Stage-Rage: Causes and Prevention

   Stage-Rage:  The emotion associated with unceremoniously exiting a venue.

   Causes for stage-rage: 

Bad soundchecks - Balance is important.  Poor balance between sounds can turn a good performance bad.  Perhaps a guitar isn't turned up the whole way.  Other times the drums drown out the singer.  It's important that the sound guy balances and mixes all the channels correctly.

"Forget this.  I can't even hear myself."

Reduced time slot - Sometimes, owners pull the plug on an act that's tanking quickly.  Other times, an artist goes beyond its allotted time.  Either way, nobody wants his/her time cut short.

"You're going to give me ONE FUCKING MINUTE?  You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Poor security - Security is responsible not only for making sure everyone in the crowd is behaving themselves, but that the artists are safe as well.  Rewind to 2004.  Security failed to catch a deranged fan before he jumped onstage and murdered Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbot.  Artists even take matters into their own hands in spite of bad security.  A few years ago, Randy Blythe of Lamb of God was accused of manslaughter when he pushed a fan off stage.  Security failed to stop the fan the previous two times he jumped onstage.

"Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home."

Cantankerous crowd - The paying public knows what it wants.  They can quickly turn on an act that's boring, combative or performs poorly.

"Up to you.  Do you want to hear some rock 'n roll or do you wanna go home?  See ya."

   As you can see, many of the greatest artists of the last couple decades are guilty of stage-rage.  Actually, I'm willing to bet every band, at one point, falls victim to stage rage.  One can proactively prevent the onset of stage-rage by being friendly and engaging with the paying fans, being kind to the owner and sound people, preparing a good playlist and, most of all, BEING PREPARED FOR THE EVENT.

Those Kicks / Final Practices before Saturday

   Sometimes you get a song out of your head, which is normal.  Ever go on a kick?  It's a little different from singing one song, perserveratingly.

   I've had an Atreyu song stuck in my head all day.  That's typical of me.  I listen to Atreyu on Pandora everytime I go to the gym.

   I'm on a little bit of a different kick, though:  I'm on a huge System kick.

   I just can't get enough of System of a Down, lately.  I eat and breath System.  I'm humming a System song every day.  Oddly enough, while practicing in Village Hall last night with Chris and Ziggy, Ziggy's friend even asked me to play Hypnotize, posted below.

 

  

   I played the song on Music Choice just last week.  The family member who relinquished the remote always enjoys/is intriqued by the harder stuff I listen to, up to Lamb of God.  The growling is off-putting to him.  He hates System, though.  Serj's voice is ear-grating to him.  Ironically, Serj looks a bit like Brian May, the guitarist of Queen:  the band he worships.  Jolly 'ol Bri is posted below.

 

 

 

 

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   As previously mentioned, Chris, Ziggy and I went through our penultimate practice last night in Village Hall.  We covered the half dozen songs Chris and Ziggy play and about ten songs 3 Way Street plays.  I introduced two originals, "It Doesn't Matter" and an Adam Sandler-sounding screw-off song, "Maijuana."  Chris introduced three originals that I cannot wait to play.  Practice took forever and at one point, Vince, Scott and their friend stopped by and Vince co-opted me to teach him a lick on guitar. 

 

   Correction about the Hookah show:  We play from 8:00 pm till late.  NOT 9, AS I MISTAKENLY SAID IN MY LAST POST.

   



Three Way Street Live Acoustic this Saturday

   Be sure to catch Chris and me at the Hookah Connection this Saturday from 9:00 pm till late.  HC is located behind Westmoreland Mall, next to Buffalo Wild Wings.  The cover is $10 and includes Hookah.

Song Writing

 
   How the hell did Randy Newman do it?  How did he write so many songs?

   I've been playing guitar since the seventh grade:  I'm not a mathematician, but that's a good amount of time for a nineteen year old.  What do I have to show for it?  I'm part of quirky band of geniuses.  I have more than a few melodies and accompaniments.  I wrote a three part harmony to "Happy Birthday" for God sakes.  Yet, I have no real songs written.  What the hell?

   I wrote a handful of "songs" two semesters ago in my engaging Ethics class.  They've all gone missing, much to my chagrin.  Perhaps my life lacks the requisite excitement to properly write a song.

   Hopefully, a breakthrough is on the horizon.  While my adjunct stats professor went over practice problem after practice problem, I scribbled some words down to a simple four-chord progression.  Suddenly, the words began to flow.  I was writing a story.  Without going into great detail, the words resonated with me.  I'll unveil the song to Chris and Ziggy tomorrow afternoon at our practice studio and to the public this Saturday at the Hookah Connection at 9:00 pm. 

Norwin's Got Talent con't.

   At 8:00 pm Wednesday night, the night before Norwin's Got Talent's final dress rehearsal, Norwin's surly principal kindly informed us of a policy change.  Apparently, Norwin alumni like myself are no longer allowed to help their younger siblings in their talent show skits.  The timing couldn't have been more annoying.

   Emmarie and I were faced with a choice:  Either Emmarie had to rely on a YouTube karaoke version of her song, or I had to record her a backing track.  Obviously, we chose the latter.  Emmarie is exponentially more comfortable performing with my sound backing her up.  She's accustomed to it.

   So, I went to work.  Track after track, I cut, deleted and mixed guitar after guitar.

   Suddenly, my basement transformed into a studio.

True to my ghetto nature, I did it all with the free, open source software Audacity.

   Two hours later, I had a satisfactory track.

Don't share this video:  I'm giving Emmarie an unfair advantage as it is.

Practice Problems

   Requisite practice time is rare.  Oftentimes, 3 Way Street takes the stage with little to no preparation.  We are masters of improv; like athletes performing despite having not practiced all week or models that have yet to try on their clothes.

   All four members work.  Chuck works full time and then some.  Chris, JJ and I are full time students and three of us have significant others as well.  It seems the four of us spend more time whining about lack of practice time than we do organizing actual rehearsals.

   How is practice time usually spent?  We typically run through our songs a few times.  We make fun of each other.  Then we wrestle.  Then we usually end up drunk.  One of us is typically throwing up in the bathroom, another wants to sleep and the other two are giggling like intoxicated hyenas.

   Such is life as a small, local band.

   I fully acknowledge underage drinking is a crime and neither I nor 3 Way Street condone the underage consumption of intoxicating beverages.

Rock on the Range

   The lineup for Rock on the Range was announced this morning, and for the upteempth time, I find myself marvelling at the bands.  The organizers for ROR always seem to pull in most of hard rocks top acts.  Let's run through this year's more notable groups:


The metal bands:

American death metal super-heavy weight Lamb of God.  I had the fortune of seeing them for the second time back in November.  Randy Blythe and co. always put on good show as long as they're not incarcerated or being deported.

Swedish death metal giant In Flames.  I saw In Flames while they were still relatively unknown to me and came away impressed.

Welsh metalcore stars Bullet for My Valentine.  Since they harmonize and overdub everything, Bullet never sounds as good live as they do on the album.  I had the fortune of seeing them at Uproar two years ago as the first of four headliners. They were good but forgettable.

American heavy metal band All That Remains.  I swear ATR comes to Pittsburgh annually yet I still miss them.  They're not getting away this time.  An interesting side note:  My girlfriend nearly bought me tickets to see ATR for their most recent Pittsburgh date but ultimately decided on Lamb of God tickets. 

Asking Alexandria.  I don't particularly care for them or their following of edgy eighth graders.

The grunge bands:

The ashes of Alice in Chains.  The former grunge heavy weight still sounds good despite losing lead singer Layne Staley a decade ago.  Alice in Chains will also make a stop in Pittsburgh en route to Rock on the Range.

A resurgent Bush.  Either you love Bush or you hate Bush.  I just so happen to love them.  They released "Sound of Winter" about a year and a half ago and should be wrapping up their supporting tour.

A washed up Soundgarden.  Grunge fans like me cringe as they listen to Soundgarden's newest material.  It's rough.  It's just not Soundgarden.

Smashing Pumpkins.  I admit I haven't kept up with the Pumpkins.

Also rounding out the headliners:  Papa Roach, Sevendust, A Day to Remember, Cheap Trick, Sick Puppies, Skillet, Buckcherry, Black Veil Brides, Halestorm

Several exciting one hit wonders, too: Oleander, Volbeat, Middle Class Rut

More borderline irrelevant bands that I'm not going to list.

Here's where it gets interesting!

   Three Days Grace is also headlining.  If you read my post a few days back about the demise of Three Days Grace, they're a band worth watching.  The singer of My Darkest Days will be filling in for Adam.

   Hollywood Undead will also perform.  As will Deuce.  Indeed, the solo artist that is currently suing his former band will share a venue with them.  I'm not sure what to expect, but I welcome the drama:  It makes for a good storyline.

Preferences and Nuances of Guitarists

   Guitarists like myself are usually the most particular member of the band when it comes to equipment.  They're hyper-sensetive about the brand and model of guitar they use, the brand and gauge of strings, the brand and wattage of amplifiers, the types of pedals and EQ's, even the cables.

   For people like me (and Chris) with limited budgets, we can't always afford to be overly picky about our equipment.  I like Fender guitars.  I own two of them.  They're affordable and tough.  I prefer Gibsons, though.  Gibsons START around $800 and reach $3,000 for some custom models.  Chris uses the same Yamaha Stratocaster he's always used as well as an Ibanez ES-335 model.

   Amplification-wise, I like Peavey.  Peavey is a rugged, American made brand.  It's not always flashy but their models are well put together.  I have a Peavey 15 watt I lent to a friend to practice with and two Peavey 100 watt cabinets driven by a Peavey CS 800 X power amplifier.  Chris uses a Peavey Viper 75 watt that he seems to like well enough.

   I am the pickiest when it comes to strings.  While Chris prefers to use cheaper strings that he can change quickly and buy in bulk, I will only use Elixirs.  Elixirs are known for their nanoweb coating which prolongs string life three to five times that of normal strings.  See why?

My Guitar History

   I visited Penn State Altoona this weekend with my best friend so we could congratulate a mutual friend of ours for enduring all the hellacious and humiliating hazing frat boys have to endure.  One of his brothers (whose name slips me) was a guitarist like me, so we got to talking a little bit.  Naturally, the first question was "what do you play?"  To which we both reply: "A little bit of everything."  The next question was "What do you play with?"

   My new friend is a new guitarist and described his guitar:  A Gibson Epiphone SG.  My first guitar was an Epiphone SG Special as well.  They're simple yet respectable.  They're not like cheap Deans that fall apart, Squires with no bite whatsoever, cheap ESP/LTDs which are pretty much a brand name slapped on a piece of driftwood.

   I've since disassembled my SG for spare parts; It really had no resale value after I had played the life out of it.  The SG had a few nicks and scratches in it and had a broken truss rod and nut.  I fitted a new neck (off of another Epiphone: Some Jackson knockoff) and lent it to a friend to learn guitar.

  I used to own Dean Flying V that was a piece of Korean garbage.  The finish on the neck rubbed off and stained, the knobs came loose and the lacquer on the body was pretty poor and offered no protection.  Worst of all, finding a case for this long piece of cheap alder was nearly impossible.

  I also picked up a few guitars at flea markets.  I bought a cheap, mustard yellow Harmony guitar that I used for spare parts.  At the same market, I picked up a gutted Epiphone that I had my friend at Cindy's Guitar put back together.  I used the Epiphone for about a year before I bought my Stratocaster.  The last flea market guitar I bought was a fifties automotive blue Strat-knockoff with a warped, cracked neck.  The body was a heavy piece of mahoghany and was worth saving, so I tossed the neck and made a new guitar out of it that Chris sometimes uses.

   Finally, I have my Players Deluxe Fender Stratocaster.  It's the guitar visible in all my photos and videos.  True to the Stratocaster reputation, my guitar is simple yet super versatile and built to last.  The beautiful tobacco sunburst finish still looks the same as the day I bought it, four years ago. I shelled out good money to get my pride and joy some decent strap locks so it doesn't crash to the stage floor unexpectedly.  My Strat was a worthy investment.

Festivals

   Until you sell a million records, being in a band is like being a seasonal laborer:  There's nothing to do in the wintertime except try to convene as often as possible and practice.  During times like these, I wish it was summertime.

   One of my not-so-fond memories of festivals came last August at North Huntingdon's "End of the summer celebration."

   Now, don't get me wrong: The Summer Celebration was a great venue.  It was really hot and sunny and we had great gear.  That's about where the positives end.

   For starters, 3 Way Street was promised an hour of play time.  Second, we were promised $150 for performing.  The money isn't a big object, and neither is the playing time, but owners and managers can get away with a lot when it comes to hiring unheard-of bands.  Ultimately, we were given $100 (which I promptly spent taking my girlfriend and sister out) and only 40 minutes play time.  Our soundcheck wasn't great either.  My guitar was too low.

   Regardless, I wish it was festival season again.

Norwin's Got Talent, Take III

   Just like hockey players during the summer, musicians and singers need to stay sharp during the late Fall/Winter/Early Spring when shows are scarce.  One of my favorite ways to stay focused on singing and playing is by helping my little sister with her talent show act.

   Rewind to 2011:  I participated in the talent show for two acts:  First, I arranged and played guitar for my sister;s act. My sister, Emmarie, sang Queen's "The Show Must Go on."  Quite and undertaking for a freshman at the time.

   The arrangement is pretty interesting.  The intro may sound familiar (though it's hardly audible.)  While Queen's version starts with a dramatic orchestra and chimes, I open up with an acoustic version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

   A few acts later, I took the stage with my own act.  I covered Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis."  Posted below is my first performance as a singer (I played guitar in church and in front of groups dozens of times before.)

   

   Neither one of us won.  No hard feelings though:  What talent show isn't rigged?

   Last year, my sister sang Kelly Clarkson's "Behind These Hazel Eyes."  What a strange choice for a blue eyed girl who hates pop music.  Once again, she came up empty.  Sadly, I do not have video or any pictures from this performance.

   This year, Emmarie will perform Breaking Benjamin's "Diary of Jane."  This is an excellent song choice, considering I have much more to contribute.  Here's what it sounds like when 3 Way Street does it. 

   If I'm not mistaken, I believe this talent show is scheduled for next Friday.  I don't foresee any acts out performing us, musically.  Unfortunately, I also don't foresee Emmarie winning; at least not this year.  The marionettes behind the talent show will surely win Emmarie off as a senior. 

A Hollow Victory for the Music World

   Good news everyone!

   The hard rock world was stunned a few weeks ago by the announcement that lead singer Adam Gontier was resigning from Three Days Grace.  Accordingly, the band released a statement.

Further to our press release of this morning we wanted to write to you directly our fans about the news of the day. We appreciate everyone’s concern about Three Days Grace. We found out on December 21st that Adam wished to resign from the band. In a letter to us Adam indicated that he was resigning from the band due to a non life threatening health issue and wanted the band to continue moving f...orward without him. We were as shocked as many of you were to hear the news. Three Days Grace has always been and will continue to be not only our job but our passion. Instead of cancelling the tour, we felt an obligation to you, the fans, to forge ahead and put on the best show we can. Brad recently reached out to his brother Matt Walst, lead singer for My Darkest Days to fill in for the tour dates already announced. We've been hanging out and rehearsing with Matt and look forward to rocking the stage in a few weeks! As of right now, Matt's role is temporary and as far as the future and beyond this tour, we are taking it one day at a time. - 3DG

   I had the fortune of seeing the group perform at Uproar 2011 and Adam looked fine then.  A lot can change in a year, however.

   The rock world mourned the loss of its heavy weight.  First, Duece leaves Hollywood Undead, Breaking Benjamin splits, now Three Days Grace appears to be done.  The rock world could scarcley handle another blow.

   Much to everyone's surprise, Adam released a statement on his own Facebook account!  Here's what he said.

"I know everyone's been waiting for a post/response from me, to the recent situation between Three Days Grace and I. I've got so many things I'd love to say, but this is Facebook, and out of RESPECT, I'm not going to get into any of it right now. The one thing I can say publicly, is that I am so thankful for the outpouring of love and support from all of my fans, and that I AM NOT done making music.... This is just the tip of the iceberg for me (and you) ..., trust me on that! I will have new music coming soon, and I can say, honestly, it's the best music I've EVER created. I'm so excited for you to hear it! I'll close with this for now. I am so disappointed in myself for believing, after all these years, that the ones I truly believed were closest to me, are, were, and have always been the farthest away from me. Just pick up. Move on. Pretend nothing happened. Not ONE call, text, email to see how your so called "friend" is doing. It's sad, but it is what it is. The music BUSINESS. Remember this people..., in my/our case, it's always been about the "business". The money. What about the love for creating real music from the heart? Where did that fit in? Pretty much nowhere. No room for music from the heart, when it's just about music for the radio. Lastly, stay tuned for my new music. It's real. Honest. Not fake. It's from my soul. Which is exactly the same place that I keep all of you. In my soul. Thank you so much for your love, support and kindness through this time. Adam"

   Adam's statement contradicts his bandmates' statement starkly.  He pulls the same, timeless excuse: "I do it for the music, they do it for the money."  At this point in a musician's career, his/her life is ninety five percent royalties, five percent everything else.  I'm willing to bet Adam's motives for his departure lie in the new-found freedom to record and produce whatever he wants, which makes him a rather selfish individual.  It appears as though Three Days Grace and Adam had many more irreconciable differences besides divergent interests.  This feud looks pretty personal.

   So what's the good news? 

   Three Days Grace was Adam Gontier.  Sure, they had angsty songs, catchy guitar riffs and the likes.  But the driving forces behind the band's success were Adam's voice and charisma.  The music world is fortunate that Adam will continue making music.  It's a shame it won't be with Three Days Grace any longer.

I sit and I pray/In my broken down Chevrolet.

Earlier today, I sat in my new favorite practice location: on an ottoman behind my couch with a table of power amps, mixers, EQ's and amplifiers in front of me.  I was working on those ever-elusive "originals" bands struggle to write, lamenting my recent run of bad luck.  You see, I was rear-ended a few days before New Years Eve and still haven't found my beloved Chevy's successor.

Suddenly, I had a stroke of brilliance:  We need to cover Social Distortions "Ball and Chain" for the Hookah show.  First of all, everybody loves "Social D."  Second, a song like that translates excellently to acoustic.  Ball and Chain must have been written for guys like me dealing with the loss of a vehicle.

I immediately phoned Chris before the inspiration slipped my mind. I explained what I thought was a stroke of brilliance only to discover Chris was unfamiliar with the song.  I continued to describe how I envisioned the arrangement:  My voice and guitar, Chris' guitar and harmonica.  He was on board with the idea.

A few years ago, my aging my great grandma realized her driving days were behind her and sold us her gently used car for a very generous price.  I've driven that car constantly for the last three years of my life.  I've loaded that car with so much gear between shows and practice that I'm still amazed my suspension was still functional.

Grandma sadly passed away last March, while the new 3 Way Street was still in its infancy, but her Malibu marched on.  I had a hilarious arrangement for my gear in my little car:  In my passenger seat, my Nike bag stuffed with cables.  On the floor of the passenger side, my mixer.  In the back seat, both towering cabinets, arranged as to not hit my windows.  On the backseat floor, my boom stand and guitar case.  In the trunk, my guitar amplifier and my power amplifier.  The arrangement got even more confusing the days I had to pick my girlfriend up before a show.

I'm devastated to bid my Chevy adieu.  Show and practices just won't be the same without it.

Yet, I'm relieved I wasn't carting any gear.  This experience taught me not to drive around with my equipment in the car in between shows and practices.

Back to Hookah Connection...

3 Way Street is returning to its roots...sort of.

In the years before I joined Chris, Joe and Chuck, 3 Way Street played one show a year:  The Penn Township Fall Festival.  After I joined the trio, the first venue to book us was Greensburg's Hookah Connection, next to Buffalo Wild Wings, behind the mall.

Hookah Connection is a wonderful, intimate venue for groups starting out.  It's a dimly lit, comfortable place with a sort of medieval look to it.  The whole place probably seats about thirty around a dozen or so tables.  The servers are nice and the manager is very "down-to-Earth."

Nick and the crew prefer to start acts out on Tuesdays, as to screen them before they allow said groups to perform on busier nights, so we played our first show there on a Tuesday in April.  We played at Hookah Connection three more more times before we moved on to predominately outdoor venues (it was getting to be cookout/grad party season).

Now, with the weather only getting colder, shows are difficult to come by for new bands like 3 Way Street.  Half the foursome that composes the band is under 21, ergo, bars are typically off-limits.  With limited options, we return to Hookah Connection.  There's a catch, however.

Hookah connection only hires "acoustic" acts, after an incident with a DJ who refused to turn his speakers down.  Consequently, 3 Way Street will be a one-way alley February 2 - Ground Hog's day as I take the.....stool with Chris, two guitars, my voice, and his harmonicas.  A friend of ours, Chris' roommate Ziggy, will open for us.

Picture related:  A picture from our first show at Hookah Connection.

Check, check, 1...2...

How's everybody out there!?

Welcome to Kramer's Remarks.
I front a local band and this blog will be devoted to my experiences and observations as both a musician and a singer.  I'll talk about local groups I see and groups my bandmembers see.  I'll post equipment reviews (mostly critiques of guitars and amplifiers).  I'll talk briefly about some new releases that pique my interest.  Most of all, I'll talk a great deal about practices and shows we play around Greensburg and Irwin.

The sound check's over.  The lights are dimming.  The amps are starting to hum.  The show's about to begin.