Today I ordered this audio interface so that the band can record gigs and rehearsals as a reference record, or even full albums. The deal was awesome, NZ$ price way less than AU$ price, no freight fee and an overall AU$ cost stupidly below AU$ RRP 
The US1800 haa 8 balance mic inputs, 2 instrument/line ins, 4 straight line ins and 2 digital S/PDIF channels for 16 simultaneous inputs and 4 outputs over USB2. Schweet Full review when it arrives and is put into service.
There’s word of a whisper that the band I’ve hitched my wagon to, The Collectables, may have a gig soon. More details as they come to hand, probably tomorrow as rehearsal is tonight.
UPDATE: The gig is confirmed, The Collectables are headlining a fantastic 3 band show at Noise Bar (Railway Hotel), Brunswick, on Friday, 24 February. Be there or be a right, regular trapezoid.
The Collectables
The Divine Fluxus
Third band TBA
Sorry, dear reader, I’ve been lax, but only for time being sparse over the silly season. I promise to post more soon, truly.
Alex was knackered from it being his second “Friday” in fulltime employment. Tony was struggling with the nebulosity of the info we were giving him for drum parts in two songs. I was screwed into the ground by BAD sleep on an early start and a looooooooong day.
Not every rehearsal makes us feel good, but we become better players just as much from the bad ones as the good. That is all.
I’ve ALWAYS loved Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.” I reckon it’s arguably the best song off the best album in the history of balls-to-the-wall rock. Guitar, hih-hats, bass, LET THERE BE ROCK!
So, for years I’ve had this bug bear. Because of SOTW’s school holiday music shop shred reputation. I’ve never got to play it, properly with a band. Nobody wants to do it justice and play it right because they’re afraid of everybody thinking “awful high school kid in a music shop.” Eff off! Played properly, it sounds NOTHING like that kid.
Well, at a social jam on Friday night, a bunch of old farts like me, including a guitarist veritably CHANNELLING Ritchie Blackmore at his peak, cracked it out old school. Tick that one off the bucket list, I can rest easy now, I’ve finally played in an awesome session with awesome musos and the coolest vocals by a great singer.
I think the lovely Linda recorded it, too, but we’ve got to clean up the hard disk before we can capture it off the camera.
GarageBand on iPhone. Not as easy to use as on a MacBook but Amplitube iRig and MultitrackDAW seriously want to rethink their pricing! This top dog of “prosumer” Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) is killer at AU$5:50 on the App Store, yet pretty much does most of what it’s Macintosh sibling does, except mayby track counts and inputs.
Onscreen instruments are better suited to iPad, I think, but still quite usable 
for sketching a melody or bass line. The Automatic Instruments seem at first play to be a little “samey” but I think there’s a knack to how you you use them which will come with experience. It’s certainly better than having a favourite drum loop and using it over and over in the same song, though. (Guilty as charging myself…)
The interfaces for tracks are familiar, too. The effects are done in a typically iOS way, but make sense in a GarageBand way. There guitar amps (shown), effects pedals (shown), loops and recording tools are are all really nice simplifications for use on a smaller screen than your usual music DAW.
Like I say, familiar in evry way. Also, I’m told 4S has full USB classes, so I’ll be 
getting a camera adapter kit soon to try out my iMic, Singstars and GuitarLink. GarageBand for iPhone, worth every cent of its $5:49 price tag.
Well, my Friday’s going to be a blast. I’m off to a social jam. Beer, Pizza and classic rock. Looking forward to it.
Many of my friends and colleagues in music over the years, even myself, have played in covers bands. The reasons vary but usually have some link to it being easier to attract and hold a crowd with songs the audience “know.”
But do the punters really know the songs they hear? In one band I formed with long time friend, Deadman Turner, punters sometimes asked about the, “Midnight Oil song we played.” The song was an original of mine, arranged by Deadman and me, and was one of many originals peppered through a setlist that was a mix of original and cover. We played across rural northern Tasmania for about 6 months and in towns we were told originals would never be accepted, the originals were what the punters talked to us about, and it was always favourable.
Then there’s the vice versa. I’ve had people suggest that, “You guys should do <insert song here! It's awesome and would fit you guys so well!" Guess what? We do, it was the last song in that set, we finished 2 minutes ago. No, we didn't do a strange arrangement, we've been told it sounds like the record. This everyguy loves the song, is always front and centre on the dance floor, and doesn't know his "favourite" song while we play it "like the record."
Basically, a musician is not a juke box. A musician is a passionate artist and music fan. Why waste your talent promoting the work of others who are already famous enough, to people who aren't there for you, but for somebody else they'd rather was playing. The punters who appreciate the music, who hear what YOU create and value the new and different, they are your fans. The knob who wants you to, "Do Enter Sandman!" or "Do Mustang Sally!" isn't after music, they're after a party and might as well go home and throw one. Do Mustang Sally? Not even with your dick, mate.
If you write songs, don't play covers. Stand proud of your work and fight for its right to party with you and the audience. Admire your favourite artists, by all means, but don't hide your light behind their's. Stand out front, loud and proud, and give voice to your muse. The audience you attract will be better than any cover hunter punter.
This is me with my new toy… er, sorry, professional instrument, my candyapple red Fender Standard Jazz. She looks a dream, plays herself (almost) and sounds like rock’n'roll with deeper bottoms than any bass I’ve ever owned wihout any compromise to clarity and brightness.
The front pickup is warm and woody, with thump and thunder, bring on the back pickup and she becomes solid and funky, while the back pickup on its own has such crisp, post-punk/new punk tones as to be dangerous 
This axe rocks. I think light guage Rotosounds are back on my biannual shopping list again, despite the cost. Worth every penny.
Candyapple red,
Deep rolling basso thunder,
Music is found here.
Warm your bones by my melodian. With reeds like a harmonica and keys like a Casio CZ-10, it’s just what our new song, “The Fireplace,” needs.
This is the latest test of a system to allow me to play a “hook” on the keys, then transition (hopefully) seamlessly to bass and back again. The melodian is held to the shelf by Velcro dots, the shelf is screwed to a pressed steel bracket, the bracket is heavily taped the the boom on the mic stand and the blowpipe runs up a coated wire (also heavily taped on) and is held to this with 2 Velcro cable ties.
Ladies and gentlemen, the MelodiStand 2000.
