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Bill H.

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About Bill H.

  • Birthday 03/21/1947

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  • occupation
    musician/ farmer
  • hobbies
    music and agriculture
  • Location
    Columbia River Gorge, US

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  1. I heard Royals this afternoon while I was getting my teeth cleaned. That song is still literally everywhere.
  2. The guitar player of the band I was in borrowed my 45 of "Tonight" and I never saw it again. He about drove his girlfriend crazy he played it so much. We were trying for the same sort of sound as Raspberries. Raspberries just did it so much better. RIP Eric.
  3. I'll be honest. The only Lorde song I'm familiar with is Royals. And it is something special. I remember when it came out - this hauntingly beautiful distinctive track wafting through the summer air from every venue within earshot back then. Speaking as a DJ it's the only Lorde track I've ever had a request for. Ever. So now that she's approaching 30, do I feel sorry for Lorde when people mostly identify her with a song she wrote when she was a kid? Well maybe a little. But it's hard to feel too sorry for someone who wrote one of the most defining songs of her generation, and one of the top singles of its decade. Carrying teenage fame into adulthood is so hard to do. Taylor Swift has done it. Billie Eilish is doing it. But they are exceptions.
  4. The reason I got rid of my Pianet was that it was too muddy. I was just a kid back then and didn't have a lot of tools - and plugging it directly into a Fender Showman just didn't cut it. I bought it used but it was in good shape... we're talking late 60s here. Anyway that's why my memory of it is a little fuzzy. I didn't have it for more than a few months.
  5. John is sure getting a lot more dynamics out of his Pianet than I ever could with mine! But that was over 50 years ago... maybe my memory is faulty. Or is someone riding the faders on the board? Any ideas?
  6. I agree that big movies should be seen in big theaters. My only exposure to Oppenheimer though was during a family gathering a few weeks ago. Case in point about the soundtrack: I found the continuous use of ostinato strings leading up to the test explosion irritating at home, but it was probably a different experience in a theater.
  7. I can't specifically remember seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (like when I saw them live) but the main thing I remember was that I had to start practicing singing! Before the Beatles, rock bands generally had a front to handle the vocals, with us guys handling the instruments. As a cocky 15 year old who thought he knew everything, my initial impression was mixed. I thought their 2 part harmonies were crude compared to the Beach Boys, and their covers of US R&B (mostly from the Vee-Jay album) was inferior to what I was hearing from Wolfman Jack on my 6 transistor radio at night. I quickly came around though. That pic of the Ford station wagon reminded me of the Plymouth Fury wagon that I used to haul equipment not long after. Full sized station wagons were cheap on the used market - much cheaper than sedans - and when gas was 24.9 (that's cents son ) gas guzzling wasn't an issue.
  8. It's from Nigeria, so I guess I should have said central Africa. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but Calm Down was in my car's playlist last summer. 🫢 But I can get sucked into simplistic but catchy stuff when driving. It just seemed to fit in with the July and August heat. It was also picked up by at least one ad agency. Here's a spot for Beaches I remember seeing a lot last summer:
  9. I didn't think it was as good as Rihanna last year, and definitely not as good as Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg - but it's who Usher is (more of a laid back R&B guy). For something as bombastic as a Super Bowl halftime show, he needed reinforcements - which he mostly got with Alicia Keys, H.E.R., and especially Lil Jon prepping the crowd with Turn Down For What. Biggest surprise for me was Ludacris in a huge 'fro wig. Wow that's going back in time. That will certainly come off in the next Fast and Furious movie. Here's more what he looks like today - receiving his star in the Walk of Fame. Edit: Maybe that is his hair all 'fro-ed out! 🧐
  10. I think there are more exceptions now than before. When you have a teen with Tourette's, a couple of homely guys with significant facial art, a +++ size black chick... They are top pop stars today - picked by their peers. They wouldn't have stood a chance under the old corporate A&R system. When you have something like Calm Down with minimal production and promotion which simmered in Northern Africa for a months, gradually made it's way into the world through social media, grabbed Selena Gomez by the coattails, and became the #6 single in the US for the year 2023... the chances of anything like that happening under the old system is dramatically less as well.
  11. He seems to be a pretty high strung dude. I doubt if their relationship will survive the offseason.
  12. Just watched this video. Quick thoughts: I think it's his version of what happened in his ball park - which appears to be Seattle's grunge scene. The bands he mentions are from that scene with the exception of Nickelback - which is just a stone's throw away in Vancouver. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Smash Mouth, Rage Against The Machine, Blink 182, The Killers, etc... they all were hot post Telecommunications Act bands and don't sound anything alike to these ears. And a quick check showed they all had different producers. Each generation wants its own music, and different than the music of their parents. That's my opinion of what happened to rock - not that it all sounded the same courtesy of big brother.
  13. Can you read the display from your playing position? I don't care about it being red (something they're going totally apoplectic about in the other forum) but I do care about it being legible without having to scoot over. Congrats! And keep us informed about any reliability issues that come up please.
  14. I have to have something in front of me in order to hit the keys - even if it's just playing for a family get together. I never thought I'd feel this way when I was younger. I'd play just to play for hours back then. Anyway that's my motivation currently. I know I'll be called on to play something for my youngest son's family when I visit this spring. I'll be very interested in what others who aren't currently gigging or working on projects have to say.
  15. I know you said you're working an Elks lodge, but if you want to do at least something from the last 25 years I'd suggest working up Rascal Flatt's Bless The Broken Road. They probably know it, it has a prominent piano part, and everyone of all ages dances when I've played it. It's something you'll keep beyond your gig next Wednesday.
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