Jam – 2013-12-30 – Carroll’s

30 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Deadstein Forums, Jams, Recording Tags: , , , , , ,

ds131230“Freaking Since 1990” is what the sign a top the Terrapin’s cabin says and this jam, the night before New Years Eve 2014, was a jam to commemorate not only the new year but also the longevity of Deadstein itself. Still playing Deadstein into 2014 has a nice ring to it. Happy New Years and a freaky 2014 from Deadstein to all the freaks out there.

Deadstein is going strong after all these years and the 53rd jam of the year is a testament to it. This holiday season was a challenge to keep the freak parade going with everyone’s busy schedules, but some how we did it and didn’t miss a beat from a scheduling perspective. Not skipping a beat while playing is a whole other matter. Scott was our only missing person this week as he was busy filming one of the many shows he has been to over the season.

While Scott films, I continue to record the jam sessions with my Mackie MDR 24/96 multi-track hard disk recorder. While you think 53 jams is going strong, how about 20 multi-track recordings since August. That is quite a bit of high quality music to remember 2013 with.

Deadstein has long been a believer in archiving its music and the merriment that accompanies its weekly jams ever since day 1. Over the past week or so, the Deadstein.com jams database has been updated with reference to adding the remaining Deadstein blog posts since the first days of blogging beginning in July 1996. Some say Deadstein invented early blogging, but I think it is only Al Gore and Kevin who make that claim. Previously, the database had only gone back as far as 1998. With this update, I was also able to find and include classic Kevin setlist artwork from the second half of the 1996 time-frame. These setlists had previously only existing on paper and never included on the web at Deadstein.com. Look for some of this new-old-stock (N.O.S.) artwork to pop up randomly throughout your Deadstein.com travels. Finally, speaking of archives, I continue to trickle in and update some of the classic recordings from the earliest days of Deadstein as I find time to digitize and upload the original cassettes. This week I uploaded 11-5-90 jam from 162 Perry Street.

Getting back to the end of 2013, with New Years Eve falling on Tuesday night, a Monday night jam or Thursday night jam were the only hopeful nights to jam so we selected Monday without Scott. Lee filled in quite nicely by himself. We were already in this Monday jam mode from the previous week as we were impacted the same way by Christmas. It did kind of force us into one last jam of the year, number 53, which I like, but it also pushes of the first of 2014 up a little. We are going to have to keep our focus in 2014 to keep the jam frequency up at 2013 levels.

Getting into the jam seemed easy this evening as it seemed none of the world was working. I was working but was able to get in early and setup seemed quick and easy, not much moved from the previous week in Studio B. Getting out of the jam was not nearly as easy for me. It was a frigid night in the metropolitan area and I was psyched to be in my warming car after the at 12:20 heading to the Lincoln Tunnel down 11th Avenue, when – BOOM – I hit a giant pothole. That woke me up a bit. Just before I was to pull into the Lincoln Tunnel entrance I decided to pull over at the Javitz Center to just check on my tire. Sure enough, it was hissing louder than my 1990-cassettes . Changing this flat in 20-degree weather was a real awakening. After about 30 minutes of very difficult work in the cold I was off and running with my doughnut The ride home was exceptionally squirrelly but I made it home by 1:45 and was fortunate to get the tire(s) changed the next morning before the place closed at 1pm for New years and before the impending snow and cold weather pattern to follow. “When life looks like easy street there is danger at your door.” Let’s be careful out there in 2014 and remember it’s not 1990 anymore.

Speaking of 1990, like our first jam in 1990, we opened this one up with a Jack Straw and it felt pretty good and that feeling continued through the El Paso. The misplaced first set Scarlet had trouble garnering the respect it deserved and the Fire even less so as it took Kevin probably 1/2 the song to remember that Fire typically does follow a Scarlet. With this said, it had its movements, which it better have had some, because at 26 minutes, if it doesn’t have any moments, I mean, WTF? Minglewood Blues brought us back into form and Push Comes to Shove knocked us right out of it. The Cats, You Win Again into Music Never Stopped was the closer of the first set which ended up being pretty hefty. I think my resolution for 2014 should be to learn how to jam on Music Never Stopped correctly. I always feel so inept while jamming that song.

We took a very long break, I think we all felt a bit satiated with our accomplishments of the evening and 2013 and felt as if there was little else to prove. In many respects we are right and the second set seemed a bit difficult to muster up the required enthusiasm. The Estimated into Terrapin was well executed for the most part, but another mini-break after the Terrapin meant whatever was reaming for the year (Gomorrah, Evangeline and Midnight Moonlight) would be petifores at best, as all the beef for the year had been devoured long ago. Not to fret because the butcher has a load of fresh bloody meat to deliver for our consumption in 2014.

For 53 jams in 2013, Freak Out!

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/12-30-13

Jam – 2013-12-23 – Carroll’s

23 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , ,

ds132319As is always the case, getting people together during the holiday season is always a challenge. Deadstein still perseveres as our 52nd jam of the year is a testament to. This year is a little strange in that Chistmas and New Years Day both come on Wednesday. In essence, this makes the opportunity to jam to only be on Monday or Thursday. No matter what we do, we cannot seem to get Lee and Scott together but fortunately we have both of them and we haven’t missed a week. This week, Lee couldn’t make the jam but Scott was ready to go and away we went.

We were supposed to be playing as a quartet, as Rich was supposed to have a practice with his other band, but to our surprise, he showed up with Scott. A yoink and away we went. China Cat Rider was the opener for the night and a good one it was. It set us up for a large successful evening of music. This was one of our better China Cats. The first set seemed to flow from there. The only real hiccups were the Big River opening but it isn’t too bad. Otherwise the first set is beefy and solid. The Garcia Band segment of Van Morrison songs was really nice, including one of our better He Ain’t Give You None. The Let It Grow, as is its role, was a very hot exciting was to close the first set at 10pm.

The second set was characterized by two 3-song segments with our little Beatle thing to close. The Viola Lee is still a lost cause and the Stephen Eleven requires rehearsal before playing to give it the respect they deserve, but no one is perfect, so we play and do the best we can by the seat of our collective pants. With this said, there is more good than bad and it’s better to play and try than not to play at all. Fifty-two Deadstein jams in a year shows the Freaks are Out!

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/12-23-13

Jam – 2013-12-12 – Carroll’s

12 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , , ,

ds131212This week in Deadstein found us playing as a rare quartet with us missing Alan and Scott. It was a tough night to get going and nothing seemed to flow too well. It all started with terrible traffic for me getting into the city. This meant I wasn’t in the studio until almost 8pm. With my close to an hour setup time to do my multi-track recording, it meant that it was going to be an abbreviated night. In some respects, the night was figuratively unlimited as none of us were scheduled to work in the morning. That must have been a Deadstein first. On the other hand, the unlimited was literally not and we had to start all over for the first time since developing the theory.

For as much trouble as it felt to play the music at times, the recordings sound pretty good until we get to the end of the night and begin to play outside of our true element. As much as we wanted to play unlimited, the reality of reality shined its ugly countenance upon us and we cried uncle after only playing a mop-top past a baker’s dozen.

Since we weren’t recording a second drummer or a second guitar, I used the extra microphones on Lee’s kit and Rich’s piano. I really like what it did to the piano having an SM57 underneath the piano mixed in with the PZM. The piano on the week’s tape sounds as realistic and “rich” as ever, pardon the pun, but it really was. Freak Out.

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/12-12-13

Jam – 2013-12-04 – Carroll’s

04 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , , ,

ds131204Enjoying the 7th night of Hanukkah, Deadstein had a pretty good night of music, for the typical first half of the evening. The recordings have a very weird texture to them as I added live Grateful Dead audience to the background of the music and adjusted the audience’s exuberance as would be expected if it was the Grateful Dead playing as opposed to Deadstein. In any case, it is an exciting sound for all of us to dream about.

By the end of the night, to keep thing interesting Kevin and I decided to switch instruments and we headed into a long Dark Star / Other One type of jam. I was a real challenge to me, but it presented new opportunities for the both of us at a time of the night where we needed them. To close, our rendition of Cry Baby Cry was pretty whirly. Freak Out.

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/12-04-13

Jam – 2013-11-21 – Carroll’s

21 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , , ,

ds131121Being a Thursday night approaching the Thanksgiving Holiday meant it would be difficult to get everyone together for a jam. This week’s odd person out was Scott, with Donna only making for the 1st set.  This left Lee to cannibalize the second unused drum kit in effort to surround himself with as many cymbals as possible. He seemed to accomplish this task yet somehow leaving enough space to peer into the room. Me on the other hand, made a bonehead maneuver when I accidentally packed my Roland Ready Strat into my gig bag instead of my 1979 hard-tailed Strat. This was a bummer when I pulled the guitar out of my bag, because my Roland Ready Strat does not feel as good in my hands as my other one and the sound coming out of the pickups is definitely weaker and more sterile. Once I was at the studio, I had to make the best of it, which I did. I didn’t freak out, I just played it the best I could. The only time to really freak out is at the end of a posting, so Freak Out!

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/11-21-13

Jam – 2013-11-13 – Carroll’s

13 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , , , ,

ds131113For the second week in a row, a surprise former Deadstein lead guitar player, came into Studio B to join the band of freak. Last week it was Larry Brent, and this week we were fortunate to be accompanied by Andy Trister. He missed the first two songs, but was a major presence in our music through halfway through the second set. That was good to see, because Andy usually bolts after set 1 and his talents were definitely appreciated during the Eyes, Estimated He’s Gone that he stuck around for during the second set. In a weak attempt to keep Andy playing, Rich rushed into a Hard to Handle out of the He’s Gone, but it wasn’t enough to entice Andy to stay. As a matter of fact, I assume that encouraged him to leave quicker than he would have otherwise. When Andy pulls off a successful He’s Gone, then He’s really gone for good and nothing’s gonna bring him back> He’s gone was a good launching point for Andy as it was really good. I really liked the sound and feel of the He’s Gone as it was nice and relaxed, much like the Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie for the first set.

I was lucky enough to have an extra microphone and channel in order to capture Andy’s music and the recording are really enjoyable to listen to. Andy was really instrumental in getting us through a Hell In a Bucket which we really need him to provide those great melodic runs for. I am glad we decided to perform that one while he was there as I know I cannot carry the lead obligations on that rocker. The Mexicali was probably the weak point of the Trister songs, due to no fault of his. Too bad, because the song started well, but by the 2nd lead, it was in free-fall and not much fun to participate in. The Music Never Stopped to close the first set was a nice way to cap such a good set.

The end of the night tailed off as they usually do, leaving us to flounder playing a couple of Beatles songs, that we have no right to play, to close the night. In any case it is still a fun endeavor to try and when you fail, there is not reason to freak out, The only real time to freak out is at the end of a posting, so this Freak is out.

The audio files are provided in the following folder:
http://deadstein.com/audio/11-13-13

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