Leonard Smalls

Now I love Stewart (!) Lee, and would strongly dispute that what he does with comedy is anything like what old Soapy Dan did with muzak! Mr. Lee is edgy, pushed boundaries and is very clever. SD are most certainly not edgy, they didn't push any boundaries at all, and while they were obviously quite clever I feel they weren't quite as clever as they thought they were After all, they're not exactly Ornette Coleman. Or Miles Davis, or Coltrane, or anyone else who moved music on in leaps and bounds. They created their own sound, to be fair, and they're pretty instantly recognisable (though that's largely down to Fagin's {nails-on-a-blackboard} voice), but it was only ever just nice. And you'd never say Stewart Lee was nice. Michael Mcintyre, maybe! Still, each to their own; it's not like they're Little Mix at least!!!

For me, the best thing about Steely Dan is the name Otherwise, I find they veer wildly through all sorts of musical genres, from Elevator through to Dinner Jazz then all the way into Full On Cheese. Just to annoy they'll follow all that with a minute of sublime groove, then it's back to ElevatorDinnerCheese topped off with that annoying voice. So while they play very well indeed, and what they play is perfectly executed, I just wish they'd played something with a little more edge (not The Edge, obvs), perhaps with cojones of at least quadruple the size they normally display!

Here it is! Actual physical product to follow... https://choked.bandcamp.com/album/blood-sport-e-p

Thanks to local flooding causing our rehearsal to be cancelled I thought I'd have a play with my new IzoTope Iris synth plug-in... So here's my latest 1 improvised take of everything 2 minute mini epic. Who needs structure?

Ruts - Babylon's Brning Ian Dury - Rhythm Stick Bauhaus - Telegram Sam (Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb)

I feel a quota system might be good though... So all cover bands would have to submit set lists to The Powers That Be. On a first-com-first-served basis individual song choices would be limited, so that by the time (for some songs!) 1 band has said it's going to play "Sex on Fire" no other bands would be able to play it until the next gig (if they're quick enough). That way when you walk between boozers that do covers bands you won't hear Freebird in all of them. Some songs would have special dispensation, so if you were going to do a Shockabilly type version of Smoke on the Water that'd be fine, or if you were to attempt a funk version of the Cramps' "Human Fly" you'd be awarded extra credits to play unlimited Mustang Sallys... It would encourage some creativity in set list choices!

Stick with whatever you've got... But buy a tube of superglue. Coat tips, thumb edges/whatever you hit the strings together. Worked for me when my tips were babysoft and wussy! However, make sure the glue has dried before touching anything, especially other fingers!

Bootsy is Mr Envelope Filter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sh9cezHNec&list=RD2Sh9cezHNec&index=1 (unfortunately embedding not allowed...)

Gang of Four's influential guitarist Andy Gill died last Saturday, and legendary jazz guitarist Ronny Drayton died yesterday... For those who don't know Ronny, he played with Jamaaladeen Tacuma (check "Dreamscape"), James Blood Ulmer, Living Colour, Nona Hendryx, Defunkt and many more. RIP!

Anybody else suffering a low-level high pitched whistle from their FI? Is it likely to suffer impedance issues when connected to a FX loop blender with other FX on other loops? It's only the FI producing a whistle - not the BassWhammy, FwonkBeta or 3Leaf Envelope Filter...

First concert - Jiving Daleks at the Albion, Chester, 1979, closely followed by Ian Dury and the Blockheads at Deeside 1979 Last concert - Haven't seen a big band for years - not since Hall and Oates in Birmingham 2003ish. Twas cheesey… Lots of local bands though! Best concert - Either time I saw Ian Dury (2nd time at Madstock where we had backstage passes), or Kraftwerk at Liverpool Empire 1980ish, or Chilli Peppers at the Mean Fiddler 1987ish, or Bootsy at the Barbican 1997ish, or Jonas Hellborg at the Bass Clef in 1992 or so, or perhaps Butthole Surfers at the Mean Fiddler, 91ish Worst concert - Lost Virgins From Outer Space at the Opera on the Green (terrible! couldn't even tune their own instruments) or Primal Scream at the Town and Country Club - the sound was appalling and they played very badly! Loudest concert - Swans at the Mean Fiddler. Eek! Seen the most - Wilko Johnson or Ozric Tentacles Most surprising - Sky Architect Next concert - Wilko Johnson in Shrewsbury Wish I would have seen - Sex Pistols when they played Quaintways in Chester. They wouldn't let me in!

All questions answered over on vinyl engine... https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=84592

Funnily enough, I've just finished an excellent novel about jazz in Nazi Germany - it was of course very popular in the "decadent" Weimar Republic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Blood_Blues#/media/File:Half-Blood_Blues_book_cover.jpg

I always use combined effects 😁 I normally have on a Future Impact bass synth (with 80s funk zeeeeeeooooow sound), two different envelope followers (one's a Bootsy fwapfwap sound, the other adds a sweep low end), plus basswhammy pedal which either adds one or two octaves (I emphasise some vocal lines by following them 2 octaves up), plus Darkglass tube distortion to thicken up and add grit. All except the distortion are on separate loops of a Wounded Paw blender, so I can control loop and blend levels with the Darkglass on the final output. Not sure how that helps with a Line 6... But I'd say play with it; it's taken me a couple of years to work out how all mine fitted together!

Another gig booked, this time at the Dementia benefit fest at The Dolls House - we're on right in the middle of Punk Easter Sunday! Edited to add: postponed....

Excellent! It'll give you the chance to see our new direction, with breathey vocals and Clannad style backing. 😁😁😁 Full Chester Massive or Lurksalone?

I read the book at age 13... Not as worrying as "Crash" that I read immediately after...

Currently working on a punkjazzfunk version of this with the band - we'd thought we'd give the singer (and audience!) a few minutes to quietly contemplate mounting chaos... May never happen but who knows - we played a convincing groove based on it yesterday!

Currently blowing the cobwebs out with this album filled with gentle ballads... Btw, it's the sweariest the ST Album...

Next gig announced, supporting our very own @cheddatom at Albert's in Nottingham, March 27th... https://www.facebook.com/events/564520891063970/ This one's been postponed until everyone's better....

Just edited a new band video...

You'd be surprised... That mic's only for show!

I've got Radio Bootsy on! https://streaming.radio.co/sead579150/listen?fbclid=IwAR1YU3jZ4bUMUZTYvJXs3gUh3r2MZFZehRNetmyXdUExGnlQVT7PVZliq00

A shouty one from Down on the Farm Festival back in August...

I did.. Though having done it once I knew that I'd have to remove assorted gubbins, I'd already altered the porch and I got a block and tackle attached to the ceiling joists, which were handily 8" ones. So it was relatively straight forward for 3 of us, especially as my mum was moving to a bungalow! Many years ago I was a removals man, so I've done my fair share of piano moves, but that Pfieffer was the heaviest by far; taking a baby grand up 5 flights of stairs was child's play in comparison! I remember moving house when I was 14, and my dad wouldn't get any help, or a tail-lift for the Luton he hired. So the 2 of us lowered it out using seatbelts with my 13 year old sister steadying it!