Dasein

Lol -- Nice Luc! My worst experience with this was after a festival performance when I was 14, where my parents had already left and taken my gear home, and I was approached by the festival organizers to play lead for a band that for whatever reason had the audio/video recorder "fail" during their performance and they wanted at least to have a video to send home with them per the festival contract. The band's lead player had already gone home so they were stuck. I said sure but that I'd need a guitar -- the songs were (and I still remember vividly) "What's Love Got to Do With It" by Tina Turner and "That's All" by Genesis... The festival organizer said - no problem and brought me her personal guitar - I think it was a Japanese neck through body Aria... I get on stage and start tuning up.... I realize right away I'm in trouble. Tuners are slipping - it just won't stay in tune - I quickly rewrap the strings and get some stability - but the action is bad -- like a mixed bag - high and low - some strings bottoming out - others floating high..... but the worst part -- intonation -- like there was none. I couldn't even play a pentatonic box without sounding horrible... NO rehearsal - count in and go.... lights camera action.... It was a horrific disaster --- and it's all on video somewhere ( I never saw it but you know some family would queue it up every Holiday)

I almost always refuse to play anyone else's guitar when it is handed to me... too many memories of middle school and high school parties where some kid would find an old guitar in a closet and seek me out and thrust it in my hands to play in front of 100's of kids --- guitars that looked like they were bought in Saigon or Bangkok during the Vietnam war.... I just couldn't do it. Funny - was at a buddy's 49th the other day with some high school friends I have not seen for 30 years ---- they remembered those times different --- "Remember when we'd hand you a guitar and you'd just start playing Eruption or some crazy Malmsteen shit...?" My answer was "uh? -- sure!".... So who knows. Maybe 30 years from now when you are an old man some guy will come up to you and say - "Dude -- remember that time you knocked it out of the park when they called you up on stage...?"

Cool Darren -- I spent a few months in Vietnam in 1995 and traveled from Saigon all the way to Hanoi with my Yamaha acoustic (that I still own today). I attracted lots of attention traveling with a guitar - they were really excited to see a westerner but more excited to see and play my guitar. Great country, and great people -- but hot man -- holy cow - Saigon was a cooker -- Hue and Hanoi were much cooler but Saigon was brutal. Any photos you can share with us?

Quality! ---- Absolutely.

The Silverchair singer dude lost his mind though... like seriously lost his mind.

Two more from another Canadian band of the same era -- Our Lady Peace -- same idea - STP meets Pumpkins meets AIC w/ a little PJ...

I Mother Earth were a pretty amazing Canadian band with their original singer Edwin before he decided to go solo and be a big ol' douche. Think early Alice in Chains or STP meets Smashing Pumpkins. Here are two songs I used to sing and play back in the day.

That's the first time I realized those guitars were based on a flying V with an extra nub and a pointy bit attached... I kind of get it now.... always wondered what the appeal was but I see where it comes from now.

Thanks Bill. Appreciate the feedback. I’ll be working on the drums a lot and try to get that 70,s mix sound — the Oheads tip is a good one - I’ll try that for sure.

I started working on the final version now that this is finished. The purpose of doing two complete versions is that the Draft version is burdened by me learning the parts and figuring out how I'm going to record the song so there are lots of production based decisions and cumbersome process stuff that gets in the way of the performances and slows everything down. I'm in the process of making my final notes on this one so I can start capturing the final performances but I thought you guys might like to hear what the Draft version ended up sounding like. It's still a little rough and loose - the final version will be much tighter I hope. You've heard some of this it bits and bites before from me. I've got a list of "needs improvement" for the final version here: http://www.thestairwayproject.com/ten-years-gone-the-scratch-tracks/ If anything jumps out at you as needing attention - particularly with respect to accuracy and arrangement please feel free to let me know. Many thanks.

Dude - Hang in there. Any chance of making music in the new town? Places to play or people to play with?

That was cool -- Black Coffee -- gotta like that! I'm gonna keep my eyes and ears on them. I've been listening to Bat's Brew - also very 70's inspired -- think Queen meets ABB, with a modern rock flair... I did an album review for them here http://www.dogsoverlava.com/bats-brew-trouble-album-review/ This is what I said about the above song:

Cool Ben -- How well does the Smiths band do "How Soon is Now"? I'm super impressed always at these tribute projects you get involved in. What's the next one after radio-head? How do the stylings of each new tribute work their way into you playing? Do you find it changes a lot as you go on?

Vernon "liked" one of my tweets today!

It was pretty clean but something just seemed so wrong about it.... right at the front door as I walked in --- I've learned to not fall for Sirens.... or toss my money at the first stripper who smiles at me.