The Bottom Line

School

2008-01-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally in the last semester of school. I am in the Educational Technology program at the University of South Carolina Aiken. It has taken a while to get here but I am excited about graduating. I think this semester will be alot of fun. There will be alot of projects due and it will give me a chance to work on some things outside of my normal job. There will be a "professional website" that I have to produce as well as a portfolio that I will have to defend. Then when I graduate, who knows. Maybe I will even teach.

Personal Growth

2007-07-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

I live in small town South Carolina. We are near Columbia, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia both of which have histories of good music and musicianship. I have discovered that we have a world class bassist living in the area.

A former student of jazz legend Jaco Pastorius and Pat Martino, Mike Frost is a composer, studio musician, educator, engineer, and leader of his own band, "Inner Voice.""The Deep," currently performing in the New York area. He also tours, and is seen monthly on national TV, with guitarist Esteban (Home Shopping Network). His most recent project involved teaming up with Jim Ahrend and Joe Chirco in a trio called Karmic Tiempo, recently releasing their first CD, "Synergy."
I have taken advantage of having him in the area by getting lessons. Its all about personal growth and wanting to get better. I thought I knew how to play the bass but after one lesson with this guy, I have realized that I know nothing. I am hoping that I can continue the lessons and that this will open up many doors musically speaking.

Summer Time

2007-07-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Well its here. Summer Time. Hot Weather, Bad TV and busy at work. Usually the band gets slow during the summer, but so far we have managed to stay busy. We are playing First Friday in Augusta, GA on July 6th. Mike Ritchie and Ryan Buffett continue to play with us and lately our gigs have been great. We have been invited back to play at the Augusta Country Club which is one of the best places to play in the area. So things are good. Have a great 4th.

What's Been Going On?!?

2007-03-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted in a long while. I have been very busy with work and school and the band. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Educational Technology at USC Aiken. Its not too difficult but with all the other responsibilities I have it sometimes is a drag.The band is staying really busy and we have recently added a sax player to the mix. My good friend and former professor Mike Ritchie has been joining us for a few gigs as well. Is this the end of "your friendly neighbirhood power trio" as we know it?

The Passing of a Legend

2007-01-05T11:34:00.001-05:00

"Mr. Dynamite," "Soul Brother No. 1," "the Minister of Super Heavy Funk" and "the Godfather of Soul," James Brown passed away this December. The area I live in is about 20 minutes from Augusta, GA so around here this was a big deal. Many complained that it got more media coverage than the death of Gerald Ford. The tribute concert was a Who's Who of funk musicians including Bootsy Collins.
I looked up some of James Brown's older hits and he could really sing.
James Brown, you will be missed.

The Irwin/Ritchie Band

2006-12-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

I just recently got to play an acoustic show as part of the Irwin/Ritchie Band. The band consists of myself, my good friend Dr. Mike Ritchie and Bill Irwin from the band Impulse Ride. The gig was held in downtown Augusta and benefited Habitat for Humanity. I really enjoy playing with Dispatch but it feels good to play some differnt types of music with other musicians. The vibe is different and it keeps your "chops" up.

There is something to be said about playing with the same group for a while, though. Just recently the members of Dispatch have participated in a project with Chris Bundy from the Perpetual Change. We recorded songs that Chris wrote and produced and are now practicing to play out in support of the new CD. It was cool how quick the live stuff came together and obvious how tight we have gotten from playing together for so long. you should be able to find the CD soon on CD Baby.

New Strings?

2006-12-19T10:34:00.000-05:00

Andrew from Drumboogie.net, mentioned this idea to me recently. He was playing a jazz gig and they had a stand-in bass player who was playing an acoustic bass. He had strung it with Double Bass strings. This sounds like a pretty cool idea. I have an acoustic bass that I don't use much. I may give it a shot just to see how it sounds.

Jonathan Colton

2006-12-18T23:17:00.000-05:00

I have been listening to a great podcast, The Sound Of Young America. They have had one particular guest that I think is cool. Singer/Songwriter Jonathan Colton. He is a little bit of a "comic" songwriter, but his arangements are really good as is his voice. He does have some serious songs as well.

He recently did a podcast called "A Thing A Week" in which every week for a year he posted a song that he wrote. Some weeks he could not come up with an original tune so he dide a cover. One of these is an awesome version of "Baby Got Back". You have got to check it out.

Christmas is Coming

2006-12-18T16:43:00.001-05:00

Have you got your shopping done yet? I am still working on it. I hate shopping this time of year because it is so hard to pick out something for someone no matter how well you seem to know them.