My Office

Just before the show last night at Brooksby Village, I decided to take a picture of my setup and send it to my family. I called it my "office."

The idea came Wednesday afternoon just before the open dress rehearsal started. I had a quick conversation with one of the cast members.

"So, are you having fun?"

"Absolutely," I replied. "I could do this for a living."

"Nice work if you can get it," the cast member commented.

So it got me to thinking. This week I have been doing this for a living. I had a house party gig on Saturday morning, rehearsal on Monday, blues jam on Tuesday, open dress on Wednesday, and performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And not only am I working but I do in fact have an "office" setup for each one.

Here's what Saturday morning looked like:

The client had a family brunch gathering and had the fireplace going to add to the awesome vibe of the day. (We were facing the cooking area and were able to converse back and forth with the cook on what was being prepared and how it was progressing.)

You can see that I was tucked nice and neat in the corner with my 2 amps (acoustic and electric) behind me. And believe it or not, it wasn't hot where I was located.

The Tuesday blues jam at the Roma was a little different.

The bass amp was positioned along the drummers hi-hat side and when I got up to play, I stood where I could best listen and communicate with the other jammers. (Yes, the piano player is the same guy I did the brunch with. And to give him credit, he booked the gig and introduced me to the jam. Thanks Ken!) I didn't use any pedals of need a music stand.

Here's the last "office setting" of the week at the Brooksby Village show:

I'm tucked in to the piano player's right side along the curve of the baby grand piano. The drummer is to my left. (I play both guitar and bass in the show as evident by 2 guitars and 2 amps...) It's a little snug but I've actually got plenty of room.

So I guess even though I don't have an official "office" anymore, I still can say that I have a remote "office" anytime I play out.

And as the cast member said to me Wednesday afternoon, "Nice work if you can get it."

Nice work indeed.

Beatles Box Sets: Stereo or Mono?

Here's an interesting and long time question that's I've discussed with my friends for many years and is quite timely with the recent release of the Beatles remastered CD's.

If I had to choose between the stereo or mono box sets, which one would I choose?

When the Beatles mixed their albums, up until "The Beatles (White Album)", they only though in mono terms. That's because it was not only common in England, it was also the only method available during their tenure at EMI. EMI had the capabilities for 8 track recording but didn't feel that "Pop" music needed all those tracks or was as "sophisticated" as classical music. (This argument was also the main reason the Beatles started to build their own recording studio in the basement of their Saville Row offices in 1968.)

The mono versions have been long thought of as the "definitive" mixes because they were supervised by the Beatles and George Martin. When it cam time for the stereo mixes in the USA, Capital Records had their own producers and engineers remix for stereo. (Americans has better stereo equipment and multi-track recording capabilities as is evident with most of the recordings in that era. Listen to the Motown and Stax recordings and listen for the richness in the recordings--especially the bass...)

So my vote is with mono for 2 reasons.

The first is that's the way they were intended to be heard. The second is because of the limited edition nature of the box set and the fact that the mono recordings won't be available individually. With the stereo versions you can be more selective and choose your favorite record of ones that sound better in the stereo realm (i.e.; Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, and Abby Road)

If you've got an opinion, please let me know!

Opening Monologue

From Methuen, sometimes referred to as Lawrence with trees, it's time for "Tales of Brave Musicianship" with your host, David Comtois...

Yeah, right.

I'm just another voice in a cluttered field of more voices. But at least I've got a voice.

So who am I and why am I here? (If you can't already tell, I like to pull cliche phrases and redistribute them for my own use. Hey, if it was good once why can't it be good again? Thanks Admiral Stockdale!)

But seriously, I'm actually one of the many people in this country who've been affected by the economic downturn of late. I've been out of work since March and the prospects of employment have been quite thin.

I'm also a musician and have been one for over 30 years now. It defines me and it defines my family and I'm quite proud of that.

As a result of recent events, I've looked at this as an opportunity to reinvent myself. You have to because if you don't think positively, you'll go absolutely crazy. I've come to terms with the layoff. It's not my fault. I'm very proud of my accomplishments and successes, but unfortunately it still hurts the wallet. So as a result, I've been trying to get gigs, and also start up a small instrumental teaching business to make ends meet.

But do you know what's been my saving grace (besides my family)?

Volunteering.

My brother-in-law has been volunteering at the Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, MA. every Wednesday as a chef for over a year. (Cor Unum means "One Heart".) He's been preparing the meals by himself and the numbers are usually between 250 to 535 people for dinner from 4:30 to 6:30. I was laid off on Tuesday March 10 and on Wednesday March 11 I met him in the parking lot to help him out. (I knew from previous experience that sitting at home all day searching the web and newspaper for employment will drive a person crazy!)

I've been doing this every Wednesday since that time and I get the most satisfaction ever! The work is hard (the prep starts at around 12:30 and we've got to have everything ready to serve by 4:30) and sometimes a little frustrating if we can't find the right ingredients to make a certain meal the way we'd like to. But that's part of the challenge, we have to make do with what we've got and I gotta tell ya, sometimes the meals come out great! It's quite satisfying knowing that I've helped feed someone who may not have had a meal that night. No one should go hungry...ever!

So if you're out of work or think that you've got troubles, do some volunteering and help those who are less fortunate. I'll be good for you and it'll benefit those who need your help!

And if you're in the Lawrence, MA area and feel like cooking or serving breakfast or dinner, come and help out at Cor Unum!

Remember, the light at the end of the tunnel may be you!

Goodnight!