12.29.11
Neyerick PT Controller for my iPad
New Page!!!
“Partial Bio”…some more detailed info…underlined links are CLICKABLE in case you don’t know who some of the things on the page are about.
Sorry if I left anyone out.
12.06.11
The Amazing Evertune
A few months back, my son and I visited Paul Dowd at his office in Bronxville NY where he demonstrated and explained (in layman’s terms) an amazing invention that he helped to develop called the Evertune bridge for the electric guitar. It replaces the original bridge on the guitar and there is some additional drilling on the back of the guitar to accommodate it.
Despite our best efforts to abuse the strings with insane stretches and pulls,the guitar stayed perfectly in tune.
Paul recommended several luthiers that are experienced in installing the piece and we decided to go with Frenster in California. Fren did an incredible job and went overboard in giving his time to make sure that we knew how to keep it maintained when changing strings (not hard at all ,once you get the concept).
I don’t know why this isn’t on every professional player’s electric guitar….It works flawlessly.
10.14.11
Six Months Later
Hard to get back into the swing but coming around slowly. Lots going on..
Stay tuned.
03.29.11
My brother Rob
I lost my brother to brain cancer recently…and I have lots of photos that I could put up here..but this one kind of sums him up for me…being cool but not taking himself seriously,while being enough of his own man (and style setter) to be wearing loafers with white socks at the beach.
One of his (and my) closest friends, Lee “Train” Zimmerman writes a great music blog…he has graciously allowed me to post it:
Backstage in South Florida
Bye Bye Buddy
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares stories of memorable rock ‘n’ roll encounters that took place in our local environs. This week: An indelible influence.
When somebody appears especially down in the dumps, an old adage finds others asking, “What’s wrong? You look like you just best friend!” I should know, because last week I lost my best friend.
Sorry, but you’ll have to indulge my feelings here. Although this column focuses on past musical encounters, I feel obliged to offer reflections on my pal – my brother, really – Rob Noble, a guy I’ve known for most of my life, ever since I was 17 and he was 15 and we were both attending school in the Virgin Islands. However, in remembering Rob, the Backstage theme isn’t really lost at all. In fact, when it comes to recounting the great musical moments of my life, my friendship with Rob is first and foremost.
You see, Rob was a rock star, at least in spirit, a terrific guitarist and drummer who was fanatical about music and the musicians that made it. He had both the look (imagine a cross between Eddie Van Halen and the early Keith Richards) and the attitude that sets certain people apart, and while he never made it big on his own, he was a much in demand sound man in his later hometown of Nashville. His clients included the Mavericks, the Oak Ridge Boys and guitarist Andy Summers, whom he worked with in his post Police solo tours. As kids, we’d spend hours listening to the new albums of the era, Jimi Hendrix’s Axis Bold As Love, Cream’s Disraeli Gears, and early efforts by Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. We’d hang out, reading the latest copies of Hit Parader magazine or jam, Rob and his younger brother Matt (now a producer and songwriter who’s worked with Southside Johnny, Paul Schaffer, Robin Trower and Procol Harum, among many others) playing guitars and me ineptly bashing away on drums. In fact, it was Rob who taught me to play. Although I’m right-handed and he was a lefty, I followed his lead and learned to play left-handed, which I still do to this day.
Yet even so, Rob’s greatest impact on me — the most profound thing he ever taught me – was his absolute irreverence. He simply didn’t take anything – or anyone – too seriously. People who were pompous and pretentious were his most frequent targets, but he loved people who could make him laugh, either purposely or unawares. We’d crack each other up all the time, often aiming our barbs at others we think were way too impressed with themselves, but for whom we personally we just didn’t care. Ironically, I was initially Rob’s target, well before I even had a chance to get to know him. I was new at school, having just arrived from the far more conservative suburban environs of Dallas Texas, and for some inexplicable reason, I figured it would be cool to refer to myself by my middle name “David” as opposed to “Lee.” No sooner did Rob get wind of this then he threw out a mocking taunt. “Hey DAVE!” he sneered, teasing me for daring to change my name. “Who is that bully?” I thought. Yet somehow, soon after that we connected, and from that point on we were practically inseparable.
Consequently, I have to say in retrospect that Rob was the greatest influence ever on my attitude and outlook on life. Despite age, responsibility, job obligations and all the other accoutrements that accompany “maturity,” I’ve never lost that philosophy that Rob taught me – mainly, to not take myself or anyone else too seriously, to maintain a healthy sense of irreverence, and never, ever to lose my love of music and all it entails. Rock ‘n’ Roll rules, and thanks to Rob, in my mind it always will.
It’s rare that friends who know each other for over four decades should keep in touch all those years and reconnect like there was never any lapse of time. Despite the fact that I lived here in South Florida and Rob made his way through Fort Lauderdale, Virginia and eventually Nashville, where he eventually settled, we spoke frequently and visited with one another whenever the opportunity arose. We shared a certain shorthand that allowed us to instantly know where the other was going conversation-wise, and when we discussed our mutual memories, it seemed like they were only yesterday.
Rob’s move to Nashville worked well for him. Appearance-wise, he evolved from a big-haired rock ‘n’ roller into a country gentleman, and with his gray hair and wizened countenance, he began to resemble other Nashville denizens like the great Guy Clark and the late Townes Van Zandt. When Rob discovered he had a brain tumor last fall, he never gave up or resigned himself to defeat. He maintained a stalwart sense of humor and even outright optimism. I visited him last January and he was clearly not looking well, the result of radiation, chemo and the fact that he had lost much of his movement on his right side. Nevertheless, his indomitable spirit never failed him, even when an onslaught of pneumonia brought his remaining time down to mere days and hours. Matt told me that on his last day on earth, he woke up singing while insisting that he was preparing himself for a journey back home. As always, Rob took things in stride.
I’m going to miss Rob more than I can ever express. But I console myself with the fact that his mettle and mindset will always inform my own. Rock on Rob, you’re here in my heart forever.
01.02.11
iPad Christmas
It’s true..you never get over the thrill of a new toy.
But this little sucker is quite a useful “piece of kit”,as they say across the pond. Aside from the usual suspects of apps, I found a full featured midi wifi connected,touch sensitive mixer/controller from Saitara Software.
The tech support from Colin is amazing..and it’s under $ 10.00 from the app store. Nothing short of revolutionary..ohhh..and it works with Pro Tools (and most,if not all,of the major music DAWs).
12.28.10
The Corrections
…so back to the Apple Store..where they kindly hook me up with a new iMac…smaller (at my request…the 27″ is NO FUN to haul around,even with the great iLugger case.
I wind up with a faster,21.5″ iMac with transfer of ALL my data..OVERNIGHT!
(Some programs did not make the transfer due to install number limitations..not the fault of Apple).
Moral of the story…you get what you pay for..and when you’re nice to people,sometimes they’re nice to you.
Super Sad True iMac Story
..a while back,my 27″ iMac refused to boot up..no screen,no chime,no clicking or whirring. So a quick check on line using my Droid revealed that it was a simple “unplug and power down” for 30 seconds..mystery solved…
Until it happened again..and never came back.
A trip to the Mac store..and it fires right up,of course.
I take it home..and nothing.
Back to the Mac store..this time..nothing..so they kindly order the parts (note:Apple Care,a must) and I leave it for what is predicted to be 5-7 business days (or as I call it in my business,an eternity). Client calls that night,desperate to have current project finished ASAP…so the next morning,back to the Mac store to brig it home,hope it fires up,LEAVE IT ON..and pray.
The big guy boots up and all is good for 5 days without a rest (for the iMac)…then back to the Apple Store where they repair the thing (over $ 1,000/no charge to me..OVERNIGHT!
A week later,the iMac has expired….
12.08.10
Funny how time flies…
…as John Lennon said, “Life’s what happens when you’re busy making plans”.
Since Virb has gone the “paid site” route, I’ve discovered that you can upload music on this blog directly..with pretty good fidelity.
Definitely beats the “My Space Lo Fi” sound.
..so it’s under “Pages”..”Music”….new songs coming soon.
07.20.10
Crowded House @ The Bowery Ballroom
“I ‘ll bring the house down…I feel possessed when you come round..”
Neil Finn opened the show with “I Feel Possessed”, the lead off tune from their second album and it pretty much summed up the band’s performance last night at the Bowery Ballroom in NY, a near perfect set that balanced old songs with new, spontaneity with precision arrangements. The humor and stage presence that the band is known for was in full effect, Neil teasing fellow band mates Nick and Mark. New drummer Matt Sherrod played with joy and abandon and locked into the band in a way that made the whole group sound much bigger than the sum of their parts.
The set leaned on many of the perennial favorites but also delved deeply into the band’s second album “The Temple Of Low Men”. The song “When You Come” became rousing anthem and “Mansion In The Slums” was given a semi-acoustic treatment.
There were plenty of opportunities for the band to stretch out and Neil and Mark switched effortlessly between guitar and keyboard. Neil had a small keyboard on a stand that was rigged to a vocoder and he used it for musical (and sometimes comical) effects.
Mark perfectly complemented Neil’s voice with his harmony singing and even took the lead vocal on the George Jones/Tammy Wynette number “We’re Not The Jet Set”. He played quite a bit of lap steel during the night which gave the music an ethereal (as opposed to country) vibe.
The evening turned out to be a family affair of sorts, with Neil’s son Liam lending his vocals and acoustic guitar to “Time On Earth’s” songs “English Trees” and “Say That Again”. Neil’s wife Sharon also took to the stage to sing backing vocals for one of the songs from the just released “Intriguer” CD.
“Woodface” was well represented, as well as “Together Alone”..in fact, the only CD that wasn’t covered (except for “Don’t Dream It’s Over”) was the first one. But it didn’t matter to the audience last night..they were true fans, not nostalgia buffs looking to hear “just the hits”.
There was much joking around on stage,with Neil changing up the lyrics of “Chocolate Cake” to comment on Lindsay Lohan’s current state and even poking fun at his own songwriting by singing the verse of Neil Young’s “Down By The River” over the opening chords to “Weather With You” (the chord sequence is in fact identical).
The only disappointment for me was that they didn’t do some of the songs that I had seen listed on one of their fairly current on line set lists such as “Whispers and Moans” and the David Bowie song “Moonage Daydream” (check the C.H. website for a live video of the song)…but this was definitely offset by the inclusion surprises such as “Hole In The River”….and an overall amazing set that ran for over two hours.
The sound and lighting were all first rate and the opening act “Lawrence Arabia” is well worth seeing..engaging and fun.
CROWDED HOUSE SETLIST
I Feel Possessed
Saturday Sun
Fall at Your Feet
Don’t Stop Now
Either Side of the World
Twice if You’re Lucky
Private Universe
Black and White Boy
Say That Again
English Trees
Hole in the River
Don’t Dream it’s Over
Isolation
Archer’s Arrow
Mansion in the Slums
Love is All That Remains
Four Seasons in One Day
(We’re Not) The Jet Set
When You Come
Distant Sun
It’s Only Natural
ENCORE
In My Command
Weather With You
Chocolate Cake
Elephants
