Introductions?

[cphollis]

Greetings, all

 

My name is Chuck, I spend most of my time in Massachussets, and I'm a non-recovering keyboardaholic. I play in two fun bands with semi-pro musicians (very different styles) so I have plenty to keep me busy these days.

 

Equipment-wise, I've gone a bit overboard. Right now, I'm all-Nord: Electro 4, Stage 2, Piano 2. For amplification, all-QSC: a pair each of K8s, K10s and K12s for different settings. Standardization, baby! Back in the closet somewhere I have a Yamaha CP5, a MO8, a Motion Sound KBR amp, and a Bose stick.

 

And that's after I just sold a bunch of stuff.

 

Style-wise, I grew up during the 60s-70s-80s, so that's what I like to play: roots rock, classic rock, country, blues, motown, etc. Acoustic and electric pianos, B3 organ sounds mostly. Maybe a nice horn line here and there.

 

I'll play other stuff if I have to (e.g. 80s hair band, power synth, etc.) but it's not really my thing. I don't sing much, but it's something I'm working on.

 

I took the obligatory piano lessons as a kid for a few years, but quickly found I could teach myself most anything I wanted to learn, so I guess that makes me mostly self-taught. Although my chops are pretty good, getting lessons from a pro is something I want to do down the road.

 

Did a lot with music when I was in college, and then did very little for a long time. Five years ago, I decided that I wanted to work less and play more, and -- so far -- that's exactly what I've done. I play for fun. I have enough bandwidth these days to be in two bands at any one time in addition to a few personal projects.

 

I also am an acoustic piano nut, but we won't get into that here, as this crowd seems to be mostly gigging musicians.

 

It's a pleasure to meet all the characters here . I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about!

[Joe Muscara]

Welcome, Chuck! Give me some of that gear money!

 

P.S. We talk about acoustic pianos here some, too. In fact, I'm currently shopping for one now.

[baD mR fRosTy]

Hello. It seems not everyone makes use of the "meet and greet" newbie announcement, but I was inspired by cphollis, lol, to do so!

 

I'm a 49 year old male keyboardist from the east coast of Canada, (spent 7 years in BC, 7 in Eurpope, 2 in central America, playing (and also working to supplement my income).

But I am originally from Halifax, NS and that is where I have returned to. I generally would have used my birth name, John David Peer as a used name, I have no qualms...although a few folks on other forums know me by my 1990's "techno" band name: baD mR fRosTy - and since I have resurrected it for the purposes of Youtube, I am using it at a posting name more and more again.

 

Especially on non-political forums such as this *whew*...

 

I welcome any PM's from my forum colleagues, and I have taken a few hours to roughly familiarize myself with this forum.

 

I am going to post an "omnibus" question about the Hammond Suzuki SK-1, the organ which drew me to this site, because it is clear thatb folks here know more than my local music store! And I admit, even though I have perused the search/FAQs, I have found interesting threads...but some have opened more questions than answered...and I have drifted off into all kinds of sidebars and interesting topics....but I haven't foundd my answers yet...so....

 

I am glad I have found this, as you'll know when you see my next post.

 

thanks in advance...

jdp aka baD mR fRosTy

 

 

[Michael Wright]

Welcome John. You will enjoy the forum.

[richforman]

Hey I'll join in, I was a longtime lurker but for whatever reason have only started jumping in with some posts recently. My name's Rich, 52, I live in Long Island, NY, have lived here since '87 and before that grew up for my first 26 years or so near Philly; started my first band in high school, got in my first bar bands in college and have been gigging in SOME context, pretty steadily, ever since, 30+ years now, wshew. Such a variety of gigging sessions over those years, some good runs with pretty high-quality bands that lasted a while, played a lot, sounded good and made some decent money; dry spells when the bands and gigs were crappier and sparser but have always managed to keep SOMETHING going. Mostly bar bands doing either doing a typical mix of top 40/oldies/classic rock, a few weddings bands, a few projects where we tried to focus on covering more ambitious, proggier classic rock or even fusion, and in the last six or seven years, the focus has been on a few 80's themed show bands and a few classic rock tribute bands (I've tribbed Foreigner, Bad Company, Billy Joel as the second keyboards - not the Billy guy! - in a really good project that is my main gig currently) all of which have gotten me into some bigger theatre, club and outdoor fest type shows and better paying corporates/privates, sometimes with some travel, best was a private party in the Bahamas a few years ago where we were put on a really exclusive beach resort for a weekend. Basically always on the lookout and hustling for a good project or gig; seems the days are past (for me) when being in a single band kept you as busy as you wanted to be, and I really like the variety of playing in at least two bands concurrently, makes it less boring and keeps your chops up better I think. Have had a good-paying day job the whole time too but the gigs account to a decent percentage of my income, maybe 20 or 25% in good times, it feels like more than just a hobby to me even if "career" sounds like an overstatement to describe this pursuit. Have had lots of keyboards over the years, my current gigging setup is or will be as of next weekend, my brand new MOXF8 and my trusty Fantom X7 (oh yeah and my also new Alessis Vortex which will only be used sparingly and on a few gigs, not all); relegated to practice/backup axes now are my S80 and Korg Trinity Plus. Past axes have included a Yamaha CP30, Sequential Circuits Pro-One mono synth, a short-lived Casio synth in the early 80's I can't even recall the model #; then for my first fairly pro working cover bands in the 80's I had a 54-key Rhodes (rare, I think they only made those one year!) at one point, some kind of string machine, then for a long time it was a DX7 on the bottom and a Juno 60 on top; later I used an Ensoniq VFX-SD for a long time, an Alessis Quadrasynth, and whatever else I'm forgetting. Also Used to use some rack modules in the 90's, an Oberheim Matrix-1000 I think it was called, all analog! 6 polyphonic voices but mono-timbral; a Roland US220; a Korg P3 piano module, remember those?; and some kind of organ module with drawbars I also can't quite recall the name of.

 

My "brushes with greatness" through playing have been few, but I did once get to play a six-song set at a party with Bret Michaels; opened for him on another occasion a couple years later; opened for Eddie Money and also for Zebra (met them on a cruise ship a couple years later and they did remember the show and us to my delight!); got to play "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with Bonnie Tyler one time, that was pretty big; played at Miley Cyrus' private 17th birthday party; spotted Danny Bonaduce in the crowd at an NYC club gig!; was brought on at a party by Guy Fieri; oh yeah, last summer Mark Rivera filled in on sax in our Billy Joel band; and most memorably to me but meaningless to the young'uns, back about 20 years ago my cover/bar band got to be Mitch Ryder's (famous rocker in the mid-60's, biggest hit that most people would know is "CC Rider/Jenny Take a Ride" long before Bruce covered it at No Nukes, and also "Devil With the Blue Dress") pickup band for a bar gig here in Long Island.

 

Nice to meet you all!

[baD mR fRosTy]

Haha...great synopsis of 30 years!

[vonnor]

Hey all,

 

I'm in the Wash DC area and been pushing keys since the mid 80's. Road work up until '91, mostly dance-rock, lounge, MTV covers. Took some time off for a day job but recently got a hold of a moXF8 to go with the Juno Stage that was in the closet; built a stand, re-wired the old pedal board, and now I can't stop practicing again.

 

Anyways, I found this forum while on a wild google chase and was like, "Sweet!" Looks like a super active community and I look forward to browsing all the topics and contributing where I can.

 

Good to be here!

 

~ Bill

[Sidrat]

Well good morning/evening all my name is Sidrat and I'm currently 37 years old living in England.

 

I had some music lessons in school, but didn't really take it too seriously. I have always however listened to music growing up and always look forward to seeing live bands at local gigs.

 

What brings me here then if I'm a listener of music, not a musician, I can't hear you ask. The answer is simple but convoluted, bare with me here.

 

I've been unemployed for quite some time and it occurred to me a few months ago, how music and singing can be uplifting and increase self-esteem. This thought was given while listening to the congregation over the road whose vocals are great, but at the mercy of an organist who can take any hymn to the deepest of dirges.

 

So I've been looking on line and testing out keyboard software, all free all fun, very limiting of course, but great when I 'get' and understand how that note and that note combine...

 

Anyway, I wanted opinions on two pieces of equipment in my price range and came to a thread on this forum, and while neither items were suitable for the intended recipient (https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2209511/ ) I kept browsing and thought I'd introduce myself and say Hello.

 

Hello.

 

PS: One thing I remember from those music classes is that every good boy deserves football. I hope this will help me to read music (again).

[Joe Muscara]

Welcome, y'all, as some kids here in Texas would say.

[JeffLearman]

Welcome both of you and Happy New Year.

 

Sidrat, I won't "bare" with you, though I'm willing to "bear" with you. I will forgive you the nasty mental image, though. Just this once. :wink:

 

Start a thread about gear for beginners, and you'll get lots of input, not just on gear, but a wide range of opinions on how to go about it. Give us a clue what your budget is.

 

Vonner, I bet MOXF8 + Juno Stage make a killer rig, though it might be a bit light on Hammond. It's related only by name, but I did love my Juno 60 back in the day.

[wmp]

... but great when I 'get' and understand how that note and that note combine...

That's how it starts. Be careful. You could get sucked in and get pretty good at it. You're a little late starting at 37, but don't let that scare you off. I know a guy who started playing drums well into his sixties. He can hang at jams where the pros know him and play to his strengths.

 

[Doerfler]

Hey all,

 

I'm in the Wash DC area and been pushing keys since the mid 80's. Road work up until '91, mostly dance-rock, lounge, MTV covers. Took some time off for a day job but recently got a hold of a moXF8 to go with the Juno Stage that was in the closet; built a stand, re-wired the old pedal board, and now I can't stop practicing again.

 

Anyways, I found this forum while on a wild google chase and was like, "Sweet!" Looks like a super active community and I look forward to browsing all the topics and contributing where I can.

 

Good to be here!

 

~ Bill

 

Welcome Bill -

quite a few active members here in the DC Metro area. PM me if you care to and we can have a beer. Beer is popular on this forum also. I'm hopefully going to another forumites gig tomorrow night (Saturday) downtown DC after work. It's fun hanging out with people here.

[Tom Williams]

Hi, kids.

 

Tom Williams here. I found this forum while researching a K2500 rack unit I recently bought.

 

I grew up in West Virginia, and have lived in this area (about 100 miles south of Pittsburgh) most of the time.

 

I first played in bands -- and bars -- when I was 15 years old; as of this writing I'm 54. Most of my playing in front of people the past ten years has been as part of church bands, either as a keyboardist, percussionist, or faux bassist.

 

Over the years I have bought, worn out, and chucked two Farfisa organs, a Leslie 860 (which I most regret throwing out), two professional grade Casio synths, two Ensoniq EPS "13 minus" samplers, one SQ32 (also Ensoniq), and one Voce organ module.

 

This past year or so I've beefed up my pile of old-but-playable keyboards, such that the only thing that's been around much over a year is a much-underrated Alesis Fusion; see the sig line for more details....

 

I've always programmed, or at least custom-tweaked, 90% of the patches I play, mostly to maximize expressivity. As a result, I have noticed that any "new" keyboard tends to spend 6-12 months in my home before I even take it out to perform.

 

I play rock, country and some jazz styles; and I admire (but don't play) more traditional (18th and 19th century) keyboard music.

 

I do computer stuff for a living. Hobbies include photography, religion(1), politics(2), and (apparently) writing about myself.

 

(1,2) I promise to behave. Or at least to /try/ to behave.

 

[J. Dan]

Welcome to the forum, Tom. As many on here will attest, I was a Fusion fan for quite a long time before I upgraded to my Kronos.

[Christian Cullen]

Hey Everybody,

 

Just posted here for the first time yesterday. My name is Christian Matthew Cullen - I am from Chicago, IL and am currently a touring keyboardist, producer and artist/demonstrator for Hammond Organ USA.

 

I was previously the touring keyboardist for Night Ranger from 2007 - 2011.

 

Keyboard gear - Hammond Sk1 , Hammond Sk1-73, '63 Hammond A100, Leslie 122, Juno 60, Ensoniq Mirage, Casio PX-5S, Yamaha Motif XS6, Micro Korg, Korg 01/w, MBP running MainStage 3 with a slew of VI's.

 

More about me here : www.christianmatthewcullen.com

 

Happy to be part of the forums - Hope to see you around !!!

 

Christian

[SteveCoscia]

Keyboard gear ...Ensoniq Mirage, ...

 

Welcome Christian. Good website. Is the Mirage part of your stage rig?

[Joe Muscara]

For some reason, your mentions of Night Ranger put this song in my head so I had to find it and listen to it to get it out of my head!

 

[video:youtube]

 

Yes, I tried to find a recent clip that had you in it, but I think I probably found one after you left the band, right? I don't think that's you on keys.

[Dana.]

I was previously the touring keyboardist for Night Ranger from 2007 - 2011.

Henceforth, ye shall be known as Sister Christian.

[mate stubb]

Bet he hasn't heard that one before!

[Dave Bryce]

Happy to be part of the forums - Hope to see you around !!!

Good to see you here, brother! Great to hang with you at NAMM....

 

dB

 

 

[Doerfler]

welcome aboard. nice website

[Christian Cullen]

Thanks guys ! I have hear that a lot ( Sister Christian ) . The funniest was when I was doing an interview for someone and they asked me if they wrote "Sister Christian" about me . I said "Yes, yes they did.." hahaha.

 

The Mirage is not part of my live setup . It's in my studio and seldom gets booted. Still fun when I have time , tho.

[Doug Robinson]

How fun to see you here, Christian--great getting to know you at NAMM! I hope I don't bust you asking tech support questions about Hammond gear, though.

 

For the rest of you...I'm Doug Robinson. Multi-instrumentalist with slowly descending skill sets in this order: piano, drums, bass, mallets, guitar and on down to the trumpet which I picked up a few years ago and on which I still sound quite terrible.

 

Was a rock drummer, then a jazz drummer at 12--played with some great kids including Nathan East, Carl Evans Jr, Hollis Gentry lll--all young lions of San Diego in the late '60s and early '70s. Switched my main focus to keys in a prof rock group called The Twinkies, which featured me on acoustic piano and a friend on B3. What a glorious combination.

 

After that, I studied intensely with a a few mentors including a jazz trombone legend named Frank Rehak, and got serious about composing; I've scored an indie feature and some other projects, but I like to keep moving artistically. I've got 11 albums as a bandleader or solo artist on my little indie label, some featuring killer players like Mike Stern, John Patitucci, Peter Erskine and others, and some featuring either my local bands or me playing the lion's share. I've also produced and arranged several projects for talent deserving wider recognition.

 

Today I live in Mexico--right now the Puerto Vallarta area, but mostly in the arts-oriented town of San Miguel de Allende. It's beautiful and interesting, and a little goes a long way--I've done solo benefit concerts that raised ridiculous amounts of money to build houses for poor communities which required no more effort than setting up a little club gig in San Diego. I've got a couple of bands down here that I love playing with--funky jazz, Latin jazz, mostly my compositions.

 

I feel like a musical ambassador down here--I seek out young players who can be better, and I try to make that happen. And it ends up making me a better musician too. For a couple of years, I produced an international jazz festival in San Miguel that brought amazing talent to a town that had been stuck with the same old, same old for too long. Marcia Ball, Don Grusin (and the late Oscar Castro Neves), Bob Sheppard and so on. Good times.

 

My gear today--a new Hammond SK1 73, a Korg SV1, and in my studio a Yamaha SV80 (can't let it go, I love it so!), and my beautiful walnut Kawai grand. Also a set of VDrums, a small set of vibes, several guitars and basses and assorted nonsense.

 

my website, sadly, is a mess--it was gorgeous until squarespace changed something which revealed that my designed had used arcane code which can't be easily fixed and he's long gone. One day, though, dougrobinson.com will ride again.

 

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos you might enjoy, one from two weeks ago at a San Diego concert I called Doug Robinson Solo (Sort Of) because I used a rhythm section on a few tunes, and one from my Latin jazz group Medianoche, featuring guitarist Ken Basman--we have great chemistry.

 

BESOS OCULTOS:

 

ALL BLUES LATIN:

(playing my retired Casio keyboard)

 

Good to meet you all.

 

Doug

[Doerfler]

Welcome Doug. Sounds like you have a lot going on. Looking forward to your contributions as part of this forum.

[Dave Bryce]

I'm Doug Robinson.

Good to see you here, brother Doug! Been a while - hope all is well...

 

dB

[Doug Robinson]

Hi, Dave--I saw your name and wondered if you'd possibly remember me! Great forum here. All is well indeed, and I hope the same for you.

[Dave Bryce]

Hi, Dave--I saw your name and wondered if you'd possibly remember me!

But of course - original SSS/AOL alumni gott stick together.

 

 

All is well indeed, and I hope the same for you.

 

dB

[Joe Muscara]

Welcome, Doug. Next time you're in SD, you should meet up with one of our main forumites Bobby Cressey, aka Bobadohshe. He plays organ for the Padres and gigs all over SoCal.

[Doug Robinson]

Will do, Joe!

[yamarolorg]

Hey People,

 

I'm Scott from BC, Canada. I'm pretty new at the keyboards (not quite 2 years), although I played guitar - mainly jazz - for about 20+ years.

 

Main Gear: Yamaha Mox6, Alchemy, Roland Gaia, Pianissimo