Red Rocker

I'm taking an involuntary break from school for a while, so in order to keep busy, I'm throwing myself into my music. For the last 30 years, I've been a bass player. In 1996, I sold all of my gear to focus on art, and went a great many years not playing. About ten years ago, I picked up an old Fender Precision from a pawn shop for $75 and began noodling with it again. When an opportunity to play in the church worship band cropped up, I got more serious, and bought myself a Steinberger five string, which has been my main instrument for a long time now. Among the things I sold in '96 was a Rickenbacker 4001. I've always regretted parting with that and for years have been trying to find my way back to one.

A few months ago, I decided to take up guitar. I picked up a candy apple red Fender Stratocaster, and have been teaching myself chords from YouTube videos. It's actually been going pretty good. I'm not doing any solos yet, but I can play rhythm for a pretty sizable number of songs. I'm still a bit awkward with it, but I expect in the next few months I'll be good enough to embarrass myself in front of people. I've been pretty dedicated with my practice routine.

I had a horrible week with news that I wouldn't be able to continue with school, and have been feeling pretty down. In a hugely generous effort, my son Kyle bought me a brand new ruby red Rickenbacker 4003 to cheer me up. Words cannot express how much I appreciate this kindness. I certainly don't deserve it. I'm not such an awesome player that should have one of these based on skill. But it brings a great deal of joy to my daily existence. I grew up with this sound, and my heroes have always been artists and musicians, so to have an instrument like this is just a privilege and an honor, and I am grateful for the gesture Kyle has made. It doesn't make me a better player, but it certainly makes me want to be one. If he wanted to cheer me up, this was way above and beyond the call!

I took it onstage at church this morning, so it was broken in before a crowd a few hours after I received it. My wife and I are working on our own music projects as a duo and I have great plans for the red instruments in the years to come.

Thanks Kyle!

Family Praise Time

The youth band we work with had their first gig in church today. My wife was singing, my daughter Miranda joined in singing with her, and my son Max played bass for the first time in front of people. Donnie and Josue are on guitars, and Patrick is on drums. This is the first time a lot of them have played in public. 

Bass Effects!

On the musical side, I've been playing the bass again.  I gave it up many years ago after playing in a band for a while, but I picked up a pawn shop junker a bit ago and am building my skills back up.  I've gotten a real cheap multi-effects pedal, and I've gotta say, it's pretty impressive!

It's called the Zoom B1X, and it has a tuner, volume, flanger, chorus, wah, distortion, you name it.  There's a ton of patches simulating many different bass players or song styles.  Cool echo effects, turning single notes into a chorus of sounds, fretless simulation, etc.  It also has a drum machine built in for rhythm and everything can be activated with a tap of your foot.

I need to work more on reading music.  I've got an online course I picked up a while back that I need to start studying when I can, but I've found I'm really enjoying the music again.  I've gotten to play with my friends Charlie and Chris a few times, and my wife Trish and I are planning some duo work.

Getting my groove back

Years ago, I played bass in a local band.  I wasn't the greatest, but I had fun with it, and we did quite well for a few years.  As I got older and more involved in my comic art, the time came to self-publish my first book on my own, and I had to scrape together $5000 to pay the printing costs.  The band had dissolved, and I wasn't playing anymore, so I took my 3 basses, including my prized Rickenbacker 4001, and amp to the local pawn shop and got a chunk of what I needed.

Now, years later, my wife has started working on a Christian music project, and I'm finding myself wanting to participate with the bass again.  I have a pawn-shop junker I picked up a while back, but it sounds horrible and I have no amp.  I looked at the prices of new instruments online, and it's insane what they cost now.  With my current financial situation, this is not the time to be spending a lot of money on music.

So, I'm praying about what God wants and not what I want.  If I feel led, I'm sure I'll find a way to end up with what I need.  For now, I'll dust off my junker and see what I can get out of it, and if all the old grooves can get from those dim recesses in my brain back into my fingers.  I miss having music as a part of my life.

Subdivisions (Rush) by Jacob Moon on the roof!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4vd9OVLO7Q