Vlayman: *4 Jay*

Inspired a by new guitar, some old and new pedals, Nirvana, a old amp, and the desire to create a mini concert – say, like, as opening act for, oh say, Dino,Jr.?

released November 30, 2021

JM Jmaster_Brd-Elektar-Trio
Beta58-Brick-160Xt
Percussion-Beta58-Brick-160Xt

writrecordedmixtmasturdseqenced at Fetacentralrecording DDL by vlayman in Nov, ’21.

All noises by yo and the Trio.

Fartwerk: Jose Jones

carpal diem!

THD
vlayman
blog
vlayman.bandcamp.co m
thehungrydrunx.band camp.com

Some ramblings around Scofield’s *Up All Night*

So I like my rock and country (and punk and alt-country and metal and industrial and goth and Cave/Lanegan/Cohen, if those aren’t included in “rock and country”) loud.

The living-room home stereo is 100 watts each side plus 50 watts of sub each side, and I like it at about 36-44 on the dial, 64 if I need it, after 9:00 PM (keep the neib’s happy, see).

But I never, sorta, remember to jazz-off on the big stereo.

Oh, sure, I listen to a lot of jazz, but on headphones, or laying in bed on old Optimus mounted on the bed-poles.

Ladies, come and see.

So, Scofield’s Up All Night.

I got this when it was recent, and I thought, like the other records made with mostly the same credits, I’d like it, but also … not like it, for the samples.

And in headphones, or the Optimus, the samples annoyed.

But on my big system, yeah!

I’ll tellya’s, my personal prodoosher fee-fee is that the samples were often DI’d, and that what was bovverin’ my ears.

On the big system it’s like, more arrangment-sampleplayedstuff as opposed to prodoosher-sampleplayedstuff.

This is, un-embarassedly [sic], fcuking’ good.

And even if yer notta jazzer, this’ll work for ya.

Sidetrack: I been a music fan over 50 years. I liked so much: rock, country, folk, pop, pop-jazz, So. American, African and French.

I hadda learn jazz.

In college, I hadda roomie, she waitressed atta granola joint, what had live jazz, db and shite.

I went there, I liked the chai and the coffee, the organic muffins and the sound of the db.

But the music- it confuzzed me. (I think I knew one of the subs and he was a Monk fan and in my mind, now, it’s all Monk. Me, I really only recall liking the db.)

But Dream Syndicate was the name of the main influence (along with Joy Division) of the first band I ever recorded with, The Condition, from Chi. (If MF lets me tell, without edits, my take on the many stories I have, I will soon – I fear he won’t.)

So DS hazza a choon, “John Coltrane Stereo Blues”, kinda their take on “Down by the River-Whippin’Post-Voodoo Child-Sympathy for the Devil-etc. You could mebbe add “Indagaddadavida” [sic].)

And so I started listening to ‘trane and he was like playing lead guitar and I expanded from there to Miles and them guys, and a little earlier, and a little later what brought me to Scofield.

Didn’t hurt mebbe my third record (vinyl, bitches) was either the one with Metheny or the one with Medeski, Martin and Wood (the first they did togevver).

And so now I’m so far up the jazz hole that I have no one to talk to about it, what is fine.

And I know that, like any muso working more than 10 years, they have eras of their careers, not just chapters or phases or change-ups.

The Bortnick/Hess/Deitch era is funky, techno-ish, virtuoso jazz/funk/rock, and in that order.

The rhythm section smokes the good stuff, the electronics (on the loud stereo, mind!) are organic and the Sco is … Sco (my fave jazzer).

A note: there are disconcerting bits of island music interspersed. It’s often good, but for me, neh; they are too, light and poppy.

So make no mistake, this is also often slick. I mean, like Fagen-slick (the other guy, Walter, was the rocker, brought the musical dirt – they both apparently had dirty minds).

And it’s a bit diverse. I often like records to maintain a consistent mood. This does internally change-up. But I admit, I like the pacing.

Last thing, Scofield’s sound is his, the drums totally pro and even, but damndoIlikethatbasssound. I think it’s mostly tube amp, and I think I’m hearin’ Bass V (like my own latest endeavor).

3.5/5 olives in my martooni.

Vlayman: *Cosplayer (a e.p.)*

1. Cosplayer 04:18
2. Stay 04:05
3. Mean to Be 03:22
4. PITA Alice 03:38
5. NotThatSheLovedMe 03:48

Kyle is a kinda Karen.

released November 27, 2021

writrecordedmixtmasturdseqenced at Fetacentralrecording DDL by
vlayman in Nov, ’21.

All noises except drums (see as listed) by yo.

Fartwerk: Jose Jonesbandcamp;
blog.

Movie: *The Harder They Come*

No, it ain’t about the Jimmy Cliff(?) choon.

It’s a all-black-cast western, as perfect as can be.

And do listen for the a-capella gospel version of the PJ Harvey choon.

5/5 olives

Of boosts and booosts

I have long used a compressor as a clean boost on guitar (I like the Mr. Squishy), but recently, needing a new obsession, I bought a few boosts, and pedals that make good boosts.

For me, a boost is a volume (not necessarily audible gain) increaser that should be “clean” p to “slightly colored”. More colored gets into OD territory, see.

But stuff like Timmies, and Klones and other “OD”-labled pedals, basically just turned down, can make for great boosts – you just gotta bend over and turn ’em back up to have OD.

I’ll note I think the nano Green Russian makes an awesome colored boost/light OD if you turn everything down, and then bring the volume up – works a treat onna bright amp.

Finally, re the title, I recently acquired a Chicago Stomp Works booooooooooooo… st pedal. It hits the amp front-end nicely, really clean, and I’m hopin’ to use it soon on my PF50-t.

For

Speaking of roadworn

from talkbass:

True story: last band I had the thought of using a really trashed guitar. I bought a C*z*rt American flag (with the graffic un-intentionally off center) for like US$100 and I carried it around whenever I left the house to play. And, I carried it around with no case as I loaded it in the car, or carried stuff back and forth, and just leaned it onna amp or wall and sometimes it would fall …

I even have it hung up, but it’s never come down.

Anywhat, thing has the off-seen, within-3′-visible chip or crack in the poly.

One more, I have a import Jazzmaster I play all the time, like mebbe 75% of my guitaring in the last 2 years. Poly is perfect. 

Frets is shot.  😦

Husker Du: *Zen Arcade*

“I’m Never Talkin’ to You Again” is acoustic from a hard punk band, with harmonies, lead-sung by the second-most “successful” ex-member (*RIP*).

It’s like the only one from a one-hit wonder, and it’s glorious.

I remember digging *Candy Apple Grey*, what I got before this album (*New Day Rising*) what I think I recall was #1 album of the year for like, *Rolling Stone* mag, and it was a pretty left-field choice, being a literal whole lotta punk choons, with the requisite heavy guitars (was Mould still using solid state stuff?), a noise-fest choon, a Bo Diddly thang, a few oi-ish to Clash, a piano piece, some psychedelia, a hardcore choon, tape-games, some obvious this-period Husker-Du, just growing past punk but not quite sure where they were going …

But 10 years farther, before they huskered out and Hart and Mould each went solo. (Can’t recall hearing of Norton again.)

I do recall one hip GH solo song was a semi-AOR hit, and Mould, or course, is Bob Mould.

BTW – if yer like, literary and shite, get Mould’s auto-bio. If yer a Mould fan, you’ll dig a lot of it, understand the rest. It ain’t pretty but it’s kinda beautiful.

And, eh, I’m straight.

If yer not a Mould fan, don’t get it.

But if yer not and yer still readin’ this, then yer a Hart fan, so get *Zen Arcade*, if only for “Never Talkin’ to You Again”, what is worth it.

He is totally under-rated as a drummer – kinda the Mo Tucker of punk. Naw …

And Norton is so punk-solid you kinda don’t notice him, how well he foundations BM’s BMing on guitar. (Good Dawg, I love BM’s playing, don’t like his sound here. Much – it *is* unique.)

My fave, BTW, is “What’s Goin’ On”, kinda Lou Reed-ish, see.  Followed by, “Turn on the News”, kinda obvious this-period Husker-Du pop. With a hilarious 80’s pull-off solo and then a “Freebird”-ish ending.

The CD’s last song, “Recurring Dreams”, starts off like a Johnny Thunders* instrumental and then gets … good. Like, Jeff Beck-inspired playing good, Vernon Reid-inspired writing good, even, sorta. Altho’ it’s *long*, especially for a punk band. No relation between ’em, but it brings to mind Dream Syndicate.

I know, makes no sense at all – are you intrigued?

One more thing:
Audio-wise, this reminds me of (I think it’s) *Sticky Fingers* or mebbe *Beggar’s Banquet* with the admonition to play it loud cuz that’s how it was mixed. If ya play it too low, its sounds like bad punk recorded cheaply – but it’s good punk recorded loudly.

So turn this up, turn it up, like *up*, and it’s (I used this before) glorious.

Pro tip: You might wanna turn the bass up too much and then knock it back until it’s just right.

*Note to yo: remember to write about him.

Map of the best-selling English bands and solo artists by the county (

(https://www.facebook.com/labandadepapa)

I mean, I quite like Sting squeezin’ in the top right edge there.

And I respect Level 42, hangin’ on below.

On songwriting and Wynn, *Solo Acoustic (Vol. 1)*.

Right now listening to Steve Wynn solo and alone.

Might be a compilation or a sequence-edited show, notes say recorded during one month in ’19.

I like to imagine it’s from one of his “living room tour” shows.

So very cool, “Manhattan Fault Line” and “Merittville” the two opening songs, showing that Wynn has been apparently consistent over the years, writing his songs on guitar. (A couple, mebbe, on piano.)

Sure, this stuff is more polished, practiced, and professional than a guy’s on-phone demoing or (in my* case, Zoom H2), slightly re-arranged from the albums.

And he’s in fine voice, onna live tour.

Very cool to me in that for years I’ve been writing 90% from the beat, the bass line, the changes worked out first.

Then I add lyrics atop, usually based onna list of song ideas (saved in email as “song idears”) that seem adaptable to the music.

Wynn appears to work lyric first, likely adapting them to the music that comes next, likely as the song is being written.

Sometimes, I assemble. Mebbe in the *Bitches Brew* tradition (was that Macero? doubt it), or like that “Bustin’ Up a Starbucks” song, or even “La Grange” (if you have the Rhino re-master it’s really apparent), I take sections and move ’em around.

Rarely do I heavy-edit, but I’ll tighten stuff up, loop it … then put down the words (after writing ’em, as above).

This Wynn record is so awesome – there’s 14 songs from at least 30 years of rockin’ here, performed tight and energetic. There’s some Dylan and Hendrix in his rhythm-playing. The sound is intimate. The ‘tude is all Wynn.

I, all by myself, have recently been writing using some of his approach, because I’ve taken living-room demos and put ’em in the DAW and structured pop-song arrangements, and then done my usual thing atop.

Independently. I mean, independent of this Wynn record, that I had put aside a cuppla months ago to listen to; it was a happy accident to find it, this Wynn record.

Why? Because I think I’m encouraged to pursue the above approach, altho’ the next I plan will be, mmm ….

And a little about style: Wynn seems to write like Dylan, sometimes like Lou Reed, sometimes from a obscurity from a 60’s garage-rock compilation.  (I woulda like to use “garage band” there, but didn’t wanna confuse anyone).

Me: I write from styles, *ex*., funk, avant, alt.country, indie, shoegaze, grunge and hard-rock, blooze, slow-core have all been a theme, mebbe throw in one change-up (that’s usually the acoustic onna electric collection, or vice-versa, or mebbe sompin’ like a reggae).

Like I was saying, the next I plan will be, mmm ….

*this is about me, after all

Pandemic savings

Think of it: .75 liters (a US “fifth”) at $20 = approximately 15 drinks = approx. US$1.33/drink. Here, US$20.00 might get you two drinks from the just-below top shelf; 15 drinks = US$150. That’s $130 savings over 3-5 nights inna bar, or for me, pre-pandemic, every say 1.5-2 weeks.