Mike, mate,
long time no see. Many thanks for your post and your kind words.
I am sure that Tears for John will turn out well.
As for our band, WHO ARE YOU, things are running well. Still no keyboarder found but it is working.
Still no gigs yet but we are close to do a test gig with invited friends and interested people.
We always said that we want to do solo material as well. We are doing for example Rough Boys and Give Blood from Pete as well as Trick of the Light and 905 from John. Trick of the Light of course with the Spyder 8. Originally we had done 905 acoustically but yesterday we did it with two acoustic guitars and me playing the Spyder 8, not distorted but with a Defretter, Chorus and Delay to lay a broad base soundwise and it was really amazing. To play the 8string as a base instrument on this song. Very interesting variation. The songs I like most are of course The Real me and 5:15.  
And of course, following our band?s name, we are doing WHO ARE YOU. And especially Won?t get fooled again is really powerful....
 
Take care mate
Oliver

Oliver,
 
Glad to hear things are progressing as well as they are.
 
If your drummer is willing to play to a click, I know someone who can provide you with very precise backing tracks to a lot of the keyboard-based songs.  They were created using the ARPs and Lowreys Pete used.  They sound amazingly authentic.  We use them and they work great.  Let me know if you're interested and I will provide you with the website.
 
Cheers, Mike

Mike,
yes please....
We already have backing tracks and I think these are the same that you use but we have the problem that the click on some songs is mixed on both channels so that we have no chance to separate them....
Maybe you could help us with these other tracks....Plse let me know.
Many thanks and many greetings
Oliver (Spyderman)

IMHO, the NYC-area needs an international Battle Of The Who Cover Bands to assault the general populace! Who's with me on this (no pun intended)?

Oliver,
 
If you're using the tracks from Rich Rowley, we have the same problem - the click bleeds through slightly on WGFA during the beginning but isn't really audible through the rest of the tune.  Hasn't really been noticable for us, except in the studio (ugh).
 
KMH,
 
I've been pursuing your idea for a year now.  Hard to get all the bands together in one room, since they come from all over.  Failing that, I also tried to put together a Who Tribute supergroup - of course, each band wants all their members represented - again, a stalemate.
 
So for now, each area of the US will have to just live with the Who tributes they have!  Lucky for us, my band appears to be the only one west of the Mississippi.  
 
And it would seem Ollie has a lock on Germany!
 
Mike

Mike/Ollie,
 
   I'd be happy just to find a band to play with.  I live in musical hell (Fayetteville, NC), where if you don't play country, blues, or I-want-to-eat-your-children death metal stuff, there just isn't anything.  Consider yourselves lucky to be playing the stuff you are - I have to content myself with plugging in the Ipod and playing along to my Who collection.
 
Mike,
 
I'll be in LA at the end of the month - I'm doing some recording with my brother who lives in Culver City.  Maybe we can hook up for a beer or something.
 
Best regards,
 
Alan

Alan,
 
I don't envy you regarding your musical situation.  I am lucky to live in an area that is somewhat, barely, tolerant to what we do.  And I mean BARELY - we have to go out of town to get any shows of substance.  I hope you find some players who share whatever vision you may have.
 
I would love to meet up with you at month's end.  Let me know when you're here, the beer's on me.
 
Mike

Alan,
 
When you posted I-want-to-eat-your-children death metal stuff, I had this mental image of how you might present such a dish (you being a chef and all).  Some sort of flowery cut veggies with a light sauce perhaps?  Or more of a Chowder?
 
Good luck with the musical landscape.  Things do tend to go in cycles, so maybe you'll get a musical reprieve soon...
 
Mike,
 
When I lived in LA in the mid '80s it was sacrilege to play anything other than originals.  No pressure there, eh?  So I ended up playing a lot of crappy original music.  Could have really used a WHO band!
 
I think it's time somebody yelled for more pictures of Oliver's new bass!
 
John

John,
 
It still is sacrilege to play anything other than originals here.  I personally would never ever have considered playing in a tribute act if it wasn't The Who, and even then, we had to be GOOD (still working on the 'good' bit).  The tribute band thing is quite comical. Most popular tributes here are to The Doors or 80's hair bands. Some enjoy a 'kitsch' following because they're so bad that they're good!  There is absolutely NO traditional Top 40 cover band scene here whatsoever.  Very strange.
 
So...we are based in LA but must leave town to get work.  Ironic.  The talent pool to get the band happening is here, the fan base and the appropriate venues are not.
 
OK enough about tributes....more about Ollie's new bass!!!
 
Mike

F*k 'em if they can't take a joke! LOL! Gimme well played covers anytime. Originals are only good if they're good and you're familiar with them and actually like 'em (does that make sense?). And, since we can't have Moonie and Thunderfingers anyway, I'm all for the sincerest form of flattery, i.e., (Who) imitation...substituteion, if you will, LOL!  
 
All you Spyder/Dragon Wing guys should get together and do sort of a modern Alembic/JAE jam along the lines of Spinal Tap's Big Bottom!!!!  
 
Mine goes to ELEVEN, LOL!
 
Cheers,
 
Kevin
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on September 23, 2005)

A brief continuation of the thread hijack regarding cover / tribute acts... In Chicago (downtown), originals are just about REQUIRED (like LA)! But twenty miles out in any direction (except into Lake Michigan) (okay... three directions) you can hardly get club owners to even give you a chance without doing covers, and talent agents prefer straight tribute acts because they are an easy sell.  
Mike

John,
 
   The idea of serving up someone's children (regardless of how much some parents might feel at certain times) is a daunting idea for any chef or cook.  
 
   I would serve up children like this:
 
 
       Assemble children in room with XBox (have to get their attention, don't you know?)
       Inform them to sit down and pay attention
       Whip out an Alembic
       Tell them that this is how it should be
       Then tell them this is how it will be
 
Nothing like sowing the seeds early.  And without garnishes .....
 
Odd occurrence today ... I had a new dishwasher (spulgeschirrmachine, Ollie) put in my house today.  One of the installers was a guitar player.  He noticed my Ovation acoustic-electric hanging on my living room wall.  I invited him back to my bass room and began to show him my collection.  Of course, my Alembics came out ... he was blown away, and we started talking about music, what we like to play.  I told him I like classic art rock, and of course, The Who.  Well, he took the bait, and he's supposed to call me about setting something up.  We'll see, I guess.  Never envisioned it when my wife and I were in Sears the other day looking at dishwashers!
 
Kevin,
 
    I'm up for a Spyder/Dragon's Wing Owners meeting somewhere.  Just say the time and place, and if my schedule (and budget!) permit it, I'll be there!
 
Alan

(Edited at the request of the poster to delete out-of-context remarks, which seem to him inappropriate in the history of what will undoubtedly turn out to be another fabulous instrument for Oliver.)
 
(Message edited by davehouck on October 11, 2005)

Alan,
 
You've got a few excellent plans there!
 
John

Mica,
any news on my bass?
 
Oliver (Spyderman)