Wow! I can't believe it's already August. Man, 2013 is flying by. It's hard to believe that Roy and I, have been working together for a year now. It's been an amazing journey, so far, and I look forward to what is to come. It's also hard to believe, that I have been running this blog for almost 10 months. Where has the time gone? Honestly, I kind of wondered if I would keep up the blog, when I first started it. One of the things that has kept me going, is all the nice comments, and compliments that I have received from you, the readers. I really appreciate it, and am glad that you enjoy it. I have also enjoyed writing it, so that helps as well!
So with that said, let's get to the latest, in the SDR world. This weekend we will be rehearsing. We were supposed to be rehearsing with our new bass player, but a scheduling conflict has prevented that. If you remember, we held bass auditions back in June. Up until now, we have always run the bass, through the keyboards. The Doors used this same method, and never had a true bass player. I'm actually really excited about bringing a live bass player on. I'm also excited about actually rehearsing. When we were auditioning bass players, back in June, I guess it was a rehearsal of sorts, for Roy and I. We really haven't had a true rehearsal though, since last December. That was when Cisco was coming aboard, and we were all trying to get used to playing together.
As I said, it will be nice to practice some, without being in show mode. We will actually be able to stop, talk, and work on problem areas. When your doing a show, the pace runs at 100mph, the whole way through. You don't get a chance to discuss how the last song sounded, or try it again, as you have to get ready for the next song. By the end of the night, your just focused on getting your gear loaded up, getting paid, and going home. You usually don't have time to discuss the performance. I will usually think about it the next day, and judge how we did. I will make mental notes, for the next time, and that's about it. We are planning on having several rehearsals, before our next show, which will be on August 24, at the Cowtown Bowling Palace.
In other news, our contract with Promotions By Marti, has come to an end. We have decided to go in a different direction, with our bookings. This is not a knock on Marti, either. We really want to thank Marti, for all she has done for us. She kept us really busy for the first half of this year, and we wish her all the best. For now, we are booking ourselves. If you are interested in booking Sand Dollar Rodeo, please send an email inquiry here info@sanddollarrodeo.com and either Roy or I, will get right back to you. We are working on several show ideas, and will let you know, as soon as we have more details.
The last bit of news, that I would like to share, is that we have begun work on our next album. When I say begun, I really mean that. We are in the very early stages. Right now, we have several new song ideas, that we are working on. Most of them, are just rough demos, at this point. As we finish each song, we will begin incorporating them into our live show. The album will be done, when it's done, but we are targeting a late 2014 release date, at this point. We will see how it goes, and I will keep you updated on the progress, right here.
To tide you over until then, we are planning to release one of our live show songs, as a single. Look for it around Christmas. It will be available via download only. We will, of course, let you know, once it's available. Until then, if you haven't already done so, please check out our current album "GPS To Nowhere", which was released on April 2, 2013. You can listen to the whole thing for free, on Spotify, so go check it out!
Well, that's all I've got for you, for now. Thank you for your support, thank you for reading, and thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. So, until next time, adios!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
A Return To The Vine
Am I in Texas, or the northeast? The odd Texas summer of 2013 continues, but I'm not complaining. On Monday, of this week, we set a record low-high temperature of 74 degrees. I've received several reports, from friends in the northeast, that they have had unbearable heat. On the day that we hit 74, I read that Portland, Maine was flirting with a record high, in the mid 90's, and that New York City topped out at 100 degrees. Talk about a role reversal! We did not touch 90 all week, until today. We will be in the 90's for the rest of the week, which is not bad for Texas, in mid-July.
It's a good thing, that the weather is staying nice, as we are making a return trip to Hollywood & Vine, in Glen Rose, this Friday night, July 19th, at 7:30pm. This will be an outdoor show, (well it will be, if it doesn't rain). As of now, there is a 30% chance of rain showers, and a high of 93 on Friday. As long as the rain stays away, it should be real nice, with the temperature dropping from the low 80's to the high 70's, by the end of the show. Sounds perfect to me!
I'm really looking forward to this show, as we've had to deal with weather issues, the other two times we played at Hollywood & Vine. The first time, we had to move indoors, because temperatures were in the 30's. The second time, we did play outdoors, but the conditions were not ideal. I recall the temperature being in the 50's, with a heavy chance of rain. It never did rain, but I think the overcast skies and cool temperatures, contributed to the light crowd, that night. I also recall, that the three people in charge, the two owners, and their daughter-in-law, were not in agreement on whether we should play inside or not. One, wanted us indoors, one, wanted us outdoors, and the third, advised us to work it out with the other two, lol!
As I said earlier, hopefully the rain stays away. I've always thought, that Hollywood & Vine would be the perfect place to play, when the weather cooperates. I'm glad were finally getting our shot. So, if your in the Glen Rose area on Friday night, drop on by and see us. The beer is cold, the food is great, and we are planning to have a lot of fun! Hollywood & Vine is located at 101 Vine Street, Glen Rose, Texas.
Please note, that this will be the last chance to see us live for awhile, as we are taking mini-hiatus. Our next show is not scheduled until Saturday, August 24th, at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. The main reason for the hiatus, is that we will be rehearsing with our new bass player, Carlos. We will be getting him up to speed, on all the material, and getting used to playing with one another. I am also going on vacation, with my family, during the month of August.
Of course, this is all subject to change. Things in the music business, are very rarely stable. We may end up picking up a show, before then, or not. It really just depends on how the rehearsals go, and how our schedules are. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know, as I will update any new, news or information, on this blog. We will, of course, also update our Facebook page, and our website, with any changes, as well. By the way, are you a fan of our Facebook page? If your not, you should be! If your a reader of my blog, could you please do me a huge favor, and go like our Facebook page located here www.facebook.com/sanddollarrodeo If you've already done that, then I want to thank you. We really appreciate your support! We also have a Twitter feed, if Facebook is not your thing. You can follow us on Twitter here www.twitter.com/sanddollarrodeo
Well, that's all I have for now. Enjoy your summer, wherever you may be, and I'll be back before you know it! Talk to ya later.
It's a good thing, that the weather is staying nice, as we are making a return trip to Hollywood & Vine, in Glen Rose, this Friday night, July 19th, at 7:30pm. This will be an outdoor show, (well it will be, if it doesn't rain). As of now, there is a 30% chance of rain showers, and a high of 93 on Friday. As long as the rain stays away, it should be real nice, with the temperature dropping from the low 80's to the high 70's, by the end of the show. Sounds perfect to me!
I'm really looking forward to this show, as we've had to deal with weather issues, the other two times we played at Hollywood & Vine. The first time, we had to move indoors, because temperatures were in the 30's. The second time, we did play outdoors, but the conditions were not ideal. I recall the temperature being in the 50's, with a heavy chance of rain. It never did rain, but I think the overcast skies and cool temperatures, contributed to the light crowd, that night. I also recall, that the three people in charge, the two owners, and their daughter-in-law, were not in agreement on whether we should play inside or not. One, wanted us indoors, one, wanted us outdoors, and the third, advised us to work it out with the other two, lol!
As I said earlier, hopefully the rain stays away. I've always thought, that Hollywood & Vine would be the perfect place to play, when the weather cooperates. I'm glad were finally getting our shot. So, if your in the Glen Rose area on Friday night, drop on by and see us. The beer is cold, the food is great, and we are planning to have a lot of fun! Hollywood & Vine is located at 101 Vine Street, Glen Rose, Texas.
Please note, that this will be the last chance to see us live for awhile, as we are taking mini-hiatus. Our next show is not scheduled until Saturday, August 24th, at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. The main reason for the hiatus, is that we will be rehearsing with our new bass player, Carlos. We will be getting him up to speed, on all the material, and getting used to playing with one another. I am also going on vacation, with my family, during the month of August.
Of course, this is all subject to change. Things in the music business, are very rarely stable. We may end up picking up a show, before then, or not. It really just depends on how the rehearsals go, and how our schedules are. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know, as I will update any new, news or information, on this blog. We will, of course, also update our Facebook page, and our website, with any changes, as well. By the way, are you a fan of our Facebook page? If your not, you should be! If your a reader of my blog, could you please do me a huge favor, and go like our Facebook page located here www.facebook.com/sanddollarrodeo If you've already done that, then I want to thank you. We really appreciate your support! We also have a Twitter feed, if Facebook is not your thing. You can follow us on Twitter here www.twitter.com/sanddollarrodeo
Well, that's all I have for now. Enjoy your summer, wherever you may be, and I'll be back before you know it! Talk to ya later.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
I'll Just Have A Beer, Round 2
I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July weekend. I know, I did. It just so happens that we were off this past weekend. Kind of an oddity, with the way our schedule has been this year. Roy had company come in from out of town, and ended up going to Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic, and a Rangers game. I think their may have been a couple of beers, mixed in there, as well.
As for me, I just kind of took it easy, and enjoyed the unseasonably cool weather, that we had last week. Heck, I'm not complaining. I mixed in a few long bike rides, hung out with family on the 4th, did some swimming, and went and saw a new band.
The band I speak of, is called Kyser. Two of my really good friends are in this band, Robby Kyser, and Sol Kanthack. I've known both of these guys since elementary school. We all three started playing together, when we were 15 years old. Well, Robby was 16 or 17, I believe, lol. Hey cut me a break, it's been a long time. He is either a year, or two years older then Sol and I. I honestly can't remember. Heck, those two even share the same birthday. That, I do know. Well, we have worked together, in various projects over the last 25 years. My most proud accomplishment, with these guys, was winning the 1991 TCU Battle of the Bands. We edged out a little group, called the Toadies. You may have heard of them?
Right now, Kyser is competing in the Jerry's Hyundai Battle of the Bands. The competition is taking place over at the Oui Lounge in Fort Worth. The Oui Lounge is located at 3509 Bluebonnet Circle. Kyser, has made it into the finals, and will be battling two other bands, this Friday night, July 12th at 8:30pm. As I said, I went and saw them last week, and they were great! So, if your in the area, go check em' out! You can check out more information on Kyser, and listen to their music here www.bandmix.com/kyserband
We will be getting back at it, this weekend, as well. We enjoyed playing at the Firewheel Brewery so much, that we are going to be doing the brewery thing again, this weekend. We will be at the Community Beer Company on Saturday, July 13. The Community Beer Company is located at 1530 Inspiration Drive, Dallas, Texas. It's across from the American Airlines Center, and just west of I-35. We will be playing from 2-5pm, during the brewery tours. Whew! I'm glad it's not another 11am gig! You can read my last blog post, if you wanna see how much I enjoy mornings.
For more information on the brewery, and their tours, you can check out their website here www.communitybeer.com So, if your in the downtown Dallas area on Saturday afternoon, stop on by for some craft beer, a tour, and some music.
Well, that's it! Short and sweet for this week! Talk to ya soon, and thanks for reading!
As for me, I just kind of took it easy, and enjoyed the unseasonably cool weather, that we had last week. Heck, I'm not complaining. I mixed in a few long bike rides, hung out with family on the 4th, did some swimming, and went and saw a new band.
The band I speak of, is called Kyser. Two of my really good friends are in this band, Robby Kyser, and Sol Kanthack. I've known both of these guys since elementary school. We all three started playing together, when we were 15 years old. Well, Robby was 16 or 17, I believe, lol. Hey cut me a break, it's been a long time. He is either a year, or two years older then Sol and I. I honestly can't remember. Heck, those two even share the same birthday. That, I do know. Well, we have worked together, in various projects over the last 25 years. My most proud accomplishment, with these guys, was winning the 1991 TCU Battle of the Bands. We edged out a little group, called the Toadies. You may have heard of them?
Right now, Kyser is competing in the Jerry's Hyundai Battle of the Bands. The competition is taking place over at the Oui Lounge in Fort Worth. The Oui Lounge is located at 3509 Bluebonnet Circle. Kyser, has made it into the finals, and will be battling two other bands, this Friday night, July 12th at 8:30pm. As I said, I went and saw them last week, and they were great! So, if your in the area, go check em' out! You can check out more information on Kyser, and listen to their music here www.bandmix.com/kyserband
We will be getting back at it, this weekend, as well. We enjoyed playing at the Firewheel Brewery so much, that we are going to be doing the brewery thing again, this weekend. We will be at the Community Beer Company on Saturday, July 13. The Community Beer Company is located at 1530 Inspiration Drive, Dallas, Texas. It's across from the American Airlines Center, and just west of I-35. We will be playing from 2-5pm, during the brewery tours. Whew! I'm glad it's not another 11am gig! You can read my last blog post, if you wanna see how much I enjoy mornings.
For more information on the brewery, and their tours, you can check out their website here www.communitybeer.com So, if your in the downtown Dallas area on Saturday afternoon, stop on by for some craft beer, a tour, and some music.
Well, that's it! Short and sweet for this week! Talk to ya soon, and thanks for reading!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
I'll Just Have A Beer, In The Morning??
For those of you that do not know, I am not much of a morning person. In fact, no one in my immediate family is. My older son is practically a vampire, and it's not uncommon for my two younger daughters (7 & 5) to sleep in till 9am or later, if they have the chance to. The one exception, might be my wife. But honestly, I think it's more a product, of her training her body to go to bed at a decent hour. As I said, I've never been a morning person. I like to stay up late, as that seems to be when I'm the sharpest. My motivation, and creativity really kicks in after 9pm.
It's funny, one of my favorite songwriters, Robert Earl Keen, told a similar tale on one of his live albums. He stated that he is a lazy person, by nature. He likes to stay up late, and sleep in. First of all, I don't consider myself a lazy person, my body is just more comfortable, with later nights and later mornings. I suspect that Robert Earl Keen is the same way. Anyway, he went on and said that this motivated him to pursue music, as a career. "This will perfect for me.", he said. Well, he cut his first single, and went to talk to a radio station about playing it, and maybe doing an interview. The guy at the radio station said, "Sure, we'll give it a spin. Be here at 6am on Saturday." Robert Earl said, "Man, it's already going bad for me." He went on to describe some other things, in the story, but I have always been able to relate to this tidbit.
Now, Roy on the other hand, is a major morning person. I've received emails from him, in the 4am range. And no, he was not up all night! He is pretty much the exact opposite of me. He is at his creative best, early in the morning. So, I guess that pretty much makes SDR, and almost 24 hour venture, huh? I've sent him plenty of emails, well after midnight, that I know he won't see, until the next day. Likewise, when he sends me something in the wee hours, he knows that he will most likely not hear back from me, until at least 9am. The only time I see 4am, is if I have been up all night!
Now, with all of that out of the way, we have a very different type of gig, that we are playing this weekend. Texas has a lot of craft brewers, i.e. craft beer. These establishments, have really taken off in recent years, and I am glad to see it. I will admit it here, I am a beer snob. There is nothing better then a full bodied, great tasting beer. I don't drink beer to get drunk, although, if it's a really great beer, I might overindulge every once in awhile. Sorry, but I am not much of a fan of light beer, i.e. Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Bud Light. If I wanted carbonated water, I would just buy that instead. No offense, to anyone who enjoys these, but they are just not my style. I love to go to the store, and find a new beer to try. Sometimes, it works great, and sometimes, not so great. That's part of the fun, for me. Almost every time I go though, I inevitably see some dude walking out with a 30 pack of Keystone Light, and I'm just thinking, "Man, what are you doing?" But, to each his own, I guess. A lot of my buddies can't believe that I will pay $9.00 or more, for a six pack of beer. They say, "Man, you could've gotten a 12 or 18 pack of insert, "common domestic beer" here, I just tell them, that for me, "It's quality, not quantity."
Roy also enjoys good quality beer. He went to a craft beer festival a few weeks ago, and met with several of the brewers. A real popular thing that happens with these brewers is, that they give Saturday afternoon tours of their facility. Free beer samples, are usually included. It's also becoming a popular trend, to have a live band come in during these events. We have a couple of these events coming up, over the next couple of weeks. The first one will be this Saturday at the Firewheel Brewery. The Firewheel Brewery is located at 2806 Lewing Lane, Rowlett, Texas. When Roy was booking this show, I remember him saying, "Hey, would you like to play at a brewery?" "Sure, I said. He replied back, "Ok, we will be playing at Firewheel Brewery, in Rowlett, from 11am-3pm." The Robert Earl Keen thought, came into my head, "Oh man, it's already going bad for me, man!" This brewery is 69 miles from my house. I will probably need to be up by 7:00am, at the latest. Not very rock n roll, is it? I move slow in the morning! Luckily, Cisco has come to the rescue. He lives pretty close to me, and has volunteered to drive me. I think I am going to take him up on it. I can get an extra hour of sleep, on the way over! Just kidding! I wouldn't do that to him.
In all actuality, I'm really looking forward to this gig, but damn, that's early! I'm not a morning beer drinker, but I may have to make an exception here! So, if your in the Rowlett area, on Saturday morning/early afternoon, you should drop by the Firewheel Brewery, for a tour, some music, and of course, some beer! Roy told me, that some of our friends from McKinney, may be coming. I hope they do, as we have been desperately trying to get back up that way, for a show. It's been too long! They are some great folks, and I hope to see them on Saturday.
Ok, I'm done for now. If you have any questions, please wait until 10am to contact me, ok? Over and out!
It's funny, one of my favorite songwriters, Robert Earl Keen, told a similar tale on one of his live albums. He stated that he is a lazy person, by nature. He likes to stay up late, and sleep in. First of all, I don't consider myself a lazy person, my body is just more comfortable, with later nights and later mornings. I suspect that Robert Earl Keen is the same way. Anyway, he went on and said that this motivated him to pursue music, as a career. "This will perfect for me.", he said. Well, he cut his first single, and went to talk to a radio station about playing it, and maybe doing an interview. The guy at the radio station said, "Sure, we'll give it a spin. Be here at 6am on Saturday." Robert Earl said, "Man, it's already going bad for me." He went on to describe some other things, in the story, but I have always been able to relate to this tidbit.
Now, Roy on the other hand, is a major morning person. I've received emails from him, in the 4am range. And no, he was not up all night! He is pretty much the exact opposite of me. He is at his creative best, early in the morning. So, I guess that pretty much makes SDR, and almost 24 hour venture, huh? I've sent him plenty of emails, well after midnight, that I know he won't see, until the next day. Likewise, when he sends me something in the wee hours, he knows that he will most likely not hear back from me, until at least 9am. The only time I see 4am, is if I have been up all night!
Now, with all of that out of the way, we have a very different type of gig, that we are playing this weekend. Texas has a lot of craft brewers, i.e. craft beer. These establishments, have really taken off in recent years, and I am glad to see it. I will admit it here, I am a beer snob. There is nothing better then a full bodied, great tasting beer. I don't drink beer to get drunk, although, if it's a really great beer, I might overindulge every once in awhile. Sorry, but I am not much of a fan of light beer, i.e. Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Bud Light. If I wanted carbonated water, I would just buy that instead. No offense, to anyone who enjoys these, but they are just not my style. I love to go to the store, and find a new beer to try. Sometimes, it works great, and sometimes, not so great. That's part of the fun, for me. Almost every time I go though, I inevitably see some dude walking out with a 30 pack of Keystone Light, and I'm just thinking, "Man, what are you doing?" But, to each his own, I guess. A lot of my buddies can't believe that I will pay $9.00 or more, for a six pack of beer. They say, "Man, you could've gotten a 12 or 18 pack of insert, "common domestic beer" here, I just tell them, that for me, "It's quality, not quantity."
Roy also enjoys good quality beer. He went to a craft beer festival a few weeks ago, and met with several of the brewers. A real popular thing that happens with these brewers is, that they give Saturday afternoon tours of their facility. Free beer samples, are usually included. It's also becoming a popular trend, to have a live band come in during these events. We have a couple of these events coming up, over the next couple of weeks. The first one will be this Saturday at the Firewheel Brewery. The Firewheel Brewery is located at 2806 Lewing Lane, Rowlett, Texas. When Roy was booking this show, I remember him saying, "Hey, would you like to play at a brewery?" "Sure, I said. He replied back, "Ok, we will be playing at Firewheel Brewery, in Rowlett, from 11am-3pm." The Robert Earl Keen thought, came into my head, "Oh man, it's already going bad for me, man!" This brewery is 69 miles from my house. I will probably need to be up by 7:00am, at the latest. Not very rock n roll, is it? I move slow in the morning! Luckily, Cisco has come to the rescue. He lives pretty close to me, and has volunteered to drive me. I think I am going to take him up on it. I can get an extra hour of sleep, on the way over! Just kidding! I wouldn't do that to him.
In all actuality, I'm really looking forward to this gig, but damn, that's early! I'm not a morning beer drinker, but I may have to make an exception here! So, if your in the Rowlett area, on Saturday morning/early afternoon, you should drop by the Firewheel Brewery, for a tour, some music, and of course, some beer! Roy told me, that some of our friends from McKinney, may be coming. I hope they do, as we have been desperately trying to get back up that way, for a show. It's been too long! They are some great folks, and I hope to see them on Saturday.
Ok, I'm done for now. If you have any questions, please wait until 10am to contact me, ok? Over and out!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Bassin' And Bowling
Well, this post is way overdue! Last week, I had a rough draft ready, for what was supposed to be last week's blog post. But, alas! Good ole' AT&T prevented that from happening, as our internet, went down at some point last Thursday. Not only that, but since we also have U-verse, that meant no TV either. In hindsight, it's really not that big of deal. A lot of people have a lot more worries, then this. I'm really blessed, and if this is the worst thing to happen to me, over the past week, then I've got it pretty good.
I usually like to post on Thursday's. I have made exceptions, in the past, but Thursdays usually work out the best. Monday's and Tuesday's, are normally when I work on a rough draft, and Wednesday's are when we feature our song of the week. Although, that will be winding down after next week, as we will feature the last song from the GPS To Nowhere album. So, with all of this out of the way, let's get to the latest.
We have been looking at expanding the live band, for some time now. Roy and I, have gone back and forth, over which piece to add next. We couldn't decide whether to go keyboards, or bass guitar. In the end though, we decided that bass guitar would be the best way to expand the live band, at this point. The main reason, is that Roy has a real unique way of running our keyboards, plus he plays some live keyboards during our show. We though for presentation, as well as live sound, that a bass player would have a more, immediate impact.
We ran ads on Craigslist and Facebook, for the last few weeks. We had a lot of responses. Some really strange things happened, on some of these exchanges. For example, we had one applicant email us, and say he was interested. We emailed back, said great, and tried to set up an audition time, He then emailed us back, later, and said he wouldn't be the right fit, but good luck with your project. What the heck? We had another one, that said he was going to start learning bass, and wanted to get involved with a band. He said he was a great Tuba player though, and thought he could add to our sound! Actually, none of this really surprised me. Musicians can be a flaky lot. In the past, these sort of things have happened to me, on numerous occasions. As I mentioned on here, in one of my initial blog posts, trying to recruit musicians can be a nightmare. When I was trying to put together an 80's New Wave band, I never could get anyone together, to even have an initial meeting/rehearsal. Exhausted from the process, I finally gave up on the idea.
I honestly don't remember how many people submitted for our bass player position, but I would like to thank them all, for expressing an interest. We set the audition date for June 8th. We were originally supposed to play a show on that date, but had to cancel it for personal reasons. We decided that this would be a great day to do the auditions. We had three applicants, that we were able to schedule. We scheduled them for 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. We wanted to allow plenty of time, for each applicant. We gave each of them the same four songs to learn. The songs we used for the audition were GPS To Nowhere, Rodeo Radio, Tailgate To The Beach, and Fried Okra. We thought that this would be a good mix, as each song has quite a different feel, from the other.
Each applicant showed up on time, and all three, were very good players. In addition, we got along really well with each applicant, too. This made the decision even more difficult. In the end, we offered the position to Carlos Shilinsky. Carlos is a very accomplished bass player. He also has a great personality and a funny sense of humor. He will fit in with us, very well. I'm super excited to have him on board. He should be joining us for live shows, in the very near future. I would also like to personally thank the other two applicants, for driving out and auditioning. Again, they were both great players, and made this decision, very difficult for us. I wish them both, the best.
Speaking of live shows, we will be back at it again this weekend. This will be a very different experience for us, as we are playing at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. Yes, you read that right. By the name, you can guess what it is, right? I thought so. Roy found this one, I don't remember how, and Marti booked it. Anyway, the theme is Bowling with the Bands. I honestly, have no idea what to expect at this show, but I am really looking forward to it. We will be there this Saturday, June 22. It's a late show, as we do not take the stage until 10pm. Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas. Admission is $10, and from what I understand, that includes bowling, for the night. Pretty good deal, if you ask me. Anyway, I hope you can make it out, if your in the area.
Well, that's all folks! Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!
I usually like to post on Thursday's. I have made exceptions, in the past, but Thursdays usually work out the best. Monday's and Tuesday's, are normally when I work on a rough draft, and Wednesday's are when we feature our song of the week. Although, that will be winding down after next week, as we will feature the last song from the GPS To Nowhere album. So, with all of this out of the way, let's get to the latest.
We have been looking at expanding the live band, for some time now. Roy and I, have gone back and forth, over which piece to add next. We couldn't decide whether to go keyboards, or bass guitar. In the end though, we decided that bass guitar would be the best way to expand the live band, at this point. The main reason, is that Roy has a real unique way of running our keyboards, plus he plays some live keyboards during our show. We though for presentation, as well as live sound, that a bass player would have a more, immediate impact.
We ran ads on Craigslist and Facebook, for the last few weeks. We had a lot of responses. Some really strange things happened, on some of these exchanges. For example, we had one applicant email us, and say he was interested. We emailed back, said great, and tried to set up an audition time, He then emailed us back, later, and said he wouldn't be the right fit, but good luck with your project. What the heck? We had another one, that said he was going to start learning bass, and wanted to get involved with a band. He said he was a great Tuba player though, and thought he could add to our sound! Actually, none of this really surprised me. Musicians can be a flaky lot. In the past, these sort of things have happened to me, on numerous occasions. As I mentioned on here, in one of my initial blog posts, trying to recruit musicians can be a nightmare. When I was trying to put together an 80's New Wave band, I never could get anyone together, to even have an initial meeting/rehearsal. Exhausted from the process, I finally gave up on the idea.
I honestly don't remember how many people submitted for our bass player position, but I would like to thank them all, for expressing an interest. We set the audition date for June 8th. We were originally supposed to play a show on that date, but had to cancel it for personal reasons. We decided that this would be a great day to do the auditions. We had three applicants, that we were able to schedule. We scheduled them for 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. We wanted to allow plenty of time, for each applicant. We gave each of them the same four songs to learn. The songs we used for the audition were GPS To Nowhere, Rodeo Radio, Tailgate To The Beach, and Fried Okra. We thought that this would be a good mix, as each song has quite a different feel, from the other.
Each applicant showed up on time, and all three, were very good players. In addition, we got along really well with each applicant, too. This made the decision even more difficult. In the end, we offered the position to Carlos Shilinsky. Carlos is a very accomplished bass player. He also has a great personality and a funny sense of humor. He will fit in with us, very well. I'm super excited to have him on board. He should be joining us for live shows, in the very near future. I would also like to personally thank the other two applicants, for driving out and auditioning. Again, they were both great players, and made this decision, very difficult for us. I wish them both, the best.
Speaking of live shows, we will be back at it again this weekend. This will be a very different experience for us, as we are playing at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. Yes, you read that right. By the name, you can guess what it is, right? I thought so. Roy found this one, I don't remember how, and Marti booked it. Anyway, the theme is Bowling with the Bands. I honestly, have no idea what to expect at this show, but I am really looking forward to it. We will be there this Saturday, June 22. It's a late show, as we do not take the stage until 10pm. Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas. Admission is $10, and from what I understand, that includes bowling, for the night. Pretty good deal, if you ask me. Anyway, I hope you can make it out, if your in the area.
Well, that's all folks! Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Summers A Comin'
The official start of summer is not until June 21st. However, around these parts (Texas that is), most people tend to celebrate summer's arrival, over Memorial Day weekend. We've always considered Sand Dollar Rodeo, a summer party band. Not that we won't do shows, throughout the whole year, because we do that, as well. If any of you know Roy, then you know he loves Christmas, just as much as summer. Summer seems to be our season, though. Outdoor shows, parties, festivals, you name it. That's what we thrive on. If you listen to our music, I think that you will agree. A cold drink, driving or taking a road trip, the beach, heck, even Fried Okra! It all goes hand in hand.
We will be kicking off our summer season in grand style, this weekend. We have a pair of shows scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, we will return to the Keller Tavern, located at 128 S. Main St., Keller, Texas. SDR will take the stage at 8pm. The weather should be perfect, well perfect for me, anyway. Temperatures should be in the mid to lower 80's. By the end of the evening, temperatures should be in the lower 70's. This continues a cooler then normal weather pattern for us. This has been the coolest spring, that I can remember, and I have lived in Texas, all of my life. We are usually well into the 90's, by this time of year. Nighttime lows are usually in the mid 70's, at the lowest. Hey, I'm not complaining though. I will take this normal then cooler weather, for as long as it wants to continue. So, come and kick off your Memorial Day weekend with us at the Keller Tavern.
Saturday will be a quick turnaround for us, as we will be playing a private party, out at my folks' house. We will be going on at 4pm, and playing a straight through set (no breaks). The weather should be great. A daytime high of 84, is in the forecast. If you are reading this, and coming to the party, we look forward to seeing you. It should be a great time!
On that note, Sand Dollar Rodeo is available for summer parties, get-togethers, or whatever! If you are interested in booking a private event, please email us at info@sanddollarrodeo.com You can also contact Roy, or I directly, if you prefer.
With all this talk about the weather, let's not forget the people of Granbury and Cleburne, Texas. They were hit hard by tornadoes, last week. I have been to both of these lovely towns, many times. SDR played in Granbury back in March, and we are scheduled to play in Cleburne, on September 28th. Also, please remember the people of Moore, Oklahoma. All of these people, need our thoughts, prayers, and help. Their are many ways you can help. There are too many sites, to list them all here, but if you run a Google search, or better yet, check your favorite social media site, then their should be plenty of information on where and how, we can all help. Whether it's a monetary donation, donating items, or traveling to the areas hit and helping with the clean up, we can all do our part, to help these folks get back on their feet again.
Ok gang, that's all I've got for this week. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!
We will be kicking off our summer season in grand style, this weekend. We have a pair of shows scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, we will return to the Keller Tavern, located at 128 S. Main St., Keller, Texas. SDR will take the stage at 8pm. The weather should be perfect, well perfect for me, anyway. Temperatures should be in the mid to lower 80's. By the end of the evening, temperatures should be in the lower 70's. This continues a cooler then normal weather pattern for us. This has been the coolest spring, that I can remember, and I have lived in Texas, all of my life. We are usually well into the 90's, by this time of year. Nighttime lows are usually in the mid 70's, at the lowest. Hey, I'm not complaining though. I will take this normal then cooler weather, for as long as it wants to continue. So, come and kick off your Memorial Day weekend with us at the Keller Tavern.
Saturday will be a quick turnaround for us, as we will be playing a private party, out at my folks' house. We will be going on at 4pm, and playing a straight through set (no breaks). The weather should be great. A daytime high of 84, is in the forecast. If you are reading this, and coming to the party, we look forward to seeing you. It should be a great time!
On that note, Sand Dollar Rodeo is available for summer parties, get-togethers, or whatever! If you are interested in booking a private event, please email us at info@sanddollarrodeo.com You can also contact Roy, or I directly, if you prefer.
With all this talk about the weather, let's not forget the people of Granbury and Cleburne, Texas. They were hit hard by tornadoes, last week. I have been to both of these lovely towns, many times. SDR played in Granbury back in March, and we are scheduled to play in Cleburne, on September 28th. Also, please remember the people of Moore, Oklahoma. All of these people, need our thoughts, prayers, and help. Their are many ways you can help. There are too many sites, to list them all here, but if you run a Google search, or better yet, check your favorite social media site, then their should be plenty of information on where and how, we can all help. Whether it's a monetary donation, donating items, or traveling to the areas hit and helping with the clean up, we can all do our part, to help these folks get back on their feet again.
Ok gang, that's all I've got for this week. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
A New Amp Part 2, And My Blogging Buddy
Back on March 18, 2013, I published a blog post chronicling some equipment changes. Among those, was the purchase of a new/used amp off of Craigslist. For complete details on this, you can check out this blog post, in the archives.
I'm sure you've guessed by now, that this blog post is about another new amp. Well, if you did guess this, then you would be correct! I replaced my Traynor Custom Valve 40, with a Fender Hot Rod Deville. That name sounds more like a car, then a guitar amp, doesn't it? I never was head over heels, about the Traynor. It's a solid amp, and a lot of players like them. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I really did not like the way my guitars were sounding, through this amp. You may ask, "Well, why did you buy it in the first place?" That's a very good question, that I will try and address in this post.
As I has mentioned, in my prior blog referenced above, we were playing a gig at Lynn's Saloon, when my main amp went out. We had gigs lined up, for the next several weeks. I needed something fast! My time, during the week is limited. I didn't have time to go driving all over creation, searching for amps. Plus, I was on a tight budget. At this time, we were knee deep with the album, so I had expenses, related to that. I have a great music store, that I do a lot of business with, here in Fort Worth. They are called Zoo Music. I would give you a link to their website, but, they do not have a website! They have plenty of amps, but the main problem was, that I could not find anything that I liked, that was within my budget. So, I decided to go the Craigslist route. I found the Traynor, fairly quickly, it was within my price range, and it was a close drive. I played it, and it sounded good, but I knew it would never be a long term solution. Their were several other amps that I had looked at on Craigslist, but I just did not have the time to go try them all out. If nothing else, I thought that this would be a good backup amp. I could use it, until my main amp was repaired.
It didn't take long, to realize that this amp was not working for me. We were playing a show at the Venue, in Gun Barrel City. They recorded this performance, and I though my guitar tone sounded thin and hollow. Our very next gig, at Keller Tavern, was more of the same. This was a show, where we were running our own sound. Roy and I usually take turns, standing out in front of the stage, to get levels. When it was my turn, I was playing my guitar, along with all the other instruments, and I thought it sounded awful. I tried tweaking the settings on the amp, but nothing seemed to sound right. I made it through the gig, but decided on the way home, that it was time to get my main amp into the shop.
I called the amp tech, that Zoo had recommended. He is a one man operation. I have found that this is usually a great thing. These types of guys usually do great work, and really know their stuff. The only downside is, he is a one main operation. He said he had no way to quote me a time frame, or price, until he did an initial analysis. I understood this, and accepted that it might be awhile before he could look at it. I dropped the amp off to him on April 27. He still has it! We had two gigs scheduled the next weekend. I was somehow hoping that maybe he had at least looked at it. I was wrong though. I resigned myself to the fact, that it could be several weeks or more, before my amp would be ready.
On the way home, from dropping off the amp, I was passing right by a used music store, called Music Go Round. I decided to stop in, and see what they had. I looked at several amps, but nothing really caught my eye. A salesman was talking to me, as we walked around the store, when I spotted a Marshall half stack. I kind of laughed, and said, "That looks pretty cool, but I think it would be overkill, for what I need." The salesman said, "You should try it out, it's really not that bad." I decided, "What the heck, might as well." I found a Strat on the wall and plugged it up. I was amazed at the tone, coming out of this thing! It sounded great! The price seemed pretty good, as well. They had it marked for $799.99, but said that they could sell it for $750.00, without me even saying anything. I'm thinking, "Wow, $750 for a Marshall? That sounds like a great deal!" For those of you not familiar with guitar amps, Marshalls are some of the most revered amps, in music history. They are a British amp. They were/are the amp of choice for many guitar players, including greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and Slash, among others. They have also made their way into country music, in recent years. In hindsight, I'm glad that I didn't have $750 on me, that day, or I probably would have brought it home.
I decided at this point, that I was going to go ahead and invest in a nice, higher end amp. While I love my main amp, that is currently in the shop, these amps are well known for their reliability issues. I've researched several forums, where players have had multiple issues with them. The amp is a Crate Vintage Club 50. Mark Knopfler, from Dire Straits, used to use this same amp, but quit, because of the reliability issues. It's a shame, because these amps, sound great. With Sand Dollar Rodeo gigging, as much as we are, I need to have reliable equipment. The Traynor was going bye-bye. My Vintage Club, and that Marshall, just slayed it, as far as tone goes.
I went home and started researching Marshall amps. I'm glad I did. I found out, that the amp I was looking at, was not very good quality. It was a MA 100. These amps are now discontinued, and manufactured in Vietnam. Most forums were stating, that you could get a lot nicer Marshall, for about the same price, as what Music Go Round was asking. This was on the used market, of course. As I completed more research, a lot of people were recommending another model of Marshall, called the DSL. It came in either a 50 or 100 watt head. I started pricing them on Craigslist, and they were coming in at about $800 for the head, and another $400-$500, for the speaker cabinet. Ouch! This was getting pretty steep!
I decided not to limit myself to Marshall. I went ahead and put the Traynor on Craigslist, just to see what would happen. I listed it for the same price, that I had bought it for, a month earlier. I started researching all kinds of makes and models of various amps, from companies such as Fender, Peavy, Orange, Blackstar, and Dr. Z. These companies make some phenomenal amps. While, I would love to own a top of the line model, from one of these companies, that was not in the cards. These companies offer high end amps, that can go up into the thousands of dollars. I didn't have that type of cash. The nice thing though, is that these companies also make some awesome amps, that run anywhere from $500-$1200.
In the meantime, I had received a response on my Craigslist ad. The email had actually gone to my spam folder, so I didn't see it for a few days. I called the guy and we talked about it. I told him that my other amp was in the shop, and that as soon as I received word that it was done, I would contact him. He was good with that , and said he was in no hurray.
We played our two gigs on May 3rd & 4th. That Sunday, May 5th, I decided to go to Guitar Center and check out several amps, that were on my list. I knew that I wanted at lease a 50 watt tube amp, with at least two speakers. This was not so much for the volume, but for fullness, and clean headroom. My Vintage Club is 50 watts, and has two twelve inch speakers. The Traynor was 40 watts, and had one ten inch speaker. I've tried several other amps that had single speakers, and I just do not like the way they sound, for me. Many players, use these types of amps however, and sound great through them. It's all about personal preference, and playing styles.
After playing through several amps, I narrowed it down to two, that I liked. One was a Marshall DSL 100, and the other was a Fender Hot Rod Deville. The Deville was a 60 watt amp with two twelve inch speakers. The Marshall was a 100 watt head, that would need a speaker cabinet. I really liked the Marshall's clean setting, but the drive channel was basically un -useable, for me. I could not get a good overdrive tone out of it, at all. The Fender had a really good clean tone, and a decent overdrive channel. Fender amps also work really well with overdrive pedals. The salesman let me try the amp with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a Boss Blues Driver pedal. I use a BBB Green Screamer, with my rig. It's sort of a tube screamer clone, but I really like it a lot better then an actual tube screamer. It's a great pedal that my lovely wife bought me for Christmas, this past year. I was really wishing that I had this pedal with me. Later on, my wife came into Guitar Center, after she had finished her shopping. I asked her to listen to the two amps. She loved the clean channel on the Marshall, but hated the overdrive channel, as did I. She went so far as to say, "I don't think, I could come hear you play, if your guitar sounded like that." She liked the overdrive on the Fender amp, much better, as did I. This was actually strange to me, as Fenders are known for their cleans, and Marshalls are known for their overdrive.
The Fender was priced at $949, and the Marshall was $899, but that was just for the head. I would still need a speaker cabinet, so in the long run, I would be looking at about $1200 for the Marshall. My wife was encouraging me to purchase something new, so that I could get a warranty. I was seriously considering this, but just couldn't justify these prices. Amps are kind of like cars in that, the moment you take them out of the store, they tend to lose about 40% of their value. I had seen used Hot Rod Deville's on Craigslist, from $400-$600, depending on the condition that they were in. I also found a used Marshall DSL for $500. The DSL was now out, however. I told the salesman that I needed to think about the Fender amp.
When we left Guitar Center, I asked my wife if she would mind stopping my Music Go Round, to listen to the Marshall, that they had. I knew that the DSL was supposed to be a much better amp, but I liked the way the MA sounded, better. We went into the music store, and I couldn't find the Marshall. The salesman told me that it had sold. That was ok, I realized that amp, wasn't meant to be.
I researched some more amps over the weekend, including an Orange Dual Terror, and a Peavy Classic 50. I had played a Classic 50 at another music store, awhile back, and thought it sounded pretty good. The Dual Terror, had some nice sounding sound clips on YouTube. My dream rig is an Orange Rockerverb 50 or 100, but these amps are way out of my price range, right now.
My music store, Zoo, sometimes advertises on Craigslist, oddly enough. They had a Peavy Classic 50 come in on a trade, and had it listed. They are also an Orange dealer, and I knew that they had the Dual Terror. I went in on the following Monday, May 6. I decided I would try these two amps. I was not impressed, with either one. I then spotted a Fender Hot Rod Deville. It was bigger, and different from the one I had demoed, at Guitar Center. I started asking about it. For one, it had four 10 inch speakers in it, as opposed to two 12 inch speakers. I hooked my guitar up and knew immediately that this was the one. It had a great clean sound and a very serviceable drive channel. I wasn't as concerned about the drive channel, as I was about the clean channel. I knew that my Green Screamer, could get plenty of overdrive. I really did like the tone, much better then the one I had played at Guitar Center. I think the four ten inch speakers made the difference.
This amp was also USA made, where the one at Guitar Center, was made in Mexico. Their is nothing wrong with the Mexican made Fender products, but I prefer the American made stuff. It tends to hold its value better, and the build quality is generally better. The price was right too. The only negative was, that this amp was used. That meant, no warranty. I was ok with this though, as I've never had any issues with any gear, that I have purchased from Zoo.
I put the amp on layaway, mainly to protect against it being sold. I had some gig money coming in, and I knew that if I could sell the Traynor, then I would be good to go.
I contacted the gentleman, later that evening, about the Traynor. We decided to meet up at Zoo, the following Saturday, so he could try it out. We met this past Saturday, May 11th. He demoed the amp for about 30 minutes, and then said he would take it. I was really giddy at this point, as I could now get mine out of layaway.
So far, I am really happy with the amp. I can't wait to try it out at our next gig. Roy also has some new toys, as he purchased some new PA speakers. He sent pictures, and man! I can't wait to hear what they sound like! Cisco, also bought some new toys. Not sure, what he bought, but I'm sure I'll see it at the next gig.
On another note, I must confess that as I sit her typing this, I don't feel quite right. You see, I had a blogging buddy, that would help me out with these posts. I type these up on a laptop , in my recliner. My blogging/late night buddy, was our Siamese cat, named Sarah. Sarah passed away this past Monday at the age of 18. Sarah was always interested in my late night activities. Whether it was blogging, playing a video game, or just watching a TV show. Whenever the girls went to bed, and I grabbed the laptop, Sarah knew it was time to help. She would come in, and be meowing up a storm, until I picked her up and put her in the recliner, beside me. She would then proceed to "help" me, keep my notes straight. If I was playing a video game, Sarah would rub and push on the controller, to help me along. She also enjoyed the acoustic guitar. The electrics were too loud for her, but anytime I brought out the acoustic, late at night, she was there, rubbing up against the guitar and meowing along.
Over the past few weeks, Sarah became really ill. We are not sure why, or how it happened. She lost her trademark meow, and was really having a difficult time with everything. The last time we sat together was on May 4th, after our Mayfest show. She was really weak, and her voice was just about gone, but she managed to creep up to my chair. I was actually planning on going to bed, at the time, but she wanted to sit for awhile. We just kind of sat there for a bit. I put on some music, and we just chilled for an hour or so. When she was ready to go to bed, she let me know, and I picked her up, and put her in her bed.
She weakened considerably, over the next week or so. This past Sunday, I could hear her faint meow. It was about 11:30pm. She was in the hallway that leads to our bedroom. I got up to check on her. This was usually prime time for us. I'm not sure, what she was wanting, so I just sat in the hall with her, and petted her for a little while. The hallway was about midway from her bed, to the litter box. I'm not sure if she was trying to make it to the litter box, or not. I didn't really know what to do. She was having a hard time, walking, by this point. I didn't want to carry her to bed, and have her make that walk again, if she was trying to get to the litter box. I also didn't want to take her to the litter box, and have her have to make the long walk, back to her bed.
I think now, that she telling me goodbye. We had put a soft spot to lay, in between her bed, and the litter box. Sometimes, she would also climb into bed, with our lab mixed dog. I felt that she would be ok, so I went to bed.
The next morning, I went and checked on her, when I was getting ready to leave for work. She was in her bed, and very weak. I softly petted her head, and told her I would see her after work. She passed away, later that morning, in my wife's arms.
It's been a tough week for my family. I've been doing ok, up until now. The last part of this blog post has been extremely difficult to write. I know though, that her spirit is still with all of us. It's hard to explain, but we have all felt her presence. It's comforting in a way. Sarah, will never be forgotten. The same way, as our other pets, who passed before her, are not. Our pets really are a part of our family. Even the snake! Thanks as always, for reading, and I'll talk to ya later,
I'm sure you've guessed by now, that this blog post is about another new amp. Well, if you did guess this, then you would be correct! I replaced my Traynor Custom Valve 40, with a Fender Hot Rod Deville. That name sounds more like a car, then a guitar amp, doesn't it? I never was head over heels, about the Traynor. It's a solid amp, and a lot of players like them. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I really did not like the way my guitars were sounding, through this amp. You may ask, "Well, why did you buy it in the first place?" That's a very good question, that I will try and address in this post.
As I has mentioned, in my prior blog referenced above, we were playing a gig at Lynn's Saloon, when my main amp went out. We had gigs lined up, for the next several weeks. I needed something fast! My time, during the week is limited. I didn't have time to go driving all over creation, searching for amps. Plus, I was on a tight budget. At this time, we were knee deep with the album, so I had expenses, related to that. I have a great music store, that I do a lot of business with, here in Fort Worth. They are called Zoo Music. I would give you a link to their website, but, they do not have a website! They have plenty of amps, but the main problem was, that I could not find anything that I liked, that was within my budget. So, I decided to go the Craigslist route. I found the Traynor, fairly quickly, it was within my price range, and it was a close drive. I played it, and it sounded good, but I knew it would never be a long term solution. Their were several other amps that I had looked at on Craigslist, but I just did not have the time to go try them all out. If nothing else, I thought that this would be a good backup amp. I could use it, until my main amp was repaired.
It didn't take long, to realize that this amp was not working for me. We were playing a show at the Venue, in Gun Barrel City. They recorded this performance, and I though my guitar tone sounded thin and hollow. Our very next gig, at Keller Tavern, was more of the same. This was a show, where we were running our own sound. Roy and I usually take turns, standing out in front of the stage, to get levels. When it was my turn, I was playing my guitar, along with all the other instruments, and I thought it sounded awful. I tried tweaking the settings on the amp, but nothing seemed to sound right. I made it through the gig, but decided on the way home, that it was time to get my main amp into the shop.
I called the amp tech, that Zoo had recommended. He is a one man operation. I have found that this is usually a great thing. These types of guys usually do great work, and really know their stuff. The only downside is, he is a one main operation. He said he had no way to quote me a time frame, or price, until he did an initial analysis. I understood this, and accepted that it might be awhile before he could look at it. I dropped the amp off to him on April 27. He still has it! We had two gigs scheduled the next weekend. I was somehow hoping that maybe he had at least looked at it. I was wrong though. I resigned myself to the fact, that it could be several weeks or more, before my amp would be ready.
On the way home, from dropping off the amp, I was passing right by a used music store, called Music Go Round. I decided to stop in, and see what they had. I looked at several amps, but nothing really caught my eye. A salesman was talking to me, as we walked around the store, when I spotted a Marshall half stack. I kind of laughed, and said, "That looks pretty cool, but I think it would be overkill, for what I need." The salesman said, "You should try it out, it's really not that bad." I decided, "What the heck, might as well." I found a Strat on the wall and plugged it up. I was amazed at the tone, coming out of this thing! It sounded great! The price seemed pretty good, as well. They had it marked for $799.99, but said that they could sell it for $750.00, without me even saying anything. I'm thinking, "Wow, $750 for a Marshall? That sounds like a great deal!" For those of you not familiar with guitar amps, Marshalls are some of the most revered amps, in music history. They are a British amp. They were/are the amp of choice for many guitar players, including greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and Slash, among others. They have also made their way into country music, in recent years. In hindsight, I'm glad that I didn't have $750 on me, that day, or I probably would have brought it home.
I decided at this point, that I was going to go ahead and invest in a nice, higher end amp. While I love my main amp, that is currently in the shop, these amps are well known for their reliability issues. I've researched several forums, where players have had multiple issues with them. The amp is a Crate Vintage Club 50. Mark Knopfler, from Dire Straits, used to use this same amp, but quit, because of the reliability issues. It's a shame, because these amps, sound great. With Sand Dollar Rodeo gigging, as much as we are, I need to have reliable equipment. The Traynor was going bye-bye. My Vintage Club, and that Marshall, just slayed it, as far as tone goes.
I went home and started researching Marshall amps. I'm glad I did. I found out, that the amp I was looking at, was not very good quality. It was a MA 100. These amps are now discontinued, and manufactured in Vietnam. Most forums were stating, that you could get a lot nicer Marshall, for about the same price, as what Music Go Round was asking. This was on the used market, of course. As I completed more research, a lot of people were recommending another model of Marshall, called the DSL. It came in either a 50 or 100 watt head. I started pricing them on Craigslist, and they were coming in at about $800 for the head, and another $400-$500, for the speaker cabinet. Ouch! This was getting pretty steep!
I decided not to limit myself to Marshall. I went ahead and put the Traynor on Craigslist, just to see what would happen. I listed it for the same price, that I had bought it for, a month earlier. I started researching all kinds of makes and models of various amps, from companies such as Fender, Peavy, Orange, Blackstar, and Dr. Z. These companies make some phenomenal amps. While, I would love to own a top of the line model, from one of these companies, that was not in the cards. These companies offer high end amps, that can go up into the thousands of dollars. I didn't have that type of cash. The nice thing though, is that these companies also make some awesome amps, that run anywhere from $500-$1200.
In the meantime, I had received a response on my Craigslist ad. The email had actually gone to my spam folder, so I didn't see it for a few days. I called the guy and we talked about it. I told him that my other amp was in the shop, and that as soon as I received word that it was done, I would contact him. He was good with that , and said he was in no hurray.
We played our two gigs on May 3rd & 4th. That Sunday, May 5th, I decided to go to Guitar Center and check out several amps, that were on my list. I knew that I wanted at lease a 50 watt tube amp, with at least two speakers. This was not so much for the volume, but for fullness, and clean headroom. My Vintage Club is 50 watts, and has two twelve inch speakers. The Traynor was 40 watts, and had one ten inch speaker. I've tried several other amps that had single speakers, and I just do not like the way they sound, for me. Many players, use these types of amps however, and sound great through them. It's all about personal preference, and playing styles.
After playing through several amps, I narrowed it down to two, that I liked. One was a Marshall DSL 100, and the other was a Fender Hot Rod Deville. The Deville was a 60 watt amp with two twelve inch speakers. The Marshall was a 100 watt head, that would need a speaker cabinet. I really liked the Marshall's clean setting, but the drive channel was basically un -useable, for me. I could not get a good overdrive tone out of it, at all. The Fender had a really good clean tone, and a decent overdrive channel. Fender amps also work really well with overdrive pedals. The salesman let me try the amp with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a Boss Blues Driver pedal. I use a BBB Green Screamer, with my rig. It's sort of a tube screamer clone, but I really like it a lot better then an actual tube screamer. It's a great pedal that my lovely wife bought me for Christmas, this past year. I was really wishing that I had this pedal with me. Later on, my wife came into Guitar Center, after she had finished her shopping. I asked her to listen to the two amps. She loved the clean channel on the Marshall, but hated the overdrive channel, as did I. She went so far as to say, "I don't think, I could come hear you play, if your guitar sounded like that." She liked the overdrive on the Fender amp, much better, as did I. This was actually strange to me, as Fenders are known for their cleans, and Marshalls are known for their overdrive.
The Fender was priced at $949, and the Marshall was $899, but that was just for the head. I would still need a speaker cabinet, so in the long run, I would be looking at about $1200 for the Marshall. My wife was encouraging me to purchase something new, so that I could get a warranty. I was seriously considering this, but just couldn't justify these prices. Amps are kind of like cars in that, the moment you take them out of the store, they tend to lose about 40% of their value. I had seen used Hot Rod Deville's on Craigslist, from $400-$600, depending on the condition that they were in. I also found a used Marshall DSL for $500. The DSL was now out, however. I told the salesman that I needed to think about the Fender amp.
When we left Guitar Center, I asked my wife if she would mind stopping my Music Go Round, to listen to the Marshall, that they had. I knew that the DSL was supposed to be a much better amp, but I liked the way the MA sounded, better. We went into the music store, and I couldn't find the Marshall. The salesman told me that it had sold. That was ok, I realized that amp, wasn't meant to be.
I researched some more amps over the weekend, including an Orange Dual Terror, and a Peavy Classic 50. I had played a Classic 50 at another music store, awhile back, and thought it sounded pretty good. The Dual Terror, had some nice sounding sound clips on YouTube. My dream rig is an Orange Rockerverb 50 or 100, but these amps are way out of my price range, right now.
My music store, Zoo, sometimes advertises on Craigslist, oddly enough. They had a Peavy Classic 50 come in on a trade, and had it listed. They are also an Orange dealer, and I knew that they had the Dual Terror. I went in on the following Monday, May 6. I decided I would try these two amps. I was not impressed, with either one. I then spotted a Fender Hot Rod Deville. It was bigger, and different from the one I had demoed, at Guitar Center. I started asking about it. For one, it had four 10 inch speakers in it, as opposed to two 12 inch speakers. I hooked my guitar up and knew immediately that this was the one. It had a great clean sound and a very serviceable drive channel. I wasn't as concerned about the drive channel, as I was about the clean channel. I knew that my Green Screamer, could get plenty of overdrive. I really did like the tone, much better then the one I had played at Guitar Center. I think the four ten inch speakers made the difference.
This amp was also USA made, where the one at Guitar Center, was made in Mexico. Their is nothing wrong with the Mexican made Fender products, but I prefer the American made stuff. It tends to hold its value better, and the build quality is generally better. The price was right too. The only negative was, that this amp was used. That meant, no warranty. I was ok with this though, as I've never had any issues with any gear, that I have purchased from Zoo.
I put the amp on layaway, mainly to protect against it being sold. I had some gig money coming in, and I knew that if I could sell the Traynor, then I would be good to go.
I contacted the gentleman, later that evening, about the Traynor. We decided to meet up at Zoo, the following Saturday, so he could try it out. We met this past Saturday, May 11th. He demoed the amp for about 30 minutes, and then said he would take it. I was really giddy at this point, as I could now get mine out of layaway.
So far, I am really happy with the amp. I can't wait to try it out at our next gig. Roy also has some new toys, as he purchased some new PA speakers. He sent pictures, and man! I can't wait to hear what they sound like! Cisco, also bought some new toys. Not sure, what he bought, but I'm sure I'll see it at the next gig.
On another note, I must confess that as I sit her typing this, I don't feel quite right. You see, I had a blogging buddy, that would help me out with these posts. I type these up on a laptop , in my recliner. My blogging/late night buddy, was our Siamese cat, named Sarah. Sarah passed away this past Monday at the age of 18. Sarah was always interested in my late night activities. Whether it was blogging, playing a video game, or just watching a TV show. Whenever the girls went to bed, and I grabbed the laptop, Sarah knew it was time to help. She would come in, and be meowing up a storm, until I picked her up and put her in the recliner, beside me. She would then proceed to "help" me, keep my notes straight. If I was playing a video game, Sarah would rub and push on the controller, to help me along. She also enjoyed the acoustic guitar. The electrics were too loud for her, but anytime I brought out the acoustic, late at night, she was there, rubbing up against the guitar and meowing along.
Over the past few weeks, Sarah became really ill. We are not sure why, or how it happened. She lost her trademark meow, and was really having a difficult time with everything. The last time we sat together was on May 4th, after our Mayfest show. She was really weak, and her voice was just about gone, but she managed to creep up to my chair. I was actually planning on going to bed, at the time, but she wanted to sit for awhile. We just kind of sat there for a bit. I put on some music, and we just chilled for an hour or so. When she was ready to go to bed, she let me know, and I picked her up, and put her in her bed.
She weakened considerably, over the next week or so. This past Sunday, I could hear her faint meow. It was about 11:30pm. She was in the hallway that leads to our bedroom. I got up to check on her. This was usually prime time for us. I'm not sure, what she was wanting, so I just sat in the hall with her, and petted her for a little while. The hallway was about midway from her bed, to the litter box. I'm not sure if she was trying to make it to the litter box, or not. I didn't really know what to do. She was having a hard time, walking, by this point. I didn't want to carry her to bed, and have her make that walk again, if she was trying to get to the litter box. I also didn't want to take her to the litter box, and have her have to make the long walk, back to her bed.
I think now, that she telling me goodbye. We had put a soft spot to lay, in between her bed, and the litter box. Sometimes, she would also climb into bed, with our lab mixed dog. I felt that she would be ok, so I went to bed.
The next morning, I went and checked on her, when I was getting ready to leave for work. She was in her bed, and very weak. I softly petted her head, and told her I would see her after work. She passed away, later that morning, in my wife's arms.
It's been a tough week for my family. I've been doing ok, up until now. The last part of this blog post has been extremely difficult to write. I know though, that her spirit is still with all of us. It's hard to explain, but we have all felt her presence. It's comforting in a way. Sarah, will never be forgotten. The same way, as our other pets, who passed before her, are not. Our pets really are a part of our family. Even the snake! Thanks as always, for reading, and I'll talk to ya later,
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