We really need to soften up and listen a respect one another as we play. Try to make music as a band instead of individually. LG
The singing on "Life May be Sweeter" was about as good as I have heard to date.
A nice She belongs to me with interetsing dynamic and a rousing Sugaree punctuated 1st set. Fingers > Wheel > Wharf Rat also displaying some nice nuances. It's funny to look back on my summer attitude now and see how much more I found in Deadstein when I teying to force it on myself.
LB
First of all, Mazel-Tov to the Gind for the page rescue and revamp. I like it, it only keeps getting better. This weeks' jam, as always, seems as if it couldn't get any freakier, but it did. The Penny thing; I'm not sure I get it, but I certainly didn't mind it. She really did add some interesting english on the ball-o-freak we call Tuesday. I also liked the effect she had on the Johnnies, whipping them up and down respectively.....The music: I think the first set WAS good. The Minglewood, SBTM, West LA, they may not have been "Single Release Quality", but they had a really good , genuine feel to them. The complaining about the lack of dynamics is completely unfounded. There happens to be graceful, sensitive, and appropriate dynamics in almost every song. The proof is always in the tape, and the tapes sound good. While the quest for a better Deadstein is the most noble of pursuits, we should not lose sight of the most important thing: the total enjoyment of the now ! Those of us who stopped going to shows or booed or gave the finger to Jerry, now wished they could have sat through one more non- existant lead or botched lyric and enjoyed it, not because it was good but because it was there. Enjoy it, Love it, Live it. We are the luckiest pieces of bloody crap that ever lived ! Get into us. Love, Kevy
The Duchess of Dung on Deadstein (Some Semi-Stream-of-Consciousness Stuff)
"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
You’re quite right, Mrs. Lindbergh, and yet I’ve always had the yen to gather up as many of those shells as possible.
And so the time the for Deadstein shell collecting finally arrived, near the beginning of the year 5757, on the day after Yom Kippur. Early in the evening of that day, I, the not-at-all-New-Yorkish female (and an Episcopalian, to boot!), wandered into a studio on Gansevoort Street located in the heart of Manhattan’s meat-packing district, in order to experience Deadstein (all men, and not an Episcopalian among them, either). Shortly after my wandering-in, Deadstein provided its own version of "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk," * along with several memorable quotations:
"Bear-Bear is found!" "Kevie idolizes Archie Bunker." "It’s leaderless and anarchistic; it’s a mental oasis." "You fuckin’ little proselytizing piece of crap!" "B r-r-r-r-r-p-p-p!" Thank you, dear Deadstein, for possessing enough generosity of spirit to accommodate an alien. I am aware that it wasn’t necessarily easy for some of you.
But then again, was I actually, truly, really there with you? In retrospect, it all seems so surreal; however, my host Larry G. assures me that such a reaction may be quite normal (Kevie the loquacious, what do you think?).
No matter what, I’ve collected another beautiful shell; another thread has been woven into the tapestry. Indeed, my life has been enriched as a result of meeting all of you (associates of Deadstein as well as official Deadstein members): Riley, Dennis, Larry B., Kevin, Larry M., Scott, Rich, Jonathan ("Just one more question, please, Jonathan," she begs) and the other Jonathan who once upon a time graced the hallowed halls of Hobart.
Remember, "Heart has its beaches."
Oh yes, and speaking of beaches, Larry G., a.k.a. Bob Weir, you know that "Beach Music" still beckons . . . .
*Okay, Okay, Deadstein’s music certainly can’t be categorized as "funk," but there surely was some noise bouncing off those studio walls!
Gratefully, affectionately,
Penny, a.k.a. the Duchess of Dung or Glinda Garbahj or Kate Coronari or T.R.N. (Guess who’s blessed with a plethora of pseudonyms?)
It's not the tapes that are the true test Kevin, it's what's happenning at the moment we play the music. You see, you listen to the tapes by yourself, alone. Whereas, when we play the music, we're together. Togetherness could create participation and dynamics, and alone is just alone with a tape. Let's concentrate on what everyone gets to hear, not what Kevin gets to hear in his walkman, alone.
Larry G, Great job on the new format for comments. Can somebody double post under this new format?
Larry G, Great job on the new format for comments. Can somebody double post under this new format?
That answers that question! LM
That answers that question! LM
TO THE ANONYMOUS POSTER: See, that's where your thought process is wrong. You are talking about personal perception. We are not all listening to the same mix-- there is no headphone mix---you are hearing what you can hear in your position in the room. Drummers hear more drums than me (drummers my hear more me than larryB) Gindoff hears more of himself than LarryB ( and maybe more organ than he wants) but what can ypou do about it . The tapes are the only thing that everyone can hear together from the same perspective. It is impossible for everyone in the room in real time, without a cue mix, to hear and perceive the same thing.--- That does't mean it's not happening in the room ( i.e. dynamics ) you just can't hear it from your perspective. Togetherness is what is creating the "participation and dynamic" But you can't be everywhere at once, or hear everything at once Bring a tapedeck and enjoy later as well as "now". Love, Kevy
I think the discussion of the week can only help the music in the long run. I agree with Larry G that there is the need for more listening and nuance and attention to the actual song. As far as the tape vs. the room I think both are important, the immediate quality of the moment is important and sometimes it feels good but doesn't sound good and sometimes it doesn't feel good but the tapes are great. They're both important but I think Larry G is right We should all play less notes more correctly and together to weave a more open tapestry of Deadstein
Larry B
I think Kevy is wrong. It may sound fine to him on the tape but everyone except Kevin thinks he is too loud. The solution is for Kevin to stand closer to his speakers than anyone else. Currently he is further than anyone else and therefore must play louder to place him at a monitoring level he is comfortable with. The solution is that he should stand directly infornt of his own speakers and then he can play as loud as he wants. The key is he will be forced to lower himself in order to hear anyone else. Right now the opposite incentive is at work. As a matter of fact, there are times I like to get closer to my amp but I cannot because the path of Kevy's bass is right there and it totally blows me away and my ability to enjoy the sound I monitor from my amp. I also don't want to here any arguments about the bass not being directional and that it doesn't matter. I don't buy it. I think it is selfish of Kevy to stand where he does in the room and subject us all to his unnecessary loudness. The way to monitor yurself in a jam situation where we do not have monitors is for everyone to be directly infront of their amps and don't worry about the others hearing you because they will. This worked in Old Westbury and it will work in Dennis' room.
By they way why would anyone be dumb enough to need to test if double posting is a problem. It isn't until you double post you idiots.
Larry G.
Hey everybody, listen carefully....................................... ................................do you hear that ?.......................... ............that is the sound of me NOT turning down.
Love, Kevy
I just Thought of something, what is all this shit about being quiet ? What does that mean ? Why is it better ? No one is talking about musical content, just volume. I never heard of quiet being interpreted as good. I've never been to a Dead Show where people yelled " Hey Healy, turn it down !" I don't think anything we do is too loud. I don't understand why there is a need to be "small" Love, Kevy
Open forum Kevie, get into it! LM (anaonymous)
FROM LARRY G.: This forum stuff is going to be the demise of Deadstein. I shouldn't be so honest.
With that said, Quiet means what the word says. Quiet. It means timing your next stroke of your instrument based on the silence you created. And during that enjoyable silence you can listen to the other goings on in the room so you may then figure out what to do next according to what the other baffoons are playing. I'm certainly as guilty as anyone for just playing away without consideration for the other sounds being made but at times it's real nice to just challenge the rest to "shush" and quiet down a little by not actually playing. Now I realize I'm not as essential as the bass but Kevy should have enough respect for the others to play less and assume the others will also respectfully play the proper notes, volumes, etc. In essence, make the right musical decisions. And its up to the rest to play well and keep the song going, not by force feeding it but by plucking the scumptious grapes off the music vine we grow. When we play well the music doesn't need to be shove through time and space but it just needs gentle nudges as if it is floating in a frictionless music surface.
I'd like to take this moment and publicly send my sincere aprreciation to Kevy for for the volumes he does play well. For all of our shortfalls and imperfections we still do play this stuff and play it well.
this probably isn't the spot to put this in but i finally be connected and have an official spankin' new mailbox. So please address all communications to rbrotpaw@aol.com. See you soon. Rich B.