One of the characteristics of vintage tube amps that endears them to us all is their inherent imperfection......out of spec resistors and capacitors, frazzled tubes, worn speaker suspension, etc. etc. all conspiring to create tone that can affect you to the core. Perfection is predictable and tends to become tiresome, while imperfection is often the vehicle of true genius.
Amen Doug, Amen. What Brad talks about with regards to kids and garage bands is absolutely spot on. I ask the kids in town what they get up to after school and work and they never mention anything to do with making music themselves. I find that astounding given the level of quality you can buy today at the entry level (amps, instruments etc). They must be out there somewhere or at least I hope they are.
I once lived in a HOA where they called a tow truck on a cop car because the rules said no marked vehicles. The tow truck guy said his truck was broken when he saw what they wanted him to do.
Wow.....Really? Having said that, a neighbour recently called at my house and informed me he doesn't like the smell of my woodburning stove and hinted on the legality of it. (They plan on banning house coal here in the U.K). I was more annoyed at myself for my diplomatic explanation. Later I filled it full of shit wood and wet leaves for smoke enhancement. Smoke dissipates though, garage bands have to face the flack. My heart goes out to those kids
Remember the 70's- 80's when many parents thought nothing of sending their ten year old on a bus or plane across the country, solo; to spend a month with grampa and grandma. Was very common.
@@joelspaulding5964 As a 6 year-old kid in the 80s my parents would let me walk to school (2 kilometers away), everyday, on my own. They weren't afraid nor was I. It was also socially acceptable.
@Dewey Rayburn - Oh, I am SURE there were as many weirdos preying on kids back in the 70's-80's and before. It just wasn't being used to make money/get cheap votes for politicians. I walked a mile to school every day when I was 7-8 years old. I also mowed lawns at 10 or so and hopped the town bus to the city to go to the movies or the arcade. No one ever approached me - or any of my friends who did the same. These days, the media manipulates fear along with those who would profit from that fear.
@Dewey Rayburn Sorry, the number of " molesters" per capita hasn't change in any statistically significant manner. It was probably far more dangerous in 1975 than today- We stopped teaching sense, personal responsibility and we no longer accept that life on Earth is dangerous and despite our best efforts- things can happen. Be prepared and be sensible...oh wait...
I'm 67, and I realize that the days are gone, where 95% of the audience could NOT do what you did! Where it mattered that you had a look and sound different than the audience did!
Inside every sound engineer's body there's a guitar hero or drum demon dying to come out, but alas, the audiophile control freak always wins. I actually had one explain to me that "the band just plays the music. I am the conductor, the one that brings the music together." So, I stepped back and viewed the arc of the sky over his shoulders in an attempt to grasp the totality of his ego.
I've been to a couple of concerts that had AWFUL sound engineers. And some that had AMAZING engineers. They have a lot of power to hurt your sound, OR make it absolutely mind-blowing. This is why larger bands bring their own sound engineers.
I hate sterile shit. I love small clubs with crappy amplification (that is set up well enough). I totally get what you mean. Perfection kills everyting. Perfect is too good.
Will pass on crappy amplification. Small clubs, decent amplification works for me. I will never have to worry about perfection; so at least i have that going.
Im not fortunite to own those amps,but I stayed away from these modeling ams,I bought a orange crush 35rt thats atleast a anolog amp without a huge board with burnt resistors and poor quality,till I get some decent cash this little thing is impressive.Rock on guys.
@@torahwarrior2442 i bet,love my lester,im sure there are better pickups,but les paul is a 2000 classic,with the 496r and 500t potted but uncovered ceramic hot pups.Right now thats the nature of the beast but I love the thin 60'z neck,the plain top is pretty with nice grain and yet has a lil flame on the bottom edges also👌,it has its needs,like a new nut i bought,and graghtech saddle savors for the abr-1 because someone before me decided that the screws for intonation would go toward the tail peice like a nashville bridge and now the saddles are all jacked.The low e sits way high,and the high e sits in a loose big gap,plus the strings want to hit the screws unless the tail piece is pretty high,thats no where near the 17° the headstock angle is.i apoligize for the long comment.Im just a guitar nerd
The louder you play the tighter you need to be. When you have it completely screwed down its not perceived as loud anymore. Its perceived as powerful. Big big difference. Yup. 3 chords and the truth always at the most effective volume. Dont let anyone tell you different.
Brad, this is the one Shit Post Friday that has resonated the most with me. By several country miles. Front-of-house engineers that complain to us- a hard rock trio playing old school seventies-ish stuff- for actually using our amps... Oh, we've had them! Last this spring. We played a gig about two months ago. During sound check, I got the call to do my line check. I did what I allways do, set my Fender Twin to a smirge over four on the volume dial (I use a Mesa Boogie V Twin for distortion), and played at maximum intensity of what I was going to do during our set. Just as you're supposed to during a sound check. This cretin just walks up to the edge of the stage and commands me to turn my amp down after five seconds. When it comes the bass players turn, same deal. He too plays throu a big valve amp (Orange 200 watt). By this time we had to give him a big telling off, basically telling him to stuff his personal views up the backside and get on with the job of setting the sound. After a bit he looses the attitude, as me and the bass player together can bring just about any idiot into submission if we have to. We turned our amps back up to where they were supposed to be, and the gig went like a charm. Even the audience loved it. Go figure...
I'm a tone guy so I get it. My rig sounds best at a certain volume and I could care less what the sound guy thinks about it. If he's any good then he'll figure it out.
@@fullclipaudio Exactly. It's not his job to voice an opinion about it anyway. He's there for the band, not the other way around. Some engineers don't quite get that, for some reason. Especially the "failed rock star turned engineer" type. I don't need their personal opinion delivered to my face. I need them to do their bloody job!
I was playing at a little bar with my trio, and the owners wife comes up and tells us to turn it down. My drummer gets on the mic and says "they want us to turn it down folks what do you think". The whole place roars CRANK IT UP. no more problems the whole night, we were asked back many times, and did gigs for a yacht club as a result. Let the bands rock
It's a tool. If it sounds like that, it's because you programmed it to be that. All on you, Boomer. It can sound as good or as sterile as your imagination, or in your case stubborn luddite closed head....so probably bad.
Right on. The two loudest concerts I've experienced was BOC and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Both of them were close to face melt bleeding ears. But the Scorpions from the Blackout tour was up there too. Never saw Grand Funk Railroad. Got to love them days.
Brad, this video makes me want to dust off my full stack and piss off some neighbors (hopefully a block or two away). Best SPF yet! I have 24 years in guitar and 22 as a sound engineer. I've played and engineered everything from worship music to death metal. The sterility of everything nowadays has really killed much of the passion I had for both disciplines. But hearing the wall of sound Warriors such as yourself is invigorating. Keep it up! Love both channels. Thank you for the hours of entertainment you have given us!
Man what you said about life stress killing your passion is something that has weighed heavy on me the past few months. I'll have been playing for 30 years in 2020 and I have always loved to play and inspiration has always rushed through me except for the past few months. To the point I have actually thought fuck it I'm done I'm sick of only getting to jam alone. I work to much and have been to occupied with home repairs . the computer in my truck injector driver on cylinder 2 and 6 shit out. so my parents have a suburban they only use to pull boat to their place at lake . I borrowed it and the fuel pump took a shit in a 2 hour parking spot at the county court house where I just paid my child support for the month. Ok shit happens later in the week hot water faucet broke in my shower and it's so old i have to replace the whole bath/shower faucet. In trying to check if the hot water line could be cut off independently i broke the fucking pipe coming through the floor under the kitchen sink as well as cracked the pipe outside some how or my dog pushed up against it who knows. Wife has been staying with her mom cause her mom is in really bad health and broke her leg and cant get around. So it wasnt until last month the 3rd shift maintenance that I work at a plastic injection molding company. decided we were getting cut loose because lack of being able to keep production workers staffed to even run a proper shift. No warning just hit us with it one morning before we were getting ready to leave. Said when they get people hired and trained to run a 3rd shift they would call us first if we wanted to come back. Was to disgusted and didnt really believe they wouldn't try to fit us on another shift or something. So I didnt load my toolbox up that morning, also cause my truck is fucked and I'm driving my wifes car i didnt go get it for 2 days . some cock sucker broke into the top 2 drawers and stole some not cheap tools. Cant seem to get the head of maintenance to call me back over the issue cause he is a spineless weasel and would rather not deal with it then find out who did it since he dont have to see me anyway. They canned my actual supervisor a week before us but we had no idea cause we were told he had took some vacation. Still haven't heard what happened there. He had been there over 10 years me only 2. used to grab my guitar as a way to center myself when life served me shit sandwiches but not this time. I have never felt so fucking overwhelmed that I didnt care about guitar at all and really thought about just selling my guitars that I have always said I will keep till I die. my 1980 custom is really sentimental cause a norlin era custom was my dream guitar .and was only ever able to get one after I was burned pretty bad in an arc flash accident at my old job in 2014. my wife wanted me to set whatever a norlin custom would cost aside from the settlement and get it. cause I could have died and might not have that kinda extra money again for a long time. It was the only money I spent on anything like that. the rest went into bank. Anyway the spark of love for guitar came back yesterday when a maintenance position opened up at a fairly new company 1 mile from my house I been really wanting to apply to. I sent resume in at 630 in the morning but didnt think it sent so sent it again. By 2 PM I was in 2nd interview with maintenance supervisors and have interview with plant manager and meet CEO next week and they will set orientation date and went up 50cent higher than what I was making at job I just left. Me sending email twice by accident is what made them really look at my app and resume a little harder than what they had been while skimming through submission and seen my experience. Huge weight lifted off my back now I got my foot in the door. That night I had an urge to play the who on my sg classic and now feel like I'm gonna start down a new path music style wise then what I was sick of playing before. A new era in my guitar playing is starting and I think that huge pile of shit sandwiches I ate all at once caused a shutdown in my brain then when finally something random as shit that was really good happened. It rebooted my love and creativity. Sorry so long I was really bothered by my loss of love for something that has defined a huge part of who i am. 43 now and also have not stopped contemplating the short amount and fast approaching time that I may or mynot haveleft. if I'm lucky and live till early 70s wich is average Male life span. It's a life altering thing when the road in front of you starts becoming alot shorter then the road behind you. At least i feel better knowing that I'm pretty sure my guitars will still be going down that road with me and not left behind as something i used to like to do.
@@therover4141 I feel you on this story. I went through a few phases like that between 25 and 35 years of age (I'll be 37 in July). Never apologize to anyone for telling your story, especially when it has such a wonderful outcome. Before I landed my job I currently have, I had relocated from San Diego to Houston for 6 months. The grass looked much greener, so I packed up and spent the $3,000 to make the move. However, I just couldn't find the kind of work I was looking for. Also, I had a job fall through at the last second due to a voicemail never showing up on my phone about them simply wanting to push my start date back 3 days. When I didn't call them back they assumed I didn't want the position and gave it away. That led to me applying to places both in Houston and back in San Diego. I got a call almost immediately for a similar spot back out here and flew out for the interview. I got hired and spent another $3000 to move back and buy the tools necessary for the job. Come to find out that I was being hired by the asshole by force from upper management. He had been told to add one more person and he didn't agree with them. So he hired me (knowing full well how much I was spending to relocate and buy tools), never gave me a single work order in 3 weeks (which I asked for literally 3 or 4 times a day) and then told management that he didn't have enough work for me and that I was unmotivated. He fired me after 3 1/2 weeks. That led to 2 months of sleeping on an air mattress in my mom's apartment in a senior community. Such a wonderful place in life to be at 31 years old. But her support and my patience paid off big time. Not 6 weeks later I was offered an amazing job with a very rich high school district. June 16th will mark 5 years that I've been working there and I make more than double the money I ever would have had that previous job worked out. I would have just had another "job" to go along with the dozens of others I've had. Now I am established in an actual career, making the kind of money I can support a family with. Come January 2020, I'll be inquiring about a position with one of my vendors and the possibilities there are pretty much endless. So, just like you, an inrush of horrible luck led to a wonderful outcome in the end. Thank you for sharing your story with strangers. It has reminded me that I need to remain thankful for where I am, even on the bad days. I pray that your new position leads to opportunities you never dreamed of. Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend and play that custom guitar loud and proud! I'll try and do the same. Rock on brother
Dude A car has nothing to do with live music. The problem is everyone's a judge eventhough we're all individuals. Every car except 1 I've had is a Subaru. Been to over 100 live shows, love to crank my guitar so loud I get the cops called and I love cars that won't kill me on the snow and ice. You know who calls the cops on me. Judgmental folks like you in most cases. Me and you are individuals not the majority. Just because most seem stupid doesn't mean they actually are. It's the tv brainwashing you to hate and divide. Everyone has a unique story. Collectivists are the problem.
I found myself thinking "what an old fuddy duddy Brad is becoming"... I agree 100% with your thoughts, but I AM an old fuddy duddy... at least my kids say so. LOL, Brad you are the same age as my oldest son!
Yeah, acoustic guitar piezo (aka Fishman) pickups suck for live in-your-face playing. Instead get a circa 70's -80's **DeArmond 260 Acoustic Guitar sound hole Pickup**. I had one that happened to have the brochure with it...after reading it I immediately understood why this pick-up blew the other sound hole pick-ups and straight piezo pick-ups away. The *DeArmond 260* is actually both a magnetic wire wound pickup AND a piezo pickup! All I know is that DeArmond did it right! I've gigged out playing my 260 pickup exclusively for years, through a Fender Princeton (1970ish Silver Face, all tube amp). I play urban folk...ugly, pretty, sweet-feedback, warts and all...ride that bull!
I use some amp modling but i insist on taking my full stack to gigs , i always get told you dont need that because we will mic you up . Thats great mate but a tiny combo or rack does not give the same stage presence as a full stack
I remember a David Gilmore commenting long ago about standing in front of stacks of amps and speaker cabinets, and feeling the power coming from them. He said it felt as if he could lean back into it and it would hold him up. This feeling must have inspired many artists to create many different songs. I imagine the song sorrow created this way.
Outstanding rant - worthy of someone twenty years older! I'm 66 and figure it's time to hand my Marshall JCM1000 and the 4 x12 cab to my younger son. Last rock gig I remember that gave me that great post gig feeling was Jeff Beck when he toured with Jennifer Batten. Jeff definitely did not turn the volume down. Keep 'em coming......
I have the same rant when it comes to LD's (Lighting Designers), where Sir (insert name here) is the 'Star' of the show featuring (insert band name here), where I would refer to him as the Duke of Wiglylight, Earl of Smoke, and Chancellor to the Strobes. Point being, they're dictating where my guy has to be positioned (out of his comfort zone) just to suit "their" needs. BTW... I'm glad you mentioned that you were 41 years old, which would mean that I guitar & amp tech'd my first #1 album before you were born and can Laughingly say... that at 66, I've already forgotten more than you already know. I love your channel, I watch it every week, You were spot on this week Brad!
Man you talking about the kids jamming in their garage and the sterile thing really hit home.Im 15 I want to jam with kids in a garage but theres no one who wants to do that anymore and just make noise,everyone wants to be famous and be “safe” like you said and do school of rock(which is the soccer practice equivalent of lessons)where they do the perfect setup for your favorite band,they teach you exactly what you need and nothing more on being a individual player and getting a unique style,not lessons in the basement of your local guitar store with a underground local virtuoso or a wannabe one.Things really are exactly what you were saying,I just want to crank my half stack and go crazy man.Your the voice we need to call out the bullshit.Keep of the great work.Rock on🤘🏻
I think danger never can travel with you, it jumps away from every settling generation. Through the years it jumped from rock to punk to rap to metal to hardcore house etc. Every new genre gets mainstream in the end. The only way to keep living dangerously is embracing the new styles emerging. In time of course, far before it gets mainstream. Danger never is where you expect it.
Wow! You brought back memories. There WAS actually a neighbor with their garage door open one summer. Talkin’ circa 69 or 70. I was 8 or 9 years old. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then, at some point in the mid 70s saw a band at a back yard party, mic’d up and everything . Big Altec A7 “voice of the theater” speakers as their mains. It sounded awesome.
Wow you brought up a lot of memories. My son and his friends had the whole living room to use, I even had a drum kit for them to use. Also when I ran sound we would set the volume during sound check. And I would bring up the lead as needed. But some songs the guitar player would jump ahead of me and just go for it. We had blast !
Did a casino gig recently, fairly large room, so I brought in my Marshall JVM410H and a 2x12 Marshall cab. During levels check I was fairly low on stage, yet the sound guy came up and said I was too loud. I said "No problem" and went out and grabbed my Epiphone Valve Jr. from the car and plugged it in, set about 11:00 on the volume knob. He was finishing up drum levels when he came back to me and said "You're still a bit loud, can you turn it down more?" I said "Dude, this is only 5 watts and it's not even half way up! The drums are louder than I am and I can barely hear it now." He said "I can put you up more in your monitor." I said "That's OK, never mind, I'll fix it myself", and plugged the Marshall back in and turned it up a bit more than before... Just so I could hear it above the drums on stage. He never said another thing but pulled my guitar completely out of the FOH mix. People kept coming up to the stage saying they couldn't hear the guitar, and asking if I could turn up. I didn't touch a thing and told them to go bitch at the sound guy. My point is, I will try to compromise, up to a point, but after that still doesn't please them, I'm gonna do what it takes to make sure I'm playing and sounding my best for the band so they can play and sound their best for the band. Nearly everyone knows, when the band is having a great time on stage, the crowd starts having a great time too. When the crowd has a great time, the band has a better performance, which feeds the crowd even more. Volume-wise, be respectful to the venue and don't overload it with noise, but it's a live music venue, not a damn library.
There are times when I like to experience a band and still be able to talk without screaming at the person next to me, but if everyone's there for an event, they expect a certain level of energy. The equipment should serve the production of energy. If an artist isn't feeling the energy onstage, he'll have none to give. The circuit between he and his audience is open.
Hey, Brad, that was great felt good to hear! Coincidentally, I heard the show Joe B. put on here in Munich as his next to last, 49th of 50 this year in Europe. He moved around quite a lot, had Mr. Reese Winans on keys, 2 horns(one with vocals, too), 2 singers, drums and bass. I'm a good deal older than you at 66, but my mid-20's son, who pounds a pretty mean drumkit and is a lot more into metal, really thought it was pretty good. We were close enough that it was a bit too loud sometimes, but the energy of the band was to my eyes downright awesome, they were really in what I would term flow for about 80 percent of the time. Joe played a massively well-modulated acoustic solo after he'd already said, "Good night!" the first time which felt like about 20 minutes. Then the band came back and did another song to close. I really enjoyed it. I don't go to concerts often, but that was definitely worth the time, braving the rainstorms and the money. Thanks for the vid and keep it up. Your expletives are not my style or habit, but the southern flavor comes through nicely.
Brad, I went to Yngwie last night at a fantastic small venue called the Tupelo Music Hall up here in NH. Character-wise.. merch-wise and vocal-wise he's on the low end of the scale, imho.. but holy shit can he play prodigally. He is clearly addicted to crowd admiration. Louder than most all the shows I've seen in the late 70s early 80s with what looked like 17 of the massive wall of Marshal heads powered. He moved around the whole stage for a variety of feedback effects. ✌
Oh, I wish I could afford a half-stack. But, I'm not wealthy. I'd love to have a nice Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier or a Marshall. But, also, I'm retired from the music business. I play mostly for myself and a few friends now when I upload songs to TH-cam or I play live over a voice chat. Back in the day, I had a Gibson SG Series amp. It had 4 12's or 10's in it - can't remember. But, it was cool and loud enough for what I needed. All I used for effects were a DOD O/D Plus pedal and a DOD EQ Pedal. That was it. These days, I'll use modeling amps and sims/plugins because I don't play out anymore. I couldn't even BEGIN to imagine someone playing one of them on a stage! Plus, I don't go for getting the solos note-for-note that I play by other guitarist. I'll take detours. Heck, sometimes, I'll improvise the whole solo and other parts of the songs. Purists scoff at that. But, I really don't care. They're not my audience. My friends and other guitarists who think like me are my audience. And we get along fine.
Rock just shared the fate of jazz. Jazz was also considered to be "dangerous music", but after they`ve started to teach jazz at schools it became music for snobs. The young generation has a way of expressing itself and piss off their parents, don`t worry, check out the channel "Soph" on yt- it`s not music but it`s impressive and made by a 14 year old.
"We used to jam in Joe's garage behind a beat-up Dodge With a cheesy little amp With a sign on the front that said, 'Fender Champ' And a second-hand guitar; It was a Stratocaster with a whammy-bar(!) And we only knew one song........"
Son's band played in my basement. So loud I couldn't hear the tv. I'd open the door and yell play the one you know and they would laugh and carry on. Now he is out of college and still comes up; now invites me to come down and play the one I know. I love it.
Totally agree with the soundman comments if you just get a house engineer or one from the touring company. Come on now Brad; the sound guys have always been in control and it has been long known that casual gifts to the crew and extra help packing cables and PA gear goes a long way towards getting your mix the way YOU want it. At least that was my experience; 88- 94. New England, NY, PA, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Louisville; venues from Bowling Alleys to crowds of 8k. Having your own sound guy as an actual band member for years, seems a different animal. We would run practice with the soundman, work out dynamics, effects, vocals. He was our 5th Beatle. Cheers to Ribbon Powers if he still lives and breathes.
I remember going to a Buddy Guy gig about 15 years ago in Australia. I got two tickets at the rear of the hall - the last row with one seat vacant in the aisle. Buddy Guy likes to strap on his wireless guitar towards the end of some gigs and roam around the audience playing a guitar solo. As He walked up the aisle, I remember thinking to myself "Oh oh, he's heading our way". I was wearing a big akubra hat and he was was wearing a woven woolen type beanie. Buddy sat right next to me, took off my hat and swapped it with his. And then continued playing his solo whilst sitting in the seat next to me. Some things you dont forget
Best live shows I ever saw was Waylon in the 70s. He would come to Vegas 4-5 times a year. He was at his PEAK. He was loud and creative, like you said life changing. He and Steel Player par excellante Mr Ralph Mooney would trade licks and 5 minute melodic exchanges exploded on the hushed audience. He would play a country blues mix rhythmically and dynamically unlike any guitarist I have ever seen or heard on stage. RIP Ol Waylon.
As a musician, I recognize the uniqueness and importance of live performances. They're an event that cannot be compared to even the finest recordings. That said, I've only been to two rock performances in my life... both 20 years ago. Def Leppard and Santana. Why do I not go to live concerts today? The volume. I'm not arguing against the use of real amps here, even if the band is using one watt amplifiers, they're going to be isolated and driven to 140dB after being mic'd into the PA system. But I value my own hearing just as highly as the guys on stage value theirs... hell, I don't even go to movie theaters any more for the same reason. But I feel like everyone might be better off with a more organic system- amps driven to sound the way you want them to onstage, and a lower SPL but a more real sound for both the band and the audience.
I get what you mean. But maybe there is a solution to your problem. Earplugs. Not the kind that you get for mowing the lawn that blocks your canal totally, but there is now specialized stuff made for musicians, it does not muffle the sound, but turns it down while you can still enjoy the concert. You could test it at a movie theater first because that's cheaper and less noisy. Not sure where exactly to get them, or what kind to get. But I have had them before, and although they don't provide a 100% solution, it could be the thing for you if you would like to go to gigs, just don't like the loudness.
I'm hearing you. I feel the same. I like good sound levels but recently I saw the Foo Fighters and the volume was just ridiculous. The mix was also terrible. The bass drum drowning out the whole band.
The reasons we don’t just turn the guitar amps up and the PA down are 1) Coverage: “Behind the guitarist” is not the right place to put a guitar amp so that everyone can hear it well. If the back of the room can hear it from, the front of the room will be deafened by it. Same thing WRT being on the opposite side of the stage left to right. 2) Control: Sometimes the EQ that sounds good on stage is not the EQ that sounds good in the house.
Thats why I guit going to concerts in the late 90s everyone acted and tried to sound exactly the same.I missed the raw sound of the 70s and 80s when the bands tried to sound different.Aerosmith,Boston,Van Halen,Rush,AcDc,Thin Lizzy,Maiden,Megadeth,Metallica,Scorpions,Quennsryche,ect.I could go on and on.Miss the live shows that sounded live.
All these TH-camrs who play perfect who are not famous rocker's/guitarist is because there stuff is to perfect and over analyzed. So many are so obsessed with everything except the music and in that there is no filling. It don't move you like Hopkins, Redding or Cash. So yeah your spot on in this assessment.....
This hits a topic a guitarist once shared. He explained that the band we performed in was becoming boring because we played for those tiny periods of time in a performance where your spine tingled. You knew you were doing it right when you gave yourself the shivers from jamming. It leaves us, and then it returns. Another guitarist once said “if you want that big sound, you gotta carry that big shit” (reason he used a modeler is because he thought tube amps and stacks were too heavy to move around....meanwhile, I was setting up an Ampeg V4 to vibrate your spleen)
Kemper does give great options for a touring artist. Sound consistency for one. Also you don't have to cart, ship multiple amps and heads. It keeps costs down. I agree with you on most points. Cash is king. Therefore touring rigs need to be lean. Check out some new Akercoke or Xentrix live shows and they may change your mind as to the use of Kemper. I don't think fans now appreciate spontaneous playing. They don't buy cds so they hear a track.. They want that track live.. Like they are listening to the record, it is sad but that's the way it is going.
I understand the benefits. But an honest analysis of the benefits should come with an assessment of the real costs as well. I think one cost is complacency and routine, and ultimately lackluster live shows.
They learned that from modern pop music- which is almost all lip synced. It sounds just like the album, because it IS. It's all about the spectacle now- the choreographed dance moves, the lights and video. The music is just background noise. I mean come on- how can you NOT do it that way? You'd need to be in better shape than an olympic athlete, and have god-like cardio to sing while dancing like that. Mere humans would be gasping and panting like they were fixin to keel over a couple of songs in... Who wants to pay to listen to " HEEyy cough cough gasp CLEVELAND!!! pant pant" etc. listening to some sweaty chick panting in your ears like a fat guy on a treadmill...
I would say fuck what we think the audience “wants”. Give them what you have in you. Every great artist played what they wanted, how they wanted and brought the audience to them.
I'm privileged to rehearse at an office that a friend works at. Several of my friends have houses with jam rooms. So the only time I play in a garage is when I'm practicing by myself.
As a player I agree with you .I've been a guitarist since 1964, I'll be 70 in a few month's. I want to thank you. I am still playing and singing locally ,when I can. It is tough to play live anymore as the state of music has changed from analog to digital for most everything.in musical performances. Nobody wants to see a 69-70 year old Rock /blues player,unless he is a big name performer. I have practiced and then played out across the U.S. for all these many years ,I would be so grateful to play on stage as the Who does, and he (Daltry)is complaining for peoples smoking habits. .Daltry needs to retire . A rock show in not classical music. Many musicians are still trying to give the people what they want, Not complain about his headache. Keep on helping the young musicians understand what real Rock really is.,as well as helping us repair our Amps and Guitars. Thank you for all you do .on your channel.
My little Ac-15 sounds WAY more organic when miked with a beta 57 instead of with a direct plug in. And my acoustic drums are SO much lively and soulful than my e-kit. Totally different vibe.
right on! what an exciting, thought provoking, riveting video. a grand slam home run. i watched this great rant after my gig tonight thinking im guilty, but we rocked. we played songs from a guest that i never heard before, but my electric harley benton goes sans amp into the pa. i used a pedal (mooer pe100) that i've never used onstage before, but my regular is an rp200 and i sat in a chair, but i have MD. i'm going to share this so all those that think their original songs have to be perfect can loosen up and try it as it is. thank you.
I agree with the live show shit now. Half the time I think they are lip syncing and you might as well be listening to a record. Last Sunday my grandson graduated high school and a couple of his friends he plays with came over where we had a get together with family and friends. They pulled out the Yamaha bass, ES335, and Telecaster and started jamming. Most of the family didn’t even know he could play. It was the best live show I’ve seen in years. Rock back to its roots.
I was actually front row when the guitarist took the fireball to the face. He came back and his face was bright red from the burn. What a beast. Came back and was probably the best act of the day.
Great SPF! I agree whole heartedly with your opinions. Especially how sterile ax fx and kempers and turning down are making live shows anemic. Keep it up!
Hey Brad, Thank you for this video. I couldn't agree more about the live show rant. Kudos to you and Joe Bonommassa for lending a voice to what a lot of us musicians in the rock, punk. and metal genres have been thinking for quite a while now. This video should be required viewing for any musician in a band doing live shows today, and I myself, will be rewatching bits of it here and now to light a fire under my ass. Rock and Roll is dangerous, unpredictable, loud, aggressive and dirty. If you're not FEELING anything on stage, how the fuck do you expect to make the audience FEEL anything? If you're playing to click tracks and backing tracks through Kempers and profile amps, you're robbing yourself and you're audience. To me the live show is all about a transference of energy. When you are slamming your instrument playing your heart out, it transfers through the instrument through the amps and speakers, and to the audience. If you do it right, the audience will transfer that energy back. Kick the tires, light the fires, and let it fucking rip boys.
Wow, couldn't agree more!! Every word!! The PA is for vocals!!... Maybe a little drums, but an old school show where the guitar sounds are coming from guitar amplifiers are what Rock and roll is all about!!
Yes Brother, from time to time I keep coming back to this video because you say it in the way that it is what it is in today's music jam! No one cares about the blood, sweat and tears that you put into your playing, or know about the playing till your fingers bleed with blisters on blisters! I'm old, and old-school now, but I've had myself a blast on stage while getting the crowd off with the stage presence and while the music loud enough for you to feel it! You make me laugh about today's love in the music and how you explain it to everyone. Don't give into social media and what they expect you to say. I believe you should always say it from the heart and never sell your soul just for being liked on TH-cam!
Love them or hate them, Elvis, michael Jackson, Queen all played to the audience, thats whats now missing and thats why I dont bother to go to concerts any more. I really miss those old artists. But thats what big money does to activities that are popular, make everything perfect and you pay a fortune to go see them, jammin doesnt make big money.
The Grateful Dead disagree. Nobody else has made more money touring than the dead. All they do is jam. Letting the artist make art aka jamming is actually the only way to make real money.
Brad- As a semi-retired sound guy and current audio tech, i still do events at one venue. i am on the fence gear-wise about modeling or amps... i think each has their place live and studio. that's also my belief as a gigging musician. So, 1st time this U2 tribute band came thru, guitarist used a Helix (no amp). I HATED IT. wasn't his fault at all, i felt. he had well constructed Edge-tones; it just didn't have that SOMETHING to it. 2nd time he had the Helix AND a little modern Vox tube amp combo as a monitor to the Helix with no EQ. mic'd that at what i consider to be a pretty low level (of his choosing) - FANTASTIC results... go figure! Regarding in ear monitors - i've had success with them and also total fails with them playing live. they have worked well playing live when we use them in rehearsals beforehand, and literally bring in our own in ear rigs - preset to rehearsal levels for each us - dialed in already and we just plug and play. other successes all involve trusted sound techs who know how to properly do in ear monitor mixes. I completely agree though - it can take the 000MMPH out of the stage feeling. ironically, our (loud) rock drummer likes the ears setup; he always complained in the past with traditional monitor setups that everything was competing with the guitar unnecessarily -in loudness. now he's going to the ears with a shaker setup for the low end, ideally, and we'll see if that gives it some life back for him... his dynamics are way better these days in any case. all this becsuse the guitarist still uses his Marshall Major - and it's no joke! *Love your channel BTW
you are absolutely right about risk of failure during live performances. A friend & myself started performing at local basement shows (hardly even shows, only 60-70 people) earlier this month. It's the first exposure I've had to playing in front of a group of folks, & man, the risk of failure is what makes it such a huge rush! There's nothing like that moment when you realize you have NO IDEA where you are in the set & make eye contact with your band mate to see he's in the exact same place you are- its sink or swim, & the key to making it work is not being afraid of sinking EDIT: Yes, garage bands are still a thing. We aren't kids anymore (I'm 24) but we're still rockin out in basements & garages all over Pennsylvania
Bloody spot on mate ! I'm 56 and I heard " Made in Japan " first time in -79 and i was blown away ! Then I heard " Machine Head " and I thought it was so stiff in comparison. Though well rehearsed, you've got to let go and dare. Not my language but you get the point. Cheers from sweden
My first concert in 1971, was Steppenwolf, Zephyr with Tommy Bolin was the opening act. I have never been to such a loud concert since! (I've seen almost every body except Jimi, Zepplin,& Stones). Steppenwolf had HUGE Marshall speakers stacked at least 4 high, covering the entire back of the stage. I was 14 my ears rang for 3 days. But no other concert, even Grand Funk was that loud. When Steppenwolf kicked off, we were actually holding our ears, none of our parents stereos could even come close. I've heard there are bands that have empty cabs stacked up behind them,(to me that's almost heresy). But those were the days of the "Wall of sound" & they weren't bullshitting. I remember Deep Purple played a concert so loud several people were rendered unconscious! That's real Rock n Roll! I agree, rock has definitely become more tame since the late 60s early 70s. The last concert I went to was BB King in 1989 or 1990. Figured I needed to see him before he passed, which would be years later. Any way.
Hey Brad, you wanna see a stellar, off the rails, lightning in a bottle live show, watch a Guided by Voices show. Frontman Robert Pollard is a force of nature, and this new years eve GBV is playing a 100 song set list in one night!
Saw GBV 3 times, all shows were around 3 hours long, they played all original songs , drinking booze up there, real RocknRoll brotherhood vibes incredible experience.... Was in 2001 and 2002 something you never forget!!
Billy Joe Shaver was one of the most exciting artists I have ever seen. For a seventy something year old with a 3 piece band behind him he put on one rowdy raw show. Elvin Bishop was another great show. A band called the Delta Generators opened for him. They are a phenomenal blues band from the Boston area. Ray Wylie Hubbard put on a fantastic show. He's a hell of a story teller. These are all showmen. True performers. Music from their heart. Best overall performer I ever saw in concert was Leon Russell. Each time I saw him he played over 2 hours and didn't take a break between songs long enough for his band to take a sip of their drinks. The New Riders of the Purple Sage played a different set list every night. They also would add a song here and there by request. They're on a hiatus right now but I'm hoping they tour again. The Marshall Tucker band would venture off on a tangent of solos that sometimes lasted so long the audience would forget what song they were playing. But ocassionally those solos would would become a masterpiece of live playing. I sat front row, feet on the stage, arm resting on a sub cabinet at a Joe Bonamassa show at a 300 seat club a while back. Great show and loud. I don't know if he still does it but he was doing his own guitar tech stuff on stage before the show.
Oh, apologies for the comment spam, but also the most common application of a Kemper I’ve seen is guitar to Kemper, output of Kemper into the power amp insert of a JCM900 (or something tube based with an FX loop). FOH takes a mic to the cab under the tube based amp and the direct off the Kemper and blends the two, and the player gets the response of an onstage cabinet with the option of switching from a Marshall sound, to a Fender sound, to a whatever sound. Sure you could do this with real amps and ABY boxes, but it’d be a heavier truck pack, more points of failure, and a higher input count for mics on the audio consoles VS Kemper with one cabinet and one or two mics. Believe it or not, if an amp fails and there are technical difficulties on stage, there will be a boat load of audience members who demand their money back because the show wasn’t perfect. That’s a significant part of why artists play it safe, by my perspective. The audience demands perfection. Maybe you, I, and most of your audience are the exception, but there enough of the other mindset that it has sort of dictated how we do things live.
My beef isn't even really with Kempers. They are just emblematic of something deeper really. I should have made this more plain in the rant. My beef is with the striving toward perfection. It is a noble pursuit, but as one approaches attainment, other less tangible aspects of an artistic performance are totally lost. The humanity and realness of a performance suffer.
You mean like how if you’d edited and sterilized your rant to perfection, it may have lost some of its pizzazz and gusto? ;) Your point came across with feeling. I’m just playing devil’s advocate, as is my usual custom.
D E M O N E T I Z E D Sorry Brad, this video goes to the D zone due too many F words BUT I FUCKING loved it Best rant in SPF in a while. Agreed with you: small combo amps for me. You zoomers keep your kempers. Cheers!
Kilovolver zoomers. Hadn’t heard that one! However, I think millennials are the only youngins that can afford a kemper. I prefer old solid state amps. The clipping has something more mathematical going on than tubes to me. My old kustom is the best amp I’ve used.
@@graxjpg Its the antagonist word to Boomers that we (old people) use to refer to the generation Zs. Jeez Im not even a boomer, proud late Gen X here. Yes , gimme some Roland made in japan amp, gimme some peavey red stripe, gimme some jazz chorus even ffs... why not? solid, tube, whatever... just keeping it real will make the difference, as Brad said. Cheers y'all
It’s nice to hear someone my age that thinks the way I do. I usually hate people voicing their opinions but when they’re the same as mine I could listen to them all day. Take it easy Brad. I’ll listen again next week.
We used to do soundboard tapes of every show. We met and smoked up this eccentric sound man at The Fine Line (downtown mpls.), we had to pay for a tape from. He bragged about how great he was going to make us sound and then went ahead and decided to throw walls of reverb, delay, chorus and flanging on pretty much everything. We couldn't tell onstage until we listened to the tape back at the studio. We were a stripped down, no frills rock and roll band and he made us sound like Dokken.
You know what man, you really nailed it on the topic of live performance and playing real, loud, really loud amplifiers! As an aspiring young guitarist, I know what that's like to be mixed out of your painting you've spent so long painting for everyone. I was just playing earlier today as loud as I could handle it, and it was a glorious adrenaline rush! I really watch the loud loud volume and I take care of my hearing, but when it's time to rock it's time to fucking rock! My friends and I do play in the basement, and we do play in the garage. We ride the bull Brad, and I'm so glad you do too!
Go to a Black Stone Cherry show. They still rock out old school. I agree with you that there was a reason for the energy of the old days. Love your channel.
I agree 100%......when I played in a band in the late 60's through the 70's there were no sound engineers, no stage monitors...Our manager would stand at the back of the venue ,have us set up and play...and we would make adjustments by him directing us to up or down instruments and mikes...Every venue was different....played at school dances,clubs,block parties and my favorite, Beer Blasts!!!! With all the practice especially vocals sometimes it was difficult to hear yourself in a live setting..If you made a mistake sometimes the crowd wouldn't notice but the guys in the band would give you that" corner of the eye" look...you knew, they knew, you fucked up...Live performance was great because you connected with the people. It was always a party...miss it!!
If I could go back... It would probably be a Ted Nugent show between 1973-1977 on an huge open field with Ted's Brownface Fenders and Derek's screaming Marshalls, it just don't get better than that.
Right on Brad! I'm the lead guitar player in this little bluesrock band and I love playing super loud, it just brings life to the amp and tone and enhances the human element of it. But I find that everytime we go to play live, WE have no control of OUR sound it's just one big fight with the sound guy that lasts the entire set. More sound guys needs to hear this!
As a 30 year veteran of playing in virtually every bar/pub in the south, I couldn't agree more..That's the main reason we gig with our own sound guy..Most in-house sound guys don't know their ass from a hole in the ground..As a 4 piece it's not that hard of a mix, but it's usually the vocals that suffer because most don't understand the law of frequency..It can be very frustrating.
If you understand resonance and the same is true of amplification to a degree, the overtones and general flow you get say from a cello when your vibrato isn’t cac, feels very wonderful and incomparable to a kontakt 100g library.
So... you don’t like guitar thieves then? Perhaps we could let this dude loose on a few stages just before showtime and let him swipe a few Kempers. Introduce a last minute sense of danger to the players. YOuTube and other social media is ultimately at the service of marketing. The idea being sold to the public is that you just need this gear to make you a good player, and now you need gear that won’t offend anyone. As long as access to the gear and music and opportunity to play is so easy, there be no rock n roll. The irony is that Bonamassa is often seen as typical of what happens when all the ingredients for a style is perfect; somehow sterile and lacking.
I remember back in the late '70' & '80's, when you bought a Marshall, it sounded like a Marshall, Peavey like Peavey, Fender like Fender, you had to pull out your sound, not everybody else's sound !!!
I did say I'm sure even a Kemper could be a great tool, I just think people have fallen into this mindset of turning down the backline, programming everything up front, and relying on the soundman. The results are lackluster, predictable live rock shows that people forget in a month.
Agreed. The Kemper is my favorite of the bunch. I've used a ton of modelers in my day; but they are always just better when put through a power amp into a traditional guitar cab. Silent stages (and really anything remotely associated with this type of mindset) are just weird to me.
I get the no amps thing,but I really miss seeing a cool back line.I always wish that guys who film live shows would take a minute or two to scan the back line for us gear junkies.
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One of the characteristics of vintage tube amps that endears them to us all is their inherent imperfection......out of spec resistors and capacitors, frazzled tubes, worn speaker suspension, etc. etc. all conspiring to create tone that can affect you to the core. Perfection is predictable and tends to become tiresome, while imperfection is often the vehicle of true genius.
Amen Doug, Amen. What Brad talks about with regards to kids and garage bands is absolutely spot on. I ask the kids in town what they get up to after school and work and they never mention anything to do with making music themselves. I find that astounding given the level of quality you can buy today at the entry level (amps, instruments etc). They must be out there somewhere or at least I hope they are.
T O N E
Skynyrd never needed pyrotechnics they had their guitars and walls of Peavey Mace!
“Perfect is the enemy of good” -Voltaire
"le mieux est l’ennemi du bien" c'est une citation de Montesquieu!
"I love the sound of distortion from the speakers you can lean back on it"....David Gilmour
Home Owners Associations have ensured kids cant practice in the Garage anymore.
Another collection of control freak Nazis. I deliberately bought my house OUTSIDE the nearby HOA.
I once lived in a HOA where they called a tow truck on a cop car because the rules said no marked vehicles.
The tow truck guy said his truck was broken when he saw what they wanted him to do.
Wow.....Really? Having said that, a neighbour recently called at my house and informed me he doesn't like the smell of my woodburning stove and hinted on the legality of it. (They plan on banning house coal here in the U.K). I was more annoyed at myself for my diplomatic explanation. Later I filled it full of shit wood and wet leaves for smoke enhancement. Smoke dissipates though, garage bands have to face the flack. My heart goes out to those kids
It's not just music, we've sucked the danger out of life itself. That's why there are so many stupid people around.
Remember the 70's- 80's when many parents thought nothing of sending their ten year old on a bus or plane across the country, solo; to spend a month with grampa and grandma.
Was very common.
@@joelspaulding5964 And nowadays you're considered an unfit parent if you let your kids go to the corner playground by themselves.
@@joelspaulding5964 As a 6 year-old kid in the 80s my parents would let me walk to school (2 kilometers away), everyday, on my own.
They weren't afraid nor was I.
It was also socially acceptable.
@Dewey Rayburn - Oh, I am SURE there were as many weirdos preying on kids back in the 70's-80's and before. It just wasn't being used to make money/get cheap votes for politicians. I walked a mile to school every day when I was 7-8 years old. I also mowed lawns at 10 or so and hopped the town bus to the city to go to the movies or the arcade. No one ever approached me - or any of my friends who did the same. These days, the media manipulates fear along with those who would profit from that fear.
@Dewey Rayburn
Sorry, the number of " molesters" per capita hasn't change in any statistically significant manner.
It was probably far more dangerous in 1975 than today-
We stopped teaching sense, personal responsibility and we no longer accept that life on Earth is dangerous and despite our best efforts- things can happen. Be prepared and be sensible...oh wait...
I'm 67, and I realize that the days are gone, where 95% of the audience could NOT do what you did! Where it mattered that you had a look and sound different than the audience did!
Inside every sound engineer's body there's a guitar hero or drum demon dying to come out, but alas, the audiophile control freak always wins. I actually had one explain to me that "the band just plays the music. I am the conductor, the one that brings the music together." So, I stepped back and viewed the arc of the sky over his shoulders in an attempt to grasp the totality of his ego.
So HE"S the lowest common denominator
I've been to a couple of concerts that had AWFUL sound engineers.
And some that had AMAZING engineers. They have a lot of power to hurt your sound, OR make it absolutely mind-blowing.
This is why larger bands bring their own sound engineers.
I hate sterile shit. I love small clubs with crappy amplification (that is set up well enough). I totally get what you mean. Perfection kills everyting. Perfect is too good.
Where you have to walk the room to find the sweet spot
Will pass on crappy amplification.
Small clubs, decent amplification works for me.
I will never have to worry about perfection; so at least i have that going.
Playing / watching a small venue vs Arena shows, I'd rather watch the small venues, I feel they have more life to them!!
Rock N Roll is best performed on a bar room floor.
I'll be playing my 50watt JCM800 through my greenback cab full throttle till the day I die 😁
Right on! And I'll be annoying the shit out of the decibel police with my Fender Twin Reverb until I snuff it.
Im not fortunite to own those amps,but I stayed away from these modeling ams,I bought a orange crush 35rt thats atleast a anolog amp without a huge board with burnt resistors and poor quality,till I get some decent cash this little thing is impressive.Rock on guys.
Just got a jcm800 studio....just not interested in a profiler....I just want overdriven valves getting hammered by a gibson pickup....
@@torahwarrior2442 i bet,love my lester,im sure there are better pickups,but les paul is a 2000 classic,with the 496r and 500t potted but uncovered ceramic hot pups.Right now thats the nature of the beast but I love the thin 60'z neck,the plain top is pretty with nice grain and yet has a lil flame on the bottom edges also👌,it has its needs,like a new nut i bought,and graghtech saddle savors for the abr-1 because someone before me decided that the screws for intonation would go toward the tail peice like a nashville bridge and now the saddles are all jacked.The low e sits way high,and the high e sits in a loose big gap,plus the strings want to hit the screws unless the tail piece is pretty high,thats no where near the 17° the headstock angle is.i apoligize for the long comment.Im just a guitar nerd
The louder you play the tighter you need to be. When you have it completely screwed down its not perceived as loud anymore. Its perceived as powerful. Big big difference. Yup. 3 chords and the truth always at the most effective volume. Dont let anyone tell you different.
Brad, this is the one Shit Post Friday that has resonated the most with me. By several country miles. Front-of-house engineers that complain to us- a hard rock trio playing old school seventies-ish stuff- for actually using our amps... Oh, we've had them! Last this spring. We played a gig about two months ago. During sound check, I got the call to do my line check. I did what I allways do, set my Fender Twin to a smirge over four on the volume dial (I use a Mesa Boogie V Twin for distortion), and played at maximum intensity of what I was going to do during our set. Just as you're supposed to during a sound check.
This cretin just walks up to the edge of the stage and commands me to turn my amp down after five seconds. When it comes the bass players turn, same deal. He too plays throu a big valve amp (Orange 200 watt). By this time we had to give him a big telling off, basically telling him to stuff his personal views up the backside and get on with the job of setting the sound. After a bit he looses the attitude, as me and the bass player together can bring just about any idiot into submission if we have to. We turned our amps back up to where they were supposed to be, and the gig went like a charm. Even the audience loved it. Go figure...
I'm a tone guy so I get it. My rig sounds best at a certain volume and I could care less what the sound guy thinks about it. If he's any good then he'll figure it out.
@@fullclipaudio Exactly. It's not his job to voice an opinion about it anyway. He's there for the band, not the other way around. Some engineers don't quite get that, for some reason. Especially the "failed rock star turned engineer" type. I don't need their personal opinion delivered to my face. I need them to do their bloody job!
I was playing at a little bar with my trio, and the owners wife comes up and tells us to turn it down. My drummer gets on the mic and says "they want us to turn it down folks what do you think". The whole place roars CRANK IT UP. no more problems the whole night, we were asked back many times, and did gigs for a yacht club as a result. Let the bands rock
Nothing beats raw rocking and feedback when needed back in the 70 you went to a concert and your ears would ring for days!Cheers Brad
That's why I love BlackBerry Smoke. Loud and pure rock n roll.
Brad ..... Western Culture has become a Gay Disco.
The term you're looking for is Globo Homo Gayplex
Lebanon?
Bunch of old geezers
Lol...nice
Poor dear.
Kemper = "Anemic Vegan" sounding lunchbox packed with "safe sounds" for Anemic Vegan Hippster guitar players ;)
It's a tool. If it sounds like that, it's because you programmed it to be that. All on you, Boomer. It can sound as good or as sterile as your imagination, or in your case stubborn luddite closed head....so probably bad.
The year 1979
The Place OKC
The Band. BOC
The Tour Mirrors
Seven dollar general admission ticket
Hearing damage was priceless
1971, Albuquerque, D.O.A. Opening for Grand Funk Railroad, hearing aids couple thou.
Right on.
The two loudest concerts I've experienced was BOC and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Both of them were close to face melt bleeding ears. But the Scorpions from the Blackout tour was up there too. Never saw Grand Funk Railroad. Got to love them days.
Nuge was always loud.
Brad, this video makes me want to dust off my full stack and piss off some neighbors (hopefully a block or two away). Best SPF yet! I have 24 years in guitar and 22 as a sound engineer. I've played and engineered everything from worship music to death metal. The sterility of everything nowadays has really killed much of the passion I had for both disciplines. But hearing the wall of sound Warriors such as yourself is invigorating. Keep it up! Love both channels. Thank you for the hours of entertainment you have given us!
Man what you said about life stress killing your passion is something that has weighed heavy on me the past few months. I'll have been playing for 30 years in 2020 and I have always loved to play and inspiration has always rushed through me except for the past few months. To the point I have actually thought fuck it I'm done I'm sick of only getting to jam alone. I work to much and have been to occupied with home repairs . the computer in my truck injector driver on cylinder 2 and 6 shit out. so my parents have a suburban they only use to pull boat to their place at lake . I borrowed it and the fuel pump took a shit in a 2 hour parking spot at the county court house where I just paid my child support for the month. Ok shit happens later in the week hot water faucet broke in my shower and it's so old i have to replace the whole bath/shower faucet. In trying to check if the hot water line could be cut off independently i broke the fucking pipe coming through the floor under the kitchen sink as well as cracked the pipe outside some how or my dog pushed up against it who knows. Wife has been staying with her mom cause her mom is in really bad health and broke her leg and cant get around. So it wasnt until last month the 3rd shift maintenance that I work at a plastic injection molding company. decided we were getting cut loose because lack of being able to keep production workers staffed to even run a proper shift. No warning just hit us with it one morning before we were getting ready to leave. Said when they get people hired and trained to run a 3rd shift they would call us first if we wanted to come back. Was to disgusted and didnt really believe they wouldn't try to fit us on another shift or something. So I didnt load my toolbox up that morning, also cause my truck is fucked and I'm driving my wifes car i didnt go get it for 2 days . some cock sucker broke into the top 2 drawers and stole some not cheap tools. Cant seem to get the head of maintenance to call me back over the issue cause he is a spineless weasel and would rather not deal with it then find out who did it since he dont have to see me anyway. They canned my actual supervisor a week before us but we had no idea cause we were told he had took some vacation. Still haven't heard what happened there. He had been there over 10 years me only 2. used to grab my guitar as a way to center myself when life served me shit sandwiches but not this time. I have never felt so fucking overwhelmed that I didnt care about guitar at all and really thought about just selling my guitars that I have always said I will keep till I die. my 1980 custom is really sentimental cause a norlin era custom was my dream guitar .and was only ever able to get one after I was burned pretty bad in an arc flash accident at my old job in 2014. my wife wanted me to set whatever a norlin custom would cost aside from the settlement and get it. cause I could have died and might not have that kinda extra money again for a long time. It was the only money I spent on anything like that. the rest went into bank. Anyway the spark of love for guitar came back yesterday when a maintenance position opened up at a fairly new company 1 mile from my house I been really wanting to apply to. I sent resume in at 630 in the morning but didnt think it sent so sent it again. By 2 PM I was in 2nd interview with maintenance supervisors and have interview with plant manager and meet CEO next week and they will set orientation date and went up 50cent higher than what I was making at job I just left. Me sending email twice by accident is what made them really look at my app and resume a little harder than what they had been while skimming through submission and seen my experience. Huge weight lifted off my back now I got my foot in the door. That night I had an urge to play the who on my sg classic and now feel like I'm gonna start down a new path music style wise then what I was sick of playing before. A new era in my guitar playing is starting and I think that huge pile of shit sandwiches I ate all at once caused a shutdown in my brain then when finally something random as shit that was really good happened. It rebooted my love and creativity. Sorry so long I was really bothered by my loss of love for something that has defined a huge part of who i am. 43 now and also have not stopped contemplating the short amount and fast approaching time that I may or mynot haveleft. if I'm lucky and live till early 70s wich is average Male life span. It's a life altering thing when the road in front of you starts becoming alot shorter then the road behind you. At least i feel better knowing that I'm pretty sure my guitars will still be going down that road with me and not left behind as something i used to like to do.
@@therover4141 I feel you on this story. I went through a few phases like that between 25 and 35 years of age (I'll be 37 in July). Never apologize to anyone for telling your story, especially when it has such a wonderful outcome. Before I landed my job I currently have, I had relocated from San Diego to Houston for 6 months. The grass looked much greener, so I packed up and spent the $3,000 to make the move. However, I just couldn't find the kind of work I was looking for. Also, I had a job fall through at the last second due to a voicemail never showing up on my phone about them simply wanting to push my start date back 3 days. When I didn't call them back they assumed I didn't want the position and gave it away. That led to me applying to places both in Houston and back in San Diego. I got a call almost immediately for a similar spot back out here and flew out for the interview. I got hired and spent another $3000 to move back and buy the tools necessary for the job. Come to find out that I was being hired by the asshole by force from upper management. He had been told to add one more person and he didn't agree with them. So he hired me (knowing full well how much I was spending to relocate and buy tools), never gave me a single work order in 3 weeks (which I asked for literally 3 or 4 times a day) and then told management that he didn't have enough work for me and that I was unmotivated. He fired me after 3 1/2 weeks. That led to 2 months of sleeping on an air mattress in my mom's apartment in a senior community. Such a wonderful place in life to be at 31 years old.
But her support and my patience paid off big time. Not 6 weeks later I was offered an amazing job with a very rich high school district. June 16th will mark 5 years that I've been working there and I make more than double the money I ever would have had that previous job worked out. I would have just had another "job" to go along with the dozens of others I've had. Now I am established in an actual career, making the kind of money I can support a family with. Come January 2020, I'll be inquiring about a position with one of my vendors and the possibilities there are pretty much endless. So, just like you, an inrush of horrible luck led to a wonderful outcome in the end. Thank you for sharing your story with strangers. It has reminded me that I need to remain thankful for where I am, even on the bad days. I pray that your new position leads to opportunities you never dreamed of. Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend and play that custom guitar loud and proud! I'll try and do the same. Rock on brother
Love this video. So much TRUTH. I also remember growing up, almost every neighborhood had a band jamming in the basement or garage.
@Dewey Rayburn Way cool
Your on point about live shows. You need four things to rock and roll..A guitar, a cord, an amp, and more guts than brains.. That's rock and roll.
This is truth...though there has to be a lower cutoff for the brains/guts ratio.🎸
Who needs pyrotechnics? I only care about the music.
NOT OFFENDED HERE!!!. and your totally right, the youth today all live there lives in a "Subaru" and have lost that 67 Chevelle feeling!!!!
@@goodun6081 your SOOOO missing the point lol...
Dude A car has nothing to do with live music. The problem is everyone's a judge eventhough we're all individuals. Every car except 1 I've had is a Subaru. Been to over 100 live shows, love to crank my guitar so loud I get the cops called and I love cars that won't kill me on the snow and ice. You know who calls the cops on me. Judgmental folks like you in most cases. Me and you are individuals not the majority. Just because most seem stupid doesn't mean they actually are. It's the tv brainwashing you to hate and divide. Everyone has a unique story. Collectivists are the problem.
I found myself thinking "what an old fuddy duddy Brad is becoming"... I agree 100% with your thoughts, but I AM an old fuddy duddy... at least my kids say so. LOL, Brad you are the same age as my oldest son!
Then dont be a boring old dude, it is all in your head.
@@mikemadden2729 Not trippin' but totally buzzed. Yes, we do!
Scissorfight disappeared for 10 years.
Blood, Rust, and Dust was just released yesterday.....
My favorite drop A band.
Music is not dead in NH!
Yeah, acoustic guitar piezo (aka Fishman) pickups suck for live in-your-face playing. Instead get a circa 70's -80's **DeArmond 260 Acoustic Guitar sound hole Pickup**. I had one that happened to have the brochure with it...after reading it I immediately understood why this pick-up blew the other sound hole pick-ups and straight piezo pick-ups away. The *DeArmond 260* is actually both a magnetic wire wound pickup AND a piezo pickup! All I know is that DeArmond did it right! I've gigged out playing my 260 pickup exclusively for years, through a Fender Princeton (1970ish Silver Face, all tube amp). I play urban folk...ugly, pretty, sweet-feedback, warts and all...ride that bull!
I use some amp modling but i insist on taking my full stack to gigs , i always get told you dont need that because we will mic you up . Thats great mate but a tiny combo or rack does not give the same stage presence as a full stack
You need to be able to let go of the guitar with the knob on 10 and hear it scream at you.
I remember a David Gilmore commenting long ago about standing in front of stacks of amps and speaker cabinets, and feeling the power coming from them. He said it felt as if he could lean back into it and it would hold him up. This feeling must have inspired many artists to create many different songs. I imagine the song sorrow created this way.
Outstanding rant - worthy of someone twenty years older! I'm 66 and figure it's time to hand my Marshall JCM1000 and the 4 x12 cab to my younger son. Last rock gig I remember that gave me that great post gig feeling was Jeff Beck when he toured with Jennifer Batten. Jeff definitely did not turn the volume down. Keep 'em coming......
I have the same rant when it comes to LD's (Lighting Designers), where Sir (insert name here) is the 'Star' of the show featuring (insert band name here), where I would refer to him as the Duke of Wiglylight, Earl of Smoke, and Chancellor to the Strobes. Point being, they're dictating where my guy has to be positioned (out of his comfort zone) just to suit "their" needs.
BTW... I'm glad you mentioned that you were 41 years old, which would mean that I guitar & amp tech'd my first #1 album before you were born and can Laughingly say... that at 66, I've already forgotten more than you already know. I love your channel, I watch it every week, You were spot on this week Brad!
Another good point. When things turn too "professional", something gets lost. It's like the difference between real folk music and Broadway.
Just had band practice today and we were rocking the shit out of our amps 10's up 🤘🤘
Man you talking about the kids jamming in their garage and the sterile thing really hit home.Im 15 I want to jam with kids in a garage but theres no one who wants to do that anymore and just make noise,everyone wants to be famous and be “safe” like you said and do school of rock(which is the soccer practice equivalent of lessons)where they do the perfect setup for your favorite band,they teach you exactly what you need and nothing more on being a individual player and getting a unique style,not lessons in the basement of your local guitar store with a underground local virtuoso or a wannabe one.Things really are exactly what you were saying,I just want to crank my half stack and go crazy man.Your the voice we need to call out the bullshit.Keep of the great work.Rock on🤘🏻
I think danger never can travel with you, it jumps away from every settling generation. Through the years it jumped from rock to punk to rap to metal to hardcore house etc. Every new genre gets mainstream in the end. The only way to keep living dangerously is embracing the new styles emerging. In time of course, far before it gets mainstream. Danger never is where you expect it.
Wow! You brought back memories. There WAS actually a neighbor with their garage door open one summer. Talkin’ circa 69 or 70. I was 8 or 9 years old. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then, at some point in the mid 70s saw a band at a back yard party, mic’d up and everything . Big Altec A7 “voice of the theater” speakers as their mains. It sounded awesome.
Wow you brought up a lot of memories. My son and his friends had the whole living room to use, I even had a drum kit for them to use. Also when I ran sound we would set the volume during sound check. And I would bring up the lead as needed. But some songs the guitar player would jump ahead of me and just go for it. We had blast !
Did a casino gig recently, fairly large room, so I brought in my Marshall JVM410H and a 2x12 Marshall cab. During levels check I was fairly low on stage, yet the sound guy came up and said I was too loud. I said "No problem" and went out and grabbed my Epiphone Valve Jr. from the car and plugged it in, set about 11:00 on the volume knob. He was finishing up drum levels when he came back to me and said "You're still a bit loud, can you turn it down more?" I said "Dude, this is only 5 watts and it's not even half way up! The drums are louder than I am and I can barely hear it now." He said "I can put you up more in your monitor." I said "That's OK, never mind, I'll fix it myself", and plugged the Marshall back in and turned it up a bit more than before... Just so I could hear it above the drums on stage. He never said another thing but pulled my guitar completely out of the FOH mix. People kept coming up to the stage saying they couldn't hear the guitar, and asking if I could turn up. I didn't touch a thing and told them to go bitch at the sound guy. My point is, I will try to compromise, up to a point, but after that still doesn't please them, I'm gonna do what it takes to make sure I'm playing and sounding my best for the band so they can play and sound their best for the band. Nearly everyone knows, when the band is having a great time on stage, the crowd starts having a great time too. When the crowd has a great time, the band has a better performance, which feeds the crowd even more. Volume-wise, be respectful to the venue and don't overload it with noise, but it's a live music venue, not a damn library.
There are times when I like to experience a band and still be able to talk without screaming at the person next to me, but if everyone's there for an event, they expect a certain level of energy. The equipment should serve the production of energy. If an artist isn't feeling the energy onstage, he'll have none to give. The circuit between he and his audience is open.
Everytime I see pyrotechnics I think of the Station fire in Rhode Island. It doesn't get any more unsafe than that.
Tragic day. I live a few miles from there. Never forget that night. RIP 🎸😢
Hey, Brad, that was great felt good to hear! Coincidentally, I heard the show Joe B. put on here in Munich as his next to last, 49th of 50 this year in Europe. He moved around quite a lot, had Mr. Reese Winans on keys, 2 horns(one with vocals, too), 2 singers, drums and bass. I'm a good deal older than you at 66, but my mid-20's son, who pounds a pretty mean drumkit and is a lot more into metal, really thought it was pretty good. We were close enough that it was a bit too loud sometimes, but the energy of the band was to my eyes downright awesome, they were really in what I would term flow for about 80 percent of the time. Joe played a massively well-modulated acoustic solo after he'd already said, "Good night!" the first time which felt like about 20 minutes. Then the band came back and did another song to close. I really enjoyed it. I don't go to concerts often, but that was definitely worth the time, braving the rainstorms and the money. Thanks for the vid and keep it up. Your expletives are not my style or habit, but the southern flavor comes through nicely.
Brad, I went to Yngwie last night at a fantastic small venue called the Tupelo Music Hall up here in NH.
Character-wise.. merch-wise and vocal-wise he's on the low end of the scale, imho.. but holy shit can he play prodigally. He is clearly addicted to crowd admiration.
Louder than most all the shows I've seen in the late 70s early 80s with what looked like 17 of the massive wall of Marshal heads powered.
He moved around the whole stage for a variety of feedback effects.
✌
Oh, I wish I could afford a half-stack. But, I'm not wealthy. I'd love to have a nice Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier or a Marshall. But, also, I'm retired from the music business. I play mostly for myself and a few friends now when I upload songs to TH-cam or I play live over a voice chat. Back in the day, I had a Gibson SG Series amp. It had 4 12's or 10's in it - can't remember. But, it was cool and loud enough for what I needed. All I used for effects were a DOD O/D Plus pedal and a DOD EQ Pedal. That was it. These days, I'll use modeling amps and sims/plugins because I don't play out anymore. I couldn't even BEGIN to imagine someone playing one of them on a stage! Plus, I don't go for getting the solos note-for-note that I play by other guitarist. I'll take detours. Heck, sometimes, I'll improvise the whole solo and other parts of the songs. Purists scoff at that. But, I really don't care. They're not my audience. My friends and other guitarists who think like me are my audience. And we get along fine.
Rock just shared the fate of jazz. Jazz was also considered to be "dangerous music", but after they`ve started to teach jazz at schools it became music for snobs.
The young generation has a way of expressing itself and piss off their parents, don`t worry, check out the channel "Soph" on yt- it`s not music but it`s impressive and made by a 14 year old.
Facts
"We used to jam in Joe's garage
behind a beat-up Dodge
With a cheesy little amp
With a sign on the front that said, 'Fender Champ'
And a second-hand guitar;
It was a Stratocaster with a whammy-bar(!)
And we only knew one song........"
Phrase of the year... " Teabagged by De-Monitization" I fukkin love it...
Son's band played in my basement. So loud I couldn't hear the tv. I'd open the door and yell play the one you know and they would laugh and carry on. Now he is out of college and still comes up; now invites me to come down and play the one I know. I love it.
Totally agree with the soundman comments if you just get a house engineer or one from the touring company.
Come on now Brad; the sound guys have always been in control and it has been long known that casual gifts to the crew and extra help packing cables and PA gear goes a long way towards getting your mix the way YOU want it.
At least that was my experience; 88- 94. New England, NY, PA, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Louisville; venues from Bowling Alleys to crowds of 8k.
Having your own sound guy as an actual band member for years, seems a different animal. We would run practice with the soundman, work out dynamics, effects, vocals. He was our 5th Beatle.
Cheers to Ribbon Powers if he still lives and breathes.
I remember going to a Buddy Guy gig about 15 years ago in Australia. I got two tickets at the rear of the hall - the last row with one seat vacant in the aisle. Buddy Guy likes to strap on his wireless guitar towards the end of some gigs and roam around the audience playing a guitar solo.
As He walked up the aisle, I remember thinking to myself "Oh oh, he's heading our way". I was wearing a big akubra hat and he was was wearing a woven woolen type beanie. Buddy sat right next to me, took off my hat and swapped it with his. And then continued playing his solo whilst sitting in the seat next to me. Some things you dont forget
Hell yeah Brad! Yell it from the mountain but not over 50db's.
Best live shows I ever saw was Waylon in the 70s. He would come to Vegas 4-5 times a year. He was at his PEAK. He was loud and creative, like you said life changing. He and Steel Player par excellante Mr Ralph Mooney would trade licks and 5 minute melodic exchanges exploded on the hushed audience. He would play a country blues mix rhythmically and dynamically unlike any guitarist I have ever seen or heard on stage. RIP Ol Waylon.
As a musician, I recognize the uniqueness and importance of live performances. They're an event that cannot be compared to even the finest recordings. That said, I've only been to two rock performances in my life... both 20 years ago. Def Leppard and Santana.
Why do I not go to live concerts today? The volume. I'm not arguing against the use of real amps here, even if the band is using one watt amplifiers, they're going to be isolated and driven to 140dB after being mic'd into the PA system. But I value my own hearing just as highly as the guys on stage value theirs... hell, I don't even go to movie theaters any more for the same reason. But I feel like everyone might be better off with a more organic system- amps driven to sound the way you want them to onstage, and a lower SPL but a more real sound for both the band and the audience.
I get what you mean. But maybe there is a solution to your problem. Earplugs. Not the kind that you get for mowing the lawn that blocks your canal totally, but there is now specialized stuff made for musicians, it does not muffle the sound, but turns it down while you can still enjoy the concert. You could test it at a movie theater first because that's cheaper and less noisy. Not sure where exactly to get them, or what kind to get. But I have had them before, and although they don't provide a 100% solution, it could be the thing for you if you would like to go to gigs, just don't like the loudness.
the rock You got that shit right. It’s not about the ears. It’s about the pounding in your chest.
I'm hearing you. I feel the same. I like good sound levels but recently I saw the Foo Fighters and the volume was just ridiculous. The mix was also terrible. The bass drum drowning out the whole band.
The reasons we don’t just turn the guitar amps up and the PA down are
1) Coverage: “Behind the guitarist” is not the right place to put a guitar amp so that everyone can hear it well. If the back of the room can hear it from, the front of the room will be deafened by it. Same thing WRT being on the opposite side of the stage left to right.
2) Control: Sometimes the EQ that sounds good on stage is not the EQ that sounds good in the house.
Oh, and movie volumes shouldn’t be loud enough to hurt your hearing... IIRC, theaters are _supposed_ to be calibrated so that won’t happen.
Thats why I guit going to concerts in the late 90s everyone acted and tried to sound exactly the same.I missed the raw sound of the 70s and 80s when the bands tried to sound different.Aerosmith,Boston,Van Halen,Rush,AcDc,Thin Lizzy,Maiden,Megadeth,Metallica,Scorpions,Quennsryche,ect.I could go on and on.Miss the live shows that sounded live.
HELL YEAH! Put a fresh RayoVac in grandpa's Honeytone, plug in the Silvertone and CRANK it !!! 😎👍
All these TH-camrs who play perfect who are not famous rocker's/guitarist is because there stuff is to perfect and over analyzed. So many are so obsessed with everything except the music and in that there is no filling. It don't move you like Hopkins, Redding or Cash.
So yeah your spot on in this assessment.....
when Moonie died so did the WHO.
This hits a topic a guitarist once shared. He explained that the band we performed in was becoming boring because we played for those tiny periods of time in a performance where your spine tingled. You knew you were doing it right when you gave yourself the shivers from jamming. It leaves us, and then it returns. Another guitarist once said “if you want that big sound, you gotta carry that big shit” (reason he used a modeler is because he thought tube amps and stacks were too heavy to move around....meanwhile, I was setting up an Ampeg V4 to vibrate your spleen)
Kemper does give great options for a touring artist. Sound consistency for one. Also you don't have to cart, ship multiple amps and heads. It keeps costs down. I agree with you on most points. Cash is king. Therefore touring rigs need to be lean. Check out some new Akercoke or Xentrix live shows and they may change your mind as to the use of Kemper. I don't think fans now appreciate spontaneous playing. They don't buy cds so they hear a track.. They want that track live.. Like they are listening to the record, it is sad but that's the way it is going.
I understand the benefits. But an honest analysis of the benefits should come with an assessment of the real costs as well. I think one cost is complacency and routine, and ultimately lackluster live shows.
They learned that from modern pop music- which is almost all lip synced. It sounds just like the album, because it IS. It's all about the spectacle now- the choreographed dance moves, the lights and video. The music is just background noise. I mean come on- how can you NOT do it that way? You'd need to be in better shape than an olympic athlete, and have god-like cardio to sing while dancing like that. Mere humans would be gasping and panting like they were fixin to keel over a couple of songs in... Who wants to pay to listen to " HEEyy cough cough gasp CLEVELAND!!! pant pant" etc. listening to some sweaty chick panting in your ears like a fat guy on a treadmill...
I would say fuck what we think the audience “wants”. Give them what you have in you. Every great artist played what they wanted, how they wanted and brought the audience to them.
That first time through my Own Half Stack was Breathtaking, the resonance and sustain, the FEEDBACK made a Smile that lasted for a week or lonnger
Wait... I'm 43...I'm the one still jammin in the garage with bands! This was a great vid.
I'm privileged to rehearse at an office that a friend works at. Several of my friends have houses with jam rooms. So the only time I play in a garage is when I'm practicing by myself.
As a player I agree with you .I've been a guitarist since 1964, I'll be 70 in a few month's. I want to thank you. I am still playing and singing locally ,when I can. It is tough to play live anymore as the state of music has changed from analog to digital for most everything.in musical performances. Nobody wants to see a 69-70 year old Rock /blues player,unless he is a big name performer. I have practiced and then played out across the U.S. for all these many years ,I would be so grateful to play on stage as the Who does, and he (Daltry)is complaining for peoples smoking habits. .Daltry needs to retire . A rock show in not classical music. Many musicians are still trying to give the people what they want, Not complain about his headache. Keep on helping the young musicians understand what real Rock really is.,as well as helping us repair our Amps and Guitars. Thank you for all you do .on your channel.
Best Video You've Done In A While! Loved it!
My little Ac-15 sounds WAY more organic when miked with a beta 57 instead of with a direct plug in. And my acoustic drums are SO much lively and soulful than my e-kit. Totally different vibe.
"Sometimes you got to cut a Motherf*****s hands off" - Guitologist quote of the year.
right on! what an exciting, thought provoking, riveting video. a grand slam home run. i watched this great rant after my gig tonight thinking im guilty, but we rocked. we played songs from a guest that i never heard before, but my electric harley benton goes sans amp into the pa. i used a pedal (mooer pe100) that i've never used onstage before, but my regular is an rp200 and i sat in a chair, but i have MD. i'm going to share this so all those that think their original songs have to be perfect can loosen up and try it as it is. thank you.
I agree with the live show shit now. Half the time I think they are lip syncing and you might as well be listening to a record. Last Sunday my grandson graduated high school and a couple of his friends he plays with came over where we had a get together with family and friends. They pulled out the Yamaha bass, ES335, and Telecaster and started jamming. Most of the family didn’t even know he could play. It was the best live show I’ve seen in years. Rock back to its roots.
Amazing, wonderful to hear that's being passed on.
My 16 year old@@TheGuitologist
I was actually front row when the guitarist took the fireball to the face. He came back and his face was bright red from the burn. What a beast. Came back and was probably the best act of the day.
Killer! You'll remember that the rest of your life too.
Great SPF! I agree whole heartedly with your opinions. Especially how sterile ax fx and kempers and turning down are making live shows anemic. Keep it up!
Guarantee you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Let people get their sound how they want, and they'll leave you as well.
Hey Brad, Thank you for this video. I couldn't agree more about the live show rant. Kudos to you and Joe Bonommassa for lending a voice to what a lot of us musicians in the rock, punk. and metal genres have been thinking for quite a while now. This video should be required viewing for any musician in a band doing live shows today, and I myself, will be rewatching bits of it here and now to light a fire under my ass.
Rock and Roll is dangerous, unpredictable, loud, aggressive and dirty. If you're not FEELING anything on stage, how the fuck do you expect to make the audience FEEL anything? If you're playing to click tracks and backing tracks through Kempers and profile amps, you're robbing yourself and you're audience. To me the live show is all about a transference of energy. When you are slamming your instrument playing your heart out, it transfers through the instrument through the amps and speakers, and to the audience. If you do it right, the audience will transfer that energy back.
Kick the tires, light the fires, and let it fucking rip boys.
Jagger.....damn...what a inspiration.
Hard to not say he is at his prime
Wow, couldn't agree more!! Every word!! The PA is for vocals!!... Maybe a little drums, but an old school show where the guitar sounds are coming from guitar amplifiers are what Rock and roll is all about!!
king gizzard and the lizard wizard, orb, AMYL and the sniffers, murlocs... Brad you gotta check out Flightless Records
Yes Brother, from time to time I keep coming back to this video because you say it in the way that it is what it is in today's music jam! No one cares about the blood, sweat and tears that you put into your playing, or know about the playing till your fingers bleed with blisters on blisters! I'm old, and old-school now, but I've had myself a blast on stage while getting the crowd off with the stage presence and while the music loud enough for you to feel it! You make me laugh about today's love in the music and how you explain it to everyone. Don't give into social media and what they expect you to say. I believe you should always say it from the heart and never sell your soul just for being liked on TH-cam!
Love them or hate them, Elvis, michael Jackson, Queen all played to the audience, thats whats now missing and thats why I dont bother to go to concerts any more. I really miss those old artists.
But thats what big money does to activities that are popular, make everything perfect and you pay a fortune to go see them, jammin doesnt make big money.
The Grateful Dead disagree. Nobody else has made more money touring than the dead.
All they do is jam.
Letting the artist make art aka jamming is actually the only way to make real money.
Exceptions rule
Cool fact dude.
Thanks
Brad- As a semi-retired sound guy and current audio tech, i still do events at one venue. i am on the fence gear-wise about modeling or amps... i think each has their place live and studio. that's also my belief as a gigging musician. So, 1st time this U2 tribute band came thru, guitarist used a Helix (no amp). I HATED IT. wasn't his fault at all, i felt. he had well constructed Edge-tones; it just didn't have that SOMETHING to it. 2nd time he had the Helix AND a little modern Vox tube amp combo as a monitor to the Helix with no EQ. mic'd that at what i consider to be a pretty low level (of his choosing) - FANTASTIC results... go figure!
Regarding in ear monitors - i've had success with them and also total fails with them playing live. they have worked well playing live when we use them in rehearsals beforehand, and literally bring in our own in ear rigs - preset to rehearsal levels for each us - dialed in already and we just plug and play. other successes all involve trusted sound techs who know how to properly do in ear monitor mixes. I completely agree though - it can take the 000MMPH out of the stage feeling. ironically, our (loud) rock drummer likes the ears setup; he always complained in the past with traditional monitor setups that everything was competing with the guitar unnecessarily -in loudness. now he's going to the ears with a shaker setup for the low end, ideally, and we'll see if that gives it some life back for him... his dynamics are way better these days in any case. all this becsuse the guitarist still uses his Marshall Major - and it's no joke! *Love your channel BTW
"We can jam in Joe's garage"
Turn it down! Don't you boys know any NICE songs?
Get some cards printed up for a couple of bucks.
Come on by
Paul Caton ❤️
and ask kids now how many of them HAVE A GARAGE!..they might find one at there grandparents that live 3 states away.
you are absolutely right about risk of failure during live performances. A friend & myself started performing at local basement shows (hardly even shows, only 60-70 people) earlier this month. It's the first exposure I've had to playing in front of a group of folks, & man, the risk of failure is what makes it such a huge rush! There's nothing like that moment when you realize you have NO IDEA where you are in the set & make eye contact with your band mate to see he's in the exact same place you are- its sink or swim, & the key to making it work is not being afraid of sinking
EDIT: Yes, garage bands are still a thing. We aren't kids anymore (I'm 24) but we're still rockin out in basements & garages all over Pennsylvania
Bloody spot on mate !
I'm 56 and I heard " Made in Japan " first time in -79 and i was blown away ! Then I heard " Machine Head " and I thought it was so stiff in comparison. Though well rehearsed, you've got to let go and dare.
Not my language but you get the point.
Cheers from sweden
Jerker Fridh Dude “Made in Japan” is full of studio overdubs, still a great album 😎
My first concert in 1971, was Steppenwolf, Zephyr with Tommy Bolin was the opening act. I have never been to such a loud concert since! (I've seen almost every body except Jimi, Zepplin,& Stones). Steppenwolf had HUGE Marshall speakers stacked at least 4 high, covering the entire back of the stage. I was 14 my ears rang for 3 days. But no other concert, even Grand Funk was that loud. When Steppenwolf kicked off, we were actually holding our ears, none of our parents stereos could even come close. I've heard there are bands that have empty cabs stacked up behind them,(to me that's almost heresy). But those were the days of the "Wall of sound" & they weren't bullshitting. I remember Deep Purple played a concert so loud several people were rendered unconscious! That's real Rock n Roll! I agree, rock has definitely become more tame since the late 60s early 70s. The last concert I went to was BB King in 1989 or 1990. Figured I needed to see him before he passed, which would be years later. Any way.
Hey Brad, you wanna see a stellar, off the rails, lightning in a bottle live show, watch a Guided by Voices show. Frontman Robert Pollard is a force of nature, and this new years eve GBV is playing a 100 song set list in one night!
JustinBiebersCorpse great band but never a female to be found in the audience
Saw GBV 3 times, all shows were around 3 hours long, they played all original songs , drinking booze up there, real RocknRoll brotherhood vibes incredible experience.... Was in 2001 and 2002 something you never forget!!
Billy Joe Shaver was one of the most exciting artists I have ever seen. For a seventy something year old with a 3 piece band behind him he put on one rowdy raw show. Elvin Bishop was another great show. A band called the Delta Generators opened for him. They are a phenomenal blues band from the Boston area. Ray Wylie Hubbard put on a fantastic show. He's a hell of a story teller. These are all showmen. True performers. Music from their heart. Best overall performer I ever saw in concert was Leon Russell. Each time I saw him he played over 2 hours and didn't take a break between songs long enough for his band to take a sip of their drinks. The New Riders of the Purple Sage played a different set list every night. They also would add a song here and there by request. They're on a hiatus right now but I'm hoping they tour again. The Marshall Tucker band would venture off on a tangent of solos that sometimes lasted so long the audience would forget what song they were playing. But ocassionally those solos would would become a masterpiece of live playing.
I sat front row, feet on the stage, arm resting on a sub cabinet at a Joe Bonamassa show at a 300 seat club a while back. Great show and loud. I don't know if he still does it but he was doing his own guitar tech stuff on stage before the show.
Black Sabbath through Kempers! If my parents knew what I did at band practice(or after) they would have shit!
Occasionally, we did that on accident too...
Oh, apologies for the comment spam, but also the most common application of a Kemper I’ve seen is guitar to Kemper, output of Kemper into the power amp insert of a JCM900 (or something tube based with an FX loop). FOH takes a mic to the cab under the tube based amp and the direct off the Kemper and blends the two, and the player gets the response of an onstage cabinet with the option of switching from a Marshall sound, to a Fender sound, to a whatever sound. Sure you could do this with real amps and ABY boxes, but it’d be a heavier truck pack, more points of failure, and a higher input count for mics on the audio consoles VS Kemper with one cabinet and one or two mics.
Believe it or not, if an amp fails and there are technical difficulties on stage, there will be a boat load of audience members who demand their money back because the show wasn’t perfect. That’s a significant part of why artists play it safe, by my perspective. The audience demands perfection. Maybe you, I, and most of your audience are the exception, but there enough of the other mindset that it has sort of dictated how we do things live.
My beef isn't even really with Kempers. They are just emblematic of something deeper really. I should have made this more plain in the rant. My beef is with the striving toward perfection. It is a noble pursuit, but as one approaches attainment, other less tangible aspects of an artistic performance are totally lost. The humanity and realness of a performance suffer.
You mean like how if you’d edited and sterilized your rant to perfection, it may have lost some of its pizzazz and gusto? ;)
Your point came across with feeling. I’m just playing devil’s advocate, as is my usual custom.
D E M O N E T I Z E D Sorry Brad, this video goes to the D zone due too many F words BUT
I FUCKING loved it
Best rant in SPF in a while. Agreed with you: small combo amps for me. You zoomers keep your kempers. Cheers!
Kilovolver zoomers. Hadn’t heard that one! However, I think millennials are the only youngins that can afford a kemper. I prefer old solid state amps. The clipping has something more mathematical going on than tubes to me. My old kustom is the best amp I’ve used.
@@graxjpg Its the antagonist word to Boomers that we (old people) use to refer to the generation Zs. Jeez Im not even a boomer, proud late Gen X here. Yes , gimme some Roland made in japan amp, gimme some peavey red stripe, gimme some jazz chorus even ffs... why not? solid, tube, whatever... just keeping it real will make the difference, as Brad said. Cheers y'all
Kilovolver amen!
I've heard that this will be "Poo Post Friday" from now on and Brad will be a hologram controlled by Alexa.
It’s nice to hear someone my age that thinks the way I do. I usually hate people voicing their opinions but when they’re the same as mine I could listen to them all day. Take it easy Brad. I’ll listen again next week.
A Face in the Crowd (1957)...great movie! Love that Vitajex!
We used to do soundboard tapes of every show. We met and smoked up this eccentric sound man at The Fine Line (downtown mpls.), we had to pay for a tape from. He bragged about how great he was going to make us sound and then went ahead and decided to throw walls of reverb, delay, chorus and flanging on pretty much everything. We couldn't tell onstage until we listened to the tape back at the studio. We were a stripped down, no frills rock and roll band and he made us sound like Dokken.
Music is a human function. We ain't perfect.
You know what man, you really nailed it on the topic of live performance and playing real, loud, really loud amplifiers! As an aspiring young guitarist, I know what that's like to be mixed out of your painting you've spent so long painting for everyone. I was just playing earlier today as loud as I could handle it, and it was a glorious adrenaline rush! I really watch the loud loud volume and I take care of my hearing, but when it's time to rock it's time to fucking rock! My friends and I do play in the basement, and we do play in the garage. We ride the bull Brad, and I'm so glad you do too!
Go to a Black Stone Cherry show. They still rock out old school. I agree with you that there was a reason for the energy of the old days. Love your channel.
So true. Nothing beats the feeling of standing in front of a 4x12 and feeling that chord vibrate through your body!
Ya kinda lost me on bashing the guitar shaped hotel. I think it's really cool. Why NOT have a guitar shaped hotel?
Fair point...but it's a casino. Casinos are bastions of fake experience.
The Guitologist oh I agree. Never been a fan of Casinos. However I’ve been to Vegas many many times. Never gambling. Conventions and sightseeing.
I agree 100%......when I played in a band in the late 60's through the 70's there were no sound engineers, no stage monitors...Our manager would stand at the back of the venue ,have us set up and play...and we would make adjustments by him directing us to up or down instruments and mikes...Every venue was different....played at school dances,clubs,block parties and my favorite, Beer Blasts!!!! With all the practice especially vocals sometimes it was difficult to hear yourself in a live setting..If you made a mistake sometimes the crowd wouldn't notice but the guys in the band would give you that" corner of the eye" look...you knew, they knew, you fucked up...Live performance was great because you connected with the people. It was always a party...miss it!!
1978, Front row, Erie Pa. Van Halen/Black Sabbath. The loudest, greatest day of my youth!
If I could go back... It would probably be a Ted Nugent show between 1973-1977 on an huge open field with Ted's Brownface Fenders and Derek's screaming Marshalls, it just don't get better than that.
Right on Brad! I'm the lead guitar player in this little bluesrock band and I love playing super loud, it just brings life to the amp and tone and enhances the human element of it. But I find that everytime we go to play live, WE have no control of OUR sound it's just one big fight with the sound guy that lasts the entire set. More sound guys needs to hear this!
this was proper spf content.
As a 30 year veteran of playing in virtually every bar/pub in the south, I couldn't agree more..That's the main reason we gig with our own sound guy..Most in-house sound guys don't know their ass from a hole in the ground..As a 4 piece it's not that hard of a mix, but it's usually the vocals that suffer because most don't understand the law of frequency..It can be very frustrating.
That guitar thief's mugshot looks like Carl Spackler from Caddyshack. Doodie!
Lmao
Cinderella story..
If you understand resonance and the same is true of amplification to a degree, the overtones and general flow you get say from a cello when your vibrato isn’t cac, feels very wonderful and incomparable to a kontakt 100g library.
So... you don’t like guitar thieves then? Perhaps we could let this dude loose on a few stages just before showtime and let him swipe a few Kempers. Introduce a last minute sense of danger to the players. YOuTube and other social media is ultimately at the service of marketing. The idea being sold to the public is that you just need this gear to make you a good player, and now you need gear that won’t offend anyone. As long as access to the gear and music and opportunity to play is so easy, there be no rock n roll. The irony is that Bonamassa is often seen as typical of what happens when all the ingredients for a style is perfect; somehow sterile and lacking.
The thing I miss the most about playing live was that uncertainty before stepping on the stage. The feeling that I was about to board a ride.
Brad: Poontang Boomerang...
Just sayins all...
Thanks for all this 😁👍
I remember back in the late '70' & '80's, when you bought a Marshall, it sounded like a Marshall, Peavey like Peavey, Fender like Fender, you had to pull out your sound, not everybody else's sound !!!
Have you ever used a Kemper? You're missing out! Play it (very) loud through a 4x12 \m/
JiveTurkey, yeah. Even a tube guy like Brad, double blind.... Could he tell the difference?? The boys from Anderton's couldn't....
I get his whole point and actually agree with pretty much everything he is saying from 13, 14 minutes on though. Good SPF.
I did say I'm sure even a Kemper could be a great tool, I just think people have fallen into this mindset of turning down the backline, programming everything up front, and relying on the soundman. The results are lackluster, predictable live rock shows that people forget in a month.
Agreed. The Kemper is my favorite of the bunch. I've used a ton of modelers in my day; but they are always just better when put through a power amp into a traditional guitar cab.
Silent stages (and really anything remotely associated with this type of mindset) are just weird to me.
@@leesbassment6393 Rob Chapman and Lee Anderton have something to sell you. Brad's just telling you what's on his mind.
Just saw Mark Knopfler this week. I did wonder about the no amps on stage. Thanks for clearing that up. He was great. Cheers and be lucky.
Thanks for the comment.
I get the no amps thing,but I really miss seeing a cool back line.I always wish that guys who film live shows would take a minute or two to scan the back line for us gear junkies.
Thank you. There is a video on my channel of the gig.
That just don't even look right these "clean stages" even when they put the amps / cabs off stage it just don't look right.
Love your rant! Best ShitPost Friday you ever made...