How many musicians do we have here at LH?

[johnaec]

I hope I didn’t offend you, John.

Nah - the band loved it! They wanted print-outs! Seriously!

John

[JBL 4645]

Nah - the band loved it! They wanted print-outs! Seriously!

John

LOL I guess this will boast their sexual ego with the wives now. (Oh, come hare Sean). Print it out on A5 size paper!

[3dbdown]

Blues harp, and Bass........Blooz Bass!

[indycraft]

Where have the years gone?

[Doc Mark]

Hi, Bart,

Man, those are some fantastic photos of "the old days"!! Your group looks great, and seeing those threads you are all wearing really "makes me smile"!! Our groups looked very similarly, back then, and like you, we had a ton of fun playing all the great horn-band tunes that were popular at that time!! To me, there is nothing much more exciting than hearing a great horn-band! Thanks for sharing your trip down memory lane. I may have to go down into the Hobbit Hole and see if I can dig out any old band photos to share, too. Ohhhhh, that would be a daunting task, as the HH is a really crammed full of junk!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[snerty]

Hi, my names Bryan and I'm a professional sax player. Played and recorded with many of the "big acts" and/or stars. Got a few CD's out on a small jazz label. Fortunate enough to make a living at it. Anyway, jumped in the thread because of the Tower of Power references. Back in the mid-90's my friend John Scarpula was playing the solo Tenor chair, So I got invited to go hang with the guys. Nothing like you would imagine the band to be like. Doc Kupka was strapping on all kinds of things on for hernias, bad back,etc.. No booze allowed backstage to avoid temptation. Very mellow scene. Rocco was such a sweet guy. Got to talking about the gig and how his bass playing was so distinctive. He just said it was because he played guitar,and that's how a frustrated guitar player plays bass. Very cool guy.The gig was at the Supper Club in NYC. so Lenny Pickett showed-up to play and see his old buddies. It was a good night.

[Doc Mark]

Hey, Bryan,

Good to hear from you, and welcome to LH! Your thoughts on TOP mirror my own thoughts on how things got better over the years. To me, the version you met, and later ones, were actually better than the original versions, simply because they got serious about the music, and out of the traps that had messed things up in the early years. I'm very proud of them, one and all, and they are still one my most favorite bands!

So, how can we hear some of your music, Bryan? In what style do you record your stuff? Some of the sax players I like are Tom Scott, Dave Koz, Wayne Shorter, Kim Hutchcroft (Seawind), Michael Brecker, amongst many others.

Thanks for putting in your two cents on the TOP thing, too! Great stuff. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[snerty]

Hi Doc, my style of playing is an amalgam of my favorite musicians. Some of them would be Coltrane, Ornette, Brecker, Grossman,etc.. But I tend to favor the post-Bop thing. I have three releases on Blue Canoe Records. One as the Bryan Lopes Trio, then Megaphone Man, and Megaphone Man Live in Berlin. Other records are with T. Lavitz ,Jeff Sipe's Apt. Projects,etc..
You can check out Bryan Lopes Trio on Myspace to get an idea. I'm honestly not trying to sell or plug anything. You asked and I figured I'd tell you a few of the things I've done. Hopefully the administrators won't think I'm trying to sell stuff through this thread

[jeenie67]

Began in the 60'...school dances..no one knew what to make of this skinny little kid with a wall of amps when they all played through little Fender's, Kent's, and Premiers etc. ( I had a music store that specialized in band instruments and guitars way back in the early 60's on the end of my street, my wonderful fate!). Never had a good stick though till I started to work. One of the first guitars of note was a Fender Broadcaster for $75 beat to sh*t. Traded it as I've traded every one back n' forth. First set up at that time was a Fender Bandmaster with two cabinets ( was able to buy it on installments with my first job as a dishwasher) y-corded to an Ampeg B-12 powering a Leslie speaker (borrowed forever). Plus I jump corded to a Sears Silvertone twin Twelve (given to me by a friend who couldn't really play). Played a Harmony mini Gibson 335 lookin' thing w/ two pickups. It did the job. It's been fun and one experience after another all my life. Quit high school and went to New Jersey with a classmate to play with his former band (his family moved here to Buffalo because of his dad's promotion at work) The other guitarist and drummer attended Julliard...the bassist was the strangest, but best of em' all, nuts like me! Learned how to drive in NY City where all our gigs were in his dad's second car, a 1955 Chevy 4-door station wagon loaded with our gear. Randy (bassist) guiding me all the way...smokin' a joint and sittin' on a blanket so I looked normal...?.....After returning home (was under aged) I've played every bar and club here in Buffalo at one time or another. Hit every open mike the last few decades and just recently acquired my current setup. A 1985 Fender Evil Twin, Vox AC15, Dean Guitars practice amp, and some Peavy, just a small one, amp. Play a Paul w/PAF's, 1960's pots, caps, and a put-it-together from parts, all 60's Strat with a maple neck. Jam and sit in still... and unmercifully beat these guitars with authority....better than a workout at the gym! Putting something together with the dude downstairs from me (bass) and looking for a female guitarist and percussionist. Serious, but only to play out occasionally once or twice a month; studies come before anything period! What a hell-of-a ride! Wouldn't trade a moment of it ever !!!

[rgwalker]

[quote=Doc Mark;226348]Greetings, All,

In a recently defunct thread, Neanderthal asked me a question about my former life as a professional musician. I responded, and asked for his own story. Then, the thread, which actually had nothing to do with any of that, was closed, which was probably for the better. But, I am still interested in hearing Neanderthal's story, and also from any others of you that play(ed) music. So, I am copying the original post here, and would very much like to hear how many of you are musicians. How many of you have played music, professionally, at some time in your life? How many still do so? If you used to play for $$, do you still play music at all? If so, what kind? Please share your personal situation, fellow musicians! Thanks, and God Bless!
------------------------------------------

I played electric bass as a pro from 1967 to 1979 and I don't gig anymore but I haven't stopped playing and jam regularly with friends.

I have documented a portion of my career, along with 130+ recordings, on a website www.walker-entertainment.com

Bob Walker

[opimax]

I played trumpet from 4th to 7th grade(still have it) and was switched to Tuba/Sousaphone because I was so poor at trumpet and the biggest guy in school. I managed to get up to "less than average" on tuba by the time I left high school. I never learned to play a note that wasn't written on paper. I then learned to play the stereo and have gotten decent at that finally about 3 years ago but more work is still needed

Mark

[eyedoc]

Hi all, haven’t been around for awhile, but it is nice to see that the fun has not changed, still with great threads!
Bass player for 30+ years here. Long history of orchestral (acoustic) bass as well as plenty of jazz (from big band/dance bands to old school trio work) and rock/pop playing and a little recording work as well. Played piano before that. I guess I probably have to come clean with my tuba playing in high school, but I may not admit that part in the court of law….

After reading through the ‘what’s “real” bass’, I thought about responding there, but it seems like an older link that has made it’s run...

Anyway, add me to the list that carries the bottom end in sound reproduction as well as production.


eyedoc

[Doc Mark]

Hey, Eyedoc,

Good to hear from you, and also from the other guys! As a drummer/singer, I have always been happily tied into whatever our bass player was doing. To me, bass does not sound "real", or "natural", unless it sounds like it did when I was up on stage, with the bass player and his amp right next to me!! Others might consider that to be "too much of a good thing", but not me! With upright bass, I want to "feel" the bow being drawn across the strings, or the strings being plucked. If I can't feel it, then that neither sounds, nor feels real to me.

As I eyedoc from Indiana, I wonder if you might know a few fellows in the eyewear industry, who do, or have done, things for historical reenactors? We have two such Gentlemen with whom we've done business over the years. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[JSF13]

"To me, bass does not sound "real", or "natural", unless it sounds like it did when I was up on stage, with the bass player and his amp right next to me!! Others might consider that to be "too much of a good thing", but not me!"

As a former drummer know exactly what you mean.Also prefer that "sittin behind the horns" sound as opposed to sitting in front of them if you get my drift.


Tower of Power

[jerry_rig]

For what it's worth, I play bass in various groups in and around New York. Lately, I've been in a Grateful Dead cover band. Before that, it was a Pink Floyd tribute. I have several custom shop type basses, including three Laklands and a Ritter. Three of these are five-string basses. My bass rig has enough juice to make your pants flutter at 30 feet, particularly in larger spaces.

I started playing guitar in 1966 in St. Louis after seeing the Beatles live at Busch stadium. I switched to bass in 1971 and played in a folk rock group for the next five years. Then stopped altogether, went back to college and earned a doctorate in economics. That brought me to NY and Wall Street. Now, I'm back to discovering my roots and reviving my early fascination with JBL: When I was 18, I built my first custom cabinets, based on a D123, LE20 and LX2. Later, around 1974 I built a nice PA out of JBL pro stuff. So I've come full circle. More than you need to know, right?