I am about 3/4 way through them and will post them in chronological order so it would be like if you were at the gig. We had a standing room only crowd that was very attentive and I had some great musicians come in. Sean Carney, who won the International Blues Challenge, came and played guitar. Sean is a class act who has mentored under lots of the old guys like Robert Jr. Lockwood, Joe duskin, Gene"sax" Walker, and was in Teeny Tuckers band for years. He knows how to lay back and my unorthodox chord and tempo changes don't phase him. Johnny Roy came up from Lexinton, KY. He has played with the likes of Koko Taylor, Bo Diddly, Roy Buchanan and teaches classical guitar at the university. Mark Rubinstien, who I was in my band on and off for years down in Austin, was a no show, but he was right on time for the gig only a day late. He had it wrong on his calendar. He just got back from being the musical director for a broadway show that was in Boston for 6 weeks. I was bummed about him missing the gig because he is also a great drummer and we had no drummer. He is a world class keyboard, accordian,player. He has engineered and played on many platinum and grammy recordings and sat down with me for a couple hours listening to the recordings. He gave me a thumbs up.
The recording process was a challenging one. First off this was the first time I was playing with other guitarists in the 1 man band setup. At times I thought what I was playing was what Sean or Johnny was playing and my feet got mixed up. Also we played a total of 6 hours. My legs, mind, and whole self was wiped out. Due to space being at a premium I jammed all the instruments in one corner of the studio. Sean and I both plugged into my princeton reverb amp. He was playing a strat and me a tokai copy of a 335. These guitars have radically different tones. So I just set the dials to a compromise. The amp was only about 3 feet from the vocal mic and the PA speaker was coming through the vocal recording mic as well. With all this and me not being able to monitor the way it was going- it was just push record and hope the levels stayed ok-I am pleased with the results.
Here we go, welcome to the Spontobeat Shows first set! the last video is from the second set and is with hand held harp. Unfortunately the tape ran out for a couple cool hand held harp songs that I played with my nose, in my mouth. At least I got them on the computer recording.
PS: I got some emails that some of the videos were messed up. I screwed up on a bunch of them. For some reason the windows movie maker program that came with my computer cuts the songs up into separate files. This means I have to mute all of them from the video camera so only the studio recording soundtrack comes through. I didn't do that on a bunch and will get to fixing them tomorrow. I hate this end of the music process!!!!!!!!!!!!! Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Hey Walter, I can't watch the videos now because my connection is too slow, but I will definitely watch when the traffic clears. ---------- My YouTube Channel
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2011 6:28 PM
thanks! I have to redo a bunch of them because I forgot to mute the video camera soundtrack and it bled with the studio one and sounded like space delay garbage from hell!!!!! Too many hours at it today and my brain fell asleep. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Nice Walter I only got to listen to 1 cause im fixing to play some poker,but im kindo of rusty so i might be back soon;-)What i heard sounded good ,I wished i lived close enough to been there. ---------- Hobostubs
I've only listened to the fourth video, but it's great! You're the only guy around working this particular vein of adjust-the-bar-line-as-you-please Lightnin' Hopkins old-school blues. I just don't know anybody out there, folk circuit or mainstream blues circuit, who is doing this. The sound quality is top notch. Good stuff.
Walter, These videos are always great man. I was planning on going out there but could not get it done. ____________________________________
@Hobostubs,
You play poker. What's your screen name? I'll look you up on FullTilt or Pokerstars. We could play heads-up. Or in a ring game. ---------- ---Go Chicago Bears!!!---
Walter, Walter, Walter, You are the best. These videos are great. Reminds me of the Monday night sessions with the band in the basement, a few ale's and food and good music. You've inspired me to revisit that again. Thanks for this and for coming back to the forum. X ---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
thanks for checking them out! I have some more to upload. We played for 6 hours and I got about 2 on tape. I am at the point in my life where I only will play in places that want to have me there and my studio is the best gig around :-) I don't have to pack up gear, drive, deal with audiences that are not interested, or none at all, bizzare club owners/agents/audience members...... I have been there and done that too many times. It is strange that I played 200+ club gigs for so many years and now have no interest in them. I really am going to have to have a great club/festival gig to get me out playing in the public again. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Just great Walter. 'Another Girl on a cold Slab' was brilliant. Loved that edgy, insistent, wasp like long draw vibe you had on the harp and the end of the song. It fitted the angst of the song perfectly.
Hey walter, glad the videos came out OK. I had visions of the videos being pants and everyone blaming me for giving you bad advice; and then they'd break out the pitchforks and torches and march me out of town :)
That's some great music and you really look like you're enjoying yourself. I've only had time to watch a couple but I shall make time to watch the rest, prob Friday afternoon when I get off work early.
Greyowlphotoart: Thanks! I love those kind of grooves. The studio was so crowded there wasn't any room for dancing so things stayed kind of on this tone. Most people that came were well over 50 years old and I laid out chairs as best I could.
Andy: You did good! Thanks!
I redid about 3 or so and will repost them. ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I added some more videos to the original post. The last one, song 10, is just me on harp with Sean on guitar. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
The Gloth: Thanks for checking them out! Sean is world class talent. He knows how to fit just about any set up. He and I have had some great jam sessions but this was the first captured on film. Next I want to do a session with Sean on guitar, Mark Rubinstein on keys/bass/accordian and my longtime drummer Katherine Stevens. Katherine is retiring this year and will be coming by my studio over the summer(she lives in California and me now in Ohio). With this combo I will be able to concentrate on blowing harp, singing. Keeping the time on my feet really limits what one can do with the harp and guitar and with Sean playing was a first for me with another guitar player in the 1 man band setup. It was rough at times because I kept hearing notes and phrasing that I thought was me and it was him. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
thanks rpoe! I had a great time. There are a few more videos that I will be uploading with Sean and Johnny on guitars. It was way late after just about everyone left. There was my wife and maybe 4 people. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
