: reserve that name for your label.   watching those guys do their controlled spazzing really gets me fired up to jump in too.

too bad my older cousin lives in salt lake city. he is a true Hammond prodigy. damn is he good, except he stopped playing.
hard core jazz aficionado and player. pure old school Hammond.  what a waste. like my buddy's wife. a frickin concert level harpist.
she used to do afternoon shows in the big atriums downtown n shit. then she dropped it like it was hot.  zero further interest ever since..

...just too bad...

[mortlock]

jib, it would be awesome to make that happen.

there was a band in my town that pretty much was what you are talking about. they were called the blood and bone orchestra. I was friends with the guys in the band. they were so awesome. on a few occasions I got the call to sit in on bass when their bassist couldn't make it.

one of the gigs was in buffalo and I got the call the afternoon of the show, so I jumped at the chance. the sax player drove me out there. on the ride out we were talking, and I knew most of what they did was largely improvised, but I didn't know if they worked off a general theme or anything. so I asked him what we were going to do so I had a game plan in my head. he looked at me and said 'we got one rule in this band, we don't talk about we are going to play.' that was it.

we got to buffalo and unloaded our gear then we went outside and the rest of the band plus one of the other bands were circled up passing a joint around so we jumped in. I got high as fuck, then the sax player [who was like in his early 70s at the time which was massively inspirational to begin with, this was 2007] grabs me, pulls a joint out of his pocket and says, 'you want to smoke this?' so we did. I was super uber baked, we go in, i strapped on my bass. I play electric [their bassist played an upright]. we got set, the squawking started and we were off and soaring like motherfuckers. it was one of the best gigs of my life. 

unfortunately they are not around anymore, they were so fucking good. 

[Danny G]

^^^Bad ass.

First Ocean of Stars rehearsal since our last gig in December. Felt good to knock the rust off, and sounded pretty damn good considering.

Room recordings don't sound as bad ass as I remember them being tho.

Note to self: check the intonation on my guitars. Not sure if it was me or the horn player that was a little off in places but I'll just start with assuming it's me haha

We have one gig for SXSW and we want to kick ass! Will also be cool that we're playing right before Eric Tessmer Band, whom I exited in 2013 to put Ocean of Stars together (I've still filled in on bass for them dozens of times since).

Family reunion!


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[jibberish]

awesome tale from the road.   that is one killer rule. it demands absolute freedom.


my Mexican blackface tele shrunk and went out of tune. 4yr curse. one of the tailpiece pieces cant go back any further towards the neck but I got it back tuned to the octave ok.
if it shrinks any more I will have to do some kind of redrill and fill horseshit which I really don't want to do.

about that USB interface. i know this isn't bambi's 1st time in the woods. i always try to tell about the state of some piece of gear if i see a trend or w/e, but all that info is to use or not as one sees fit.


why doesn't anyone audition egnator tweaker 15's when checking out tiny terrors/dark terrors?  that thing can sound like a ton of different amps. i think they are about $400 new.

[Danny G]

Bleu Edmondson's new-ish bassist came into the picture using a Tiny Terror bass amp pushing his 6x10.

Sounded tits!

He has since gotten an Ashdown something or other which sounds good, but lacks some of the character of the TT


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[agent of change]

Bandmates are now cancelling practice more often than not. Tonight one has a headache and has to open the restaurant early in the morning, and the other wanted to watch the debate tonight. Seriously. I love these dudes so much, but am starting to look for other people to play with. GRRR...

[Pissy]

yeah, unfortunately that sounds like playing isn't very important to them.  It happens.

[VOLVO)))]

I kinda do that. The guitar player in my band is super duper into it, but the drummer and I both have day jobs, hate bars and just wanna have fun. Dude wants to go on tour, and play big clubs and shit. I wanna play houses, in town, and chill...

We do get to open for Eyehategod though, so...

[khoomeizhi]

that sucks, agent. wish i could help, but...time. already ain't got enough.

[agent of change]

Just add me to your band, combs! I'll play second drums, second bass, third vocals, or even first triangle.