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Grease at the New Theatre, Oxford

As I write I an currently sat under the stage at the New Theatre in Oxford, half way through the third show of the run with the Oxford Operatic Society.

The show is a lot of fun, and while it differs from the film in it’s focus on the wider friendship group rather than just the relationship between Danny and Sandy, it still maintains a charm comparable with it’s iconic partner.

The music is, as you’d expect, very 50’s in it’s composition, and there are a number of repetitive themes which would be comforting if they weren’t in different keys! Still, there’s a lot of tasty stuff to play in my Guitar 2 part and it’s very pretty and delicate in places.

I’m using my Les Paul, with my Blues Junior. The LP is great for a wide variety of sounds, and I’m making use of all of the pickup positions which is really nice – the middle position is surprisingly delicate and sensitive and at times choppy.

I’m combining the guitar and amp with a number of pedals – Ibanez TS9 overdrive, Zvex Distortron, Line6 Tap Tremolo and Line6 Echo Park. I’ve also got my volume pedal at the end of the chain which I’m making a lot of use of. The tremolo only comes on when I can let chords ring, and it really sets them off and sends my coins back to the fifties. Coupled with a regular use of slap-back delay and I’m pretty much there. I occasionally kick on the TS9 for a little ‘hair’ for single notes, and the Distortron is wound right down, although heavy enough to wail when I need it.

Most of the shows have sold out so, it’s even more of a privilege to be involved. The band members are great and I can’t wait for the rest of the run!

Flashdance

Tonight I finished playing Flashdance at Central Bedfordshire College and I had a great time. It was pretty tricky given the amount of time to prepare amidst all of the other things that I’ve been engaged with recently, and also not least because I was covering both guitar parts and amalgamating them into one. We also had to transpose a couple of tunes down a tone on the fly which was a nice extra challenge!

The show was mainly electric guitar with 80’s tendencies, so I made use of my Small Clone chorus to colour my sound. I was also able to throw in a few shred-type hat-tips to nail the 80’s vibe!!

There was also a portion of acoustic guitar which I covered on my trusty Line6 Variax acoustic, and it was great for the strumming, picked and fingerstyle arpeggios. Some of the changes from electric to acoustic were fairly tight but we made it just in time all the time!

My attention is now turning to Jesus Christ Superstar which runs next week. The band call is on Sunday and I’m looking forward to it. Come down – it’s going to be a good one!

Denmark Street Big Band

For the last few months I’ve been working with the Denmark Street Big Band. Known as one of London’s best big bands, we’ve been playing every Sunday at the Grace bar, just off Piccadilly Circus in London. Here we play tunes made famous by such singers as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Michael Bublé, and in this form the band is fronted by Glenn McNamara.

We’ve also recently played the famous Pizza Express jazz club in Dean Street, London, playing the songs of Nat King Cole with singer Peter Savizon, and we’re due to return to the prestigious venue on October 28th for a tribute to Ray Charles and other Soul greats.

Big band playing is quite challenging as it requires you to have a number of different styles down. At any given time you can be expected to play funk, rock, Latin, and blues styles as well as the typical swing playing that jazz music is famous.

This also makes equipment choice quite challenging as the standard jazz style ‘boxes’ don’t lend themselves well to rock solos. I tend to use my Les Paul for the Grace bar residency due to the variety of styles we play, and also because it has the same pickups as my ES175 which is my preferred jazz guitar. I also make use of a solid maple Eastman Jazzer which has a floating pickup on it. It’s a bit brighter, but better for older big band and ‘straight-ahead’ gigs. For this reason I used it on the Nat King Cole gig, but I’m probably going to use the Les Paul for the Soul gig at the Pizza since I may be required to solo and have a brighter tone.

As a rule big band gigs require you to sight read which always makes for a challenging gig! You also never really know what you’re likely to be playing as you tend to find out when you get to the venue. It’s not my perfect idea of preparation, but it keeps things interesting and focused. It means the work really needs to go in before you get to the gig, making sure your reading and vocabulary in the above styles is as thorough as possible.

Come and check out the band on a Sunday, or come down to Pizza Express for some great Soul music!

The Full Monty

Tonight I’ll be playing the fourth shows in a week-long run of The Full Monty at the Court Theatre in Tring. It’s been great so far and I’ve settled nicely into the role.

It’s largely an electric guitar pad, although there are a couple of pretty ballads that require the use of an acoustic guitar. I’m using my Ibanez RG3120 for the electric stuff, and my Line6 Variax acoustic for the ballads.

The Ibanez has a really versatile 5-way switching combination with the two DiMarzio Evolution pickups I’ve got installed in there. It gives me access to some lovely funky and choppy sounds as well full power warmth and bite in the neck and bridge positions.

While I don’t need the versatility of the Variax for alternative sounds, it’s a very practical instrument for this application as I can run it through my electric amp with little fuss, and the sound is pretty good. This keeps things pretty simple for the tech crew and keeps me in control of my volume.

I’m using a small pedal board and making use of an Ibanez TS9 for overdrive, Zvex Distortron for distortion, and Line6 Tap Tremolo for a couple of sections in the pad. Volume and wah are provided by Ernie Ball and Morley Bad Horise 2 pedals respectively, and I switch between the acoustic and electric circuits via a Morley ABY pedal and then into my trusty Fender Blues Junior amp.

It’s quite tight in here (as usual) but it all adds to the fun I suppose!

Ray Lamontagne at the New Theatre, Oxford

last Friday I went to the New Theatre in Oxford to see one of my favourite artists. Ray Lamontagne was playing with his band, the Pariah dogs. This is the third time I’ve seen Ray and the band, and each time I’ve been impressed.

The performances are always sensitive – Ray’s a gentle, quiet chap – and even despite some encouragement to engage with the audience a bit more, he got on with his job and played his music in a fairly no-nonsense manner.

He was fantastic – his voice was so pure and rich-sounding it was hard to believe you weren’t listening to a recording. The rest of the band were great too. The main reason I like going to see Ray is that you get a demonstration of really tasteful musicianship. Everything has a place – it’s not busy, but very considered. The pedal-steel playing in particular sounds beautiful.

Ray’s best known song is called ‘Trouble’ where he soars in the chorus unlike in any other tune I’ve heard. It’s also been covered quite a lot, often in shows like American Idol. His other tunes are just as good, though. ‘Jolene’ is a tender song about love lost and fighting drug addiction, and there are many other tales Ray tells, that are just off the beaten track.

If you’re not familiar with him, check him out. You won’t be disappointed.