Taken this evening from the roof of my pad in Dumbo, Brooklyn, where it’s about 68 degrees and perfect. Looking West at the Manhattan Bridge (closest) and Brooklyn Bridge (further away).
Why I Love New York
Posted in General with tags Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO, Manhattan, Manhattan Bridge, New York City on April 27, 2009 by MattTube v. Digital
Posted in General with tags AC15, Fender, Princeton Reverb, Solid state amps, Tube Amps, Valvetronix, Vox on April 21, 2009 by MattWhy do tube amplifiers sound better? I don’t know. And even more mystifying: Why do vintage tube amplifiers sound even better than new ones? It’s an enigma.
Back in the day (yeah, the 80s, man) I played through an Ampeg Gemini IV. It was the best sounding amp I ever had, but I didn’t appreciate it back then. I kept worrying it would catch on fire: after a half hour of operation the tubes in the back glowed red hot. And it was old, late 60s. I didn’t know that it should’ve been nurtured and kept forever. I was a young fool. So I got rid of it and played all solid state until the mid 90s, when I sold all my amps and went totally acoustic for more than a decade. Even with the solid states, I unknowingly kept trying to mimic the Ampeg sound using my Ibanez MS-10 overdrive pedal. I got the crunch, but not the je ne sais quoi of the Ampeg–the compression, the warmth.
For the past year I (as well as our very own Chopper Newt) have been recording through a Line6 Toneport GX, a digital guitar amp modeler. It models a whole range of classic vintage amplifiers to uncanny pefection… or so it seems until compared with the real thing. I’ve been pondering buying a new amplifier, however. Since times are tough, it’s got to be relatively inexpensive, so I’ve been considering the new Vox Valvetronix amps: digital modeling amplifiers with a real tube preamp. Seems like a good compromise, right? Today I compared the Valvetronix VT50 side by side with a real tube AC15. Why did the AC15 sound so much warmer and, I dunno, organic? I can’t account for it, but it did. It seems a digital “model” of an AC15 just can’t compare to a real AC15: the digital model is more shrill, less warm. Reminds me of the distinction between vinyl and compact disc. Digital just doesn’t sound as good.
After the AC15, just for fun, I plugged into a vintage 1965 Fender Princeton Reverb ($2300). Why would an old beat up tube amp with crackly pots sound even better than a new tube amp? Is it just my imagination? Is it possible for the speaker to “break in?”
At any rate, I can’t afford that Princeton, but the new AC15, at only $599, isn’t out of the ballpark. Start saving, boy.
In addition to the mystery of the tube amps, I also discovered that my new Fender Esquire sounds absolutely awesome through a nice big, loud, amplifier turned up the 10. Recording in front of the computer, I worried the Esquire was a dud since I got so much hum from the hot single-coil pickup. But this, it turns out, is totally an effect of the computer monitor. Through a well grounded amplifier, the Esquire makes very little noise, except at high gain when I suppose any single coil pu will hum like a hive of bees.
The “We Need A New Post” Post
Posted in General with tags indie rock, Lizards from Afar, Monkees, New Music, Punk Rock on April 16, 2009 by MattYeah, we need a new post like we need a hole in the head.
There’s not a whole lot happening in Lizardom recently, at least on the surface. Below, in the subterranean parts of our realm, new music is always percolating upward, mostly at the initiative of Sir Pent and me. No one but Chopper Newt is sure what is happening with the tracks from our highly anticipated (cue crickets chirping) return “Bloomington Democracy.” Since he (very helpfully) took over all mastering on that venture, he has all the work sitting on his computer, and he is in charge of any final masters and releases. But we all have the demo mp3s on Reverbnation!
Keeping on keeping on, several new songs are working their way down the pipe. These are different and, if I might say, more experimental. Certainly they represent a greater degree of technical proficiency as we become more used to working together again. They also represent a very unusual turn of events as I, the Gecko, take lead vocals on several. My favorite work is an indie ballad written by Sir Pent and composed by me entitled “Outside.” This tune is finished but for Pent’s drumming. I know he’s frightened to perform this song since there are three time signature changes… and I don’t think LFA has ever even tried ONE timing change in a song. I’m hoping he can pull through or I’ll have to release it with drum loops, and that would just be no fun.
We also have an excellent punk tune about Empress Theodora (you remember her, don’t you?), who ruled alongside Justinian back in the 6th century. I was never a fan of Justinian (too damned pious for my tastes, of course), but Theodora was a riot. At any rate, this song rocks, particularly since we switch from A major to A Byzantine in the middle of the song (I mean, we just had to, right?). I also did a lead vocal, but we’re all waiting to see if Newt will condescend to sing it instead, since LFA just isn’t the same without his voice. It’s like Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant.
Next is a jazz punk piece entitled “104 Degrees of Separation,” which might never see the light of day, despite the fact that it is awesome because Pent ignores me every time I request that he record a drum track. He’s like that sometimes.
Most likely the soonest new song to appear will be a short rock ditty a la the Monkees, once again written by Sir Pent, entitled “I Know A Girl.” It’s a disturbing but still pop piece about stalking a girl (what else). And not in the good way. As of now, Pent himself performs lead vocals, doing a convincing, but still disturbing, impersonation of Davy Jones.
Hang in there Lizard Fans. (cue more chirping of crickets.)
Way Back (Mr. Peabody) is #5 on KICKRADIO charts!
Posted in General, Music with tags economy, i-magazine, ipod, kickradio, podcast, podcasting, silverfox on April 2, 2009 by Sir PentThis week the Lizards From Afar song Way Back (Mr. Peabody) landed as #5 on the charts over at KICKRADIO. KICKRADIO is a nationally syndicated podcast and i-magazine devoted to independent music. A jury of listeners vote on hundreds of submissions each month and vote on the best. We submitted and not only made the list…but made the top 10.
A nice feature of this podcast is the i-magazine. Silverfox puts a magazine profiling the artists in the top 10. A lot of effort goes into putting it together. It also clearly illustrates that, amongst the artists, Lizards From Afar have the LEAST amount of promotional and publicity in the world. (But hey…if we showed the world how sexy we are on top of our music, it just wouldn’t be fair.)
So check out episode 26 and the i-magazine here:
http://kickradio.com/
Thanks Silverfox,
Sir Pent
Mocking Glenn Beck
Posted in General with tags Glenn Beck, mockery, poetry on March 31, 2009 by choppernewtWhen I was working in Tallahassee in radio, our talk station played the Glenn Beck show, because as I recall the PD was kind of ordered to – Beck was a rising star from a Clear Channel station, so they wanted him syndicated on other CC stations, whatever.
Anyway, so I didn’t just start to hate him recently when he got on TV, I was already sick of the guy.
Salon has this today, which is a mean thing to do of course (yapping for hours on end, anyone’s going to sound like a moron when you put their endless yammering into verse structure), but since I think Mr. Beck is in point of fact a moron anyway, I laughed. Best poem is first, the one about the meatball. I’d enjoy deconstructing that grad-school styleee. Really, I would.
To Sell Or Not To Sell, Aye
Posted in General on March 26, 2009 by MattI’m thinking seriously about selling my Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster. The big question, though, is should I leave the MIM Fender neck on it, or “harvest” that neck for my MIA Fender Esquire, which currently sports the old Squier neck, and put the Squier neck back on the Squier….
Perhaps the real question is why did I ever put the guitars together this way?
Way Back (Mr. Peabody) on DarkCompass #356
Posted in General, Music with tags Aunt Flatchell, darkcompass, ipod, podcast, podcasting on March 21, 2009 by Sir PentHere is nice surprise to find on a Saturday morning. Our good friend Rowley at the DarkCompass podcast has given us another spin on episode #356: Sirens and Dreams. Way Back (Mr. Peabody) marks our fourth play on DarkCompass. I love the DarkCompass show. The music is all over the place in the best kind of way.
This week Gator was able to provide the promised dream analysis of the dream Rowley mentioned in episode #352. Gator was able to interpret some good luck for Rowley’s future while managing to sneak in a plug for the band. Good work. (It’s nice to see someone else in the group shamelessly promoting the group.)
Listen to the podcast directly here:
http://209.197.21.111/f4h2×5q4/cds/media/1208/episodes/147809/darkcompass-147809-03-18-2009_pshow_291625.mp3?dopvhost=media.podshow.com&doppl=1e9cb00757585f1657085f461218da0ec3ddcf77&dopsig=d52e3b374131013151fd4d80c12ccf0f
Check out the website anytime here:
http://www.darkcompass.com/
As always Rowley…many many thanks,
Sir Pent
Poster Child on TVA Podcast #117
Posted in General, Music with tags Aunt Flatchell, Canada, Comedy, ipod, podcast, podcasting, TVA on March 21, 2009 by Sir PentHere’s one that we are pretty late to posting about. Released on 3/10/09, it’s episode #117 of the TVA podcast. TVA is a comedy-centric podcast hosted by Todd Van Allen. Todd is a comedian, writer and VO artist out of Canada. As always with Todd is Darcy and the show features in-house guest Cal Post.
This is an unusual podcast for Lizards From Afar to be on. Usually we are on music, and specifically indie-music, shows. The TVA podcast is a show that discusses current events (from a comedic point of view), comedy and life. Also, the whiskey apparently flows freely.
Download the podcast directly here:
http://podcast.heyitstva.com/heyitstva117_20090310.mp3
Check out the Hey! It’s TVA website here:
http://heyitstva.com/
Thanks Todd and crew.
Sir Pent
The Horse You Rode In On
Posted in Music with tags Horses, indie-country, Lizards from Afar, New Music on March 17, 2009 by MattIt’s been a coon’s age since we’ve released any new LFA music, so here’s a little ditty Sir Pent and I cooked up some time ago but never got around to finishing, until now. In between my normal work–today it is grading exams–I took time for a beer and a little session of mastering. I even had to pick up the guitar to add a twangy track I had originally left blank for our esteemed Newt who has been busy doing… something or other. I don’t know what.
Sir Pent apparently digs country music–who knew? He sent me this lyric months ago and I took up the challenge to compose a bit of, well, I suppose it’s country rock. Once the music was done, I handed the tracks to Pent-boy, who added his drumming and, er, crooning. It’s alt-Lizard_country, I suppose. An LFA B-side. And it turned out pretty well, I think.
So mosey on over to our Reverbnation page where you’ll also find the tune. Go ahead and download it, too, pardner. It’s free, as always.
<–click here!
Way Back (Mr. Peabody) on The Best Radio You Have Never Heard Podcast
Posted in General, Music with tags indepe, independent music, ipod, Madoff, Music, podcast, podcasting, radio on March 15, 2009 by Sir PentLizards From Afar have been played on a lot of podcasts over the past year. All over the country and all around the world. However, in all this time we’ve never been featured on a podcast from our home state of Illinois. Well today that finally changes.
After many weeks of pestering and harassing Perry, he finally let us have a spot on his show. Way Back (Mr. Peabody) gets a spin on The Best Radio You Have Never Heard Podcast Vol. 106. The show this week is titled Crime Of The Century. There we are, right alongside such greats as Supertramp, Zappa, The Cure and Aerosmith.
To listen to Volume 106 directly, go here:
http://www.bestradioyouhaveneverheard.com/podcasts/media/crime_of_the_century.mp3
To check out the home page, go here:
http://www.bestradioyouhaveneverheard.com/
Perry…you did the right thing by playing us. Admit it.
Sir Pent
Drummer and relentless promoter of Lizards From Afar
