WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

[JustWendell]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

If you could have one super power what would it be?

Favorite hero, villain, or character?

most useless effect/stomp box you have come across (in terms of tone)?

You sound like the type of instructor I'd like to have someday as I'd rather learn how to maximize my creativity than learn songs by somebody else. Do you have any tips that make you think in a more creative manner?

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

If you could have one super power what would it be?

Favorite hero, villain, or character?

most useless effect/stomp box you have come across (in terms of tone)?

You sound like the type of instructor I'd like to have someday as I'd rather learn how to maximize my creativity than learn songs by somebody else. Do you have any tips that make you think in a more creative manner?

Wow, a superhero one!
Most people with superpowers use them to gain advantage over other people- that kinda sucks. Right about now, I'd love the power to get the right amount of sleep every night.

Favorite hero? Bond. James Bond. The toys. The girls. My god, the girls.

The most useless effect had to be the Sitar Swami- sounded more like a Swami caught in a dryer than a Sitar. That has to win some kind of bad effect award. The Zoom 505 series wins the 'bees in a jar' award, and shame on them for teaching kids that this is what multi-fx sound like.

As far as thinking creatively...well, one thing that helps is get away from the guitar. Go to a museum. Meet visual artists, writers and actors. They are as wacky as we are, but in a different way. Creativity is contagious. Listen to music other than what you would normally listen to. Go see live music, and again, something different than what you play. Meet other musicians who don't play guitar and have no idea what a Les Paul is. Creativity is hard work.
An example: I have done lots of long-form improvisations, so as an exercise, I tried to compose some new music. Not just any music, but really short compositions. This presents a problem- how to come up with a cohesive musical idea that is just 10 seconds long? And then what do you do with such a thing?
Ringtones. Useful, and a fun creative exercise. So over a month, I recorded 20 of them, mostly in stlyes of music I really have no knowledge about. It was fun, I learned what worked over a tiny cell phone speaker, how to use my DAW better, and now, when my phone rings, I know for certain it is mine.
There are lots of small challenges we can present to ourselves, which can help us grow as an artist. Unless you have a teacher or someone is demanding something for a specific musical project, we have to be motivated to push ourselves. If not, we keep repeating. That is fine for a lot of people, but it isn't something I want to listen to.

 

[JustWendell]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Wow, a superhero one!
Most people with superpowers use them to gain advantage over other people- that kinda sucks. Right about now, I'd love the power to get the right amount of sleep every night.

Favorite hero? Bond. James Bond. The toys. The girls. My god, the girls.

The most useless effect had to be the Sitar Swami- sounded more like a Swami caught in a dryer than a Sitar. That has to win some kind of bad effect award. The Zoom 505 series wins the 'bees in a jar' award, and shame on them for teaching kids that this is what multi-fx sound like.

As far as thinking creatively...well, one thing that helps is get away from the guitar. Go to a museum. Meet visual artists, writers and actors. They are as wacky as we are, but in a different way. Creativity is contagious. Listen to music other than what you would normally listen to. Go see live music, and again, something different than what you play. Meet other musicians who don't play guitar and have no idea what a Les Paul is. Creativity is hard work.
An example: I have done lots of long-form improvisations, so as an exercise, I tried to compose some new music. Not just any music, but really short compositions. This presents a problem- how to come up with a cohesive musical idea that is just 10 seconds long? And then what do you do with such a thing?
Ringtones. Useful, and a fun creative exercise. So over a month, I recorded 20 of them, mostly in stlyes of music I really have no knowledge about. It was fun, I learned what worked over a tiny cell phone speaker, how to use my DAW better, and now, when my phone rings, I know for certain it is mine.
There are lots of small challenges we can present to ourselves, which can help us grow as an artist. Unless you have a teacher or someone is demanding something for a specific musical project, we have to be motivated to push ourselves. If not, we keep repeating. That is fine for a lot of people, but it isn't something I want to listen to.

What a great answer, but it does then require a follow up:

Rank the bond actors in order of greatness

Top 5 fav bond girls

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

As far as the Bond actoris, I am far from a purist. I have seen all movies many times- but honestly, I really like the new guy. #2 would be Dalton. #3 would be Pierce.

I like Connery, but even when he was in his 30s, he looked like he was 55- he always seemed too old to be doing all those stunts. Moore was even worse in that regard- I couldn't imagine how those women found him attractive. Moore was the Bond I grew up with in the late 70s/80s too. The movies got a lot better when they had a capable actor playing Bond.

As far as the girls?
For older Bond, I gotta go with the original, Honey Ryder from Dr No.
Melina Havelock from 'For Your Eyes Only' gets a mention too. Both Vesper Lynd and Solange from the recent 'Casino Royale' are serious contenders too.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Dalton is a very underated Bond IMO....

Where and when did you have your greatest on stage moment?

Favourite note on the guitar, and in what position?

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

I don't know if I had a great onstage moment yet- lots of good ones. I think for the longest time, I was the bandleader in every band since high school. So usually I was thinking of directing the band, fixing the sound, a million other things other than music when I was up there.
I gotta say, it was cool in the early 90s, when clubs were either booking the last of the hair metal bands and the first grunge bands, to get up onstage and do a note-perfect rendition of Genesis' "In the Cage" (25 minutes long, baby!) and have the crowd look at us like we were crazy.
Playing improvised music that had violin, guitar, drums (me playing bass notes on guitar synth) at a biker festival in Florida, and having them really like it was kinda cool- all the other bands played classic rock covers.

As far as a favorite note? Low E is good. I like natural harmonics outside the range of the fretted notes fun too, with lots of delay, of course.

 

[The Owl]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

The Owl will take a stab at some questions:

1) If you could be a super-villain, what would you cal yourself, what would you be like and what would be your "Master Plan"?

2) If you were presdient, what would be the first few laws or agendas you would push for?

3) Thunderstorms, cool or scary?

4) Favorite NON-MUSICAL influences?

5) If some band/artist you always admired called and asked you to play for them, would you take the gig? Why or why not?

6) Favorite cartoons?

7) What is the escape velocity of a 1967 SG Special from the Earth's gravity?

And BTW, DEFINITELY agree about the Sitar Swami being the MOST useless effect! That thing sounded like a cross between angry bees and a jet engine on its last legs.

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

What softsynths or hardware synth stuff do you use? I've been looking at synth stuff for a long time now and I've gotten more and more into it. Makes a nice break from guitar and really helps with creativity too.

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

The Owl will take a stab at some questions:

1) If you could be a super-villain, what would you cal yourself, what would you be like and what would be your "Master Plan"?

2) If you were presdient, what would be the first few laws or agendas you would push for?

3) Thunderstorms, cool or scary?

4) Favorite NON-MUSICAL influences?

5) If some band/artist you always admired called and asked you to play for them, would you take the gig? Why or why not?

6) Favorite cartoons?

7) What is the escape velocity of a 1967 SG Special from the Earth's gravity?

And BTW, DEFINITELY agree about the Sitar Swami being the MOST useless effect! That thing sounded like a cross between angry bees and a jet engine on its last legs.

1. Super villian? honestly I don't have it in me...although I could imagine being some kind of Robin Hood type that takes things from the super rich and selfish. I'd call myself 'waffleman', because, you know, who would be scared of a waffleman? they would invite me in, because they would think i brought joy and full tummies to everyone, then BAM, they are on the street corner wearing a barrel for clothes. Bwahahahaha!!!

2. Find a way to bring affordable healthcare to everyone in the US. Being a musician, I don't have health insurance. I can't afford to get sick. Medicine is expensive. I often put off going to the dr because of the cost.

3. In Florida, we have the best Thunderstorms. I mean, crazy storms, usually once a day in the summer- certainly very cool.

4. Non-musical influences? Some great visual artists- like Bosch, or Dali. A great meal. Sitting down with great friends. Watching a lunar eclipse or, in Florida, seeing a shuttle launch. Very inspiring.

5. Possibly. I do this for a living, so I'd be looking at a way to use it to learn or to use to my advantage. You meet lots of people, and in this business, it is certainly word of mouth.

6. Woody Woodpecker. He was a lot more sadistic than Bugs. Although I like Bugs too. Being mean is funny sometimes.

7. It would break apart from the G-forces needed to escape, forcing the owner to look for a more useful guitar and thereby, doing him/her a favor.

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

What softsynths or hardware synth stuff do you use? I've been looking at synth stuff for a long time now and I've gotten more and more into it. Makes a nice break from guitar and really helps with creativity too.

A few things: I use a Brian Moore guitar with RMC pickups. The 13 pin output is sent to a Roland GI-10 converter, and then MIDI'd to a hardware Roland XV-5050 synth. This is then sent to a Mackie 1202 VLZ mixer with one aux send to the Echoplex Digital Pro, and then all mixed with regular guitar and piezo pickups.

For software synths, I use a few: Spectrasonics Atmosphere for ambient pads, Sonik Synth 2 for orchestral and more 'normal' synth sounds, and G-Media's M-Tron, for Mellotron voices and strings.

 

[thucydides]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Ah Dregs of the Earth, I remember that...great record!

Do you remember Tommy Bolin? Worked w/some well know rock groups, but also did a great album w/Billy Cobham, and some solo stuff. Died in 1976, OD, unfortunately.

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Bolin played with Deep Purple on their 'Come Taste the Band' and 'Last Concert in Japan' albums. The studio album was good, although the playing was subdued. The live album was a disaster. By the time he joined DP, he was pretty well gone.

 

[thucydides]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Familier w/Come taste...hadn't heard the live one.

He was opening for Jeff Beck when he died. In Miami (I think), next stop would have been Birmingham, AL, where I was at the time.

Fortunately, I caught him earlier w/the James Gang.

And then Steve Morse ends up in DP!

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

A few things: I use a Brian Moore guitar with RMC pickups. The 13 pin output is sent to a Roland GI-10 converter, and then MIDI'd to a hardware Roland XV-5050 synth. This is then sent to a Mackie 1202 VLZ mixer with one aux send to the Echoplex Digital Pro, and then all mixed with regular guitar and piezo pickups.

For software synths, I use a few: Spectrasonics Atmosphere for ambient pads, Sonik Synth 2 for orchestral and more 'normal' synth sounds, and G-Media's M-Tron, for Mellotron voices and strings.

I haven't yet found the chance to invest in nice guitar-midi gear. I've only been using a couple of keyboards. They really make me think differently when playing them.

Did it take you long to find your equipment for the synth playing? How did you go about it? I've started recently with Cakewalk Rapture and Superwave P8 softsynths. I also have a Roland keyboard for more traditional sounds. I'm looking for new stuff all the time, but it's quite hard to separate the good stuff from the rest, especially when I don't really know how to use them yet.

Also, when you say that you often play the bass lines with the guitar synth; how exactly do you do it?

 

[ginormous]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Not familiar with Ralph Branca...recommendations?

Did a bunch of downtown (NYC) art music in the 80's, "prepared" guitars with unique tunings. Mostly necks with special pup windings. IDK where anything of his might be available today.

 

[Tor]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

What have you done or not done, that you regret the most about?

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

I haven't yet found the chance to invest in nice guitar-midi gear. I've only been using a couple of keyboards. They really make me think differently when playing them.

Did it take you long to find your equipment for the synth playing? How did you go about it? I've started recently with Cakewalk Rapture and Superwave P8 softsynths. I also have a Roland keyboard for more traditional sounds. I'm looking for new stuff all the time, but it's quite hard to separate the good stuff from the rest, especially when I don't really know how to use them yet.

Also, when you say that you often play the bass lines with the guitar synth; how exactly do you do it?

I started very slowly, and bought once piece of gear at a time. I started with a Strat and a Roland GK2a pickup, the same Roland GI-10 converter and a Roland M-GS64 synth.
As far as how I play bass lines...2 ways...either trigger actual bass samples from the strings of the guitar (I usually do this when a dense loop is playing), or with my feet, using my midi pedalboard to play bass notes with my feet.

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

What have you done or not done, that you regret the most about?

I don't regret. I make the best decisions with information I have at the time. And, yes, I have a lot to do yet- a lifetime isn't long enough to do everything. I am pretty young too, so I am really looking foward to what is coming.

 

[Mincer]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

How'd you get those gigs at the TV station?

I just posted today's appearance on in Tips and Clips. This is with my jazzy blues band, much different than my ambient music.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all

Meerkat or prairiedog?