The Bass Geek

Fountain Square Music This Weekend

Ryan — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:10:39 +0000

Radio Radio presents Memoryhouse tonight and Fort Frances and Fjola tomorrow night.

The White Rabbit Cabaret brings in Sallie Ford & the Outside Sound with Coyotes (two separate acts, Sallie Ford is NOT bringing in wild coyotes or anything) tonight. Tomorrow, the Accidental Circus 2012 Apocalypse Tour takes the stage.

Indy's Jukebox has 50/Six Feet and Tension Head tonight, for those who like metal and such.

The Hoosier Dome provides maximum dollar value with COLD WORLD, Backtrack, Expire, Dead End Path, Written Off, and Foul Mind tonight. Tomorrow, take in White Rock Scratch and Speaker for the Dead.

And there's live jazz and lounge music at Maria's Pizza and the Brass Ring all weekend long. Enjoy!

Bass On The Broadband

Ryan — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:40:23 +0000

Truth be told, I was a little ready to dismiss this streaming radio station as a great idea, just not my kind of thing. Acclaimed bassist Brian Bromberg started the channel as a showcase for bass-oriented music, and it does address that, to be sure. It's just that the first couple times I tuned in, the music was rather . . . smooth. The songs all featured famous bassists quite prominently, but there wasn't anything I felt particularly attached to. The third time I tuned in, though, I joined right in the middle of Willie Weeks' solo in Donny Hathaway's "Voices Inside (Everything is Everything). And it went from there into a great Esperanza Spalding track. So the station redeemed itself there, and I've been tuning in every so often since then with (for the most part) good results.

The franchise names are there, to be sure:

Marcus Miller
Ron Carter
Victor Wooten
Stanley Clarke
Bootsy Collins

But there's been plenty of stalwarts you wouldn't hear on a . . . smooth station as well.

Damien Erskine
Adam Nitti
Yves Carbonne

And they've got a Bryan Beller track playing right now, in fact. No real shows to speak of, just wall-to-wall music with a Sunday feature on classical bassists (just like terrestrial radio putting their "public service" programming on Sunday?). So I'm happy to call this a decent resource (especially in the jazz and fusion genres, where bassists liked by bassists tend to live, I suppose). I'm not sure how much exposure this will give the artists on the channel to non-bassists, but for those of us who tend to be a little obsessive, it's great. Just remember that this is a stream, so there's no rewinding or downloads or anything like that. That said, no commercials, either.

EDIT: Just realized that I'd like to hear more stuff from artists like Matthew Garrison, Thundercat, as well as folks like Steve Lawson. I'm guessing the music is on the way, though, since this just started up.

Fountain Square Music This Weekend . . . and MORE!

Ryan — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:21:44 +0000

Does Radio Radio have a big show this weekend? Radio Radio has a big show this weekend. Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls stops by tonight.

The White Rabbit Cabaret hosts NOISE! pianoke tonight. Tomorrow, there's a dance party. Song and dance acts abound!

Indy's Jukebox starts the metal around 3pm tomorrow so that it might include 10 frickin' bands. Huge bill includes Biorhythm, Fleshsuit, and Kidd Comet.

The Hoosier Dome fields 7 bands of their own tonight, including the return of Of Sight and Sound. Tomorrow brings in the all-ages Punk Rock Prom, featuring Blane Fonda, Green Room Rockers, and three other bands. Clearly, getting value for your money is a theme this weekend.

It's also Swing Night at the Fountain Square Theater tonight, and there's live jazz and lounge music at the Brass Ring and Maria's Pizza all weekend long. Enjoy!

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the last two shows of Songs in the Key of Blues tonight and tomorrow. Come out and enjoy!

The Aristocrats!

Ryan — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:29:56 +0000

Aside from the fine clinic to be taken in (and it was - great insight into tone and playing as a unit), part of the reason I traveled to Ft. Wayne Monday evening for Bryan Beller's bass clinic was the fact that I knew I'd be missing the Indianapolis stop for his band the Aristocrats. Beller is a fine bassist (from assorted Zappa family members to Steve Vai to Dethklok and more), and his writing and lessons are nothing short of inspiring. Nevertheless, a poorly scheduled business trip takes me to Chicago, a large city that surprisingly has no Aristocrats stop on this leg of the tour.

So, please - go see this show at Birdy's on Monday, May 21st. Not only for the amazing music and great show, but because I'll be kicking myself for not making it. Here's some sound:

Here's the website:

http://the-aristocrats-band.com/

Have at it, and enjoy!

Fountain Square Music This Weekend

Ryan — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:57:44 +0000

Radio Radio presents Bigger Than Elvis for First Friday tonight. Tomorrow night, Bigger Than Elvis returns for a good cause, along with Creepin' Charley and the Boneyard Orchestra and the Rastabilly Rebels - it's a benefit for John Fannon's medical expenses.

The White Rabbit Cabaret hosts Faun Fables and Lord of the Yum Yum tonight. Tomorrow, take in Vacation Club, Learner Dancer and No Coast in a benefit for Brunswick to Baja.

There's 10+ hip-hop acts (including Jimi Inphinity) taking the stage at Indy's Jukebox tonight - click the link for the full list. Tomorrow, The Enders perform.

The Hoosier Dome shows off Conflictions, Rest In Piss, Costanza, Disaffected, and Red Morning Voyage. Tomorrow, they present the finals in the High School Battle of the Bands.

Finally, the Tonic Ball folks reveal tonight that their artists for this year's event include Stevie Wonder, U2, and the Kinks. The Indy Star already blew the story, though, so just come out and enjoy the music beginning at 6pm at the Murphy Building. And there's live jazz and lounge music at the Brass Ring and Maria's Pizza all weekend long. Enjoy!

Wanna Confuse Yourself?

Ryan — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:40:54 +0000

Take the 5-string bass you've been playing for a decade and restring it with a high C instead of a low B. Nothing groundbreaking here - it's good enough for Matthew Garrison, Steve Swallow, and Janek Gwizdala (among others). But man, it's messing with my head. Having the extra high end makes for easier chording and more defined melody lines, but I'm still getting used to the positions. And being a fourth or fifth off at random times is never fun. Still, I like the setup, and it actually seems to be better for my Stingray 5 - a lighter gauge with the higher string agrees more with the action on the bass, and it's much easier to play and maintain.

So I'm going to try using it in the new production Songs in the Key of Blues for Q Artistry, opening tonight in Irvington. Should be fun!

Another Abbreviated Fountain Square Music This Weekend

Ryan — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:04:12 +0000

I'm at Jazz Fest in New Orleans this weekend. If I were in Fountain Square, I'd see Tonos Triad and Snorb! tonight, the magic of Unknown Hinson tomorrow night at Radio Radio, and maybe even Gates of Slumber Sunday night. But I'm here. Such is life.

Abbreviated Fountain Square Music This Weekend

Ryan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:28:23 +0000

I've been traveling and can't post a full update today, but I need to remind you about the Joel Henderson show tomorrow night at Radio Radio, featuring drummer extraordinaire Devon Ashley and Heidi Gluck, as well as the bassist from Robert Plant's Band of Joy. Get out there and enjoy the show!

In The Movies . . .

Ryan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:41:33 +0000

If you saw me roaming around downtown Indianapolis or leaning over the railings near the White River with a portable audio recorder late last year, there was a very good reason for me to be doing so. I was recording background and foley sounds for Catherine Crouch's new short film A Pirate in Alphabet City. She was also gracious enough to use some incidental music I composed. Cast and crew got to see the final product last Sunday, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. What surprised me was how much easier it is to put music in video than when I first started researching the subject years ago. No more messing with SMPTE code - just play along to the video (I did all of my work in Reason) and nudge the clips as necessary.

The movie should be hitting the festival circuit soon, and hopefully I'll get to do more work like this in the future.

Fountain Square Music This Weekend

Ryan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:38:15 +0000

Radio Radio presents Diplomats of Solid Sound and T-Bird and The Breaks tonight - ignite your soul power.

Check in with the White Rabbit Cabaret tomorrow night for the Real Talk Dance Party w/ Action Jackson & A-Squared Industries.

Indy's Jukebox gets all metallic tonight with Biorhythm, pvrenchymv, Opus Della Morte, Hell With It all, and Nautilus.

The Hoosier Dome presents Elijah, Refractions, Saints of Denial, and Vultress tomorrow.

It's Swing Night at the Fountain Square Theater with the Boilermaker Jazz Band tonight, and there's live jazz and lounge music at Maria's Pizza and the Brass Ring all weekend long. Enjoy!