Jode Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Saturday afternoon before the BOC show, I was in Seattle at the Experience Music Project. The $15 admission fee sounded a little steep, but once inside - wow. Now, the multimedia stuff and pretend-studio exhibits were cool, if you're not a musician - to me, it was like a day at the office. But the gallery exhibits blew me away. Most awe-inspiring display? The white Strat. You know the one. The Woodstock Strat. The "Star Spangled Banner" Strat, right there, three feet in front of me. I would have stood there, transfixed, for the whole day if my wife hadn't pulled me away. I mean, GAWD, it's Jimi's flippin' WOODSTOCK Strat! Like Wayne and Garth, I certainly was not worthy. Then there was the Guitar Gallery, an excellent history of the guitar, including early electrics that I'd only ever seen in pictures. They had a Rickenbacker "frying pan", among others. Then there was the 'history of the bass' section, which featured a Gibson Mando-bass, and also a couple of early electric uprights, one of which looked like a weird cross between a Baby Bass, an Ernie Ball Earth Bass, and a Gibson archtop. The one that surprised me, though, was the Audiovox "Tutmarc" bass, an electric bass with amp - built in 1935! So ol' Leo wasn't the first after all! It was a funky-looking, Vox-esque thing that looked more 60s than 30s. It is the only one known to exist. The one touristy thing my friends and I did was the "pretend you're a rockstar ride". They have a mock stage where you can mime playing a rock song with screaming fans and a lightshow. Afterwards, you can buy a DVD of your "concert", and also a poster. They cue you in the middle of the song to make your best rock face, and you can buy a poster of it. Our 'band', Hippie Grenade, totally killed on "I Love Rock'n Roll", and I have the poster to prove it. As a bonus, our tickets included entrance to the Sci-Fi museum adjacent to the EMP. Apparently, Paul Allen is a major fan, and much of the museum is his private collection. And what a collection: The original Terminator endoskeleton. Captain Kirk's chair from the bridge of the Enterprise. The only complete model of the Death Star, circa 1976. And on and on. I dug the "armory", a collection of sci-fi small arms through the ages: Deckard's pistol from Blade Runner. A pulse rifle from Aliens. Various Star Trek phasers. If you're in Seattle, I highly recommend it. Four stars from my travel guide. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Thanks for the review. I'd heard of the place, but wasn't clear on the contents. I'd love to see the poster... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 "Hippie Grenade" Best. Band. Name. Ever! Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowbee Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Very cool, I'd definitely check that out if I visited Seattle. Can you scan the poster for us???? Now theres three of you in a band, youre like a proper band. Youre like the policemen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Olwell Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 The Experience Music Project has an amazing collection of instruments. Really cool. One of the coolest things about it is that their website has an interactive feature that allows you to "play" the basses that Jode was talking about. Check out http://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp?articleID=663 and click on the LAUNCH TIMELINE link. It's really cool. Best Wishes, Greg Olwell Managing Editor Bass Player magazine 1111 Bayhill Dr., Suite 125 San Bruno, CA 94066 650-238-0279 650-238-0261 Fax golwell@musicplayer.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Yes the website is great.And the venue is great too, despite the fact that when I visited a few years ago I was slightly underwhelmed. Now, looking back it's probably because it was very crowded in part. I'm not sure what I expected. Musical is an auditory medium and a museum is primarily a visual medium. I think I was just bummed because I couldn't get near all of the exhibits. I did enjoy it though. I'd like to go back again though when I visit Seattle again. I'd also recommend a visit to their stunning public library and Elliott's Oyster House. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I have mixed reviews after I went there, but I'd still recommend it. To me the coolest thing was the soundboard they set up where you can 'remix' Dolly Dagger (I think), and hear the individual guitar parts, drums, etc. Jimi's paintings as a kid are really, really good and show what a natural artist he was. There's a bunch of really cool stuff, but there's only so much Jimi stuff you can see before you get bored, to me. They have other types of exhibits there, but the folk music exhibit they had when I was there was a snooze-fest. What's also fun is that they have soundproof jam rooms, so you can lay down some fun power trio stuff, and even buy a recorded copy. The architecture of the building is by Frank Geary I think ('Hey Geary - like curvy non-linear forms much?'), and it is no exaggeration to say it is BUTT-ugly. I heard it's supposed to resemble Jimi's smashed Strat...from overhead. Fat lot of good it does for those of us on the ground. The colors are hideous, too. If you're in Seattle I highly recommend eating at the high-class rotating restaurant atop the Space Needle. Expensive, but what a view and really great food. I'd also like to warn you that apparently all the ugly girls in the US move to Seattle. Someone needs to tell them looking like you rolled out of bed, at 8 pm, is no way to get a man. http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I enjoy the EMP and have been a few times. I hope you also visited Bass Northwest while you were in Seattle. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 As soon as my wife can scan the poster at work, I'll put it up. Hippie Grenade in action is quite a sight to behold. Ups to my friend Alex for the name. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I enjoy the EMP and have been a few times. I hope you also visited Bass Northwest while you were in Seattle. I found them extremely unhelpful when I visited but I guess, given their reputation, I caught them at a bad time. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 They've always been really nice to me, both in person and over the phone. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 I enjoy the EMP and have been a few times. I hope you also visited Bass Northwest while you were in Seattle. We only had one day in Seattle proper. We did drop in on Emerald City Guitars, a museum in its own right. But our plans for seeing more of Seattle were curtailed by the fabulous northwest weather. Go figure: beautiful sunshine on the way up and the way back, with a day of miserable, blustery, wet nastiness in between, on the only day we planned on being outdoors. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Emerald City Guitars is only a block away from Bass Northwest! They do have some wild stuff at Emerald City! I liked the amps that someone built into old suitcases. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Emerald City Guitars is only a block away from Bass Northwest! They do have some wild stuff at Emerald City! I liked the amps that someone built into old suitcases. D'oh! If I'd only known. Emerald City came at the end of a long, cold, wet afternoon. By then, it was time to get out of the weather, get some coffee in us, and get down the road to BOC. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 "Hippie Grenade" Best. Band. Name. Ever! Totally could not agree more. That owns. I live in Seattle. I've seen shows at the EMP. I've been to parties at the EMP. I've even played gigs at the EMP. I still haven't gone on the tour thing. Maybe I should do that one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Emerald City Guitars is only a block away from Bass Northwest! They do have some wild stuff at Emerald City! I liked the amps that someone built into old suitcases. D'oh! If I'd only known. Emerald City came at the end of a long, cold, wet afternoon. By then, it was time to get out of the weather, get some coffee in us, and get down the road to BOC. Yep. Litterally a block east and then a block north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredneck69 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Was at the EMP a few years ago...must revisit soon. The history in that place is truly incredible! I did hit the BassNW at the time and found them to be pretty cool. Didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked to though, the gas pains were incredibly painful. Donnie Peterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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