#harmonica amp

[tiniigi]

[randomusingsofalovesickgirl]

EPISODE 04 (PT. 1): LIFELINE

🎶 lifeline by sedona 🎶 bing bong love song by fig 🎶 shaking the can by peach fuzz

a/n: also!! i want to say that this is completely fictional. i do not think anyone in the show was particularly terrible or rude, but i had to amp it up for the story. please remember this is fictional !!

“Oh, so now you’re good!” Whitney exclaimed, motioning to George beside you, who had suddenly become suspiciously fluent in harmonica–a far cry from his struggling attempts minutes earlier. 

The tune was oddly cinematic, like a horror movie soundtrack building suspense before the kill, mocking your fates with every note. You knew someone was going, but you had no clue. Gently, you reached for his hands, slightly nudging the harmonica down. 

“Maybe, not the time,” you murmured. You were enjoying it, although clearly, not everyone was.  

No one noticed his sudden silence though. Not with Mandi spiralling over PK’s potential betrayal. Jason, of course, was fuelling the fire, instigating her further. “He could be manipulating you. One minute you're safe, and the next—poof—you’re gone. He could vote you out just like that.”

The others joined in, analysing PK’s trustworthiness (or, well, lack thereof) and guessing who Uncle P thought was dragging the team down. You, on the other hand, just wanted to know so you could either get out or go to bed. 

Whether you were on that chopping block or not, there’s nothing you can do to defend your spot. You can’t run into Room 19 and convince them to let you stay.

Still tied at the ankles, you and George had given up on the stiff dining stools and settled close on the couch, your head hovering on the sofa just above his shoulder. “Hey,” He whispered, loud enough for only you (and of course, the microphone). “Be careful going forward, okay?” 

You frowned, “Why? What happened?” 

He sighed, “You’re safe today, I hope, but when I was at the gym with PK this morning, he said he and Jason wanted to vote a girl out.” 

You wanted to scoff, of course, they see it as girls versus boys right now. Regardless, you leaned closer, trying to hear better as the noise at the table doubled, with Mandi now declaring that it’ll be her. 

“He was talking about how the girls are in little teams, like you and Milli.” 

Admittedly, they weren’t wrong. There were no strong bonds between the boys yet, while Whitney, Mandi, and Mya were practically inseparable. You and Milli were another pair, while Cinna and Farah floated between. 

“So, how do you know I’m safe?” PK is close to the trio, so the odds were that he wouldn’t touch them. Then again, you have been among the best savers, so it’d be detrimental if they got rid of you. That, and you and Uncle P were relatively close. 

George hesitated, a blush creeping on his cheeks. “He told me he wouldn’t vote you out.”

[Later, while watching the episode back, you’d realise that PK promised George, “I won’t mess with your girl, don’t worry”, and George had just…dabbed him up. Thanked him. No corrections, no clarifications.]

“And, he’s worried that the trio is going to turn on him.” George added, before you could question his hesitation. 

“Do you think they will?” You turned around to face him, not realising how close you two actually were–his breath hitting your face, his eyes glancing down to your lips. 

He shook his head, turning to face the wall in front of you now. “Doesn’t matter. You can’t really trust anyone here, can you?” 

Removing yourself from facing him so directly, you drop your head back to where it was, nodding. You let yourself process the new information. 

There is no doubt that it’ll be a girl tonight. If you could give immunity to anyone, it’d be Milli or Cinna. Although, you knew you were biased–they were smart, loyal, and played the game with a conscience. 

“I’m so tired of all this,” You huffed, dropping your hands into your lap, fidgeting with your fingers. “Maybe I should just get voted out, and spend the rest of the week at home.” 

George paused before deciding to test the waters. Slowly, he took one of your nervous hands into his, and let your intertwined hands rest on his lap. 

“I don’t want you to leave.” 

“Well, I want you to win. For your sister.” Your voice was barely a whisper. 

You decided to stop yourself from confessing that you wanted to be out so you could process your feelings for him, so you can avoid him a little longer. But even worse, you wished that both of you were eliminated, so the two of you can talk without all these cameras. “I just want us to talk…really talk.” 

“We don’t have to be voted out to talk,” He murmured, nudging you with his shoulder. 

You lifted your head, but made sure to keep your distance from his face this time. “You want to talk about it with all these cameras on us?” 

Despite the distance you created, he brought his empty hand to your face, brushing your hair behind your ear. Something he’s done a million times. But this time, it felt…charged. 

“I know a spot without cameras,” He said, “Just say the word.” 

Before you could answer, Whitney’s voice cut through the room. “What are you two whispering about, huh? Plotting something?” 

You pulled away from George and turned to face her. “There’s nothing we can do now. No point stressing.” 

“Oh, sorry for interrupting your little make-out session,” Whitney scoffed. “Some of us are actually trying to win.”

Rolling your eyes, you spoke without thinking–too tired and done to filter your words. “At least I’m trying to save money for someone to win.” 

“What was that?” Whitney shot back. You two have surely butt heads more than anyone else so far. “Just ‘cause Mandi said you’re the most boring one here doesn’t mean you can start acting sassy.”

George scoffed. “Okay, that’s not fair, Whitney. What the hell was that?” 

“It’s fine,” you whispered just to him. “This isn’t worth a fight.” 

You’d met girls like Whitney before. Sweet, but they can be immovable when they are convinced they are in the right. Turning around, you raised your hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired. Just trying to nap.”

Cinna jumped in, trying to help you de-escalate. “Yeah, she’s been trying to nap all day, Whitney.”

That calmed her, luckily. It also gave you cover for the slip-up. 

Luckily, your distraction—or maybe your doom—arrived. PK and Uncle P walked in, looking sheepish and exhausted.

“Why are you smiling so much, man?” Mandi called out, eyeing PK’s suspiciously wide grin.

“I’m smiling ‘cause I’m nervous,” he said, his teeth nearly chattering.

Uncle P clapped his shoulder. “You wanna say it, or should I?”

“Together,” PK said.

You instinctively leaned into George again, feeling comfort despite all the things unsaid. He was always your lifeline, your comfort space. While your safety on the Inside may be up to debate, you knew you were safe with him. 

“We just wanted to make the game a level playing field,” they said, like a rehearsed breakup. “And that’s why the person we chose to eliminate is…”

You braced yourself. 

Whitney, maybe, due to her spending habits and temper. Farah could be an option, as she hasn’t gotten along much with PK or Uncle P until earlier today. 

“Mandi.” 

Your jaw dropped. 

The silence was deafening—until Whitney gasped, “Oh my god.”

“Snakes!” Mandi was on her feet, storming toward PK. “You are a snake! A two-faced, lying—”

You jumped up, joining the rest of the girls who were quick give her a hug once she slowed down. George, unfortunately, got swept into the hug too.

“You okay?” you asked, joining the rest of the girls (and George) around her.

While Mandi and you have had one or two minor disagreements, you actually enjoyed her company. She was honest (for the most part) about her spending, she was funny, and she brought people together. You were going to miss her. 

She sighed. “It’s alright. I know it is. But just... don’t trust anyone, okay?”

As she and most of the girls disappeared to pack, George asked to stay back. And you agreed, wanting to check in on the most tempered person on the Inside. 

George turned to Uncle P. “Hey, you alright?”

Uncle P sighed. “It’s tough, sending someone home. We really were just trying to balance the teams. And yeah… she was a big spender.”

George nodded. “No, I completely understand the thought process.” 

That’s when you noticed George still wearing his ridiculous party hat. You reached up and toyed with the string under his chin.

“Don’t think it’s the right vibe anymore, Clarkey,” you teased.

He laughed, pulling it off fast. “Yeah… this feels wrong now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone was sitting around the TV, dreading the inevitable gut-punch moment when the screen told you exactly how much money had been spent. 

“I think…” Uncle P clapped his hands together, scanning the room solemnly. Since Mandi’s elimination, the atmosphere on the Inside has changed. Even though the living room was still decked in birthday decorations, no one was celebrating…sitting in silence, hushed conversations, and a clear upset from what happened an hour earlier. 

Further exasperated as the production crew slowly brought everyone into Room 19 to relive what just happened so everyone can say their own opinions on it. 

“Let’s have a moment of silence for Mandi.” Uncle P suggested finally now that everyone has returned from their confessionals. 

“Nuh-uh,” Whitney cut in, shrugging him off as if she was offended. “We’re not doing that! What are you even suggesting?” 

PK looked like he’d seen a ghost, visibly shrinking into the couch, clearly still haunted by Mandi screaming at him earlier. He’s being smart enough to stay out of saying anything else incriminating. 

Thankfully, the argument hit pause as the number on the screen dropped.

673k. 

“No fucking way,” you muttered. Nearly a 90k drop. 

Whitney, of course, didn’t even blink. “We’re not doing a moment of silence—that’s a piss take,” she declared, brushing off the prize fund like it meant nothing. Maybe because at least 30k of that money was spent on her five-minute decision. “And Mandi? She’s a good vibe. We’re not gonna act like Mandi is a Dylan.”

You froze.

You were so fucking tired of the Dylan jokes.

Apparently, George was too.

“What the fuck does that even mean?” he asked sharply, sitting forward. “That’s mean.”

Your heart kicked up a beat. George was someone who liked to stay out of confrontation, but he wasn’t scared to call someone out when they’re doing something wrong. It’s one thing, among many, you admired about him; his strong moral code. And that is exactly how you knew Whitney had genuinely fucked up, and it wasn’t just you being close to Dylan. 

“We’ve been taking the piss out of Dylan all day, but why? What’s he actually done to any of you?”

Whitney scoffed, “It’s not a mean thing to say. Let’s clear this mean girl narrative the two of you are trying to spin.” 

“We’re not spinning anything,” George snapped, his voice becoming sharper. “But what the fuck is that language?”

She just shrugged, indifferent as ever. “Mandi added to the vibe. Dylan didn’t. It’s not personal.”

“It is personal,” George spoke fast and deliberately. “I know jokes happen, I’m not dumb—I’ve made a few myself. But you could’ve said literally anything else. Instead you chose ‘Mandi’s not a Dylan’? That’s just unnecessary.”

Whitney raised a brow, and smirked. “Oh, I’m sorry—didn’t realise you were going to defend the guy who asked your girlfriend out. Didn’t realise you were into being a cuck.”

You stood to your feet now. 

That was it.

George didn’t deserve this. 

“No. Whitney, no. I know we’ve had our disagreements, but that? That’s not it.” Your voice shook with frustration. “You’re smart. You’re funny. You’re sweet. And yeah, you’re fiery. And I admire that, but fire doesn’t give you the right to burn people down.”

The room was dead silent now, not quite expecting this full-on outburst from you. 

The only thing stopping you from being face-to-face to her was George remaining seated, keeping the two of you planted in your corner. 

“George has been nothing but kind to you, even when you didn’t deserve it. Dylan? He’s done nothing but support this group. Hell, he even earned us back 10k. You don’t have to like everyone here, but we have to work together and respect each other.”

No one moved. It felt like the whole room was holding its breath.

Whitney didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. The look on her face was enough…something you’d describe as a mix of a bruised ego and something that was akin to guilt. 

Then, from the corner of the couch, Uncle P exhaled loudly and stood up.

“Aight, enough.” he said. “Look. We all got our friends, and we all got people we don’t click with. Not everyone’s gonna mesh—and that’s cool. But especially here? With cameras, competition, money, pressure? It turns people inside out. I’ve seen some of my kindest teammates say and do shit they’d never dream of because of the heat of the game.”

He looked straight at Whitney. “But just remember: there’s a line between banter and disrespect. And once you cross it, no amount of jokes can walk it back. And that doesn’t just make you look bad, it hurts people who don’t deserve it.”

He let that sit.

“You don’t gotta be besties with everyone,” he added. “But treating people like they’re disposable? That’s not fire. That’s just cold.”

The room was dead silent. Then Uncle P gave a quick nod towards the dining table. “Anyway. I’m going to get some more cake. Anyone want to join?” 

“I wasn’t trying to throw him under the bus,” she muttered, eyes trained somewhere between the wall and her nails, as people started to disperse around the room. “It’s not that deep.”

“It is that deep,” You didn’t miss a beat. “You just didn’t think anyone would call you on it.” And especially George. But, you also know him. He’s someone who wouldn’t let shit pass. 

Whitney didn’t respond to that. But she didn’t argue again, either.

Instead, she sank back into the couch, quieter than usual. 

While guilt overcome you about saying the wrong thing or potentially overreacting, the later support from George, Milli, Cinna, Farah, Jason, Uncle P,  and DDG was enough to remind you that you did the right thing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The note taunted you from the nightstand, scrawled in JJ’s unmistakable handwriting:

“We combined your beds to make sleeping easier for you two while you were tied up…sleep well xoxox. 

P.S. There’s a condom in the top drawer, if you need it.’ 

And yet, as you two laid in the dark–your ankle tied to George’s, his hand barely brushing yours, and the freezing cold chill throughout the room–that stupid note was the least of our problems.

You were hyper aware of everything…the rise and the fall of his chest, the warmth radiating off his skin, and the weight of all the words you hadn’t said. 

The room was quiet now…finally. After the emotional circus of the day, everyone had finally passed out. 

Even Whitney, who had muttered a rushed and vague apology to you and George before lights out. 

(It was as if she was tired herself, and just registered what she said. You didn’t bite back, and instead, you thanked her. You know she was close to Mandi, she was likely reeling from the news. But that still didn’t excuse the disrespect on Dylan.)

You turned slightly, careful not to wake the others, to face George. His curly mullet fell back onto the pillow, messy as if he’s ran his hand through it a dozen times. 

“George?” You whispered, checking if he was awake.

A low hum. He was awake.

“Two people went home today.” It could’ve been him. 

He hummed again. You weren’t sure if he was half-asleep or just waiting for you to say more. 

You rolled back onto your back. The rope tugged gently at your ankle, a quiet reminder that you couldn’t escape this, even if you wanted to. And to be honest, you didn’t. You’re tired of swallowing all these words down. 

“I don’t want you to go home,” you whispered. 

While you were willing to go home, you wanted George to come back with that prize fund. To support his sister. That’s what he came for, and you know he deserves nothing less. Yes, you came to win too, but you’ve won enough of the Sidemen’s challenges this last year.  

He turned toward you, his blue eyes staring into the side of your face. “I don’t want you to go home either. I don’t want to be here without you.”

Something in your chest burst. Testing the waters, you reached out and carefully threaded your fingers through his. He didn’t move away.

“Are we okay?” you asked, trying to stop your voice from cracking–although it failed. 

George didn’t answer right away. Just a shrug, subtle but intentional. “You tell me.”

You sat up slowly, glancing around the room—everyone else was out cold. He followed your lead, but his eyes remained trained on you. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. “What’s going on?”

You tucked your hair behind your ears, suddenly shy under the weight of everything between you. “Would you be ready for a chat now?”

A pause.

Then, without a word, George nodded.

You both quietly stood, making your way toward the door, the ankle rope tugging gently between you. You whispered a request to a production assistant monitoring the set, asking if you could get some air on the roof, at the spot everyone who vapes goes during the shoot—just for a few minutes.

They nodded, eyes tired, already pulling a walkie to confirm with security. 

For safety as you go up the stairs, they untied your ankles and removed your mic packs.

And just like that, for the first time since the challenge, you and George were free to move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night air bit at your skin, but it felt easier to breathe up here than there. Away from the cameras, away from the drama, and away from everyone else’s noise. 

Right now, it was just you and him and the silence between you, thick with everything you hadn’t said. 

George sat on the bench, elbows on his knees, watching you like you might run…again. You leaned against a giant plant pot, arms crossed tight over your chest, trying to hold yourself together. 

The silence wasn’t peaceful, but heavy. Unforgiving. And you knew, he wouldn’t be the one to break it. It had to be you. 

You exhaled, “I’ve been pretending it didn’t happen. “Like everything’s fine. Like that night was just…a blip. But I still remember the way you looked at me, and…” 

His jaw twitched, but he didn’t interrupt, even as you trailed off into silence. He was going to let you speak. Grounding himself, his hands curled tighter around the edge of the bench.  

“It’s not fine. I can’t keep pretending. I’ve tried to act like nothing’s changed…but it has, hasn’t it?” You were scared to look him in the eye, to see his answer, so your eyes remained on the ground. “I can’t go back to being your friend and pretending not to hurt every time you look at me like that.” 

Silence.

He didn’t look away.

And it made everything ache worse.

Facing your fears, you looked down at him; his blue eyes that you used to be able to read so well were suddenly unreadable. 

“I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, George, longer than I even admitted to myself.” You confessed, voice cracking. “But by the time I thought I should say something…it was too late. Chris was talking about your Hinge profile and these girls you’d bring home from the pub, and…I thought I missed my chance.” 

He let out a dry laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching like he was trying to hide something deeper. 

You panicked. He didn’t feel the same. Is that why he was laughing? Maybe that night was a mistake for him. He’s laughing because I’m being ridiculous. Within the millisecond, a thousand of your worst fears seemed to come to life in your mind. 

“If I’d known you liked me, I wouldn’t have touched that app. Jesus.” He finally looked up at you, eyes burning. And warmth spread throughout you, the butterflies in your stomach erupted. “I went on them because I thought I didn’t stand a chance with you.”

You took a step closer, voice trembling, and decided to tell-all. “I thought you didn’t want me. And I didn’t want to risk us. You were–hell–you are my safe place. I can’t stand the idea of losing that.”

“But you already pulled away,” he said, standing now, voice raw. “I called. I texted. And you ignored me. Were you really going to leave in the dark for a week?”

You laughed nervously, wanting to shrink into yourself. Out of guilt, out of shame, out of regret. “I thought we both said we were on off-the-grid family trips, remember?” He didn’t look quite impressed by your answer. “Honestly, I wanted to buy myself a week to figure this out…alone. I haven’t had a day without you since we met. And I was scared I didn’t know who I was without you. I needed to remember I could figure it out alone. And mainly, I thought we both wanted space.” 

His voice cracked. “Well, I didn’t want space. I wanted you. I was ready to talk. I needed to talk, and you disappeared.” 

You looked down, ashamed. “I didn’t know how to face you. Because if I said it out loud—if I told you how I felt—and you didn’t feel the same… I couldn’t come back from that. It would’ve broken me.”

You thought of all your movie nights, your friendships with Chris and Arthur and heck, even the Sidemen. This wasn’t a light crush you could forget about, this could impact everything and implode everything that was normal in your life. 

“I do feel the same,” he said, stepping forward, like the words were waiting to explode. “I’ve felt the same for so long. You think I would’ve kept calling if it didn’t matter? I was losing sleep over you, and you were acting like we never happened.”

Your voice broke. “I just… I didn’t want to ruin everything.”

His hand found yours, gently, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed. It was warm, compared to the cold air hitting you. “Then let’s not ruin it. Let’s start something. Because I can’t go back to pretending I don’t want more.”

You stared at him, your chest tightening. “I don’t want to pretend either.”

He brushed your hair from your face, the gesture so soft and so familiar it made your throat ache. “Do you think we won’t work out?”

“I don’t want to think that,” you whispered. “I was scared to risk it. But now... I think you’re worth the risk.”

A slow smile tugged at his mouth. “You’ve always been worth it to me.”

A silence. A beat. Your breath hitched and your heart thumping. 

You smiled back. “Then make the move.” 

He kissed you then—slow, tender, warm, but most of all, certain. Not testing the waters, but like he knew. Like he has been waiting. His hand curled around your waist, the other cradling the back of your head like he was scared you’d disappear again. Forget the cold air of the night, you had George to warm you up. You kissed him back, your fingers tangled in his curly hair, trying to tell yourself this wasn’t a dream. 

When you finally pulled away, your breath was still caught in your throat.

“You’re such a silly goose for thinking I didn’t have feelings for you,” he said, resting his forehead against yours. You let out a breathless laugh, your arms wrapped around his neck. 

“So what now?” You asked hesitantly, tilting your head to stare straight into his blue eyes–something you’ve been stopping yourself from doing since Day 1 on the Inside. 

“Well, what do you want?” He asked, nudging you slightly. 

“I want you.” You said, without hesitation. Without question. Without concern. 

He let out a breath, the kind you only let go when you’ve been holding it in too long. “Then that’s all I needed to hear.” Smiling, he said your full name, slowly, like each syllable mattered. “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Your breath hitched, heart pounding like it was about to leap out of your chest. 

So you didn’t answer, at least not with words.

You just kissed him again—firm, passionate, smiling against his mouth—and this time, it wasn’t to test the waters. 

It was to say yes. To him, and to everything that once scared you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[singemall-stayallnight]

Jimmy Page 2023 Guitar Player Interview

“I Owe It to All of Them”: Jimmy Page Explains How His Love of the Blues Fueled the Fire for One of Rock’s Biggest Bands

You can read the full interview at the link above.

“The blues is scary,” Jimmy Page says. “It’s threatening. It’s saying: ‘I’m coming to get you.’”

“The blues – I mean, it’s just undeniable,” Page says. “It was just an undeniable element of everything that was going on in Led Zeppelin. If there hadn’t been that sort of movement in Chicago, back in the ’50s, and all that sort of riffing, then you wouldn’t have got what came through in various bands later – certainly for me and how it affected me in Led Zeppelin.

“In those days, all the guitarists were learning from records. I was lucky that I had a blues collector called Dave Williams. Through him I got to hear stuff like Elmore James. You weren’t going to hear that on the radio.”

Given his legacy, Page doesn’t owe anything to anyone as a guitarist, but he waves away the notion. “I owe it to all of them,” he explains. “That’s how I learned. My breakthrough was when I understood how to do bottleneck guitar. That’s the point when open tunings first come in for me. Boom! That’s it. And that whole world opened itself up for me. I wasn’t actually trying to play note for note what anyone else had done.”

How did Zeppelin’s treatment of the blues differ from, say, John Mayall’s and Eric Clapton’s three years before? “Well, it’s the atmosphere and it’s the attitude that’s created on something like Muddy Waters’ ‘Standing Around Crying,’” Page says. “It’s like Howlin’ Wolf: When you hear Wolf, he’s not messing about. It’s like, ‘I’m coming at you – and I’m gonna get you!’ And that’s why I love him.

“So let’s put it this way: Whether it was the first album or whether it was ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ [from Led Zeppelin III] or ‘Tea for One’ [from Presence], whenever Led Zeppelin do a blues, it’s not like anybody else doing the blues.”

Remarkably, Page says he wasn’t Zeppelin’s biggest blues fan. “We all had our roots,” he explains. “Each and every one of us had played the blues in some sort of department or other.

“What I would say is that Robert was a blues aficionado, but he was very into the country blues. He was a damn fine harp player.

“He was used to playing that acoustically, but I was keen to get him playing it through an amp. So then you get things like ‘When the Levee Breaks,’ which is really gonna scare the pants off you with what he does on harmonica.”

[rhapsodynew]

#everything you need to know about rock

David Gilmour. (part 1)

Wild Jokers: A Career before Pink Floyd

David Jon Gilmour was born on March 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England. His parents encouraged his interest in music and in '54 he acquired the single 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley [Bill Haley and The Comets].

David: "I'm not sure if 'Rock Around the Clock' was the first record I bought, but it was definitely one of the first."

'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Jailhouse Rock' Elvis [Elvis Presley] and 'Bye Bye Love' The Everly Brothers drew his attention to the guitar.

David: "I liked the Everleys. When I was 13, I borrowed a Tatay Spanish guitar with nylon strings from a guy next door. They gave it to him, but he had no hearing, and he didn't need it. I never got it back." I started playing, and my parents were delighted. We had a musical family — my parents sang, my brother played the flute and my sister played the violin. They bought me a Pete Seeger Teaches Guitar tutorial with a set of records for it."

Rado Bob Klose, future member of The Tea Set, an early incarnation of Pink Floyd]:

"We listened to Radio Luxembourg. Let's hear a song and think, 'How do I play it?'. I remember David playing 'Walk Don't Run' The Ventures, as soon as I heard it."

David also liked Leadbelly], Sony Terry], Brownie McGhee], Howlin' Wolf], Hank Marvin, lead guitarist of The Shadows], and later, he discovered Bob Dylan], whose record his parents brought from America.

David: "I was interested in a wide range — from blues to folk and pop music. Hank Marvin with elements of Dylan Leonard Cohen] and Leonard Bernstein]. Also Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie]."

At the age of 11, David met Roger 'Syd' Barrett, the future guitarist/vocalist of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, the future bassist/vocalist of Pink Floyd, who went to school next door.

Rosemary Breen, Sid's sister]: "In '61, Clive Welham, the future drummer of Jokers Wild] brought Gilmore to a jam session at Sid's house. They played 'Twenty Flight Rock' Eddie Cochran] and immediately became friends. David came to us often, he and his brother had a lot in common. He was quiet, shy, laconic, but very charming."

In '63, he began studying modern languages at the College of Arts and Technology. He did not complete the course, but learned to speak French fluently. He and Barrett, who studied there, played guitars and harmonicas between lectures.

David: "We played Bo Diddley and 'Come On' The Rolling Stones, The Beatles songs, various blues. We could also play The Shadows instrumentals like 'Apache' for hours."

Stephen Pyle, Gilmore's classmate]: "I've never seen him without a guitar."

At the end of '62, Gilmore became a member of the local band The Ramblers, which included John Gordon, rhythm guitarist] and Clive Welham.

Clive: "We were a semi-professional band, but David was just amazing. A year before that, he didn't play so well, but he worked a lot on technique."

Rick Wills, bassist, future member of Jokers Wild; later worked with Peter Frampton], Roxy Music, Small Faces, David Gilmour, Foreigner and Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Jones Gang, etc.:

"I often met Dave at the music store. Sometimes we wouldn't leave without playing all the guitars that were there. But Dave sometimes seemed arrogant to me. He had this expression on his face: 'I know everything.'"

At the same time, Gilmore was performing with another local band, The Newcomers (July -October '63).

Ken Waterson, vocalist of The Newcomers:

"David had a beat—up Burns guitar and a lousy amp, but even then one thing was clear - he was good."

Gilmore's next band was Jokers Wild * in '64 with Dave Altham vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist and saxophonist], John 'Willie' Wilson, drummer, later worked with Syd Barrett, Al Stewart], Cochise, Quiver, the Sutherland Brothers, David Gilmore, Pink Floyd, etc], Tony Sainty, bassist], who was sometimes replaced by either Rick Wills or David's brother, Peter Gilmour].

Dave Oltham: "We were told about this guy, and we went to see him in a pub on Newmarket Road. The band was about nothing at all, but he played well. I would say emphatically. We asked him to play with us and he agreed."

Their strong point was the vocal harmonies of all five members.

David: "We were quite popular because we played modern dance music, which is what people wanted to hear back then."

Clive: "Wilson Pickett's hit] 'The Midnight Hour' ('65) was his best vocal number and David played a brilliant solo in it on his fiery Hofner Club 60 flame timber] The girls were delighted."

Dave Oltham: "David could listen to a song four or five times and then play it, note by note."

In August '65, Gilmore and Barrett played 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' and 'Help' The Beatles on acoustic guitars on the streets of Saint Tropez.

David: "I hitchhiked to the south of France, and Sid came with a friend ** in his Land Rover. I joined them at the campsite where they lived. I remember we went to play in Saint Tropez one day, for fun, and we were arrested for playing without permission. They were released on the promise to get out of the city immediately. We had a great time."

Around the same time, both Gilmore and Barrett, in Cambridge, first tried LSD, hashish and 'magic' mushrooms. David hadn't even smoked marijuana before.

David: "It was a very deep experience."

There was not enough money and Gilmore then took on any job; he delivered wine, sold hot dogs, shipped sheet iron and even worked a couple of times as a model for Varsity magazine.

John Gordon: "Dave always looked more sophisticated than Sid [Barrett]. He looked like a college student from America; white Levi's and all that. The girls liked him."

Christine Smith, at that time a 17-year-old fan of Jokers Wild]: "All the girls were crazy about him. We called him Adonis." ***

In '65, Jokers Wild self-financed the recording of their only album and single 'Don't Ask Me (What I Say)'/'Why Do Fools Fall in Love'. 50 copies of the single and 50 copies of the album were printed. ****

David: "We recorded covers from our live set."

1. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon/Herman Santiago/ Jimmy Merchant) 1:51 (hit by American band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers '56; cover based on the Beach Boys'64 version)

2. Walk Like a Man (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:14 (hit by the American band The Four Seasons '63)

3. Don't Ask Me (What I Say) (Paul Jones) 2:55 (song from the album by the British band Manfred Mann 'The Five Faces of Manfred Mann' '64)

4. Big Girls Don't Cry (Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio) 2:19 (hit The Four Seasons '62)

5. Beautiful Delilah (Chuck Berry) 2:03 (Chuck Berry song '58; cover based on The Kinks'64 version)

"It was an act of vanity. We went to London and recorded 5 songs at the Regent Sound Studio on Denmark Street, without having the slightest idea what we were doing. We had fans in Cambridge and then we sold them to them. I still have a master tape lying around somewhere."

The band's popularity on the local scene grew, they opened concerts by Animals and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, The Paramounts (an early incarnation of Procol Harum, performed and jammed with Paul Simon and The Tea Set, later known as Pink Floyd. Some sources claim that at some stage Dick Parry also played in the band [Dick Parry, saxophonist who later worked with Pink Floyd, The Who, Quiver, Paice Ashton Lord, David Gilmore, etc.)

To be continued...

From books: Comfortably Numb the Inside Story of Pink Floyd by Mark Blake, Da Capo Press, 2008; Pink Floyd: The Early Years by Barry Miles, Omnibus Press, 2011 interviews with Gilmore, Oltham, Brin and Wills]

[todays-just-a-daydream]

Later that week, after working on some other songs, Noel returned to his 'Champagne Supernova' guitar overdubs.

"There are two e-bows that run throughout the song, giving it a sort of violin effect, and he did all of those parts pretty quick,” says Morris. "Then he also did all of his picking parts pretty quick. This went on for about two hours. Noel would just sit in the studio next to his amps and play. He wouldn't come into the control room to listen to what he'd done until everything was finished. So his guitar overdubs were all done fairly quickly.

"After that, there was a session when Liam felt inspired to do all of the Beatle-y 'aaahs' that would go over the guitar solo, to which I also added some Beatle-y Mellotron parts. Then, during another session, he had a go at singing 'Champagne Supernova'. We did half a dozen takes, but what happened was that the high note of the song — at the end of the line 'The world's still spinning around, we don't know why' — was kind of burning his voice out. So he was getting croakier on each take, and by the time he got to the end he was sounding very Rod Stewart-y.

"I did a comp of the vocal and, bizarrely enough, Noel and Liam both liked it. But I didn't. So at the very end of the six-week session at Rockfield, when just Liam and I were in the studio, I got him to re-sing it and we did it piece by piece. We did the first verse half a dozen times and we did the ending half a dozen times. Then, once he'd completed all of the soft bits, Liam did the first chorus half a dozen times, followed by the same number of takes for the second verse and the other choruses, until he tackled the high part last.”

The only major element still missing from 'Champagne Supernova' was the lead guitar that Noel Gallagher wanted his mate Paul Weller to play. Accordingly, after Oasis appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in late-June and the mix of (What's The Story) Morning Glory? commenced on a Neve console in the mix room at South London's Orinoco Studios, Weller showed up one day with his roadie, a white Gibson SG and an old Vox AC30 amplifier.

"He didn't have any pedals with him,” Morris recalled. "He had the volume on '3'. It was a really nice Vox and a really nice SG, and so I just put a 57 on it and recorded it as was. Paul probably did four solos, and then he and Noel let me pick what I wanted. He also contributed a little whistle to 'Champagne Supernova' — a few bars after the big guitar solo finishes — and 'Ooh' backing vocals at the end, as well as some harmonica and guitar to 'The Swamp Song'. All in all, it was another very quick session. He and Noel probably turned up at three in the afternoon and left at seven that evening.”

—Owen Morris on recording Champagne Supernova in Sound On Sound (November 2012)

[meme-streets]

i love you distortion i love you reverb i love you blues riffs i love you surf guitar i love you amps with holes in them i love you wailing harmonica i love you saxophone i love you pounding drums i love you organ i love you garage rock i love you proto punk i love you tiny indie bands i love you cult favorites i love you screaming vocals i love you trash rock

[krispyweiss]

Little Feat with Los Lobos at PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 18, 2024

When writing about a two-band gig, journalistic norms dictate leading with the headliner. But where Little Feat and Los Lobos are concerned, such guidelines are bunk.

For on June 18 at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion, support act Lobos, a band with its core quartet in place for 51 years, was the brightest star on a stage shared with the recently reconstituted Feat, with original keyboardist and onstage traffic cop Bill Payne; Dixie Chicken-era members Sam Clayton (percussion) and Kenny Gradney (bass); Let it Roll arrival Fred Tackett on guitar, mandolin and trumpet; and new additions Tony Leone on drums and Paul Barrere vocals and Scott Sharrard on guitar and Lowell George vocals.

What the fans who filled some one-third of the venue’s 4,000 seats received in return for braving the outdoor sauna was an hour from one of America’s longest-running and stable bands - horn/keyboard man Steve Berlin joined in 1982 - and 90 minutes from the world’s-best Little Feat tribute act with members of Los Lobos sitting in on multiple cuts.

It was still near 90 degrees when Los Lobos wrapped at 9 p.m., yet the fans dancing to the Grateful Dead’s “Bertha,” which morphed out of “Not Fade Away,” rewarded the group with a standing ovation. And Cesar Rosas (guitar, percussion, vocals), Conrad Lozano (bass), Louie Pérez (guitar, jaraña, drums), David Hidalgo (guitar, accordion, vocals), Berlin and touring drummer Alfredo Ortiz earned the accolades with a career- and-genre-spanning set bridging decades, cultures and influences.

The sextet opened with ��Flat Top Box” and “Love Special Delivery” from 2021’s covers album, Native Sons, songs that featured Berlin’s baritone saxophone underscoring the 1950s vibe. Hidalgo’s Hendrixian guitar solo on the latter added trippy color to the song Rosas typically calls “LSD.”

It was off to the stratosphere from there with Lozano, who spent the gig seated on his amp, and Ortiz signaling a deep-pocketed “Dream in Blue” with an extended sax solo from Berlin. Rosas was on maracas and Pérez on jaraña for “Maricela,” instrumentation that would be reprised later on “Chuco’s Cumbia.”

Jazz was the hallmark of a 10-minute plea for peace on “The Neighborhood;” blues and a dedication to John Lee Hooker on “Don’t Worry Baby;” and the band looked to the East (“Kiko and the Lavender Moon”) and South (“Georgia Slop”) when Hidalgo strapped on a squeezebox and Pérez retuned temporarily to his original spot behind the kit.

Though Lobos’ opening set was necessarily truncated, Berlin, Hidalgo and Rosas had more stage time to come, as each sat in during Feat’s performance, bookended with “Fat Man in the Bathtub” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.” Harmonica blower Michael LoBue also appeared for “Mellow Down Easy” (with Hidalgo) and “Long Distance Call” (Rosas) from Sam’s Place, the band’s 2024 blues covers album with Clayton on lead vocals.

These songs, Payne’s “Oh Atlanta,” and 1988’s “Hate to Lose Your Lovin’” sounded like the band that recorded them, as Sharrard (Gregg Allman Band) is more adept at channeling Craig Fuller than George.

Other tracks from Feat’s golden era were less successful. “Willin’” featured a mandolin solo and was akin to John Mayer singing “Ripple” for Dead & Company; Leone (Chris Robinson Botherhood) didn’t quite capture the essence of “Old Folks Boogie;” and “Dixie Chicken” - outfitted with trumpet, bass and synth solos - lost its momentum in the gratuitous showcases.

But “Cold, Cold, Cold,” “A Apolitical Blues,” “Spanish Moon” and “Skin it Back” - the latter two with Berlin reading charts from a piece of paper taped to a mic stand and honking on a baritone sax - almost sounded like Little Feat. Not quite. But almost.

In the end, Los Lobos met the absurdly high expectations that come with being the best live band in America on any given night, while Little Feat exceeded the more-modest hopes for a group of veterans and ringers.

Grade card: Little Feat with Los Lobos at PNC Pavilion - 6/18/24 - B/A

6/19/24

[oliverreedmasterass]

Starcatchers 1x3 - Meeting the Master

Synopsis: After an incident involving Jake's amp, he's determined to win the cash to buy a replacement. Meanwhile, Josh and Danny choreograph a dance for a music video and Sam's clumsiness makes him see red.

Words: 5.9k

Warnings: violence against amps and nice video cameras, groin injury, Satan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jake, Josh, Sam, and Danny are sitting on the couch in Sam’s living room. Josh has the remote and is scrolling through the options on Netflix so fast, there’s no way he’s registering what he’s passing on. Beside him, Jake, Danny, and Sam are staring at him with growing frustration. 

SAM: Are you gonna choose anything this century or would I be better off walking in circles in the backyard for the evening? 

JOSH: Just, hold on, I haven’t seen anything that stands out yet. 

DANNY: You literally skipped Happy Gilmore. What’s wrong with you? 

JOSH: (under his breath) That’s not cinema. 

JAKE: If you don’t choose something in the next ten seconds, I’m putting on Pirates of the Caribbean. 

JOSH: (scrolling more frantically) No! 

Josh panics and selects Saturday Night Fever.

SAM: (incredulously) The disco movie?! 

JOSH: It’s got a good soundtrack? 

Jake huffs and leaves the room as the movie starts. After the opening credits are done, he comes back with his guitar and a comically large amp. While Josh is trying to get into the movie, Danny and Sam watch Jake struggle to plug his guitar in, and then settle back into his seat. Jake begins playing the Buddy Holly riff over every line of dialogue. While Sam finds this to be hilarious, Danny is into the film alongside Josh, and glares at Jake. 

DANNY: That’s not funny. 

Jake looks at Danny for a long pause, not blinking, and then responds with the Buddy Holly riff. 

From an exterior shot of Sam’s house, Jake’s amp is thrown through the window. 

Starcatchers Theme/Opening Titles

[acoustic theme song with a harmonica] 

From the fires we emerged anew, 

Singing, playing rock and roll, 

Reviving a genre just for you. 

Across the globe we traveled far

Recruiting an army of peace, 

Enchanting crowds with our guitar. 

A battle ensued at the Gardens Gate

And we preserved the gift of nature, 

Standing up against a culture of hate.  

We are the Starcatchers, reaching for the sky, 

Discovering words of wisdom to live by. 

We deliver a message from the heavens above:

Live your legend through the intelligence of love. 

[end theme] 

Jake, Danny, Josh, and Sam are driving to the set of their upcoming music video for Meeting the Master. 

JAKE: (to Danny) You owe me a new amp. 

DANNY: You owe John Travolta an apology. 

JAKE: I don’t owe that scientology freak anything. 

DANNY: I could hardly watch the movie, you were complaining so much. 

JAKE: I think I had the right to complain after you threw my best amp out the window. 

Danny tsks and shakes his head like he can’t believe Jake would even offer that as a rebuttal. Josh tries to step in to smooth things over. 

JOSH: Even if you didn’t catch most of the dialogue, at least you saw the sick dancing, right? 

DANNY: Oh, absolutely. I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot since last night. 

JOSH and DANNY: (at the same time) We should have a dance number in our music video. 

Josh and Danny gape at each other. 

JOSH and DANNY: Jinx! 

SAM: Absolutely not. 

JAKE: I’d rather you chuck me out the window with my poor, broken amp. 

JOSH: Just picture it though, we build up the dramatic tension and then, once the song crescendos, we tell the story with our bodies in front of a massive bonfire. It’s exactly what the music is begging us to do. 

DANNY: I do think that adding a dance would enhance the message of our song. 

SAM: I think you just want to see if you can move like Tony Manero. 

DANNY: So what if I do? 

JOSH: (starting to eagerly plan) We’ll work on the choreog once we get there. 

DANNY: Choreog? 

JOSH: Yeah, you know, the dance routine and all. 

DANNY: Choreography? 

JOSH: I think choreog sounds cool. 

DANNY: It really doesn’t. 

JAKE: You guys have fun with that. Since Danny is refusing to pay me back for my private property that he decided to destroy, I’m determined to earn the money back to buy a replacement amp. 

DANNY: You have enough money in your bank account to just go out and get a new one, Jake. 

JAKE: It’s about the principle, Daniel. I’m not paying for something that wasn’t my fault out of pocket.

SAM: I would argue that it was your fault. 

JAKE: (growling to Sam) Watch it. (to the rest of the car) I���m gonna win a radio show contest. 

JOSH: There’s got to be a better way.

JAKE: Nope. This is the only way. I know for a fact that I’m gonna be caller ten somewhere. 

DANNY: Do radio shows even have the money to do contests like that anymore? 

Jake reaches over and turns up the volume on the radio. A super cheesy DJ voice comes on. 

DJ: Hey Miss Independent, you wanna Breakaway? In honor of the queen, Kelly Clarkson’s birthday, we’re giving out a big old bucket of presidents to our tenth caller! Ring me up (857)349-2983, tell me your favorite Kelly Clarkson song, and the money’s yours. 

Jake fumbles with his phone. 

JAKE: Drats! What was the number again? 

SAM: 867-5309

Jake starts to type the number in and then stops. 

JAKE: (to Sam) [expletive censored with the Buddy Holly riff]. 

JOSH: You don’t even like Kelly Clarkson, Jake. 

Jake goes to the radio show’s website, finds the phone number, and eventually manages to call it. The rest of the car is fixated on him. Jake starts making clacking noises with his tongue while he waits for someone to pick up. 

JAKE: (excited) Hello? Wha- oh. 

DANNY: What happened? 

JAKE: They hung up on me. 

Sam turns the volume back up on the car stereo from his steering wheel. 

DJ: Congratulations to our tenth caller! What’s your name, and what’s your favorite Kelly Clarkson song? 

CALLER: Uh, my name is Dave. I don’t actually know who Kelly Clarkson is, I just need the money to flee the country. I’ve been on the run from the IRS since 2007. 

DJ: (cutting the caller off) Okay, buddy! Good on ya! 

JAKE: (throwing his hands up) Unbelievable! This is rigged! How was I not the tenth caller? Who calls into these things anyways? 

SAM: You and Dave. 

Jake groans loudly. Sam pulls into the parking lot of the Tennessee State National Park and kills the engine. While they unbuckle their seatbelts, Jake holds his hand out to everyone in the car. 

JAKE: Give me your phones. 

DANNY: No. 

JAKE: (to Danny) You especially. 

JOSH: Just, give it to him, Danny. This isn’t a battle you want to fight. 

JAKE: (nodding his head) I’ll hide in your walls if you don’t. 

DANNY: Are you gonna do anything else, or are you just gonna hang out there? 

Jake doesn’t know how to respond to this, but he doesn’t have to since Danny gives in and hands him his phone. Sam and Josh follow suit. 

JAKE: Now I just need six more cell phones and I can hack this thing. 

Jake takes off for the trailers where they’re supposed to get their hair and makeup done. Sam sighs and shakes his head, following behind Jake, leaving Danny and Josh. 

DANNY: We have about forty-five minutes until we have to get dressed. 

JOSH: That’s plenty of time to get our choreog worked out. 

DANNY: I really wish you would stop calling it that. 

JOSH: Would chor-ee be better? 

Danny sighs and shakes his head. 

On the set of their music video, Sam wanders around the large cameras and lighting equipment. He has his own personal film camera around his neck and starts taking photos of the cameras. 

SAM: (chuckling to himself) Heh. Camera-ception. 

Sam leans in close to a gigantic camera and attempts to take a selfie of it with his film camera. The flash goes off, temporarily blinding Sam, and he stumbles around, knocking into the camera. He watches in horror as the camera topples over in slow motion and shatters on the ground. How a camera managed to get that damaged in grass is a mystery, but it unfortunately happened. 

SAM: Oh [expletive censored with the Buddy Holly riff]!  

Sam snaps his head around in a panic and notes that no one was around to see his accident. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then spots a large branch a few yards away. He grabs it and places it over the broken camera to make it seem like the branch was what caused the damage, even though there are no trees anywhere close by. Once he’s satisfied with his work, he sprints away, waving his hands up in the air in a silent panic, back towards the trailers. 

Jake is sitting in the trailer, surrounded by about twenty five cell phones. Sam can be seen running with his arms flailing around in the background through the window of the trailer. Jake listens intently to a handheld radio that’s set on the table in front of him as a different DJ talks. 

DJ: On this two for Tuesday, I’m giving out two Ks to the 22nd lucky caller! 

Jake hovers over his phone, waiting for the phone number. 

DJ: I’ll be waiting at (483) 273-8273. 

Jake dials the number at the speed of light, his pupils dilated to the point where he looks like he could be possessed by a demon. He holds his phone up to his ear with his shoulder and begins dialing the same number into every other phone around him, putting each of them on speaker phone. While a symphony of phones ring, Jake waits. The DJ speaks over the phones. 

DJ: And we have our winner! Congratulations, what’s your name? 

CALLER: Jennifer. 

DJ: You get a buttload of money that you can use to pay for anything you want, like a new amp to replace your broken one! 

CALLER: Woohoo! 

JAKE: YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! 

Jake’s shouts ring through the park. They can still be heard in the distance from the parking lot, where Josh and Danny are covered in sweat. Danny is doing a pelvic thrust move while Josh busts out a two step that would make Fred Astaire cry. 

JOSH: I think I’ve got it! 

Danny stops his subpar dancing to watch Josh’s feet shuffling. 

DANNY: You look like you could be a part of LMFAO. 

JOSH: That was not what I was going for. 

DANNY: Thank god. 

JOSH: What do we have so far? 

DANNY: Well, at the line, “And I’m taken, by the madness,” we do a spin and a half with our arms held in tight and then do some hand waving in front of our face. 

Josh mimes what Danny just described while humming the tune to himself. Danny watches him go and looks to be thinking hard. 

JOSH: Like that? 

DANNY: I hate it. 

JOSH: (growing frustrated) Most of that was your idea! 

DANNY: It’s just missing something, I don’t know. 

JOSH: More hip thrusts? 

DANNY: Yeah, maybe. 

Josh starts to sing the line, “And I’m taken, by the madness” again while Danny embodies Tony Manero’s hypnotizing disco hip thrusts. With joy, Josh starts to join Danny. It looks like they’ve finally singled in on something right. 

JOSH: Oh yeah! 

Sam rushes into Jake’s trailer to find Jake holding his head in his hands following his second failure at winning a radio contest. 

SAM: Oh no, oh no no no no. 

Jake peeks through his hands up at Sam. 

JAKE: (mumbling) I’ll be okay, I’m just feeling a little bit dejected right now. 

SAM: No, oh no as in I just completely obliterated one of the nice cameras on set. 

JAKE: (still into his hands) How did you manage to pull that off? 

SAM: The world is against me. 

Jake nods like he understands where Sam is coming from. 

SAM: (continuing) I planted a tree branch over the wreckage so it looks like I didn’t do it. But, Jake, I feel so bad. 

Jake doesn’t say anything. It’s unclear if he simply doesn’t care, or if he doesn't know what to say in return. Sam looks around the trailer and then lets out a short gasp. Standing in the corner of the trailer, checking out the mini fridge is a man in all red who can only be assumed to be Satan. Satan turns around at the sound of Sam’s gasp, holding onto a carton of 66% milk and takes a long chug. He then wipes his mouth and gives Sam a toothy grin. 

SATAN: Been naughty lately, Samuel? 

SAM: Psh? What? No. 

JAKE: (looking around) Who are you talking to? 

SATAN: (continuing) You really think you can hide from what you did? 

SAM: (to Satan) The tree branch did it, not me. 

JAKE: You’re starting to freak me out, Sam. 

SATAN: We both know that’s an awful cover up. Your fingerprints are all over that broken camera. 

SAM: (realizing Satan is right) Oh [expletive censored with the Buddy Holly riff]! 

Sam books it out of the trailer, determined to cover his tracks before someone finds the camera. Jake watches him go with a frown. 

JAKE: I should probably tell Josh that Sam is talking to the shadow people again. 

Jake looks like he might actually leave his trailer and fleet of phones behind to find Josh, but the DJ’s voice on the radio reminds him of his ultimate mission. 

DJ: You thought I was done handing out free cash that may or may not be super taxed after you get it? No way! Be the sixty-ninth caller, and I’ll send you a check that will make you piss your pants! 

Jake goes back to dialing on all the phones. 

JAKE: (to himself) C’mon, baby. 

The phones ring and beep in an upbeat tempo. The sounds transform into a disco version of Meeting the Master which plays in the parking lot where Josh and Danny are practicing. Josh and Danny have somehow acquired bell bottoms and tight button up tops with impressive collars. The parking lot pavement lights up around them like a disco dancefloor as they practice their routine. Although it isn’t entirely coordinated yet, Josh and Danny dance like their lives depend on it, pointing in all directions with an added flair and wiggling their hips around. They even bust out the lawn mower and sprinkler. 

The song fades out and Josh and Danny try to catch their breaths. 

DANNY: (wiping sweat from his brow) That was magic. 

Josh guzzles an entire yellow Gatorade, attempts to smash the plastic bottle against his forehead, gives up, and walks to a recycling can to toss it. He returns back to Danny’s side. 

JOSH: I’m telling you, it all lives in the pelvis. 

DANNY: Do you think Jake and Sam are gonna get behind our routine? 

Josh has to stand on his tip toes, but he places his hand on Danny’s shoulder. 

JOSH: Trust me, once they see how cool we look, they’ll be begging to give it their all in front of the big and fancy cameras. 

Back on set, Sam stops running towards the broken camera when he realizes the director has discovered the carnage. 

DIRECTOR: The big and fancy camera! 

Sam curses to himself and tries to slowly walk backwards towards the trailers. The director spots him and motions for Sam to join his side. Sam looks like he wants to book it. 

SAM: (thinking aloud) If I run, that will make me look pretty guilty. But I might be able to run fast enough to the airport that I can catch a flight to Argentina without anyone stopping me. But I don’t know Spanish well enough to ask people what their vegan options are at restaurants. I don’t want to be that guy who goes into a country not knowing the language. Talk about embarrassing. 

DIRECTOR: (breaking Sam out of his head) Sam! Someone absolutely obliterated this camera! 

Sam starts to scream but then stops himself. Despite his panic, he pretends to act shocked. He’s a terrible actor. 

SAM: Oh, man! That’s devastating! Are you sure someone did it? I mean, there’s a big branch on it. 

DIRECTOR: There’s not a tree in sight. Unless the branch fell from the sky, I doubt it. 

SAM: (changing his game plan) Well, then whoever did that is an absolute monster. I hope they rot. 

The director stares at Sam oddly. Satan appears behind the director’s back and shakes his head at Sam

SATAN: You’re gonna be the one to rot, Samuel Francis Kiszka. 

Sam chokes on another scream. Satan does a pirouette with a loud cackle and then disappears into a dramatic puff of smoke. Sam shakes his head and widens his eyes. He just had another hallucination. 

DIRECTOR: Boy, you’re taking this harder than I am. 

SAM: I just can’t help but think that whoever did that to your camera isn’t quite right in the head. 

Sam has a large frown on his face. 

You know who else has a large frown on his face? Jake. The poor guy hovers over his handheld radio, staring daggers into it with his phone ready in his hand. The camera zooms out to show that, with the exception of the director, Jake has squished every single crew member into the trailer to help him. 

BOOM OPERATOR: How are we gonna know when to dial the number? 

The Boom Operator holds the mic in front of Jake’s face, whacking him a few times. Jake sputters from the microphone and pushes it away before thinking twice and grabbing it back so he can speak directly into it. 

JAKE: I’ll give you the sign. 

PA: And what’s the sign? 

JAKE: Trust me, you’ll know. 

The radio starts to play sounds that are reminiscent of a Vegas slot machine. This immediately piques Jake’s interest and he shushes everyone so he can listen. 

DJ: Have I got a treat for you today. Sitting right in front of me on my desk, I’ve got - 

Jake is typing furiously away on his computer, searching for the radio show’s phone number. He finds it, lets out an excited cackle, and dials the phone number, hovering his thumb over the “call” button. Everyone else in the trailer is waiting, watching him with intensity while holding their own phones out. 

DJ: Gimme a call at (384)392-2983. 

JAKE: (shrill) AWWWOOOOOGA! 

PA: What? 

JAKE: (more shrill, motioning at the phones) AWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOGA! 

PA: Huh? 

JAKE: Call the number, numbnuts! 

Everyone dials in and waits. The Assistant Director’s face brightens and she motions at her phone and gives Jake a big thumbs up. Jake crosses his arms over his chest and gives a satisfied smirk. He’s finally won. 

Josh maintains a similar position in the parking lot as he watches Danny finalize their dance routine. Danny moves with a stunning grace as he goes through the motions, doing dazzling spins, foot work, and jumps. You can kind of get a sense of the story that he’s trying to tell with his body, and boy is it beautiful. Danny finishes and wipes some sweat from his brow while Josh showers him in applause. 

JOSH: Absolutely stunning work, Daniel. 

DANNY: (gasping) You think? 

JOSH: Just one note. 

DANNY: Of course. 

JOSH: I think we need to do this move at some point. 

Josh stands with his legs concerningly far apart and his knees bent, locks his fingers together and wiggles his arms in front of him, like a wave. Danny watches him with a blank face. 

JOSH: (explaining while he’s still dancing) It symbolizes the tide turning. 

DANNY: I’ll, uh, try to see where I can fit that one in. 

JOSH: Preferably after Jake’s solo when he does the worm. 

DANNY: I don’t remember agreeing to that part of the routine. 

JOSH: When you see him do it, you’ll thank me. 

DANNY: Uhhhh….

Sam makes similar grunting sounds to Danny, sitting on a log on set and staring blankly at the camera that the director is collecting from the ground and moving into a beautiful coffin. The director sniffs back tears and dabs at his eyes with a hankie. Sam looks to his left and sees Satan sitting next to him, cleaning under his long fingernails with a part of the broken camera. 

SAM: Can you please leave me alone? The guilt is bad enough, I don’t need you around too. 

SATAN: On the contrary. I think you need me around to remind you what an awful person you are. I mean, who takes a selfie with a camera? 

SAM: What else are you gonna take a selfie with? 

Satan does not look amused. Sam nervously chuckles. 

SAM: So maybe you have a point. It wasn’t my finest moment, but it can’t be that bad, right? 

SATAN: The owner of that camera sold his dead father’s car to buy it. It was the only way he could make it in this industry.

Sam clutches at his face and moans in despair. 

SATAN: He kept that camera locked in a vault in his basement to make sure no one got their grimy hands on it. But the one time he left it for a second, you went and destroyed it. 

SAM: You know, I am kinda surprised he’s not here with the director, doing whatever that is. 

Sam motions at the director, who is playing a funeral song on a set of bagpipes over the coffin containing the camera parts. 

Jump cut to the cameraman in Jake’s trailer, texting the director “I’ll be back on set in a sec to get the cameras set up. Guitarist dude for the band just won a radio contest - who does that anymore???”

Jake is clutching arms with the Assistant Director, jumping up and down and shouting with glee. The Assistant Director quickly stops jumping and holds a finger up to Jake, pointing at the phone. Jake immediately stops and watches the Assistant Director, soaking in his glory. 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: (on the phone) No way, that’s incredible! (to Jake) I’m gonna be on the radio in a second, turn it up. 

Jake turns up the volume on the radio so everyone can listen. 

DJ: Congratulations to our lucky caller! Who am I speaking with? 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Seymour. 

DJ: Well, Seymour - 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: (cutting the DJ off) Seymour Buttz. 

DJ: Okay, Seymour Buttz, you’ve got yourself one hell of a prize! 

JAKE: (leaning over the AD to call into the phone) What’s the prize? 

The DJ laughs for an uncomfortably long amount of time on the other end of the line. Jake’s eye twitches. 

Sam’s eye twitches as well as he sits with Satan on the log. 

SAM: (thinking aloud) I need to get money pooled together to buy the poor guy a new camera, don’t I? I can’t run away from this for the rest of my life. 

SATAN: You could steal the money. 

SAM: I could steal the money. From Jake. He’s trying to win a radio contest. 

Satan looks confused. Does anyone participate in radio contests anymore?? Sam ignores his look and hustles towards Jake’s trailer. On his way over, he runs into Josh and Danny, who are slurping down Gatorades to get their electrolytes. 

JOSH: Oh, Sam! Just the person we wanted to see! We gotta teach you the choreog for the music video! I think Daniel and I have come up with something really special. 

DANNY: It’s so good, we might even get invited to join Dancing With the Stars as guest judges. 

SAM: You’re gonna have to put that on hold, I have something really important I need to work out with Jake. It’s literally a matter of life or death. 

Danny snaps out of his euphoria from dancing. 

DANNY: Wait. Sam, what did you do? 

Sam is already gone. Danny grabs Josh and they hurry behind him. The three friends tear into Jake’s trailer to find him on the phone, the entire crew watching him as if they’re in a Renaissance painting. 

JAKE: (into the phone) WHAT’S THE PRIZE, DJ BIG BREEZY?! LEGALLY YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT I WON! 

DJ BIG BREEZY: Man, I think you’ve got a stick shoved up somewhere where the sun don’t shine. Maybe I’ll pass this off to the forty-third caller. You’re kinda stressing me out. 

Jake sucks in a deep breath, holds it in his mouth with his cheeks puffed out, and then exhales. He looks a smidge calmer. 

JAKE: Sorry, DJ Big Breezy. I’m just really excited. So, how many K’s are we talking here? 

DJ BIG BREEZY: No K’s kid. 

Jake’s face brightens. 

JAKE: Mil? 

DJ BIG BREEZY: Nil. You won two tickets to catch a special screening of Saturday Night Fever at the downtown AMC! 

Jake hangs up the phone. His face progressively turns more red, to the point where he resembles Satan. Sam gapes at Jake with a look of distress on his face as well. He has nothing to steal from this poor man. Josh watches Jake with concern. Jake is going to blow at any second. Danny can’t help but let out a large laugh. 

DANNY: Hah! Serves you right! 

Jake glares at Danny, his face still red. 

JAKE: This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. 

JOSH: Even worse than the time when you had to be Willy Wonka in the school play because I got sick? 

JAKE: Way, way worse than that. 

Josh whistles. 

JAKE: How am I ever going to pay for a new amp? You know what? Tour’s canceled. 

DANNY: Oh, come on, Jake. Get over yourself. 

JAKE: Amp killer! 

DANNY: Hey, let’s not go around carelessly throwing accusations around like that. I could serve time. 

JAKE: (jutting his finger into Danny’s shoulder) You should go to jail. 

SAM: (realizing behind Jake and Danny) I’m gonna go to jail. 

JOSH: (raising an eyebrow at Sam) Why are you gonna go to jail? 

SAM: (the dam has broken) I wrecked a fancy camera on set! I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to take a picture with it, but then I knocked into it and it just kinda went, well, kersplat. 

CAMERAMAN: Woah, wait, what happened to my camera? 

SAM: I was gonna get the money for you to cover the damages. It’s just that Jake is an idiot and screwed everything up with the radio contest. 

JAKE: Wait, what do I have to do with any of this?

SAM: I was gonna snag your winnings to cover my behind. 

JAKE: Sam! 

SAM: It was the easiest way to fix this. 

JAKE: Robbing me??

DANNY: (pinching at the bridge of his nose) What I can’t wrap my head around here is why neither of you are willing to dig into your own stinking pockets. I mean, you both have money for crying out loud. 

Satan appears next to Sam’s shoulder. 

SATAN: I say you punch the curly haired guy in the kneecaps for questioning your plan. 

Sam looks like he’s considering it. 

CAMERAMAN: Dude, there’s literally nothing to worry about. I mean, yeah, it would be nice to have the camera today to do the shoot, but it’s no sweat. I’ve got the thing insured. 

SAM: Insured? 

CAMERAMAN: Yeah, I don’t have to pay out of pocket to fix it. 

Sam looks to be having a hard time grasping this concept. 

JOSH: (softly, to Sam) Do you not know what insurance is? 

Sam shakes his head, embarrassed. 

JOSH: Huh. I thought you did since you really didn’t get too upset about Danny breaking your window last night. 

DANNY: Yeah, that’s mostly why I did it. I knew State Farm would be a good neighbor. 

SAM: I wasn’t worried about the window because I kinda like the draft it makes. It helps air out the place, especially after Rosie rips her massive farts. Boy, can that dog make a stink. 

No one knows what to do with this information. 

JAKE: Let me get this straight, you were going to keep your front window broken like that through the winter? 

SAM: I dunno, maybe? I didn’t really think about it too much. 

DANNY: Oh, Sam. 

SAM: You learn something new every day? 

Satan is back in the room, pinching at the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. 

SATAN: This is way too far out of my pay grade. 

Satan vanishes. Sam waves goodbye to him. To Jake, Josh, Danny, and the rest of the trailer, it looks like he’s waving goodbye to an empty corner in the room. Jake makes a noise like he remembered something. 

JAKE: (to Josh) He’s been talking to the shadow people again. 

JOSH: Aw [expletive censored with the Buddy Holly riff]. 

Danny cautiously approaches Jake and tucks his arm around his shoulders. Jake looks like he wants to slither out of Danny’s grasp, but Danny holds him tight. 

DANNY: I want to strike a deal with you. 

JAKE: I want to strike you in the kneecaps. 

Sam looks at Jake in shock. Is he Satan?!

DANNY: (ignoring Jake) I’ll pay for your replacement amp if you agree to go to the screening of Saturday Night Fever with me. 

Jake opens his mouth to protest. 

DANNY: (continuing) And you have to do the worm on camera during your guitar solo for our music video. 

JAKE: Huh? 

JOSH: This vision, Jake, it’s enough to blow your underwear into the stratosphere. Just picture it: your guitar solo starts, you drop down in the grass, and do the most impressive worm the world has ever seen in slow motion while a fire rages in the background. 

JAKE: I can’t do the worm. 

JOSH: Not with that attitude. 

JAKE: (to Danny) Can I bring in my lawyer to negotiate the terms? 

DANNY: We both know you don’t have a lawyer. 

JAKE: Do too. 

DANNY: Josiah Cockerell is not a real person. You just throw out his name when you want to scare people with a fake lawsuit. 

JAKE: Shoot, I spend too much time with you. 

DANNY: So, are you gonna take me up on this or waste the rest of your life away trying to win cheesy radio contests? 

The camera zooms in on Jake’s face as he tries to make a decision. We see that the perspective is coming from Sam - he’s got his film camera back out and is standing about three feet away from Jake, zooming in so far that the lens nearly presses against Jake’s nose. Jake pushes Sam’s camera out of the way and huffs. 

JAKE: Fine. 

DANNY: Shake on it. 

Jake and Danny spit into their hands, wipe their spitty hands across each other’s faces, play a quick round of patty cake, do a spin, bump their hips together, and then shake. 

DANNY: It’s been nice doing business with you. 

JAKE: Can I at least watch a couple of tutorials on how to do the worm before I go out there? 

JOSH: I think it would be a lot more powerful if you winged it. 

JAKE: You hate me, don’t you? 

SAM: I don’t want to dance. 

DANNY: You can be in the middle. 

SAM: Deal! 

JOSH: Come on, guys. We’ll show you how it’s done. 

Transition to Meeting the Master playing overhead. Josh, Danny, Jake, and Sam are back in the parking lot, dressed in their Meeting the Master music video outfits. Josh and Danny are dancing along to the music while Jake and Sam try to follow along behind them. They’re pulling every dance move out of their pockets - at times it looks like they're copying TikTok dances, at other points they could be on Broadway. They jump, they twirl, they point around, they wiggle their hips, they bust out moves that you would see on the dancefloor at a Father-Daughter dance. It’s a routine for the ages. When the guitar solo starts, Josh and Danny start screaming at Jake. 

DANNY and JOSH: GO JAKE, GO! GET DOWN AND DIRTY! GO, WORM BOY! WIGGLE BOY, WIGGLE! 

Jake chokes in terror and flops onto the ground. His worm looks more like he’s doing reverse crunches, continually planting his face into the grass. When his head retracts, he spits out clumps of grass. Even though his interpretation of the worm is a disgrace to the dance move, Danny, Josh, and Sam cheer him on like he’s killing it. When Jake picks himself back up from the ground, his white suit is covered with grass stains. Their stylist is going to murder him. 

At the end of the song, Josh is really feeling it. He pushes in front of Sam, who was dancing in the middle, jumps up high in the air, and lands with a loud crack in the splits. Danny, Sam, and Jake immediately stop dancing and gape at him. 

DANNY: Josh, that wasn’t a part of the choreog! 

JOSH: (choking from the ground) I wanted to add a little shish boom pow at the end. 

JAKE: The only shish boom pow you did was to your groin. God, I could hear that crack from space. 

JOSH: (still on the ground) I can’t move. 

SAM: No need to worry, you’re insured, right? 

JAKE: You’re kind of getting the hang of it, Sam. 

Danny approaches Josh’s side and lifts him from the ground with a grunt. Josh looks to be permanently stuck in the splits - as Danny lifts him up, his legs are still sticking out in opposite directions. Danny looks to Jake and Sam for help. Jake and Sam both nod: they know what they need to do. 

JOSH: Hey, uh, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. I actually feel fine. I love having my legs out like this. 

Danny, Sam, and Jake ignore him. Danny holds Josh up even higher while he babbles. Jake grabs a hold of his leg in the front and Sam grabs his leg in the back. They both kick up their feet, trying to swing on his legs. Josh hollers as his legs snap back into place. 

JOSH: [expletive censored with the Buddy Holly riff]!

DANNY: (as he puts Josh down) Better? 

JOSH: (brushing himself off) Hardly. I feel awful. 

DANNY: But, Josh, we have to dance! This music video is nothing without our bodies telling a story, just like Tony Manero did in Saturday Night Fever. 

JOSH: I flew too close to the sun, Danny Boy. It’s time for me to strip off the wings before I hurt myself more. I have a yoga class that I can’t miss on Thursday. 

Danny hangs his head. Jake watches him and feels a pang of guilt. He approaches Danny and puts a hand on his shoulder. 

JAKE: Hey, I’ll still do the worm. 

Danny looks at Jake in surprise. 

DANNY: Really? 

JAKE: Yeah. I mean, we made a deal, didn’t we? It won’t be the full dance, but at least you can get a bit of your messaging on screen. 

DANNY: We can work with that. 

JOSH: I told you he would see the light! 

The episode ends with the director, cameraman, and assistant director watching a cut of the Meeting the Master music video. During Jake’s guitar solo, they watch footage of Jake doing his kind-of worm in slow motion in front of a bonfire. There are multiple different angles of him doing this and, with the music, it’s a truly bizarre sight. The crew members gape at the footage and then the director shuts it off. 

DIRECTOR: Well…

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Oh god. 

CAMERAMAN: We’re not keeping that, are we? 

DIRECTOR: Absolutely not. That was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. 

The Cameraman and Assistant Director breathe out in relief. 

DIRECTOR: (continuing) It’s so bad, I want to throw myself out a window. 

END OF EPISODE.

Notes: EVERYONE GIVE ALEX (@jmkho) SO MUCH LOVE FOR THE TITLE AND ADDISON (@starcatcherkiszka) FOR THE ORIGINAL IDEA!!! 🫶🫶🫶

[menheraprince]

Harmonica Player On the Run

For those of you who don't know much about me, I'm a harmonica player. I've been playing since December 2018 and it's been a wild journey to say the least. I've mostly dealt with a lot of bullying from older men because I like the harmonica player, Terry McMillan, and I wanted to sound like him. I've also been cancelled on many forums due to people not understanding my neurodivergency, mainly with my autism. I was an okay-ish harmonica player in the beginning, but my playing really soared by the end of 2022 because I got a teacher to help me out. His name is Todd Parrott and he's the most supportive person that I've ever met. If you've ever met him, he looks a lot like Al Borland from Home Improvement but with a soothing voice and a southern twang. I always talk to him on Facebook Messenger and we're good friends outside of our lessons together. In fact, he often calls me "Amy McMillan" because he thinks I sound so much like Terry.

I was at a local music store yesterday, wanting to try out some amps, and I was wailing on a Mexican Fender Princeton 65 amp when the owner of the music store said he really liked my playing and recommended me to check out some open mics in my area and a blues festival on September 11th in Shelby, Ohio. I really loved how gritty the amp sounded at the bottom end, but it was out of my budget at $198USD, but I'm taking it into consideration as I love its tone. I also found a NOS Hohner Special 20 Marine Band in E, which was also out of my budget, but it was cool seeing one out in the wild.

I also performed with my band for the first time yesterday. We did "What I Like About You" by The Romantics. It was an absolute blast to be performing again. It was my first experience playing with a live band and everybody in the audience loved my harmonica playing. I actually showed it to a few of my harmonica friends, including my teacher. They all loved it too. I wanted all of you to see this too, so here ya go.

[bvannn]

Weekly update august 18, 2023

I’m writing this a bit earlier than I usually do because unfortunately the medical condition I mentioned last time is unbearably bad today. It hasn’t been too bad this past week but as of the last hour or so I’ve decided not to get up until tomorrow (save for food, bathing, and bathroom) to avoid worsening it. Luckily I got stuff done this morning before it really started to hit.

TRGA: I’m done with Jon’s animations for shot 1-1, and 33% through Emile’s. I’m planning to continue at the pace I have been, and luckily I got the work I assigned myself on it today done this morning, so I am free to wallow this evening. Assuming I’m better tomorrow I’ll try to get another keyframe done, and keep on pace. No sketchy line effects yet either but I’m not anticipating those being too hard as long as I’m careful where I apply them.

General drawing are going slow because I’ve been trying to push myself on music. I was going to screw with my guitar this evening but it’ll have to get pushed to Sunday evening most likely. I got spitfire labs working, as well as their little bbc orchestra set, and as of yesterday I think I got komolete start fixed. I still do not know how it works entirely, but a majority of the vsts are straightforward enough. I’ve been trying to go through and bookmark the ones that’ll be useful, there are a lot of wavy synth noises that don’t really have much use. Also appear to be missing some general instruments as well, anyone who can point me to a good accordion, harmonica, or zunpet vst, preferably free, please do. I think one of the programs with komplete start works like a guitar amp so I do want to try to relearn guitar enough for chords and rhythms. Shouldn’t take too long as long as I reapply note stickers, since guitar is a C instrument, which I was trained in.

Okay actual drawing stuff should hopefully be coming once I get my energy back as well. This next week should be my last week of work at my summer job (which kinda sucks because as tired as this job makes me I do really like it). I am holding my head high for a nice little internship in the fall, which could either be better or worse for me in terms of energy, and there is a good chance I’ll have more time to put into drawing/writing. Or I could just stuff it all into animation too, but I can animate during lecture as well to save time. Especially since I have an online hybrid course, so I can pause lecture, so I’m not even actually slacking off.

I apologize for rambling so much today my mood has been volatile and so has my medical condition. There even a good chance I change plans and do figure out a way to draw without getting up tonight after all. Maybe. Probably not. I hate my body and I want to die but it’s fine because I plan ahead. Maybe I’ll overdose on Tylenol again, I think I’ve been off it for long enough that it shouldn’t hurt my liver.

[tiniigi]

[harmalonicland]

Pignose Amps 7-100 50th Anniversary Edition 5-watt 1 x 5-inch Combo Amp

This battery-powered, 5-watt dynamo delivers everything from clean to all-out grind via its simple volume knob, and you can take it anywhere: the studio, onstage, backstage, your dorm room, bedroom, backyard, or the beach — literally anywhere! You can crank the 7-100 through its built-in 5-inch speaker, or run its preamp signal out to a larger amp, front of house, or a recording console for instant pig-filthy funkiness.

Price- $149.95 Harmonicas are not returnable

Sorry, harmonicas cannot be returned, so please call if you'd like help choosing. Click the given link

[sinceileftyoublog]

Jake Xerxes Fussell Live Show Review: 10/17, Empty Bottle, Chicago

Jake Xerxes Fussell

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Over the years, Jake Xerxes Fussell's repertoire and sound have expanded, though he's never lost sight of his exploratory ethos. On his self-titled debut and sophomore effort What in the Natural World, he introduced himself as a contemporary troubadour, an interpreter who used original arrangements to surface the universal meaning out of old songs. 2019's Out of Sight was his first record with a full band, 2022's Good and Green Again his first to combine traditional songs with wholly original compositions. In July, Fussell brought it all together on his debut album for Fat Possum, When I'm Called; it's an album featuring a murderer's row of collaborators and songs that Fussell constructed backwards, coming up with melodies and riffs before adapting them to folk songs that fit.

On When I'm Called, legends Fussell knew who may or may not have met each other, like cowboy artist Maestro Gaxiola and painter, musician, and folklorist Art Rosenbaum (a mentor of Fussell's who passed away in 2022), are intimate bedfellows. Fussell lifts from the public domain, Benjamin Britten, and found poetry on a scrap of paper. Returning are close collaborators like James Elkington, in the producer's chair and playing seemingly everything from synth to harmonica, as well as Joan Shelley, singing alongside Fussell's baritone on "Cuckoo!". Uniting with Fussell for the first time are guitar luminary Blake Mills, whose abstract tones nestle between Fussell's acoustic guitar and Elkington's pedal steel on "Going to Georgia", and Hunter Diamond, whose woodwinds pop up just when you need them most, like a consistent smiling face around the neighborhood. In general, on When I'm Called, more than ever, the band gets room to meander, to take in their surroundings.

Fussell & Ben Whiteley

How, then, would Fussell, who usually plays solo, adapt the arrangements not just to a live stage, but for a crowd who has had months to take in the recorded versions? Indeed, Thursday's show at the Empty Bottle featured the youngest crowd I've ever seen at a Fussell headlining show. Some of that, perhaps, had to do with the venue itself and the start time of his set (after 10 P.M.). But something tells me, at this point, people are less inclined to hear beloved old songs and more amped for Fussell specifically, the guitar player who picks bright-eyed on "Jump for Joy", the singer who belts, "Well, wake up woman, take your big leg off of mine," on "Have You Ever Seen Peaches Growing on a Sweet Potato Vine?". (I went to get a beer at the bar as he sang, passing by a crowd member cackling, turning to their friend and declaring, "I love that line!") Well, for one, Fussell didn't play solo this time. He was always accompanied by bassist Ben Whiteley, who plays on When I'm Called. Whiteley's steady plucking eased us into "Michael Was Hearty", and his rhythms buoyed Fussell's chugging guitars on an unexpected, but great cover of Nick Lowe's new wave classic "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass". As we were in Chicago, Elkington, too, joined Fussell on stage for a number of songs, providing contrasting guitar textures on "Cuckoo!" Even The Weather Station's Tamara Lindeman, all the way from Toronto, was in the crowd and came on for backing vocals.

Fussell

It's easy to say that what is usually a lonesome affair turned into a party, given that the number of people on stage at any given moment quadrupled from its usual number. The more I thought about it, though, whether it's four musicians crowding around each other or just Fussell perched on a stool, his shows are always communal. On Thursday, the most affecting and memorable moments of the night were spontaneous. Out of Sight's "Jubliee" started as a singalong and felt like a full-on hymnal towards the end, the crowd repeating, "Swing and turn, Jubilee / Live and learn, Jubilee," like it was a mantra of keeping-on. And then there was "Donkey Riding", a traditional song which does not (yet) have a studio version, inspiring the biggest, and somehow still most polite sing-and-clap-along of the night. The moment the crowd seemed to get a tad too rowdy, we shushed each other so we could hear one last instrumental flourish, one last guitar lick from the artist who continues to give us gifts we didn't even know we already had.

[todays-just-a-daydream]

Later that week, after working on some other songs, Noel returned to his 'Champagne Supernova' guitar overdubs.

"There are two e-bows that run throughout the song, giving it a sort of violin effect, and he did all of those parts pretty quick,” says Morris. "Then he also did all of his picking parts pretty quick. This went on for about two hours. Noel would just sit in the studio next to his amps and play. He wouldn't come into the control room to listen to what he'd done until everything was finished. So his guitar overdubs were all done fairly quickly.

"After that, there was a session when Liam felt inspired to do all of the Beatle-y 'aaahs' that would go over the guitar solo, to which I also added some Beatle-y Mellotron parts. Then, during another session, he had a go at singing 'Champagne Supernova'. We did half a dozen takes, but what happened was that the high note of the song — at the end of the line 'The world's still spinning around, we don't know why' — was kind of burning his voice out. So he was getting croakier on each take, and by the time he got to the end he was sounding very Rod Stewart-y.

"I did a comp of the vocal and, bizarrely enough, Noel and Liam both liked it. But I didn't. So at the very end of the six-week session at Rockfield, when just Liam and I were in the studio, I got him to re-sing it and we did it piece by piece. We did the first verse half a dozen times and we did the ending half a dozen times. Then, once he'd completed all of the soft bits, Liam did the first chorus half a dozen times, followed by the same number of takes for the second verse and the other choruses, until he tackled the high part last.”

The only major element still missing from 'Champagne Supernova' was the lead guitar that Noel Gallagher wanted his mate Paul Weller to play. Accordingly, after Oasis appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in late-June and the mix of (What's The Story) Morning Glory? commenced on a Neve console in the mix room at South London's Orinoco Studios, Weller showed up one day with his roadie, a white Gibson SG and an old Vox AC30 amplifier.

"He didn't have any pedals with him,” Morris recalled. "He had the volume on '3'. It was a really nice Vox and a really nice SG, and so I just put a 57 on it and recorded it as was. Paul probably did four solos, and then he and Noel let me pick what I wanted. He also contributed a little whistle to 'Champagne Supernova' — a few bars after the big guitar solo finishes — and 'Ooh' backing vocals at the end, as well as some harmonica and guitar to 'The Swamp Song'. All in all, it was another very quick session. He and Noel probably turned up at three in the afternoon and left at seven that evening.”

Owen Morris on recording Champagne Supernova at Rockfield (Sound on Sound 2012)

[itshatsig]

OKAY, SO I READ SOMEWHERE THAT SPOT CONLON WAS A HARMONICA PLAYER, AND OBVI BEING AS DELUSIONAL AS I AM, I INSTANTLY LINKED THE HARMONICA THING! HOLD ON IMA TRY FIND THE LINK RQ

Tumblrhttps://newsiepedia.tumblr.com › postAn (Un)official Newsies Wiki — Character Profile: Spot https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newsiepedia.tumblr.com/post/181768220927/character-profile-spot/amp&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjO0Lv9ku-BAxX5S0EAHYsDDIcQFnoECGcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0-3TZuKBP3p8eldQJoYgdI

BIG ASS LINK BUT TURNS OUT ITS FROM: @newsiepedia , but if you copy the link it should send you straight to the post!!

right. where tf did 92sies race get his harmonica from.

[krispyweiss]

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day Two, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 5, 2024

It was strictly bluegrass to kick off Day Two of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass as the Dry Branch Fire Squad offered stories about HSB founder Warren Hellman and songs of the Civil War and death and Jesus alongside instrumentals on the Banjo stage. There were no amps during the day-opening set that found the quartet playing and singing into shared mics and telling slow-to-develop tales with good humor.

Later in the day, Moonalice would grace the Towers of Gold audience with the second “White Rabbit” of the festival - following Molly Tuttle’s Oct. 4 version - and Tuttle would return with Golden Highway to back Steve Earle for a set that included a surprise appearance from Emmylou Harris on “Goodbye” and a rare festival encore of “This Land is Your Land” to end Oct. 5 in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

As a warm morning turned to a sweltering afternoon that found festivalgoers gathering in shady areas and leaving sun-drenched stretches of grass empty, Jobi Riccio and her rhythm section created a stripped-back, Hejira-era Joni Mitchell/Harris hybrid for the Rooster-farians, as the emcee called those gathered at Rooster stage. Playing during Buddy Miller’s daylong Cavalcade of Stars, Riccio surely earned some new fans.

Showcasing their new How to Make Mistakes LP, Fruition entertained the Swan stage shade-seekers as the quintet with multiple lead singers and multi-instrumentalist members took a a Bandian approach to 21st-century Americana with faux-blood harmonies buttressing ballads like “Still on My Mind.”

Following immediately on the adjacent Towers of Gold, Moonalice - with drummer John Molo, guitarist Barry Sless, singer Lester Chambers, bassist Pete Sears and others - turned in a hugely entertaining and soulful set that included the front-line trio of female vocalists leading the large band through such covers as Marvin Gaye’s “You’re all I Need to Get By” the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song,” “(Turn on Your) Lovelight” and the aforementioned Airplane number.

Back on the Rooster for the ongoing Cavalcade, former Carolina Chocolate Drop Dom Flemons played bones, harmonica, guitar and quills on traditional songs to demonstrate what being an American Songster is all about. As he performed Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train,” on guitar and “Brown Skinned Girl” on harmonica, Flemons proved himself the rare solo-acoustic performer who could hold a field full of festivalgoers in rapt (near) silence.

But he also had assistance from the Red Dirt Boys - who’d previously played a rich-gumbo show of their own - on original country and western songs from Traveling Wildfire and an old-timey rendition of “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” as he danced with rubbery legs of joy. A couple of false starts added to the spontaneous nature of this surprise mini-set.

Carlene Carter provided midafternoon lunchtime country music as the Sound Biteses prepared for Mavis Staples on the Banjo. And she did not disappoint, cooling down the afternoon with such hopeful numbers as “I’m Just Another Soldier,” “Handwriting on the Wall” “Respect Yourself” and “Freedom Highway” as she declared the healing power of music and her gruff, joyful laugh.

“We come to bring you some joy, some happiness, some inspiration - we want you to feel good,” Staples said.

And she made people feel just that though it was disheartening to see the 85-year-old American treasure needing to sit during a portion of her show, which she did not do in Ohio several months ago.

Earle, Tuttle & Golden Highway ended the day with 75 minutes - HSB’s longest performance - and opened with “Warren Hellman’s Banjo.” The show was a little under-rehearsed but a prime example of live music without a net with songs from the Del McCoury-Earle joint the Mountain, a cover of Little Feat’s “Willin’” and perhaps the most-emphatic version of “Copperhead Road” to date.

“This turned out exactly the way I wanted it to,” an exuberant Earle said with a comment that summed up Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites’ day perfectly.

Read Sound Bites’ HSB Day One coverage here.

10/6/24