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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Amanda's Roller Coaster thread
Amanda's Roller Coaster thread
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kudzurunner
1895 posts
Sep 30, 2010
5:11 PM
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I'm sure a few folks from the forum are going. Please share your experience. It looks like an amazing weekend.
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Buddha
2523 posts
Sep 30, 2010
5:54 PM
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on my way to pick up some friends from the airport now...
I'm not sure if I'm playing tonight or not. Just yesterday I finally got around to listening to my voicemails and there was one asking if I wanted to play a few tunes tonight. I never responded but I'm going to show up anyway with harp in hand.
I'll show these so called bluesmen how to play blues!
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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kudzurunner
1897 posts
Sep 30, 2010
8:09 PM
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I want some video of you going mano a mano with Dennis, Chris!
I've just taken another look at the schedule for Fri through Sunday, and although the lineups are indeed impressive, I'm surprised at the scheduling. Some acts are being given 15 minutes [sic] to do their thing. Is that a set, or an entreacte? Most acts, including major acts, are getting 30 minutes. A few are getting more than that. Roller coaster is a good name for how that will feel. I wouldn't want to be the stage manager! If things, god forbid, start to run behind, it's going to be hard to keep track. On Sunday, for example, four acts (Scott Dirks, Troy Gonyea, Joe Filisko, Dave Waldman & Johnny Dyer) are scheduled to perform within a one-hour-and-forty-five minute window, with forty-five of those minutes devoted to breakdown and setup. Four 15 minute sets. That's wild. It may be unprecedented. Somebody please tell me how it works out.
Actually, it's not unprecedented. It's vaudeville. That's how vaudeville worked. It's just not something the blues world sees very often.
Last Edited by on Sep 30, 2010 8:11 PM
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Kyzer Sosa
813 posts
Sep 30, 2010
9:09 PM
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Kyzer's Prediction: someones gonna get their feelins hurt.
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Kyzer's Travels
Kyzer's Artwork
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Buddha
2524 posts
Sep 30, 2010
11:33 PM
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I didn't play. The list of players for tonight was over 30 people long and it was simply too loud for me.
Dennis sounded great and to me, he was the only harp player that really stood out.
I met Lazy Lester... he commented on my sound when I was outside demonstrating OBs to some player from LA. Lester refused to believe what I was playing an A harp in the key of Gm and made it sound like a chromatic. So that was the highlight for me.
Otherwise, the arrangements mostly suck. The hotel is about 15 miles from the venue and there is no shuttle.
I spent most of the evening hanging with Ronnie Shellist, Sunnyside Bob and Dennis Gruenling.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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Ev630
756 posts
Oct 01, 2010
3:22 AM
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"I'll show these so called bluesmen how to play blues!"
What a shame your ambition didn't see fruition!
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Buddha
2525 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:29 AM
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I'll have the last word yet EV.
My new mission is to rid the planet of you pesky blues harp players. I handed out "free harps" yesterday but as we all know, nothing is truly free.....
MOOOOWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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Ev630
758 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:35 AM
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I hope your dreams come true! We need to be taught a lesson by the blues master!
What was with the harps? Herpes?
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6SN7
87 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:35 AM
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The schedule for this weekend extravaganza sounds just great and it is my understanding that a movie is going to be shot of all of this. That is probably the reason that the performance slots are limited
Hopefully one of the attendees will blog here. Telling me the arrangements suck, the band is loud and I show a pro how to OB is not really telling us at the forum much.
Once in a lifetime event! Cool! Glad it will be on tape some day!
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 5:38 AM
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KingoBad
415 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:42 AM
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6SN7, where are your freakin' manners?
He told you his opinion, if you wanted more just ask....
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Buddha
2527 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:54 AM
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6sn7
there isn't much to tell. It's blues. Mark Wenner played for over an hour but after the fourth tune he was regurgitating his licks and it was boring.
Then there were three or four total hack players that got up. They sucked.
Then Kim Fields played, he sounded like the old blues records.
Then some more amateurs got up and sounded like shit.
Then Dennis Gruenling got up and sounded great.
Then another wanker got up and sucked so I left at 10:30pm.
Oh yeah then there was a moment where I was outside showing a B Radical to somebody and then I started playing it along with the music. There was a player from LA that told me he thought I was ready for the stage and I should go sign up to play. I declined and told him I didn't want to be part of the amateur jam.
"Oh you're ready man. I have faith in you and I can hear that you got a little blues in you man. Instead of spending all that money on those fancy harps, you got to get up there and play. You can do it. If you don't sign up, I'm going to sign you up. People got to hear that shit you're playing and I bet once you get a taste of the applause you gonna never want to leave the stage. I'm telling you man, you've got a talent and I KNOW you can get up there and blow. I was nervous the first time too."
That's more or less what made me leave.
So there ya go 6SN7.
Later today a bunch of my blues harp friends are coming over to jam and BBQ because there is nothing else for them to do at the hotel.
Maybe I'll post pics of pro harp players stuffing their faces with meat.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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Buzadero
573 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:56 AM
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Boodhy,
Lester is one of my not-so-distant neighbors. Actually, he lives closer to Randy G Blues (MIA?).
He is a grand old gentleman with quite the eye twinkle and sense of humor. I love the guy.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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Buddha
2529 posts
Oct 01, 2010
6:00 AM
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@6sn7
let me be more accurate for you.
The first guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
Oh this one is a little more original, he got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton but then played some Sonny Boy licks in the the vocal mic.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
Then Dennis Gruenling blew us away with his little walter and george smith licks.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
The next guy got up there and played little walter licks mixed with big walter horton.
Man I love the blues. Pass the tequila please
Seriously, last night was a jam night so they got up the attendee that came from out of town to play and then interspersed it with good players like Dennis G, Kim F and the nighthawks. Ronnie Shellist was going to play but didn't stick around for him and he was telling me he didn't feel like playing.
I scrammed because I didn't want to be lumped in with the jammers.
One interesting note for me... many of the pro players knew me but there were tonnes of amateurs that know me as that youtube guy that can play stormy monday. "Hey there's that you tube guy" or "Aren't you that youtube guy that can play stormy monday? AWESOME!"
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 6:10 AM
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6SN7
88 posts
Oct 01, 2010
6:46 AM
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Ah Buddha, that's for that Hunter S. Thompson like review! I love journalism that the author is part of the story. I appreciate your honesty as I did ask for it! But you know the sarcasm, well,.....
One of your observations did stand out. You made a comment about Mark Wenner. That was my reaction the first time I heard Jason Ricci. He played 108 chorus of the most unbelievable stuff and everything afterwards was just the same. That's not a cut or complaint, its just me.
Have fun at the BBQ, loved to hear more reports if you can stomach the blues stuff.
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Buddha
2531 posts
Oct 01, 2010
7:02 AM
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@6sn7
I can only take so much of the rockin' blues thing. I love it for awhile but ultimately I'm into melodies and interesting rhythms juxtaposed to shuffles, texas shuffles, flat tire shuffles... it just gets too old for these ears and then I lose interest.
I love the people though and for me, that's where it's at...good peeps and good vibes. I typically don't attend the seminars nor the shows at SPAH either. Much of this has to do with the fact that I am 100% immersed in the world of harmonica, from building to playing, to listening... I can only take so much harp and the amateur stuff really grates on my ears...
There was one guy that got up and played, he was a full bar and a half off from the band and he was such a poor musician he didn't catch himself. It was train wreck! And 100s of people paid money to see that. Yikes.
It sounds like every afternoon people will be coming to hang at my house to jam and eat glorious amount of flesh. That's where the real happening are for me. I'll hear the road stories and we'll all play in an informal setting. If I can get vid of that, I will. You can't record inside the venue anyway.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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kudzurunner
1899 posts
Oct 01, 2010
8:46 AM
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Thanks for the write-up, Chris! It made me laugh out loud.
For the record, I'm hoping to have two guys at HCH 2011 who have direct Little Walter connections: one who received personal instruction from LW and another whose father often hung out with LW. The latter has written an extraordinarily well-researched (and as-yet unpublished) biography of Jimmy Rodgers. Nothing wrong with Little Walter as an influence. But I'm not shocked by your description of Thursday night at the Coaster; I expected a fair bit of that. The best guys, of course, find a way of acknowledging an influence but going beyond it.
Dennis has a very sophisticated, jazz-based sense of swing in his phrasing.
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 8:47 AM
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6SN7
89 posts
Oct 01, 2010
8:54 AM
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Thanks for the write up.
Enjoy the house party, you will do humanity a huge favor if you post some bbq vids from your house. Now that's how Hunter would approach it, throw a party and create the story!
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toddlgreene
1856 posts
Oct 01, 2010
9:05 AM
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I think Sansone is headed that way today. I went and played with him last night at his wine bar gig, and he mentioned it. He's certainly a 'traditional' type of player and all-around a good one at that, but when he's on fire, he's really one to watch.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club
Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
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Buddha
2532 posts
Oct 01, 2010
9:43 AM
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@adam
tonight will be better. Last night was really a jam session and there were only a few players worth listening to - Dennis, Kim Field, Mark Wenner and Bill Tarsha, Ronnie S would have been worth listening to as well but I didn't stay for him if he even played.
Tonight should be much better they are really showcasing the great ones. They are making a DVD and the expected quality of last nights session is evident in the fact they did not record anything. It was more or less a big harpopalooza featuring the players that came a long distance to see the event.
I understand now why I was invited to play. Not as any kind of featured performer but to be another "good" player mixed in with the guys that are ready for prime time or IMO - anytime. Even though I was invited to jam, they weren't going to comp the ticket so that was another reason not to play. It doesn't feel right to have to pay $15 to listen to music that was suitable for these ears and to perform for those people that had already assaulted my mental space? No thanks,
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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thorvaldsen76
80 posts
Oct 01, 2010
9:54 AM
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Hi guys!
I understand that pro's like Buddha and Adam can find events boring or crappy.. That other players can repeat to much,be amateurs etc,etc. What I don't understand is the need to call people wankers and other names,or look down on people just because they aren't up to someones standards. Does that mean that I'm a wanker just because I'm not as good as you,Buddha?
I've been hanging around here for three years and I've never commented on it but I'm actually starting to get a bit sick and tired of it.. I try to stay clear of the Walters myself but I would never call somebody names just because he wants to copy Little Walter or anybody else,for that matter.. Music is taste for me. I like the old,traditional stuff. I haven't heard many guys with such a technique as yours Buddha,but your music is not something I like to listen to. Even your bluesstuff doesn't do it for me,to tell the truth.. But do I need to repeat that over and over again in several threads? No,I don't. Because I respect the road that you chose to follow. I try to respect you as a person. I'm not saying that everything has to be bliss and everybody has to be friends all the time. Hell,I enjoy a heated discussion once in a while. But when it's over and over again it's just like your opinion of Mark Wenner.. It's boring! I've trained martial arts for many,many years. Would I call someone a wanker just because he can't do a submission lock like I can? Never.. I think you should get off your high horse. I know it's your "thing" to be straight forward and honest and I really like that more than people who can't flag their opinion.. But I don't understand the need to put other people in the mud in the process.. I really don't..
Kent Erik
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Buddha
2533 posts
Oct 01, 2010
10:11 AM
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@thorvaldsen76
"But I don't understand the need to put other people in the mud in the process.. I really don't.."
apparently you do, re-read your post.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 10:32 AM
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BeardHarmonica
15 posts
Oct 01, 2010
1:25 PM
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Sound like fun, i really like the blues.
I'm happy that they dint play any muzak.
cant wait for the DVD
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kudzurunner
1901 posts
Oct 01, 2010
2:21 PM
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@Kent: You've raised a tricky point. Forums like this try to support the endeavors of their members--or ideally they do--and I've always tried to do that. I look for ways to praise. By the same token, authenticity demands that good players will, in some contexts, offer honest critique of situations they've witnessed. Buddha was doing that. Nobody can make nice all the time, and nobody should be expected to do that. Players have always congregated in little circles outside the bar, or in late-night hotel rooms, and shared what they HONESTLY thought, rather than what politeness dictated that they should say. Artists in every discipline to this. My dad did this. He had a good word for everybody--but on those rare occasions when he and I strolled through the Museum of Modern Art, he could be very frank about which artist really had it and which artist wasn't very good, at least in his eyes.
The internet age has enabled us to have that sort of conversation in public--indeed, in a highly public way. That sort of conversation fits uneasily together with the OTHER important conversation we have here, the one in which everybody slaps everybody else on the back and shouts "Nice job!"
Critical intelligence is an important thing: the ability to distinguish the truly great from the merely imitative. It's what TV, book, and movie critics struggle to do, if they're serious about their work. I'm happy to see critical intelligence at work here. There's also professional catty-ness, and that, too, has an important function, although it isn't exactly the same thing as critical intelligence. Finally, there's such a thing as a gratuitous put-down, made without any concern for deepening anybody's understanding.
I'll leave it to you to decide which of those three things, in what proportions, Buddha was engaging in. My own comment about HIS comment "not shocking" me was an exercise in critical intelligence--as was my comment about how challenging a series of four 15-minute sets was going to be. I never make gratuitous putdowns. Period. And I try to avoid professional catty-ness, at least on this forum. If you want that, you'll have to catch me in person: non-virtual mode.
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 2:23 PM
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thorvaldsen76
81 posts
Oct 01, 2010
4:13 PM
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Adam..and Buddha..
Adam,my post mentioned your name but it wasn't my intention to make it sound like you were one of the bad guys. If that's how it sounds then I apologize for that. I'm not saying that what you wrote was out of the line.. It was ment for Buddha.. Since I'm Norwegian I don't understand everything you write in your reply but I'll try to express what I mean:)
Like I said,I believe in honesty! If I post my video here and ask for peoples opinion,I don't want a "well-done" if it sucks! And if guys like Buddha or you thinks that it's crappy,boring or whatever I'll really listen to the advise(s) that I get. What I don't like is when somebody's named a "wanker that sucked"..and so on..
A couple of weeks ago we did a warm-up gig for Stacie Collins here in Norway. When we started to play I noticed a guy sitting in the audience. He's one of the best Chicago-style players in Norway. I nearly shit my pants,since we're honest here. I had a talk to him after we played and he liked it,but of course he had some critique and things that were not good so he agreed to give me some lessons. I just think that's good way to do it. What if that guy put on this forum that I was a "wanker that sucked" and I would read it later? I don't think that's ok! It gets a lot of "wanking" here now,I'm sorry.
Buddha is one of the best players out there,no doubt. And he has a lot of good advise for people,no question. I've even thought about taking skype-lessons from him,because he has techniques that I would like to be able to do,even though we have chosen different styles.. I just don't understand why the need to put people down,that's all. Especially when he can crush any of us in a harp-battle..
I'm not somebody who enjoy to start internet-forum wars and controversy. And I'll be happy to discuss this with him on email or phone or whatever if that's more suitable,because I really am more comfortable "face-to-face" than on the internet. Especially when I'm Norwegian and have to write in English.
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 4:26 PM
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Buddha
2534 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:13 PM
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"What was with the harps? Herpes?"
nope. ecoli
@thor
a wanker in my book is one who doesn't know how to play music. It's a pretentious person that takes the stage with no regard for the audience, the band nor the music and they play incoherent nonsense under the guise they are some sort of musician. There are many wankers in the harmonica world and don't deserve any kind of recognition other than to note they are a waste of time to listen to. Sorry if that offends you. If you want to tell them they are enjoyable then do it. I don't support them.
I think the night would have been better with just Dennis, Mark Wenner, Kim Fields and Ronnie Shellist. They didn't need 30+ non players to take the stage. I don't know how else to put it other than it sucked if you were in the audience because they were extremely loud and you couldn't get away from the noise they were generating. You also don't understand that the club is in a very bad neighborhood so there is no getting away unless you have a vehicle. That club is in the part of town where people would follow you, beat you just to take a pack of cigarette and a five dollar bills. Maybe you enjoy putting your martial arts skill to work. I don't and I think it sucks that people are unknowingly put into that position.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 5:20 PM
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Joe_L
673 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:32 PM
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Hopefully, someone who actually likes Blues and attended can provide a more detailed report.
I am puzzled why someone who has demonstrated an open disdain for Blues music and it's practitioners would attend an event where Blues music was being played and then say it was boring because only Blues music was being played.
That's borderline crazy.
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strawwoodclaw
107 posts
Oct 01, 2010
6:45 PM
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Little Walter & Big Walter licks all night ,
what a good do!
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6SN7
90 posts
Oct 02, 2010
7:53 AM
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Yeah Adam, I understand where you are coming from relative to critique and all that jazz. Maybe Buddha is being too honest, you know, when most people ask for the truth , they really don't want to hear it all, despite they asked for it.
Buddha stuck his 14 minute jam tape on the forum. To some , it was brilliant, like to the guy who watched it with his wife and taped it. To the people in the background talking, well, they were talking and din't give a hoot. I thought it was good, but 14 minutes? It's not like it was a Zappa piece, to some ears, it was jam band/noodling camp. While the execution was excellent, it just didn't "touch" me like, well, a blues shuffle. That kind of beat makes me feel good. And I can listen to it all night. I go to a Phish concert and I am bored after 15 minutes. It's not that I am closed minded and unwilling to listen to new stuff, it is just the way it is.
Now, I don't want to be swatted by Buddha for stating this, but history shows, the dude comes out with terrific "eat shit" lines when something like that is said. And one could get the impression he hates blues. I don't think that is the case, but he is mighty proud that he pushes the boundaries while others shuffle,shuffle,shuffle.
Let's face it, saying he was noodling is putting him in a defensive position. Personally, I am a passive sort in these types of situation. I am the one with a lap dog that knows its name but doesn't come to it. I am sure Buddha's dogs like rip your lungs out with a wink! That's him, I'm me. And don't change a thing.
Last Edited by on Oct 02, 2010 7:54 AM
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kudzurunner
1902 posts
Oct 02, 2010
8:18 AM
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I'd like to hear a front-lines report from somebody who attended Friday night at the Roller Coaster. Please.
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tmf714
257 posts
Oct 02, 2010
9:00 AM
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Friday night was great!!
Vincent Bury kicked it off-great vocals for a young gun. RJ MIscho-killer acoustic and amped toned-chrom and dia. Johnny Sansone-great chops and vocals-huge sound.
Billy Boy Arnold-a lesson in old school Chicago blues-An James Harman-what can you say baby-super vocals with Junior Watson on guitar and Larry Taylor on bass.
Kim rounded out the night with songs from "Smokin Joint" and "My Blues"-played through a Masco plugged into a Victoria cab with a 15" speaker-a unique setup.
All in all,a killer first night,with two more to come.
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DeakHarp
226 posts
Oct 02, 2010
10:54 AM
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Buda Im wit you on the boring side ...Little Walter/Big Walter licks ... Note for note ...To me those phrasings have already been done ....If i can predict what a player is going to play next in his solo ... Im bored ....I love to shuffle ...I love the fat tire ... I love staying on the one ..John Lee Style ....But im forever changing my solos , trying somthing diffrent ...When i hear a Bad Harp Player ... i call it Donkey Harp ... HEE HAWWW...I tell that To my friends on the side .....Wacthing Denis Grunling grow was my gift ...When he came to me to learn TB i saw a cat that was growing every minute .....then 5 yrs later he was a Monster ..that was in 95" ..Still i wish i lived near you to BBQ and eat flesh .. and go to the Show of the Centry ... My Step Father is going to be there .... James Cotton ...I googled the mapquest .. 1 day and 3 hours to AZ ... wow ... Im happy with going to the King Biscuit Fest next weekend and Schmooze all weekend ....with the industry folks ...Tell Denis I said hello .....
Have Harp Will Travel
www.deakharp.com
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Ev630
765 posts
Oct 02, 2010
10:57 AM
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"played through a Masco plugged into a Victoria cab with a 15" speaker-a unique setup"
Well it ain't unique but I bet it kicked ass. Did they record it?
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Buddha
2537 posts
Oct 03, 2010
9:10 PM
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I stopped by the hotel after training this morning because it was on the way home. I had my dogs with me.
I was talking with Paul Osher again and he's really into dogs too and has two pit bulls himself. I showed him my dogs and talked about my training gear etc...
I was going to ask him if he wanted to take a bite but I thought other might actually shoot me for doing that to Paul.
I had a nice conversation with Jerry Portnoy too. We talked about working a day job vs working for yourself... after forty years of doing his own thing he says, he couldn't ask for anything better. One thing to note, he follows the OBers and in fact that's how our conversation got started. He pointed me out to somebody and then mentioned my harmonica skills. Sadly I didn't have a harp to demonstrate it with...
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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kudzurunner
1907 posts
Oct 04, 2010
4:52 AM
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I'd welcome reports on the Saturday and Sunday evening concerts. Thanks tmf and Buddha for the updates.....
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Blueharper
137 posts
Oct 05, 2010
1:10 PM
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Buddha,I have big regrets for being too ate up to make it to the BBQ.
@6SN7~One of Buddha's rotties will lick your lungs out,unless he gives the word I'm sure.
I LOVE BLUES,let me repeat I LOVE BLUES,or I would'nt have come from across the country.But after 3 1/4 shows I could'nt take it anymore,and probably missed some exciting stuff on the last night.My loss I guess.
It gets pretty redundant after a while~and I'm a little old and was tired,not used to the late nights.
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Buddha
2547 posts
Oct 05, 2010
1:18 PM
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@blueharper,
you should have come over on sunday to watch dancing with the stars. That might have been more entertaining.
None of these harmonica gatherings do it for me musically. At SPAH, I think I missed every seminar and show for the past 8 years or so... I go for the people and like SPAH, the Rollercoaster had no shortage of great people. I met lots of people and revisited with old friends too.
I hung out with Blueharper too and we even shared some cow and pig flesh on top of tortillas as we sucked back some unknown mexican drinks.
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"I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
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Blueharper
139 posts
Oct 05, 2010
1:21 PM
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No doubt made with that crumby water out there.
The flesh was very good!
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tmf714
258 posts
Oct 05, 2010
1:43 PM
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Joe Filisko and Jerry Portnoy were the highlights of Sunday-I liked Steve Marriner as well-Kim's protege,but well done.
Joe's nod to Sonny Terry was unreal. Jerry played through a toilet paper roll,using a low tuned harp,walking through the audience. I loved all four days and nights-got to meet some of my heros-I sat with Jerry Portnoy for an interview,which I will elaborate more about in the future-all in all,a great festival/showcase for the legends of blues harmonica.
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tmf714
259 posts
Oct 05, 2010
1:50 PM
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Sorry-I wanted to mention that Saturday,Paul Oscher and James Cotton were the highlights. Paul told some great stories about living with Muddy and living in Chicago. I was lucky enough to get invited to Pauls room where we were all staying to talk about the music business and touring. Paul was the best player on Saturday night.
James Cotton sounded better than I have heard him in the past 10 years-he pulled off a great version of "The Creeper" like I never heard.
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scojo
128 posts
Oct 05, 2010
3:18 PM
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"Oh you're ready man. I have faith in you and I can hear that you got a little blues in you man...."
"That's more or less what made me leave."
I just laughed so hard I scared my little girl. Damn, Buddha...
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Ev630
775 posts
Oct 05, 2010
9:26 PM
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...and I bet once you get a taste of the applause you gonna never want to leave the stage.
Never a truer word spoken about the Buddha man. It's like he knew you as well as we do!
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Kyzer Sosa
819 posts
Oct 05, 2010
10:01 PM
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you make harp pipes as well? you ARE talented, Musashi... {insert ninja visual here: (waaaaa!)
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Kyzer's Travels
Kyzer's Artwork
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JTThirty
88 posts
Oct 06, 2010
6:47 AM
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I just wish I could have been at Amanda's Rollercoaster. I don't see how anyone can diss world class blues musicians playing world class blues music. Gotta be a lack of understanding of what it's all about and most certainly a lack of appreciation.
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HarpNinja
669 posts
Oct 06, 2010
8:27 AM
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Where any world class blues musicians dissed in this thread? I am stressing the phrase WORLD CLASS.
Dennis G., Paul Oscher, James Cotton, Kim Field, Mark Wenner and Bill Tarsha, Vincent Bury, RJ Mischo, Johnny Sansone, Billy Boy Arnold, James Harman, and Ronnie S. have all been mentioned by name in a positive way in this thread (might have missed a few). I wouldn't even be sure if all of these guys would be considered "world class".
I totally missed this Rollercoaster thing here and on the L. I figured it was some sort of song or something and ignored the thread until now. I didn't realize it was a harp event. Sounds to me like there were some awesome players there and some not so awesome players there. Not everyone is going to be in the same class as each other...
I did see reference to two players (one who wasn't there) that started to sound repetitive after a few songs (in my listening experience ANY one on ANY instrument is guilty of lots of this when frequently jamming). I am willing to bet almost every harp player starts to sound repetitive in these situations anyways. You're playing the same basic format in a high pressure situation with an unknown band usually on unknown gear. That isn't a diss so much as an observation.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
Last Edited by on Oct 06, 2010 8:31 AM
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Tin Lizzie
138 posts
Oct 06, 2010
8:32 AM
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Follow this link and scroll down for a pretty detailed report on Amanda's Rollercoaster
http://www.youmissedmonday.com/
or read it here
Tall Paul Sabin "Well, I missed Thursday's pre-party but arrived on Friday during RJ Mischo's set. As I stood looking around and taking in my new surroundings, I was in awe. Portnoy was holding court outside on the patio. I almost bumped into Lazy Lester who was sipping on something and flirting with the ladies. Paul Oscher, James Harmon, Dave Bernston, Dennis Gruenling, Ronnie Shellist, were all nearby. As the night went on, I had a chance to chat with my buddy Barrelhouse Chuck who was on piano for the weekend. He introduced me to Tommy and Larz of the Swedish blues/rock band Trickbag. I was hearing one great set after another, hearing Jr. Watson live for the first time along with the steady power of Richard Innes on drums, Randy Bermudez and Larry Taylor on bass, and at times the entire Fabulous Thunderbirds lineup. My buddy Billy Flynn from Green Bay was playing guitar much of the night as well.
The big highlight for night one was Billy Boy Arnold's set. He was focused and right on. I've seen him before and this was the first time I've seen him play guitar. He used the guitar to set up the groove just the way he likes, and then would switch to harp. I got a ride back to the hotel with Dave Bernston, RJ, and Billy Boy that night. I wasn't staying at the same hotel as everyone else so I don't have any after-hours stories.
Saturday's highlights for me were definitely seeing Paul Oscher and James Cotton for the first time. I was hanging out with Oscher's Venice Beach neighbor, Rob. He's a woodworker who got into the blues just from getting to know Paul. It was a treat getting to see Paul perform since he doesn't play out that often these days. I got to meet James Cotton and get a blurry photo.
Sunday was a surprise seeing Big Jim and hearing more F-bombs dropped per minute than I think I ever have. He was Maestro Filisko's driver for his brief appearance. Joe started the night with a solo set that I won't soon forget. The part that stood out for me was a no hands solo that incorporated some of Kim Wilson's signature vamping as a respectful nod to a friend. I heard some good players I hadn't heard before including Scott Dirks, Dave Waldman (both from Chicago) and a Canadian named Steve Marriner who not only was a solid harp player but I thought could really sing. The night continued with Lazy Lester singing and playing harp with the Thunderbirds backing and then the night ended with Jerry Portnoy doing a very nice set of blues. Throughout the whole weekend Kim Wilson was heard playing either his own sets or a few tunes to warm up the band before calling up legend after legend. Overall, amazing weekend. Several performers mentioned that the whole thing came about because of a dream that Kim Wilson's wife Amanda had 6 months ago. They all put a lot of work into putting this together and coordinating so many different artist schedules to make it happen.
I don't know that something of this magnitude will ever happen again. If not, here in Chicago we have a nice consolation--the mini-version that Joe puts together every year called the Chicago Blues Harp Bash."
Scott Dirks "Day one: Thursday. Thankfully I was able to change my originally scheduled flight (booked by Kim Wilson, doubling as Amanda’s travel agent) from 6:15am departure, with a layover in Cincinnati, to a 1:25pm departure. So I got a decent night’s sleep – the last I’d get for the next several days as it turned out - and took a cab to the airport at noon.
Thursday evening - arrived at the Rhythm Room early hoping to get a seat, and as soon as I walked in I was introduced to Bill Tarsha, who was hosting the pre-Rollercoaster harp jam part of the night's activities. Bill is a real character and fabulous harp player. He's full of stories about hanging with the old masters, starting in the mid '60s when he was in high school in Toledo and used his fake ID to get into a club to see Little Walter, and ended up playing harp while Walter went out and got drunk.
The music began with an hour long set from The Nighthawks, who put on a tight, powerful rocking blues show led by harpman Mark Wenner. After a break, Bill Tarsha came out and did a short set with his band, which consists of Bill on harp and vocals, his wife Susie playing bass while sitting behind the drums keeping the beat on the bass drum and hi hat, and a guitarist whose name I didn't catch. In his short time onstage, Bill showed his mastery of different approaches to the harp - acoustic, amplified, and chromatic.
Then the jamming began. The Nighthawks band came back and provided backing for the first wave of harp players. Most of the players were given two songs to show what they could do. I hadn't originally planned on playing that night, but Tarsha encouraged me to sign up when I first arrived, and because I'd signed in fairly early, I was called up pretty quickly. I figured it was best to pick songs that didn't have any tricky changes, so I started with Rice Miller's 'Checking On My Baby' in A. Before I left home I'd picked out some newer-looking harps from the pile so I thought I had a good D. Not so - in the opening bars of the song I discovered I had TWO bad notes on my 'good' Marine Band. As I was playing - and trying to navigate around the 2 and 3 draw - I could distinctly hear the words in my head: you should have had a Filisko!
Thankfully I didn't have to follow Dennis Gruenling, who was called up shortly after. Dennis really blew the roof off the place, and showed why he's rightly regarded as one of the best players out there today. I was especially impressed by his unique version of 'Juke', played entirely in third position.
Other players who impressed on Thursday night were my buddy from Chicago Martin Lang, Kim Field in from Seattle, Delta Groove Records chief Randy Chortkoff, who dueted on harp with Rhythm Room proprietor Bob Corritore on one song, and a few others whose names I didn't catch. Unfortunately I had to leave a little before the end, but Bob Corritore told me that Ronnie Shellist from Colorado sounded great too. It seemed to me that a good time was had by all, it was a night of great blues, and of course that was only the appetizer for what was to come.
Friday - the roller coaster ride officially begins. I arrived at the club early again to stake out a seat. A young harp player, named Vincent Bury who is apparently a good friend of Amanda and Kim Wilson, started the show. Good stage presence, strong singer, and talented harp player – a young man to watch out for. The great RJ Mischo followed, and kicked his set off with a low key Rice Miller-type groove. He really sounded great, totally commanded the stage, leading the house band of Richard Innes on drums, Larry Taylor alternating between stand up and electric bass, and Junior Watson and our friend Billy Flynn on guitars, with Barrelhouse Chuck on piano – this is basically the lineup of the Kim Wilson Blues Band. Jumping Johnny Sansone’s high energy set followed; especially cool was his command of the chromatic. James Harmon and Billy Boy Arnold both put in great performances backed by the house band. Billy arrived looking dapper, and did a set of all originals from various stages of his career, from his Vee Jay days in the ‘50s through his recent releases. Especially exciting was a version of one of his early records, “Kissing At Midnight” – Billy Boy sang and played great, and achieved a real hypnotic groove with the great band backing him. Finally Kim Wilson took the stage to close out the night, and played tons of his trademark amazing harp. Maybe I was imagining things, but he seemed to have turned up the intensity a notch for the sake of all the harp freaks in attendance.
A word on Kim’s rig: I’ve seen him many times over the past 25 years or so, and this was the most elaborate set up I’ve ever seen him use. He used his standard Astatic JT-30 mic, which was plugged into a tiny outboard tube preamp. Apparently the preamp pumped up the signal and split it into two outputs. One output led to the phono input on a modified Masco PA head that looked to be from around 1949 or ’50. The speaker output from the Masco was then split to feed two different cabinets: a Victoria Amps cabinet with one 15” speaker, and an old raggedy original Fender Bassman used only as a speaker cab. The other output from the outboard preamp went to the instrument input on a blackface Fender amp (possibly a Fender Pro?), which was then controlled separately with its own volume, tone, and etc. I assume this provided a slightly cleaner sound than the funky Masco. All three cabinets were mic’d and put through the house PA. The sound was truly awe inspiring, and Kim generously let all the harp players who cared to use it do so. The interesting thing of course is that Kim sounded exactly like Kim, but none of the other players did – maybe that was his point?
Saturday - a blur. Early in the day, my friend (and former drummer in my band) Frank Rossi, who moved to Phoenix a couple of years ago and was hosting me for the weekend, had a get together at his house with tons of great food and many musicians in attendance, including harp players Bill Tarsha, Dave Waldman, Kim Field, John Tanner, and a good local harp player named Sam. We had a harp heavy jam for a few hours, with lots of good blues stories being passed around by the veteran players.
We left Frank’s house for the club, and unfortunately got there just as Paul Oscher was finishing his set, which opened the show that night. Everyone was raving about Paul’s performance, and judging by the clips of it that have already shown up on YouTube, we missed something very special. As I said, Saturday was kind of a blur, with so much great music and so many friendly encounters jammed into such a short amount of time, but I’m pretty sure Chef Denis’s set was that night. He’s not just a ‘good player for a chef’ (he’s a gourmet chef at a fancy hotel in California, and has enough sway there to get many of his favorite blues people booked there), he’s a damn fine harp player. One of the (many) special moments of the weekend for me was when James Harman got up and sang with Denis blowing harp – James was testifying, the band was rocking, and for my money it was some of the deepest blues of the weekend. Also that night was Bob Corritore and his frequent partner guitarist Dave Riley, playing some rockin’, downhome juke joint music – really good stuff and a perfect change of pace. Bharath Rajkumar proved he’s a lot more than ‘the Little Walter guy’ – he sang from the heart, played some excellent harp, and did a thoroughly enjoyable set (Bharath also played some solid Chicago-style guitar backing, I think, Chef Denis.) California bluesman Johnny Dyer is an outstanding harp player, but rarely plays harp these days due to health problems, so he sang some classic Chicago blues while Kim Wilson (and I think Bharath on a number or two) backed him on harp – another high point among way too many to keep track of.
Later James Cotton came out and blew the roof off the place – a rich deep tone and many of his classic tunes, with Kim on vocals. Hubert Sumlin joined them for a few numbers to a rapturous reception from the audience. I know it’s heretical to say, but I think he gets over these days mainly on who he is rather than what he does; he seemed to be having a great time, but his presence added more to the good vibes than the quality of the music. The T-Birds (a completely different line up from Kim’s blues band / house band, with the exception of Barrelhouse Chuck sitting in on piano) wrapped up the show with a set drawing from the bluesiest corner of the T-Birds catalog, as always led by Kim’s powerful vocals and stunning harp.
Sunday was in some ways the Chicago day. Joe Filisko opened things up with a solo harp clinic on the great pre-war players, and had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the first note. (Great job Joe!) A hard act to follow, but I had my turn at the mic next, and did a few numbers backed by Billy Flynn, Richard Innes and Larry Taylor. I was given 15 minutes (my 15 minutes of fame are now used up) and figured I’d do 3 songs, but there was a little time left at the end so I improvised an instrumental based on a lick I’d heard on a Mojo Buford song that came up in rotation on my MP3 player earlier in the weekend. The crowd responded well, and I was very honored and flattered to have been included in such a stellar lineup. Dave Waldman followed, and played as great as he always does; after a couple of very cool instrumentals, Kim Wilson joined him on vocals for the rest of his set. Dave’s unique style has a lot of subtle things going on and I’m not sure they’re all immediately evident to casual listeners, but I think he really took a lot of harp players to school. Jerry Portnoy rounded out the ‘Chicago’ homeboys, and sounded as great as always. Especially notable was his lengthy segment walking the crowd and playing acoustically using a toilet paper roll as a combination megaphone and mute. He was also joined by Kim on vocals at one point, and if I remember correctly (no guarantees!) they traded off some harp licks as well. The great Al Blake was up next, and he brings such a beautifully relaxed and swinging vibe that it’s impossible to not enjoy his blues.
Another highlight for me was Lazy Lester’s set, backed by the T-Birds. He’d been in attendance for the entire weekend, holding court on the patio outside the club and reveling anyone who would listen with great stories and plenty of jokes. His performance was a revelation for me – I’d expected him to do his Louisiana swamp-pop standards, and he did, but when he picked up the harp mic and blew, it was almost pure Chicago, and a really cool take on it at that. He’s a guy I’ve been familiar with for a long time, but I think he merits some renewed study. Kim and his blues band wrapped things up. Not much can really be added to that – they’re great, and to end the event with anything else would have been anti-climactic.
I’m absolutely certain I’m forgetting and confusing some details and probably some important people too, and I apologize to anyone who I left out or miscredited. It was a long, exciting, jam-packed weekend, and I wasn’t taking any notes at the time, so if I slighted anyone, it wasn’t on purpose – blame it on my faulty memory and a sensory overload.
I wonder if Amanda is up for a “2nd Annual Rollercoaster”? If so, I’m in!"
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Tin Lizzie
Last Edited by on Oct 06, 2010 9:39 AM
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HarpNinja
670 posts
Oct 06, 2010
8:39 AM
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Seems like a bit of overkill, lol!
"A word on Kim’s rig: I’ve seen him many times over the past 25 years or so, and this was the most elaborate set up I’ve ever seen him use. He used his standard Astatic JT-30 mic, which was plugged into a tiny outboard tube preamp. Apparently the preamp pumped up the signal and split it into two outputs. One output led to the phono input on a modified Masco PA head that looked to be from around 1949 or ’50. The speaker output from the Masco was then split to feed two different cabinets: a Victoria Amps cabinet with one 15” speaker, and an old raggedy original Fender Bassman used only as a speaker cab. The other output from the outboard preamp went to the instrument input on a blackface Fender amp (possibly a Fender Pro?), which was then controlled separately with its own volume, tone, and etc. I assume this provided a slightly cleaner sound than the funky Masco. All three cabinets were mic’d and put through the house PA. The sound was truly awe inspiring, and Kim generously let all the harp players who cared to use it do so. The interesting thing of course is that Kim sounded exactly like Kim, but none of the other players did – maybe that was his point?"
IMO, this rig makes it completely acceptable for any harp player playing blues or otherwise to play with whatever gear they want whether it be 50 pedals or the PA.
I could hook up Jason Ricci's rig or Chris Michalek's rig. I'd be lost on how to plug all of Kim's stuff together, lol.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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alleycatjoe
99 posts
Oct 06, 2010
9:40 AM
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one of the coolest equiptment scenes in the show was Oscher's set up. he has a box that has off and on switches to turn off his neck racK when he wants to lay it down but for some reason they weren't working. so oscher had his roadie staning near the stage to hit the standby switches on his amps everytime he took off his neckrack off so it wouldnt feed back. the roadie did a great job.
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Ev630
776 posts
Oct 06, 2010
10:20 AM
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Thanks Lizzie. Wilson's set up does indeed sound unique now we learn it was a Masco split to three cabs. Wow. Nice to have roadies.
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Ev630
777 posts
Oct 06, 2010
10:22 AM
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Hey Mike I think the point of Wilson's set up was the blend of three amp voices, not the blend of 10 digital pedals squeezed and extruded of a single modern amp.
:)
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captin beef harp
41 posts
Oct 06, 2010
10:33 AM
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@ TIN LIZZIE
wow are you reporter? that was the best THANK YOU
your welcome on my front porch anytime
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