Flemtone

The 'tones' entire history proves that. We have a continually great audience and we've sucked for 36 years.

My opinion only: A visionary but not a particularly gracious person. His response to Bernie Sanders' 'We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.' with 'I keep forgetting that you"re still alive.' is a singularly nasty response. Musk doesn't seem to be a particularly decent person if he disagrees with you.

One more trip around the Sun! Well played, sir - well played. Happy Birthday! [video:youtube]

Thank you, Dave! Give the IT folks a day off from us.

My choice in plugs is always dependent on the picofarads. But yeah, those look pretty crappy. Name brand? Obscure? Boutique? Lava?

Unacceptable. Judging from the graphic placement, the wearer should be about seven months pregnant. I found the same issue with ordering tees from Woot's Shirt Derby portal. Their blank stock used to be quality shirts of heavy cotton with good stitching and hardy dyes. After they were gobbled up by Amazon, they changed suppliers and their quality sank thru the floor. I bought a few of their new stock due to the artwork but shall not again. I have good old shirts from the original supplier that have stood up to rigorous wear for well over a decade but the new ones shrink, fade and their seams come unsewn by just glancing at them. My daughter started a custom tee company in VT and only uses Gildan or Beefy T for blanks as they're still well-made and produce quality results. As always, the dollar rules. Save a few pennies on crappy material and watch the profits roll in, Macca or not.

*immediately buys stock in Anderton Ltd*

Had a friend who started a band and wanted to call it 'Blue Wind'. I mentioned that people might say the band blew wind. They changed the name. Smart choice.

Best: The Fabulous Flemtones Worst: Exploding Parakeet Don't ask.

We played the same venue monthly for decades. Our 34th Anniversary show was February 2020. Three weeks later, our drummer was lost to Covid - he and I had played together since the mid-70s. Both guitarists have had Covid and survived (though both still show signs of brain-fog and fatigue - classic 'Long Covid' issues). I never got it, fortunately. One of the advantages of 1) being an introvert, and 2) being a bassist. Nobody ever calls the bassist. A friend who's been in our orbit since the 70s came on board as our new drummer and we did our first gig at the same venue two months ago, in July. Since it was indoors, another friend brought the PA speakers from his band and set them up to feed our audio to the outside patio and parking lot as a consideration to those who were either unvaccinated or uncomfortable with an indoor venue. Indoors as well as out, many were masked but many were not. The band masked when offstage but not on. There were no reports of any transmissions as a result of the show. Yay us! Back to the monthly gig, with a few outdoor gigs upcoming. I'm definitely more 'at ease' with the outdoor settings than indoor but, knowing our 'crowd' as well as we do, it's more than likely everyone is vaccinated unless deferred for medical reasons. They're a sensible lot with great taste, except in bands.

We just started back at the end of July, our first gig with a new drummer (our original was taken by Covid in March of last year). In a bar, about half masked but I'm pretty sure all vaxed, suspecting the political bent of our families, friends and fans. No reported cases stemming from that gig but it was interesting - here's the scene: 2nd floor of an old Irish bar where we've been playing for 3+ decades. Since many were concerned about social distancing within the bar, a buddy brought speakers from his band's set-up, patched them into the PA and ran them outside to the patio in the parking lot where others who were uncomfortable (or unvaxed for whatever reason) could still listen to the show. It was packed both outside and in but we really appreciated his efforts to open the gig up to as many people as possible. Looks like we're back to our end-of-month gigs at this tavern and there are a few other gigs on the horizon but we're much more aware of distancing and masking now, having broken the ice at this first gig back. Of course, it all depends on Delta and if we're facing additional lockdowns. Our first concerns are friends, family, fans and Society as a whole. If lockdowns help, bring 'em on. Paulie-waulie - take care, feel better and kick back until you're on your feet again.

Nice fish~! Congratulations!

Actual blood on the headstock is from the guitarist, which is why I now stand on stage left. He's not an enemy but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. Luckily his head is soft so the bass was OK, which is all that really matters. Since the headstock didn't break off, it isn't a Gibson...

Had a gig this summer with a Jerry Garcia tribute band (a one-off, hired-gun scenario). Since I would be covering a lot of Phil Lesh parts (and his sound is a LOT of mids), I picked up a Keeley Bassist limiting compressor. Really made a big difference in getting the bright yet full mids of a Lesh tone. Since my regular band is on hiatus after losing our drummer to COVID in March, I haven't had a chance to use it with my regular playing partners but, hopefully, soon will. If you're in the market, this is definitely one to scope out. I love the possibilities. [video:youtube]

From the Flemtone family to you and yours. Here's to a much better 2021.

Weirdest Necro EVER!

Keeping the mood light, a few comments on the thumbnails of the videos Wraub was kind enough to post: Thumbnail 1: Dude, you're inside. Take off the hat. Thumbnail 2: Does the neck-bow cost extra? Thumbnail 3: Elvis is always watching. Thumbnail 4: When slap/pop becomes a thing on guitar, he's ready. I can't listen to the actual videos now (working) - I just felt the need for some levity. Thank you. I'm here all week.

Yeah, this is a tough one. With a style all his own, he pretty much defined a genre unto himself. His influence will outlast his memory, for sure. Rest well, sir.

My L2000 and I will quietly sit on the sidelines, then snag your gigs while you recuperate...because L2000.

Hey, have a great gig!

Thanks for the thoughts. It's odd - he and I played together since '74. Gonna take some getting used to but we think he'd be pissed if we stopped playing because of him. He was just that kind of good soul. I'm sometimes wondering if you guys will ever get to do the UK/EU tour. Isn't that the one that was postponed from last fall? You guys just can't catch a break. Pix would be cool, just because. Also, keep us up on when yoose guys hit the road again. I could really use another AWB show right about now. Mask up - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

So, not exactly a Rush Shipping job. Glad it's (supposedly) on its way. I feel ya about the gigs, though. We have had to make some decisions over the last couple of months about the future of the band after losing our drummer to CV19 in mid-March. We just got together and 'porch-jammed' for the first time about a week ago and discussed our options. There may be more tunes coming or not, depending on the circumstances. Hopefully venues will be able to start bringing acts in with limited capacity and some pretty strict rules, provided they're focused on the health of the customers, the employees and the band(s). Snag some pix of the repair so we can all live vicariously at least for a few minutes.

Very nice! Thanks - sounds great.

"Flattening the Lug"

Thank you, all. I've shared this with the band and the family and you have our gratitude. Stay safe out there.