Gig report! 4/9/2022 Stereo Embers at the Sunset

Welp, that's a wrap. Just after 4 years of joining my band, we called it a day last night at the Sunset.

There are some dynamics involved as to why the band is no more, but to me, it had run its course and the pandemic and lockdown certainly didn't help. But this is about the gig, not why we stopped.

We had this gig planned for March of '20, and then it got put on pause, and then the Sunset remodeled and then pushed us back from December until last night. I showed up at load in time (5:30) as we were backlining our gear and wanted a sound check as well. We were headlining and had a solo act (Caleb Thompson) and band (Kathy Moore Super Power Trio) playing before us.

Setup was pretty breezy. I brought my usual rig and my black P and L1K. I learned the night before that I'd be sharing my rig with a local bassist named Julie Slick. The regular bassist in KMSPT was out sick and Julie was called upon to play. I looked her up and, guys, she's what I call a "professional musician." She has gigs and plays with artists we've all heard of. I searched her here and she's been mentioned a few times on this site. I also checked her on YouTube and was floored by how she played. Pickstyle on a Lakland DD (I think) and just shredding that thing to bits. Super technical and fast and wow, just great.

After setup, it was to a burger joint down the street (Great State Burgers). Very good and greasy. I added the caramelized onions for .50, no pictures, though.

Back to the club and a nice turnout was happening as it was our last show. And maybe first show since the lockdown for many clubgoers. We had some old friends fly in from as far as Tennessee and Arizona to see us play, that was pretty cool. The opener was an old soul; it looked like he rode in on a horse-drawn carriage. Sadly, no pix of him, but if you saw The Power of the Dog, imagine someone from that era. Voice as clear as a bell, effortless fingerstyle on acoustic guitar. Really excellent.

Following Caleb came KMSPT. We have played with them several times and they never fail to excite. As mentioned earlier, their usual excellent bassist had to sit out and, well Julie just killed it. Seriously, look her up.

As my drummer, Cass, and I watched them, their drummer, Faith, kept looking over and shrugging and mouthing, "I'm sorry," about something. After all, she was playing Cass' kit. Once they were done, I helped her off the stage as her hands were full and she mentioned that she had hit her finger on a drum and cut it, which caused her to splatter blood all over the snare and floor tom. It was pretty epic, not gonna lie. No pictures of that, sadly.

I had a friend come out who records some shows, and has recorded some of ours as well. What bass is to us, videography appears to be to him. He brought something like 8 GoPros, stands, clamps, etc. He had a little rig to clip on the end of my P bass. Due to that, I ended up opening the show with the P and swapping to my L1K a few songs in. The camera really messed up the balance of the P, but it was manageable. I just had to make sure not to whack anyone or anything with it.

People were super excited to see/hear us. The new stage at the Sunset is bigger and sounds fantastic. We played SUPER LOUD and it was almost too much (even with earplugs), but we soldiered on. Literally the 3rd note I played was wrong and overall, it was a pretty sloppy night, despite practicing twice this week. I really amp up the physicality of playing when I'm on stage and that can cause some problems at times. Also, my hair gets in my face and makes it hard to see, but overall, I think the performance was pretty solid.

We played 16 songs, which is the most we've ever done. Even that amount makes me realize what a marathon it would be for bands doing sets that last a couple hours. Gotta pace yourself!

The videos I've seen from the crowd made me feel good about the bass sounds I got from my stuff. Signed a few posters after the show (always weird to me), talked to a lot of friends old and new, and made a few bucks too.

Onto the pictures!

Outside the Sunset.

Fresh new green room at the Sunset.


My stuff and setup.

Merch stand.

KMSPT

Julie Slick and her matching white Lakland.

April excitement!

 Things to be excited about in April in no particular order:

• 50th birthday (OK, this one is pretty cool)
• Better Call Saul season 6A
• been waiting over 2 years for this
• currently in 3rd rewatch of show, in middle of season 4 now
• so stoked for the show, sad it's ending
• Barry season 2(?)
• I can't remember if it's only one season in
• Need a refresher on that show too
• Ozark season 4B
• this one is more fresh in my mind since 4A was earlier this year
• City on Fire by Don Winslow
• Everything Don writes is incredible and I'm super stoked for this book in late April
• Travel to Colorado
• Will be fun to visit CO with Riley to check out CMU even though chances are slim he will go there
• Never been to CO before, should be cool
• Work travel to San Francisco
• Never been to SF, so as mentioned for CO, should be cool
• Watch Windup Shop Show on my last day there, close to hotel, excited to check that out
• Hoping that seeing an event in motion makes the work stuff click more. Currently struggling a bit with purpose and direction of what I'm doing
• Continued Sunset Grooves practices
• Enjoying the practices and learnings of cover tunes
• Not really loving the commute to Ballard, but for a free practice space, I'll take it
• SE final show
• As mentioned in previous post, with C19 ramping up a little, a few people are bailing on the gig, which sucks, but understandable.
• Ramping up PITO
• Hoping to get some tracks to work on, maybe sneak in a first rehearsal or two
• Oh yeah, Haley's birthday!
• Won't get to celebrate in person, but I will be in CA when it's her birthday, so at least we'll be in the same state

Updates and thoughts

Lot of music the past week or so. Took the Tbird to SE practice last week and really liked how it sounded. Neck dive for sure, but I could deal with it as when I'm playing, my hands are on the neck, duh! But overall, the tone was clear and would ring. The huge headstock was a little awkward, though, especially with something next to my amp. Once I moved it, though, we were good to go.

Then it was off to SG practice last Sunday night. The instrument parts are coming along nicely. Ilya, the new guitarist, is a metal (?) guy at heart but he is just a great player overall and is learning the parts like a pro. Would love to get some vocal harmony tips, but I'm working on watching YT videos and trying to hear the parts in all these classic songs.

Monday was SE again, since we have a gig this Saturday. Played through all the oldies and they are what they are. Crowd pleasers, but wish we would have evolved or brought new tunes. I get it, though. Despite that, the songs sounded really good. But now that I think about it, I actually brought the Tbird on Monday. I don't think we actually got together on last Thursday... but, I digress.

Marci is off at Ted & Judy's this week, her second visit this year. The in-laws are having a tough go these days, not feeling great and not willing to seek support locally. So that means Marci and Alison have been taking turns visiting them. It's good to get the help, but it can be a strain on our resources, etc. But I understand their reluctance to seek help from people they don't know.

Haley has been running in some track events finally and is doing really well, to me. She'd prefer better times and finishes, but I think she has really evolved mentally. It makes me so happy to hear her accepting where she's at, and wanting to get better, and knowing it's a process, instead of beating herself up and self-sabotaging. She is maturing and I'm here for all of it.

Last night was SE practice again and, again, like a comfy pair of shoes. Always like playing the songs and hearing the same old observations and stories over and over again. :D Comes with the territory, I guess.

Really looking forward to the next show, but with C19 rearing its ugly head again, hoping the show goes off without a hitch or people deciding not to show up. Infections seem to be increasing as people are pretty much maskless these days (myself included; went out for a work thing the other night and had a mask but didn't wear it).

Tonight should be a blast though. Will be bringing the L1k and the Tbird to spice things up. Steve R came over yesterday and we had a cool hang and gear geek out. He redid my pedal board so from R-L it goes Compressor, Tuner, OD and DI, swapping the places of the OD and DI. In doing so, having the overdriven signal first allows the DI to then EQ that sound, allowing the signal to be fuller. Duh. Unsure why I didn't think of that but it really does work.

Oh yeah, I also turn 50 next week. And travel to Colorado. It's gonna be busy and exciting and maybe I'll do a mid-life recap sometime.

NBD: 1999 Epiphone Thunderbird IV

I posted this at TalkBass about a bass I bought yesterday.

24 hours ago I bought a Epiphone Thunderbird IV from a TB member in Seattle. I had never played a TB before and was super intrigued by a bassist I saw playing one. Not only did she look incredibly cool playing her white TB, the sounds she got were incredible as well, both recorded and live. I started researching the TB basses, and the player (Butterfly Boucher) and her band (Elle Macho).
All that research last week eventually led me to where all Thunderbird posts end up: the Thunderbird Club.

At first, I felt like the new kid at school. I jumped in and posted a few things and got a few responses, before my posts were then buried under posts about venison or caribou meat, views of a beach, and other jokes. But, I didn’t feel unwelcome. In fact, many of the TB Club vets were gracious and friendly enough to make me want to ask more questions.

I’m sure all my questions had been answered somewhere in the 8 year old thread, but I didn’t do any deep dives. Sure, some quick searches, but for specifics, I just fired away.

Before long, both @TBird1958 and @Gaolee reached out and offered me to try their basses, as we all live in the Seattle area. A few PMs later, Gaolee had offered up an Epiphone Thunderbird IV he wasn’t playing for a super fair price. We set up a date to meet yesterday.

I got to Gaolee’s house and played his TB through his amp. It was an epic vintage amp and I won’t disrespect it by naming it incorrectly, but the amp sound incredible. The bass wasn’t half bad either. He said it hadn’t been played for awhile, but it played just fine to me. The size of the bass wasn’t lost on me. With the huge headstock and long tail, I felt like I was playing a giant bass, but after a few minutes, it started to feel better. I played some more and then did the deal.

From there, I headed to my bandmate’s house a few miles away and plugged into my rig. Using my own rig, it was noticeable how clear and bell-like the TB sounded when I plucked the strings. The sustain on the notes was long and wonderful, too. Neck-dive was not bad as there is a strap button on the neck heel, and that’s where I attached the strap that came with the bass.

I then brought the bass home and gave it a good wipe down, removed the strings and lubed the fretboard. I removed the roundwound strings that were on it and put on some old flats I had laying around. Today, I adjusted the truss rod and sort of just messed around with it, with the help of the homeys in the TB Club as well.

Some things I learned in the last 24 hrs:

· The saddles in the 3 point bridge are not fastened to the bridge. When I took the strings off to wipe down the guitar, I then flipped it over and then, “plink, plink, plink, plink,” all 4 saddles fell off. I looked at a picture I took earlier of the whole bass and tried to put the pieces back where they went. I thought I did it right, but the strings sat funny. Off to TB I went to learn…

· That the saddles are printed with numbers 1-4, indicating their placement in the bridge (1=E, 2=A, 3=D, 4=G). I had the E and A backwards and once I swapped them, the strings followed the radius of the board.

· I learned the board is a 12” radius.

· I learned that the bridge does not have individual height adjustments for the saddles. However, you can adjust the overall height of the bridge by turning the 2 screws at the base of the bridge (I have not done that yet so I may be wrong on that statement).

· The length of the TB neck from the end of the nut to the end of the fretboard is actually SHORTER than the same measurement on my L-1000 G&L.

· There is a gap between the fretboard and the body of the bass. This is normal.

I spent about 30 minutes playing the TB through a Carvin R600 Cyclops I have in the basement. I turned the gain and tube blend knobs up, the volume down a little, and went to town. I really liked what I heard. I did some recording in ProTools via my SansAmp BDDI and it sounded pretty good in there as well.

The strap pin on the bottom of the bass was working its way out so I snapped off a couple toothpicks and screwed the pin back in. Nice and tight now.

I likely won’t play it in a band setting until Sunday or so, and may not even play it then. My band’s last show is on 4/9 and I don’t want to be distracted with how a new bass sounds/feels/looks on stage. Will go with my #1 that got me here, the gold L1K, and then unveil the TB in the future projects coming up.

In the meantime, thanks to the TBC regulars that pitched in to all my n00b questions and being so inclusive and welcoming. Not once did anyone ask if I’d searched for my answer, they were all happy to help. I’m sure I will have more questions and, if what I’m understanding about TBs is true, this may not be my last one. After all, I really wanted one in alpine white…

Taken just after I bought it, on the ground behind my car.

We all know what these look like, so here are some close ups.

 
Not sure why the neck heel strap pin was put there instead of where the bolts are, but it works for me. Also happy to see it's a 99, that it's got some years under its belt. And for a 99 it is in excellent shape. Really great.

 

About the only issues I see with the bass are the little cracks/chips between the fretboard and neck, right where they meet the nut on either side. Looks like it's cosmetic more than anything else.

And, lastly, when turning the truss rod earlier today, it moved quite easily. It didn't have the "stuck" feeling like other TRs I've turned have. It almost moved too easily? Anyway, thanks for reading and indulging my NBD recap.

There's a girl I know

There's a girl I know
And she's full of heart
And she's got a stupid boyfriend

She's a shooting star
And she's really smart
But she's got a stupid boyfriend

I don't know what she sees in him
Maybe 'cause he's fit and trim
But she's not so shallow, she's not like that
She's so dang sweet, you can bet on that

There's a girl I know
She inspires me
And she's got a crazy boyfriend

She's so beautiful
Yeah, she's breathtaking
But she's got a crazy boyfriend

It's not like she can make a move
She's got her guy; what's there to do?
Despite herself, she loves him so
That's all it is, this much I know

There's a girl I know
And she's really happy
That she's got herself a boyfriend

He's the perfect guy
To be by her side
He's her one and only boyfriend

ELLE MACHO

so obsessed i made a desktop background from a video capture

I do not know why this incredible band is not ruling the world, or at least still putting out incredible songs.

A week ago I put a post in TalkBass looking for ideas around pedals and fattening up sounds. A guy pretty much said to google it and in a link he posted, it linked to gear page which had this post in a forum, which had this video linked:

I've pretty much been obsessed ever since. I loved how this song started and then when the other singer kicked in at the :40 mark. And then the harmonies at 1:06? Wow. Just a two part harmony, but so good. And then the Tbird bass tone at 1:23? My goodness. I fell in love.

I did some research on the band and found out the bassist/singer is none other than Butterfly Boucher, someone I actually saw with Haley in 2019. We bought tickets to see Sara Bareilles in Seattle, and Butterfly was on guitar and vocals. At the time, after seeing her sing with Sara, I started following her on IG, but back then, even playing with Sara, she didn't post a lot, so I forgot about her.

But when I started researching Elle Macho, I fell in love. Her voice is so pure and clear, her bass playing is inspiring, and the musicianship is just overall incredible. With regard to the band and songs, everything just works. It ticks all my boxes. Let's make a list:

• Power trio
• Killer harmonies
• Killer melodies
• All instruments are showing up well
• T-bird bass tone is incredible
• They all look cool (esp. Butterfly)
• Songs have the added undefinable juice that I love
• Basslines are thoughtful and complex, but simple at the same time

I'm sure there's more, but you get the gist.

I almost forgot to mention the most incredible part. This band put out stuff like that video above in 2009. They only have one full length and one EP and they were put out in 2013 (Import) and 2016 (VoVo). They do have something more recent, a video they filmed, from 2020, but there's no indication of any more music. There are a few live club videos with a few dozen views scattered on YT, but other than that, it's been radio silence. David (guitar) does have a solo career that I have yet to check out, and Lindsay (drums) apparently is in marketing by day, and isn't doing much more on drums. Butterfly did put out some solo records, but it's not super clear what she does these days; she's not active at all on social media, it seems. Other than Sara B.'s tour, she hasn't been forthright with what she's doing.

But, regardless of the lack of material (or info), I am super excited about this band. It has inspired me. I am searching now for a Epiphone (Gibson too expensive) Thunderbird and have done a bunch of research. There's a guy on TB that has offered me his TB IV (entry model, bolt on neck), but I'm waiting to hear back from him for a potential meet and try.

I am also hoping to sing a bunch more in future projects. Not just harmony here and there and not necessarily lead, but harmony/lead, if that makes sense. I love what Butterfly and David (guitar) do vocally, and would love to do something like that. Now, if I could only get better at hearing/singing harmonies without having to be told what they are!

Here's an Elle Macho playlist, in case you need more (and you will):

PLAYLIST

And take a listen to Butterfly's stuff, it's more pop, but it's really good too.

PLAYLIST

It's 2022, what's new?

 Apparently I started to write an entry on 7/7/20 and never finished it. Actually, I never started it; I just opened this page and it was blank.

Last entry was as the pandemic started around a little thing called the coronavirus. If you are bored, read it here. So what has happened the last 2 years. Here we go, in no particular order:

• fucking DJT was rightfully and lawfully voted out and we have a sane and fairly competent president
• we updated and/or remodeled the following with our house:
• exterior paint
• deck replaced
• all floors in house replaced
• painted most interior walls
• landscape cleaned up in front yard
• roof replaced
• renovated both bathrooms, somewhat
• had our shower enclosure replaced under warranty
• just last winter, had ductless heating/cooling systems installed downstairs, in the living room and master bedroom
• experienced the hottest few days of summer ever last year, upwards of 115°F in our back yard!
• stayed gainfully employed throughout pandemic
• Riley got a job at Target in 10/2020 and has continued working there the entire time
• Haley graduated in the debacle of 2020 and is in CA going to college
• Bella was put down on 3/11 due to old age and kidney issues :(
• I left MS and started working at Amazon in 2/22
• Both kids got coronavirus early 2022
• Marci and I have stayed virus free
• Took a hiatus from FB and pretty much only post about my musical endeavors anymore
• Started recording myself playing bass to songs and putting them on youtube
• Me, Robb and Cass made a record in 2020 (or was it 2021?) remotely in a new band called Planets in the Ocean
• Stereo Embers didn't do jack diddly during the pandemic and have played a few shows since last summer. Our last show is next month
• Continued running throughout everything. Trying to run every other day, usually run at least 3.5 miles unless pressed for time

Can't remember if there's anything else really momentous or not.

These days, it's working from home, working with Kody to get him walking and out and about, trying to figure out Riley's college situation, trying to figure out my work and upcoming travel and contract plans, and just generally being great at whatever I do.

Gig report: 3/12/2022, Stereo Embers at Slim's Last Chance

Last night, Stereo Embers returned to form with our first show and second to last show in 2022. We were asked to play a 50th birthday bash for a friend and local scenester. The theme was Elvis vs Elvis (Costello vs Presley), but we just did our set, as requested.

One of our favorite places to play, Slim's Last Chance in the SODO area of Seattle.


I was loaning my rig for the backline, a Trace Elliot GP 12, powering an Avatar 2x10 and Ashdown 1x15. Believe me, it's buried back there somewhere.


I showed up a little early to get set up and get some dinner, which was sort of a disaster. I ordered a chili dog at 7:45 and waited, chatted with friends and others. Then I saw a couple who showed up 20 minutes after me get their food. I told the bartender and she apologized profusely and said it would be ready shortly. About 10 minutes later, someone at my table also got her food, so I said something again. The bartender apologized profusely again and said my ticket was the only one that was messed up all night. Not much of a consolation, but I didn't care too much, wasn't there to make a stink, just wanted to eat before I played.

Finally, after some more time, my chili dog came out. I sat down to eat and realized... there was no chili on the chili dog. I checked the menu to verify that indeed, it should have chili, and yes, it should've had chili.

One more apology and I had my chili dog, finally. Sadly, no photos of said dog.

At this time, though, I just had to power through the meal as we were gonna hit the stage soon. But, enough about my food adventures. Let's just say there was no intestinal drama or food related mishaps.

Onto the show!

Tonight was the first time playing my MIM P at a gig and it performed wonderfully. Super thick and full via my rig.

We started the night with a ballad. Singer and guitarist start it, it's a little blues based number. Drummer and I come in at the second verse and we close it out with a nice build. From there we started some rockers. As this is our second to last show, we were determined to make it a slobberknocker.



Not only that, since it was our first gig in nearly 6 months, it was great just to be back on a stage (no matter how small or cramped it might have been). March 12th was also the day our state's mask mandate was rescinded so masks were optional inside. Though I did some grocery shopping earlier in the day (what a rock star!) and wore a mask, at the club last night, I didn't wear one off stage at all. There was plenty of yelling into peoples' ears and faces and also the same right back at me. It was a little weird, but the weirdness quickly wore off and it felt like old times again. So awesome!!

As it was our 2nd to last show, turnout was great and there was a lot of love in the air. Couple that with the fact that I had to put my 14 year old dog to rest the day before and it was just a cathartic evening.

The next acts to follow were a bunch of Seattle scenesters getting on stage to play Elvis or Elvis tunes for a local legend's aforementioned 50th. A wonderful time was had by all. Take a look.



And one last one of my girl Bella, RIP.

Bella 2009-2022

I posted this on Facebook on March 11th and realized I didn't have it here, so here it is.

How it started/How it's going

For some dumb reason, in 2009, to kill time on weekends, we started going to the Humane Society. It was free and fun and of course, after a few weekends of this, we found Bella. We put a hold on her and then went back then next day.

Back then, we were not in the position, financially or otherwise, to bring home a dog. Not only that, we had no clue how to be dog parents, other than asking my brother about it.

We also had Haley and Riley, who were 7 and 4, respectively, and also had no clue how to own a dog. But we learned as we went and discovered that with Bella, we really lucked out.

From day 1, she was house trained and gentle with the kids. She was rambunctious and really loved playing Chuck-it in the backyard with us. I would take the ball and do long toss, from one side of the yard to the other. She would go and go and go until she was practically hyperventilating, and then go frog legs on the lawn to recover.

She could be pretty annoying, especially when people came to the door and rang the doorbell. But I guess that's the case with most dogs. We learned to read her barks, from fun, to excitement, to someone's here.

If we left a bedroom door open, we would often find that room's garbage strewn about the floor. Her favorite pastime was to eat and/or destroy used tissues. We'd find that stuff everywhere.

Over the years, we got into a nice routine. As long as our doors were shut, we could leave the house for work and school and trust her to behave herself. She never had any accidents and if she got stuff off the kitchen counter, it was because we forgot to put it away.

She developed a bad leg due to jumping for balls in the back yard. She would go three-legged for a bit, but before long, she healed up and would still be able to do everything, but longer stints of play would result in limping afterwards.

About 4 years ago, as I started to exercise and run, I started taking her on runs with me. She was a great little partner, going for 2-3 miles with me for a time. It was a great way to get her out as she was never a great walker on leash. But running got her out, then we'd go to the local dog park, and then come home. However, with the bad leg and limping, I had to stop bringing her on runs. Also, as she got older, she just couldn't keep up anymore.

In 2019, Bella started slowing down and, like dummies, we started going to the Humane Society again. And again, we came back with another dog. We knew Bella's time was limited and we wanted to give her some companionship, as well as have a dog to continue in our family when B's time came.

Though Bella and Kody exist together, I wouldn't call them soulmates or best buds or anything. They do get along, but there's no snuggling or playing, despite Kody's efforts. Bella was in her senior years while Kody was ready to hit the nightclubs.

Last Sunday, Marci and I came home from the store. The usual routine is Kody inside the garage door to the house and Bella barking from the top of the stairs. We brought in the groceries and B had her nose in everything, sniffing and snooping. Business as usual.

Come Tuesday morning, I did the routine with the dogs and things seemed normal, except Bella wasn't eating. And then Tuesday night I took her out to do her business and then she came inside and promptly threw up. I also saw her standing in the living room and almost fall backwards as her back legs seemed weak.

Early Wednesday morning, she threw up and then proceeded to vomit every couple hours. She still wasn't eating and was not interested in drinking either. She was mobile, but it was quite clear she was weak. We made a vet appointment for that afternoon to see what was up. I was thinking that she may not make it back if I took her in.

The vet thought B had pneumonia, and other issues would be determined by the blood work the next morning. So Wednesday night, I brought her back home and we tried to make her as comfy as possible. Luckily she's pretty low-maintenance and we just had her lay on her pillow and she slept through the night.

Bathroom breaks are now me carrying her outside and down the steps, holding a hand on her so she doesn't trip or fall over, and then some cleanup as her system is not functioning optimally.

Thursday it became pretty clear what we had to do. Her weakness has increased, she will not eat, despite me giving her some appetite stimulants from the vet, and she is very lethargic and slow. After talking to Marci, Haley and Riley, we knew what had to be done.

I made arrangements for this afternoon for a vet to come to our house to ease Bella's suffering. Haley is on a plane as I type to come home to see her baby one last time. Bella's old friend Nancy stopped by to say goodbye this morning. We always said Nancy was Bella's best friend; it was proved as Bella actually wagged her tail and barked when Nancy walked in! We were so happy to see that!

If you came over now, you'd think Bella was just sleeping. But looking over at her now, I can tell that she's tired, but more than just that, she's ready to move on.

Bella has taught me a lot over the past 13 years, not all of it good. I need more patience, especially with her bro Kody. But she also taught me that no matter how mad I might have gotten with her, her love for me was unconditional. All she ever wanted was a belly rub or an ear scratch. And she was always hungry for treats.

We're going to be finding her orange hairs all over this house for years to come. We're not going to hear her back paw's nail dragging on the floor when she's walking around. We won't smell her awful breath due to dental negligence (PSA: don't let your dogs chew sticks for years on end). We won't feel the bed shake when she plops down right next to the frame. And we won't hear her announcing our arrival when we come home anymore. And as much as I hated that sound on the daily, I think that might be what I miss the most when she's gone.

Dogs are weird. I see all of you out there with your relationships with them and part of me is envious. Don't get me wrong; I love my dogs. But I think I love them differently than others might love their dogs. Am I the guy that kisses dogs on the mouth? No. Brings them everywhere I go? No. Sleeps and snuggles with them? Not if I can help it.

But do I love my dogs? Absolutely. And am I gonna miss Bella? 10000% I am. It's been a long week working from home and seeing B in the state she's in. I've been sending picture updates to Marci and the kids regularly to keep them posted. Now, we have all accepted what will be happening today at 5:30, when Bella goes to sleep one last time.

Thank you, Bella, for being a rock solid dog, companion and goofball for almost 13 years. We will keep you in our hearts forever. Rest easy.

Gig report! 10/22/2021 Stereo Embers at Darrell's

We were offered this show sort of last minute, another band had to bail. Luckily, the middle band's bassist was a former bandmate of a few of my mates and offered us the opening slot on this show at the family friendly time of 8:00pm up in north Seattle.


Darrell's Tavern was the venue up in Shoreline, a suburb north of Seattle and a stone's throw away from Robert Lang Studios, where a lot of bands you all know have recorded. Darrell's is known for its dive bar vibe and, now that I've finally played there, I can confirm that rep.

If you think the outside is dated, wait until you see the inside. Like a timewarp into the 70s, only minus the smoke (indoor smoking in Seattle has long been a no-no). Walk inside and you are greeted by a pool table, a bar, some tables and a tiny stage in the corner. No TVs, one arcade game and pretty much just a place to hang out and drink drinks.




The night before, I asked my drummer to contact the other band's bassist to see about borrowing his rig. I was lazy and didn't want to load my 3 piece out in the rain from my BL's basement. Luckily, the other bassist obliged and I was fortunate enough to play through this:


with this:


No soundcheck that night, which I found odd, but whatever. We also deviated on our setlist, calling audibles for the first 3 songs. We ended up debuting two "new" old songs. These were tunes that the BL recorded on his own, but we repurposed to spice up our set.

One of the tunes, To The Field, was written a few years ago as a tribute to the BL's dog, who had passed. We did it that night, having learned it the night before, as his other dog was also not well and was scheduled to cross the rainbow bridge the following day.

As a result, in the moment, I found some parts of our show to be a little rough, possibly due to scattered minds and hearts. On a technical level, I couldn't hear my vocal monitor very well and didn't think of saying anything until 75% through our set, so I ended up saying nothing. I'm also trying to pick tunes to play with a, er, pick and am starting to realize I need to practice more. Or practice with more verve. At rehearsals, I can manage fine, but on stage, everything is juiced up and while trying to pick and perform, I find I'm missing strings and generally being less precise.

Overall, our energy was good and the crowd (all masked when not drinking) was appreciative. If you are so inclined, here's a bunch of our set recorded by a fan. If her phone's audio is indicative of how it sounded, we might have been SUPER LOUD.

Next band up was an old Seattle favorite, the Radio Nationals. I don't know much about them other than they sounded really cool and were super tight. Richard, the bassist, I knew from way back, when he was in a band called the Young Sportsmen. He's out and about these days in many other projects, including a Fleetwood Mac tribute that played last night at the Tractor.


The final band was called the Shivering Denizens and I think they were a rockabilly outfit. Regrettably I didn't get a picture of them, which was a bummer, because the bassist rocked an upright. I saw him lug it in, it was huge!

Overall, a fun night. Dry out, so we could talk outside sans masks and still hear the bands well. Unfortunately, that also led to all 4 of us leaving separately assuming the others had gotten paid... which none of us did. Time to reach out to Darrell's to see about getting made whole.

Gig report! 9/17/2021, Stereo Embers at Slim's

Back at it again, another show at Slim's. Couple things to get out of the way.

1. I did not have the chili verde, despite having plans to totally do so. I had a light dinner prior to show and planned on eating after our opening slot and then proceeded to forget to. However, a friend had it and there's my report on the chili.
2. Though planned originally as an outdoor show, due to the most Seattle-like weather we've had since early June (rain and wind), they moved it inside. Masks and vax proof were required and it worked out fine.
3. I didn't take pictures, except for these:

As far as the show is concerned, it was my band, Stereo Embers, followed by the belles of the ball, the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio (releasing their great new EP) and Chimestone.

When playing outdoors (preferred) at Slim's, you play on a flatbed truck and there's a decent amount of room to move. Indoors, not so much. Stage right is blocked by a wall and stage left is blocked by what I think is a beer mascot statue (Hamm's?). I set up in the corner stage right and my singer/guitar had his new Supro amp right next to me. Hanging on the wall at head height to my right is a Mackie PA speaker acting as my stage monitor. Overall, the setup is not ideal; I kept finding myself nearly banging my head into that monitor or losing my balance into my singer's backup guitar on a nearby stand. Nevertheless, I persisted.

We've been doing this thing lately, starting with a slower tune that opens with guitar and vocals, before drums and I come in for the second half of the song. After that, we blow the place up with a big rocker and then continue from there. There are a few vids on FB of the songs, but they are private, so I can't share them, but to my eyes they had a lot of energy and power.

Kathy Moore Super Power Trio followed and they were excellent. They are relatively new but are gaining notoriety quickly. I shared my rig (TE GP-12 > 2x10 > 1x15) with their bassist Alyssa and her Fender PJ (seafoam green!) and it and she sounded great. Really nice tones and effects that she used. Her playing was super tasteful and technical and she had a great feel on when to just lay low and when to light it up. Just love seeing bassists who make it look effortless, when we all know it's anything but. Kathy on guitar and Faith on drums rounded out the trio and their set was well received by the good sized crowd.

Closing the show was a band called Chimestone, which I'd never seen or played with, but was familiar with as all the members are alums of my high school. We are all 30 years or more removed from good ol' NHS, so not only were they there, but other friends from back then. Though those guys were all a few years ahead of me, one of the band members is dating my band's singer's wife's sister (you follow?). And I've also kept in touch with that guy over the years as he owns a local recording studio that we've all recorded in at one time or another.

Their music was pretty 90s rock tinged, with some Brit pop thrown in for good measure. They've been friends since HS and have kept the band going through all the years, even enduring the death of one of the band members (as well as a brother of 2 of the band).

Really cool connecting with one guy who I hadn't seen in over 30 years. He was 2 years ahead of me and we played in a band in HS. We did some Police covers and rehearsed in his parents' house. Then he dropped a recording bomb on me, some songs we recorded that I LITERALLY HAVE NO MEMORY OF. It's pretty crazy, absolutely no recollection. I had a great laugh listening to a cover of Bang a Gong (Power Station version, complete with a rough slap bass line), Jet Airliner and two originals, including a song called "Private School Girls" about the private school by my friend's house.

He also shared 2 pictures of us playing at a local Boys & Girls Club talent show, which I also have no recollection of. But there we were and he had pix to prove it. Check out the little Steinberger copy (Hohner). No longer have that little guy.

Was a fun night, really happy to have played and reconnected with people. Happy also to see the vax/mask requirement and compliance by everyone in the crowd. See, we can get along!!

Gig report! 8/7/2021 Stereo Embers at Slim's for STAGFEST

There's a wonderful glam/pop/rock/dad band in Seattle called STAG. They have their Summer Stag Party on a yearly basis and we were added to the bill for this year, along with relative newcomers (as a band, but not individuals), the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio, as well as Mark Pickerel and the Peyote 3 (local scene legends in a super group).

Slim's is a biker themed bar in south Seattle, 3-4 miles from the stadiums. The bar/seating area does have a stage, but the cool thing is in the summer, they host shows outside in their "backyard," where the outdoor stage is an old flatbed truck.

Usually they backline equipment and this time, I was glad they did as my Trace Elliot amp took a dump last show. For this gig, I had an Orange Bass Terror and an Ampeg 410 at my disposal and needless to say, they functioned loudly and I left quite satisfied.


The first band up was the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio (please excuse the sound guy and obscured bassist). Aside from an excellent band name, the three women that make up the SPT are stellar musicians as well. Kathy is quite the shredder and threw down on many of the songs in their set (including one in 7/4!). The matching outfits were the cherry on top!

We followed with a powerful set of our own. As I was sharing equipment, I left the amp where it was (high hat side) when usually I'm on the ride side. It doesn't affect me much, but my guitarist is not a fan of being on the opposite side of the stage.



As we started our set, it wasn't dark out yet, so I could see fine. Trouble was, just in front of me on the floor was a LED light that was blasting on and off and was in DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT to my fretboard. It really became an exercise in muscle memory and hand/arm placement by feel for many songs. Add in the fact that I wear my long hair down at shows (not in practice; i should change that!) and I had a definite recipe for not being able to see much of my fretboard.

On a couple of our songs, we hit certain points and I get a little hoppy. The suspension on the aforementioned flatbed truck definitely took the hits of me jumping up and down and transmitted directly to my drummer, who said he had to bolster the snare by squeezing it between his knees! Oops!

We finished our set and reassembled in the crowd to many handshakes and backslaps and selfies. 99% of us were mask-free and going with the flow. I must admit it is a little weird, but I'm getting over it, being so close to everyone and yelling in their ears to be heard.


STAG followed us and, as always, they blew the joint up. They have very finely crafted pop/rock songs and, for Stag Fest, bust out a couple of horn players to supplement. So cool and so well done. So well, in fact, they blew the power for a second and had to source different power about 3 songs in. After that was done, the show continued with more lights, fog and high leg kicks.



Rounding out the night was Mark Pickerel and the Peyote 3. Very excellent alt-country story rock with a very vintage, thumpy bass offered up by Drew Church. They were a nice little post-rock dessert with their pompadour and professional delivery.

Great to be back amongst the hopefully vaccinated masses. Luckily where we live and perform, that is most people and so far, no one is making a big deal of it at the venues yet.

I did get a wildly effusive compliment (possibly enabled by several adult beverages consumed by the complimenter) saying that my playing reminded him of Ronnie Lane, Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney. I can't say I'm influenced directly by any of those men (didn't know who Ronnie Lane was; never got into Cream; only know the big Beatles hits as a casual fan), but was quite humbled by the compliment.

For 18 months away from the stage, I missed it a lot. Having 2 shows in back to back weekends is a great way to get back in the game. We're doing it again in Sept, with back to backs once more. Maybe next time I'll remember to take more pictures (and of food) instead of borrowing off of friend's facebook feeds.

Gig report! 7/31/2021 Stereo Embers at Sleight of Hand Winery

It's been 20 months, but we're back out there!

Last year P.C., we were booked to play at a local wine room and of course, that got sidelined. The owner of the wine room is a huge PJ fan and got acquainted with us as our guitar player is a close friend of one of the PJ guitarists. Long story short, the gig was still on the table all this time later and we played yesterday.

The show was sold out and SRO as it is not a traditional music venue, but a tasting room. As a result, when I showed up for load in, there was a solitary sound guy setting up the PA. But what the room lacked in amenities (sound baffling, carpet, free drinks, lighting, multiple monitor speakers), it made up for in heart and kindness and support.

It was a 2 band bill and 120 tickets were sold. For many of the people, it was their second night out in as many nights as there was another shindig the night before just up the street. Many of our fans are huge fans of music and they go wherever there is music playing. That said, it was wonderful to see them all.

Performance-wise, I think we did well. Admittedly, I was sort of in my own space as I was processing so many things:

• The physicality of playing. We have had 6 rehearsals or so the past few weeks and at sound check, I felt great. Muscle memory is back and the tunes were sounding on point. However, there's nothing in rehearsal that simulates playing for 100 people in a tight space. Movement, guitar moves, dodging/weaving with other bandmates all become a thing and must be handled. Luckily, no falls, clunks or otherwise.
• The emotion of playing. During said sound check, I was watching my guitarist and I started getting a little choked up. Realizing it had been 20 months since a large part of my identity and life had been put on pause sort of caught up with me. I thought I might lose it when we played for more people, but I didn't.
• The logistics of playing. Since the pandemic, I have acquired a new bass (Reverend Thundergun), new DI (Aguilar Tone Hammer DI) and new compressor (MXR M87). Also, I started to learn how to play with a pick and brought some to the show. All 4 components made their debuts last night. I will have to learn how to use the compressor as it does make things sound more "present" but I felt like the sustain was too long and boosted during our quieter moments.
• The return of playing. Just being on the floor (there was no stage, just the drummer's carpet) and multi-tasking on the live element was enough to make me not actively listen to my mates. I knew what we were all doing as a whole, but I can't remember any points in the songs that jumped out at me as WOW moments because I was so focused on myself/not focused on them. And then, to top it all off, my old TE GP-12 decided to start buzzing/shrieking intermittently during the second half of the set. At first, I thought it might have been power related, so I tried a different outlet. No dice. Then, maybe my phone causing interference (I had placed it in my gig bag on the floor behind my amp), so I moved that. No dice.

What I had to do was turn the amp off between songs and then during songs, give it a solid whack at times, which would cause it to stop. For the most part, because we are a LOUD ROCK BAND, the sound was mostly camouflaged, but still annoying.

Anyway, there was food (lousy pizza) and drink (a wine room, after all, but water for me (don't drink)), and most importantly, friends, family and lovers of music.

It's good to be back... and we get to do it all again next weekend!


my POV before people started coming in.


my office and supplies for the night.

Coronavirus and me

I am currently at the start of week 3 of self-quarantine/isolation. When the CV hit work, they dismissed all non-essential personnel from the facility. That meant me, sort of.

The people I support are pretty essential, being the talking heads and speakers for our customers. However, since all our customers have canceled or gone virtual, I haven't been needed as much. That doesn't mean I don't have anything to do, however. There is always computers to be tested and updated, devices to be checked, demos to be troubleshooted.

At the same time, we are under directive, both at a work level, and just in general: if you don't need to be at work, don't be at work.

My situation is unique, as it is so dependent on customers and speaker interactions. I'm doing what I can do to be involved when at home, as well as communicating via email and Teams with my team.

I am grateful that my direct manager is very accommodating and understanding of my situation. I bring value to the team overall and we are good. Also, MS is being awesome and paying all vendors despite any shutdowns that may happen. I do not take that for granted, knowing several people who are going through situations of job and/or income loss.

So it seems we are good to go on that front.

***

The kids are now "home schooling," which means online learning with them. Luckily our school district is one that has computers for all students, as well as deep Microsoft integration, so they are able to attempt to continue learning at home. Last week was more along the lines of, "let's see if we can do this." Today has been, "Ok, let's do this."

They started with one class each and they seem to have gone pretty well. The technology worked out fine, but the teachers and kids are gonna have to learn how video calls go. Currently, the school admin has Teams locked down pretty tightly. Only teacher's cameras work; the kids' cameras are all blocked. But it sounds like they're going to change that as the teachers cannot see if the kids are on the call at all.

Marci's school has been at the forefront of MS technology and learning. They are a Microsoft Showcase school, and like our school district, all their students have Microsoft Surfaces and Office products.

Marci has been WFH since last week and she has been doing so much. She's on a daily call with her other teachers and leaders. Then she leads her class of 4-5 year olds through an hour or so of teaching/learning. Then then she's "on call" for the kids to chat with in case they have questions. I know they keep her busy at the school, but she's been just as busy here at home. It's really incredible what they ask of her and her students. But throughout it all, she's been executing at a very high level and delivering what her kids need.

***

Just as we were prepping for our 3/20 show, this stupid CV stuff started coming down the pipe. We were hoping that it would pass, but obviously, that was not the case. The last show the Embers played was in November of last year. Early Nov, I think. Now it's late March, so we're well over 4 months since we last played a show.

As it stood, we didn't have shows in the interim anyway, but it was gonna be a nice return to the stage, with another show booked in late-April, which is likely gonna be canceled as well.

We did release a few songs recently, though, both Tom the Longboarder and Junkyard Diva. They were pretty well received, but who knows how many downloads there's been. I don't have visibility in to any of that stuff.

So, to offset the no playing and no band, I've been playing bass, teaching Riley how to play a little, and working on getting better with a pick. For the last four days, I've also been streaming a song live while I play along. It's fun to do and hear what people have to say, but it's been pretty low key for now. There are so many more talented people out there, but this is my little thing. I feel like I'm doing it more for me than them.

Here's a link to the first one I did. Mainly it was me just playing a song, seeing how it looked and sounded. The other videos I did were done via Facebook Live. I may try Instagram Live today, see what the difference is.

VIDEO LINK

***

It's been over a year since I last posted. That might be a record.

New Bass Day: CLF Research (G&L) L-1000 Pharaoh Gold FIREMIST

Winter is coming. Scratch that. Winter has arrived!

On Monday I ordered a bass from the Bass Place in AZ. I've been Reverbing for a few months and saving up some $$ and when the $$ got to be enough to make a sizeable dent in the price of a bass, I placed the order.

On its way to me Monday afternoon was a CLF Research/G&L L-1000 in Pharaoh Gold. Nice deal and expected to arrive on Thursday. Until we got 8" of snow on Monday.

In a city like Seattle and its surrounding areas (where I live), we have lots of hills. And, though we get a lot of rain, we don't always get snow. And when we do, it's usually fairly manageable, and melts a few days later.

This week, it was the Perfect Storm. As we mocked the rest of the country suffering through the Polar Vortex the past few weeks, we were having a mild winter. Then, Mother Nature jumped up and reminded us who's boss.

Anyway, the snow that came was, to us, EPIC and of MASSIVE PROPORTIONS. With our aforementioned hills and usual not a ton of snow snowfalls, our cities' infrastructures aren't really set up for BIG SNOW. So of course, everyone freaks out. Two days off of school for the kids, then back to business on Wednesday.

So, come Thursday, I go try to pick up my bass and due to the SEVERE WEATHER, they couldn't release it to me as the volume of packages exceeded what they could manage in a day. I headed back to work.

Then today, I got the text. Package ready for pickup. No problem. The UPS Customer Center opened at 10, I'd be there around 11 to pick it up. Only, we were expecting another snowstorm, this on expected to dump another 8" or so on top of the 8" we just got through. I started getting nervous. I didn't want to not be able to pick up my bass today. But the day seemed mild and I went, stood in line, picked up my box.

I took the case from the box (so pretty, that case), and put it in my office at work. I was nervous about checking the finish (when the finish cracks due to rapid change in temperature) so I didn't open it for a couple hours.

It was worth the wait.

The Pharaoh Gold color is beautiful. Paired with the rosewood board and I am in love. The gold sparkles. The control plate under the knobs is beautiful and shiny. Big round knobs and a red tipped toggle switch really make the bass unique.

But I didn't play it at work. The strings were all loosened for shipping purposes. Plus I had to go because of the snow storm, so I packed it back up and drove 11 miles in 90 minutes with the rest of Seattle. Thankfully, no accident, no smushed bass in the back of my car.

At home I inspected the bass, marveled at all its bits and pieces. I took out the strap buttons and put on some old Dunlops I had in my parts bucket. Then I tuned it up and noodled around a bit. My bass rig is at the practice space and with all the power we're using to stay warm, firing up the big ol' Carvin wasn't a great idea, so into the 30 year old Peavey it went. Not a true test, but still great to hear it.

I played through headphones too and I am excited to try it full band next week.

Things I've noticed so far:

• The width at the nut is 1 5/8" and the neck profile seems thinner than what I'm used to. So a wider neck with a thinner profile. It feels like a platform for my fingers and I sort of like it. My SB-2 and Decade are both 1.5" (jazz width) at the nut and it's what I'm used to so playing the wider neck will be interesting.
• The neck appears to be straight and true with the eye test. The action is a little low so I may raise the saddles a little to mitigate that.
• The toggle switch is reminiscent of the switch I had on my old Sterling. I think I'll have it in OMG (bass boost) mode most of the time, but it will take some tweaking on the Trace to see what works best.
• I haven't weighed it but the seller said it's a 9 pounder. The hand test feels like it's lighter than the SB-2 but not as light as the Decade.
• I'll have to break in the strings. They're a little zingy now. Bonus score: The Bass Place sent a set of Fender strings in the case too!
• Though all the US basses (except the JBs) have them, I love the look of the 6 bolt neck. No one will see it as it's on the back of the bass, but I love how it looks.
• Speaking of looks, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the chrome control plate. Some of the L1Ks out there have no control plate and look naked to me.

That's it for now. Really loving the fit and finish of this bass. Will try to dial it in on the Carvin tomorrow and see how it blows. Here are a few more pics. Enjoy! And please pardon the mess.