Morrissey

I love it! I've been told I'm hard to buy for. Not any more!

I was to emphasize the bolded passage. This selflessness may be the root of their success. Each of these guys could front their own band (and in some cases they do, as side projects), but they choose the greater good of the band effort over their own egos. There is a good Chris Rock comedy bit about marriage where he explains that, metaphorically, sometimes you're the "lead singer" of the couple and other times you just gotta "play the tambourine." And, when it is your turn to play the tambourine, play the best darn tambourine you can and don't try to one-up the lead singer. In Vulfpeck, sometimes a band member is LITERALLY called on to just play the tambourine, and they play the heck out of that tambourine! A good example is the Beastly video, where Woody -- whom Samuel rightly identifies as perhaps the best musician in the band -- plays just cowbell.

There it is at the 0:15 mark. She's a trailblazer!

Is there anyway to replicate this on the actual Korg CX3? That's a great question. I sold my CX3 several years ago. I would've answered that this technique isn't possible on any clonewheel without the preset keys, but of all clones without preset keys, the CX3 seems like it might be possible. It had the two sets of drawbars and the "EX mode" to create new a different soundscapes with the drawbars. Perhaps that functionality could be leveraged to replicate this technique.

+1 on Samuel's take.

Great examples, Paul. Thanks!

What's the keyboard on top of the Wurlitzer?

I prepared myself for this to be awful, and it exceeded my expectations.

Thanks, Moe. This technique makes a ton of sense for WGFA.

The Internet, mostly. But Ann Arbor. I'd read up on them if you want to hear about some of the smartest DYI career moves made by any artist in the last five or six years. Yes. Vulfpeck is also networked with Jack Conte/Scary Pockets. What an amazing ecosystem of musicianship and business savvy!

Would someone please educate me as to what Larry Goldings is doing, visible around the 0:19 mark of the video? It appears he is making just small changes to a sustained chord in his right hand, and then rapidly "playing" the preset keys with his left hand to change the sound of the sustained right-hand chord. This technique is unfamiliar to me (and very cool). Are there other good examples of this I should check out? [video:youtube]

These guys have lightning in a bottle. The musicianship is top-notch. They are entertainers. Kudos to them for a full house at MSG!

Justin: That's a great "family" portrait! Nice collection.

Any suggestions on obtaining a transcription for Donny Hathaway's Wurlitzer solo on "The Ghetto"? In particular, the Live at the Troubadour version. He takes about a four minute solo that I want to dig into but the recording is a little distorted and there are some chord voicings I'd struggle to pick out (e.g., around 3:20 and 4:45). I'd like a visual aid to help me get into Donny's playing style. I didn't have luck with a web search, but this seems like a tune that's famous enough that somebody's transcribed it. Is there a site where college music majors swap transcriptions or something like that? I'd be happy to pay for a quality transcription. I'm not looking for the basic sheet music. This is a two-chord tune with a simple head. [video:youtube]

I was tempted to make a few impulse purposes -- temporary manufacturer discount on Roland VR-730, fleeting vendor discount on Behringer D, etc. -- but have managed to hold on to my wallet so far. I'll probably pick up some Rhodes supplies from Vintage Vibe. Their Thanksgiving weekend sales are some of the only discounts they offer all year.

Moderators, please remove if this post violates board rules, but I know at least a few forumites have been eyeing the Behringer D. A major online instrument dealer that is our "friend" has the Behringer D for 40% off, today (Thanksgiving) only.

Resurrecting this thread to say this year I'm thankful for Melvin Seals. Dig that comping under the verse about the 2:15 mark! [video:youtube]

Adding to the list, I've also had a band prefer Square's "Cash" app (hint: no actual cash involved).

+1 on the Behringer. If you can live without the vocoder, it is a super cost-effective and authentic option.

I appreciate the "Maj7" being in parentheses. Visually, it cues me that I'm basically still playing the minor chord but just adding the maj7, rather than processing the "DmMaj7" as an entirely new chord. Not a big deal either way, but I prefer the parentheses.

Joel seemed good in the Howard Stern clips. I look forward to hearing more. I like the Black Crowes when they veer towards jamband vibe, and I thought Adam MacDougall supported that vibe well (Adam also played keys in the VERY jammy Chris Robinson Brotherhood). But it sounds like the Crowes are returning to a more song-focused for this tour (i.e., playing Shake Your Moneymaker in its entirety). It'll be interesting to hear how this new band gels. The biggest surprise is the Robinson brothers excluded longtime drummer Steve Gorman from this tour.

JB on piano about the 2:15 mark. (The entire video is worth watching -- masterclass in working an audience into a frenzy.) [video:youtube]

What about James Brown? We've had some forum threads about, e.g., him playing the Sex Machine piano lick in a live show, and there were comments about him being a good organ player, too. Did he play keys on any of his studio tracks?

Axl Rose?

Oh wait -- just noticed the OP wanted to discuss frontperson of a band -- not solo acts. So Aretha doesn't fit the bill. This is a narrow category, indeed!