frogmonkey

So. Good. Precision, chops, soul, and adventurousness.

"So... is this is all breast-fed, right?" she slurred, gesturing broadly at the cables on the floor and the gear we were breaking down. Then she went on to tell us about her gay experience in the boyscouts.

Moe, that is a really cool innovation! I'd also love to hear a report on how it's working for you.

Yeah man it's like I always forget how good it's supposed to sound! Nice playing!

Oh man exercise is so important! It's tempting to think of gear-hauling as exercise, but if I don't regularly do things that are more strenuous than that, I will injure myself moving gear! I don't have an exercise regimen, but I try to stay active: Bike around town for transportation. Bike for fun. Hike. Swim in the lake and rivers. Last year, when recovering from injuries that were basically symptoms of poor ergonomics and lack of exercise, I discovered something that changed everything: Yoga. I'm not talking about the trendy "power yoga" or any of that crap. Just basic, slow, meditative stretching like Hatha Yoga. On tour, I do it in the hotel. Seriously, my rudimentary Yoga practice saved my ass. Breathe, and stretch.

What is that big, cubic, grey thing on top of the racks ???

That is a brilliant work of incredible beauty and inspiration. I cant even find words. Please tell your wife that a guy on the internet named "Frogmonkey" said so-- that ought to convince her. I followed your threads about this project with excitement, and it is very gratifying to see it finished! I would really love to see a video of it in action

Nasty! They were just in town for the jazz festival, but I missed them.

I love love LOVE my A100/Leslie 251! I don't gig with it, though. I like the idea of it, but it's too much work. I use a clonewheel for gigs (Electro3). I know a couple guys who play lots of gigs on an M100 and Leslie 145 or 147. I've helped them move it, and it's not so bad. You definitely need a van or something. In my opinion it's not worth it to haul a real tonewheel Hammond if you're not using a real Leslie. If you're going to use a Leslie simulation, you might as well use a clonewheel. However, it sounds like you're talking about a hobby band that won't play a ton of gigs. You're an electronic tech, so you should do fine tinkering with the thing and making the necessary modifications. If your bandmates are into helping you move the organ, it might be fun to use an M100. You asked about distortion. The classic way to get it would be to overdrive the (tube) Leslie. Clonewheels with Leslie sims have a convenient "overdrive" knob for that. A dedicated Leslie sim like the Ventilator also has such a knob. About Chops: The overwhelming opinion on this forum is that it's not worth it to chop, and I have followed that advice myself. However, there are plenty of touring/gigging Hammond chop players who would disagree. There are two distinct advantages to a chop: (1) it can be handled by two people and (2) it can fit in a smaller vehicle.

"The bar did really well tonight. Here's some extra for the band"

Everybody knows guitar players don't play the changes.

Sven already said it, but I bet the PC3's organ would sound great through the Ventilator.

Wow, good thing you weren't carrying a keyboard! I fell through some ice once, but luckily it was only 2 or three feet deep. It was wicked cold, though!

Hi Bob, looks like you're far from home now I grew up in Burlington, though I was born in the Northeast Kingdom. I know a lot of players around Montpelier. Of course, I was 5 years old in 1978, but I play with some of the older cats and some of them were my teachers. Do you know the band D'moja? They're in central VT-- I play with them sometimes-- it's a second generation band that the son leads now.

Hi! I didn't notice this thread until just now. This forum is incredibly informative and entertaining. It's so nice to be able to connect with fellow keyboardists- there aren't too many of us in Vermont. My name is Andric. I'm 36, and a full-time musician. By day I teach piano lessons in my studio. By night I play with a few different bands and freelance gigs. My main band, the Pulse Prophets, plays original reggae, funk, and RnB. I play in a 10-piece cover band called The Real Deal. I also have a Latin jazz Xtet that I compose and arrange for. Sadly the Xtet plays less than it used to because I'm tired of booking gigs and being a bandleader. I put in a few years in New York City, and I had a great time getting schooled on a daily basis. I played acoustic pianos exclusively-- that was nice. But the city doesn't really suit me, and I moved home to VT at the end of 2003, just as my good friend and song-writing hero was putting together his new band (the Pulse Prophets). Faced with a scarcity of pianos, I decided I needed to become a modern keyboard player with synths, and samplers, and computers and stuff. I've got way too much gear. Somehow my gig rig has grown to Electro3 + PEK + Fantom s + Microkorg. I'm trying and trying to reduce it, but its natural tendency is to grow. Because wouldn't it be awesome to have a Kaoss pad with all that? And wow those Voce drawbars would be sweet with the Nord, and... Anyway, it's nice to meetcha! Andric