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Post by Joy on Jul 6, 2010 12:03:09 GMT -5
I'm starting this thread because rawkitoff said over at the Neon Angels board that JJ is "not the only one" (i.e., musical person) who's saved her life. Rather than hijack that thread, I decided to start this one. As a noob to the forum, I hope I'm posting in the right place, but please let me know if I've made a mistake.
So, I'll tell you about something I saw recently that inspired me--a documentary of Siouxsie Sioux at Koko in London in 2008. The doc is called Finale, and it's the final show of her year-long tour to promote her 2007 album MantaRay.
Well, Siouxsie at age 51 in 2008 looked and sounded better than ever! You should have seen her in her gold and silver catsuits, doing lots of high kicks, crouching, pointing, gyrating. Big black mop of hair and feline-ish eye make-up as always. And her band was kick ass! Pretty certain her bass player was on a fretless when they covered "These Boots Are Made for Walking", but not completely sure of that.
Joy
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 6, 2010 12:44:16 GMT -5
woops, I really meant music saved my life, and i know I am not the only one since Joan said that too:) just wanted to be sure! I didn't get into Joan until far after my life woes:)
But I can imagine her doing that since she's so positive and healthy in her approach to life.
I came from a musical family, and was singing along to mom playing a Hammond organ before I could read. As soon as I could spread my fingers, she taught me basic chords and voice. I ended up classically training on voice, trumpet, French Horn, Piano, flugelhorn and only a handful of guitar lessons.
I stopped making music a couple times in my life, which turned out to be my darkest.
Always remember who you are at your core...then you'll never be lost:)
So glad to see you here, Joy! looking forward to your posts!
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Post by Joy on Jul 7, 2010 0:41:18 GMT -5
Sorry, rawkitoff--I didn't mean to misrepresent you!
Wow, now I am impressed by your musical prowess. Is there any particular one of those instruments that you most enjoy?
Yes, music is a lifesaver indeed. My family is musical, too. I've sung since childhood, mainly in choirs and with friends for fun. Nine years ago I decided to take some voice lessons and did a couple of years at conservatory. Really only enough training to eliminate bad habits. Then some bad things happened in my life, and I had to quit lessons.
I managed to also spend a few adult years at choral singing and learned a lot of vocal production skills in those situations, too. I especially learned a lot when I sang first soprano in a gospel choir in the African-American tradition. That was in the first stages of my trying to heal from my trauma. Besides receiving healing from animals, I turned to music. I discovered that gospel music was created specifically to lift the spirits of people emerging from the experience of trauma (in their case, slavery). It really did a lot for me--but I had to quit that, as well, due to an onerous rehearsal and performance schedule that my life couldn't accommodate (I have a lot of responsibilities).
More recently, I've had a couple of opportunities to sing back-up harmonies at small gigs with a friend who is a singer/songwriter/guitarist/recording artist. We had a second guitarist with us and a blues harp, too. I'm not used to being the only voice holding down a part, so it was a thrill. I had a lot of compliments from audience members and from the other musicians, too. It really felt great being up there, and I'm hoping for more.
As for my electric bass: when I was 19 in 1980, my Dad bought me a well-made Japanese model called "the Asama", a neck-thru "hippie sandwich" of several types of beautiful wood veneered together--because I had asked for a bass for my birthday that year. Back then I just used to play with friends to have fun, playing simple three-note riffs, the Clash and the Ramones, the Troggs' "Wild Thing". I really had no intention of actually learning to play back then.
But now! I'm committed to it. It was JJ that got me going on it again, as I mentioned, after I had put it down for decades. Actually, a few weeks ago, I went and bought a cheapo short-scale bass (a black-and-white Squier Bronco bass) because it's easier to learn on than the standard-scale Asama. I'm learning the neck, playing scales and doing finger dexterity exercises. Where I want to go with this is funky, like Larry Graham or Bootsy Collins. That's a long way off! My biggest challenge at the moment is learning to mute the strings not being played. I'm really a beginner! I'm trying to develop good technique.
I'm also finding my re-awakened appetite for musical listening to be a lifesaver. This, too, is down to JJ, who renewed my need of sweaty, aggressive rock'n'roll. This is the source of my new lease on life. I feel like I felt 30 years ago. I downloaded a bunch of archived JJ "Radio Revolution" shows from 2006 and 2007, and she has turned me on to some wonderful artists. At the moment I cannot get enough of the White Stripes. Jack White is a genius.
Thanks again for being welcoming here. I'm pretty excited to join this forum.
Joy
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 7, 2010 10:17:46 GMT -5
Hi Joy,
That's really awesome that you're being mused to rejoin your musical love.
My musical muse for switching spoken word and slam poetry to songwriting would have to be Ani Difranco, then Tegan and Sara, with a little Beth Orton in the mix. Once I decided to write songs as songs and not poems into songs, the old Woodstock band, Sweetwater was my influence...that and a healthy diet of Janis Joplin, L7, Ricky Nelson, the Rent score, and a few bands out of Seattle and Olympia called The Need, Sleater-Kinney, Brodie Punk and The Gits. I also loved noise bands like Loraxx out of Chicago.
I went to Ladyfest there a couple years and was blown away.
Pity i wasn't into Joan back then! Even though I was into folk music, I wrote probably 75% 3-5 chord melodies and played rhythm guitar(you have to when you are your only band!). Hardest transition for me right now is learning where I need to pull out and let the other musicians take the song instrumentally.
I don't have to be a one-woman show anymore. So much more fun that way.
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Post by Joy on Jul 8, 2010 3:30:18 GMT -5
rawkitoff, I'm familiar with some but not all of the music you've mentioned--interesting assortment, some famous, some obscure. You might think I'm nuts, but I checked out Sweetwater (found some samples online) and it made me think of Godspell! Ha!
I visited your blog and had fun reading. Love the PRO-Keds!
You know, we're neighbours, kinda sorta. I'm only about three hours away. You're going to see JJ in Toppenish? I nearly had to make that trip, but then I discovered she's coming to me in August! Yay Joan!
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 8, 2010 11:00:50 GMT -5
Thanks Joy! Are you talking about Eugene? I might end up going if my Portland buddy wants to. She's playing the PNE in Vancouver too; but we'll see. You really need a buddy for Fair shows to stake and hold spots while you pee.
I ended up doing the black base instead of the white for the custom PRO-Keds. I like it way better. Gotta commemorate my first show somehow!
And I love that there are small leather pride and queerish things about that photo!
I love Godspell too! Fusion music just puts ya in a mood. It's happy and free and so not the time I was born and raised in(Reaganomics).
If you ever need some music, just PM me. I'll be happy to share so you can listen to some of that stuff above.
So cool to know a Jetthead that close! I thought I was the only torch-bearer out this way!!
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Post by Joy on Jul 9, 2010 1:54:29 GMT -5
Thanks for the music offer, rawki! I will PM you. Was listening to Patti Smith Horses while commuting today. So intense. Are you into her? Speaking of poetry/spoken word into music. It gets no better than that. I wasn't thinking about Eugene. I was talking about Toppenish, WA, on July 16, at a casino. That's just over a week from now! She'll also be in Yakima in less than a week, but it's a private gig for an industry conference. I phoned the organizers a couple of months ago (before I knew she was coming to Vancouver) and begged to be let in, but my plea fell on deaf ears. 's all okay now! I don't have to go to her because she's coming to me! ;D But, y'know, she's got a week off after Toppenish next Friday, before she has to be in Chicago. What's she going to do with that time? She'll be bored! She hates taking time off! I could think of a few nice ways she could spend her time around here. You wrote: I ended up doing the black base instead of the white for the custom PRO-Keds. I like it way better. Gotta commemorate my first show somehow!
And I love that there are small leather pride and queerish things about that photo! Black is best. Always. Leather and queer--that's why we love lust her. That sticker-bedecked MM she bought from Eric Carmen is one of my favourite things about JJ. Love to listen to those opening chords from "Go All the Way" and think about Joanie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swicdtaddy0Here's her loving description of it: It had lots of coats of white paint and, as I would take it to the clubs, the paint would crack. So my guitar has the most incredible cracked finish. It’s all discolored from the smoke in the clubs, so it’s like a yellowed white and it’s got cracks in the shellac…and it’s just beautiful. And now, it’s off the road and it’s in a cedar closet being kept safe. The Gibson Interview: Joan Jettwww.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/joan-jett-0323/There are some unbelievably great photos of her guitars onstage if you scroll down to post #16 on this board: www.mylespaul.com/forums/backstage/42788-joan-jett.html(Or maybe some of those are Dougie's?)
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 9, 2010 2:07:25 GMT -5
Oh I meant is Eugene the close show you were mentioning? Too bad you won't be at Toppenish! It would be cool to know someone from the boards there. My friend from Portland is joining me for that show, then I am driving onto Lewiston for the likely less risque, outdoor show the next day.
I too called the Spokane Rock and Roll Auto show folks since the Blackhearts site doesn't say it's a private gig. They told me they were going to request the site take it down since it's private; but it's still there. Bummer! I could have had a conference in Spokane the day before, and worked out going.
I really wish I could find out who took the shot of her guitar I used on my shoes. It would be nice to sheepishly thank them and hope they didn't punch me in the chest for using it.
The shoes came today and are awesome. Zazzle.com is the bomb in custom PRO-Keds. Now I have something to commemorate my first Joan show. And a comfy pair of summer shoes. I usually wear black leather doc martens.
I'm rambling and must sleep!
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Post by Joy on Jul 9, 2010 2:21:31 GMT -5
No, Vancouver is the close show I mentioned!
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 9, 2010 14:30:55 GMT -5
I freaking love Patti Smith. I was into her a long time before Joan. "Ask the Angels" is my favorite song. Have you seen her film? It was a trip for sure. As a Jackson Pollock lover, the artsy interludes were my favorites, along with her stories of Bob Dylan liking her guitar and her not knowing how to really play when they met. I read she tucked the guitar away because she was afraid it would be stolen. Seems funny after all these decades of touring to suddenly feel that way. But I am prone to sudden acts of "oh my god" too. It's nice to hear the factory issue blackhearts Gibson MM she's playing now has as much punch without the Velvet Hammer pickups as the Gibson she toured with(one with the stickers, which was just a late 60s MM they painted white a bunch of times.) I recently read an interview from 1991-ish where she mentions the legendary California MM is NOT the one with the stickers. That one stopped touring with her a long time ago, and she bought a standard MM double cutaway, painted it white, and then the stickers came. I along with a lot of people thought the guitar she played and sticker-ized was that original, second-hand California MM. I heard a lot of folks who bought the first JJ MM from Gibson, and tried to adapt it like Joan's, with the velvet hammer pickup, hated the way it screwed up the action. I have one of those, play it daily, and left the original set up. It is just as dirty as it needs to be. Why fix what ain't broke. As long as you use a serrated pick and lots of overdrive, you'll get some noise. I'm going into full-on guitar geek mode and will stop! I wish she'd play a venue like our Showbox again. She played it only a couple years ago. Seeing the whole London 100 Club excitement makes me hope she'll do that. I am a club show fan. I can remember seeing Tegan and Sara at the Railway right before If It Was You hit. Do you like them at all? Thanks for the music offer, rawki! I will PM you. Was listening to Patti Smith Horses while commuting today. So intense. Are you into her? Speaking of poetry/spoken word into music. It gets no better than that. I wasn't thinking about Eugene. I was talking about Toppenish, WA, on July 16, at a casino. That's just over a week from now! She'll also be in Yakima in less than a week, but it's a private gig for an industry conference. I phoned the organizers a couple of months ago (before I knew she was coming to Vancouver) and begged to be let in, but my plea fell on deaf ears. 's all okay now! I don't have to go to her because she's coming to me! ;D But, y'know, she's got a week off after Toppenish next Friday, before she has to be in Chicago. What's she going to do with that time? She'll be bored! She hates taking time off! I could think of a few nice ways she could spend her time around here. You wrote: I ended up doing the black base instead of the white for the custom PRO-Keds. I like it way better. Gotta commemorate my first show somehow!
And I love that there are small leather pride and queerish things about that photo! Black is best. Always. Leather and queer--that's why we love lust her. That sticker-bedecked MM she bought from Eric Carmen is one of my favourite things about JJ. Love to listen to those opening chords from "Go All the Way" and think about Joanie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swicdtaddy0Here's her loving description of it: It had lots of coats of white paint and, as I would take it to the clubs, the paint would crack. So my guitar has the most incredible cracked finish. It’s all discolored from the smoke in the clubs, so it’s like a yellowed white and it’s got cracks in the shellac…and it’s just beautiful. And now, it’s off the road and it’s in a cedar closet being kept safe. The Gibson Interview: Joan Jettwww.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/joan-jett-0323/There are some unbelievably great photos of her guitars onstage if you scroll down to post #16 on this board: www.mylespaul.com/forums/backstage/42788-joan-jett.html(Or maybe some of those are Dougie's?)
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Post by Joy on Jul 9, 2010 15:30:10 GMT -5
Geek out, friend. I'm learning and so into it. Not a guitarist, though, so there's a bit of a disconnect there for me. But I wanna know. Hey, I too assumed the be-stickered MM was the Eric Carmen one. But I noticed on one YouTube video that the white MM Eric Carmen played had different knobs than JJ's, and I had wondered about that. Didn't JJ say she had the Velvet Hammer more or less replicated for the signature model? I thought she'd bought up the remaining stock from the maker of the original, who had died. But I really don't know what I'm talking about. Haven't seen the Patti Smith film and will be looking for it. Now that I have come back to life, there is so much I need to take in! Want to see that Gits film, too. Only about 11 days till the Runaways DVD is released. My pre-order has been in for a long time. I'm a patient girl. I'm having a hard time saying what my favourite Patti Smith song is. All of Horses amazes me. I also tend to listen to "Ghost Dance" over and over, compulsively. Tegan and Sarah--haven't really paid attention. I have some friends who love 'em. One of these days ...
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 9, 2010 19:08:52 GMT -5
Glad to hear you are back to life!
I know they reissued the Velvet Hammers pretty much at the same time the JJ MMs were going out on the market(I'm not altogether sure it was more than mere coincidence, though). I would have to say yes, that the guitar I got, at least, was incredible. I have heard horror stories like unfiled frets and knobs with the wrong markings. People were upset that the tuners were described as mini-Grovers yet bore no insignia.
I have to ask what people expected for less than $3k. I mean, I bought mine second-hand from the factory at a very cheap price after they stopped distributing the white ones. So, I got a steal compared to my acoustic hybrids, which were way more than the Gibson.
It's a guitar you're supposed to beat up!
I preordered the DVD too lol. I've seen it 4 times in theatres with different friends, though.
My Patti repeat album is Radio Ethiopia. I came along far after the free love and acid is groovy days...but that album puts me in a synthetic state of trippy...at least to my gauche sensibilities.
Tegan pretty much resembled a 1980-era Joan in every way when she was starting out. I have pictures I took when they were on tour with Ryan Adams, and she looks more like her than Kristen Stewart. It's probably why I dig Joan's earlier stuff so much too. I miss the old Tegan and Sara before they went alternative/experimental.
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Post by Joy on Jul 10, 2010 5:13:46 GMT -5
Although I saw The Runaways six times in the theatre before it left town, waiting for the DVD still requires patience.
I GOT A NEW BABY TODAY and I luv it! It's everything I want. And not a bit expensive. It's a short-scale Epiphone EB-0 Bass in worn brown. It just called to me from the wall where it was hanging. Funny, I passed up the short-scale Epi a few weeks ago because I thought it felt body-heavy on that occasion. Instead I made the mistake that day of purchasing the Squier Bronco Bass, and now I can't think of a single good reason not to return that one.
The neck of this Epi is very narrow and feels amazing. I swear the mahogany body warms up in my hands. I think it likes me. What first attracted me was the Sidewinder humbucker neck pickup. I fingerpick so need a solid thumbrest when I'm on the E string. This will do it!
I tried to slap it a few times. I don't have that technique yet, but hmm. Not too bad. I see slapping in our future. And I'm loving its fat, mellow sound.
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Post by rawkitoff on Jul 10, 2010 12:05:09 GMT -5
we SO have to jam:) I am illiterate re: bass guitars. So, the techs are great for me to learn. Epiphone was my first electric guitar, and so easy to learn barre chords, save the fingers, etc... I used to just lie in bed with it and write melodies unplugged. Now it sits in my living room with stickers and a set of strings I'm stretching for my MM.
Slap away! Bass players rock. I swear good ones look like we are all voyeurs to their love-making sessions with their guitars.
They are the heartbeat of the band for sure.
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Post by Joy on Jul 11, 2010 3:22:17 GMT -5
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