Satan and Adam had a great weekend at the Johnnie Johnson Festival in Fairmont, WV and I got all of the first two days' sets on HD. I'll be uploading some clips over the next week. I learned, among other things, that my Kay 703 is a killer amp, small as it is, when miked up on a big stage. I used it in tandem this weekend with a ratty old Silvertone that had a great sound. But the Silvertone was purely for stage volume, off to the far side of the stage; the Kay was the only one we miked up. The sound company used a Sennheiser (609 or 906, I'm not sure which), and once again, the sound is exactly what I like. Plenty of overdrive on the small amp when I bear down, but the natural harp sound is always available when you back off.
Here's the first clip. This was our first big-stage festival gig as a duo (without a drummer) in 14 years, and this was the third song on the first evening. We hadn't played together in seven months. And yes: I'm playing drums with my feet. The kick is a great deep sound, but you need headphones to hear that:
You know its always really interesting to me when you hear clips of Adam playing slower. Seems most of the clips that get posted are of the quicker tunes. I am digging hearing him lay back in the pocket on something slower.
Yo, how's about puttin some grease on dat der tambourine ! come on ña, stick it in a bucket :º) ---------- Sun, sun, sun Burn, burn, burn Soon, soon, soon Moon, moon, moon
You sounded great live! It was a real pleasure to meet you and Mr. Satan. And I can't thank you enough for the workshop. Means a lot to a wannabe like me!
That's sweet indeed. This HQ material is cool as hell too Adam.
And it seems like Satan is more solid than in the last couple of years (perhaps playing outdoors is better for him as well?), and you're more comfortable drumming. And you seem to also have the new speed down on a now comfortable level - doesn't seem hasted no more (like it sounded to me sometimes in the last couple of years). Syncopation is back in the house and hitting my groove-genes.
I miss you hopping around though! Still, from someone who doesn't know what he's talking about: a very full: congrats!
Last Edited by on Jul 18, 2012 2:07 PM
Our videographer/roadie, Kevin Moore, recently uploaded this vid. This was a singular performance. On the third day of our three-day residence at the festival, I thought I'd change things up. So as the first or second song of the day, I suggested "Oh She Was Pretty," aka "Seventh Avenue," a song that we played for many years on the streets and in the clubs and also on MOTHER MOJO, but a song that we hadn't performed since 1999. One of our songlist staples back in the day, but a song that it has seemed that Sterling had completely forgotten how to play.
Amazingly, when I laid down the groove, he immediately picked up on it. What made this more remarkable was the fact that the double-time right-foot rhythm I'm doing here is one I had never executed before this moment. I'd done the double-time thing with the tambo pedal, but not with the tambo pedal and snare drum simultaneously.
Weirder still, the chords that Sterling is playing are NOT the chords that he used to play during all those years that we performed the song. So early in the song, my ears told me that I had to make some adjustments.
That's a lot of juggling! So what I did was simply let my feet motor on, keeping the groove as steady and consistent as I could. And the truth is, that's the old Mississippi way: keep the dance-groove happening, don't acknowledge visibly that there's any discord, and somehow the song gets played.
Speaking personally, the song was filled for me with a rare and special feeling, a kind of summer's-day euphoria, as though we were emerging from our own graves to make sweet music once again. I don't know if that comes through at all. To anybody with ears, it's apparent that he and I aren't quite together on the harmonic background. I'm not always soloing to the changes that he's laying down. But I can't help feeling that none of that really matters. I'm really happy that Kevin got this recording. I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm going to find some other things to put with this groove.
Adam, I've just been looking through the forum for something to listen to and play along with in my lunch break. This did the trick, I was feelin it and playing along even hitting some of the same notes your playing lol. Great job you two.
