Ed of H gigs; 2019

[edwardofhuncote]

Couple more pictures from Saturday night. I don't get photographed a lot while playing... usually I just get one of the guys to take one with my phone before or after a set. Someone else caught these. Josh makes us all laugh, and occasionally cringe. (he's the reason I had those breakaway 1/4" cables made for my Alembics, by the way) 

[edwardofhuncote]

Our neo-oldtyme band, New River Bound https://m.facebook.com/NewRiverBound/ , joined by Dancemaster Scott Sarver is playing at an annual charity dance for the Addy Grace Foundation tonight. https://addygracefoundation.com/

The Barn Dance fundraiser has turned into a fairly popular community event in the last couple years, so much that we've had to move it to a much larger venue last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a sellout crowd again tonight.

It's a long day... load-in at 3:30, soundcheck at 5:30, downbeat at 6:00 and we're on until 9:00. I am looking forward to playing though... I feel good today, (amazing what a couple 70° days can do!) and it's always a blast when we get to work with Scott. Now, which basses do I take...?

*I should have some action shots of us to post tomorrow, as there are always a bunch of photographers there.

[edwardofhuncote]

New River Bound, joined by fiddler emeritus Kat(herine) Maness, and Ted McAllister on rhythm guitar, had a fine time last night playing for the Addy Grace Foundation fundraiser. There was a huge turnout, and thanks to a matching sponsor they got to a $40,000 milestone.

Kat -if you remember- filled in with us last year while Caleb was in the throes of courtship and subsequent matrimony, and she now has walk-on privileges with the band anytime she feels like it. Two fiddlers are always better than one in our view. Ted came up and joined us for a few tunes as well, adding to the rhythm. A Virginia Reel can go on for 15 minutes depending upon how many couples are in the set, so a tune can be a matter of endurance. Thankfully, we get a few minutes rest between each dance to recover.

I decided since the old Series I is getting new frets this week, to squeeze one more gig out of the originals... I split the show evenly between 77-621 & C14588. I continue to be amazed at how much alike they are... 40 years and a generation apart, yet there it is. I made no adjustments to the amp settings at all switching from one bass to the other. Generally had the same filter settings I always do. They just sound freakishly similar.

[David Houck]

Curious about the direction you faced the cabs.

[edwardofhuncote]

Curious about the direction you faced the cabs.

The Wall Of Sound guys got the blueprint 90° off one time... I was attempting to recreate the moment. 

Nah, the FOH guy had me direct, so the cabs are just my stage monitor. He specifically asked that I not have them pointed at that large-diaphragm condenser mic or the audience. That somewhat narrowed my options... but it sounded very good up there at a relatively low-medium volume. I was sending him a pre signal from the D-800, and running everything basically flat except for the 'voicing' knob.

[David Houck]

Ah!

[edwardofhuncote]

The Harwell-Grice Band is playing Saturday evening at Hammer & Forge Brewing Co. in Boones Mill, Virginia, so if any of you happen to be traveling the U.S. 220 corridor drop on in for a cold frosty one, but be careful - Boones Mill is an infamous speed trap. 45 mph is not merely a suggestion.

https://www.hammerandforgebrewing.com/

(I'm serious about that speedtrap thing...)
https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/franklin_county/boones-mill-retires-police-muscle-car-feared-by-speeders/article_bee4a9ce-8a82-5e68-9a3a-1d4ecf81d434.amp.html


I'm thinking about taking along 81D 1986... it's been sounding mighty sweet in practice this week, and there's just something about playing a Distillate at a distillery that somehow seems fitting. I'm thinking the Guild Starfire II will ride shotgun.

[edwardofhuncote]

HGB had a BIG time playing for Hammer & Forge Brewing Co. yesterday evening, as they celebrated their second year. The craft beer industry is alive and well here in Virginia, which is also good for the live music industry... Hammer & Forge, like many other local breweries, has become a regular gig for bands like us. We shared the day with two other bands yesterday. It's a good thing that's going on.

With Josh on vacation (or something...?) our buddy Ernie was in on resonator guitar, which is always a treat. Gabe can carry the frontman responsibilities just fine, and did... finishing up the first set with a seat-of-the-pants call going from Bill Monroe to Talking Heads - "Wheel Hoss" > "Burnin' Down The House", then to close out the night he took us from "Deep Ellum Blues" > "Women Are Smarter".

I played hard yesterday, played well, most importantly - played smart and took a break when the band did... had my chair right there next to my rig, and used it! Felt a lot better afterwards for it too.

[David Houck]

   

[lbpesq]

Hey, I think I recognize that pedal board?

Bill, tgo

[edwardofhuncote]

Yessir, that be the the one Bill... it's with me at every gig nowadays. 

[edwardofhuncote]

Harwell-Grice Band played a standing gig at the Phoebe Needles Center in Calloway, Virginia last night for a wild-game cook-off. We play for those folks every year, and look forward to the warm welcome. If you're into swapping recipes, there's plenty of them, and for fixing anything imaginable. (and a few critters I don't even want to imagine fixing)

Old #77-621 is still waiting in line for some frets, so I brought it along last night. That bass is so special... they're all special, but I have bonded so quickly and firmly with that particular one. I brought a DeArmond Starfire for backup and 3rd set relief for this really long night. Mica has the pickups of my sunburst one out there at the Mothership with her R&D team working on the alpha-set of DeArmond drop-ins. I think this one may end up with some Alembic activators eventually too, but it somehow got a set of Westerly, RI factory pickups put in it. They sound okay... if a little muddy. I sometimes wish it had Bisonics. I sold the green Guild Starfire that had those. Oops. 

But I digress... Calloway, Virginia was absolutely beautiful yesterday evening, and the Phoebe Needles Center is a nice venue. That room can be a little hateful to get the sound dialed-in though. Brian had us squared away by two songs in. The band ate first, then played for three hours, taking only one break. I did try the homemade ice cream. I did not try the strange drink in fruit jars that came out later in the evening, but everyone said it was really good. It was hard to understand them later. 

[David Houck]

Nice shots of the countryside.  The room may be tough to EQ, but the one shot of it looks nice.

[edwardofhuncote]

I really like playing at Phoebe Needles'... in spite of the challenges that room presents, the venue and setting more than makes up for it. And not to sell him short; Brian is really good at finding the troublesome frequencies and coaxing the most he can out of our PA. It's a tough night on the rare occasion he's absent.

I didn't take this one, it's from their booking site, but here's the outside of that building. Sometimes they have us playing out on the wrap-around deck. 

[David Houck]

Ah, a conference center.