Alembic Guitars Club
Connecting => Community => Gigs => Topic started by: edwardofhuncote on March 11, 2017, 12:32:23 PM
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Coming Soon... 8)
Nothing to see here yet, but my on-deck position as backup bass player with Harwell-Grice Band has gotten b-u-s-y. https://m.facebook.com/harwellgrice/ They're booking a really heavy schedule this Summer, and I'm looking forward to playing the Alembics out more with them as they do a new-grassy take on the Grateful Dead and a pretty much 'anything goes' mindset.
My own group, New River Bound https://m.facebook.com/NewRiverBound/ (we're calling it 'neo-oldtyme' Appalachian String Quartet) is also getting some good local attention. We're excited to finally get our first recording out there this Spring, and get busy playing corporate and private events, as well as some shows for the U.S. Park Service later on this year.
I'll try to keep some kind of photo journal here... stay tuned. ;)
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The first official gig of 2017 is in the books... just got back from playing at Sunken City Brewery near Smith Mountain Lake Virginia. http://sunkencitybeer.com/
It was a car show/motorcycle ride benefit event. Harwell Grice Band is kinda' the home team in that little community... so lotsa' folks there.
Loaded up the Gig-mobile this morning with my Mesa Walkabout/Scout 15 combo, the Persuader 5-string, and a Tobias Toby Pro V for backup or inclement weather. ;D
*and a Martin Style 0 ukulele, to pass time with during the long set break.
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I gotta' get somebody to catch some action pictures... ::)
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Looks good, Greg, and that's one nice looking bass you have there!
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Greg, you bring up a good point; a bass for inclimate weather. I don't really have one of those, although I have an old '67 bass I could possibly use for cold or damp weather (not light rain or mist). Something I need to think about.
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Thanks Rob. Yeah... it was windy, and threatening rain/thunderstorms later yesterday afternoon... not an ideal day for an outdoor gig, but it turned out okay, so I didn't need the backup after all. That neck-through Toby Pro V is a fine bass, but doesn't quite measure up to my Persuader 5-string. It really is the closest thing I have to it though, both from a set-up angle and sound-wise. I don't mind toweling it down so much if it got wet, but I'd be a little irritated if one of my Alembics got a bath. ;)
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This coming weekend; 4 gigs in one 24 hour period. :P
Harwell-Grice Band is booked at two micro-breweries on Saturday with a private party sandwiched between them, and a church picnic on Sunday... altogether, it'll be 9 hours on stage in one day... an endurance test if ever there was one.
Come to think of it, I need to put fresh batteries in my Alembics. ;D
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4 gigs in 24 hours. Hope they're all in the same state. :)
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Mo' power to ya. Yowsa !!
(Private party sandwiches and microbrews...yummy, :D )
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Oh Wow... stuff hurts. :P
It's a little after 3 am, and I just got loaded in... three gigs done, one to go. ;D
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Just set up the gig-rig for a fourth time, and got the Persuader dialed-in for another round. ;D
Couple pictures from the microbrewery-tour yesterday...
I look pretty fried in that second shot... that was taken right before the last set. I did make my usual Waffle House run afterwards. (had been running on coffee, and chocolate chip cookies all day) ::)
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My buddy Stewart's wife (Ange') caught one of my featured tunes yesterday at the early gig... once each set, the Harwell-Grice guys pull me (drag, really... ::)) out front from my cozy little happy place in the backline, to sing a Robert Johnson tune.
All done for this weekend... next week - Strawberry Festival in Rocky Mount, Virginia... I'm thinking the Distillate will be #1 for that job. Although I suppose that would have been more appropriate for these brewery gigs! ;D
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What are the effects you're running?
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Chorus > Compressor > Amp Input. (I don't ever use the effects loop on the WalkAbout)
The chorus has a flipswitch-able crossover, and the compressor is normally disengaged, except for heavier-hitting tunes where I have to dig in. I could easily just do without it, but I do like a splash of light chorus effect, especially on upright and fretless basses. ;)
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One more picture... nothing music-related, I just thought it was a good picture of us, taken during the second gig load-out yesterday evening about 8:00. We had to run set up again and play three more hours (2 sets) at this point in the day!
Anyway, I really enjoy hanging out and playing music with these guys, it's mutual - and it shows. :)
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Nice picture.
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Last night's gig was a Strawberry Festival in Rocky Mount, Virginia, but since we're under a flood watch here, (torrential rain... couple days worth) the event had to be moved indoors. Luckily, one of the local churches had a large enough community center to accommodate, and the show went on.
This evenings' gig was supposed to be a music festival at a local marina, but that got panned on account of severe weather too... one of the microbreweries that was to participate as a vendor at the festival got wind of the impending postponement, and decided to have the booked bands each come play two sets in their taproom instead. A very considerate gesture. :D
So I'm loading up the Distillate, and the Mesa Walkabout/Scout 15... but going to take a Gibson along for backup, in case they suddenly decide to put us on a patio outside, or it's so crowded inside that I got patrons in my space. ;D
Pics tomorrow. ;)
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Sunken City Brewing Co., our host for last night's alternate venue, is named for the lost city of Monroe, Virginia, which was 'sunken' as a side-effect of a large-scale hydro-electric project that created Smith Mountain Lake. The lake community has exploded in the past 20 years, especially, and gone from being a weekend recreational spot to more of a resort area. It's only a 30-45 minute drive from most of the Roanoke Valley, so we end up booked for quite a few events over there.
After several days of rain, the weather turned off nice by mid-afternoon, but was starting to get chilly by sunset, so I was pretty happy when I found we were going to be inside. Which worked out better anyway, since the band on before us was outside on the patio... this way they could take their time loading out, and we didn't have to rush loading in. Playing indoors also meant things might be a little crowded, but after setting up, there was room for enough that I wasn't worried about someone running into me. (or more accurately, my bass!)
This is my old buddy Stewart on banjo. Stew and I go back almost 30 years... seems we have always played in bands that competed with each other for gigs or trophies, but we've been pals all along... it's a real treat getting to finally play out with him regularly. Stewart is such a key element of Harwell-Grice Band that on the rare occasions he can't make a gig, they don't even try to bring in another banjo player. That's actually my Dad's 1926 Gibson banjo he's got there... we've got his main axe (a 1931 Gibson) in the shop right now for some service and repairs.
One of the nice things about playing Alembics, especially this Distillate... I don't have to twiddle or tweak the amp settings. I'm just using a little bit of chorus, occasionally some compression in the signal path, but otherwise flat settings... I'm not even using the WalkAbout's parametric eq section at all here.
Always have to find someplace for all the gig necessities -you know... coffee, gum, power bars and pain-relievers... and of course Jeannie is always there to keep an eye on things. ;D
Next weekend - a private party. I heard last night, we've got another old friend of mine subbing in on dobro. :)
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You bring your own coffee maker to the gig? Cool!
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HGB gigs typically run past my bed-time Dave... ;D
Nah, just a travel mug of coffee, but now that you mention it, there is room for one more plug on my power-strip... hmmm. ::)
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Harwell-Grice Band had a double-header this weekend... a graduation party on Saturday evening, and a Sunday afternoon 'Dinner-on-the-Grounds' at CrossPointe Baptist Church. This was the first time out for the Custom fretless, and I have to say - it was a great experience. I refuse to believe it's strictly circumstantial, but this bass is the perfect melding of the best attributes of the Persuader and Distillate basses.
One of the guys snapped this picture at soundcheck. I thought it was just early, but judging by the expression in picture 2... clearly I was in a very good sonic space. 8)
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You do look good!! (Interesting drum arrangement there, too!)
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Lookin' good, Greg; how does it sound with the band?
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You do look good!! (Interesting drum arrangement there, too!)
Lookin' good, Greg; how does it sound with the band?
Growly- this church I'm told, has a fantastic praise band, and we got to work with their soundguy. Told me he likes keeping the cage up around the drums to make things a little bit easier elsewhere onstage. I chose the red shirt and brown vest because they went well with birdseye maple, mahogany, and cocobolo... ;D
Rob- the guys loved the sound, especially the fretless touches, but I think they're mostly glad to hear me actually playing it rather than talk about it! ::)
It really sounded fantastic in there... I only had my Acoustic Image Clarus, and an Avatar SB112 for a stage monitor, but in addition to a pretty huge house PA, they had three 18" subs under the stage. It was MASSIVE sounding. 8)
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Harwell-Grice Band were back on the micro-brewery circuit this weekend.
The Hammer and Forge Brewing Co. in Boone's Mill, Virginia is a very tight little stage, especially for a 5-piece, but they keep a steady stream of local bands playing in rotation there.
https://m.facebook.com/pg/hammerforgebrewing/events/?mt_nav=1
I was worried about taking my new Custom in there, but managed to secure enough space in the back corner to have some room to work. (note the faux leopard carpet... Josh calls it my 'flying carpet') I have found if you have to stand in one spot and play bass for a couple hours, softer is better. :D
Good crowd in there last night... the HGB guys are kind of a hometown favorite over in Franklin County.
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While I am no longer in a band, (so it's easy for me to sit here and pontificate...) I would NEVER take my gorgeous new bass to a crowded bar. It may be because my old bandmates were klutzes, but still... Way to go! Hope you had fun, the crowd and band enjoyed the sound, and nice rig, too!!
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...I would NEVER take my gorgeous new bass to a crowded bar. It may be because my old bandmates were klutzes...
I hear ya' Growly... I'm dreading the day Chain-Links gets that first ding, but that bass was made for me to play. Speaking of klutzes... Josh Grice is like the Tasmanian Devil on Red Bull, so I'm constantly on alert back there. Full disclosure; I had the Persuader on stand-by if things got tough. Not that I think any less of it than the Custom! ;D
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Nice to see that gorgeous bass out working.
And I imagine it's quite handy to have a FedEx box right next to your bass rig in case you need to ship something between songs.
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Not really a gig per se, but a big musical event nonetheless. I have just returned from the 82nd Annual Old Fiddler's Convention in Galax, Virginia. Because the host of the Fiddler's Convention prohibits any electrically amplified instruments in the park, I went totally old-school upright bass all week.
So other than the discomfort of being separated from my Alembics for seven days and nights, I saw a lot of cool instruments, visited a lot of old friends, made a couple new friends, thought of some departed friends, played a lot of music, and had a generally fantastic time.
Just sharing a few pictures of a super-fun week...
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A few more pictures of some things in the musician's campground I found humorous... and some pretty cool and/or rare instruments. ;)
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Any video of your prize-winning performance?
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Any video of your prize-winning performance?
There is Dave, but I don't have the ability to post it. I'm hoping one of our little bunch will put it up on YouTube soon.
I'll just say this for now... Saturday night's performance was a special moment for us as a band. I was a little surprised (not disappointed) with the 12th place finish. Based on crowd reaction and raw energy, I had us figured for at least a top-ten spot again. It's quite an honor to place at all in Galax... that's a tough game already against 80-some of the best bands around. Alas, the judging there has always been biased toward the Western N.C. and Southwest VA. styles, and what we do is much more influenced by the music indiginous to Southern W.Va. It wasn't a judgment of what we played, as much as how we didn't play. That sounds kinda' messed-up, but we knew going in what we do isn't what they really like. Nevertheless, we absolutely stomped "Warfield" for our 3-1/2 minutes of stage time - people were screaming and dancing in the grandstands... not so much in the judges booth. ;D
I was really proud of us regardless... I believe it was maybe our finest hour. For sure I'll put up a link if/when possible.
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"...I was really proud of us regardless... I believe it was maybe our finest hour. "
And that is what REALLY counts. Good one on ya Gregory.
It is always good to have accolades from peers but the only true justification you need is; 'it feels good'.
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I'm playing at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia today, with an Americana-type trio.
This place: http://www.frontiermuseum.org/
These folks:
Don't know yet if this'll turn into a more regular thing, but they seemed to like the bass parts I came up with for their stuff. :)
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...so very old-timey ;D
keep it up!
E
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It was both fun, and a bit terrifying, but Chain-Links brought me through.
It'll be okay now... I got a Fiesta Omelet and Hash Browns here. :P
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Just got done playing an annual Barn Dance, (albeit in a gym) with New River Bound. I usually either play upright or one of my other piezo-equipped basses for this gig, but I brought my custom fretless "Chain-Links" along this time. And wow, what a time we had... just can't seem to get enough of this bass. :)
Maybe some action pics tomorrow from someone else's camera, but here's a shot of us during the break. Jess was playing her new custom from Ozark Banjo Co., Caleb has his stand-by John Dancer fiddle, and Brian has my old 1930 0-18 from C.F. Martin & Co. All are top grade, handmade instruments, and I think this Alembic belongs right there with them. 8)
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Nice picture!
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Awesome !
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Couple more pics from the Barn Dance on Saturday night...
One of New River Bound in action, and another with our Caller, Scott Sarver. Scott is a great Dance Master... he spends a few minutes carefully teaching the steps to each dance beforehand. Really gets into it... dig the period costume! ;D
This young lady is our sub for Caleb when he can't make a gig... she is an accomplished violinist, but also studied Appalachian fiddling under the same teacher Caleb had. I also play (upright) in a Jazz/Swing combo with Kat(herine) and her younger sister. Anyway, Kat jumped in for a few tunes so Caleb could go dance with his fiance', then stayed on to finish out the night with twin fiddle style. BIG fun!
It's official - Alembics work for Contra Dances too! ;)
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Greg, looks like you've been having a lot of fun lately!
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I really want to hear You and ChainLinks in context,
...do they allow iphones in the barn?
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Greg, looks like you've been having a lot of fun lately!
I really want to hear You and ChainLinks in context,
...do they allow iphones in the barn?
Sure have Rob... was just telling someone yesterday - I am thoroughly enjoying, cherishing really, every moment I get to play music. Very thankful for these people.
There may be some video somewhere Elwood... I'll ask around. I do know we're working on getting our Galax performance posted on YouTube. (had to get some help from my buddy John at Bluegrass Today... he's chewing on it.) ;D
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Any video of your prize-winning performance?
Here ya' go Dave... not much video to see, but the audio is all there, front to back. It was shot from the crowd, in the rain, on Saturday night at the final round of competition.
The power of the delivery still makes me smile... as far as oldtyme string band music goes, folks - this is METAL. ;)
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Great!! And yes, it does appear to be raining.
Thanks for posting!
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I've had the gig trifecta this weekend... wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday night, a wedding ceremony and cocktail hour on Saturday, and a private party with Harwell-Grice Band this afternoon. :P
I'm hot and tired, but very happy... y'all know that feeling right after a gig when you know your bass just made stuff work right for two sets...? Yeah... that's why that sly little smile comes out. ;D
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Cool news !
For some reason, this song comes to mind:
It's a Beautiful Day, Wasted Union Blues (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EIYL7yzUFE)
Have a beauty of a day, eh? 8)
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Had a double-header yesterday, first with New River Bound playing a wedding; ceremony/cocktail hour/reception which ate up most of the afternoon and concluded at 5:45. Grabbed a ClifBar and PowerAde from the first store I came to, and dashed an hour southward for an 8-11 gig with Harwell-Grice Band at Hammer & Forge Brewing Co. Had just enough time to change clothes in the band-wagon and set up my rig- whew! :P
Went with a little different setup last night... I stacked my little Bag End S10-D on top of an Avatar SB112 and powered them both from an Acoustic Image Clarus. Wasn't my ideal choice, but I already had the upright rig in the car. (when you carry an upright and a rig, there ain't a lot of room for a second rig...) But I have to say- it surprised me... that Clarus is a 300w head, plus it has a direct-out, (though, for reasons beyond my understanding, the direct-out level is determined by the input gain!) so I was good on volume. I also have to say, it sounds fantastic with my Alembics... no eq'ing necessary, just turn it on and turn it up. I used the Distillate for the first set, then changed up to the Starfire bass for the last. Having the extra cab made a huge difference... I could totally gig with this again. :D
Probably the most fun- HGB had an old pal-o-mine subbing on resonator guitar last night. Ernie Power is a topnotch player... one of the first to pick up the Jerry Douglas torch and run with it. He and I were on the road together back in the early 90's, and it's always a treat when I get to play music with him.
See... no matter how I try to make these posts about gigs, rigs, and gear, it's really about friends, old and new. :)
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Just finished up a 4-day run of gigs, with 4 different groups... Thursday and Friday were corporate banquets where we were just playing some pre-dinner music. Then Saturday afternoon, Harwell-Grice Band played a Fall Festival in Burnt Chimney, Virginia.
This evening really put the cherry on top of the sundae though, as New River Bound, fresh off of a couple shows last weekend, played the Roanoke Mountain Campground stage. The "Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway" sponsor a band at this serene little venue on Saturday nights all Summer, and into the Fall. https://www.friendsbrp.org/
We had perfect weather, and about a hundred folks to play for, and the magic began... a friend of ours caught a couple pictures of us at play. My she-dragon Chain-Links as ever, seems to bring out the very best in my game. 8)
*and our stand-in fiddler Katie M. joined us for the last half of a set. She and Caleb had the same teacher for a while, and it really shows in their respective playing styles. Looking at the pictures, even their posture is similar! ;D
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Harwell-Grice Band has an audition of sorts coming up, for this big music festival. http://floydfest.com/ The guys are putting together a fun set list especially for this show, designed for both high energy and variety. I'm not too big on these 'battle-of-the-bands' typa' deals, but it's a nice venue with high visibility.
https://m.facebook.com/ThePhoenixRoanoke/?__tn__=%2AsH-R
I expect they'll bring a pretty big (and enthusiastic) crowd of the hometown gang out too. It'll be interesting to see how the results go. My gut is, what we do isn't really what they want, but we'll see. That said, I would definitely like to play FloydFest again... haven't played there since the days of its infancy - September 2002. (I remember, because it was my last official gig as a full-time member of Acoustic Endeavors...)
Update to follow.
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Just got home from playing an unusual hall... Sinkland Farms in Riner, Virginia has repurposed this old milking barn into an event venue. Check out the old light fixtures over where the milking machines went, and the huge glass chandelier. On top of that, they had the stage all decked out for Christmas. :D
Took along "Doc", the new/old fretless Distillate, for a little exercise... this was a nice-n-easy sit-down trio gig - a perfect fit for this bass. :)
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No chicken wire around the stage? Those milk bottles could hurt a guy :o
No...but seriously, it looks like a fine room for playing "Moo"-Grass .
(I'll show myself out)
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No chicken wire around the stage? Those milk bottles could hurt a guy :o
No...but seriously, it looks like a fine room for playing "Moo"-Grass .
(I'll show myself out)
;D
Just got an email a few minutes ago; our little almost-acoustic blues (moos ??) trio must have made an impression last night... we scored ourselves a regular gig at Sinkland Farms this Winter. They booked us for four more dates in early 2018. :)
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:)
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Interesting name for a farm, Sinkland.
And yes, nice idea for a chandelier.
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Hey, Congrats!!
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Interesting name for a farm, Sinkland.
And yes, nice idea for a chandelier.
I thought the same thing, Dave. ;) Not 100% sure of the full origin, but at least one of the partners last names is Sink. Anyway, they've really got a nice venue there... it's in a beautiful rural setting, but just 15 minutes from Blacksburg or Virginia Tech, and only 45 minutes from Roanoke.
https://sinklandfarms.com/
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Harwell-Grice Band had this audition tonight at a place here in Roanoke called "The Phoenix"... like I said before- I'm not a fan of these battle-of-the-bands things, but that's essentially what we were into here. That being said, the guys really brought the A-game tonight, and I think we're IN for FloydFest 2018. :D
We had two hours of open stage starting at 9:00... and they decided to play straight through taking no breaks. Gotta' say too, we had an awesome FOH guy. He had us set up perfectly, especially my bass. 8)
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One of the guys sent me this picture of us this morning from that crazy-high-energy marathon set last night... I think Josh must have chugged a six-pack of Red Bull after soundcheck! ;D
*and somebody told Gabe (band leader) last night after the audition, they thought we were IN... so maybe it'll be FloydFest here-we-come after all.
**Well... Gabe got the call, and it's official; we're on for FloydFest this-coming Summer. Details coming about which stage and time slot. 8)
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Congrats on FloydFest!
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Harwell-Grice Band wrapped up their 2017 schedule at Chaos Mountain Brewery tonight for the annual Christmas party... Calloway, Virginia is kinda' home base for HGB, so the place was pretty full. Quite a cheer went up when the announcement was made we would be at FloydFest this year. Geographically Floyd County is right next door, (just a couple mountain ridges west) so most of the hometown crowd will probably come.
I took the Persuader 5-string, and my DeArmond Starfire II for backup this time. I gotta' say - having frets was totally weird for a few minutes!
Couldn't resist a little clowning on set break... just a little too much Franklin County humor! ;D
It's been a really good year, musically... I've got one more Christmas party to play next weekend, filling in on upright bass with an old time string band, and we'll call 2017 a done deal. ;)