Sunday, December 18, 2005

Linoleum in Amin Jam

Nine minutes of greasy modern funk. For you.

If you like this tune and are planning on keeping it go to iTunes and check out "Shove". You will like that one too...

Your support is important to us and really helps us keep bringing these Podcasts to you.

Thanks
Brad

Friday, December 16, 2005

Okay...Milwaukee is the Shit.

This article proves it.

Milwaukee is the "It" city.

Like Minneapolis, Athens, Seattle now comes Milwaukee.

Microsoft and MTV - mUrge

Microsquash and MonotonusTV will roll out a rival to Apple iTunes called Urge.

The internet music blogpen is taking a "hmmm interesting" attitude.

Whack of the CLUEBAT - anyone over 14 knows MTV in uncool and anyone who has used a computer for more than five minutes knows that Microdorf inhales sharply with lips pursed. So Urge is probably going to be as uncool as Microdump and SpewTV. You might as well rename it to Wal-Tunes. I'll just bet that MS will sue Apple for something over this whole thing.

They should come out with a new Mp3 player they can call it the Microbarf eKnob. I can see it now...Knob casts. People in commercials bobbing with thier Knobs...

Typical of Microslop to come out with a product by waiting until someone refines the idea and creates the culture. Then they throw 40 bazillion dollars at it, roll out some crappy hardware running some wierd hacked Windows OS on it and get Weezer and the Rolling Stones to sign on to promote it.

I digress. I just wanted to clue folks in early that it is okay to diss Urge now. Why wait? We all know allready where it is heading. Right into the MS bank on on every computer sold by Dell, SOny, Hp, etc,etc.....

What does this have to do with Soul Amp?

Nothing....I just felt like bashing Microsoft a little for the entertainment value in it, since I stopped watching MTV sometime in 1984 and have basically avoided Microsoft products when ever possible. Even though if it wasn't for Microsoft I wouldn't have a job now...(probably be touring or working on our fifth album or something "dull" like that.)


Brad

Monday, December 12, 2005

News From Farkasville Studio

The G4 Dual is ALIVE! I sent the logic baord and CPU module to a place in Cali. DT&T Computer Services. They established the CPU was cooked. Logic Board, video and RAM were all okay. We got the new/used CPU module, a dual 1.o Ghz not 1.24 for $350. It was in stock and ready to go so we opted for the 1.0 over the more expensive 1.24.

I installed complete with static wrist strap one adn the Powermac fired up and booted. I took it to Farkasville and we set it up, installed a a airport extreme card for M1's wireless. And did the much needed updates to Panther. I also spent some time debugging the studio set for AudioDesk. I found the the MOTU 828 likes to have it be the clock source. That explained why firewire was having issues during playback.

So we are back and ready to start recording new tunes.

CD Review in Rick's Cafe

Rick's Cafe is a monthly newsprint music publication out of Madison, WI. They focus on the South Central Wisconsin music scene, primarily on Madison. Waukesha is just on the edge of "south central".

The mag can be picked up for free at many places in and around Madison.

They ran a review of Strip Mall Heaven in this months issue. (December 2005)

John Payne contributing writer penned the review. He did a good job of recognizing what we were going after in this disk. In the issue, as well, we are on "Rick's Rotation", a list of the Editor/Publisher's current listening queue.

"Soul Amp takes sonic cues from a diverse array of artists; the influence of everyone from the Greatful Dead and Phish to REM, David Bowie and Ben Folds is detectable throughout the record. What's remarkable about Heaven is the way these desparate sounds are blended into a singular, homeogenous presentation.
...
But even at the most somber lyrical moments, the spiritied music
always manages to convey a somewhat midwestern keep on truckin' attitude and sence of determination. Occasionally the aesthetic even seeps into the lyrics as well, on stand out tracks such as "Shove" and "She Walks On Up Ahead". Sad stories aside, the music of Soul Amp seems to come to a comforting conclusion about life in America; it's frequently hard, but just as often, it is good."
- John Payne Ricks's Cafe, Dec. 2005


They do post the review on thier website, it takes a few months for the back issues to show.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

December 8th 1980

I was in my first year of college. I do not recall how I heard that John Lennon was killed. I remember was seeing the crowds of people mourning him on television. I was 18 then and things are a little fuzzy during those years.

Given that that day was a Monday I was probably at home in bed or possibly watching TV late. But I remember hearing that John Lennon was shot and killed in front of his home. Simply it made me quite sad and angry. There would be no reunion. There would be no more music from John. When John died so to did any possibility of one day seeing the Beatles play together again.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of playing Rubber Soul on our Motorola HI-FI console and my sister spinning beatles 45s on here little portable phonograph.

The Beatles have always been part of my life, like a old friend that is visited time and time again.

Funny though I did see the Beatles play again. It was in a dream I had. A very realistic dream. I was standing at the edge of the stage among several others waiting for the band. No one knew who was playing. Until the band step out from back stage. A thrill went through the small crowd. I looked up and Paul was at the grand piano, and John, George and Ringo were all in place. They started to play...Hey Jude. I watched and listened to the entire song played by the four. It was amazingly real. I remember in the dream knowing it was dream but not waking and hearing the entire song. The actual instruments played by each as I watched. I heard the sound coming from each instrument. I even told myself this has never happened and never could happen for dozens of reasons, but it did anyway...it was a dream.

I looked up at Paul and he looked down at me from the piano and smiled, nodding his head as if to say..."Yes, it's real." He went back to singing, looking across the piano to John. I looked at each and they did the same, meeting eyes and smiling. I've never before have had a musical performance dream like that. I have never had one since. Sometimes I think it was some special gift given to me for a brief few minutes from where or who I have no idea. All I know, it was the single most beautiful dream I've ever had.

We are playing a gig tonight. Our songs are for John, George, Paul and Ringo, The Beatles.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Gone to the Hogs



M2 and M1 say "go to the hog."

This HOG.


We've been getting the new studio space in order. It's been a long slow process of tuning the new room. We've got more studio foam on order and have built a half dozen bass traps from sonotube and fiberglass insulation. The room is getting better. I moved the final last bits of the old "cat box" studio over last night. With the Powermac's guts off to Cali for repair we should up and recording by January for sure. We can still track with the Powerbook g4. It just doesn't have enoguh horsepower to mix freely. Still pretty useful little machine though.



And Behind garage door number 2 - A new Bass Trap!

No name yet for the new studio....maybe Farkusville Studio....

As for shows we're playing at the House of Guinness in Waukesha the 2nd Thursday of the month starting next Thursday Dec. 8. We play up to three sets and it is going to be very laid back. We'll be popping new material, jamming, having guests sit in and mixing up the instrumentation to keep our stay at the HOG interesting.

SO hope to see folks come out this next Thursday for a Pint.