ClarkW Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Lisa Fraser and the Hotties (it's a working band-name!) eked out a slim victory last night at Muse Music's Battle of the Bands semi-final last night over 3 other bands. We'll be competing against 3 other nightly winners this Saturday night in the finals. Lisa Fraser plays acoustic rock, ranging from folk-style to straight-ahead rock. It's fun music to play, and I think one of our strong points was the variety; we played slow, we played fast, we played quiet, we played loud. The first two bands just played loud. Band #1 was a mix between punk and Avril Levigne, complete with the young girl on vocals and guitar. They had some serious sound problems, though. Their bass rig didn't show up, so the guy borrowed my SWR Workingman 12 combo. He cranked it up and plugged the XLR out into the PA system, which I think was a very bad idea. Several times in their show, you could hear almost nothing from the bass but a horrible popping sound. I feared for my poor little amp, as I watched the limiter light stay a solid green, and the preamp clip light intermittently flash. I don't think the PA could handle it. Of course, he was also beating the crud out of his bass, so it wouldn't have been making too pretty a sound anyway. But the SWR took a licking and kept on ticking, and sounded just fine for my set later on. The second band was even louder than the first. 3 guys, and they were more punk than the first, with a bit of a metal slant. They just plain hurt my ears. Also, we were prepping our setup so I didn't get to listen to them very much. Our set went wonderfully, especially considering that we had exactly 8 hours of total rehearsal time since we got together on Friday. Lisa has been playing with the guitar player for a while, though, and I played with the drummer for a little over a year in a different band. But we put together 5 songs and got really tight, and didn't have any big hitches onstage. Someone commented after the show that there could have been more bass. w00t. Lisa hasn't played with a band before, so I think she's not used to hearing that much rumble on the low end, so she likes the bass parts pretty sparse and straightforward, which is what I gave her. But maybe I'll turn up a bit for Saturday night's finals. The final band, "Suspended Groove" was freakin' awesome. The bass player/lead singer was playing on a Warwick 4-string through a nice Ampeg head and cab, but I didn't get exact details. He was funkariffic, and when I talked to him after the show it was no surprise that he said his favorite bass player was Vic Wooten. He had great chops, and could beat me down any day of the week in a bass playoff. He inspired me to practice more, lol. Their guitar player was also fantastic, and made very good use of effects. The trumpet/keyboard/vocalist was pretty good, and the drummer was great, too. They were a funk band (and definitely had the sweaty, smelly, hairy, barefoot funk thing going!), with strong jazz influences. The only thing I could find to not like about them was that their songs were incredibly long (8-10 minutes each), and they sounded more like 8 different songs strung together than just one cohesive musical statement. I think they might have been docked for going over time, too. 25-minute sets, but they played for 40 or 45 minutes. In the end, there was a scorecard tie, and the judges voted the tiebreaker 3-2 in favor of Lisa Fraser & Co. I don't think I've been that excited since my high school team took first place in the UNT Physics Olympiad. Now, as then, we put a HUGE amount of effort into something, faced stiff competition, and won by a close margin of victory. I think I'm still excited about it even today! Finally, I'd like to thank the people in this forum for helping me along my way to becoming a bass player. It's been a valuable resource for me, and I hope I've been able to offer some good comments. Thanks, and I'll let you know how we do this Saturday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Congrats!!! I downloaded one of the songs, and will listen to more. I see your point (in the previous thread) about fitting the bass part in. Lisa is used to operating independently (from a rhythm point of view). The one cut sounded cool, and your point about variety will make this a strong organization. Physics Olympiad? As a computer geek I feel qualified to say "congrats" on winning that contest as well. Also, it's a good thing you have music... 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...
Connie Z Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Congratulations! I can't wait to hear how it all turns out. Please do remember to let us know. And I agree how wonderful this forum is. My bass playing has improved tenfold, thanks mainly to the confidence I've gained through the information shared right here. Congrats again! ... Connie Z "Change comes from within." - Jeremy Cohen The definition of LUCK: When Preparation meets Opportunity! http://www.cybergumbo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 (bump) Congrats Clark! That's pretty cool... Let us know about the show, and break a leg! Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Well done. Best of luck with the rest of the competition. Congratulations! spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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