Monday, February 28, 2005

April 23rd Rally Against Violence

We are playhing the MKE RAV at Turner Hall on April 23rd for the Rally Against Violence organized by Milwaukee Artists for Social Change.

Should be a good event with music, info, art etc...

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Master SOng List as of 2/05

Soul Amp Song Master List

Roughly in chronological order

1. Banner Day
2. Time on My Hands
3. Summer Holiday
4. She Walks On Up Ahead
5. Splash Jam
6. Take What You Want
7. New Day
8. Division
9. Tears
10. Jamie Says
11 . Cold Dinner
12. Sealed Away
13. Seeing Jimmy
14. Moves in for the Kill
15. Spinning Things
16. More Than I Asked For
17. Flowing On
18. She Slit Her Wrists Again
19. Turn out The Morning
20. Beautiful Picture
21. Throwing Rocks
22. Lucky For You
23. Capital People
24. Memory of a Friend
25. Shove

Soul Amp Blog Relocated

The Soul Amp Blog is now located at our official website

http://soul-amp.com


Click on the blog tab.

Also if you want to can find us here:

View Soul Amp's EPK
View Soul Amp's EPK

Soul Amp Calendar of Upcoming Gigs

Monday, February 21, 2005

News...

Some highlights of activities.

We have another gig at the Main Stage in Waukesha. March 12th.

Also we signed up for Sonicbids.com. SUmmerfest is using this. I am not sure we'll use it beyond trying to get a Summerfest slot as most of the opportuities cost between 15-50 bucks to through Sonicbids. Wheras you can send a press kit via snail mail for free to some of them. However some of the events only take saonicbids EPK....

YOu can view out EPK here...

View Soul Amp's EPK
View Soul Amp's EPK

It also has a calendar...

My Sonicbids Calendar

If we continue to use this I'll probably post this calendar in the main web page...

On the recording front we have four new tunes we're polishing. And a we are recording new versions of some our older songs about 8 so far on the list. We'll be in the studio tuesday and wednesday night and this saturday tracking.

SO for those of you who have the New Day and Tube prototype disk those there won't be anymore of those sold. I think I have aout 15 or so left of Tube.

That's it for now.
BRad

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Soul Amp selected for Break up Song

We recently submitted our song She Slit Her Wrists Again to MKE magazine for a breakup song online compilation. Our song was selected and you can download it and all 15 other tracks here.

So we got a blurb in the MKE magazine out now and another link and reason to post.

Also in the list is one of my local favorites Spill.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Tone Quest Update

Well I have switched back to Groove Tubes 12ax7-c's for the pre-amp stages of the Traynor YCV20. The JJ ECC83S either need some burn in or one has an issue. Word out in the ether is that the JJ ECC83s' have some manufacturing issues. One reseller dicontinued the tube because he had 25% rejection rates. I am in contact with Bob at Eurotubes and I'll post a post-morteum once I find out what the scoop on these tubes are. Tonight I will be trying them in the Champ 12 to see if I can isolate the issue. This issue is a ratty high frequency static that seems to appear in overdrive settings.

I left the balanced JJ ECC83S in the phase splitting spot and it seems to be doing okay. Though I might try a 12AT7 that I have. To see what that will do.

The EL84's from JJ are performing well and the overall sound is better than the Sovteks. I might swap back again just to make sure though...

I also investigated speakers and have decided on the Eminence Red Fang AlNiCo 30 watt speaker. Partly because of some favorable reviews and price. It is 1/3 the cost of an Celestion Blue and is close to the sound. I am sure the tube amp wolrd will start hearing more about this speaker soon based on a few things I have read. One reviewer on Harmony Central put the Red Fang and Blue in a head to head test. He said the Blue was still the best but the Red Fang had a different yet equally musical sound. Quite a excellent value. The weak dollar has allowed Eminence to gain some ground on Celestion on their UK produced speakers. The big bummer on the weak dollar is that is has put UK amps pretty much out of reach.

I had some mp3s of the tone but unfortunately they have too much digital clipping on them to post. So I will rerecord the samples and with more care on the amp settings and what I play to to provide a better comparision.

I'll put a new section on the website called "Combo Tube Amp" for you fellow tone freaks out there.



Pestilence...

A illness has befallen the most delightful person that plays upon the drums in the band of gentlemen known as Soul Amp. Seems the sturdy M2 has been stricken with pneumonia and is home on bed rest by doctor's orders. His recovery is proceeding and his spirits are high. All the wish him the best in this difficult time.

In the mean time M1 and myself are generating a bevy of new tunes with the goal of having more to sellect from when the time comes to put the upcoming album in the can. Which BTW is slated for May 1st, 2005.

Upcoming gigs are nebulous at this time as we are concentrating on re-recording tracks already selected for the album.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Brad and Strat.


Brad and Strat.
Originally uploaded by bodland.

Once again getting ready for rehersal in the CatBox. I'm still in my work uniform.

What dedication.

Check out Free Music Here.

M2 in the CatBox


M2 in the CatBox
Originally uploaded by bodland.
M2 behind the Ludwig's during rehersal.

Free Lite Beer....


Free Lite Beer....
Originally uploaded by bodland.
Main Stage has these cool wing counters with couches and stools along the sides that make it a great place to chill and chat. Here we are partaking in some libation before we went on.

Main Stage Stage


Main Stage Stage
Originally uploaded by bodland.
Back stage at the main stage.

Main Stage


mainstageset
Originally uploaded by bodland.
Here is the set up at the Main Stage gig on Jan. 28, 2005.

M1 and Brad O. at the Main Stage


M1 and Brad O.
Originally uploaded by bodland.
This must be during Turn Out the Morning as M1 is on the Wurli.

Wide Shot...


Wide Shot...
Originally uploaded by bodland.
Hmmm....I do look a little wide.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Watching the listeners

Yesterday, I dropped one of the latest prototype CDs at a coffee shop in the area. I've played at this place in the past with another band I'm currently playing with. After I chatted with one of the owners about when they'll be starting to program bands again I ordered some coffee & a nosh and he told me he'd play the CD while I was there. I think the shop had around 20 people in it. I grabbed a copy of the Arts section of the New York Times, read up on Cirque du Soleil's new show in Las Vegas and sipped my coffee. While our CD was playing I noticed a few things...

- even on the shop's miniscule sound system we sounded quite good, Brad's vocals could be heard, lyrics understood plainly, even with a somewhat boistrous crowd and the front door of the shop propped open, letting fresh, warm outside air into the shop
- it was nice to sit around perfect strangers (although I find myself wondering why people use the expression 'perfect strangers', what makes them perfect? how exactly do we know for certain they're even all that strange? more strange than me?) and listen to our music
- it's one thing to play our CD for friends & family and have them give sincerely good review of our music, it's one thing to play live and get the same including the same from patrons in the bar/club, but it's an entirely different thing to be sitting in a coffee shop listening to our music and notice a patron with his wife as they enjoy the beautiful weather, sip their coffee and gradually start dancing in their seats, a wide smile gaining real estate on their face and their toes tapping like some sort of hoe-down hillbilly (hopefully the owner noticed)

So, I think we're on the right track. =)

Saturday, February 05, 2005

JJ Electronics ecc83s


ecc83s
Originally uploaded by bodland.
JJ Electonics ECC83s or 12ax7. Word out in tubeland is that these tubes are some of the sweetest to come down the pipe since the Telefunkens in the early 60's. I'll be loading the Traynor up with these in a few days. Today I'll be putting down a version of a new tune on acoustic and will do some sample recordings of the Traynor and Champ 12 with the different tube sets I have.

Friday, February 04, 2005

The EL84 Power Tube


el84
Originally uploaded by bodland.
TYPICAL CHARACTERISTIC:

Ua = 250 V
Ug2 = 250 V
Ug1 = -7,3 V
Ia = 48 mA
Ig2 = 5,5 mA
S = 11,3 mA/V
Ri = 40 kOhm
µg1/g2

CLASS A AMPLIFIER:

Ua = 250 V
Ug2 = 250 V
Rk = 133 Ohm
Ia = 48 mA
Ig2 = 5,5 mA
Ra = 5,2 kOhm
Ug1eff(50mW) = 0,3 V
Ug1eff(N) = 4,3 V
N(10%)1) = 5,7 W
N2) = 6 W
1)Ug1fest fixed grid bias
2)Ig1


What does this MEAN!! I don't know but it looks cool...

Traynor YCV20


Traynor YCV20
Originally uploaded by bodland.

New amp. Soul Amp aquired this little gem from e-bay. I played the Sprizzo gig with it after I wired a switching 1/4 jack and installed a mounting plate to the inside cabinet to hold it.

I used the Fender 2x12 closed back cabinet that is loaded with EVM-12Fs. The cabinet is 8 ohm. Plugging in a cabinet to the Traynor automagically turns off the speaker and maintains the 8 ohm output requirement.

I replaced the stock Sovtek 12ax7 with Groove Tube 12ax7-c Shugaung made.

First off this amp being a EL84 cathode biased amp is a much differenet animal than the Champ 12 I have been using. The signal to the power tubes in the Traynor is split into two seprate opposite phases and are sent to the power tubes for amplification. The Champ is a single ended Class A with a single 6L6 power tube and has this one dimentional quality to it compared to the dual EL84.

Basically in a nutshell the Champ 12 is a "American" high gain rock amp. The Traynor is really more of a "Brit" type amp. Think Orange AD15, Vox AC15, Marshall 18 watt. It was designed in response to the Mesa Boogie high gain amp of the day. The two amps have very different sounds. The EL84 amp though is able to replicate the sound of the Champ 12 to a degree. The big bonus is that the EL84 amp has a higher degree of flexibility and a more complicated sound .

Be sure to get yourself some Free Soul Amp music by clicking here.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Another Promo Photo


soulampstand
Originally uploaded by bodland.
More pix for use somewhere. We'll maybe use this one for some glossies to.

Soul Amp Logo


walking_logo
Originally uploaded by bodland.
Here is a a first at a logo.

It is called the "walking dude" logo...