News, March 2010 • March 10, 2010, 12:00 PM
What a difference a little over four months can make. Last month I had one-shot gigs coming out my ears, and while that did wonders for my pocket book (and ultimately my RRSP), it didn't always do wonders for my back. For these gigs, along with the 5:00 mass at St. George's, I've had to bring 23 pounds of gear, including my EPM-6 console, three XLR cables, a mike stand and my SM-58s, in a knapsack, and for some of these gigs the commuting involves a fifteen-minute walk and perhaps some waiting time if there isn't anyone yet there to open up the venue. Eventually the strain on my back got to the point where I had to buy a better gig bag in the form of a small suitcase on wheels.
Meanwhile, in the process of fiddling around on my bass over the course of several weeks, I found that I tend to want to play "solo" lines way up in the upper register more than play actual bass lines per se. On top of that, we have an old B&S Grange acoustic guitar that is probably older than I am, and while I've dabbled on guitar with it for maybe thirty-five years, it's gotten so much out of shape that it would probably cost more to get it fixed than to buy a new guitar. So I took the plunge in December and bought an Epiphone G-310 on eBay.
And the guitar isn't an ordinary G-310. It has graphics in an Emily the Strange motif. I became interested in the character out of indirect influence from Kira having worn an Emily shirt for her gig at the Schupfart Festival in the summer of 2005, and in fact the guitar is one of the few examples of Emily merchandise that are suited for guys as well as girls. Even Epiphone is surprised that guys have gotten into the Emily guitar—they love the graphics.
When my Emily arrived in January, I could not believe the difference between her and the B&S Grange. I've been playing her every day since then. All I can play so far are simple scale lines, a handful of open chords and small intervals and that sort of thing, and I need to work on getting my intonation consistent. I understand the CAGED concept on an intellectual level, but I haven't studied it in depth yet.
Just before Christmas, Hotter than Ice went on a Christmas break, which got extended indefinitely after our new bassist decided to go travelling. We were supposed to get back into the studio on March 7, but I wasn't able to join them just yet.
The reason for that has to do with my dad. As I mentioned here in October, he has health problems that require someone to be with him 24/7, and my mom is no spring chicken either. For the last year or so she was on the waiting list for three seniors' homes, and she got a call on March 3 saying a bed was now available at one of them. He could theoretically have been placed there as early as this past Friday, but Mom felt things were moving too fast—she wanted time to talk it over with the rest of my family and give Dad time to let the idea sink in. Instead, we would put him in there on March 9. As sort of a sendoff, my whole family would be getting together for supper on March 7, and I felt this was too important to miss just for a band practice.
Also, on March 21 I have a special gig at St. Augustine's, playing background material for a ham supper. It's a rare opportunity to become exposed to great music from the other side of the Atlantic and to see me play the kind of music I don't often get to play. I hope to see you all there.