Monkey68
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9/1/2008 5:39:47 AM
---- Updated 9/1/2008 5:41:46 AM
Live Monkey68 - A report from the front lines
Hey kids, been a little while since the Monkey was active here. I blame commuting between CT and New York (watch for upcoming pair of tunes, 'Corinthian Parts I and II') and a whole host of other things. There are more songs on the way, trust me, there are more songs on the way.
But.
Sunday night, Monkey68 was live in New London. We got asked to play at a private function, only to find it was more like a public function. The keyboard player of a local band opens his house and sets up a gig in the back yard. About 100 people, 4 or 5 bands, and we got asked to play the dusk set. We started the set with sunset and gathering shadows, and ended with darkness and stage lights. Very cool.
I was playing my Rickie 360 and Les Paul through the Budda - very happy with the sound (for the anal retentives among you, I use... Boss tuner, Marshall Guv'nor distortion, Line6 Echo Park Delay, Dunlop P90 Phaser and SansAmp GT-2 all into a 1999 hand-wired Budda Verbmaster - attentuated with a THD Hotplate) and enjoying myself.
We'd followed a couple of bands, one playing country rock (very well, great vox and solid rhythm) called Jay Dempsey and Highway Call, and the next playing good party music, heavy on 4-part harmony and beatles-esque, Spodie Odie (no web-site, sorry). Both were very good. Enjoyable as the barbecue went down and kids played here and there.
I'd promised E and K that they would see their Dad play and, sure enough, we got our chance at about 7pm. We set up and went for it.
For those who don't know, Monkey68 is music based on emotion, challenge and discontent, harmonically drawing the line between REM and The Beatles via Alice In Chains. Pure pop and dark subterranean angst.
Here's the set we played tonight:
- Is She Really Going Out With Him? (cover)
- UNtitled (original)
- Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (cover)
- Travelling (original)
- Californication (cover)
- Man on the Moon (cover)
- With or Without You (cover)
- Open and Here (original)
- Under Pressure (cover)
- Noodle (original)
- While Rome Burns (original)
- The Way (cover)
- Blind Eye (original)
UNtitled sounded great with the Rickie - what a guitar, much misunderstood but heaps of tone to hand. With or Without You was pretty strong - we had fun with that. Under Pressure kicked ass - a 3-piece shouldn't be able to do that. Noodle was strong, given that another hurricane is aimed at New Orleans, and its 3 years since Noodle was written (in the aftermath of Katrina). While Rome Burns is a fun song, much better in our live version than the demo I recorded on my own. And Blind Eye... Well, let's just say it's always a joy!
All in all, a great night. A free gig with a captive audience.
And one memory.
E had been looking forward to Blind Eye - this was the first time either E or K had seen me play guitar in earnest - and I had promised to dedicate it to her. I did. But she was laying under a blanket, cold from the sun-deserted evening, and I was sure she was asleep. "This is dedicated to Elise, if she isn't asleep?" I said. And my eldest kid looked up at me and smiled and I felt full of love and warmth and music and just got ready for the count.
Patrick counted it in.
And off we went.
Maaaaaaaannnnnn, I LOVE playing live!!!
V
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