Love on a Spindle

Here's a live one we did in 2005 (sort of made up on the spot). We recorded this to the reel to reel. The tape gives out at a couple of points and we had to fade it out at the end because something got messed up on the tape, but it's a rocking little song and we hope you dig it:

Love on a Spindle

I tried to decipher Brad's lyrics (which I believe he made up on the spot) and I posted them here

A photo of my smashed finger after 2.5 weeks as I take walk around a pond by work

Click here for the latest update on the smashed finger.

Well I was able to play the gig on May 11th all right. If you listen to the recordings (look for the one's with HOG in the name), you can hear I'm a bit off but not too much more horrible than normal. I think playing on it caused it to re-injure or something. It got infected right after that. Mom and my girlfriend wanted me to go to the doc, but I fought that and now the infection is all gone and it's just starting to feel a bit better... still have some pain with it, but I'm using it to type this. One strange thing is that it got numb, but that's diminishing now too. So here's a pic of it:



Here's all the posts documenting the smashed finger saga (in reverse order):

• finger and fingernail fully recovered!!!...1 year and 4 months later....
• fingernail recovering...5.5 month update....
• fingernail recovering...4 month update....
• fingernail recovering...3rd month update....
• fingernail starting to grow back - about 2.5 months after the smashing.
• fingernail coming off - about 2 months after the smashing.
• update 1.5 months.
• update 2.5 weeks.
• stabbed the finger to release the pressure.
• smashed a finger.

Anyone with a story of a smashed finger, I'll be happy to post it. Just drop an email or feel free to comment on this post or any of the others.

Here's one from a reader named Gordon:
http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2008/11/photos-of-finger-that-was-sliced-by.html

And in the meantime, feel free to distract yourself with some delightful music from my band, Soul Amp:

http://www.soul-amp.com/Top_Ten_Songs.html

A thought in support of we Procrastinators

if you wait long enough to do something, it no longer needs doing


well....at least sometimes... actually often

but to rebut that thought I did just come across this quote (which Al Gore has been using to encourage us to get our collective act together about global warming):

"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place, we are entering a period of consequences." -Winston Churchill

but my quote still applies... if we wait long enough to work on fix global warming.. then we won't have to work on it because it will be unstoppable...sorry for the sarcasm there.....

so... I guess we need to be careful to choose to work on the important stuff and choose to not waste time on the unimportant stuff...


which reminds me I have some more tunes I want to post.... I should get to those soon

Thank You!

Just wanted to thank all who attended the House of Guinness gig on May 11th (including my mom..."Hi Mom!"). It was a treat to play for you all and we thank you for your support of our band!

We were able to make a tape of three of the tunes during the second set using Brad's Pioneer - Auto Reverse, Direct Drive RT-707 quarter inch (1/4") reel to reel. Something was wrong with one of the cables or with the mixer or with the reel to reel. We were only able to get a mono recording. The mic was pointed at Brad and his guitar amp... so the keys are kind of muted (not the worst thing since my busted pinky was starting to really bug me).

The tunes are really long and meandering (between 15 and 20 mins each) and include some of our inane chatter... So these tunes are mostly for hardcore fans or for people who were there and what to hear themselves talking in the audience. There are some very tasty bits especially Brad's guitar playing... and M2 was just a monster on the drums (truely amazing stuff). There was a bit of hum in the recording which I eq'd out to no great ill effect to the overall recording. There's also a couple of minor tape glitches, but not too noticeable. So without further ado:

Flowing On

She Walks On Up Ahead

HOG Funker

All these tunes (except HOG Funker) are on our album, Strip Mall Heaven.

May 11 Gig - Reminder!

Just wanted to remind all of you that we are playing tomorrow night
at the HOG (House of Guinness).

We going to break out some Amp Oldies and some new Jams.

Hope you dig it! Hope to see you there!

psst... if you show up, you might get a free CD.

Ice crystal photos in Steamboat Colorado - New tune... "Quizzical Ice" or "Quizzical Tree Knot"? - photos by Mike Fisk

Brad and I, sans M2, created this crazy instrumental last week (bfs - before finger slam). It's a trance, electonica, new wave, punk thing... so this may be the first and only time you will hear Brad on synths and myself on drums. In fact, this is the very first time I've been recorded on drums ....and in fact (again), the only time I've ever been recorded on drums... so this just rocks.... here ya go....

Quizzical Ice

haha...lucky you... you get two pics for this tune....

ok I have a confession... I originally called the tune "Quizical Tree Knot"... but couldn't find the pic I wanted for it... well I just found it... so you can call it what you like and here's that pic.....

Check out some other Free Soul Amp music here.

Pics of using a hot needle on a smashed finger to release the pressure... Photos of smashed finger and fingernail fluid release using a heated needle

Click here for the latest update on the smashed finger.

A number of friends recommended I poke my nail with a hot needle to relieve the pressure and save the nail.... so I tried it.... learned that you can't let the needle cool off... it sizzled on the nail when it worked and I realized you need to remove it quickly after you hear the sizzle...here's the pics of the operation....seemed to work ok...blackness is already diminished... bleeds a long time though... still bleeding as I type this... didn't hurt.

I'm not a doctor (though I have a friend whose father was a doctor)... so unlike me, consult one if you find yourself in the same situation.... =)










Here's all the posts documenting the smashed finger saga (in reverse order):

• finger and fingernail fully recovered!!!...1 year and 4 months later....
• fingernail recovering...5.5 month update....
• fingernail recovering...4 month update....
• fingernail recovering...3rd month update....
• fingernail starting to grow back - about 2.5 months after the smashing.
• fingernail coming off - about 2 months after the smashing.
• update 1.5 months.
• update 2.5 weeks.
• stabbed the finger to release the pressure.
• smashed a finger.

Anyone with a story of a smashed finger, I'll be happy to post it. Just drop an email or feel free to comment on this post or any of the others.

Here's one from a reader named Gordon:
http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2008/11/photos-of-finger-that-was-sliced-by.html

And in the meantime, feel free to distract yourself with some delightful music from my band, Soul Amp:

http://www.soul-amp.com/Top_Ten_Songs.html

Smashed a finger...Photo of a smashed finger and fingernail on a Nord Electro 2 keyboard... Will the smashed fingernail ruin the gig?

Click here for the latest update on the smashed finger.

Over the weekend I got my finger slammed in a car door. My girlfriend I were looking at Toyato highlanders and I had closed the front door and my hand was on the edge of the door. The sales guy then closed the rear door and somehow my pinky got caught. It's blackened, swollen, and painful. I tried playing last night with 4 fingers and it seemed to work all right. I'll keep practicing with 4 fingers and I've been soaking it in ice and hot water with Epson salt. I've also been taking ibuprofen to cut down on inflammation. I hope I can use it on Fri, but if not I can do the 4 finger thing. So here's a pic of it from this morning (it looked worse on Saturday, so that's a good thing that it's improving... sorry I didn't get a pic of it on Saturday for all you ghouls out there...)




click on the pic for a bigger version... if you are so inclined...

Here's all the posts documenting the smashed finger saga (in reverse order):

• finger and fingernail fully recovered!!!...1 year and 4 months later....
• fingernail recovering...5.5 month update....
• fingernail recovering...4 month update....
• fingernail recovering...3rd month update....
• fingernail starting to grow back - about 2.5 months after the smashing.
• fingernail coming off - about 2 months after the smashing.
• update 1.5 months.
• update 2.5 weeks.
• stabbed the finger to release the pressure.
• smashed a finger.

Anyone with a story of a smashed finger, I'll be happy to post it. Just drop an email or feel free to comment on this post or any of the others.

Here's one from a reader named Gordon:
http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2008/11/photos-of-finger-that-was-sliced-by.html

And in the meantime, feel free to distract yourself with some delightful music from my band, Soul Amp:

http://www.soul-amp.com/Top_Ten_Songs.html

Mascara Death.... an old song...

This one is off Strip Mall Heaven. ... it's a "hidden" track at the end of the CD... no you don't have to wait for it (we hate when artists do that on CDs... big silent wait and then the song plays... and maybe you hate when a track it not listed... touche')....

It was recorded live using a Pioneer - Auto Reverse, Direct Drive RT-707 quarter inch (1/4") reel to reel in Brad's basement... formally known as Cat Box Studio:

Mascara Death is a punkish song, depicting a true and tragic story... and so without further ado, we give you:

Mascara Death

lyrics

Kick out the jams....

All right, we may never be as cool as these guys (the MC5) or their classic Kick Out the Jams. Yet you can hear the influence of them on us...(like on our tunes "Ten Dollar Bill" and "Mascara Death"... coming as posts soon).

Anyhow, in the meantime, here are three jams that we slapped together at recent practices...

How About Some Hammond

Welcomed Wanderer

Livid Harmonium

plink plink

Here's one that Brad and I did a couple of weeks back.... has a bit of synth and piano and of course, Brad on gitfiddle...

Plink Plink

Daffodil in Snow....

click the daffodil twice

a little rough of a recording

more tunes to come soon

Hold On...

A new song made up on the spot... did the mics a bit differently... a very rough mix today... but interesting.... check it out:

Hold On

Soul Amp-bience.... A New Tune...

Here's an instrumental ambient/rock tune Brad and I came up with last week at rehearsal. M2 couldn't make it, so no percussion this time. We are in our just "make up things" on the spot mode.... we just hit record and this is what we came up with. We have a couple of condenser mics at the other end of the basement.... picked up a lot of stuff including Brad tapping his foot (sounds like a metronome) and me clicking a foot switch to speed up/slow down the rotorary speakers on the motion sound (so yep, there's a bit of Hammon B3 in there.... not just piano). This tune is part of 15 minute jam... I may take something from the second half later.

We also have a 25 minute jam from the same night... I think I'll mine that one for tunes as well... so look for another tune or two in the next few days.

I named this one Silver Lamp cause I was looking at the silver lamp on table that my best friend gave me for Christmas. It also seems appropriate because lots of people think we are "Soul Lamp". So to be confusing here's "Sliver Lamp" by Soul Amp:

Silver Lamp

a thought...

progress is painful
regress more so

Baseball.... and Soul Amp?

so I wrote this lyric last autumn while watching a baseball game....

took all the inspiration from the commentary on the game and kind of turned it into something else....(the chorus came from somewhere else... but seems to fit)...

Until she gets bored, and you get the cooties

With the rain falling
Going to be a delay
Digging in and waithing
When there's nothing you can do
Can't go by the book, all of the time
Forget the book
Try to fill up the bucket

Then you'll pop up, going after people
Love to do the boogie all night long
Until she gets bored, and you get the cooties
Then there's gonna be a down-thing for a while

You don't care about truth or anything
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
You just wants some happy big moments
Drive them all in, when you get the chance

Dealing with the elements and mad at yourself
So gut wrenching but good for your health
Letting it hang, letting them down
Without shoving nobody around

Chorus

Hopelessly
Content
With the dried up words

Futures
All been spent
On the way up

by Soul Amp... copyright 2007

Bernie and Slider...

A couple more pics from the Indians vs Angels at Miller Park in Milwaukee, April 2007:

Bernie and Slider hanging out during "Roll Out the Barrel"....



Hanging out in Bernie's Dugout.....

Indians vs Angels at Miller Park April 2007...Snowed out Jacobs field.... Snow at Miller Park.... Indians Opening Day in Milwaukee.... Soul Amp Fan

I was able to get to Miller Park here in Milwaukee for a couple of the Indians vs Angels games. Cleveland was snowed out for the Indians' home opener, so it got played here in Milwaukee....

And they brought the snow with them....

So going to the baseball game in the snow looks like this:

Pic of Miller Park in the snow while in line to park...



Walking into Miller Park in the snow....



Heading toward the Home Plate entrance....



The sausage race.... I picked Chorizo to win... but Hot Dog won instead....



It's never "root, root, root, for the home team" at Miller Park except this one time....Here in Milwaukee it's "root, root, root, for the Brewers"...

Catch the top ten soul amp songs here.

Make it up as we go (May 11)... And avoiding Train Wrecks =)

We're going to be making up stuff on the spot at the HOG gig on May 11th. You'll be hearing stuff you've never heard before and stuff you'll never hear again (unless we decide to record the gig which we probably won't because we're really lazy).

So surprises are in store, but we might throw in an old Soul Amp tune or two.

We've been writing stuff on the spot since the inception of this band. We have found that the more we think about what we're doing, the less real things are.

Lately, our jamming has gone beyond stuff we've done before....



Train wrecks are always risk with improvisation...... we haven't had one in a while... on the flip side, amazing things can happen.

There's also a chance to get some free CDs including Strip Mall Heaven if you happen to make it out to the gig....

Hope to see you there!!!

Tulips....

We are getting a lot of hits because of this search:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&resnum=0&q=tulips&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Guess spring time has people looking for Tulips and we happened to link to a pic of tulips for Brad's song:

Pushing Tulips 5.5 mb mp3

in this blog entry (2nd entry):

http://soul-amp.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_soul-amp_archive.html

It was written when we thought the end was nearing for Soul Amp.... but the Amp is alive and well and we'll be playing a mind blowing gig at the HOG on Friday May 11th....

Hope you can check us out if you get a chance......