Long story short, the featured posts on the left of the main page are supposed to show up when you use a tag for the post called “featured”. That’s it. You put a tag called “featured” in the post and it shows up in the left hand column. Only… it doesn’t. That didn’t work for me. So… someone suggested changing the code that determines which tag the theme looks for. So I did. I changed it to “Headline”. That solved the problem.

But now there’s another problem. The posts that I want to feature in the left hand column are also showing up in the right hand column, and I can’t figure out how to correct that. I think I’ll go have dinner instead.

The theme I’ve been using is too busy for the sub-pages such as Music and Writing. I’d like to feature some posts, sure, but I don’t think I need a full-blown magazine style theme, with Headlines and Featured categories. That’s overkill. And not only does it get in the way of people who are digging for information, but it discourages me from posting, as well. Even if I do post something, it winds up halfway down the page where no one ever notices it.

Anyway, here’s your fair warning. There are going to be some changes around here. Hopefully for the better. And since I’m resuming work on the Progressive Rock album that I started in 2010, it comes at a good time.

I spent the last week or so trying to get the last of the songs for the Windhaven CD on their feet. If I can get them all balanced out this week, we’ll have six songs to add to the CD. It’s been exciting, really. Except for my old chestnut, “So Long John”, they’re all new songs. Three of them were written last week. The other two new ones are based upon old ideas, but are being put together for the first time, so they’re technically new. I have to admit that I’m rather surprised at the diversity of these songs. I can’t wait to get them out there.

Of course, Victoria and I have both made our peace that our friends and family are largely uninterested. That’s fine with us. We’re not doing this for them. We’re doing it for us. And for the people who might something of worth in these songs and what we’re trying to do with Windhaven. You can’t be discouraged by the lack of interest of those around you, because most often those closest to you can’t see the forest for the trees. Victoria and I know that we’re doing good work, and we know that eventually it will pay off. If nothing else, we have some great originals to play live.

I’ve largely abandoned my regular blog. There’s not much to talk about, because not much has changed where our financial situation is concerned. And since we really can’t afford to go anywhere, there’s nothing to write about. But I’m thinking of keeping a music blog here in the music section. I’ve always claimed that there was a blog here, but there never really has been. That’s going to change. I’m going to start chronicling the things we’re doing with Windhaven and with my solo music here. I’m going to keep a recording session blog, as well, putting down things about the songs we’re recording and mixing. I don’t know why, really. Maybe it seems to me that the only thing we have going on right now is with the music, and I think it should be chronicled. If these songs are anywhere near as strong as I think they are, they’re going to take on a life of their own. It’ll be fun to be able to look back on these days and think “that’s where it all began”, and reminisce about the days I spent in a warm, crowded room in Florida, hammering away at Windhaven’s first album and believing that somewhere on the other side of tomorrow, we might finally find our way.

Unfortunately, after the gear we’ve recently purchased, we can’t justify the cost of another stomp box. So I started thinking of building my own (again, to use as a trigger for the drum machine). That led me to a $2 piezo transducer from Radio Shack. Couple that with a $3 1/4″ guitar jack, house it all in a slab of wood taken from the wood pile behind the house, and we’re in business. Not only  that, but if it turns out well enough, I might start selling the damned things on eBay.

I’ve also thought of another use for one of these transducers. I’ve never much liked the sound of the pickups on my 12-string electric bass and certainly can’t afford to buy new pickups. The sound I do like is what I hear when I put my ear to the body of the bass while I’m playing it. So what might I hear if I stuck a piezo transducer onto it and amplified it (at least in the studio)? Or, maybe, if I blend that sound with ambience I get while recording the 12-string bass with our Zoom H2 (if it’s loud enough).

If nothing else, it’ll be fun to play mad scientist for a bit. Hey… if it keeps me off of the streets, that’s a good thing, right? At least I won’t be chasing cars for awhile.

Well, not long after getting the H2 today, I say it on the desk, started it to recording and grabbed my acoustic 12-string. I laid out a few bars of some improvised tune and then bounced the recording over to my laptop to listen to it. To say that I was pleased would be an understatement. I was relieved and felt somewhat vindicated.

What I heard on that recording was something I’d never heard on a recording before. I heard the same thing that I hear when I’m playing my guitar. It sounded exactly the same on playback as it had when I was playing it live. Sure, the recording needed some tweaking. What recording doesn’t? But at the core of it I heard an excellent capture of a live performance, with all its ambience intact.

I’m excited about the Zoom H2 and what it’s going to mean for Windhaven. I’m about about using it to record the new Windhaven CD. If what I heard on that recording is any indication, we’re about to blow some minds. Even if it’s only our own. But I’m also excited about what it means for our rehearsals. We’ll finally be able to get a pain free recording of each rehearsal, and immediately play back these tunes to see how things are evolving.

It may sound silly to be excited about a new piece of equipment like this. But we’ve needed to change our game. I think this will be a huge step in that direction, and will help continue the organic evolution of Windhaven that we’ve been trying so hard to keep our egos and minds out of the way of.

This is gonna be good.

What I can’t figure out is why this is such a taboo for local performers. Victoria and I watched ZZ Top last night, and I couldn’t help but notice that there was occasionally an extra guitar or an extra vocal part. Minor accents that were just enough to help complete the songs. Most people never notice these details, much less object to them. But many musicians think it’s somehow “cheating”.

I disagree. I think it’s the very definition of the word “professional” to do whatever you have to do to give your audience the best experience possible. Now, that’s not to say that I think musicians should lip sync. The performance should be as live as possible. But who really suffers if there are some extra vocal harmonies on a pre-recorded backing track, or a second guitar to add accents?

We’ve been thinking about using backing tracks with Windhaven. Sure, some day we’ll be able to afford to have five or six extra musicians on-stage to help us pull off the songs that we’ve recorded in the studio. But as long as we’re playing small venues for peanuts, we can’t afford that. If we’re going to bring the same level of performance to a small club, we have no choice but to use backing tracks. We were reluctant at first to approach it because so many of the musicians we know heap scorn upon the idea. But what brought us around (or me, at least), was hearing ZZ Top using backing tracks. If they’re good enough for ZZ Top, anyone who thinks there’s shame in it can kiss my ass (and Billy Gibbons’, too).

We haven’t figured out exactly how we’re going to use the backing tracks just yet – whether they’ll be extra vocals or maybe bass lines. But it’s pretty much a given at this point. So far the musicians we’ve most been able to rely upon to be consistent has been ourselves. So I’m excited by the prospects of getting to work more with us. Now we just have to figure out what we want to include in our backing tracks, and how to go about it.

In the end, this feels like a gift. A liberation. I’m looking forward to seeing where we can go with this.

Well, I’ve recently found myself souring on my software amplifiers. I suppose they just showed how lazy I was. It’s really easy to plug into the software amps and have a passable sound right out of the gate. But, more and more, it’s been gnawing at me that I have two great tube amps (the old Ampeg V4 guitar head and the SGX-2000) just sitting around gathering dust. That’s like having a couple of old hot rods sitting in your garage and never taking them for a drive because it’s more convenient to sit in your living and play Grand Prix on your Xbox.

Well, today I beat the dust off of both of them. The Ampeg V4 didn’t need much tweaking. I didn’t do much for it but run some power to it. But the SGX-2000 had to be opened up and partially disassembled. This was done with minimal grumbling, and when I had the case open and the potentiometers exposed I took it outside on the porch to spray cleaner down into the pots. I brought it back in to test it, and, much to my surprise, the pots were clean as a whistle after only the first try. Just like that, the SGX-2000 was back.

I’m going to be recording guitar parts for the Windhaven songs this week, trying to nail down as much as I can as quickly as I can. I want to have an EP ready for sale by the next show, which is November 27th. And from what I hear already, the old SGX-2000 is going to make one hell of a contribution.