My "other" hobby...

Roddie.
We used Pro Tools for our last recording. Makes life really easy. A guy we know had a home studio so he was really generous & didn't charge too much. Previously we had to pay for studio time with an engineer, so it puts you under enormous pressure to get things done quickly. You don't always end up with the results you want becaue you end up accepting a "good enough" take rather than your best.

Our first album was recorded on an old Betamax recorder which caused continuous problems. We also wasted a heap of time trying to sound-proof the rooms we recorded in, discovering later that it really didn't make that much difference to the end product.

Hopefully we can get something new done this year (new year's resolution) and have something available for our fans. They keep asking at gigs & we only have the last album to sell, which is about 5 years old now.

Thanks Roddie and Oldenginerod for the kind comments and sharing your active experiences as music performers. Gee, what a small world we live in. I find it interesting here in CEF that we all share similar interests and abilities in modeling, motorcycles and music.

I've got a Roland Boss 600 multitrack recorder. It's got 2 channels for active recording and the other 4 for playback during recording. With a built in drum machine and looping sequencer, capability to accept midi files, etc., it is more of a guitarist's companion. I'm still learning the ropes on it, but I can take a backing track, convert to format it accepts and upload it through my PC. The internal mikes in it aren't that sophisticated but do a decent job of recording my sax playing considering.

My only experience with recording studios is back in the late 1980's, when my unit, the 300th Army Band, Army Reserve, Bell, CA went to a recording studio in east LA. The Army wanted to make a promotional 33-1/3rd LP for recruiting purposes. We were one of 3 reservist bands selected. They recorded 3 songs from us. I received a complimentary copy of the LP, has my name on the back of the jacket along with the other band members. When I find where I've stored it, will provide a photo of it.

In 1972, all graduating my friends from my rural high school in Waianae, Hawaii were joining the military service. I asked the Army recruiter, "What about band?" His answer surprised me. "I'll take you to the 264th Army Band (heaquarters band in Honolulu, Hawaii), if you pass the audition, I'll sign you up for the band option." 3 weeks later I was enroute to Fort Ord, California for basic combat training as a 02J Clarinet Player.

I tell people, "It was a tough job, but someone had to do it." The band's idea of bivouac was the Fairfield Inn.

George, That had to be a load of FUN!! I wish I'd done more travelling when I was a young man.. because who knows now if I'll ever get the chance. I have had great fun through all these years with my music though.

Rod, do you have means to convert analog audio to digital? The reason I ask is.. you could tape "live" shows off your mixer (RCA stereo jacks-Tape-out) to a HI-FI VCR deck (very good audio quality) as long as everyone's "mic'd-up" or "DI'd" through the mixer. If it's a decent mix.. it might be worth burning a dozen CD's to give to some of your select fans.. or raffle them off at a gig. It could be done on the cheap.. by printing your own labels too.

We played a gig this past Summer for the town of Uxbridge, Ma.. that was video'd by the local cable TV channel. The guy that filmed it, took our contact info.. and sent us all DVD's of the whole show. It came out awesome! I'm trying to figure out how I can upload it to YouTube. It's the whole show.. approximately 2 hours of music.

Just a New Year update.. Our Southern Rock band is in rehearsal mode. No gigs until sometime into April. This has been purposely scheduled this way for several years. The band never rehearses during the playing season, which usually spans from April through December. There is more motivation to rehearse this year. 2014 was a great year for the band. We made some smarter choices where booking is concerned.. and this led to more exposure.

Our front-man "Steve" and his wife recently went on a "Lynyrd Skynyrd Cruise" where there were several other up and coming Southern Rock bands who also performed. There was a contest.. and Steve won the opportunity to front a band called "Preacher Stone" and sing/perform their song "Not Today" during an actual show. Steve is super-critical.. and later told us that we are every bit as talented as any of the bands that played.. and then some.

We learned Not Today at rehearsal last Wed. night.. and NAILED it!! We also learned "Feel a Good One Coming On" by Blackberry Smoke who also performed on the Skynyrd cruise. Last year we learned "Up in Smoke" by Blackberry Smoke.. and it really goes over well. These songs have the "teeth" that Southern Rock is so well known for.. and an "edge" that you just don't find in other music genre's.

People have been requesting more "Kenny Wayne Sheppard", "Marshall Tucker" (Take the Highway..) and several other Southern-Rock covers. We occasionally tiptoe outside the genre.. with some Classic-Rock covers (Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith medleys that we put together) and some select Pop-Country.. Jason Aldeen's "The Only Way I Know", Toby Keith's "American Ride".. and we do a fun medley of "Midnight Rider" into "Man of Constant Sorrow". We will be resurrecting Skynyrd's "Working for MCA" this year.. after a 4 year absence.

Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to dominate our repertoire by 60-70%. We will not play "Free Bird".. for the lack of a 3rd lead-guitarist. This hasn't stopped even our regular fans from requesting it though. We actually did perform it about 4 years ago.. when we collaborated with two members of a defunct S/R band "Winwood Hollow".. whom we did a "Southern-Rock Booze-Cruise" with, out of Boston Harbor.

Although Freebird is not on this clip.. it's a little glimpse into the time we had on the Booze Cruise. Note that there are two keyboard players I'm the one on the left side.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdqgWjUCcq8

Will I scare the old people?



These are a few of my Nursing-Home "solo-gig" promotional photos..

Here's one of my favorites.. I call it "Roddie in the Headlights"



"Can I have a lift? I'm a poor Musician and can't afford a car.." I also can't orient an image correctly.

My mother, and mother in-law, ended their
days in the same nursing home a few years
ago. Bet they would have liked your performance.
Thanks for what you do Roddie.
Bob

dckrsn wrote:My mother, and mother in-law, ended their
days in the same nursing home a few years
ago.  Bet they would have liked your performance.
Thanks for what you do Roddie.
Bob

Hey Bob, Thank "You" for the support! I did this many years ago.. for a rather short time. This is a new business venture for me. It's going to take a while to get it off the ground.. but if you can make the people smile and sing; word travels fast today amongst Activity Directors in the region.

I can't say that this was successful on any level unfortunately. Most; if not all facilities book their entertainment a year in advance. Even after making numerous contacts.. I haven't had a single hit on my website, which is a blow to my ego.. sort of. That's ok.. because I'm back working a 40 hr./wk. job.. and the band bus. has picked back up again.

Being a piano/keyboard player is a double-edged sword. We're in high-demand.. but it's not like I can walk in anywhere like a guitarist.. and audition for a gig. Even with minimal gear it takes a while for me to set up to the point of making a decent impression.

At this point I'd have better luck auditioning on a weeknight at bars/taverns.. and play for an hour or so, to see if I can fill weekend slots when my band isn't booked.

Here's a link to my soundcloud page. I'll be uploading more tunes soon; some of which are originals.

https://soundcloud.com/roger-roddie-jordan

roddie wrote:I can't say that this was successful on any level unfortunately. Most; if not all facilities book their entertainment a year in advance. Even after making numerous contacts.. I haven't had a single hit on my website, which is a blow to my ego.. sort of. That's ok.. because I'm back working a 40 hr./wk. job.. and the band bus. has picked back up again.

Being a piano/keyboard player is a double-edged sword. We're in high-demand.. but it's not like I can walk in anywhere like a guitarist.. and audition for a gig. Even with minimal gear it takes a while for me to set up to the point of making a decent impression.

At this point I'd have better luck auditioning on a weeknight at bars/taverns.. and play for an hour or so, to see if I can fill weekend slots when my band isn't booked.

Here's a link to my soundcloud page. I'll be uploading more tunes soon; some of which are originals.

https://soundcloud.com/roger-roddie-jordan

Its Really Cool That some of us Model Aviation Enthusiast are into Playing Music, I play the Drums, I had a Red Metallic Pearl Drum set years ago, That was fun, But Now I am into Singing Karaoke at a Local Bar/Night Club, and i dont do to bad one of the songs I like to sing is, What Ever Lola wants, Lola gets, but I sub the Name Lola with Chellie , another song I sing is, Cruising by Huey Lewis, and Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin The People at the Bar/Club also Accuse me of Being a POOL SHARK well after a couple of Miller Light Beers, I dont do to bad at Pool Take care and Have fun, Chellie

very cool roddie!

grew up playing trumpet and singing in the church choir.  Switched to bass out of high school as my best friend was a lead guitarist and did the hard rock metal band thing for a while and also was roadie/sound man for my ex brother in law's southern rock band. put the bass down for 20 years and picked up the dulcimer (my dad makes them). still play dulcimer and picked the bass back up 4 years ago and play in my church's praise band. too much going on to think about getting something going with a band at least for now but, i have fun!

here's a throw back pic from the early 80's and we looked the part LOL!




now

my 5 string!


my praise band setup.  made the cabinet.. really work well.



chill'in with my dad playing some dulcimer


some of dad's inventory

me on the dulcimer. it has four tuners but i play it as a three string

Boy, Roger, that's a heck of a nice set of pipes y'all have in the church. My cousin builds pipe organs and pipes. He's been very hard of hearing since he was a child, but is a highly sought after pipe maker and tuner. They just about have to build a church around the organ. Retrofits are quite a challenge. I'm in awe of his craftsmanship. Your Dad is no slouch either, judging by the pictures of his Dulcimers. Like I said in an earlier post, some of you guy's hobbies make me feel like a simpleton by comparison. Not knocking myself either, but some of your talent sets are really admirable.
Rusty

RknRusty wrote:Boy, Roger, that's a heck of a nice set of pipes y'all have in the church. My cousin builds pipe organs and pipes. He's been very hard of hearing since he was a child, but is a highly sought after pipe maker and tuner. They just about have to build a church around the organ. Retrofits are quite a challenge. I'm in awe of his craftsmanship. Your Dad is no slouch either, judging by the pictures of his Dulcimers. Like I said in an earlier post, some of you guy's hobbies make me feel like a simpleton by comparison. Not knocking myself either, but some of your talent sets are really admirable.
Rusty

rusty i would say i have to many talents to be honest, but i envy you cousin's skill. not an easy job for sure. my family has been in this church since the late 60's and those pipes were decommissioned before that. i guess the upkeep was too much..dad is a retired electronic engineer and one heck of a wood worker luthier! he even has his own portable mill and all the dulcimers you see there were made from lumber he milled himself. my other often used talent is leather work. started as a kid and brought it out of mothballs when the chopper craze started. i built/covered 250 chopper seats in ten years. had customers in different parts of the world and quite a few magazine covers. got burnt out doing that as a part time job but am getting the itch again.







sorry if i hijacked the thread.. back to rock and roll!

I've always been aware and amazed to the number of people involved in model airplanes and music. Many top competitors are very accomplished musicians.
I sang as a performer in my teen years in hopes of making a hit and it was a good era to try in the 70's. By the time I was 21 in 1980 it was evident I would be better off trying another line and I quit cold turkey. I recently got back into it after a reunion with an old band. Fun and no pressure to compete like the old days!
You guys are showing me the same thing here, super talents you guys and girls!
Chris...

stuntflyr wrote:I've always been aware and amazed to the number of people involved in model airplanes and music. Many top competitors are very accomplished musicians.
I sang as a performer in my teen years in hopes of making a hit and it was a good era to try in the 70's. By the time I was 21 in 1980 it was evident I would be better off trying another line and I quit cold turkey. I recently got back into it after a reunion with an old band. Fun and no pressure to compete like the old days!
You guys are showing me the same thing here, super talents you guys and girls!
Chris...

it's a lot of fun when there no pressure. while i have done a lot of performing with bands, singing solo or performing as a solo act terrified me! only in the last few years have i learned to let go and not worry so much about making a mistake. as with most of us... i'm my own worst critic.

1038298573

Roger.. Great Pics!! I remember those days! One of the things I like about being a musician.. is the pro-audio. When you get it right.. it's like a nice stereo system. We don't generally use a sound-man in StilBurnin'.. because we play small rooms primarily. Our lead-singer/2nd guitarist is an accomplished sound-man and he sets the initial tone. We all gel into a hard steady Southern-Rock groove.. that's well received wherever we go. We attract a biker crowd.. and with that comes the most diverse group of people you could possibly imagine. It's always interesting!

Here's about the only film clip our band has.  Just a bit of fun.  Our lead singer's son had a school project in media so wanted to do the clip.  The old guy who owns the local junk shop got married at 60 & we played at the wedding and Steve wrote this song about them.  Filmed the clip in his shop and used the soundtrack from a live gig we did.  Turned out ok for a bunch of amateurs.    
In case you're wondering, that's me pretending (pretty poorly) to play the tea-chest bass.  I prefer four strings.  We have another clip we did for Steve's nephew's school project also, but it's not up on Youtube yet.  More fun.   Gotta have fun. No-one ever pays us.


Rod.

Loved that song, Sounded like it had some John Prine influence

akjgardner wrote:Loved that song, Sounded like it had  some John Prine influence

Not sure about John Prine.  Can't say I know him & Steve has never mentioned him that I recall.  Every musician has a lot of influences.  Steve writes most of his own songs, usually with a real-life story behind them.  Harmonica & Mandolin are his main instruments with a bit of Dobro.
Here's another of Steve's songs.  He wrote this after meeting Laurence Deverall, and ex British soldier who was shipped to Australia for the Maralinga nuclear tests, now living in Canada. Laurance lost a leg to cancer as a direct result of his exposure to the radiation.  He organized a nuclear veterans' convention in Canada and invited Steve to come over and play.  I couldn't go due to family and financial restraints, but Steve wrote this song on the plane going over.  This is a studio recording from one of our albums.  Not much to look at so read the comments.  These tests are a dark blot on our history and displaced many Aborigies from their home territory.  Many returned to the contaminated site following the "clean-up" which Laurence was involved in.

Very cool Rod!  Looks like you guys are having a blast.  Great song.

Rock On brother!!
Greg

Oldenginerod wrote:

akjgardner wrote:Loved that song, Sounded like it had  some John Prine influence

Not sure about John Prine.  Can't say I know him & Steve has never mentioned him that I recall.  Every musician has a lot of influences.  Steve writes most of his own songs, usually with a real-life story behind them.  Harmonica & Mandolin are his main instruments with a bit of Dobro.
Here's another of Steve's songs.  He wrote this after meeting Laurence Deverall, and ex British soldier who was shipped to Australia for the Maralinga nuclear tests, now living in Canada. Laurance lost a leg to cancer as a direct result of his exposure to the radiation.  He organized a nuclear veterans' convention in Canada and invited Steve to come over and play.  I couldn't go due to family and financial restraints, but Steve wrote this song on the plane going over.  This is a studio recording from one of our albums.  Not much to look at so read the comments.  These tests are a dark blot on our history and displaced many Aborigies from their home territory.  Many returned to the contaminated site following the "clean-up" which Laurence was involved in.

Very powerful Rod. Music is an amazing tool for making a statement.. as well as creating a mood. I haven't done much writing.. and have a particularly hard time with lyrics. The music part comes so easily to me though. Most of what I've written are instrumentals. A few of my notable musical influences have been The Moody Blues and Pink Floyd.. yet I couldn't call myself a hard-core fan of either. I'm about as well-rounded as a cube when it comes to classical music. I do like some of it very much though.

Here's an example of what moves/motivates me to write the type of music that I do. This is Gabriel Yared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIR8QGMZBx0

rogermharris wrote:

stuntflyr wrote:I've always been aware and amazed to the number of people involved in model airplanes and music. Many top competitors are very accomplished musicians.
I sang as a performer in my teen years in hopes of making a hit and it was a good era to try in the 70's. By the time I was 21 in 1980 it was evident I would be better off trying another line and I quit cold turkey. I recently got back into it after a reunion with an old band. Fun and no pressure to compete like the old days!
You guys are showing me the same thing here, super talents you guys and girls!
Chris...

it's a lot of fun when there no pressure. while i have done a lot of performing with bands, singing solo or performing as a solo act terrified me! only in the last few years have i learned to let go and not worry so much about making a mistake. as with most of us... i'm my own worst critic.  

Amen. I never took a lesson as a kid. I just felt it. I was okay, but Sunset Strip in the 70's was a tough place with a lot of talent and I was just present, no great standout. There is a lot to be said by asking a pro to help one back onto the horse. I don't try as hard to do a lot of the high notes, more like Roy Orbison than Ian Gillan nowadays. Singing for one's own enjoyment, what a concept! I've also started piano and guitar after 40 years, what a hack I am, but what fun!
Chris...