Misc. Gig Recap - Illuminaut at Blunt Bros.

I suppose it’s fitting that my memory of the exact date of my first gig at Blunt Bros is a bit hazy. I’m sure it was sometime in the summer or so of 2000.

We were Illuminaut; myself, Mule Hughes and Smash. Blunt Bros. was located down on Hastings St., across from Victory Square along a kind of 420 row; the Amsterdamn Cafe was next door, I think. Not being 420 friendly, I knew essentially nothing of the venue. (Not that I’m particularly 420 unfriendly, although it irks me that pot smokers seem to have convinced themselves that they don’t fall into the broad ‘smoker’ category, and therefore disdain basic rules of politeness regarding their habit. They’re making a political statement, dude, and thus the rest of us must sacrifice our clean air space for the greater good.)

 Ironically, the air quality in Blunt Bros. was impeccable. There was a little smoking room in the back, but the main seating area was very pleasant. In those days these types of venues would induce all sorts of angst in places like City Hall, and yet to me they seemed like model citizens compared to the kind of miscreant-catering nightspots you’d get out in the straightlaced suburbs.

 I don’t remember much about the setlist. Some instrumental stuff, and some heavier numbers later to appear on the first Stoke album. I think we did well. The sound was especially good, and there was an interested little audience (including a lithe California blonde). For me it was a nice little show. I felt great up on stage; I saw it (and still do) as a modest but genuinely satisfying moment of self-realization, but Mule confessed later in the evening that he’d hated the gig, and had been uncomfortable throughout.

 Afterward, having a chat with some folks, I looked back to the stage to find a small coterie of musical types inspecting the back of my Marshall JCM 800 2 X 12.

 It had just been modified by Mr. Ho of East Vancouver, and it was serving up a very nice shade of overdrive. I’ve never been a purist when it comes to modifying gear. To me, the history of rock is the history of gear mods, with amp makers like Jim Marshall, Paul Rivera, Randall Smith and, yes, Mr. Ho playing the role of invaluable Dr. Frankensteins.

Miscellaneous Gig Recap - Land of Debora on the Sreet

Land of Deborah at Car Free Day Main St. June 17 2012; Make Music Vancouver June 19, 2012.

 It’s neat to play outside. Main St. (at 30th) was like playing at the side of a river, with people passing by instead of water. Enthusiastic enough audience. What was interesting was seeing people you know (but don’t know to talk to) from a completely different context walk by and stop to watch you play. ie. ‘Hey, there’s that lady from the gym!’

 Same thing down at Gastown a few nights later. This time we were on a street corner with a more closely packed-in crowd gathered round. Again, enthusiastic. A bit more challenging due to rackety band down the street as part of the same festival. But a good show nonetheless.

 Got into a bit of an accident on the way home, though. Rear-ended a cab (just barely though; no damage or injury). One of those situations, as a comedian whose name I forget once said, where you know you can make the yellow light, but the guy in front of you chickens out.

A Guiro, Wrath of God

I love percussion in music. I think one band that used percussion very nicely was the Rolling Stones, particularly in their heyday during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

 Perhaps this is due to the influence of Jimmy Miller, himself a drummer, who produced most of the Stones' work from Jumpin' Jack Flash in 1968 through to the Goat's Heat Soup album in 1973. You can often hear various percussive elements on the band's recordings during this era, adding both atmosphere and groove.

 Examples include: Gimme Shelter - Listen to the guiro that comes in at the .09 mark and runs the entire length of the song. Also the maracas, which enter at 2:03. They kick the song into another gear.

 The same thing happens on Jumpin' Jack Flash. The maracas come it at 1:33, and serve the same purpose; emphasizing the pulse of the song while marking the instrumental break.

 Mick Jagger apparently plays the castanets you hear at the outset of Brown Sugar. They come in with the drums at :03, and are repeated twice more before the song launches into the main riff. I believe Brown Sugar was recorded at Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama during the 1969 tour, so this seems to be one piece of percussive work that was outside the influence of Jimmy Miller.

 One of my favourite Stones songs is (Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo) Heartbreaker. You can hear hand drumming mixed fairly low throughout the song. It's subtle, but I think it gives the song a necessary groove injection that serves it well.