So, this past weekend, I finally got a chance to work on customizing my New York Pro, I thought I’d get a bunch of it done all at one time. Well, I hit a roadblock or two as I was taking it all apart. (Of course.)
Once I got my work bench set up on the basement, taking everything apart was quite easy. I just took out all the hardware, and when I went to line up the new pickguard, it didn’t fit. It’s really close, but it doesn’t fit. I’m going to have to file or cut or sand or Dremel or some combination of all of the above.
It’s not the same…
The holes in the pickguard aren’t going to lineup with the screws, either. I’m going to have to maybe 2-sided tape it in place to mark all the holes once I get it cut right. I have no experience taking apart guitars, but it’s odd that the neck doesn’t fit “perfectly” into the body. There’s a weird gap there. It’s also easy to tell (now) that the old pickguard has been cut. There are some other spots where it doesn’t quite line up. I hope I don’t have to route anything out where the pickups go. I got them all from the same place, so I hope not.
Also, I thought I was taking the neck plate off… but it wasn’t having it:
That’s supposed to come off when you take the screws out…
Help?
It’s stuck. I feel like it’s glued on or was put on before the stain dried? I bought all black hardware, including a neck plate. Should I try to get this one off, or just let it go? I even tried to pop it off using a screwdriver through the 5th larger hole… all to no avail.
Any advice on that one?
If you’re interested in checking out my progress, take a look at the Photobucket album that’s my attempt to chronicle the whole thing. (Or, sit through this slideshow…)
So Ultimate Classic Rock came up with a Zombie Apocalypse 2012 Playlist(in “honor” of the face-eater in Florida). Great idea. OK list. Granted, the name of the site is Ultimate Classic Rock, but let’s add some more zombie songs.
I’m sure you know I’m one of the Berts in Ernie and the Berts. I’m sure you know we play shows. I’m sure you’d have fun at one (or two or three or four). Come rock out with us some time…
✟ The Real McKenzies ✟ The Goddamn Gallows ✟ The Bloody Seamen ✟ Ernie and the Berts ✟
As you can see we have a bunch of stuff coming up. We generally try to be all kinds of fun. We’re playing with some exciting bands & artists. We’re playing some new venues & some old favorites. We’re playing with bands we love & bands we’ve never met. Each show is an adventure. Join us!
So, I’ve been to many types of shows at many types of venues. From stadiums to bars and from backyards to amphitheaters. I’ve seen rock shows, rap shows, country shows, and even Weird Al. Most of the shows I’ve attended fall in the punk or metal categories. The crowds can get rowdy. It’s expected, perhaps even demanded. I’ve pogoed in a circle when commanded to by Joey Ramone, sat nearly motionless in a sea of silver hair at a Willie Nelson show, and lost my shoe once in a pit at a Misfits show (only monetarily, and it was the first & last pair of Airwalks I’ve ever owned). I’ve been rubbed up against the sweaty shirtless guy, been flogged by the windmill hardcore kid, and burned buy the a-hole with a lit cigarette in the pit. I chalk it all up to part of the experience. Hell, I even had my nose broken in a stage diving incident. I’m no stranger to the pit.
The people are revolting, pushing the sweaty shirtless smelly guy out of the group.
I’m not saying that it doesn’t have it’s place. I’m just tired of the people who don’t “get” it. It always devolves into 2 or 3 probably drunken buttholes flailing around like fish out of water trying to start some kind of fight or prove their manliness. Generally people have good manners. Most people in the pit are just out to have fun bouncing around to the music, until it gets ruined by the few flailers.
It’s a weird topic to discuss. Saying the word “mosh” makes it an instantly corny conversation. I hate to say the word out loud because I’m old and it’s a young man’s (or brave young woman’s) game. It’s just getting out of control. I don’t want to see it stop, I just want to see it not be ruined by the few, the proud, the imbeciles. This was all sparked by our recent adventures at the Flogging Molly show. (Which musically, is a rather tame band… but crowd-excitement is off of the charts with them.)
We all know the “unwritten rules”, right? The only one that I’ve ever seen obeyed consistently is: If someone falls down, pick them up. This proves to me that we’re mostly all just out to have a good time & not hurt anyone. As for the rest, I guess I’m going to have to write them for you.
The biggest one and my spark for writing this blog?
Fig. A
Obey the Zone. This is the biggest rule that you need to adhere to. You can see in figure A that there is a clearly defined acceptable zone for pogoing / slam-dancing / moshing activity. It’s in yellow and black… for caution. It can get a little bigger or even smaller depending on the ferocity of the act on stage. The blue area is the crowd in general. Generally, there’s a row or two of people up front really into the band or show and unwilling to move no matter how many goofballs are bouncing off of their backs. This spills out & around to people that are just trying to watch the band. Is this that difficult? Am I wrong here?
Please see my additional figures B & C to help drive my point home…
Fig. B
Fig. C
In figure B we see the big red ⃠ symbol recognized as “No”. This is where you’re not supposed to flail, push, agitate, or try to cajole others into moshing. The other night when we were safely in this zone, a chubby young ginger-headed frat boy was doing exactly that, and looking at all of us like we were crazy for not wanting to hardcore dance with him 1-on-1 when it was happening with willing participants mere feet away. Was this kid afraid of the real pit? I say put on your big boy pants & get in there, Skippy. Or better yet, move into the Idoit Zone as illustrated by figure C.
This unwritten rule is written for you.
The idiot zone is formed when the people who do know how to act at a show force out the people who don’t. This is where the “too metal for you”, “hardcore windmillers”, and “guy with Greek letters on his hoodie & daddy issues” go to play. They’re convinced that no one can have a good time unless you go home with bruises. They feel that they are integral to your having the correct concert experience by placing an elbow repeatedly in your ribs or fist in your eye. They’re irate when you don’t want to participate. They go to the idiot zone to act like a wind-up toy and get out their frustration. They just paid $30-60 for a ticket, $9+ per beer, and $10-$20 for parking to ignore the band on stage.
Weenies.
You have to understand that the whole floor has the potential turn into that zone, and accept your risk of taking a wild hit or someone landing on you if you’re going to get down there anywhere close to the action. You most likely dropped some serious cash to see this show, and you’re there to see and hopefully enjoy the band… not to get distracted or assaulted by some self-appointed chairman of the mosh commission.
Well, that’s the big rule. What’s your take on concert etiquette? I’ll list some others, you give me more in the comments.
No lit cigarettes (or other burning substances) in the pit. Most venues in Pittsburgh don’t allow you to smoke in the first place. Besides billowing toxic crap into my air, burning someone while thrashing around like a toolbag is not cool. If you need to get high, go do it in a dark corner.
Don’t scream off-key into your neighbor’s ear. I paid lots of money for the people on stage to scream into my ear, not you. Shut up unless it’s a sing-along rock anthem.
If you’re on the edge of the circle, keep it from spilling over. Push the lugheads back into the fold. Protect the people around you who don’t want in it, and watch out for that kid that’s way too young to be there. Might be good to not trample him to death before he can drive.
You are not a windmill. No one thinks this is cool. No one likes getting punched in the head. No one is more entertained by you dancing like Frankenstein than by the band on stage.
We’re there to see the band, not you. You are not that guy on the runway, a traffic cop, or a cheer-leading coach. Stop gesturing wildly at people trying to get them to go in a circle, spin you around, run into you, or do the safety dance.
Now it’s your turn. While you think/type, please enjoy the following…
Vodpod videos no longer available.
This is not a dance.
(Also, feel free to post other songs about moshing, slam-dancing, circle pits, pogoing, or any related ridiculousness.)
Also… to the people who drink in the parking lot through the opening acts, then come in during the headliner barely knowing where you are or that you’re alive. Just stay home & get drunk. It’s cheaper and safer, and you don’t have the potential to puke on my shoes.
This is my new Tetris. (Thankfully I’ve never had a phone cool enough to play Angry Birds.) Online guitar builders are popping up like mad, and now there’s a contest for making the ugliest one over at Joe Gore’s Tone Fiend blog:
Go try your luck at making the worst! There is some serious competition over there. Sadly, I like some of the “bad” color schemes. I guess I do like goofy guitars after all. (You may remember the mutant beauty pageant.)
I still haven’t seen a virtual guitar builder that can do this though. I did a Google image search for ‘Tetris Guitar’ and came up short. This was the next best thing. It would be cool if it still worked to play video games. Really though, $190 is a very reasonable price. If I had $200 to spare, I’d get one of these.
Had a great time last night at Stage AE for the Flogging Molly show! It was a nice evening out, much closer to home than the last Flogging Molly show that we had to drive to Cleveland for, and we didn’t wait too long to buy tickets this time. (Last time, we waited too long & it sold out!) After arriving home from work, Bethany & I headed to Dormont Dogs for a nice quick meal. (I had the Connecticut Ave. dog minus the onions, it was fantastic!) We then battled and easily defeated the tunnel monster on the way to the north shore.
We got there early, because I’m generally OCD about getting to shows early. We lined up outside behind the mob of green & black T-shirts peppered with the occasional tartan patterned kilt or someone who didn’t get the memo about wearing green to a Celtic punk rock show. There were more people than I had expected. It was windy, but not unbearable. We were entertained by the 3 or 4 scalpers passing by asking for extra tickets. One guy had his leg in some sort of brace or cast, and one guy was on a bike. They mustn’t have scored any, because I didn’t see anyone selling them.
This was sadly the first time I’ve seen a show with the big room opened up. I need to get to more shows down there. (The 1st time I was there was to see Dethlehem and they were on the smaller bar stage.) It’s a fantastic venue. You have a nice view all around. The only thing I’d change is having the floor slightly sloped… but then again I’m just short. After getting a superficial pat-down at the door, we stopped & said hi to Jeff who was working & not setting any fires. Then we made our way to the bar where I got a Killian’s Irish Red because I can’t really take too much Guinness. The wife opted for water. At a Flogging Molly show? Water? She must be the more responsible half.
We joined the pack of Yinzers crowding the merch table as we tried to get a look and get up front. It was easy to see that the dude wasn’t taking orders from any other dudes… so my wife ordered our shirts and a patch once we squeezed our way to the front. As I was getting a dollar out of my wallet to pop into the tip bucket, it fell into my beer. So, dude got a soggy dollar & a dry dollar. Sorry. Not that sorry though. You can still spend it. I picked up a Devil Makes Three CD too. I saw them online & liked what I heard. I asked the merch guy which one he suggested. He showed me the 1st album & the live one. He seemed to indicate that the live one was a nice cross-section, so I went with that.
To the floor! It was still relatively easy to make our way to the center & almost front of the floor. Things were starting to pack in as we got there, it was pretty good timing & placement. We thought. Bethany thought she smelled a skunk, and we were too far away from the obligatory dreadlock kid for it to be Patchouli & BO, so it was most likely the extremely pungent weed that we were smelling burning much later. (I bet area Taco Bell locations had a surge of customers after the show.) Our friend Laurel made a last-minute decision to come to the show, so she joined us right as the lights went down…
Brothers of Brazil | Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA) 05/10/2012
The Brothers of Brazilwere up first. Imagine a young Fred Schneider(or Michale Ian Black) on guitar and Billy Idol(or maybe even Johnny Rotten) on drums. These dudes were quite interesting. The guitar-work was amazing, & the drummer was quite the showman & very entertaining. They had this weird samba punk rock vibe… it was odd. I’d see them again. I dunno if I’d buy an album. It was fantastic that they opened & closed with a theme song. I believe these dudes will do well for themselves. I don’t think Bethany & Laurel were as amused as I was.
The Devil Makes Three | Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA) 05/10/2012
Up next was The Devil Makes Three. The crowd stated getting a little more packed in, and a drunken kid beside me ruined the first 2 songs by slurredly “singing” loudly & off-key directly into my ear, until he decided that the crowd wasn’t as into it as he was, and muttered something about us being lame & pushing forward. These dudes rocked quietly, but they play really well. They have great melodies & harmonies… even though they were minus their regular bass player. I have no idea what to call it. Is it folk? Alt country? Blues? Punk? It’s close-to-but-not bluegrass or rockabilly. All I know is that I like it. I’m gonna say if you like punk rock, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, or old folk or blues stuff… you ought to check these cats out. They win the award for coolest guitars too. Cooper McBean played a mean-looking old archtop with what I think was a P-90 mounted in it. it looked like it had been left out in a sandstorm after someone dumped some paint-thinner on it. I wanted it. He mainly rocked the banjo & a tenor banjo. The lyrics are great. Check out this comic set to the lyrics of the song “The Bullet”. I will see this band next time they’re in town! Bethany really dug them too, being a country fan and all. I think Laurel was trying to figure them out.
Well, we enjoyed the part of the set that wasn’t ruined by belligerent drunken meat-heads. Starting at about the same time as The Devil Makes Three, the crowd directly behind us was swaying & getting rowdy. Oh well, it’s a concert. We’re in the middle of the floor. That’s what happens. Until these testoster-tools behind us start arguing about something. I heard something about touching or talking to a sister. I’m not sure. Maybe they were bumping into each other, maybe someone was trying to bump uglies. I was trying to pay attention to the blisteringly talented band on stage. There was arguing, shoving, and a guy getting in the middle. Somebody’s “bro” got in the middle and then calmed things down. Security was eying them and pointing flashlights from the ramps on the side, but apparently not responding. Then everything was “cool” and it remained calm, for a song or two anyway. All of a sudden I hear “oh my god!” and my wife is on the floor on her ass. I pulled her up and swung around and yelled something to the effect of “Who the [expletive] knocked my wife on to the [expletive] floor?” Two dudes larger than me in height and girth (one in a kilt as well as a drunken stupor) looked at me with an expression that can only be descried as “oh shit”. I turned around to ask Bethany if she was OK. She nodded. I swung back around to the now large gap in the crowd surrounding the two sweaty ass-clowns and demanded that they apologize to Bethany. They did, looking like a dog that just took a dump on the living room floor, as security arrived to further scold them and ask me if Bethany was OK. Next time how about responding before a bystander gets knocked over? I guess she saw one dingleberry trying to choke the other dingleberry as she got knocked down. I would expect this kind of crap at a metal show, but for folk punk? Way to uphold drunken Irish fighting stereotypes, McPotatoheads. I don’t know if I would have punched those guys, or what… but apparently my tone of voice or the look on my face told them not to mess with me. I thought security was going to drag me into it too as he was asking if Bethany was OK. Later Laurel laughed as she said she thought I was going to swing & she’d end up jumping on the fat guy & throwing punches too. Maybe we’re all a little too violent?
Finally, it was time for Flogging Molly! Despite all of the drunken violence, the smell of burning leaves in the non-smoking venue, the guy in front of me repeatedly backing himself into my junk, getting sweat on me from the shirtless guy, and paying $12 for parking, we were having one hell of a great time!
If you’ve never seen Flogging Molly in action, I’m not sure how to describe it. Seven people come on to the stage and sound like 70. The crowd really started moving so I pushed Bethany & myself forward & off to the side as we lost Laurel with the first wave. She found us not too long after that. Dave King & company ripped through a bunch of hits & some stuff that they don’t regularly do live. I remember it being a long set & how I liked every selection. I could have watched them go for many more songs, even after the encore. I can’t pick a favorite track, I like so many of them. I really enjoyed “What’s Left of the Flag”, “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”, “Float”, & “The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)”, & of course “7 Deadly Sins”. The inter-song banter keeps things light with songs that can have such heavy lyrical matter all the while to a happy beat. You get the feeling that they’re all playing right from the heart. You have this killer group of musicians that can probably between them master any instrument you might have lying around. Dennis Casey has his hands full trying to compete with & leave room for all of the other instruments. I was glad he got a spot for a guitar solo of sorts, in with the Guinness chug. Every time I see a Celtic punk band, I get the urge to buy a Telecaster. At any rate, Flogging Molly did not disappoint. We’ll see them next time they’re in the ‘Burgh, Cleveland, or anywhere else nearby. I know Bethany loved it, I think Laurel did too. After the show, we ran into my cousin Patience. Taste in awesome Irish music must run in the family.
I used to think I wasn’t picky when it came to my guitar sound or tone. I thought I wanted a Les Paul through any old amp as long as it was cranked as loud as possible. I liked a switch to turn the dirt off or on. Maybe I thought it was cool or “punk rock” to not care about my sound.
Lately, I care about my tone. It doesn’t have to sound exactly the same all the time… but I have learned to roll the dials in the directions that make me happy.
Dunlop Cry Baby. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I actually just sold a Jim Dunlop Cry-Baby on ebay because I didn’t like how it messed with the signal even when it was off. I may pick up some kind of wah that has a true bypass… but even at that I doubt I’ll use it much.
Any more, I don’t even use a foot-switch for going clean. I play dirty all the time. If I need to clean it up, I roll back one of those volume knobs, or use a switch on the guitar. I generally always play bridge pickup & that’s it.
I like tube amps. I have a Crate Power Block that sounds pretty good live, but like razorblades were taken to the speaker cones when recorded or miked in any way. I wince when I hear bands playing through solid state amps… especially when there are 2 guitars through the same kind of amp.
So, I generally go through this tiny Egnater Tweaker from my friend Dave that sounds huge, or Erin’s Blues Junior which gets incredibly dirty at reasonable volumes.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is to just listen. If I like the sound, others will too. What I think I want might not be exactly what I want. I’ve learned to trust my ears.
I like movies, and I like rock ‘n’ roll. You probably already knew (or assumed) that. These are some of my favorite music-related films. What are yours?
Airheads – Such a great goofy film. I feel that this one is underrated… maybe it has a “cult” sort of following. The plot is ridiculous and it’s filled with all kinds of great actors. It’s got some of the best quotes ever, and is why I will someday demand a football helmet filled with cottage cheese and naked pictures of Bea Arthur if ever given the chance to make crazy demands. I could probably watch this movie over & over as much as I could watch the Star Wars films over & over.
This is Spinal Tap – This is a no-brainer. It goes to 11. It’s the standard to which all other rock ‘n’ roll films are measured. It has sustain. Just let the DVD or Blu-ray or VHS tape or Laser Disc sit on the shelf and listen to it.
Josie and the Pussycats– Laugh all you want, but this movie is super fun. If you can’t enjoy this one, you have no soul. I had no attachment to the cartoon in case there are purists out there that didn’t like it because fans of original things rarely like those things rehashed. Orange is the new pink. “3 Small Words” is a great pop song.
Empire Records – It’s not really about band or musicians… but the chaos all over the store is all about rock ‘n’ roll, and it’s filled with great tracks from GWAR, AC/DC, Sponge, not quite Body Count’s “Hey Joe“, Coyote Shivers, and Rex Manning. Ha ha.
Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch – If you haven’t seen this & you’re even a casual fan of metal, punk, rock docs in general, or even just heard “Ace of Spades” once, you need to see this. That was a really long grammatically terrible sentence. Lemmy would kick my ass for pointing that out. Maybe not. He seems like a really likeable dude to hang out with if you can get past the stink of cigarettes.
It Might Get Loud – Not a huge fan of any of these dudes… except Jimmy Page is… well, Jimmy Page.Led Zeppelin is amazing, I’m just not one of those dudes that has all the albums or knows all the riffs. U2 actually kind or irks me, but the Edge seems like a cool dude & an effect wiz. Jack White surprised me, but he’s kind of creepy. Beyond all that, I still enjoyed this movie. Guys talking about their love of music, the guitar, & playing… it’s incredible.
Walk the Line – Probably one of the best biopics ever, if not the best. Johnny Cash was a great man, and an asshole. It’s all out there. It’s a compelling story spanning many decades, and really a love story with Jone & Johnny. The man in black went through a lot in life.
Ray – Ray & Johnny Cash had eerie similar back stories. Jamie Foxx is a genius in this film. It’s one hell of a great story. Ray did it all, from R&B to pop to country.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – This is hilarious. Watch Walk the Line & Ray first though. Then laugh hard. (♫ Haaaaard! ♫)
Wayne’s World – You’re hearing Queen in your head right now, aren’t you? Well, either that or the theme song. Excellent!
Detroit Rock City – I’m not the biggest KISS fan, but this road-trip gone awry is all kinds of fun. I have had many less interesting adventures on the way to gigs… just attending or playing. And, KISS does have some catchy songs… and a great stage show.
Role Models – OK, not a rock movie… but the KISS theme throughout is just hilarious.
Crossroads – The Karate Kid does a guitar duel with Steve Vai. It’s sort of like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” as a movie from the 80s. Instead of Arnold from Happy Days, you have a Blues player, and instead of Karate you have the blues.
8 Mile – The concept is weird… a biopic that isn’t quite. It’s a great move though. The struggle to make it as a musician/rapper is very compelling, and Eminem’s a pretty damn good actor… playing himself… sort of.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil – This movie makes me want to laugh & cry. I feel the pain that these cats are going through. It makes you want to punch Metallica for Some Kind of Monster. After it all it’s all about friendship & the love of music. Who can’t get behind that?
Once – Not really a rock movie, but a cool story intertwined with music, performing, songwriting, and even a love/friendship thing.
The Pick of Destiny – You can maybe skip this one. Get the Complete Masterworks instead. It’s slightly funnier. These dudes are awesome rock ‘n’ rollers who capture the essence of the spirit of rock! And they battle demons…
Purple Rain – Musicians, watch this and learn how to own the stage from Morris Day. Oh yeah, Prince is pretty badass too. This is a weird 80s film, but it’s one you need to see.
Honeysuckle Rose – Willie Nelson is awesome. This movie is about a traveling band that looks a lot like Willie’s… with the lead singer who looks a lot like Willie Nelson robbing his ex guitar player’s cradle to the chagrin of his wife. This soundtrack is excellent if you’re a Willie Nelson fan… highlight being a cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You”.
This is Spinal Tap
Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch
Ray
Wayne’s World
Role Models
Crossroads
8 Mile
Once
The Pick of Destiny
Purple Rain
Honeysuckle Rose
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
World (and Lunar) Domination 