Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Feb 28 2014 07:38 PM
Sometimes I'm invited to perform but I'm bandless at the time. Perhaps it's at a social gathering, or an employee talent show (where the rest of the band are not employees), or the venue is too small for a band. Ivan described such a situation last September. I had a similar situation for an employee talent show at a University in Portland last Summer. It was just for 4 minutes but the audience was 300 and I couldn't pass it up. I played a solo arrangement of Walk Don't Run, combining fingerstyle and thumbpick and the audience loved it.
Here is a video on Youtube of my doing likewise with my original "Undertow." Undertow was a duo on the "Wild Surf Guitars" CD, and a quartet on the "Whimsical Surf Version Two" CD. All three versions are different, of course.
Some songs call for the melody guitar to have a thin tone. Here I aim for an extremely large and full tone. No distortion or overdrive was applied.
http://youtu.be/pTKzAq1hGm4
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKzAq1hGm4&feature=youtu.be
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
Last edited: Mar 02, 2014 18:22:40
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imafunkyman
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 548
Utah
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Posted on Feb 28 2014 07:46 PM
Sounds great! I've never played for a large crowd with a band, let alone solo! Were you nervous?
— Either you surf, or you fight.
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Feb 28 2014 09:38 PM
imafunkyman wrote:
Sounds great! I've never played for a large crowd with a band, let alone solo! Were you nervous?
I'm always concerned about the quality of my work, and a bit nervous at the start. But then once the start is over, I feel that I'm immersed in it, and there's nothing to do about it but have fun. So within about ten seconds I'm immersed in trying to enjoy the situation and my playing.
When playing for the large crowd I immediately noticed that my guitar was a bit out of tune. There was nothing I could do to fix it, I couldn't stop and retune. It wasn't far out, but it was clear enough to me. So I grinned even more, bent the strings as often and as much as I could, and struck the strings even harder than usual. Bending the strings and hitting the strings harder decreased the sense of the guitar being out of tune. Remember to tune and then retune, it's a lesson I have learned and forgotten many times.
So with the strings a bit out of tune, my bending and striking them resolutely, my extra grinning, and my determination to have fun, there was no room left for nervousness. There's also a backstory about the meeting with the chairman earlier that day that I will gloss over....
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 07:05 AM
That's some really fine playing, Squid. Whew! Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the reminder to tune twice before playing. It's happened to me when I take a guitar somewhere to play it.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 10:03 AM
That was great!
A prime example of a melody/theme that is strong enough to hold up on it's own and then reinforced with some great playing.
I really dug that.
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 12:28 PM
That is high praise coming from the experienced and accomplished musician Jeff of Crazy Aces, and I deeply appreciate it.
Conrad
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
Last edited: Mar 01, 2014 12:28:36
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4537
Wisconsin
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 03:49 PM
That was awesome! 
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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CrazyAces
Joined: Jul 31, 2012
Posts: 4053
Nashville, TN.
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 05:03 PM
Squid (Conrad) said
"That is high praise coming from the experienced and accomplished musician Jeff of Crazy Aces"
Aw shucks man, you wouldn't say that if you were here while I was recording and trying to play in pocket, LOL!
— http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic
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mom_surfing
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 5320
the outer banks of north carolina
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Posted on Mar 01 2014 10:10 PM
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DonBale
Joined: Feb 24, 2014
Posts: 156
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Posted on Mar 02 2014 06:32 AM
LOVE IT  Playing alone, takes courage, you nailed it 100%, playing out of tune, I didn't notice, anyways it pushed you to dig deeper, maybe you should intentionally always be slightly off tune I am 90% of time, tossed out tuner, forcing my band to tune by ear (to 432Hz)
Thanks for sharing ........ going to listen again
PS as for 'being nervous', everything you said 100% true
— Not surf but you might like it:
http://donbale.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA0g6Sn3e9FULMN0owd9YGw
https://soundcloud.com/fatalamanga
Last edited: Mar 02, 2014 06:34:29
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artdecade
Joined: Aug 30, 2012
Posts: 399
Twangsville
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Posted on Mar 04 2014 10:38 AM
Awesome work! 
— To Boldly go where no Tiki has gone before...
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 04 2014 05:01 PM
Thanks so much for your encouraging words, Carol, Don and Michael. When I'm having fun performing so are those who are sharing it. I love playing this piece.
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 05 2014 07:16 PM
For several days, and maybe a couple of weeks, the video is embedded in the front page of the Surf Rock Music website:
http://www.surfrockmusic.com
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Mar 05 2014 07:42 PM
Squid wrote:
For several days, and maybe a couple of weeks, the video is embedded in the front page of the Surf Rock Music website:
http://www.surfrockmusic.com
Congratulations! That's really great.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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deepeddy
Joined: May 19, 2009
Posts: 1263
Austin, Tejas
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Posted on Mar 06 2014 09:42 AM
I'll be playing an unreleased Insanitizers track on my North Sea Surf Radio show on Sunday at 1 PM CDT. You should check it out.
— Ted James
Deep Eddy Records http://www.deepeddy.net
The Nematoads http://www.nematoads.com
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 08 2014 05:49 PM
deepeddy wrote:
I'll be playing an unreleased Insanitizers track on my North Sea Surf Radio show on Sunday at 1 PM CDT. You should check it out.
It's another "Clapton meets Link Wray" impression. Michael wails intense classic rock solos while I twang Link Wray style riffs as support. Drummer Don W. delivers cymbal shots that suggest a ray gun at appropriate yet unpredictable moments. So we call it W-RAY GUN.
Another reason to Tune To Ted.
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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DaveyDinner
Joined: Mar 27, 2014
Posts: 24
Oakland
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Posted on Mar 27 2014 05:54 PM
Sounds Good Squid!
I too often play alone, and when I play with my band it just a duo, me and drums, so sounding "BIG" is essential. Any tips? I use an Ampeg SuperJet 50Watt amp with just a homemade Orange Squeezer and a EHX Cathedral reverb. The Orange Squeezer compressor as I have it setup isn't all that squishy, more of a clean boost that fattens up the sound and, along with a heavy dose of accutronics spring reverb, gooses the amp.
Fatness from the squeezer, gobs of reverb from the Cathedral and a big honkin amp do the trick for me, but i've heard about the BBE Sonic Stomp filling the void from a bassless band.
Squid wrote:
deepeddy wrote:
I'll be playing an unreleased Insanitizers track on my North Sea Surf Radio show on Sunday at 1 PM CDT. You should check it out.
It's another "Clapton meets Link Wray" impression. Michael wails intense classic rock solos while I twang Link Wray style riffs as support. Drummer Don W. delivers cymbal shots that suggest a ray gun at appropriate yet unpredictable moments. So we call it W-RAY GUN.
Another reason to Tune To Ted.
— "We spent the last 50 years mired in the 1960s, let's spend the next 50 years mired in NOW!" - Principle Skinner
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wfoguy
Joined: Dec 11, 2011
Posts: 2136
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Posted on Mar 27 2014 06:17 PM
One of the things that I find important about musicians is: are they having fun? Do they look like they find joy in what they play? If they look like it's a 9-5 job or they just got a gig at the mortuary, how's the audience supposed to react???
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 27 2014 09:00 PM
wfoguy wrote:
One of the things that I find important about musicians is: are they having fun? Do they look like they find joy in what they play?
I was having fun. Sometimes I was not able to smile because all my attention was on the guitar. Still you are right that you need to look as if you are having fun.
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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Squid
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Posts: 1019
Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Mar 27 2014 09:05 PM
DaveyDinner wrote:
I too often play alone, and when I play with my band it just a duo, me and drums, so sounding "BIG" is essential. Any tips?
For sounding big I find Hank Marvin's method useful. Plenty of delay and compression. Beyond this I use guitars with long sustain (or I modify them to have long sustain). Since about 2010 I quit using overdrive except on a few selected songs.
— Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
Last edited: Mar 27, 2014 21:10:04
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