12/31/20

Some Of The Good

Thought it’d be fun to list some of the 2020 records my friends made, a few I was involved with, and a couple others I really enjoyed.

Andre Maguire - Not Too Bad
This is such a fun record, hook filled rock & roll with stellar guitar playing.
Andre’s handling all the instruments and vocals on this one! Dre and I met back 1990, we played together in a band called Rattletrap and many years later in The Delstroyers. He’s as good a person as he is a musician, and that’s saying something!

Vast Robot Armies - Paper Crown Parade
Ones of my favorites of the year. VRA took another step up (a rather large one at that) with this record. The songwriting, performance, and production are all their best yet. I got a chance to do mix reviews on this with Jason, that and the final product brought me great deal of joy at a time when it was truly needed.

Half Rushmore - To The Earth
Brilliant on every level. Superior songwriting, an amazing voice, and outstanding playing. Jeff’s talent is undeniable, and the cast of characters that helped see this record done are as good as it gets. He also happens to be an excellent dude. I was floored by how much I love this record.

The Kaytonsville 8
Evocative and intelligent, John Are’s 3 song EP is full of swagger. A unique voice delivering highly crafted songs about bad decisions, nefarious characters, and acceptance. I was brought in to play on this by one of my most respected friends, who also produced and mixed it. I am proud of this one, it’s a great batch of songs, sure hope I get to work with them again.

Arctic Sleep - Derelict & Architect Of Reason
A prolific talent, would take a lot of words to examine the depth of Keith D, I’ll save that for a future feature.
Derelict is a beautiful (and totally DIY) acoustic retrospective, and Architect Of Reason was an Internet collaboration of friends from all across the country. I consider myself lucky to have been involved with both of these releases.
~Also from Keith D in 2020, Chopping Mall & Fight School, brutal, intense, and sometimes silly, enter at your own risk.

TAD - Accretion Mass & The Gift Of Suffering
A vast well of emotions. Probably not what most people familiar with TAD would have imagined, these releases explore symphonic, orchestral, and film scoring terrain. Bold, unsettling, and dynamic, they are rare insights into a complex and gifted person. TAD is also a full-time Producer, Engineer, and Studio Owner at Witch Ape Studio

(Damn) This Desert Air - Nebulosity
Dynamic modern hard rock. Powerful production, great playing, and big vocals with crafty lyrics. I was not very familiar with DTDA until I heard Craig’s vocal work on Arctic Sleeps Kindred Spirits. He handled lead vocals on the AS Architect Of Reason single and was a joy to work with.

And some records from people I don’t know, but that I loved,
Once And Future Band - Deleted Scenes
Our Oceans - While Time Disappears
Frost - Others

See, 2020 was not all bad
Happy New Year, here’s to a better year in 2021, be safe and happy!

12/18/20

Respect Where Respect Is Due
One of the things I’ve been meaning to do is feature some of the people that have played a major role in my musical life. No better place to start than at the beginning, and with the person that got the whole thing started, Mundo Juillerat.
I’ve told the story many times (and referenced it in the post about my Bassman amp and on my Bio page), my life would have been very different without Mundo’s intervention. We met through a mutual friend in high school, and played together in the first two bands I was ever in, No Ka Oi and The Sting. Our paths went in different directions, but we’ve always remained great friends.

Mundo went to MI in the late 80’s and studied with Jennifer Batten, Scott Henderson, Paul Gilbert, and Frank Gambale. He put in his time with touring acts and eventually ended up in Las Vegas working some of its biggest shows. Performing with Momma Mia! at Mandalay Bay put him on the map and lead to a multi year stint with Le Rêve - The Dream at Wynn. Current endorsements with Solar Guitars, Cordial Cable, and Anatomy of Sound have him performing clinics, and there’s lots of stage and studio work with a wide variety of acts. (oh, and he recently became a Yamaha Ambassador)

The dude can shred with the best of them, swing you silly with Gypsy Jazz, and even tear it up on a Ukulele. Speaking of Gypsy Jazz, his band The Hot Club Of Las Vegas recently put out the excellent Hamajang!, it should not be missed! Mundo’s YouTube channel is full of outstanding content, including my favorite, “60 Second Songs”, and some great gear discussions. He was also featured in Washburn’s YouTube series, “The Working Guitarist”, and is currently available for lessons.

Mundo is one of the most engaging, positive, and inspiring people I have ever known. My respect for him runs deep, and I wouldn’t be where I am without him, Mahalo!

11/30/20

Something Forgotten Found and Lowered Stress
I found an old mp3 cover of ETI by Blue Oyster Cult I did with John Yanes 10 or so years ago. It was my first internet collaboration, and is what lead to the Team Cluster project.
At the time I was working on The Last Great Love’s “Victory At Sea” record. Jeff Grove was both producing and playing drums on it, and I coerced him into tracking drums for us. I booked out an afternoon at Crackle & Pop!, asked our friend David Taylor to engineer, and after a few passes, we were done (Jeff is really good).
John recorded all the vocals and rhythm guitar parts at his place in Paso Robles, and I did all my bass parts in my living room. This was recorded with a fretless Roscoe SKB 3005 that I had at the time, DI’ed into Pro Tools.
Later that same month, I got back in touch with Robert Jones (childhood friend of both John and I) and asked if he’d do the solos. He agreed, and a couple days later they were in Dropbox. I recorded those relentless piano stabs and then mixed it at C&P!.
Sounds better than I had remembered.

The condo I had in Lynnwood has finally sold, and that is a relief. It didn’t move as quickly as I had imagined it would, and that made for some stress. It’s a very nice place, and I hope the new owners enjoy it as much as I did.
BTW, the agent I work with is super incredible. Her name is Mary Schile, a good friend, outstanding agent, and quality individual. If you ever need help in the world of Real Estate, I could not recommend anyone more highly.

10/22/20

Well, How ‘bout That!?!?!
I just saw that Strom Surge Of Reverb named The Delstroyers Diabolical #31 in their Top 100 of the 2010’s!
~The Delstroyers - Diabolical! (2017)
”Just like this record comes in screaming, so did the Delstroyers with their high impact yet trad-friendly debut. There's a punk attitude, a pounding, relentless beat, hefty weight to the sound, but it's still distortion-free, reverbed-out and proud. What a rush!”

I am excited to see it getting such positive recognition, it’s a record I am really proud of. I wrote about the making of it a couple years back, Revisiting The Delstroyers.

I truly could not be more pleased to see Dre, Todd, and Lukas getting great reviews and continuing to put out excellent music.

10/16/20

Late Summer Changes
Seems like I always have big changes/events in Aug and Sept.
This year I decided to move again, and got a nice little condo in the Jaunita area. It was time to move on from Lynnwood, the place there was just too big for me and Thelma (my cat), and I wanted, for some completely arbitrary reason, to be on the East side of I5. This new place is older, and needs some help, but I like projects, so we should get on just fine.

Have seen some very nice comments and reviews for some of the recent records I’ve been part of, and that always feels nice. Keith D sent over this from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the collaboration we did, pretty cool!

My friend Jeff Brown just released the long awaited Half Rushmore followup. It is amazingly good, one of the best records I’ve heard in a long time. Lot’s of friends were involved with the making of it, and it just goes to show how incredible talented our local circle is. The songwriting is outstanding, the performances and recording of them are excellent, as is the mix and production. This is some great work all the way around, go give it a listen, you’ll love it.

One of my favorite bands, Our Oceans, is releasing a new record. I was a little apprehensive as I love the first record and was sure I would be let down, but if the first two singles are any indication, I am going to love it.

Also in Aug I tweaked my back, totally sucked. I was working to change my posture and arm positions when I play, attempting to be more ergonomic, and obviously overdid it. I have a habit of making sweeping changes all at once, and being overly aggressive when I do. I took the better part of the last month off from playing and saw a PT, still have a huge knot in my mid back, but definitely getting better! In my mind I am still 28, unfortunately my 56 yr old body refuses to comply with that notion.

8/13/20

Staying Busy
I ordered some slip covers for the Bassman rig from Custom Amp Covers and they are totally great. The fit was perfect, vinyl is heavy grade, durable stitching, and the customer service was top notch. If you are in the market for such a thing, I highly recommend them.

The collaboration song (Architect Of Reason) with Keith D, Craig Cirinelli, and Nick Smalkowski is mixed and I just sent it off to Rachel Field at Resonant Mastering. Keith did a nice job on the mix, and I imagine it was not an easy task, a lot of tracks to manage. I am excited to hear Rachel’s Master and to get it out for everyone to listen to. It was a very fun project.
Also, one of Craig’s bands, (Damn) This Desert Air, has just released Nebulosity, and it’s really good, go give it a listen!

A bass player I follow and really enjoy, Damian Erskine, has started an online Bass education website and community at the aptly named BassEducation.com. A gifted player and instructor (not to mention, a relatable, positive, and down-to-earth person), he is actively involved, available, and genuinely wants to help. The site covers a lot of ground, and there’s well thought out content geared toward nearly every level of player. I like that I can cherry pick through specific lessons focusing on single topic, or dive into a “Module” that collects multiple lessons in sequence to address larger subjects, like Walking Bass or Chords. The site also offers extensive “Paths”, collected criteria focusing on big picture goals. Damian’s philosophy and approach are as welcoming as they are practical, and at only $7 a month, you’d be hard pressed to find a more cost effective method to expand your skillset.

8/17/20
Quick update: Arctic Sleep collaboration is out. What a fun project, and with such talented people, lucky me! Have a listen at Arctic Sleep - Architect Of Reason

A Matched Set
I finally found a matching Fender Bassman 50 cabinet to go with my Bassman 50 head, the old-school/nostalgia rig is now complete. The head is a 74, the cab a 76, they look great together, and better yet, sound super! I was being rather exact in what I was looking for, needed to be a mid 70’s diagonal loaded 2x15 with “cups” in the top. It has the Fender Special Design (I am thinking CTS, but maybe Utah) square magnet speakers in it, and they are in reasonably good shape. Appears the back panel and bracing were replaced at some point, but you would probably never know without popping the hood.
When I first started playing seriously, this was the amp I used. My dear friend, and killer guitar player, Mundo (check out his YT Channel, great stuff), convinced me to join my high school’s Choir and their Pop-Rock Ensemble. He said they would be easy credits and not to worry if I couldn’t sing (I can’t). About two weeks in, the bass player for the Pop-Rock Ensemble got mad and quit. With 6 words, Mundo forever changed the trajectory of my life: “Hey Ms. Coop, Punk plays bass”. He handed me the school’s Jazz bass, I plugged into their Bassman rig, and off we went.
They say you can’t go home again, but you can get an old amp just like the one you used to use, and play it really loud!

I finished up the bass parts for the Arctic Sleep collaboration song, and it came out pretty darn nice. Used my Lakland as the song required a low B, and this bass has one of the best. It’s probably the most versatile bass I have ever owned, and is super comfortable/fun to play. Will be interesting to hear it with all the moving parts in a proper mix. I know there are going to be a lot of harmonies and key/string parts that I have not heard yet. I’m excited to hear how it turns out.
Recording chain: 1997 Lakland 55-94 Classic (Bartolini PU’s and Pre) strung with DR Low Rider Nickels, DI’d into a UA Apollo, using Unison with the Brainworx Ampeg SVT-VR plugin.

6/20/20

So Summer Is Here
Yesterday saw the release of The Kaytonsville 8 EP, and it turned out very nice. They did a wonderful job with the artwork/packaging, and also in getting it out to all the main distribution sites. I will link to the Bandcamp page, but you can also find it on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Youtube, and most anywhere else you get your music from. As I’ve mentioned before, this was a fun project for me to work on. I really enjoy these songs and was very impressed with everyone involved. Hope we all work together again in the future.

I heard Craig’s vocal parts for the Keith D/Arctic Sleep collaboration song, and they are great. The melodies and lyric content are totally interesting, not at all what I imagined, and super cool. Keith said he is planning to have Nick Smalkowski come in to recut the drums, that will be interesting, I’m looking forward to hearing where he takes it. As we stand, I have sketched out my bass part, know just what I want from it, and now I am in edit mode. Having the vocal roughs to work with makes this part much easier, now I can dig into the details, prune out the unnecessary, reinforce the complimentary, relearn it, and then rerecord it. I love this part!

I also finished up another 2 bass lines for Scott Taylor’s revitalization project. It has been a lot of fun learning these songs and reinterpreting them against his new drum parts. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.

5/10/20

Some Nice To-Dos
My dear friend, and one of my favorite drummers, Scott Taylor, asked if I would be up for helping with a project he is working on. A couple of his former bandmates wanted to revisit and refresh some of their old songs, he asked if I could fill in on bass, how could I say no? I love working with Taylor. The songs are old school hard/heavy rock, smartly written, and well arranged. It’s been quite the challenge, these songs are fast and Taylor’s drum parts are relentless, no room for errors, or relaxing. I have one of the four bass lines finished, and another roughly 80% there. Total fun! (that is a picture of Taylor and I, from a few years ago)

Last week I received a prerelease copy of John Are’s EP “The Kaytonsville 8”, a record I worked on at the end of last year. It really turned out nice; the songs kick ass, the packaging and presentation are top notch, and it sounds great! This was a total treat for me, getting to work with one of my most respected friends (Kenny Cummings), on some cool songs from a super talented artist: win, win, win. Formal release is June 19th. I will post links and raise a big commotion when it is out. I am rather proud of this one.

Yesterday Keith D from Arctic Sleep sent over a new song. A month or so back he asked if I wanted to play bass on collaboration piece he was putting together, again, how could I possibly say no? He’s also enlisted Craig Cirinelli of (Damn) This Desert Air, Holler and the Hand, The World Concave, and many others, to tackle vocals. The song is, of course, totally EPIC! This is going to be so much fun, can’t wait to dig in and start exploring ideas. My Lakland and the fretless are both going to get a workout on this song.

Universal Audio recently released their new audio workstation, LUNA. I have been playing around with it this last week, I really like some of the features, and love the workflow. They have done a great job of it, tons of functionality and innovative ideas, especially considering it’s a v1 release. As it matures, I could see moving a lot of my work to it.

In other news, my cat, Thelma, is no longer a kitten, we have entered into (as Mary says) her teens. She’s not as crazy spastic all the time, now it’s straight up attitude, good thing she is so pretty.

4/10/20

A Couple Of Things
Arctic Sleep released a new record this last week, Derelict: A Homemade Acoustic Retrospective. It is an intimate acoustic reinterpretation of song from each of their last 6 records. Keith performed, recorded, and mixed the entire thing by himself, and did a great job of it. I was fortunate to be involved, and played a small part in seeing it reach completion. He’s offering it as a gift (name your own price) on Bandcamp. It is truly a beautiful record, and something I am proud to have been part of.

SMASH Seattle is offing some new resources that may be of help during these trying times. They are good people doing good work, and have many healthcare bennifits available to our local music community. I urge you to check them out, utilize the resources available, and if you can, donate.

3/31/20

As Things Stand
As everyone is aware, things are very different and difficult, so no need to delve into that.

Vast Robot Armies “Paper Crown Parade” is now out, and it is a great listen. Some happy music at a time when it is probably needed most. Head over to their Bandcamp page and have a listen, heck, check out their back-catalog while you are there, you’ll be glad you did.

Rachel Field from Resonant Mastering has taken the lead in trying to help out our local recording community in the form of a GoFundMe campaign. There have been few times that helping where we can has been more needed. If you can, please donate, or donate to causes you feel are important, it really does help.

Steve Kim, the person I take lessons from (he is a crazy great player and an even better teacher), turned me onto iRealPro. It is a very useful app and quite easy to use. Kind of like a “Real Book” app, but has lots more than just that to offer. It has become an invaluable practice tool.

I have been keeping as busy as I can working on lessons, learning a bit of Spanish, watching online Mixing tutorials, and trying to keep my cat Thelma from being a tornado of destruction.. All have been fun at times, and seemingly beneficial, but do have moments of total frustration. Better times soon.

4/2/20 Update:
A preview of Keith’s Chopping Mall record is up on his Dripfeed Records YouTube page. Brace yourself, it’s brutal (and a bit silly).

2/3/20

Remainders
During the last months of 2019, I had the opportunity to help Jason Thomson of Vast Robot Armies with mix reviews for their next release. The new album is now finished and I’ve heard the Masters that Ed Brooks did at Resonant Mastering, it sounds great! Jason and his two partners, John Agee & Joe Wells (from Sundiver, another band I totally love.), really upped their game on this one, and Kellii Scott is on drums, how cool is that?!? I have enjoyed each of the VRA records, but I think this one is a big step forward, both in terms of song strength and production. Should be out very soon.

Update 2/25/20
Preorder for the new record “Paper Crown Parade” and the first single “More In Than Out” are up over at the VRA Bandcamp page, Go check it out!

During this same time I was helping with mix reviews for a couple of Keith D’s projects. I think both are intended as semi-parody, but they are remarkable in their own right. KD is prolific in his ability to conceive and execute an idea, it’s really quite impressive. The Fight School record was “concept to release” in 2 weeks; he wrote all the music, played all the instruments, did all the recording/mixing, and created each character in the fictitious band, incredible! Give it a listen, if you dare! (Warning, not for the faint of heart)
I am not sure how to describe the Chopping Mall release, once it’s out, I will link to it and let you decide, it’s unlikely you’ve heard anything like it.

And lastly, I cobbled together one final TC song from unfinished bit and pieces. It was a song John wrote with one of his bands back in the 90’s. I always loved the song and wanted to revisit it with TC, but we never got around to finishing it. I don’t think John was overly pleased with the direction I was taking it in, and we just kind of let it die. Last year I dug up all the various takes we had and started to see if I could construct a usable pass. I dinked around with it for a long time and finally decided to just hand it off to Don Gunn and ask him to attempt a mix. Don is good at what he does, and I love working with him. The drums were originally played on an E-Kit and came to me as MIDI, so he used samples he had and built the kit up. The background and chorus vocals have always been my favorite parts of the song, and I think they really came out particularly nice. With that, this version of TC is finally done, and I can comfortably let it go. Give a listen if you’d like.

1/2/20

2019 Was A Fine Year
I checked off a lot of my goals for 2019, but a couple have been bumped to 2020’s list.
I played a lot of bass, did a bunch of recording, had some great shows, traveled, reconnected with some old friends, and made a few new ones. It wasn’t without some rough patches, but overall, I’d consider it a success.

I’ve set some challenging goals for 2020 and feel confident they are attainable, will just require some focus and a little less procrastination on my part. I am excited, and motivated.

Quick Update 1/18/20:
I’ve just heard the final mixes mastered for the 3 song John Are EP, they sound great! John is a super talented singer/writer/guitarist, Kenny did a great job putting everything together, and I am rather proud of my contributions. Looking forward to this release.