THE ROMAN SPRING of toomanycats (UPDATE, THE END, APRIL 2024)

[toomanycats]

A little homage to Led Zep and their Boeing 720 named the "Starship" in my promotional for this Saturday's show:

[toomanycats]

maybe you need to invest in a pair of 'Daisy Dukes'?

Or maybe some Schenker shorts.

[Rollin Hand]

Spandex bike shorts. Can't beat the freedom of movement.

Get leopard print and re-live the 80s.

[toomanycats]

Here's a short video from last night's show at a place called Two Trees. It was predominantly a young crowd, most of the people in their early twenties. I continue to be amazed that so many "kids" from that generation are so into this music. I honestly never thought I'd play in a band like this ever again, and if so, only as a novelty and parody. But there is nothing ironic or self-conscious about this band. We are rocking with as much honesty and conviction as a bird flies or a fish swims. Rock and Roll ain't dead!

[mickey]

Why wouldn't they like it?
"Today's" modern music is the worst I've ever heard!

[Rollin Hand]

Hell, that looks like a party. When're you boys coming to Canada?

[toomanycats]

As previously noted, there's no designated place on this forum to post about speaker cabinets, so I'm just going to talk about this here.

Yesterday I came across a used Orange 2X12 open back cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s at a pawn shop. Model PPC212-OB to be exact. I've never owned anything by Orange before, but I love its look of elegance and class and I could tell it was a high quality piece of kit, being very compact and sturdy. I also like the visual of a mixed Marshall and Orange backline, as it reminds me of Jimmy Page.

I'm thinking that my Marshall SV20 20 watt Plexi head driving the closed back Marshall Origin 4X12 and the open back Orange 2X12 will sound glorious.

In order to get a really good deal on this Orange cabinet I had to put it on layaway and pick it up the next day. Something to do with the salesperson reaching a certain quota of layaway sales each month. I'm guessing that their business model relies on them making a greater profit on layaway sales as opposed to paid in full sales. No problem, you scratch my back, I'll scratch your's, I'll play that game.

This morning my "back will be scratched" when I go to pick up this handsome Orange cabinet to add to my current backline:

[toomanycats]

This rig sounds amazing! The brighter open back Orange 2x12 perfectly compliments the beefier closed back Marshall 4x12. Can’t wait to play it at the bands next gig on August 13th. We’ve turned down all gig offers in the interim because the drummer is having his wisdom teeth extracted.

Noooooooo!!!!

[Rollin Hand]

I was gonna say that your back wasn't going to just be scratched, but strained. Nothing like solid plywood for a cab.

You should do a vid of the whole rig so we can get a taste.

[mozz]

Is that 65 Amps starting to collect dust? Kind of thought it was a good do-all amp.

[toomanycats]

Is that 65 Amps starting to collect dust? Kind of thought it was a good do-all amp.

I've been using the 65 Amps right up to and including my most recent gig this past Saturday. I didn't get the Plexi to replace the 65, but rather to:

1) give myself another tonal option.

2) Possibly use both in conjunction, with the reasoning that using two 20ish watt, non master volume amps will prevent me from needing to use an attenuator on a single larger wattage amp.

The 65 Amps London truly is awesome, but it sounds quite different than the Plexi. It is smoother, has less gain, and has more sag because of the tube rectifier. Sometimes this is exactly what I'm after, but I often find myself trying to make the 65 sound more like a Plexi, with more bite, gain, and tightness. A good example would be on the song "Crazy Train." The nature of those riffs makes them sound better with more gain and a tighter feeling amp.

65 Amps did produce a 45 watt amp called The Royal Albert which is capable of producing a higher gain British voice than the London. I would LOVE to get my hands on one of those. There's actually one for sale on Reverb right now.

[Partscaster]

You guys seem like a lot of fun. Nice shirt too, John.

[toomanycats]

You guys seem like a lot of fun. Nice shirt too, John.

LOL. The shirt! Everybody says something about that shirt. I will say this . . . one has to be fairly confident in their manhood to wear a purple floral top with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Here's a little secret: Ray Gillen (RIP) is one of my rock & roll fashion inspirations. I don't know if Ray had a stylist or if he dressed himself. I didn't seem appropriate to ask him the couple of times we crossed paths, once backstage before a Badlands show at L'Amours in Brooklyn a once at a soundcheck at the Troubadour in L.A.. Ray had this super cool 70s, post-hippie, part western, part biker vibe going on. So yeah, shirts like the one I wore that night are inspired by Ray's look.

[toomanycats]

After having three weeks off due to various scheduling conflicts, last night the band had its first gig since July 23rd. I was anxious because it was in Hickory, the city my stalker had warned me to stay out of.

It was the first time I totally opened up the Marshall SV20, set at 20 watts, playing with a band. It sounds incredible, though I was a bit surprised at how loud it idles when the channels are jumped and the volumes cranked. There's a constant loud hiss when you're not playing. I've played non master volume amps like the before, though it has been a while, so I realize it's the nature of the beast.

I HATE the idea of a noise gate. "Why," you may ask? Let me answer that by way of a question. You know that part on Jeff Beck's cover of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on the Wired album where you can hear the guitar humming? Do you like that? I do. With a noise gate you wouldn't hear that. If you understand why I like to hear that, then you understand why I don't like a noise gate.

The gig itself was very disappointing, by far our worst performance. We've actually gone backwards. There were a few train wreck moments during which I was a little embarrassed to be on that stage. How does one forget the lyrics to "War Pigs?" How does one get the downbeat and backbeat reversed on a ZZ Top song? We played SRV's "Crossfire" and Montrose's "Rock Candy" at such a fast tempo that they sounded like punk rock versions. This music is simple kiddie stuff, like playing in the sandbox, and there can be not excuse for screwing it up.

The stalker left a comment on a video of the band performing, no doubt as a message letting she's aware of where I am and what I'm doing. I'm not even reading the personal emails she keeps sending me, they're too upsetting. Mrs tmc looks at them and then saves them in our records, for such time that law and order is restored in our society.

[LightWingStudios]

As previously noted, there's no designated place on this forum to post about speaker cabinets, so I'm just going to talk about this here.

There is now.

[tlarson58]

Nice playing.

[Jaymo]

Awesome set list. Especially "Cumbersome". That song doesn't get enough love.

And the singer must be good to handle that wide a range.

I agree. Seven Mary Three is very underrated.
“Cumbersome “ gets plenty of love from me. American Standard is one of my favorite albums.
I’m on my 3rd copy of that CD.

@TooManyCats great set list.
Have you considered playing “That Smell”?
I mean, it’s such a great song that it got 3 guitar solos. One solo just wasn’t enough.
It’s definitely my favorite Skynyrd song.

I’m glad you found a band to play with.

Wizard, eh? I can see that.
Though I would have gone with Rasputin because of the dark hair and beard.

[ronnx]

Oh, by the way TMC, Congrats on making the cover of the August issue of Guitar Player.

[Jaymo]

Oh, by the way TMC, Congrats on making the cover of the August issue of Guitar Player.

Oh damn, I can see it.

[toomanycats]

When I started this thread what I offered was a chance for readers to take a ride with me, to live vicariously through my experience, seeing the good, the bad, the ugly, wherever that path may lead.

So there's been some trouble in paradise. As I talked about in previous posts, I anticipated that conflicts would eventually arise due to the disparity in age and experience between my bandmates and myself. I'm loathe to use the term generation gap. Is that even considered a thing anymore? In an age where 50 year old men play video games, have neck tattoos, and wear backwards baseball hats, it seems like an irrelevant concept. Anyone wishing to understand my perspective on this subject should refer to two books: Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, and Diana West's The Death of the Grown Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization.

There was a gig booked for Saturday night. It's at the band's home bar, the place where they first started and where their fan base in centered. I should have been excited, but I wasn't particularly. I'll explain the reasons why.


1) I Won't Play In a "Garage Band"

Everyone knows (or should know) that golden rule when it comes to any band which has any pretense of being professional and serious: "Practice on your own time, rehearse on the bands time."

This fundamental rule is being violated. When people show up at rehearsal, and they haven't learned their parts, and then want to learn them on the bands time while I stand there bored out of my mind (because I have done my "homework"), I quickly lose interest. I lose not just interest, but also respect for the offenders as musicians and a serious adult people who show consideration for my own time and efforts. I've addressed this issue head on, and been flatly told this is how they’ve always worked and that they’re not going to change. Lax punctuality and lack of preparedness are a deal breakers for me. In the context of what is ostensibly a serious professional endeavor it makes me feel like a fool to show up on time and prepared while others do not.


2) I Need To Make More Than My Expenses

Gigging musicians know about the expenses involved in that endeavor. Anyone who has the guts to actually attempt to earn their keep through music will know that it usually involves multiple avenues of income generation. Sure, gigs have been a large part of that for me, though I also give private lessons, do transcriptions, play sessions, perform guitar tech work, and write, produce, and engineer for other artists. You make money where you can, and your time is a valuable commodity. The many hours I spend learning and practicing material for a band is time I'm not spending generating revenue in these other ways. If I'm asked to scratch off an evening of my calendar and travel to a rehearsal then everybody better damn well show up on time and prepared. Stated in financial terms, I'm referring to the "opportunity cost" incurred in pursuing one thing to the exclusion of another.

It costs money to be in a band. There are travel expenses getting to to rehearsals and gigs (gas, mileage on one's vehicle, and the commodity of time). There is the cost of things like strings, batteries, cables, picks, tubes, and other expendables that regularly need replacing. There is serious wear and tear on expensive gear. There are bar tabs that will be thrust upon you at the end of the night, even if you've been told food and drink would be comped. This stuff adds up very quickly.

Some people, because they have a steady day job, or have dependent status, are completely unconcerned with these monetary considerations. Finance doesn't even factor into the equation for them. They're okay with breaking even, or even loosing money, because playing in band is really just for fun, like a hobby or something.

There's been a recent hard push to move the band in the direction of completely original material. One of the guys was flat out refuses to learn even one more cover song. My original expectation upon joining this band of being able to finally perform all these great 70s and 80s hard rock tunes evaporated like smoke in the wind. Instead, I'd unwittingly joined a vanity project with no expectation of financial return.

The concession was made to strike a balance of 50/50 covers vs originals, though I had serious concerns even with this compromise solution.

From the perspective of gigging locally, it is a fact that performing too many originals is financial suicide. No local venue is going to book a band that does even 1/2 originals. At 53 years old I'm not going to trod the path of the starving artists whose sole compensation is the satisfaction of knowing they're expressing themselves and pushing their "great" original music on the public. Been there, done that, there's simply no shekels in it.

Which leads to my 3rd major sticking point:


3) I Demand Creative Input

The original tunes I was expected to perform were not an expression of my own creativity, but were songs composed and recorded with their previous guitar player.

I've tried every avenue I could to write original music with these guys and all my efforts have come to naught.

I made an appointment for the singer to meet at my house and write together and the guy stiffed me at 9 AM on a Tuesday morning. Didn't' show up and didn't call. When I finally called him he said he'd been out late and was sleeping in. Honestly, that was a stake in the heart for me about the possibility of writing together. I was crestfallen, because I knew then what I was dealing with. Well, not knew exactly, but it didn't really matter whether it was an alcohol thing, a drug thing, a girlfriend issue, flat out lack of respect for me and my time, or whatever . . . because it all means the same thing: I'm dealing with a person I have no future working with in serious, creative, professional relationship.

I've sent the band half a dozen demos of my original songs, and nobody has learned them.

We once worked up an original tune at practice. After I got home I made a full demo of the song and sent it to them, hoping the singer would make the simple proactive effort of composing vocals. I got zero feedback about the demo I took the time to make. Not, "It's great," or, "It sucks" . . . just nothing. I've realized that these guys do not have the ability to work on a song online by way of exchanging digital files and putting them in a DAW. In this day and age it would seem that this is a given part of any serious musician's skill set.

My considerable proactive efforts to create our own original music had been thwarted at every turn. The net result is that I am effectively disenfranchised from both a creative and financial perspective. For one, I couldn't take pride in performing original songs I didn't participate in writing. Secondly, despite the fact that that I would be promoting this product through live performance, I wouldn't partake in any revenue generated by sale of said product.

It was also implied that anything written in the context of the band would remain the property of the band, a legal entity which was owned by the founding members. This situation had me set up like a bowling pin for a Jake E Lee style financial azz-reaming. This was not gonna happen.


4) I'm Not Your Roadie

Another serious issue is that the band is pressuring me to be available several hours before a bar gig, and also be available for hours after the gig is over. While some of this has to do with the "the hang," with drinking, smoking weed, eating, and socializing, it also has to do with using me like a roadie to move their PA.

Understand, I don't play my cheap gear live, even in the bars. I always bring out my good stuff. At any given bar gig I may have 15K worth of guitars and gear with me. It takes me four trips back and forth to my vehicle to load and unload all my equipment. Even in the the very best of circumstances one's valuable musical instruments are not safe sitting in a locked vehicle in the sun on a 95 degree day, or left in the bar unattended while you go back to your vehicle to retrieve another load, or in the darkened recesses of a parking lot of a seedy bar at 1 AM. I strive to avoid any of these situations, though total risk aversion is impossible in my position. I don't expect or even want anyone else help load my gear, because that's when valuable things get damaged and nobody can be held accountable. I've learned that lesson the hard way. The bottom line is that nobody else is responsible for the security of my personal equipment but me, and its safekeeping is my first and main priority.

I know that many guys bring a 1x12 digital combo to a gig, or a modeler, and are perfectly happy to plug them directly into the PA. I have not yet capitulated to that life of ease. Playing live with a hard rock band is about giving the audience the experience of hearing various "vintagey" guitar tones, played with significant stage volume through tube amps pushing some air.

The band doesn't start tearing down their equipment until an hour after the gig ends. If the gig ends at midnight, they're not out of there before 1 AM. Then after that I'm expected to drive back to their practice space (even if it's in the opposite direction to home), to help unload their gear. I wouldn't get home before 2 AM for a gig that ended several hours previous. This is just not going to happen, and it's another deal breaker. There are easier ways for me to make a few bucks on a Saturday night than to commit to a 10 hour marathon that puts my gear at risk, and my life at risk by driving back roads in the wee hours of the morning dodging every drunk and whacked out druggie.

All the tension arising from my resistance to these demands from the band had been building for the last couple weeks, and it kinda reached a head after the August 14th gig. I realized that I couldn't conform to their lax rehearsals, or be part of an "art for arts sake project," or lend my time and effort to promoting their original songs which I have no ownership of, or comply with some of their other demands. I basically told them I was giving them all I could give, I'd learned all their material, I'd already spent several grand on new equipment specifically for the band, I could give no more, and that if that wasn't enough they should probably start looking for my replacement. I assured them that I would be available for gigs we had committed to through the remainder of the Summer, should they need me. I wasn't going to just leave them high and dry, but they needed to know I was looking for the door.

Saturday morning all of those concerns temporarily flew out the window, as a deus ex machina forced us to all pull together and work as a team. That morning in a group text our singer informed us that he wasn't feeling well and had tested positive for Covid. I was busy giving lessons that morning, and playing an afternoon gig at a private party on Lake Norman, but during breaks I surmised that the evening gig would go on with a substitute singer. I knew this kid who was going to sing with us, he can't be more than 21 years old, and he's like a mix between Jim Morrison and Sammy Hagar. I had no idea what to expect when I got to the gig, what the set list would be, etc.

Long story short, the show was turned out really good. If I find video I'll post it.

Still, the underlying issues remain. We have a gig booked for Saturday night. Not sure about rehearsal this week, as our singer still has Covid.

The adventure continues.

[toomanycats]

Have you considered playing “That Smell”?

As per my previous post, I'm finding it difficult to get the band to learn four new songs per week for rehearsal. For me this is a very leisurely and reasonable pace for a motivated group of musicians, though they can't seem to meet that demand.

[mozz]

All very good points. Sneak 1 or 2 originals in during a gig, that's about it. If you want originals, go to the studio or home setup and record them. Been there done that, I was in my 20s. As for the early arrival, stay late, you make a valid point. There's nothing you can do about the age difference. We used to play until 2am, I can't remember what time I got home or how I felt the next day. We also used to tear down the following day and only bring our guitars home that night. Long as you all stay friends if you do split, I'd just chalk it up as a good time you'll always remember.

[toomanycats]

All very good points. Sneak 1 or 2 originals in during a gig, that's about it. If you want originals, go to the studio or home setup and record them. Been there done that, I was in my 20s. As for the early arrival, stay late, you make a valid point. There's nothing you can do about the age difference. We used to play until 2am, I can't remember what time I got home or how I felt the next day. We also used to tear down the following day and only bring our guitars home that night. Long as you all stay friends if you do split, I'd just chalk it up as a good time you'll always remember.

There are venues that specialize in booking bands who play original music, but they are outside the local gigging circuit and playing these places would necessitate more travel time, and hence greater expense. I know bands that do this and they make no money. I told this to the members of my band who want to do all originals, and they said they're fine with not making any money. There's no way I can reconcile that. My present efforts are not an investment in a future in which I anticipate to harvest the rewards of that work and sacrifice; I am at present living in a future beyond my own future. I mean, at twenty years old the thought of being forty was inconceivable. I have now blown well past that. But I could scarcely expect young people, whose notion of the future was an endless expanse of freedom and possibility receding into an infinite horizon, to understand this concept.

Regarding original music, I have nothing against it. As many here know I do write original tunes of my own, many of which I've posted here. I have modest means for recording my ideas, and I can share them to the world through various online platforms. Compared to how it was when I was a kid (1980s), it seems like a dream to be able to record, market, and distribute one's own music to the world. Anything I want to say musically in terms of originals, or anything I want to prove about my ability on guitar, I've been able to do through the internet. For these reasons pushing originals on the public in a live setting does not particularly excite me. When I play live I want to give the people what they want to hear, what will make money for the venues, and what will pay for Friskies and guitar strings.

I'm not saying these guys are wrong for wanting to go down that path they're proposing. Heck, at their age I did the same thing. But then we're back at the main divide between us, which is the fact we're separated by a generation and 1/2.

[toomanycats]

EPILOGUE

From Wikipedia: An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος epílogos, "conclusion" from ἐπί epi, "in addition" and λόγος logos, "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the work. It is presented from the perspective of within the story. Epilogues are usually set in the future, after the main story is completed. Within some genres it can be used to hint at the next instalment in a series of work. It is also used to satisfy the reader's curiosity and to cover any loose ends of the story.

After our lead singer recused himself from last Saturday's gig due to testing positive for Covid that morning, and the band having played that evening with a "pinch hitter," everything seemed up in the air for the following week. I was hoping the singer would have a clean bill of health to perform the show scheduled for the coming Saturday. At this point, having learned the band's entire repertoire by rote, spent much wasted time at disorganized and pointless "band practices," needlessly burned through countless tanks of gas in travel, and spent several thousand dollars on new gear to make their band sound better, I wanted to begin recouping some of my initial outlay of time and capital investment during the remainder of the lucrative Summer gigging season. I needed to play at least one financially remunerative gig every weekend for the the next couple of months to justify my considerable efforts and expenditure until that point.

But honestly, I knew that wasn't going to happen and I was really hoping they'd already found the replacement I'd suggested they begin looking for. I wanted to be off the hook with this situation. I've learned the hard way that sometimes you've just got to cash out, even if that means taking a loss.

Rehearsals are usually on Tuesday nights, but Tuesday came and went and I heard nothing.
Singer still had Covid?
Gig on or off for Saturday?
I had no clue, as there was zero communication. I had already been made to feel that my "Dadding" had become tiresome, and my critique of things like people showing up at rehearsal unprepared, racing the tempo, and forgetting their parts during gigs was being construed as my creating drama, so I was reticent to reach out. Then on Wednesday I was messaged and told I would receive a conference call that evening. I don't have the patience for this cloak and dagger stuff, but what could I do other than wait?

A minute into our phone conversation, after some innane banter and niceties, there was this exchange:

Them: "Have you heard?"
TMC: "Have I heard what?" (thinking to myself: "Is there something I should have heard, or that they were perhaps hoping I had heard? Where would I have heard anything? I live in a cottage in the woods with a cat colony, I don't have visitors, I venture out only for jobs and to buy groceries, I'm not on social media . . . where would I have heard anything? If there is anything of importance I need to know that relates to my position in the band, and the associated responsibilities, which will effect my work schedule going forward, then please dispense with the drama and just give me the info so I can adjust my calendar accordingly.")

This exchange was a perfect example of the generational divide between us.

Long story short, they took my advice and let the old guitar player back in the band. He'd been begging to return since the very first gig I played with them. A couple weeks ago, after expressing my dissatisfaction with the direction the band was going in, it was I who suggested they should contact him and see if he was ready to come back. I say with all sincerity that I'm very happy for this guy being reunited with his former bandmates. After having spoken with him at some length during the last gig, and learning that this 22 year old guy adores Ritchie Blackmore, Frank Zappa, and Captain Beefheart, how could I not like him? He's a bit like me, but younger.

As for myself, I'm incredibly relieved to be free of any obligation to follow through with decisions that momentously effect my life and finances, made by young men who still live with their parents and devote hours of their lives to playing video games. Still, I will have some very fond memories of our moments performing together.

[Partscaster]

"The End"

Great read. I look forward to the next.