More Chick Rockers

As time marches on in the rock genre’ every decade introduces new young female rockers that bring a special light to the music industry.

Wolf Alice, Camp Cope, Mitski, Sophie Allison, Lindsey Jordan… have you heard them? Well you should let their musical candy bestow upon your ears.

It’s great to see rock n’ roll is alive and well and will probably survive at least another generation (going on 70 years now)!

Some of these powerful chick singers are accompanied by band members consisting of both, all girls, boys, or a combination thereof.

Check out the article below, which will provide you with more insights about some of the ‘many’ lady rockers to hit the recent rock scene…

Jam On!
Ron

(credit given via, Lindsay Zoladz for, The Ringer .com)

As this article points out…

“When I say feminine album, immediately the perception is that it must be soft and lovely, but I mean feminine in the violent sense. Desiring, but not being able to define your desire, wanting power but being powerless and blaming it on yourself, or just hurting yourself as a way to let out the aggression in you. It’s a lot of pent-up anger or desire without a socially acceptable outlet.”

Small Bands Playing To Loud At Gigs!…

OK, I’m talking mostly about the guitarist… You know, the one that has their amp pointing directly at the audience which blows high freqs right at a group of folks in front of it, going right through the legs of the player.

This long standing point continues to be an issue to this very day, especially with smaller hall/bar set ups. A simple matter of slanting an amp back to an angle that suits the ears of the guitarist would benefit everyone.., especially the audience (you know, the guy or girl with their ears bleeding hearing that amp straight on!).

At larger gigs (if not using forward throw reflectors) I’ve noticed that a good FOH mix guy will actually have the guitarist use his/her amp as their own ‘monitor’ pointing directly at them on stage away from the audience, otherwise using the amp mic for the FOH mix. Total forward hz/gain control this way, without isolated pockets of death freqs!

Jam On!
– Ron

(via: JoeBennett.net)

“So the amp gets louder. The singer (who, from the audience’s PoV, is always the most important person) immediately has a problem, because the guitar sound is now drowning out the vocal on stage (the electric guitar sits in approximately the same frequency range as the human voice, and its harsh upper midrange can obscure the harmonics of vowels that support singers’ diction and pitching)…”

Bass Player Stranded in Tour Van…

Sometimes good ol’-fashioned parody deserves some place within the musician network. If you’ve been on tour before, you know that it’s important to keep your sanity by fooling around and playing fun pranks on each other.

Now, this article (below) claims more of a ‘tongue and cheek’ mention of a tour prank… akin to the Onion News.

In any case, many of us can totally relate to the lightheartedness of this matter.

Oh this poor bass player. (hehe)

Jam On!
– Ron

(via https://thehardtimes.net)

After 20 minutes of searching the venue for the van’s owners, Nunez and a few onlookers decided to take action. “We knew we had to act fast,” she said. “We tried to talk to him, but he seemed disoriented and would not stop looking at his phone…

Read and Enjoy it Here:
https://thehardtimes.net/2016/06/24/irresponsible-musicians-leave-bassist-hot-van/

Creativity and the Mad Genius…

Combining the left and right brain in songwriting, jamming and listening to music, promotes a deep and meaningful fascination. Where does creativity and mad genius start and stop? What do you feel and think when you are jamming… Are you a participant or are you the observer? This article gives more to ponder on this subject matter.
Jam On!
-Ron

(The Imprinted Brain by… Christopher Badcock Ph.D. via:psychologytoday.com)

Can You Be Both Mad and Creative?

How genes set the balance between autism and psychosis… A study of all major British and Irish poets born between 1705 and 1805 found a strikingly high rate of mood disorders, suicide, and institutionalization within this group of writers and their families. By comparison with the rate of manic-depressive illness in the general population, these British poets were 30 times more likely to suffer from manic-depression…
… read rest of article here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-imprinted-brain/201408/can-you-be-both-mad-and-creative

Music celebrities creating silly waves…

The events of popular musicians making outrageous publicity due to their ridiculous adventures, eg., Justin Beiber finding himself in more-than-once trouble… one has to wonder if these shenanigans are nothing more than a way to draw attention, albeit negative, to their cause of creating silly waves of publicity to sell more stuff… Is it really worth it?
This recent article from Chicago Tribune sums it up…
Jam On!
-Ron

(via: Chicago Sun Times – by: Mikael Wood)

“Sorry seems to be the hardest word,” Elton John once sang, but for celebrities that no longer appears to be the case.

Apologies from high-profile musicians and actors have been piling up recently, reflecting regret (or at least its image) for a wide variety of perceived offenses, from the seriously damaging to the laughably slight.

There was Justin Bieber seeking atonement after videos surfaced…
-> read the complete article here… <-

Forming Your Band…

So, I found this thread (below) that has a wonderful discussion… ‘How long does it take to form a band?’ What I enjoyed about it was the fact that some of the essential elements of forming a band are detailed. eg., the biggest factor is if the forming band-member has a gig or more in the bag… as this does indeed contribute to experienced players paying attention to answering ads and to practice time…
Jam On!
-Ron

(via:TalkBass.com/forum)

I am currently in the process of recruiting 6 musicians for a new funk cover band. In two weeks, I have filled 2 of the 6 positions using my current contacts. Not a bad start, I suppose…
… read more here:
https://www.talkbass.com/forum/f67/how-long-does-take-form-band-1067847/

The launch of SXSW and it’s flashback years…

SXSW

South by South West moves forward this year beginning this week. Lots of fanfare and lots of music and music related elements for sure. I found a great way to keep-up with all the doings @ SXSW this year, without dealing with travel, accommodations and the crowds… aka, Surviving SXSW

Jam On!
-Ron

(by: entrepreneur.com)
Entrepreneur is on the ground in Austin for SXSW 2014. Feel as if you’re there with us as we share the latest innovations and give you a sneak peek at the launches and ideas that will change how you connect to your world…

Keep up with all the doings @ SXSW here:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/sxsw

The Shure SM58 Continues to be Musicians Fav…

Shure SM58 microphone vocal mainstay…

If I asked you to name one of the most-used stage equipment items, I just bet that the Shure-58 microphone would probably come to the top of your mind. The legendary Shure SM58® vocal microphone continues to be designed for professional vocal use in live performance, sound reinforcement, and studio recording. It was tailored for singing or speech response and is (of course) a world standard.
Jam On!
-Ron

(by: Wikipedia)
Like all directional microphones, the SM58 is subject to proximity effect, a low frequency boost when used close to the source. The cardioid response reduces pickup from the side and rear, helping to avoid feedback onstage. It uses the balanced XLR three-pin connection. There are wired (with and without on/off switch) and wireless versions. The SM58 uses an internal shock mount to reduce handling noise…

More wiki data here -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shure_SM58

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead Strikes a Deal in NY…

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead finds a home in New York

There comes a time when a road musician warrior like Phil Lesh, after close-to 50 years touring with the Dead, looks toward other options in order to keep his passion of music alive and, to continue his jamming for the fans of the Grateful Dead era. The details about his latest venture to keep the Dead music Alive are covered in this NY Times article…
Jam On!
-Ron

(by Richard Perry/The New York Times)
Phil Lesh has logged countless miles on the road as the bassist of the Grateful Dead and, since the late 1990s, in various post-Dead ensembles. But at 73, he is looking for a change.

“I’m done with one-nighters,” he said before a Phil Lesh and Friends show on Friday at the Capitol Theater…”

Hundreds of Drummers Rock Tacoma Woodstick…

Drummers Rock

It’s got to be a gas to be in an arena with many hundreds of drums in all varieties and sounds… eg., full trap sets, snares, toms and big bass dudes!… Never knew about this event until this week… cool man, Drum On!

Ron-

“They’re loud!” the Duvall boy shouted over his fellow musicians with a smile that stretched between his orange ear plugs.

The 2013 Woodstick Big Beat, in its 11th year, has been held in Tacoma some years, farther north in others.

It set the world record for the most drummers playing at once, with 533 in 2005 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle (Qwest Field at the time). A British charity broke that record last year when 798 drummers gathered in Manchester, England…