kudzurunner
4976 posts
Sep 21, 2014
12:19 PM
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Bluesville has been playing the hell out of Rob Stone's "Wait Baby." I first heard it yesterday and it definitely got my attention. The medium shuffle with a big heavy behind-the-beat feel is terrific, and he's got truly tasty tone. Thinking critically (because that's what I do), I realized after a while that he never touched the top end, holes 8-10, but as contemporary Chicago amped-up harp, squatting right in the middle of a living tradition, it's some of the very best I've heard. He does everything right. Great vocals, too. Highly recommended! (Free preview at the link below.)
http://www.amazon.com/Wait-Baby/dp/B00MMTBYNO
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Sep 21, 2014 12:24 PM
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kudzurunner
4977 posts
Sep 21, 2014
12:30 PM
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Rob's YouTube clips have fewer views than they deserve and I hope we can help that out here. Here's one that I like a lot:
He's got what Stanley Crouch called "the big feeling." He throws himself into it, and that compels attention. Nothing too fancy--but he's got a huge tone, a great groove, and some of the crazy energy that brought me to harp in the first place.
I think that's Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith on the drums, which would help explain why the groove feels so damn good. Actually, no: Willie Hayes on drums. A little quick research tell me that he played with Albert Collins. Nicknamed "the touch." Whew! That, my friends, is a medium-slow shuffle played for keeps.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Sep 21, 2014 12:33 PM
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JTThirty
251 posts
Sep 23, 2014
9:27 AM
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I've got the first two releases from Rob Stone. Both are substantially good. Thanks for reminding me that I need to update the collection.
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Ricky B
http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com
RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N and my blog
THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto
HOWLING MOUNTAIN BLUES--due out early 2015
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The Iceman
2118 posts
Sep 23, 2014
10:22 AM
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Rob Stone plays what I call "No Doubt" harmonica. Solid.
Like the band, but rhythm section is too loud. They are playing the right stuff, but it feels forced out there. Just a slight left hand tweak of their volume controls and they'd have that primitive sound.
What's Rob's story? For some reason, I think I knew or interacted with him a long time ago.
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The Iceman
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barbequebob
2712 posts
Sep 23, 2014
10:35 AM
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Iceman, the band is all miked up and this sounds like the problem you complain about, from personal experience, has more to do with the sound people more than anything else. I remember years ago doing a private party with another band besides mine and the other band was a reggae band, and with those bands, the bass is ALWAYS the loudest part of those bands because that's what drives the groove of that genre and the sound person we used was their sound guy on a PA that the client provided and no matter what the dynamics, since the sound guy was used to doing reggae, the bass was always the loudest, even given the fact that we were using a stand up bass rather than an electric bass.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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The Iceman
2120 posts
Sep 23, 2014
11:33 AM
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hard to tell the set up from the vid...guess I assumed that it was just amps on stage that I was hearing.
am not a fan of most sound guys. Using BOSE PAS Systems sure eliminated that aspect from when I gigged out frequently.
Cute story - we played at House of Blues Orlando, opening for Cassandra Wilson. This was the RB/funk band I was in. Had 2 full BOSE PAS systems on stage to get our sound balanced, etc. Our mixer had 2 outputs. One ran to the BOSE.
Sound guys and monitor sound guys came over hovering around trying to ask what mix we wanted in each monitor and where to mic everything for front of the house sound.
I dismissed the monitor guy - didn't need them or him. To front of house sound guy, I told him to plug one low impedance line into that second output, run it into the FOH board, use flat EQ curve and no effects, and just modulate using his one volume control.
Talk about pissed off sound guys.
Our set sounded crystal clear and fantastic on stage and out front.
Cassandra Wilson's band came out and monitor guys and FOH guys mic'd everything and proceeded to do their sound person stuff.
Her band sounded terrible out front. She uses an acoustic bass and is more low key. FOH sound had bass BLASTING like R&R and everything was too loud.
This is why I love and promote BOSE PAS, as it puts full control of all sound back in the hands of the band.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Sep 23, 2014 11:34 AM
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1847
2212 posts
Sep 23, 2014
11:47 AM
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2 full BOSE PAS
can you elaborate, how many modules in a full system
how many band members did you have.
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money as debt
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Frank
5361 posts
Sep 23, 2014
11:50 AM
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Did you or anyone on Gods green earth get any video footage Larry? would be nice see and hear what your talking about :)
Last Edited by Frank on Sep 23, 2014 11:52 AM
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The Iceman
2121 posts
Sep 23, 2014
11:59 AM
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1847...
2 full BOSE PAS I systems (they don't make these any longer. I prefer these to the II systems - more variations available in the amp/input section).
4 low end bass reproducing speakers.
That night the band consisted of drum, keys/harp, trumpet, guitar, bass and sax. Direct line out of keys/harp, trumpet and sax into mixer. 2 mics on the drum kit and 1 bass drum mic. One mic on the guitar amp.
The band would also go full blown for some shows - everything as above with additional percussionist (mic'd), and a second trumpet direct.
BOSE worked fine for medium sized out door concerts and all the indoor shows.
Mixer was pretty much used to the max and BOSE handled everything with crystal clarity and full bodied sound.
Love those systems.
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The Iceman
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barbequebob
2713 posts
Sep 23, 2014
12:13 PM
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Most of the HOB sound guys are used to doing mainly rock bands and often times just the monitors alone are far too loud. At least in the now long defunct original HOB in Cambridge, MA never had that problem (it was FAR smaller than the rest of the clubs in the chain and booked more blues than all the rest of the clubs combined 10 times over until that one closed in 2004).
Honestly, I doubt it is the system being used and far more likely the sound crew, especially the sound man more than anything else because I've played in venues that had really crappy sound systems where having just the right sound person can do wonders.
I've also been in venues where the stage sound was awful but when walking into the crowd with a wireless set up, everything was absolutely perfect as well as the exact opposite happening.
One of the best sound guys I ever worked with was actually also a heavy metal guitarist by trade BUT he really listened to what was wanted and I had everything I wanted without any fuss and he looked like the stereotypical heavy metal guy.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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1847
2213 posts
Sep 23, 2014
1:20 PM
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money as debt
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The Iceman
2123 posts
Sep 23, 2014
1:55 PM
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That's what it looks like.
Only difference in mine is that I invested in a BOSE small amp to drive 2 of the bass modules so I could stack all four of them in one tower.
This reinforces and gives that low end the most "punch in the gut" feel - more so than 2 on either side. Also looks way cool, and since the low end is non-directional, it really doesn't matter where they are placed.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Sep 23, 2014 1:56 PM
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1847
2214 posts
Sep 23, 2014
4:08 PM
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any complaints from the bass player having to go direct?
that would be awesome to have a guitar player playing thru a very small amp mic'd up
mic the harp thru a champ, run a stereo echo
to the other side. a great sound at a comfortable volume.
no more volume wars..... just music
would love to hear rod piazza thru that.
he just might find more places to play
no longer would it be an emergency situation.
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money as debt
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The Iceman
2126 posts
Sep 23, 2014
4:16 PM
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bass player went through amp, but also line out to BOSE.
No complaints from him. It sounded excellent.
Funny thing about using this set up...of course, towers are behind the band......it causes the band to naturally play at a lower volume because they can hear everything so clearly.
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The Iceman
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wolfkristiansen
326 posts
Sep 23, 2014
6:41 PM
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Back to Rob Stone-- I like his harp, I like his singing. Bluesy, and yes, energetic. Thanks for turning me on to him, Kudzurunner. I didn't know about him. So much music... so little time.
Cheers,
wolf k
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