Saturday, November 12, 2016

The Only Kind of Music (with Jake)

Jake Wesley Stewart came over for lunch, so I did what I always do. Dragged him behind a mic and made him sing a vocal. This was yesterday. Here he is.

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

High Water Road

https://soundcloud.com/steve-5/high-water-road-demo-with-live

My first demo recording with me playing the bass guitar!

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Christmas Cherry Red.

Each year, I have slowly added to my ability to create music from home. Last year, I picked up the guitar (acoustic) and have been learning it, while writing guitar songs. I've been making demos using it. This Christmas, I thought, now I want to play electric guitar.

But, as I listened back on my demo, though some aren't bad, there was always something missing.

A real, live bass.

I was playing a bass on the keyboard, a nice sample, as a matter of fact. But the rush of energy that you feel when you hear fingers gliding over the strings of a nice bass, it just can't be matched. So, though my heart wanted to be Keith Richard, I knew I had to first be Peter Tork.

So, I wandered into Sam Ash and told the guy in the bass department my plight, that I wanted a bass, but nothing fancy, nothing tricked out. And, lo and behold, rather than upselling me, he said, "Look, see that Yamaha there?"

"Yeah." (Most bass guitars want you to spend upward of $600 to $1000 or more.)

"$200 and it's solid, stays in tune, has both pick-ups. It will get the job done. Want to play it?"

I have never plugged in a guitar in a store before. Now everyone would hear me. "Yeah. How do I...?"

He brought me over to an amp -- they sell Hartke amps -- and that's when I found out that Larry Hartke, the inventor, was my salesman.

Not sure yet, I decided to go to Guitar Center where I met with a guy who, after I told him my economic plight, immediately tried to up-sell me with an impassioned speech about the need for a quality bass. I was sure he was right, but all I could think about was that solid little Yamaha.

I exited Guitar Center and went right back to Sam Ash, found Larry and said, "I want that bass."

He took me over to the display and asked what color I wanted, sunburst, black or cherry red.

Oh, please.

Cherry red!