Last night, in preparation for a recording session, I changed a few drum heads and organized some things. Its a therapeutic experience, bringing new life and sound to some drums, learning more about your instrument. But this is kind of a special session, so I decided to do something I’ve been on the fence about for a long time, I will bring the Elvin Jones drum.
If you know me, and theres a very big chance of that if you’re reading this, you understand that this is my most prized posession on earth. I bought it from the late legend’s wife Keiko, in their Central Park West apartment, one year after he passed. Her one condition was “You have to play it, I won’t let collectors in here, you must play it”. And I’ve kind of let her down. Theres always that struggle when you have something like that. When I’d hear of some collector buying a Hendrix Strat for nearly a million dollars, I think “man, you can’t just let that sit, you have to play it!” But….when you get it in your hands, you don’t want to damage it, its not like you can go to Guitar Center and get another.
The drum is nearly immaculate. From what she told me, I think he played it on a few sessions, then it looks as though it never left his apartment. Old drums in this color, which they called Champagne Sparkle, would often fade to a ginger ale type color, from exposure to light and things like that. The only way to tell, is to remove the drum heads to see if the color underneath the rim matches, since its not exposed. Kind of like in that Thomas Crown Affair movie, where they identify paintings from the 1/8 inch border beneath the frame. Anyhoo…the head on there is the original calf skin gretsch logo head, beater marks on it, its a little worn. This is a big part of the original sound, and the most easily broken part, so it has been decided that I should remove that head, save it, and replace it with a newer one. This was going to be a delicate process, as heads of this type will sometimes stick to the shell, and tear upon removal, a result I am not willing to accept.
So, I put on my white lab coat, silk gloves, protective hazmat suit, goggles, and got to work. My theory of the head having never been removed proved to be true. It was a sight to be seen. There was no discoloration on the wrap at all, CRAZY!! I also managed to move the original head milli-millimeters at a time, so it stayed in tact. The drum was made in 1968, and the interior is spotless. The air had not been released in 40 years. The room filled with a definite vibe the minute the head was off. There is a felt strip used to muffle the batter head, it was still a pristine white color- these turn brown from god knows what when exposed. The orange gretsch sticker with blue pen writing is clear as ever, and the signature silver Gretsch paint is spotless. Yes, the vibe I felt may have been the toxic fumes from lead paint escaping, but I didn’t mind. I replaced one bent tension rod, reassembled and set it with the rest of a kit.
I just read an interview with Smokey Hormel, one of my 3 favorite living guitar players, who said that you have to play what a particular instrument tells you to play. I feel this is especially true with older instruments of any type. When this drum was set up, it refused to give a thud-rock-kick drum sound. It flat out refused. I asked nicely, tuned it in every way possible, changed pedals, materials, dampening techniques, everything. Its response was “do you know who I am?” My response was “I apologize sir, I should have seen your name on our exclusive nightclub guest list” We then came to an agreement, accepted each other for who we were, and lived harmoniously. Well, I mean, we played as much jazz as I am capable of doing, which could fill maybe a shot glass. But still, all was well in the universe.
Overall, it might not be the right choice for the recording, but it will be interesting to have it there, just in case. Maybe we’ll all step up our playing just a bit in its presence.
Sometimes, there is a sandwich so delicious, so well put together, it just makes all the others ponder their existence. Maybe the other sandwiches need to go back to grad school, get out of the real world for a bit, lay low, get some grant money and fund some research. The sandwich I’m talking about, is of course, Cuban. There are so many factors that go into a delicious sandwich, that its easy to go wrong. Giant meatball hero, bread gets soggy. Cheesesteak….cheese not properly melted. But in this case, everything fit into place. The ingredients lived in perfect harmony on a roll fit to support them. It being 10am, I will stop typing, because lunch time is a world away.
Prior to Wilco, I saw Bobby McFerrin at Carnige hall. I’d never been in this room before, the acoustics were like none other. The setup was Mcferrin on vocals, and 2 guys he had just met playing a variety of instruments, purely improvisational. We all remember him from “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, and I imagine that haunts his dreams. But then again, I’m sure the giant house he bought because of it provides a nice venue for those dreams to be haunted in. His voice is not so much a voice, as it is some previously unheard chameleon like instrument, able to adapt seamlessly to any situation. When he sings some pop music, it doesnt sound like an opera singer trying too hard, when he sings opera, it doesn’t sound forced. Out of pure self indulgence, here is the band I would like to hear him sing with:
Mcferrin- Vocals
Stanton Moore-Drums
Cyro Baptista-Percussion
Victor Wooten-Bass
John Medeski-Keyboards
Nels Cline-Guitar
Now, lets take a minute to imagine what this would sound like. Sure, Wooten would play an all too elaborate bass solo, but we can forgive him for this. Other than that, I see no holes in this plan. Can we call Bob Geldorf to make this happen? Maybe Al Gore? Excellent, I’ll get back to you.
I’d also like to use this venue for an acoustic performance. Just get a band together and have everyone balance their own dynamics. Drums with brushes, upright bass, acoustic guitar, full horn section, Marimba. Maybe we’d need one big mic out in front to pick up everyone like those bluegrass bands do, but I find this perfectly acceptable. I just need a marimba player.
Not the best ever, but check out that clear acrylic drum set, and wooden Vox on the right! Well, I decided to listen rather than take serious pictures, these are my 3 non blurry shots.
Wilco are the coolest uncles you never had. They strike that perfect balance between a dark secret past, and a wholesome goodness quality that wouldn’t make you uneasy leaving them to babysit your youngins. When you see them at the family bbq, they would give you a slightly outdated and complicated handshake, but its not at all awkward. They’re pretty much Uncle Jesse. To put it lightly, they are the greatest band in the world.
Last night I drove up to New Haven to see the crew, you can’t go wrong with a sunday night road trip. The date was early on their tour, just a few nights after they played their entire catalog during a 5 night run in Chicago. The Theater was a small Broadway type house, our seats were excellent, the sound was perfect. My traveling companion (is nine years ollld….sorry Paul Simon) fell asleep the minute we hit the road, so I took it as an opportunity to catch up on This American Life episodes, taking in the scenery on the Merrit Parkway.
While recent performance have been stellar, the set lists have drawn strongly from the last 3 albums, a fact which bothers some. I don’t mind too much, its just that sometimes you want to hear something off Summerteeth. This problem has been solved. They opened with several Mermaid Avenue Woody Guthrie songs, covered a few selections from each album, even touched on the dreaded AM. The Tweed’s voice seemed shaky at first, but improved as the night went on, I’ve never seen something like that happen, but I guess when you’re superhuman, it’s all kosher.
I would describe playing music with other people like this; The entire group is holding one of those giant beach blankets used to throw someone into the air, a-la a 1960’s era beach party movie. It takes everyone being on the same page but at a different point to fling this swimsuit clad beach goer skyward. It feels awkward, but eventually you get the hang of it. Sometimes musically, its just not working, everyone is slightly off, or not doing their part, you want to throw a snare drum at someone, nothing stays in tune. Watching Wilco, these actions seem effortless. Their control of dynamics seems nearly telepathic. Each band member is operating in their own universe, sometimes playing very far out there, but they clearly recognize everything happening around them.
The finest example of this is Nels Cline. His guitar solos have brought this band to a place no one on earth would have expected even 5 years ago. His melodic sensibility feels like Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker, and Eddie Van Halen mixed into one. He also looks like the living version of a stick figure- perfect posture, extreme twig, short pants exposing his awesome striped socks with hiking boots. He’s developed this new technique, lets name it “The Flame Thrower” (copyright steve weiss 2008) where he gets some sort of feedback going, then basically lunges toward the amp, turning so the guitar is facing the speaker, causing maximum feedback. Its phenomenal.
I found this on flickr, My pics are at home still in the camera, this is from the evening though:
Doesnt he look like a stick figure? Also check out that Parlor Martin acoustic. YEAH!
By far, the highlight of the evening was “Pot Kettle Black” early on in the set. When you hear it on the Yankee Hotel, its a driving thing, badass vocals, slightly cryptic lyrics, overall a beautiful piece of music. But as the band has evolved, apparently they decided this song needs to make you feel like you’re floating in a giant bathtub filled with happiness, using a loofah made of solid genius. The water is also the temperature of innovation, I thought I’d throw that in. They slowed down the tempo, Nels played most of the marimba parts on an electric 12 string, and instead of getting louder on the pre choruses, they got QUIETER!!!….!!!! Yes, I know, revolutionary. Theres a little section before the last chorus on the recording where a really cool marimba solo happens. This time, they replaced it with a dual guitar solo/melody between Nels and Tweedy. I think my heart stopped beating for the 2 measure duration of this section. I started laughing hysterically and yelled “WHAT??” as soon as it happened. Those around my probably took this as a Lil John imitation, thinking “who brought the asshole?” but I was seriously amazed and bewildered. Really, I have not heard something that beautiful in a very long time.
They also started the encore without their 2nd keyboard player, and didn’t realize until a few verses in. It was a good moment, and i’m sure it was the largest crowd response he ever got when returning to the stage. I guess that happens with 6 people.
I know, I’ve got a problem when it comes to this band. The thing is, they really haven’t let me down yet. The albums have steadily evolved as well as the live show, it keeps your interest. I’ll be the first to say if a performance is sub par, it just hasn’t happened yet.
Several other musical events have occurred, but I felt Jeff and Co deserved their own complete thought.
Today, we celebrate our presidents. The way I am celebrating them, as many of you are, is by working. At least the commute is easy today.
One concern I’m having is this weather. Its 60 degrees today, no jacket necessary, but tomorrow, its supposed to drop below freezing again? I’ve asked many times before and I will ask once again, where is Al Gore on this shit? Although I may not love the freezing weather, I’m definitely not ready for it to be spring just yet, it doesn’t feel right. Can we talk to the Chinese Olympic crew in charge of weather manipulation? I believe they are the only ones who can help in the matter.
Recently, there has been a great amount of live music happening. This week is extremely promising, although I do not want to jinx it. There are always those situations where you think “Oh man, this show is gonna be the BEST show ever! EVERRR!” Then its just mediocre, and the house band at the Moroccan restaurant you ate at before the show turns out to be the greatest thing you’ve ever heard. But in this case, I don’t mind hyping it up just a bit, there will be a Tweedy and Co road trip up to the CT, for the first Wilco show of 2008. For more on my love for this band, see 85% of the entries on this here web thingy.
Side note- I just saw some pictures from their opening night of this tour, and Jeff and I have to have some words. He’s playing a rosewood telecaster. Just because you are a great guitar player who writes wonderful songs and makes a lot of money, does that mean YOU have to get all the best frikkin gear? Damnit man, come on.
Lets discuss the Mix CD while we’re at, shall we? In my earliest days, I was a huge proponent of the Mix Tape. Yes, actual cassettes. From the ages of 10-17 (I didn’t own a CD burner until college…) I would get myself some Maxell XLII’s, set up with my record player and stack of CD’s, creating the ultimate compilation for those closest to me. Mixing mediums, tearing it up. Side one could open with Little Feat’s “Time Loves a Hero”, a little vinyl crackle in there for character, and close with the Black Crowes “Shake Your Moneymaker” from the beacon theater, 96. BOOM. At times, I would also tape over my parents old cassettes, because I liked the tape hiss. Yeah, you know it adds to the overall effect.
There was something to be said about this linear way of putting together music for others. Each song was serious, because you had to listen to the whole thing to get it on the cassette. If you wanted to change it, you had to start over. There’s that great scene in High Fidelity talking about the mix, so I won’t repeat it here. I will say though, in this non-linear-editing world we have come to live in, some meaning has been lost. You hit shuffle on itunes, the order is decided for you. Recently, some of the crew have started circulating mix cd’s. It brought me a feeling of joy, akin to hearing a Stanton Moore Drum Solo. This is something I am taking very seriously, as I prepare my reply. I’ve done 2 rough draft cd’s, and I think I’m finally ready to go.
It’s currently 12:34, consecutive time, and I’m waiting for 2 large files to upload, so why not spend a little time with the blog? Its sort of an open question, answer if you’d like. This is going to be a serious ramble, so if youre not up to it, just go back to yahoo or perez hilton or something. It has been quite a day, everybody to the limit (I’m resisting a fghwads reference). There are times when you feel torn, wishing every day would be as hectic as possible, or just wanting peace and quiet, I guess each has its place. Let me explain.
Today I pulled off a feat of work that would have made McGuyver’s head spin. Making an airplane out of duct tape and a wrapping paper tube? Childs play, Mac, childs play. I was able to work at 3 different jobs, visit my 4th, shop for an amplifier, and see a show all in the same day. I know, you’re all like, soo impressed.
It started at the normal studio, nothing eventful there, so lets keep going. Yesterday I got a call to do a recording at a restaurant in Midtown (they never tell you the subject until you have confirmed) luckily, things in springfield had quieted down, So it was possible. I was to record the winner of Best In Show at the West Minster Dog Show. Yeah. Apparently they feed the winning dog steak on a silver platter at this fancy restaurant. They sent me a list of names and numbers, told me a time and address, and I was off to the races.
Those familiar with me will know of my great love for punctuality. I enjoy being on time. I think its from hearing something about Keith Richards, he would always show up first to rehearsals and recordings. So, they told me 234 34th street. Very simple, I get to the general area 30 min early, and hang out around the corner. What I neglected to do, was walk by the location just to make sure- i mean, thats overkill, right? Well steven, no, its not. The place was actually on 44th street. Even though I arrived at the supposed location 15 min early…When i couldnt find it I called to confirm and realized the error. Running was not an option, It was pouring, and I had loads of gear. Neither were cabs, 8th avenue was dead stopped. So, I walked as briskly as one can, dodging tourists with umbrellas, possibly as dangerous as a hippopotamus with a rifle (exactly). Finally, upon arrival, I figure out where to go, I’m a complete mess, and the room is packed with press. Dudes with cameras, reporters, it was hilarious. And in the middle of it, there is the winning Beagle, Uno, just kickin it, prancing around the floor, doing his thing.
Steve Albini, a great enginner, once said “it is every recording engineers greatest fear that everyone will suddenly realize he has no idea what he’s doing” and this is exactly how I felt. These type of things are usually in a quiet room, with a land line, a specified amount of time, things like that. In this case, I set up my way-too-large-for-the-situation rig on the bar in this room, somehow find the dude (i still don’t know what he did, maybe he ran the dog show? He had a huge diamond ring and dog shaped cuff links on), frantically call NPR, and get put on hold as he’s sitting there, with a gazillion other people wanting to talk to him. My head has puffed up to a complete frizz, I’m soaked from the rain, and this dude does not look comfortable waiting around. Finally they pick up, I throw my cell phone at him, and hold a mic up to his face. The interview it self was uneventful. I tried to get some audio of the dog like they asked, but he was extremely quiet. I did get to pet him though, he seemed like a good dog, In another situation, I’m sure we would have been friends. Here’s a macbook photobooth picture:
You can sort of see him, its the best I could do. Upon leaving, the producer calls, and says, “when can you upload this to us?” I’m all like “later tonight?” he’s all, “it goes on the air this afternoon, homes” I’m all….shit. I have no internet access. I make a frantic call to my favorite audio professional, Duke, and luckily I can run to his studio. This was my first work for “All Things Considered”, so I couldn’t look like the jackass I really am.
So, thats out of the way. I had planned to go to 30th street guitars to kill some time, there were 2 BBC interviews scheduled for the early evening. I went to the shop, tried some amps, but they did not have a completely awesome small tube amplifier, I was devastated. As usual, I was taunted by beautiful and expensive instruments.
The BBC recording was the complete opposite of the dog fiasco. They arranged for a quiet office in a church uptown, just to contrast, heres a photobook photo of me in front of a Jesus related picture, you can just feel the serenity:
I tried to give a suspicious look. The room was wonderfully quiet, there was a jazz show going on in the main church area (is there a technical name for that?), I saw Kenny Wollensen walking around, who I had just seen a few nights earlier…but there was no time to talk to him sadly, or even give a hi five.
Afterwards, there was another Comedy Type Show featuring the Fountains Of Wayne, which I had gotten tickets to. It was a very different show than last week, more of a free form comedy event. An actress from The Office was supposed to be there reading, but she was replaced…..by one of my favorite This American Life contributers, Starlee Kine (spelling?) which made my night. I wanted to hug her. She wrote the TAL breakup remix song, wonderful stuff. After her, one of the guys from The State wrote a short play, which I was very excited for. The Fountain Dudes play an intro, he comes out and says his voice is a little hoarse, so he brought some actor friends. Well…Paul Rudd played his part, and one girl from Saturday Night Live played the other, very funny stuff. Hi Fives To All The Guys on that one, good performances.
The fountains of wayne vocals struck me again as just being amazingly perfect. These 2 guys were meant to sing together in that way that Crosby Stills and Nash are. Like Santana and Rob Thomas.
I heard an interview saying not to write any sort of online thing when you’re tired, but that’s gone out the window right now. These files have finished uploading, and it is very late. I’m thinking about forming a band to write some beautiful pop melodies, is there anyone out there who can perhaps sing in compliment to my Golden Pipes?
So there’s some holiday called Presidents Day. I don’t know what its all about, I’m not going to celebrate Taft or McKinley more than I do any other day, and I don’t have the energy to Wikipedia it. One thing I do know, is that its the busiest time of year for car dealers. Never one to let a holiday go un-exploited, they expand it to Presidents Week, some even going as far as Presidents Month. I believe they call that Cahones. or Chutspah. Friday seemed to be the calm before the storm, but today was the Storm itself. I did 22 commercials start to finish, it was a little much. Short lunch break, blink, its 4:00. Go Monday. Its still better than Data Entry, which again, I would like to try out in my long career on a path to corporate success.
Also, isn’t it the future already? In the 50’s didn’t they imagine many way cooler things would be happening by now? I was discussing getting some sort of spaceship recently, take a little vacation, but apparently thats still a few years off. Who can I call about this? If Tarn were still the Head Of Weather Manipulation, I’m sure he’d have someone I could call about it.
This same guy posted another video on the tube, the drums get really loud at one point, which I enjoy. You can’t really hear the vocals, but i do like the way we all sort of move at that 2nd big hit:
There are many reasons to live in this part of the country. Besides the food, music is really right up there. Where else on earth can you see nine of the best improvisational musicians in the jazz realm sharing a stage? And also, eat some delicious pulled pork while doing so? Trumpet player Steven Bernstein put together a group to play his “Diaspora Suite” which had some latin roots, some jewish roots, and some other roots I couldn’t quite figure out. The lineup though was very impressive. Bernstein on trumpet, Josh Roseman on Trombone, Peter Apfelbaum on sax (who is my old roommates ex boyfriend and the subject of my first BBC interview…very small world), a clarinet, 2 guitars and a bass, then Kenny Wollensen and Billy Martin both on drum set. Yes, thats quite intense. Here’s a photo:
Wollensen and Martin are behind there somewhere, its hard to get 9 people in a photo. My main dilemma throughout the performance was whether to focus on my dinner or the music. I ate as quick as humanly possible, and prayed the gods of indigestion would take a break until after the set.
The first time I ever drove into Manhattan alone was to see Steve Bernstein play free jazz interpretations of traditional Jewish songs at the now defunct Tonic. Martin was on drums, Medeski on organ, and someone on Tuba who I don’t remember. It most certainly changed my life. I had never heard music so pure and raw. I left thinking, this is what music is supposed to sound like. Minimally amplified, straight from the source, were I to see coltrane back in the day, it would have the same sonic qualities.
Tonight did not have the same impact, but its always beautiful to see musicians interact on stage. Bernstein looks like an excellent band leader, directing everyone with hand gestures, trying to get as much out of them as he can. I’d love to put together the Steve Weiss Big Band one day and do the same. Here is a photo of him contemplating something, it might be the pulled pork at our table:
We’re starting work on a new musical project in the coming weeks, and had our first rehearsal friday night. Its our guitar player’s project, and he has written some incredibly dark, slow, and beautiful music. So, the assembled group gathers at our new rehearsal space for the first time to try out the songs. I bring my brushes (wire…brushes, used instead of sticks to give a lighter sound, heard on many jazz recordings) and we lay back on the tempos, let things float around. But. Just as we do, the band next door chimes in. And oh did they chime in. Their bassist must have the same issues as tiny dudes who drive huge cars, because he was louder than I have ever heard anyone play. It was like Rush meets The Police. The sound actually took over our entire room, creating one giant bass trap, effectively turning the room into an extension of his speaker. It was all you could hear. It was the greatest exercise in concentration I have ever had. Hopefully by the time we get to a wonderfully quiet studio, it will be such a relief that we will play like the Stax records house band or something.
I haven’t posted many of my own photos recently, I was going through my camera and came up with some shots of a band called “The Word”:
I’d first like to call your attention to the difference in size between the guitar and bass player, the 2 dudes in the back. One is literally twice the size of the other. It was hilarious and amazing, here is another photo for closer inspection:
I love it. Little dude, big dude, one band. Excellent. Luther, the guy on the right, is the new guitar player in The Black Crowes apparently, I think I’m seeing them in South Jersey in the near future. Maybe he’s just a really tiny guy. Then there’s this guy:
That kid has some promise on that pedal steel thingy. Hi Five to my point and shoot camera for that one. But also, putting your name on your instrument? I know ginger baker had 2 bass drums and wrote half his name on each…its always tempting. But come on Randolph, we all know you mean business, we paid to see you, we know your name. Lets move on.
Last night I attended an interesting show. Not so much a musical performance, more of a comedy thing with a house band. But the house band was Fountains Of Wayne, performing as a duo. I’m guessing this contributed to the event being sold out. The first observation about this band, is that they do not look like typical rock and rollers. They could have easily been some 35 year old software engineers, middle managers, or misc post Gen X slackers. Not ibankers though. They did however, rock the house with some catchy hook filled melodies. None of the hits were played, it was a show about bad relationships, where guests would read essays, so they provided the musical intros. They did play the Red Dragon Tattoo song, which I had not heard previously, what a nice little number. It had not one, but TWO awesome rhymes in the chorus and just enough wit to make up for the fact that there was no guitar solo.
The big surprise though, was that Nelly McCay sat in for one of her own songs. She was sparkly as possible, wearing some crazy ass get-up, platinum blond hair, and a beautiful voice. I’ve never been a big fan of the vaudeville style female vocalists, but with the attitude she includes, I figure she can take a seat in line just behind Jenny Lewis and Cat Power.
Have you ever just wanted to crank up some early 90’s Dr Dre and just kick it? I’m feeling that way right now. Can someone make this happen please?
After the cheese cave, I had one of the longest work days of my life. After a normal day in the studio/office, we had a jazz session booked to start at 5:00. Well, it started and kept going, eventually ending at 1:00. I’m not complaining, it was an enjoyable session. The drummer was a nice guy, we talked about Elvin, I name dropped that I owned his kick drum (as I tell everyone, i mean, i’m just really happy about it, and these musicians are the only ones that can share my happiness. everyone else is like ‘yeah, whuteva’) and we became fast friends. So, that was that. I was not able to participate in the following nights continuation due to a previous comitment, but I figured much of the same would happen. So, I come into work that next day, and ask my boss about it. He goes “yep, they were here until 4:00am. Wow. Seriously, my hat off to Ed for tearing that up. I am not allowed to complain about long hours, he was back in the studio at 9:30. (it is at his house, but still)
Over the years, I have worked in some strange situations. Although my love and aspirations for the corporate life have been stated repeatedly on these pages, it is interesting to move around a bit out of the traditional office. Most of these jobs have been recordings for public radio interviews or some variation on that. Recordings were done in Diners in queens, hospitals in the Bronx, sweltering churches in the deep south, auto shop garages, penthouse apartments overlooking central park…all sorts. But yesterday, it was by far the strangest and most challenging of all.
Before this, the cake was taken by a documentary on Gospel music. It was a church in Chicago, a giant choir and traditional preacher were kickin it on stage, along with Steven Weiss, crouched under the piano on the opposite side of the stage, for a 3 hour sermon. Praise Jesus indeed. But yesterday, I was sent to an exotic location on the west side of Manhattan for some Queso Spelunking. Yes my dear, the recording was to take place in a cheese cave. Ironically, I had eaten at a cheese centric restaurant just days before which contained a cave. I thought, if I were to be able to explore one more type of cave in my life, it would be a cheese cave. Forget stalactites, stalagmites, give me some gruyere.
Several obstacles arise when recording in a cheese cave. 1 is power, 2 is noise, 3 is smell. The first 2 were solved easily, 1- extension cord, 2- deal with it, talk louder interview guy, 3……got a little tricky. A cheese cave does not smell like you would expect. That is to say, like cheese. As the queso ages, I learned that a bi-product is Ammonia. Yes, the cleaning type chemical. Mix this with the smell of aging cheese, and its a little difficult to breathe, not kidding. Still, this did not deter me from trying to roll out a 90lb wheel when leaving with my equipment, but unfortunately I was stopped by 2 armed guards and forced to return the pilfered dairy product. Its also pretty damn cold in there. 38 degrees in not the usual recording environment. There I was, in a hair net and booties (should the health inspector come in…) crouched uncomfortable on the concrete floor (there are no chairs in caves) Laptop up against a wall, wondering why its not so easy to breathe in here….hmmm. Well, I did learn a lot. Did you know that finer cheese are given baths in various types of alcohol brine to help the aging process? They also must be turned frequently while in the caves to prevent moisture from settling. Yes, much to learn.
I finally assembled my storage system in my badass Pelican case to hold some microphones and pre amps, It is truly fantastic. I’m confident this case could get run over by several vehicles and still do pretty well. It is 2 feet high, so I don’t think I really have to worry unless its some sort of Semi truck, even then, the odds are pretty good. Yes, I find cases interesting, accept it, love me for who I am.
