I Like

A Kala California UBass with a solid swamp ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and break through Mi-Si Align Pickup System flanked by a Fender Rumble 15 Bass practice amp, and Digiteck RP1000 stomp effects.

I like this little bass.  I mean really like it.  After selling my beautiful pearl white Fender P Bass to a worship music bassiet, and then my year-old acoustic Ubass to an ecstatic uke player for basically what I paid for it, I jumped on this little American-made beauty at a nice close-out price from Elderly Instruments.

I almost don't know where to begin.  Well, lets see . . .

1.  I have small hands with correspondingly proportional but short fingers.  The ubass size dimensions are much closer to a baritone ukulele than a typical Fender Bass.  Great for my particular Snausages, as a friend of mine's wife calls his own stubs.

2.  All Ubasses can be tuned to standard string bass tuning - E A D G.  The strings that came with it are Kala's proprietary polyurethane strings which were specially developed by Road Toad Music in Hawaii.

3. The Mi-Si Align System features an active battery-free preamp. The preamp uses Mi-Si custom piezo linearization scheme which allows for the most truthful and accurate sound from the pickup. Align also includes onboard volume, bass and treble controls. You only have to power up for 60 seconds using the Mi-Si Power Charger for up to 8 hours of performance time.

4.  The California Ubass, called that to denote its place of birth, arrived in beautiful condition from Elderly Instruments and really thumps through my little practice amp or vintage Ampeg fliptop, and especially is fun to route through my Degitech RP 1000 which adds some really wild or subtile effects to the Ubass lowside.

Everyone is surprised at this little wonder's booming bass voice, but they quickly learn to love and respect her power and depth.

If you ever run across one, I'd pick it up and try thumping it a bit.  Most people say it feels like rubber bands, but you quickly get used to that.  And, your fingers don't get sore even after playing for a few hours.

Whether you're a bass player or not, I think you'll appreciate its thoughtful design, even balance, beefy construction and detailed build quality.  It plain just feels good to the touch and has a classic character that reminds me of fine hand-crafted furniture.

I'd buy more than one but I can only play one at a time.

Veggie Luv

Veggie Luv

Once upon a time there were two that became one, one-in the same, one for all - all for one, simpatico, joined or otherwise indispensable.

For a long time, they worked together and apart to stay together and keep together.

Then, one day, they took a new path and found themselves someplace else.

Now, this someplace was not ordinary, usual, or hard-to-get-to and both stumbled into it at the same time.

But it did taste great!

So, now their world is colorful, new, alive, excitingly different and the best way to go.

http://www.anitagaylebilly.com/

Anita and I had the urge to make this music video since we've adopted a plant-based diet. Shot entirely in the veggie world that we created in our dining room (ironic, no?), we ate most of the set.

Old Technology, New Vibe

Records?  Yeah, I've heard of them.

When I met my wife, Anita, in Hollywood in the early 1970's we began our relationship with much in common, not the least of which was our mutual love of pop music and the preferred method of music distribution in those days, the 33 1/3rd LP record album.  We already had a fair amount of these fragile vinyl discs between us when we first met. I had brought about 100 of my favorites with me when I drove to California to attend film school while Anita had several jobs within the recording industry and actually had a very nice career at Capitol Records when I came into her life.  She had already collected probably twice as many as I had. 

We were in our middle 20's and like most of those of our Viet Nam "conflict" generation, we spent a fair amount of money on phonograph records and the means to fill our living spaces with music from the great pop sensations of the day like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, etc. (the list goes on and on).

The best thing about using the LP (Long Playing) records was the stereo/hi-fi sound that could be attained if the record was cranked up on a quality turntable, through a quality amplifier, and out of speakers with at least a woofer and tweeter.  So, logically, if you'd spent all of that hard-earned cash on the LPs, you would try to get the best quality reproduction gear you could afford to play them.

Enter the Empire Turntable.

After our marriage in Salt Lake City in 1973, and before we began having children, I might add, Anita and I, since we had moved most of our collection of LP's with us to Utah, decided to buy the foundation of any audio system in those days, a good turntable.  After asking advise from some of our friends who were "audiophiles", the very best we could find in Salt Lake City was an Empire Model 598 Troubadour III, which cost us $325 in 1975 (or $1,358 in today's dollars).  Expensive for young marrieds for sure. But, what a beautiful thing it was and the sound it reproduced from our well-protected collection of LPs was impressive.  As the owners manual stated proudly, "This instrument, in conjunction with other equally high calibre components, will allow you with the press of a button, to hear the full sound of music so akin to the actual performance that only the most expert ear can detect the difference".

To make a long story short, as we began having children, the importance of keeping up with our LP record collecting waned over the years until we rarely pulled the black discs from their cardboard sleeves to listen to our favorite tunes.  We just couldn't justify the cost of the LP records, which did not get cheaper as time went on.  Plus, with the advent of audio CDs, we began investing into this new replacement technology.  And, so the beautiful Empire turntable sat on a shelf collecting dust and was very seldom put to work.
But, we kept it along with the speakers and amplifier we'd used with it.  We packed them, along with all the LP records, very carefully every time we moved and hauled them along with us, from Salt Lake City, to Spokane, WA, then back to central Utah, and more recently, to Asheville, NC where we now reside.

But, this story has a happy ending.

This week I replaced the aging, slipping rubber drive belt that turns the table and bought a new diamond stylus (needle), powered the old turntable up and cranked it through a new Sherwood tuner/amplifier with the old speaker cabs from long ago and our life in California.
The old LPs sound as good as new since most of them have not been played for over 30 years.  So, our new home is now rockin' to the oldies.

And, I guess the lesson here is simple.  It pays to buy good stuff because it really might stand the test of time.  

The trick is living long enough to prove it.

Finally Jammin'

Party of the Year

As I predicted, it took me almost a full year to finally get my music chops back up to the point that I would allow myself to subject others to my newly renewed electric bass skills.

My good friends, dancer Marta Martin and her beau, singer-songwriter Neil Laurence invited me to play at her annual Planet MartaNeil's gathering this past holiday at their home in Asheville.  Neil entreated me to jam with him and some of his other friends in his "man-cave" studio during the party.  I accepted without much trepidation since I felt I was ready to face the music (and an audience, albeit a small one).

And, I am very pleased that I did.

The other folks at the party were an eclectic collection of Marta and Neil's closest friends and they made me feel right at home.  So, when it came time to play some live music, many of them filed into Neil's studio ready to boogie.  Most of them also participated in the music-making since many of them are musicians.

With Neil on his uke and singing, me on my little Kala bass, Forrest Green on keyboard and melodica (yes, that's his real name), and a wonderful selection of others on digeridoo, djembe, other percussive impliments, and even some other singers, spontaneous dancing broke out several times during our three sets for a truly communal experience and a wonderful time.

All in all, a great time was had by all, especially me since I was able to make good on my intention to play in front of strangers here in Asheville before a year has passed since Anita and I moved here.

Onward into the New Year.  And now, the best part is, I need a new musical goal!

Small Package, Big Deal

The Little Axe

I just couldn't resist.

I've gotten so used to carrying around my little Kala U Bass (a diminutive but powerful bass guitar built on a baritone ukulele body) that I was prompted by the gods of music to go ahead and purchase a concert-sized uke to add to my growing arsenal of euphonious implements. The UPS driver brought it to my door today and, just as I had hoped, I'm not disappointed.

Another well-built instrument from the folks at Kala Brand Music, this KA-CG mahogany uke fits my need for a quality, practical learning tool without having to mortgage the house to get it.  It looks like a miniature classical acoustic guitar, has great tone, and is light as a peacock feather (and darn near as pretty). With its sparkling gloss finish, traditional white binding, and chrome die-cast tuners it radiates a touch of class that is well-matched to the cool vintage tweed hard case (complete with an attached Uke Crazy medallion) that I bought to go with it, also from Kala.

After excitedly removing the concert uke from its shipping container, I first looked for scratches or flaws in workmanship. Finding none, I proceeded to tune it (to G C E A for soprano, concert, and tenor ululeles -anyone out there remember "my dog has fleas"?), and took a quick look at the documentation that came with it. The first song I strummed out from the simple printed music lesson in the box was the old classic, Home on the Range. What better way to break in my newest musical tool/toy than with this unofficial anthem of the AmericanWest.

Sweet!

Next. I'll have to try one of the songs from the AC/DC for Ukulele song book. Dirty Deeds Done Cheap, oh yeah! Look out, Angus Young! I wonder how I would look in an English School Boy outfit?

Well, if playing a ukulele is good enough for Roy Smeck, George Harrison, and more recently, Ed Vedder, it's more than likely good enough for Billy Radd, eh? No worries, mates.

Can't wait to jam a few choice chords with my ukulele-crazy rehearsal buddies, Neil Lawrence and Will Corbet.

We'll have to see what's up next for Asheville's newest light-weight trio.  Matching aloha shirts anyone?

The Synergy of Sound and Picture

A little over a year ago, while my wife and I were living in the small central Utah burg of Ephraim, I decided to hang my proverbial butt out the window and enter a local juried art show at the Central Utah Art Center, narrative blogs about which you will find here and here.

Of course, making an ambient video about natural scenery which locals can access easily themselves within a few hours drive may be akin to preaching to the choir.  So, while my video's involvement in the art show did not produce any tangible rewards for me as the creator of the video, it did provide me with some insight into human nature.

I found that, by observing those who stopped to observe my HD video of scenes of Pleasant Creek slowly flowing through a desert wilderness, I noticed a kind of double take effect.  First, it appeared to appeal mostly to the very young and very old among the attendees, with the middle-aged only giving the large HD screen a passing glance.  My only logical conclusion to this phenom must be, unscientific as it is, that those of us in the middle years of our lives cannot concentrate our minds long enough for the few moments it takes to let the "willing suspension of disbelief" take over and focus our attention on images and sounds that have a calming effect on our psyche.

And please, keep in mind that this is merely a personal observation and not a criticism of humanity as a whole.  It's just the way it is.

I remember the feeling of being middle-aged myself.  That feeling of constantly living either before or after the moment of reality I was in (the now, the present).  Work, children, politics, taxes, health concerns, bills to pay all flooded my waking and sleeping moments in a never-ending torrent of sights and sounds, real or imagined, that kept me uptight, moving, planning upcoming moves or obsessing about past inadequacies. Most of my waking time was spent "in the moment" alright, but that moment was pretty stressful.

Jeez, I'm glad I'm past all that now.  But, back to my point.

The very young or very old can isolate their attention long enough to forget worrying about their past and future and "meditate" or experience the now of reality, which philosophers and even scientists generally agree is really all that there is.

So, my personal quest is to give peace to others through the use of the trick I've learned over my career to create a visual and aural "scene" that can become part of a viewers personal reality in the moment of experiencing it, if only they will take the time to give it a try.

So, as one of my heros, sci-fi writer Rod Serling used to say at the open of each episode his TV show, "imagine if you will . . ."  Please, check out one or both of the videos that I have posted at the bottom of this page.

Click on the video to expand the page to full screen, choose to let it load up at the 720 HD resolution, turn up the volume on your computer to a moderately high volume, and look at the screen, no, stare at the screen.  Let a hint of a smile cross your lips.  Then, breathe deeply and regularly.  Try to relax and concentrate on the scenes of water, rocks and plants.  Listen to the water sounds and the minimal musical score (on the Zion River program).

Give it a few minutes and see if your heart rate and breathing rate don't diminish.

Then, forward this blogpost to a friend.  It may give them a few moments of peace, even if they are middle aged.

The Color of Sound

Vibration is omnipresent.

And, every thing is always in motion.

Ask any scientist, artist, or kid on the street.

Their answer is the question.


Colors can be seen, heard, and felt.

All one must do is look, listen, and feel.

As humans, we are equipped to soak it up as sensory meaning.

Or, broadcast it as light waves, the motion of air,

or the on-offing vibrations of the fabric of everything.


Poets have been saying it for eons.

Musicians sing its praises in mantras of hope and love.

Sculptors reveal it from stone and clay.

The dance has no beginning nor end.


The humming sum of it is free for us to use at will,

but, many waste it without a conscious thought.


It emits beauty-in-motion,

and cannot be created or destroyed,

only used.


It is always everywhere forever.


-Bill Raddatz, Asheville