2008 May : GEAR-MONSTERS

Archive for May, 2008

It’s like a scene out of a movie. An hour before the show, I stroll in easily, wearing a backpack and carrying two black cases’ and dark sunglasses. A backpack is just a backpack, and everyone can see that the big one holds my guitar, but I can see them staring and wondering what is inside the smaller case. It looks sort of, but not quite like a briefcase. With those thick hinges and chrome latches, they probably think it must be some sort of equipment case. Could it be a scene out of ‘Desperado*? Not hardly; it more serious than that the case holds 1/3 of my tone so I treat it gently even though I know it was built to take abuse.

Stepping up onto the stage, I set down the backpack and the two cases. I start with the mysterious looking case and pop the latches. There’s a few people milling around and talking amongst themselves, but they stop to watch me pull off the lid to reveal my pedal board, one even nodding in appreciation. A few actually gasp when I flip the lid over, place it behind me, and pull out the hidden, 3-space guitar stand (it’s almost too bad that I only need one space for “Ruby”, my curvy Gibson DC Standard). Opening the backpack, I pull out my Weeping Demon wah and two instrument cables. I set the wah next to the pedal board at a slight angle. I look out over the room; it’s going to be a good night!

Then in four quick movements, I plug in all the cables an easy feat since everything is pre-configured. In a final flourish, I take Ruby out of the case, plug in the guitar cable and set her on the stand. The crowd watching me applauds, and I take a bow without even playing a note. I plug my board into the power strip with satisfaction and head out to help the rest of the band.

Emerald City Seats is Your Home for All Your College Football Bowl Games

Justin Hendrix asked:

“Emerald City Seats”, a national ticket brockerage firm who boasts an inventory of tickets to over 70,000 events has announced their inventory of hundreds of tickets to each of the 2008-2009 “College Football Bowl Games”. Fans may use the Emerald City Seats website to purchase tickets for all College Bowl Games (http://www.emeraldcityseats.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=3321) In addition, fans may also call Emerald City Seats at 866-958-TIXX(8499) to speak with a representative who can help with not only obtaining tickets, but also help with finding hotels, rental car agencies, and much more. With the extensive experience of the Emerald City Seats team, fans can rest assured they can have all their needs handled by one company.

Emerald City Seats contains an inventory of hundreds of tickets to each and every College Bowl Game, incuding all BCS Games and the “BCS National Championship” (http://www.emeraldcityseats.com/Event.aspx?EventID=28216) Justin Hendrix, Director of Operations for Emerald City Seats says, “Many fans these days are not just looking for tickets to the game. Fans need to find hotels, car rental services, as well as finding other entertaining events in and around their specific Bowl game location. What makes Emerald City Seats a cut above the rest is not only our pricing, but also our knowledge and ability to help our customers make their trip easy, pain-less, and take care of their every need.”

Emerald City Seats, http://www.emeraldcityseats.com, inventory for this year’s College Bowl Season includes tickets on either sideline, from the first row 50 yard line to the upper level “cheap tickets” that will allow customers to just enter the game. With such a vast inventory of tickets to each game, Emerald City Seats is also able to place large groups together in the specific location they wish to sit.

Have extra tickets to an event Sell them through the “Emerald City Seats Consignment Program”. Leave it to the experts to list the tickets. Emerald City Seats boasts an industry-leading 80/20 split allows sellers get the maximum dollar amount per ticket without paying high-end commission fees, not to mention the great deal of time and effort it takes to attempt to sell just one pair of tickets on a single site for a single event. With their connection to more than 3,500 of the most viewed sites in the ticket business, coupled with the experience and knowledge of the sales team, Emerald City Seats takes the work-load off ticket holder.

hendrix

Joe Bonamassa Live Album

Nick at the Guitritus guitar blog recently indicated that Joe Bonamassa will be releasing a new live album called “From Nowhere in Particular” on August 19. The live album will consist of 14 tracks on two CDs and was recorded during Joe’s Fall 2007 tour. After seeing him during his Fall tour, I’m definitely looking forward to this release. Nick also indicates that Gibson will be releasing the Joe Bonamassa signature guitar in July.

In more Bonamassa news, Music Radar has recently interviewed Joe about his soloing technique. They’ve posted a video of Bonamassa demonstrating how he approaches a solo, and they’ve even tabbed the solo so that you can try to play along.

Happy Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day in the US, and in honor of the men and women who have lost their lives serving our country, here is a video of Jake Shimabukuro playing the Star Spangled Banner.

Source:
Guitarlifestyle

4 Pieces of Flare No Truck Can Do Without

Tim Saunier asked:

More flair Jimmy, more flair. This exact phrase emanates from my stupid manager’s pie hole every morning. You see, he’s the manager of the restaurant where I wait tables. You may have heard of it; Jolly’s Cantina. Anyway, Jolly’s is one of those restaurants that they fill with kitsch in an attempt to manufacture some “atmosphere.” And, as a Jolly’s employee, it’s my job to fill my uniform with flair and act as jolly as possible.

The job wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for my boss, Miles. He’s one of those restaurant managers who take his role very seriously. You know; one of those super skinny guys with a tie and a zit-pocked face who runs around so fast you’d swear he eats jet fuel for breakfast. Well, Miles and I don’t quite see eye to eye on the Jolly’s uniform requirements. I don the bare minimum that the rules stipulate, but Miles sees my efforts as purely mediocre. That’s why every morning he bombards me with the flair.

When I’m not waiting tables, I out cruisin in my 2002 Dodge Ram with a Cummins diesel. This baby sits sky high on a 12” lift kit and 44” monster mudders. I’ve got an AEM intake, Edge injectors, a Superchips Flash Paq and an MBRP 5” exhaust. Needless to say, the old Dodge is one bad-ass beast of a rig.

The other night, driving home after a mind-numbing shift with Miles on my back, I got pulled over by the local cop. He’s a mean one, the kind of cop that’d give your grandma a ticket for being too old. I couldn’t believe it, but old Roscoe pulled me over for my tires. He said they were sticking out too far from under the wheel wells. When I asked Barney Miller what I was supposed to do about it, he said first pay the ticket, then get some fender flares. All I could hear was; more flair Jimmy, more flair.

When I calmed down, I realized I could use these fender flares to help solve my flair problem with Miles. If that creep wanted more flair, he was gonna get it—in a big way. My plan was to simply install the flares and then show Miles what I’d done. The next time he asks for more flair, I’ll just direct his attention to my truck. “There ya go Miles, all the flare/flair you can handle.

2 nights later I called in sick and had my shift covered by my buddy, Juan. During his break, Juan called to tell me that Miles was fuming mad and cursing my name to anyone who’d listen. He was calling me a goldbrick and a champion for mediocrity. This got me so mad that I hopped into my truck and sped down to Jolly’s to have it out with Miles.

When I spied Miles smoking a cigarette out behind Jolly’s my temper just flared. Without thinking, I mashed the throttle on that old Cummins and in a billow of black smoke I launched the Dodge right over Miles’ Merkur XR4Ti—monster truck style. Those big mudders were churning up glass and metal, throwing debris all over Jolly’s back lot. The best part wasn’t the stupid look on Miles’ face, but the way my new fender flares kept the flying debris from scratching my rig!

In the end, I lost my job, but I have a new one down at the quarry. The hours and pay are great, and I don’t have to deal with Miles anymore. And, the only flair I have to contend with is the cool set of fender flares that are still doing a great job of protecting my truck.

Music Gear Research and Resources

John Mayer “Where the Light Is” CD/DVD

John Mayer will be releasing a live CD/DVD combo called “Where the Light Is” on 7/1/08. The CD/DVD combo is a recording of the charity show that Mayer did last December featuring three sets. The first set was an all-acoustic set, the second set featured the John Mayer Trio, and the third set featured the full John Mayer Band. The following details the track listing on the CD/DVD:

Acoustic Set:
1. Neon
2. Stop This Train
3. L.A. Song
4. Daughters
5. Free Fallin’

Trio Set:
6. Everyday I Have The Blues
7. Wait Until Tomorrow
8. Who Did You Think I Was
9. Come When I Call
10. Good Love Is On The Way
11. Out Of My Mind
12. Vultures
13. Bold As Love

Band Set:
14. Waiting On The World To Change
15. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
16. Why Georgia
17. The Heart Of Life
18. I Don’t Need No Doctor
19. Gravity
20. I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
21. Belief
22. I’m Gonna Find Another You

It looks like a great track list! I didn’t get to make it out to the show in December, so I’m looking forward to the release of this CD/DVD set.

* Photo courtesy of JohnMayer.com

Notion Progression – Guitar Tablature Composition Software

The first step to any solution is to admit the problem! Here it is, PowerTAB was great and it is still free, but it is O-L-D. In computer years, PowerTAB is akin to chiseling out TAB in hieroglyphics. My apologies for being overly dramatic here, since I will admit that PowerTAB can get the job done and “free” is still pretty tough to beat, but there is a bigger point here. Computers are light years more capable nowadays, and TAB software is desperately ready for the next stage of evolution.

Since we are talking about notation software specific to guitar players and generating tablature, as of this writing, there are only a few serious contenders for the title ? and none of them free. They are Notion Progression, Sibelius G7, and Guitar Pro- an honorable mention going to Tabledit.

The newest entrant in this fine group is Notion and they’ve made quite a splash with Progression. Although G7 and Guitar Pro are slightly more advanced in some areas, Progression has the best and most modern overall look and feel in my opinion.

The interface is sleek and uncomplicated, and they’ve included a native sound sample library and a limited set of drum patterns that truly sound excellent and finally give the “MIDI sound” some life. If you would like to know more about Notion and their new product, Progression, please read on!

Duties of the Fire Marshals and Investigators

Alien asked:

When in need of a fire emergency, the first thing a person does is to call a fire ambulance. But a person should also know how to use the fire equipments. There are many people involved with the fire station. One of them is the fire marshal. Fire chiefs like marshals explain the need of fire equipments and also how to use them. Actually there is not just one duty assigned to fire marshals. They may have to look for the actual origin of the fire and they are responsible for enforcing the policies as well. The end decision is also taken by fire marshals.

Fire marshals have the authority to inspect any suspicious object or person and can shut any dangerous place. They are like the police officers of the fire station. These people are the ones who are to guard and resolve the whole matter of the fire. They are the supervisors of their stations. Many people of their areas know about them. It is important on your part as well to do what he tells you to do. Co-operate with him and he can help you get out of trouble.

If there is no fire investigator in your area then perhaps the best option you have is to directly contact the head fire marshal. Because there is no investigator, it becomes the job of the marshal to find out the cause of the fire. All the fire marshals take police training and take the oath to serve the people in any situation. Serenity officers are what they are called.

Fire investigators do their job under any circumstance. But there is a lot of difference between investigating at public place and investigating at private place. The investigators for public places are generally appointed by the local authorities and fire and police departments. The private firms, however, work differently.

There are numerous fire stations in the world. They are everywhere you go. A fire squad also has fire researchers with them too. The fire investigators, fire researchers, workers and obviously the fire marshal, all work simultaneously and it is because of these people that many people feel protected against fires. They have helped many people in need and will always be there to help whenever required. After all it is their job at they are good at it.

Music Gear Research and Resources

Defending the Buick Luxury

Glady Reign asked:

Buick is another one of General Motors’ (GM) successful makes that received a warm welcome when it was introduced due to its exceptional performance. To date, it is GM’s only US-based entry-level luxury brand since the demise of the Oldsmobile back in 2004. Like its parent company, Buick went through a lot to reach the status it thoroughly enjoys now. Initially an independent motor company, it was established in 1903 by the Scottish-American David Dunbar Buick, the known inventor of the overhead valve engine. Facing a number of struggles just a year after its inception, it was taken over by James Whiting. William C. Durant’s management of Whiting’s new acquisition led to a series of corporate acquisitions, thus leading to the birth of GM. With his genius, Buick’s situation improved dramatically. The company soon became the largest automaker in America.

Throughout its history, Buick has continuously improved the quality of materials used to produce the parts that make up its vehicles. As a basic philosophy, these parts should echo efficiency in function when tested and used. Likewise, the exterior styling of the various products should exude unparalleled luxury in as much as they provide topnotch performance.

Thus both style and function are showcased by the Buick fender. This is the part of the body panel that is mounted at the side portion of the vehicle, providing a house for the wheels. Although it does nothing to affect the car’s performance, it does well in the protection of the vehicles as preventive equipment. It protects the wheel opening from dirt and rust formations. Basically, it prevents road debris and other foreign particles that the wheels pass through from ruining the car’s paint and incurring little bumps caused by hard objects. The Buick fender is also designed to provide for the aerodynamics aspect of the car, as well as for wind resistance. As it is mounted on each side of the vehicle, it absorbs a little amount of impact in the event of collision. It also enhances Buick’s physical features by adding a certain degree of sportiness and aggressiveness.

However sturdy the Buick fender may seem, collisions can still put dents on it. Major accidents may even break it down entirely. When this happens, it is most convenient to check auto parts online retailers to avail of new Buick fenders as they are really worth an investment.

Music Gear Research and Resources

Forex Trading Tip – Which Group of People Often Become Forex Trading Millionaires?

Monica Hendrix asked:

If you want a Forex trading tip, then study the group of people who make the best Forex traders and its not mathematicians or geeks, who are the best at trading – it’s the following group…

Professional Blackjack and poker players are the most successful group and many become trading millionaires. Most of these traders don’t have a college education and most know nothing about mathematics. What they do have, is all the traits a trader needs to win. Let’s look at them.

The card player knows that once he starts to play, he is responsible for his success and is prepared to do play on his own and knows making profits rests on his shoulders and his alone. Contrast this with the bulk of Forex traders, who think a junk 100 buck robot, or sure fire system from a vendor will help them win and you know what happens to them – they get wiped out quickly.

Next, the professional card player plays the odds.

He knows he will lose hands and he will do so cheerfully, all he is concerned about is keeping his losses small. In Forex trading, most traders simply think they can pick tops and bottoms and will never lose and when they do, they get angry, frustrated and let their losses run which of course spells financial disaster.

The professional card player has the discipline to manage his money and when he gets a good hand, he is prepared to bet heavily and continue betting. Most Forex traders, not only lack the discipline to take losses, they can’t make big profits either, as they bank early.

Most of the super traders who come from a card playing background have simple systems but they operate them with robust money management and they execute their trading plan with tremendous discipline.

They know that a system needs to be simple, when trading an odds based market and the most important criteria needed to win is to execute a plan with discipline and keep losses small.

Guitar Video Review

Archive for May, 2008

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