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Losendoskeys

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    Concert review: Steve Hackett playing "Seconds Out"

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 5/25/2022 at 1:59 PM, Tusker said:

    I've been enjoying the fabulous Steve Hackett videos on YouTube. Grateful thanks to those who provided links. For me, when the music is insanely good, there is a lot of freedom about how to perform it.

     

    I am still more likely see the The Musical Box (marking my calendar for Tarrytown NY, June 19. TLLDOB 😀 ) than Steve Hackett, but I put that down to my fanboy curiosity about early Genesis and not to any deficiencies in the remarkable Hackett team. Alan, if I were across the pond, I'd seek you guys out. 👍

     

     

    Thank you sir, would be a pleasure to finally meet you!

    • Like 1

    Concert review: Steve Hackett playing "Seconds Out"

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 5/16/2022 at 8:42 PM, timwat said:

    Saw this stop in Oakland @ the Fox Theater last night. I'd purchased the tix a while ago, was intending to bring my wife (who is unfamiliar with prog) as sort of an introduction to the music of my youth. Seminal prog (ELP, Yes, Gabriel-era Genesis) served as the bridge from pop music to real imagination for me, and was part of the equation that influenced my lifetime pursuit of music as a player. But my wife is fighting really bad allergies and decided to stay home the night of. So I was a solo act last night. 

     

    Demographic was very old, very white-haired, very tie-dye shirt, old ponytail, old concert t shirt crowd. Sort of like an AARP version of lost hippie prog nerds. And even the few women in the crowd all looked like the men. Lots of conversations around me of how many times I've seen Genesis and the real story behind that song, etc.

     

    Concert sound was...bleh. Very polite volume (remember the demographic, I suppose), very bass-shy (except for the occasional Taurus pedal), very midrange heavy. Drums mixed too far back, keys very muddy, no bass guitar. I could produce a better mix with one ear tied behind my back.

     

    First set was very short of Hackett solo numbers. Clocks, Everyday, a short snippet from Acolyte, a couple new numbers. Then a 20 minute break, and then the entirety of "Seconds Out" album from tip to stern.

     

    It becomes obvious that Genesis write stronger songs than Steve. During the second set, it becomes clear that while Steve may be a much nicer person than Banks, there is real songwriting prowess in Genesis that Steve left behind. And it becomes clear when so many of Banks' Pro Soloist lines are swapped over to soprano sax in Hackett's band how much live work Banks has always performed on stage.

     

    But the real challenges for me: There's no fire in this band. The best I could say is that the music was delivered respectfully, but passion is not a term found anywhere in the Fox Theater last night. It seemed tired and by the numbers. Maybe it's because over the many decades since I devoured prog vinyl, my tastes and playing have migrated from rock to jazz and funk. But I remember getting so much more from going to see Genesis, Yes, and ELP. And my expectations from live music are so different than what I got last night. And maybe we're just all getting older, and maybe it's been a long tour for Hackett and his band.

     

    Next month my wife and I are catching Lizz Wright in a duo setting @ Yoshi's.  I am hoping that it much more to my tastes, and much more fire and passion to enjoy.

     

     

     

    I'm surprised the sound wasn't good because I have seen Hackett several times and sound and lights have been great (lighting guy did a dep for us once)
    I do like Hackett solo work but being a nerd in a Genesis tribute band I don't like any of the changes he makes to the original material.
    It's also a bit weird that a guitarist takes centre stage - whoever it is, the vocalist should be the focal point IMHO.

    Normally tne band is very good though Roger does not use original sounds - he has a Mainstage setup which IMHO is too limiting.


    Musical Box do a great job and my only issue is that they do labout over the exact detail, which for the vocalist is hard to pull off with a French accent IMHO.

    They also do have a few "cheats" to make it work where there are multitracks on the album.

     

    My band Los Endos try to do the nearest recreation we can to the original material, possibly melding it with live versions.
    See what you think of this


     

    Concert review: Steve Hackett playing "Seconds Out"

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 5/16/2022 at 11:20 PM, Mills Dude said:

    Tim, our musical tastes intersect as I'm sure intersects with a lot of others on this board, 70s prog, fusion, bop and post-bop, etc.  All those great keys centered prog bands from the 70s are in our wheelhouse, but at this point its all just legacy touring and tribute bands.  Can it be delivered with passion and intensity?  Sure, but Hackett's 72 now and he's been disconnected from Genesis for a long time or maybe it was just an off night with suboptimal FOH.

     

    Seeing the coverage of that last Genesis tour didn't inspire me to want to venture out and see Phil sitting in his chair and have to weed through the 80s stuff to hear the gems.  Seconds Out still has that special place in my heart.  I'm in NY area and spring is finally springing and its time for my yearly solo drive in the country side blasting Seconds Out as for some reason this time of year connects it to me the most.   I actually prefer the post-Gabriel era, the records up to and including the 'Mama' record.  I think Tony Banks was at his peak right after Gabriel left.

     

    ELP is basically gone with Carl doing his legacy act.  I'm sure Yes will continue to work it but all the tunes are 50 years old and Yes was never one to mix up the arrangements.   Kansas is one of my favorites but its just Phil Ehard and Rich Williams carrying on the legacy, although Billy Greer and David Ragsdale have been with them for a long time.  I did catch a show in 2015 just after Ronnie Platt took over on vocals, it was a great show but its still just about hearing those great Livgren tunes (yeah Steve Walsh has a couple of great ones too!).   How many more years do they have left?

     

    So we're kinda stuck in this era of Grandpa Rock.  I was having a conversation this weekend with someone about how long will this Classic Rock era be marketable and when it's fully dead, what will replace it.  We were at some small festival with a Journey cover band followed by a Southern Rock tribute.  Stayed for the Journey band (with a female singer no less).  Once the other band started with Ramblin' Man, I was outta there.  

     

    I remember when I was a teen in the 80s and the old fogeys were going to doo-wop shows.  I guess prog is our doo-wop.

     

    I've been mulling over getting tix for Steely Dan this summer.  I've never seen them and I kinda feel like I need to get it out of my system but I still haven't been able to pull the trigger on it.  Still a bit concerned about Covid and just the general malaise of wanting to avoid the hassle of getting to a live show.  Who knows how much longer Donald Fagen is gonna up for touring?  

     

    Anyway, I'm not quite a boomer, just make the cut for Gen X, but how much longer is this boomer rock going to be commercially relevant?

     

    Buy the tickets - Donald Fagen has a great band, loved it last time (again)

    used Hammond SK-2 vs. new Crumar Mojo Classic?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I swapped my SK2 for an SKX last year.
    The SK2 was gigged in place of my XK3C, which I retired (and kept) due to its' weight.

    You can pick up the SK2 and hold it easily over your head.
    The SK2 is an excellent board and can definitely be tweaked (to a greater extent than many clones) to sound like a console - my aim was the L100/T102 of Tony Banks.

    It is easily set up to operate with either manual connected to external devices.

    The action is fine - the compromise with respect to the XK3c is fine, you don't get to reduce the weight as such without compromises.

    For me I would still be using it today as the SKX is slightly better but not significantly so. 

    MainStage Layout

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Please keep sharing updates.
    I have always been sceptical about using such a set up so will be very interested to see how robust you can make this.
    My main concern after the initial horror show of trying to configure such a set up is resilience.

    In twenty years of playing live my hardware only let me down once when the lighting tech unplugged me!

    So I will be most sceptical until I see real life confirmation that this works!

    • Like 2

    Keith Emerson - 6 years gone now.

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I saw him the year before he took his life  - his playing was amazing, how on Earth he managed to convince himself he was a shadow of his former self we'll never know.
    We mere mortals would love to have a 10th of his ability.

    Luckily in the UK we have a very talented Tom Szakaly who is a tribute to Keith, travels with a Moog Modular in a van and keeps the spirit alive.

    Book: Musical Instruments Of Progressive Rock

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 2/23/2022 at 3:13 AM, The Real MC said:

    Don't let the lame book cover fool you, this is a great book Musical Instruments Of Progressive Rock.  All color pages, keyboard instruments are well represented.  Primary focus is on the classic 1960s-1980s prog rock era, although newer instruments like the Nord get a mention.

    Worth a look Dave.
    I grew up with Genesis, ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant and I have my own Genesis tribute band, so this is very close to my heart.
    I've spent the last 20 years replicating those sounds - bought the original gear and modern gear made to sound like original.
    Good shout

    Hammond SKX Pro

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    10 hours ago, mwheels said:

    So excited to unbox my sk pro yesterday, but to my disappointment I knew within a couple hours that it had to be retuned. I really wanted to like the sk pro, but there was no comparison.  Compared side by side with my electro 5d the Leslie simulator on the Hammond is better, organs are very comparable when you set them the same - but everything else, the Nord blows the Hammond completely out of the water. Nord pianos, clavs, and rhodes make the Hammond sound like a toy 

    For sounding like a Hammond, the SK2/SKX/SLKPro blow any Nord out of the water.
    I buy them to sound exactly like a Hammond and tweak them to the nth degree - the extra voice stuff is irrelevant to me

     

    • Like 1

    Hammond SKX Pro

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    7 hours ago, M_G said:

    Hi,

     

    I have both: 

    XK5 AND SK-Pro.


    Even with the exact paramter values (and I checked every single one when I transferred my TW-Set) they sound

    different, slightly different, but there is a difference in sound.

    I guess it's due to the better output stage or whatever.

    The XK5 is clearer and more defined, more punch and sparkle. The SK Pro seems a bit duller in direct comperison.

    On the orher side: Even with the exact parameters the leslie sim on the SK-Pro seems improved. More "wood".... 

     

    So the terminus "derived from" seems to be correct IMHO.

     

     

     

    I'm hoping to transcribe from the SKX to SKX Pro without too much adjustment - are the parameters similar?

    Help me choose a new Clonewheel

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I notice you don't mention the SKX, I'm guessing you don't mind humping around dead weight!

     

    I bought the XK3c when it came out - still have it - then when I tired of the weight I bought an XK2 and Vent.

    It's very flexible and gave me the option of playing alternative external sounds from the lower keyboard..

    I love the tweakability and nothing else came close IMHO if you want the portability and the true Hammond sound.

     

    I was lucky enough to spot an SKX Limited Black Edition, so I sold the SK2.

    The SKX is finished in black wood, so I took a step back in weight but you can still lift it over your head.

    It has a slightly earthier sound than the SK2 it is still head and shoulders above any of the competition from what I can see and hear

    Electric Grand Piano Recommendations

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Keep in mind that internal speakers on digital pianos are designed for near field monitoring for the piano player and will not project very well in a club/restaurant setting. Crank it too high and POOF. Even with "50w amplifier".

    Not on the Roland V-Grand, it is set up for an audience

     

    "Unlike any instrument before, the V-Piano Grand"s built-in sound system employs intelligent multi-channel audio technology that fills the room with amazing spatial sound in which the player and audience may not be aware of the existence of speakers. Each and every component of the piano sound is allocated to the appropriate location immediately, changing fluidly and naturally based on the performance. From the player"s perspective, hammer-clicks sound closer, for example, and ringing strings are at a distance. Each element is allocated intelligently in real time to create a wide, multi-dimensional sound space. This sound image is true to the player"s perspective, as well as to listeners. Furthermore, sound spaces are uniquely created for each piano model. This amazing feature is unique to the V-Piano Grand."

     

    [video:youtube]

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