PITO at Slim's video

 

Gig report: 9/24/22 Sunset Grooves at Bite of Broadview

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I-90 west was closed all weekend for repairs. And of course, as with all my gigs, I needed I-90 west to get to Seattle to play. My show was at 8pm and I wanted to arrive around 6-6:30, just in case. To complicate things, only 520 was open westbound, which would have been busy as the Huskies were playing at 7:30pm. So add the football traffic to the massive influx of cars using 520 due to the I90 closure and you can see why I was checking my traffic apps all day.

Come travel time, what should normally take about 30 minutes was estimated at close to an hour. I loaded up my gear and hit the road, Mariners baseball on the radio to take the edge off. About 65 minutes later, I was there.

Gig was with the Sunset Grooves, playing a local private school fundraiser called the Bite of Broadview. It was a neighborhood-type party, with vendors, food trucks, inflatable climbers and play areas for kids, a beer garden for adults, and a nice large stage for us performers. Weather was nice, about 70°F to start, with a little breeze to keep things crisp. Walking around was a little cool, but nothing a light jacket couldn't handle. I was hungry, so I hit up a food truck before my bandmates told me we had coupons for some free food.

Paid for a couple slices. Not bad, pretty average.

Free dog. Also pretty average.

The stage was pretty big and really well-lit and covered. When I got there, a band called the Undertones was up playing some nice covers. Bassist had a G&L L-2000 on stage, but I didn't get a chance to talk to him about it. Sound was good and I could only hope that we sounded as good once we got up there.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

For this gig, I brought my gear as we were not needing our own PA since it was provided. I ran my amp on the floor again as this stage was also not perfectly level and I didn't want to deal with a dancing amp. We didn't get a soundcheck so it was get setup, make sure everything worked, and then start playing.

The gear.

The pedals.

The setlist.

Soundwise at the start, it was a little weird. Because we didn't get a soundcheck, I couldn't hear my vocals through the monitors. I couldn't hear Dusty very well, but could hear Jen and keys just fine as we were all pretty close to each other. Aaron on guitar was way on the other side of the stage, but I could hear him just enough to get the cues I needed.

I had my amp for stage sound and had FOH sound plugged into the THDI. I thought the amp sounded great but I need to get accustomed to dialing in for yacht rock instead of indie rock (loud is fine). For Brandy, I felt like I was too loud, so I played super gently on that one.

For the most part, all the songs felt good. Maneater was OK, but we just haven't played it enough to get 100% comfortable. The ending call and response vocals are tricky for timing while playing and singing, as well as knowing when/where to sing. And then we did Jive Talking, which I forgot to learn last week, so I worked on it during the week. Playing it on stage was the first time I did it with the band and it went just fine.

Right after that was my nemesis, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, as it's one of our longest songs, and having to do octaves on it for the duration of it really wipes out my left hand. I made it through, but with this song at the end of the set and basically playing for two hours up until that point, I was done.

We had a responsive crowd, with a pretty full beer garden to our left, and a bunch of energetic kids dancing up front for much of the night. It did feel a little weird to have kids dancing to Hot Child in the City or Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, but to them, it's just music and a beat.

Overall, another good night. Definitely room for improvement, but not a bad performance. Lots of fun, decent money, and an appreciative crowd. After the night before and last night, I am pretty bushed, so taking a week or so off will be good. Currently, no gigs lined up for at least a month or so. Looking forward to resting, but will want to get back to it soon.

Gig report: 9/23/2022 Planets in the Ocean at Slim's

Looks like all I ever write anymore are gig reports. Such is life!

Back at it last night with Planets in the Ocean, our second gig as this trio. Old pal David asked us to play a little while back, with his band, The Pop Cycle, and then grizzled Seattle veteran supergroup, Mopsey. Weather was nice so there was a great possibility to play outdoors on Slim's flatbed truck stage. I offered my rig as backline and off we went.

However, complicating matters this weekend was the I-90 westbound bridge closure (separating where I live to where I needed to be is a lake with two bridges. The one closest to me was closed heading west, the direction I needed to go), as well as a whole bunch of great shows happening simultaneously. Add in the fact that this club, Slim's, great as it can be, is sort of isolated in south Seattle (no other clubs around, no restaurants, etc), and we could have had a challenging night for a good draw.

Anyway, it didn't take me too long to get around the lake to the club, so that was good. As I mentioned, since it was a nice night, we did end up outside, which meant better sound, larger stage and natural breeze. I got my stuff set up and left it there. We went first, so that made it easy.

Parking lot at Slim's

Bathroom door

My setup at Slim's

I got a chance to hang with some bros before playing (seriously, aside from some wait staff, it was all dudes at first). Some bros were from the Pop Cycle, David's band with my old homey Brett (both of whom I've played with in two other bands), as well as Jim and Paul. The boys from Mopsey were there as well. The bands they've been in are too numerous to name, but some of the more noteworthy are Young Sportsmen, Dear John Letters, Radio Nationals, Twink the Wonder Kid and the Riffbrokers. Pretty awesome.

Come showtime, it was still a light crowd, but amazingly, there were people that literally came to see us from parts unknown, and then left when we were done. I always am blown away by people who do that. Take the time to drive down, pay $8-10, listen to music, say hi, and then bounce. I'd rather stay the whole night, or not go at all. But whatever the case may be, it is appreciated.

Anyway, we had a 10 song set and overall, it went quite well. It is a little weird these days as a veteran band that is starting over to play to small crowds. Embers drew well and had regulars and with PITO, as of now, we do have old friends seeing us, but not a lot just yet. What's cool to see, though, is the comfort with which Robb, Cass and I have with playing with each other. Other people are seeing that as well, indicating that the trio format really lends itself to us all stretching our legs a bit. That's been cool to hear.

Sound-wise, I've been really leaning on my pedals for a change. Also, using the mids pre-shape and EQ on my Trace. I used my Tone Hammer with AGS engaged for some grit and occasionally used the Spark Booster in front of it for even more hair. With the Octaver clicked on at strategic times, I was pretty happy with the sounds I got. The T-Bird sounded very aggressive and up front and, not gonna lie, I LIKED IT.

The little switcher next to the THDI is to engage/disengage buttons on the Trace

We powered through the set with decent crowd response. I'm still trying to figure out the physical nature of playing in this band. I play only with a pick in this project and found that the muscles in my arm are used differently than with fingerstyle. Usually I'll stretch my hands and fingers out before a show and I didn't for this for whatever reason. It took me a few songs to get comfortable, so I will have to try some warmups in the future. And with the big bass, as well as these indie rock songs, movement on stage is also different. The energy is different so the presentation is also different. Let's not forget the stage we were on has springs (it is a truck bed, after all) so there was some bouncing if we got too active.

Speaking of that, I noticed during some songs that my amp would be sliding across the top of the cab. It's a pretty heavy amp and I think in most cases, it should be fine. But since the truck stage was not 100% level, I had to keep sliding it back. I'm gigging out again tonight with the Grooves, so we'll see how that goes.

We ended our set and got off the stage and were followed by the Pop Cycle. They had a real nice mix of power pop and sort of Motown pop with one country pop song thrown in there. Brett and David handled most of the singing duties and also showed off some new tunes. Jim and Paul held up the rhythmic stuff and, though I wish Jim would've played his bass with a little more conviction (he has a light touch), what I did hear from his beautiful P (with pickup cover) sounded good. A solid set by them.

The Pop Cycle

After TPC came the wonderful Mopsey. As mentioned above, these 4 dudes are Seattle scenesters from back in the day. When I was cutting my teeth with Lund Bros., we played with all these guys and their bands. All of their projects were great and Mopsey is no exception.

Wesley fronts the band and busted out his non-reverse Gibson Firebird last night. He sort of looks like Jon Stewart and did such a great job singing and just being cool. He is also the sweetest dude and I was really happy to chat with him for a bit. Eric, aka Oly, aka The Swede, was on guitar and he just looks cool up there. Tall bald dude with a goatee, with a big bodied guitar, throwing down leads and solos and I've always enjoyed seeing him play. Richard plays lefty (always looks weird to me) and has a beautiful white P with black PG. Plays with a pick too and was just so good at providing the bottom to this band. His bass sounded fantastic via my rig. He had a preamp made by Pike Engineering (can't remember, he said it was an ex-Darkglass guy that made it) and the thing sounded aces. We talked gear afterwards and that was pretty cool. Jason on drums had a spanking new Ludwig kit and was super excited to play it. Incredibly, after the show, everyone but Oly jumped in Jason's Subaru to get home. Gear and everything, quite impressive.

Screen cap of Mopsey

After the show, I stayed out way too late chatting with my bud David. But around 2am, when we heard a woman screaming, saw a couple of dogs running around, heard her screaming some more, realized she was OK and simply trying to get her dogs back, we decided it was finally time to call it a night. Good times by all.

Next up: Sunset Grooves, tonight, with the same bridge drama. Pray for me.

Gig report: 9/16/2022 The Sunset Grooves at Duke's Seafood (private event)

Last night was my third gig with my yacht rock band, the Sunset Grooves. We hired/recruited our third guitarist in these three gigs, and as they say, third time is the charm. The other two guys were good enough, but the new guy, Patrick, looks the part, plays the part, can sing the parts, and added bonus, is a quality dude (full disclosure, he's a contact/friend of mine that I recruited, had never played with him before).

We were hired a few months ago to play at a local seafood restaurant, Duke's Seafood, where they were hosting a fundraiser for the Fran Nordstrom (yes, that Nordstrom) Guild, looking to raise money for Seattle Children's Hospital, with a focus on their mental health support.

At the time, guitarist #1 was ready to go, but due to some scheduling conflicts, we've decided to move on from him. Guitarist #2 was great at our last show, but he had a conflict for this gig, so enter Patrick. He's had 2 rehearsals and his own time to learn about 33 songs. We had a 5 hour rehearsal last Sunday and crossed our fingers for last night.

Load in was 3pm, soundcheck was 4pm. I brought my new Avatar 212 and all my bits and bobs. I've been spending time at TalkBass reading about gear and sort of revamped how I've been using my Tone Hammer DI. I played with the AGS circuit engaged for the whole gig, light on gain, low mids boosted. That DI signal went to the mixer and the 1/4" went to my amp for some stage audio. Overall, really dug the sound I got via my IEMs.

New guy, Patrick, loading into our performance area

I also mixed my vocals super hot in my in-ears, with Jen's leads up, and just a touch of Dusty's vocals. I found that that worked better for me, where rather than trying to sing to Dusty and harmonize with him, I was instead just trying to sing my note to myself. I'll have to do that next week, see if that continues making it easier.

I set my stuff up, helped set up some lights and speakers, and then we got to chill in the green room for a bit, which was nice. Since the restaurant is on the water and we were playing outdoors, Seattle's seasons are changing and it was a little cool, about 65°F, with a brisk breeze off the water. We warmed up, got dressed, then hit the "stage" right around 7pm.

All my goodies

The green room and some of Patrick's guitars

After a quick intro, we started into our first set, about an hour's worth of music. It warmed up a bit as there were people under the canopy with us now and the breeze had pretty much stopped. I didn't do much warming up or hand stretches, but luckily I felt fine. I think it helped having my bass really up in my IEMs as well. I usually play with a super heavy hand but since I could hear everything, I didn't dig in as hard as usual.

Set 1

Looking back over the set, I feel pretty good about how we did, especially since Patrick was joining us for his first time (but he is a seasoned player for sure). For some reason, we did skip Steal Away at the top, but played everything else as posted. I backed off of singing backgrounds on Baby Come Back; those are simply too high for me and sound really strained. However, Patrick filled in and did great. Rich Girl, usually a challenge, went really well. We did skip Misunderstanding, and end the first set with Escape, due to time constraints. The party goers had to get down to their serious push for donations. Their goal for the night was $125k, and we felt with all the well-heeled participants, that it would not be a problem.

Breaktime consisted of us all trying to find food and drink. It was buffet style, with waitstaff also walking around with finger foods. Drinks were hard to find as there were 2 small bar tables, staffed only by one bartender each. Open bar meant long lines, so I stuck to water (don't drink, anyway).

During the auction portion of the fundraiser, evidently they smashed their goal of $125k, raising $160k! Pretty incredible and a great cause, happy to be part of it!

We headed back out for the second set and had to pad it a few songs as we needed about 70-75 minutes or so. We did Stuck in the Middle and Sister Golden Hair, which were both new to us. Dusty, our drummer, jumped up front to sing leads and play acoustic guitar. Eric rotated from keys to drums, and we did a nice job with those. Dusty got back behind drums and we revisited the first 3 songs of set 1, added in Misunderstanding, and were off to the races again.

Set 2

Love Will Keep Us Together is one of my favorite tunes to play in the set. I bust out the pick and sing a little backups on it. It is tricky, with wacky chord changes and parts. I have hardly ever played it perfect, but last night was pretty close, so feeling good about that.

Maggie May is a tricky new one for us. I don't play it note for note as the recording because I think it would be impossible to memorize. Lots of notes, lots of chords and turnarounds, but ultimately, a lot of fun.

We did one more new song to us, Maneater, and just had a great time with the others. The crowd was pretty chill for set 1 as they were all waiting in line to get drinks. Set 2 had the crowd much more interested in us and dancing. We were all on the same floor, which led to some "too close for comfort" moments with dancers in our space, but overall, they appreciated us and we appreciated them.

Lots of folks wearing stripes last night, including yours truly

Eric on keys playing drums

I am finding that as much as I love being part of a band that does originals, I am having just as much fun in this cover band. I think it's the amount of work we have to put in, from the music itself, to the setting up and waiting around at the show. I'm enjoying learning about IEMs and my gear. Heck, I even slapped on Peg and Somebody's Baby last night, trying to stay authentic to the original songs. Getting some nice dough helps too, and it's nice to be able to get some new pedals and stuff and have it paid for by the music I'm playing.

Looking forward to our next show, next Saturday at the Bite of Broadview. After that, nothing booked as of yet. Stay tuned.

Gig report: 9/6/2022 Kathy Moore and the Super Subs at the Tractor

Ah, the rare Tuesday night gig. It's been a minute since I've played an early week gig, but we went in hoping for the best. This show marked my 4th time playing with Kathy and it's been a nice little run. Though I've written about her in the past, I haven't really said anything about her.

Kathy is quite the local legend, playing in seemingly every band in town and also knowing all the musicians as well. She gigs several nights a week and teaches guitar during the day. She's a multi-instrumentalist and is always creating. I was super stoked when I got the call a few months ago. My phone rang, we chatted, and then I was like, "of all the bassists, she picked me?"

There are some hot shots in town that would certainly pick up the phone for Kathy and play, and maybe they were busy or maybe they cost too much, or, maybe she wanted to throw me a bone. Whatever the case may be, it really is a privilege to play with and for her and I am excited anytime she reaches out.

I was planning on showing up around 5:30pm for load-in, but traffic was kind of busy so I showed up around 5:50 instead. I heard Raoul (drums) and Kathy soundchecking so I hustled my stuff in, set up, and was able to get a quick soundcheck as well. I hate showing up late!

With my newly acquired Avatar 212 on stage, I was really stunned at the thick and growly sound I got. Normally, via my 212/115 setup, it's good sounding, but the 212 was a different animal. I did try to dial the volume back as we weren't expecting a ton of people, but I really liked how it sounded.

After the soundcheck, Kathy and I headed out to check out the vintage clothing shop next door. Though I couldn't tell if it was really vintage or not. Tons of "vintage" (reprinted) band t-shirts (VH, Billy Idol, Ozzy, PF, the Doors, Motley Crue, etc) but for eyewatering prices (>$50). Very stylish, too expensive, IMO.


Kathy is so dang stylish!

Walked up the block and I had a greasy burger at Great State. No picture, but it tasted dang good. Got to know Kathy a bit more as we've never really gotten a chance to chat outside of a band setting.

Back at the club, the first band, the Paula Boggs Band (only a trio this time), started 30 minutes early. It was Paula on vocals and ukelele/acoustic guitar, Darren on acoustic guitar, and Alex on upright bass. That bass sounded spectacular and Alex was a genius playing it. So beautiful.


Paula Boggs Band

PBB had a fun set, punctuated with her wry lyrics and easy going style. The gents on guitar and bass were no slouches either and I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Next up was Michelle Malone, a singer-songwriter from Atlanta. Evidently she makes her way around the country playing gigs and doing in-home private shows. Her sideman was Doug Kees and they were both excellent. Michelle was a little hoarse, having just spent a few days in the desert, which apparently really messed with her throat. Nevertheless, she put on a beautiful, emotional and funny show. She played some slide and harmonica and she was a true professional, a road warrior. Really loved how she performed.


Doug and Michelle

We were up last and there were maybe 10 or so people when we took the stage. As per usual, me, Kathy and Raoul had one rehearsal the day before so we could dust off the cobwebs. No real curveballs for this gig, other than a quick little 3 chord "gospel march" to start a little quieter. We did that, then did our rock thing.

Before my rehearsal the day before, I had found someone selling an Avatar 212 cab for the stupid low price of $100. I raced over there before practice, tested it and bought it. I dinked around with it at home in my basement and it sounded like a cab in my basement. But when I got it on stage at the club for soundcheck and then performance, well, wow. Lots of bottom, more growl than I'm accustomed to, and just thickness and a sound that is new to me. Really excited about this cabinet and can't wait to try it with my other gigs.



We played about 7-8 songs, kept it shorter since there weren't a bunch of people at the show. I shot a video but my phone was full and only got about 4 songs.

Next up: Sunset Grooves for Nordstrom's fund raiser on 9/16. 33 yacht rock songs or bust!

New Cab Day: Avatar B212

Originally posted at TalkBass.

Over the past few weeks, I've been sort of jonesing for something new in the amplification field. I thought my trusty TE had an issue, when really, it was an issue with the user (me). Then I thought I wanted to get a 112 to pair with my Avatar 210, mainly for aesthetic reasons as my garage sale, mix n match, 3 components, 3 brands stack is functional, but I am tired of how it looks.

Add in the fact that I have some discretionary income from playing shows and, well, you see, the GAS is pretty fierce.

It all came to a head yesterday when lo and behold, in a local Facebook music gear swap page, a fine gentleman listed an Avatar 212 priced so aggressively, I thought that 1) it was a typo and/or 2) it was broken and 3) it was already spoken for.

Well, despite a few comments, no one committed to it, but I told him I would be willing to check it out today, Labor Day (US). He agreed and this afternoon, I headed over to check it out.

He was unaware if it was a 4 or 8 ohm cabinet. I currently run 2 8 ohm cabs and when I got there, the 212 was a 4 ohm cabinet. No worries, as my TE wants to run at 4 ohm minimum, which should give it the 200 watts that the head is rated at.

I plugged in my L1K, no pedals, and with graphic EQ on by default and it sounded great. I didn't have my 210 with me to compare, but it sounded fuller, thicker, deeper and more well rounded. The 210 is very midsy to my ears.

I also lucked out and got to play his shell pink Fullerton (US) G&L Fallout. He had flats on it and it sounded really awesome through the TE > 212. Just the right amount of thud and thump. Quite cool and a happy coincidence that he was also a G&L guy (he also has a Fullerton LB-100 at home).

Added bonus is the cabinet came on casters and is quite light, despite its size. I have put it through its paces at home (no band) and it is quite loud and should fit in just fine. My plan is to use the 212 as my gig rig and to leave the 210/115 combo stack at my band's rehearsal space.

Quick question about the casters: they are not removable. Does it matter? Meaning with coupling/not coupling issues? Will there be issues? I suppose I could always lay it on its side...

I will be playing it tomorrow at a rare Tuesday night show, supporting my pal Kathy Moore in her rock trio. If you're in the Ballard area on 9/6, come on by the Tractor and hear it in action.

Here it is under my 210. Love that they match and are stackable, sad that I can't play them together without blowing up my amp.


And here it is with the head I'll use on it.

 

Planets in the Ocean videos

I Fought A Bear

Splinter

Videos courtesy of Chris Elko. Taken 7/23/22 at the Sunset Tavern.