Don't Miss Neileeo

My good friend and musical coconspirator, Neil Laurence, will be busking (playing for tips on the street) from July 29 - 31, 2011 at the Belle Chere Festival here in Asheville, NC.  Neil, who recently goes by the name Neileeo, is a singer-songwriter who's thoughtful lyrics and happy melodies entertain audiences of all ages with his personal message of peace and spirituality.  As a former beach comber on both coasts, Neil's compositions profess an idylic "life on the beach" which most people can smilingly identify with.  Sporting a signature straw hat and his toe-tapping menu of diverse musical styles (like blues, rock, surf, country, folk, and fantasy), his broad experience as a live entertainer gives him a empathetic connection with any audience that can only be described as a mutual love fest.

As a seasoned one-man band, the multitalented Neileeo really rocks the street with his ukulele, harmonica and clear, articulate voice.  The man can whistle up a storm, too.

If you happen to pass by Neileeo on an Asheville street during Belle Chere, or any other time for that matter, give him a listen.  Pay particular attention to his original lyrics.  He'll make you smile and fill your head with good, happy thoughts.  Being a personal friend, I know that spreading joy through music is his only goal and a conscious mission.

As part of his audience, you might also want to drop a bit of cash into his tip bucket to return the favor.

Kon Tiki Retro Bop

As we lumbered down the stairway to the level ground below the Wedge Brewing Company in the River Arts District of Asheville, I began to hear a familiar lilting tune, and one that brought back many happy memories from my idylic youth:  Quiet Village by Martin Denny.  My wife, Anita, myself and our friend, songsmith Neil Laurence were about to sample the mellifluous delights from the group called Kon Tiki, a local quartet  made up of Lin Llewellyn, songbird on uke, Lora Pendleton on string bass, singing, monkey and birdcalls, Russ Wilson handling percussion, tenor guitar and singing, and, the Man of a Thousand Songs, Hank Bones on guitar, steel guitar, cornet, marimba, and crooning.

The weather in Asheville has been unusually hot and humid for this time of year but Kon Tiki's happy melodies washed over the sweating but appreciative audience like a cool, offshore breeze. Seemingly unaffected by all the heat, the smiling members of Kon Tiki meted out lighthearted tune after sunny song that would make anyone "forget your troubles, c'mom get happy".

Fun.  That's the best way to describe the experience of their toe-tapping play list of old favs and original lighthearted material.  One Meatball, Sweet Leilani, On a Coconut Island, South Sea Island Magic, and Rum and Coke are just a few of the classic tunes in Kon Tiki's exotic bag of musical tricks.  Just like their myspace page says, it's like an evening on the Beach at Waikiki.

With influences like Martin Denny, Harry Owens, Ray Kinny, Johnny Pineapple, Sal Hoopli, King Benny Nawahi, the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Hoagy Carmichael, what's not to like?

I've heard that Kon Tiki performs live at Wedge Brewing Company every Wednesday evening and, with no cover charge, just great homegrown Asheville beer, the very live entrainment provided is certainly a musical bargain.

But, you might want to feed Tiki head on the floor in front of the band with some well-deserved cash offerings from time to time to show your appreciation AND keep the Tiki head's curse off of you.

Go, and see Kon Tiki for yourself, if you know what's good for you, that is.

Replacing the Weakest Link

The Next Piece of the Puzzle

First, let me say that I have already owned my fair share of professional microphones over the years, mostly for use as location mics in my film business.  Shotguns, wireless lavalieres, condensers and dynamic, from makers like Sony, Shure, Sennheiser, ElectroVoice and even a cheapie Logitec desktop model with a pretty green light on it that cost all of $18.  And, ever since I have used GarageBand on my assorted Macs I have tried to get by with using these sturdy "sound acquisition tools" to record music in less-than-perfect studio conditions that I was able to "kluge" together in the various offices, kitchens, and rec rooms in homes where my wife and I have cohabited with blankets on the floor and hung around the room waiting to roll audio between trucks and ATVs storming up and down our neighborhood's roads, with lawnmowers, dogs barking, etc.

Well, enough already.

I finally went into Musician's Workshop music store here in Asheville a few days ago and bought a real studio mic made for recording the human voice AND musical instruments: a Samson C01U USB Studio Condenser Microphone.  It was only about $150 with the optional SP01 Spider Shock Mount.  It sounds great with a flat frequency response of 50 Hz - 20KHz, a cardioid pickup pattern, and includes a desktop mic stand, mic clip, USB cable and carry pouch.  Unbelievably it appears to be made mostly out of metal.  You remember metal don't you?  That really hard, sturdy stuff most quality functional things used to be made of.  

Conveniently, when using a Mac with GarageBand, the C01U is truly plug-n-play.  If you still are in the Neanderthal world of computer audio recording using a PC, you will have to load some extra drivers and other software stuff from the Samson Cakewalk Sonar LE disc included in the box.

Note:  Just a bit of sage advise from Uncle Billy here.  If you are into any kind of media production, or anything else for that matter, get smart and get a Mac.  If you already have one, you know what I mean.  If you don't, go ahead and continue living in the dark DOS past.  Us Mac users will wave bye-bye as we continue to fly away from you into the bright Mac-Future.

My friend, singer-songwriter Neil Laurence and I used the C01U mic today with GarageBand to record a demo for Neil and it performed just as advertised producing a great vocal from Neil here in the privacy of my basement studio.  (I looked for BasementBand audio recording software but it doesn't exist as yet).

Of course, now I have no excuse and must keep working on writing, performing, recording and producing music for fun and, maybe someday, even profit.

Oh, one more thing of passing interest.  I have examined the mic from stem to stern but I don't see an engraving or decal that states that it is made in China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Japan or Germany.  Could it be manufactured in the Good Old US of A?  The included instruction manual has the Samson Technologies Corp address in Syosset, New York.  Is this possible?

Practicing Practice

Live From Neil's Man Cave Studio

So this is how it goes.  

Neil Laurence and I are rehearsing a few times a week for four or five hours at a stretch in his home recording studio getting ready to begin performing together in front of people here in Asheville - two seasoned men on their ukes.  The whole process makes me very aware once again of the value and absolute necessity of the discipline of practice.

Practice makes perfect.  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice.

Practice, practice, practice.

There is no substitute for practice.  Neil told me about country guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins.  Why do we know his name?  He practiced guitar 4 hours a day.

I've only been playing my new Kala U Bass for a month, but already there is a small shiny smudge forming on the spruce face of the uke above the strings from constantly resting my right hand there to pluck the strings, physical evidence of my dedication to practice. 

I can easily trace my acquiring the skill of practice because it came at at substantial investment in time - studying Martial Arts for 15 years.  It was worth every minute and it not only was great physical exercise, the practice of Tae Kwon Do either alone, with my daughters, or in class as a student and teacher benefited my brain in positive ways that I hadn't anticipated.  I highly recommend the practice of martial arts, any martial art, to anyone, at any age, at any time.  It will change your life and your brain in wonderful, unexpected ways.

But, so will the study of music.  I am proof of that.

Devolving

Elvis Costello? Kid Rock? Popeye Doyle? No, Billy Radd.

Well, I got this new hat so now I have to wear it, right?  Will it make my playing sound any better? You betcha! 

I need all the help I can get.

My buddy and co-conspirator, Neil Laurence and I are practicing half days two or three times a week to get ready for our premier together in front of an audience in Asheville NC, and I think I need "an attitude".  Maybe people will think that the chapeau is sooooo cool that they won't notice any minor slip ups on my part of the deal, playing bass accompaniment to Neil's singing his songs, strumming his uke, blowing the harp, and whistling.

If I could get away with it, I'd simply record my part and play a CD of it behind Neil as he performs solo.  But, no!  He expects me to stand next to him, to just hang it out there, so to speak, and play.  This takes a measure of bravery and devil-may-care panache that I am not used to displaying in public.  Sure I've exhibited lots of my paintings at art auctions, written, produced and shot hundreds of TV commercials, and other genre of visual media.  The latter endeavors typically involved much planning, feedback from other professionals, and a kind of distance that insulated my ego from the reactions of the end user.  

Not so with performing live music in front of an audience.  For one thing, people will be looking at me personally, not just my work.  Thus, the hat becomes an embellishment and a prop, a distraction and perhaps a point of interest to any specific listener.

So, it has finally come to this.  Where I used to consider myself to be an author of a work, now I am part of the work, part of the "show".

Eeeeeeek!  I'm "devolving".

But, then again maybe it's like my old mentor at film school, Tim Baar used to say.  "Sometimes you have to go back to go forward".  I had assumed that he meant that you merely backed up for a while.  I didn't realize that I would actually have to turn around and face my future full on. Another Life Lesson learned by Billy - The Future is ALWAYS in front of you.

I'll let you know how it works out in about a month.  Say, maybe I can wear the hat over my face.

Uh, probably not.

Steppin' Up

Singer/Songwriter Neil Laurence

Jeff Skolnik, the owner-operator of Dryden Street Studios in Fairview, North Carolina, is a cut above the rest.  The former US Navy Engineer lifer welcomed us at the door to his beautiful studio by saying, "I thought I heard a car pull up."  

There are probably two good reasons for this statement.  First, after many years as an audio engineer, Jeff's hearing is no doubt superb.  He demonstrated his aural acuity to us many times in the 6 hours he worked with us as Neil Laurence and I began to lay down tracks for one of Neil's many compositions called "Life is Sweet".

Second, Jeff's studio, a handcrafted audio paradise that more resembles a comfortable contemporary home than hi-tech sound recording studio, is nestled on a hill in the woods in a beautiful, very quiet neighborhood in western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.

Jeff's recording talents were only exceeded by his warm hospitality and positive humor.  As a working bass player himself, Jeff was impressed by the low "woody " tones emitted by Mela Kani, my diminutive Kala U bass, while Neil and I were blown away by Jeff's impressive collection of one-of-a-kind bass guitars which he shared with us like a proud papa.

The three of us spent hours laying down multiple tracks of bass, ukulele, and double-tracking Neil's vocals, including whistling, and harmonica.

What a great experience it was for Neil and myself to find this gem of a collaborator, Jeff the Recording Master.

As Neil and I were driving back to Asheville after our session, I asked Neil, "Where did you get hooked up with Jeff?"

"The same place that I found you - Jeff responded to my Craig's List ad," Neil said.

Well, that's pretty random, I thought.  

But, hey, sometimes things line up in the Cosmos just right.  And, like my Dad used to say, "Don't fight it".