Project Overload

Been pretty busy these last couple of weeks.

Finished building Sylvia's pine and 2x4 bench, then we picked the lightest possible stain.
Functional, looks good enough, cheap, replaceable.

Spent an evening drinking beer with my friend Rick while we put new speakers in his bass cabinet.
Sounds better!
We cleaned is up a bit, too. Vacuumed the carpeting, painted the grill.

Stripped 50 years of yuck (plus the original finish) from my dad's rifle.
Used Krud Kutter's original cleaner degreaser concentrate based on the advice in some YouTube videos.
Unlike other advised products, this worked more gently and could be used indoors.

As I was finishing the first application I realized that "Before" pics are always a good idea, so I grabbed one that shows how dark the wood was before I started.
Seriously, you couldn't see woodgrain except in direct sunlight. Indoors it looked black.

Well well well, what do we have here?
Mmmmm, tasty walnut!

Decided to stop, meaning no steaming-out the dents, or sanding.
It's in great shape for it's age and came by it's scars through honest hard hunting by 3 members of my family.
Just have to decide what kind of finish it'll get.

Metal And Movies

The previous post featured a quick and dirty video for one of our songs made by our singer.
Pretty much just an excuse to get the final mix of that song some exposure on YouTube.
I thought it was pretty cool considering how it was made for nothing. Then there's the upcoming computer animated video she's having made by a recent film school grad we know for another song--the bits and pieces I've seen so far look great.


Just when you think you're own band is kinda cool, Metallica has to go and spend $30+ million and change the entire landscape of concert movies.

We've had our tickets for months. The movie opened last Thursday night but we chose Friday afternoon so as not to endure a packed-house of ultra-fans and douchebags. The plan was good.

Starting with the content, it's a Metallica concert that's got an added storyline based on some kid who isn't even a roadie--more of a gopher--who gets into some deep shit on the city streets near the venue. Dark stuff, but it really helped break up the sonic assault of their music, if only to replace it with visual and mental assault. Still, it added balance, overall.
No surprises on the setlist--casual fans will find plenty of familiar material.
Their playing is top-notch, with only a few overdubbed "fixes" noticed by my trained ears.

The main difference between this concert video and everyone else's is the 3D and IMAX photography.
We all know that before going to see 'TED' in 2012 I hadn't been to a movie theater since 'Purple Rain' in 1984, but my companions were normal people and they agreed that it was way beyond anything done before with live music.
You were onstage mere inches away.
Total immersion.
Phenomenal.
Unprecedented.
Best concert movie ever.


When we saw Metallica here is San Antonio a few years ago, the presentation was similar in that the stage was essentially a big oval just like the room. (Great sound/lights is a given).
The staging and show are bigger and more refined now, with a LOT of extra gags.

What I like best about what they are doing is the lack of video screens, both behind the band and floating around overhead--a stale look that is too busy and cluttered.
The stage floor has coarse video content now, but that's about it.
Clean, pure, nothing behind the band but fans and/or darkness, and everyone is a lot closer to the performers.

Whenever my new industry insider sound/lights magazines arrive with pictures from the latest tours by big names I'm always shocked my the narcissism and lack of respect for the audience. Sell more seats, put up a bunch of TVs with extreme close-ups, make political statements...


Metallica delivers, for their fans.

The Visitor

And if you are interested, I have another review over at 'thew's: Halo charger

Mounting Apprehension

In my last post (long time ago) I described how overwhelmed I was learning enough new songs to play my first show with The HITMEN.
With only two rehearsals, the show went better than any of us expected.
This popular SA cover band quit playing seven years ago, and dates back something like 15 years, so it's now a nostalgia act appealing to our old fans who's kids are grown and finally have time to hit the clubs again.
Too bad our drummer is quitting.
Double too bad that he's also the drummer for Televators.

We have his last show coming next week, and the only replacement for the Hitmen tested so far was too young and loud and green. A Televator drummer is going to be MUCH harder to find.
This situation makes me very nervous.


Last week I finally started working on my dad's rifle which was returned to me in late 2011 after spending over 45 years in Tennesee, as a distraction.
Had good luck at Nagel's gun shop on San Pedro and scored a scope mount that's got me in a workable situation for only $5. This restoration project is working out well, and cheap so far.

I originally thought this was a post-WWII German Mauser 98 action based on the deeply blued finish and quality, but looking closer I found swastikas and a "42". Hmmmm.
At this point the rear scope mount needs a shim consisting of something 50% thicker than a beer can of the cheaper brands, so I'm on the hunt for stouter beer.

The nicely figured pine underneath is a bench I've been building this week for our porch.
After replacing busted legs on a picnic table bench for my inlaws, then leaving it near the front door, we got kinda used to having a nice elevated place to set stuff down while getting our keys out.
We missed the convenience right away.
Spent many hours every day this week on construction and sanding, and it'll probably take a few more days before I'm ready to seal the pieces individually and bolt it back together.

It's something to do between anxiety attacks.
On the other hand, two of my dearest friends are lucky to be alive after a drunkass wrong-way driver crash last night.
My problems aren't so bad after all.

Hysteria

From recent experience I have to agree that the bassline of this song makes a great demo if you want to show off your programming and robotic hardware project. An incredible tech achievement!
I've got my hands full trying to play it through one time without stumbling badly.

They say that "muscle memory" requires up to 2000 repetitions to get it right but I never bought into that before now, because I like to interact freely with the other musicians. This song screams out for "Charge Ahead" on the bass and hope for the best.
What is the "exit strategy" should you blow a note? Get out of synch and where do you go?

God forbid the drummer comes in a little faster than I can manage.

Hovering Birds

Pretty excited about this purchase:

Seeing all the hummingbirds at the inlaw's feeder last week had the idea fresh in our minds, then a few days later coming across low-low prices for a feeder and nectar concentrate powder...why not?

Put it up on Saturday, then added cord to lower it down on Sunday so it wasn't as hidden under the patio roof, saw our first hummer on Monday.
Not bad.

Each day the sightings increase, which is great.


What have I learned from Gurgle about these tiny wonders?

The nectar is not their main food--they use it like an energy drink to improve their hunting of insects.
They eat mosquitos and other little bugs, and even snatch them out of spider webs. Yoink!
Many species migrate all the way to Panama for the winter--some even taking the 20+ hour over-the-gulf route.
The only bird that can fly in reverse, and that can hover without help from the wind.
Average weight is around 3 grams.
Migrating hummers will visit the same feeders on the route, often on the same day of the year, so they have good memories.
They are very territorial with feeders, chasing away others of their kind as well as bees and anything else hanging around. For all I know, we only have the one visitor so far--I saw a quick battle today.
Tolerate humans rather well, as can be seen on YouTube videos of people with small feeders in their mouths.

My ultimate goal is to get some serious pictures of them.
Hang a backdrop, put some of my radio-triggered flash units on stands near the feeder, pre-focused DSLR on tripod also nearby, trigger shutter using IR remote from inside the house.
Piece of cake? Hope so.

Probably give it a shot in September when it isn't 10,000 degrees and we have more traffic at the feeder so I'm not peeking through the blinds for hours on end with my batteries draining away.