So, welcome to Easter week 2009. This has frequently struck me as a busy time of the year, as I've usually been involved in church programs related to Easter. It wouldn't be unusual to spend the entire work in rehearsals/setup, and then spend the whole weekend working at performances. There wasn't any time for "family gatherings" or fancy dinners, as all the family was already tied to the church programs. I don't say this at all out of complaint, but more out of a perspective that I don't really connect with people who see the weekend as something akin to Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's just not that sort of holiday for me - it's more "personal".
I have mentioned in the past that I purchased the Digidesign virtual drummer software known as "Strike". It has plenty of capability, but I had also read many reviews comparing it to a product known as "EZ Drummer". Well, this week Guitar Center has the "EZ Drummer" software on sale for $99, and I had a 10% off coupon. So, I've picked up a copy, and plan on installing it tonight. There are plenty of tips on how the program interacts with various programs, and the manufacturer website (I forget their name) has numerous video tutorials. I'll let you know what I think, once I have a chance to try it out.
I've been rehearsing with both J3 (www.j3girls.com) and the cover band (now know as "Desperate Measures"). J3 has an opening slot for Heidi Newfield at Grand Rapids "The Intersection" on Saturday April 18. There are some ongoing issues with performance time, but we are assured we will get to play. Also, J3 has managed to talk guitarist Jim Cash into joining us when possible. Jim is a good friend and knows how to work within the J3 style, so this has been fun for me. Jim will be joining us for April 28. Desperate Measures has April 24-25 booked at a bar in Allegan, so this should be an interesting "maiden voyage" for this group. We have worked out quite a few various tunes over the past couple months, so we've got enough material. I graduated high school in Allegan, so I'm a bit conflicted about whether I want to run into any past friends or not (this is unlikely anyway, since many have moved away).
Movies I've watched this past week:
Revisited "A Nightmare On Elm Street" parts 1 and 2 - Part 1 still holds up pretty good. Part 2 has one of the better opening scenes (the bus in the canyon looks spooky), but the overall movie is a bit weak for me.
Revisited "Hellraiser" - Still holds up well, with the exception of the monster that crawls along the hallway walls. I'm sure this looked promising on set, but on film it looks cheap. Other than that, much of the film looks good, and is one of my favorites.
"Zombie Strippers" - I picked this up at the rental store, mostly because Robert Englund was in it. Some reviews said it was campy enough to be amusing. Overall, it was pretty much exactly what you expect from the title, but there were some amusing nods to other genre films. The ending "summary" of how the virus got out was very funny, and certainly didn't take itself seriously. I'd rate the film a C+/B-.
Music:
Picked up the new Queensryche CD "American Soldier". I've only gotten through it a couple times, and it should please most Queensryche fans. It's not amazing, but it's working a bit better for me than "Q2K" or "Tribe".
Bought "The Trumpet Child" CD from Over The Rhine. Picked this up at their concert, and the CD is nice pop stuff with a jazz slant. The first few songs are similar to some slow New Orleans jazz, before they move on to more traditional pop tunes. Good stuff.
I'm trying to find a copy of the new Les Claypool solo CD, as well as the most recent Saxon release.
Concerts:
I was around town Saturday with my friend Steve Reid, and we were catching a few free "Festival of Faith and Music" shows before the main event Saturday night (main event wasn't free). Around 4:30pm, we watched Katie Chastain at Schuler Books. Katie was reported as being from Boston. She had a supporting guitarist, but I can't remember his name. She has potential, but this specific performance seemed a bit weak vocally, and she came across as quite timid. The 1 and 2 acoustic guitar arrangements seemed lacking, so I'd be curious what the CD arrangements sound like. Next up was a 6pm performance by Aaron Roche, at "The Fish House" at Calvin College. Aaron said he now lives in California, but only recently moved there from Nashville. Aaron seemed a bit more confident than Katie, but he didn't have much stage presence. His voice was decent, and he is a good guitar player, but it just seemed to come across as dull. The final show of the night, was the main event at the Fine Arts Center at 8pm. Opening the show was Aaron Strumpel, an independent guy who won a band competition related to the weekend festival. Strumpel brought a few supporting musicians. The music had a bit of a celtic flavor, but overall seemed chaotic. He performed about 4 songs, and I never really took a liking to his music. I guess I expected more. Next up was Julie Lee. Julie had supporting musicians, including Aaron Roche (see earlier solo performance notes) and a guitar player from Jars Of Clay (who stayed solely on slide guitar). Julie played her entire new CD, and she did keep my interest for most of the set. But, I think she played a tad longer than she should have. About 1/2 way into her set, I was ready to buy the CD. By the end, I decided not to. Finally, we had Over The Rhine. I had never seem them before, but was familiar with the name. The band is a husband wife duo, supported by 3 additional musicians. The music was mostly mid-tempo pop tunes, with a bit of jazzy flavor thrown in. The vocals were fantastic, and the entire set was well prepared and tight. One of their encore numbers was a piano and vocal version of "Love Hurts", and this was very strong (despite the minimal arrangement). I ended up a fan, and picked up a CD (see noted review above). I'd recommend Over The Rhine, if you like some quiet pop/jazz that is a bit off the beaten path.
That's enough for now. I'll update again in the next few days.
Later,
Tim
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