Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Community => Gigs => Topic started by: David Houck on June 05, 2005, 09:38:34 AM
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My new band's first gig. Three shot of the group.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/18985.jpg)
A couple of nice Alembics.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/18986.jpg)
Maple S1.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/18987.jpg)
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Hey Dave:
It's cool to put a face with our honorable moderator. And a handsome set of basses to boot! Is the fence for a purpose, like the screen at the country bar in Blues Brothers? Were you playing Rawhide all night? (nyuk, nyuk). So what kind of music are you guys playing? You got a name (assuming Montford Park is where you played)? Were those two young whippersnappers able to keep up with you?
Bill, tgo
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Yeeehaaaa ...Now I actually can see my Moder Dave!!
For one or another erason ...and I am not joking ...I always pictured you as a Billy Christal type of guy.
Oh well ...another illusion bites the dust (HA). You're the Lee Sklar type (yeah yeah ...but MUCH younger).
(Who was it that thought I was a slender blond athletic type but rather short ...).
Anyway ...it seems you had a big time. Very relax!
Heho ...and where are the pictures of the other Moders playing?
Val??
The Wickershams Slaughterhouse Connection???
Susan on guitar, Mica on bass and good'ol Ron hitting the Djemb?! Cool!
Paul the bad one
Mmmmm ...for the known reasons by you ....What is the QSC-PLX amp number.
(Message edited by palembic on June 05, 2005)
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Actually, Montford Park is the name of the band. The crowd did not rush the stage; so I guess the fence was a good deterrent . The music is instrumental; our takes on a variety of covers. It's kind of a jam band improvisational feel that borrows from jazz, blues and funk. A few of the tunes: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; Thrill Is Gone; Lenny; Little Wing; So What; Elizabeth Reed; Europa; Chameleon; Riviera Paradise. The guitar player is actually just a little younger than me, although he looks much younger; he has a great tone and our styles are quite complementary. The drummer is the guitar player's son, and he's quite good to be as young as he is. And although relaxed is a nice description of what we're doing, it can be at the same time intense. The drummer is at times the only one providing the audience with a link to the downbeat, as the guitar player and bass player tend to take liberties with the music . The PLX is a 2402.
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Hi Dave ,
Another Belgian alembifriend congratulates you !
Nice pics for a nice band !
ALAIN
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The guitar player's son? I was thinking maybe Bun E. Carlos Jr.
Great pictures, Dave. It's cool that a father and son can share something like that.
Sam
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Hi Dave.
Nice rig. I'm thinking of ditching my Trace Elliot combo and going for Eden cabinets and the QSC PLX2402. Probably fronted by the Eden WP100 pre-amp. Which cabinets are you using? I'll probably add the 115XLT to the trace to start with then add a 210XST when funds allow.
Graeme
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At this gig I was using an Eden 210XLT and an Acme Low B2; both full range. The Acme provides a nicer low end while the Eden provides more of the high end sound I'm after. They seem to work well together.
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Now I don't feel so old.
Howierd
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Dave
Some very cool basses. Looks like you were really into it!
Rory
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Yes, I really enjoy playing this music!
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A fellow club member has requested that I provide this link (http://www.davehouck.com/Montford_Park_-_The_Thrill_Is_Gone.mp3) as he thinks some of you may find it of interest. As server space is limited, the file's location at this address is temporary. Use at your own risk, no warranties of fitness for human use implied.
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Nice Dave! I really enjoyed that.
Tom
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Thanks Dave that was very nice. I'll have to listen again at home where I can turn it up more.
Sam
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Thanks!
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Dave,
Are you fretless on this track? Your tone is very clean and well played.
Mike
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Hi Mike; no, this is the fretted Maple S1 from the above pictures.
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Wow!
I believe that is what I would call buttery and sweet.
Mike
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Our guitar player has put up a website for Montford Park (http://www.montfordpark.com/). For those of you who are interested, he's put together some nice sound clips as well.
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Hi Dave, I just listened to (and really enjoyed) the 'Thrill Is Gone' soundclip. You're bass playing is great, grooving and in the pocket, and the Alembic sound is unmistakable. Very impressive! I love the first picture on the website. You're all about the same age, right?
;-)
Wilfred
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LOL !! Yes, we're practically twins! And thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the clip!
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We're playing next Saturday, July 30 at the Park Deli in Hendersonville, NC. Plenty of good seats still available .
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Dave, I've just discovered this juicy little thread. Sir, I am very impressed with what I heard. I particularly enjoyed Riviera and The Thrill Is Gone. The three of you are very strong and blend wonderfully. Your guitarist has a nice touch and great tone, excellent drummer, hard to find in one so young. The bass player? Well, the it's obvious they keep him around just to attract the chicks. Great job! One of the few times I've listened to an instrumental group and not missed a vocalist at all. Some nice melodic bass lines. On occasion it sounds like you switch from fingers to a pick. Are you a bi-plucker? Quite a treat, thanks for inviting us.
Three thumbs up, Gary.
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Dave, BTW is that beautiful babe in your arms a long scale? If so how is she to live with?
Gary
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Dave:
Cool website - bring on the videos. I love Europa - one of my all time favorite rock instrumentals. It looks and sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun. That's what it's all about! I'll be out in your neck of the woods one of these days (my brother & his family recently moved from NY to North Carolina.) I'd love to catch you guys playing when I finally make it out there.
Bill, tgo
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Thanks guys!
No, I don't use a pick. However, I do use a variety of right hand techniques; so that switch you're hearing is a change in technique that produces a significant change in tone and attack. You can kinda see the difference in hand position in the above pictures.
Yes, the Maple S1 is a long scale. And it does have some neck dive; it's not as behaved as I would like. However, it sounds and plays wonderfully. The Maple bass was used on all the demo tracks. The other bass pictured above is a 32, and it does balance better than the 34. The 32 bass is tuned to Eb and is used on a few tunes that would normally be in E, such as Riviera Paradise, because the guitar player is using a Strat tuned down to Eb. The two basses sound very different; besides the scale length, the primary difference is the top and back laminates.
Europa has long been one of my favorites as well and has been on my set list for a while. It's fun to play!
And do let me know when you will be in the area!!
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New vids are here (http://www.montfordpark.com/mpvideo.html).
And we're booked at Mo'Jazz in Asheville, NC for Saturday October 29.
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Holy moder!!!
Great clips!
Fine bass-playing!
Tough band!My cup o'tea!
Paul TBO
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Thanks Paul!! The guitar player's wife shot the clips and the guitar player edited them; I think they did a great job.
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Nice clips. Tight tunes. Very enjoyable Dave! It looks like you guys have a lot of fun.
Tom
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Did someone said beer???????????????????????????????????????
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Dave:
Cool segment! Was that strains of Eyes of the World in the background as the MC waxes poetic about French Broad beer?
Bill, tgo
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Yes, the two tunes heard on the segment are the aformentioned Cissy Strut and Eyes Of The World.
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Eyes of the World is a GREAT song. I once got retained on a big case because, while meeting with the prospective client at his house, I picked up a guitar and started playing Eyes. Later the client told me he decided on me because he thought it was really cool that his lawyer could play Eyes of the World!
As an aside, to be politically (in)correct shouldn't French Broad Brewery change its name to Freedom Testosterone-challenged Person Brewery? LOL
Bill, tgo
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I'm guessing the brewery is named after the French Broad River that runs through the middle of town.
I like Eyes a lot too! It's kinda been an unexpected challenge for us. We're a three piece instrumental group, and on this song in particular we've really had to focus on the phrasing of the melody in both the verse and chorus sections. If the phrasing of the melody isn't right, the thing just kinda falls apart. But we're making a lot of progress with it.
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Street fair.
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/29333.jpg)
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Hey Moder Dave,
the reason I admire you is not only the playing but also the looks: for one or another reason you seem to always just-hop-out-of-the-forrest (which is a compliment ...really) and this Street fair must be your home forrest main street I presume???
Paul TBO
PS: did you have All Blues on the playlist yet????
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Hi Paul;
Yes, I come in out of the forest to buy food and play gigs .
And the street is, coincidentally enough, Montford Avenue in Asheville, NC, about a thirty minute drive from my place. And the occassion, even more coincidentally enough, is the annual Montford Music & Arts Festival (http://www.montford.org/MontfordNews/2006_05.pdf).
And yes, All Blues is now on the set list and has been performed several times.
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COOL!
Yoooodeliiiiihooooooooooooooooooo (you have to do that in a loooooooooo-ow frequencu vioce)
Moder Tarzan Dave swinging from liana to liana out of the forrest ...
huhuh ...how do you do that with that rig and basses???
LOL!
Always good to see you play!
Paul the bad one
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Hi dave
Just heard the clip of so what
Brill!!
Was that the series again-it seemed to even take on a fretless type of sound. Superb playing-as usual!!
Love the band!!
G
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Thanks George! Yes that's the Maple fretted S1.
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Dave, How Many Alembics do-ya Own?......I love that Maple top!
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Keavin, seven; but when I get around to it I plan to post some of them for sale here in the forum. My basses, along with two beautiful basses belonging to Keith, can be seen here (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=20195).
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Damn!!!.....
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Time for a new custom Dave?
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Hah! No, but I would like a nice used six string series bass!
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We played at OrganicFest, a local street fair, this evening. We were the last band of the day. Pretty much had my tone dialed in by the end of the first song, Red Baron. Right before we start the second song, the Beatles' She's A Woman ala Jeff Beck, it starts raining. We're covered so we keep playing, but the crowd is gone in a second and all the people with booths are hurriedly putting their stuff away and taking down the awnings. With all the chaos, the drummer picks up the tempo, which is appropriate with all the people scurring about in the rain. We finish the song and we're told to play one more. So I call out China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider. Turns out to be the best version of that song we've ever done; it was a joy to play, and the vendors huddled under what was left of the awnings seem to enjoy it as well. Shortly after we finished, the rain slacked off and we were able to break down and load out with no problem. So it was a short but enjoyable gig.
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Sounds like a great day!
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Dave:
Snoopy and the Red Baron? As in: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or more...?
Bill, tgo
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Bill; no, the Billy Cobham tune.
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Wheeewwwww!!!!! I was getting worried about you there for a second, Dave.
Bill, tgo
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Billy Cobham, now there's a cat that could lay down a mean back beat.
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Well........I have a good friend who played guitar in the Royal Guardsmen...the group that recorded Snoopy VS The Red Baron. ..(a real cool dude and wicked blues player)..He was not in the Royal Guardsmen at the time the song was recorded, but he was asked to join the group a bit later on. For years he didn't really like to talk about it, but a few months ago I ran into him at one of our local music stores in Clarksville, TN., and I asked him about some details. He pretty much gave me an abreviated history there on the spot and said enough time had passed now and he is proud to have played in that band. There was another guy from Clarksville, a keyboard player, who also took a stint in that band after the 'hit' came out. At the time, 1967 or so, when I was about ten there was no bigger song than that one..(at least for a ten year old. It was one of the songs that made me want to start playing music actually)
..Certainly did not mean to interrupt....but I do like to share...everyone have a great week!
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Oh....I am getting old and feeble, I reckon...for those of you who are not old enough to know .....the 10, 20,30,40,50 or more line is from that song Snoopy VS the Red Barron.......Anyway...when I have been seeing the previews for that new action movie Fly Boys it sort of reminded me of this song...anyway..enough of this nonsense..
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We got together one afternoon a couple weeks ago and recorded a new demo CD. My playing is a bit sloppy but the result was good enough for our purposes, handing out to clubowners. So for those of you who may be interested, the site has been updated with excerpts from the new demo (http://www.montfordpark.com/mplisten.html). I believe it to be the case that the site was setup on an Apple; it sure doesn't look right in IE. So just click on the little icons to play the tunes. My playing may be sloppy (list of excuses includes lack of sleep from night before, cuts are pretty much one time through with no overdubs, and the classic lack of practice), but the Alembic sounds great. And for those of you who care about such details, I took my regular stage rig and we mic'ed it; no direct line out. Interestingly enough, the tunes sound much better on my home stereo than they do on my laptop.
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Very nice Dave. i especially liked the funked up China cat and The red baron excerpts. Just one complaint though, I couldn't spot the sloppy bits anywhere ;-) You'll need to start marketing the CDs.
Graeme
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Thanks Graeme! We didn't pay for permission to use the covers, so we can't sell the CD's. So going in we knew this was just a demo. The sloppy parts are really noticeable on a home stereo, and the most obvious are some places where there is a lack of tightness between the three players, especially noticable on the Beatles/Jeff Beck tune. On that tune I think I'm probably concentrating so much on trying to play that repeating lick cleanly that I'm not relaxing into the drummer's groove. I'll be watching for that at the gig this Saturday.
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Montford Park rules!
Already 2 die-hard fans ovehee in Belgium!
Paul TBO
PS: remember our skype conversation a couple of days ago about Montford Park?
I just noticed that this side we have a Montfort College. So it's MonforT ...not Montford.
Is Montfort College a good jname for a band?
I just came up with Strand Nulde hehehe
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Thanks Paul!
I looked up a history of the Montford area of town, and while the community was established in 1893, the origin of the name is unknown.
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Paul,
Couple of points of interest re Strand Nulde ...
Of course it's a well-known parking area on the motorway between Amersfoort and Zwolle. Recently in the news for the meisje van Nulde case (Google should inform you of the horrors involved) so perhaps not a happy choice in case the band wants to play in the Netherlands.
On a happier note, some of the place names in this area of reclaimed land were created by the famous comic writer Godfried Bomans, who came up with terribly old-sounding, but completely new names like Nulde and Zeewolde. And Zeewolde is of course where they build Spyker cars.
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... in any case, it's not very far from Montfoort either - about an hour by car.
From Strand Nulde, you take the A1 at Amersfoort, then the A27 to get to Edwin's shop in Hilversum, then take the A27 again, then the A12 towards Gouda, and once you've crossed the A2 you take the first or second exit for Montfoort.
Of course the detour via Edwin's shop will take several hours.
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And while I'm not on the subject ...
Unlike the small town of Nulde, Strand Nulde is actually not on reclaimed land, but it's across the water, on the old land, not far from the old town of Harderwijk, where the famous naturalist Linnaeus got his university degree ...
From Linn? on line (http://www.linnaeus.uu.se/online/life/6_1.html target=_blank):
Linnaeus left Sweden in April 1735, taking with him manuscripts for books and theses, much too little money and his Saami costume!
In Hamburg he stayed for a while and there he was very interested in the city's Jews. At that time Jews were forbidden to enter Sweden.
Then Linnaeus arrives in Holland. First he visits Amsterdam for a few days but then leaves for Harderwijk, a small port with a university. Many foreigners, including several Swedes, came to this city to take their degrees. It is said that as soon as a foreigner appeared in Harderwijk he was asked if he had come to take an exam. There was a song Harderwijk is a market town where they sell kippers, bilberries and degrees.
Linnaeus had written his doctor's thesis at home in Sweden. It was about the ague and was called Hypothesis nova de Febrium intermittentium causa. It was only necessary for him to stay one week in Harderwijk to have time to print the thesis and with presence of mind and considerable wit to defend it during a disputation on June 23rd, 1735, thus getting his degree. It entitled him, among other things, to teach the art of medicine, visit patients and prescribe medicine.
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Now there's something I didn't know before today.
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Sorry Dave, couldn't resist. And you did bring up the history behind place names yourself. ;-)
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Adriaan, no problem! I absorb a lot of new information every day, and in yesterday's batch, the information about Linnaeus was perhaps the most unexpected and the most out of the ordinary. I found the bit about the medical degree particularly interesting. In the US, some people might find it analogous to the medical degrees earned at one or two locations in the Caribbean.
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Nothing new under the sun, as we say here.
(Message edited by adriaan on March 22, 2007)
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Oooops ...I didn't know about that disaster on that beach on Strand Nulde.
But for one or another reason the character and the magic of Strand Nulde is the same as Montfort Parc.
Oh well ...I could be wrong!
Also for me personally it is something very precious: when on my way to Groningen from where I live, the family always takes a stop at Strand Nulde to have a soup or coffee at The Postiljon Hotel ...I know ...I am sentimental!
Mmmmmm ....I am maybe not THAT bad!
Paul TBO
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Great sounding clips Dave.
Howierd
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Thanks guys!!
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What time are you guys playing Dave? (We're playing as well but I might be able to swing by)
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I'm told that we start at 10:00 and should be prepared to play as late as 2:00 if there's still people there.
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Nice. You guys sound great!
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Thanks John!
James and Keith; I've just been informed that the venue has a scheduling problem for the 29th and that we'll have to re-book.
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I was up in Ashville last night and was able to stop by and see these guys playing in Hendersonville. I thought they sounded pretty good. Both Dave and John are really nice folks and I was happy to be able to meet them. The music ranged from Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn to The Dead to Miles Davis with a little Zappa thrown in for good measure.
Dave had his newly aquired F-2B in his rack and it sounded great. Dave is a much better bass player than I and I think his chording technique could put many guitarists to shame. I thought his solos were great (John's were too). In all I enjoyed what I heard and look forward to meeting up again next time I am up in the Asheville area. I would recommend for anybody else to try to see them if they are in the area and have a chance.
Keith
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ZZ-TOP!......
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I enjoyed meeting Keith too! It was great to see a fellow club member. Keith and I both thought that some of the other patrons at this particular establishment had a few too many; and this was after only the first set. Thanks for the nice comments, Keith!
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Hey Dave, just had a chance to puruse some of your audio and vid files. Nice stuff, good performances all around! Great bass sound and technique, keep it up!
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Thanks!
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Nice stuff! Thanks for reviving this thread for the newbies!
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Hee hee!! For those of you in North Carolina, UNC-TV has a program called North Carolina Weekend (nice program if you've never seen it). This week's show has a segment about the French Broad Brewery in Asheville; and one of the aspects of the brewery that is covered in the piece is the fact that they have live music. And the night that they filmed the piece, Montford Park was playing there. So if you're in North Carolina, check your local listings; but I'm guessing that most UNC-TV stations have the same schedule. It was broadcast this evening at 9:00 and will probably be re-broadcast tomorrow evening at 8:00. There's a great close up shot of an Alembic bass!!
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Hey dave i like your chops man!,along with my 5:00am pot of coffee this morning its good to wake up to a good bass solos!....http://www.montfordpark.com/MP%20Audio/sowhat.mp3 (http://www.montfordpark.com/MP%20Audio/sowhat.mp3)
(Message edited by keavin on February 17, 2006)
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That's cool, Dave. Do they have a web site for us non NC folk?
Sam
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I'll check it out.
Keith
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TV, Dave? Don't forget us little folk when you make it big! Congrats, and can I get your autograph?
Bill, tgo
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for those who havent heard the sound clips.>>>http://www.montfordpark.com/mplisten.html (http://www.montfordpark.com/mplisten.html)
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Cool! Love the clips Dave. Still keeping you guys in mind - would love to work out a double bill.
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Thanks Keavin!
Sam; go here (http://www.unctv.org/ncweekend/). On the top left of the page there's a space that says Last Week's Program. The program that's on there at this moment is not the one from last night. I'm assuming that, if they actually update that link regularly, that fairly soon you should be able to see last night's program by clicking that link; but that of course it won't be up more than a week. The brewery segment was near the end of the show if you don't want to sit through the entire half hour show.
Bill; Dave on TV is a scary thought! What were they thinking!
James; we're in Hendersonville tonight at the Back Street Bar & Grill. We were supposed to be in Asheville last week at Ed Boudreaux's but we were snowed out.
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Dave,
Snowed out? You folks are supposed to be used to it up there in the mountains. It's us flatlanders that shut the city down for flurries. LOL
Keith
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LOL!! Keith; Jon and I discussed the situation several times by phone. Finally, he called the club owner, who was very understanding. We felt that as much as we wanted to play, it just wasn't worth the risk.
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Saw the clip last night. You didn't mention that you got a close up. :-)
I've driven by the brewery and never realized that they had the tasting room and entertainment. I will need to stop by the next time I'm up there. Looks like a nice place.
Keith
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Keith; yes that was indeed a bit of a close-up! Actually the video doesn't really reflect what the place looks like inside. But they do have a lot of really good musicians playing there. If you get a chance to check the place out, note that the bands play from 5:30 to 8:00.
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I'd like to check this out, so if the clip on the TV web site ever gets updated (wasn't as of this morning), someone please note it here?
Thanks.
(I remember a time, not so long ago, when Moder Dave was a bit hesitant about posting his sound clips here... we've come a long way :-)
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LOL!!
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It's posted today. Segment begins at about 20:25 (after the goats), Montford Park starts at 23:25 (Sissy Strut). Good stuff Dave!!!
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/65124/25369.jpg)
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Thanks! Nice screen capture !
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Very nice Dave. I have to say, hearing only a short bit of Cissy Strut only whets my appetite for more - not to mention some of that Goldenrod Pilsner. Yum ? gotta love that Czech style brew. =)
Tom
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I was wondering when someone was going to mention the beer! With all the beer aficionados around here, I figured this brewery video might get some notice!