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Oak-------Any memorable moments during the Clarke interview? Was he still in good health at that time?

Man! The guy was a monster when it came to tone and expression. I understand from the guys on harp-l that there is some newly released material available such as a live in Germany cd and a dvd. I think the dvd is a duplication of the vhs that was released couple of years ago but I'm not certain. I have the vhs and there are some amazing guitar players featured who cut their teeth in his band including Liz Claiborn's son, Alex Schultz as well as Jr. Watson and Johnny Marx.

"Got a big fat mama and she calls me lollipop

When she gets to lovin'

She just don't know when to stop"-----------Bill Clarke

Also there is a guy making a name for himself(finally) that captures a lot of that Bill Clarke sound.

His name is Mitch Kashmar and is well worth checking out.

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When I interviewed Clarke all that I could think of was that the guy had class. He just oozed it!

Our program director had just woken me up to come down and do an interview that she had set up with Clarke and some of his bandmates. They showed up at about 8am, straight from the bus after driving all night, hadn't even been to the hotel.

Clarke had two guys in his band who were launching solo careers and he was trying to promote them, as well as his own band, so he stayed pretty low key, letting the other guys talk. Neither of these guys was particularly articulate, and they had been up all night driving, so it was not exactly good radio.

On a break, Clarke suggested that I talk to his bass player about his days playing with Luther Allison, hinting that there were some good stories to be had. After the break I broached the subject, but all that I got was "yeah, I played for Luther Allison". :asdf:

I got a couple of free tickets to the show that night, and had a great conversation with Clarke and some of his sidemen over breakfast...should've brought a tape recorder to the diner!

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Cool interview stuff, Oak - it would be great to hear some more of your DJ/Interview adventures....You're right - the Hi Ho Silver Lining and Tally Man are on Beckology under The First Solo Singles....I'm really getting into Beck's early stuff with The Tridents and The Yardbirds. It's a great anthology!

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Okay, not to change the subject...

And it's still about guitars...

But...

BUT.... :wave:

I received a cool email today from a guy in Mexico who has an Ibanez bass that's similar to mine. He wanted to know if I had any wiring diagrams. My bass was made passive a long time ago - I've thought about making it active, but that's a project for a later date.

Anyhow...

Anyone here have any suggestions for how to find old wiring diagrams? It's a 1979 Ibanez Roadster bass...

I'm sure I could take it to a tech and say, "Just do it"... but what if I wanted to try it (or more likely, Hubby would do the job....)

What do you think?

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Some well laid out diag's but nothing from the 70's - you may see a similiar configuration.

HERE

It's doable. Don't hurry it, plan it out, lay it out and take plenty of time. There's lots of sites

that cater to 'mod' how-to's, kits, tools, etc. Go for it!

Edited by socks
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Thanks for the Belief clip, Dmiller....Man, that guy is jam-packed with talent! Okay - you John Mayer fans - any recommendations on some CDs of his?

T-Bone,

I missed this post of yours. My apologies. :(

I'd have to say... ALL OF THEM!!!

His earlier stuff (I'd say anything pre Heavier Things is a little more lighter, more accoustic) Heavier Things (hence the name) was his 'all electric' album.

After HEAVIER THINGS...came the album he produced with the trio and now... Continuum...

They are all wonderful and are all very pleasing to the ear. :P

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Thanks to you, Ala, I now know about John Mayer. Well, in today's newspaper, there was a review of his latest CD that you have mentioned and he was given FOUR out of a possible FIVE stars!!!!!!!!!! Ok, fine, I say to myself......I know who he is ..... thanks to Ala again...heehee.... well..... this afternoon, I meet my sister and mom at Starbucks for a cafe' mocca (sp) and while we are waiting for our drinks, I see John Mayer's CD for sale.... and I think to myself again... thanks to Ala, I know who that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may have to buy the CD.....

Carry on............................... :wave:

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Cool interview stuff, Oak - it would be great to hear some more of your DJ/Interview adventures....You're right - the Hi Ho Silver Lining and Tally Man are on Beckology under The First Solo Singles....I'm really getting into Beck's early stuff with The Tridents and The Yardbirds. It's a great anthology!
I've got quite a bit of Yardbirds at home...good stuff

I was a deejay for about 7 years at a community radio station (translation: no commercials, no money, a lot of volunteers) - we snobbishly referred to ourselves a programmers, rather than deejays. la-tee-dah, doncha know.

I started out just hanging out at the station during a midnight - 4am blues show every Thursday night, trying to learn the equipment and do PSA and SPA's. One night the programmer fell asleep due to heavy on-air drinking and I took over. :spy:

Blues was my specialty; I did a show called Shadesof Blue for most of my tenure, focussing on comparisons between original blues and their later cover version or ripoffs. I had a jazz fusion show for a while, as well as a short-lived "surf guitar" program. For about 6 months I had a 6AM variety program where I played some Way productions now and again.

One of the other relatively well known folks that I interviewed was Matt "Guitar" Murphy. He sat down next to me during a break that stretched on and on and on....Fueled by one too many shots of Jack Daniels I asked him when the f--- he was going to get back stage. To this day I'm not sure how I avoided an foot whoopin' after getting the look that I got. But he said "Who the f--- are you?" - I replied that I was one on the f---ers who apid $10 to see him PLAY. He looked me over, downed his drink, and walked up to the stage and started his last set.

After the show he came back, shook my hand and remarked that I had "some set of balls" to talk to him like that. I told him that I was a programmer for a local radio station, would he like to do an interview? Amazingly, he agreed, but he was leaving town first thing in the morning. So we bought some "supplies" from the bartender, walked over to the station, unlocked the studio, and recorded an interview. Our station engineer had to spend a lot of time cleaning it up!

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Wow, Oakspear, you do have guts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While living in Memphis for several years, I loved hearing the blues LIVE on Beale Street, especially on Saturday afternoon. You walk up and down the street and listen to raw blues. That is one thing I miss about Memphis.... about the only thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, keep on telling your tales. You are fun to read!!!!!!!!!!!

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Aaah, Mayer fans. T-Bone, I'd check his whole catalogue out, here's a brief description of a few -

"Try" - John Mayer - this is the trio he toured with in the last year, Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan A la mentioned above, on drums. Blues/rock jams, live, some good guitar playing throughout. Combination of tunes and blues jams. When I saw this configuration they did a few more blues tunes.

"Continuum" - his latest. Has "Belief" on it, and "Waiting on the World to Change". That tune will remind you of another classic R and B tune, I'm sure. :) The overall sound is kinda funky and nice.

"Heavier Things" - hits-ago-go, like "Bigger Than My Body" and "Something's Missing".

There's more, I'll leave them to others, there's a lot of material he's got out at this point.

Chatty, I was thinking about your comment on Mayer and the "mix" not quite setting in. My take on that is, I agree from a certain perspective. Seeing him several times now I can see that he puts everything he can into performance, but there's a certain amount of intensity that he doesn't quite have yet. I don't mean that in a deragatory way or negatively, but that it seems to me that he's a very sensitive person working very industriously and faithfully to figure out how to incorporate his love for blues based music into his songwriting, which is very thoughtful and considered. He doesn't write cast-off tunes for the most part, he's clearly got thought and feeling behind what he writes.

Now, that's coming from a card carrying Old Guy, who puddles up during commercials if there's a kid of a dog, y'know. But officially, never cries, at anything or nuttin'. :biglaugh:

I could see at his concert, there's moments where he kind of hops along and bounces and flops, very youthful and I'm thinking, now cut that out, you're showing your age. But really, he's just being himself and that's admirable. "Unassuming" and somewhat guileless, while acuttely aware any number of girls want his babies. It must be a tough life.

So sometimes his music comes across deeply serious, but doesn't quite, ever so slightly, find a final resting place. It's hard to put my finger on, but that's why I enjoy following him because over the last 4 years or so he's definitely been on a journey of development, so I look forward to what he'll do. Plus, he's a heck of a pop songwritier.

I've been pondering Chas's post ways-a-way back on what is the music of this decade and how it stacks up to the 60's, 70's, etc. And I think Mayer is a great example of what this decade is all about. Technology figures into it, heavily I think.

Figure, we can't even come up with a decent short hand name for it - like "the 60's", or the "90's".....whadya call this decade, the "Oh-ohs" or the "Double Aughts" or something? It's weird, It needs a name.

Pretty much the whole technological revolution came screaming into the station with y2K, and then poof. We're all still here. And what are we listening to? Just about anything we could ever want. Music from the 50's, rare live cuts of every stripe by every imaganible artist that was ever recorded in any possible setting. Music from albums long lost, music recorded yesterday. Everything is becoming available. I spend half my time just looking for online music sources for things I haven't heard in 30 years. Now, it's all available again, or can be. And it can all be shared.

The music of this decade might be described as a fully indexed library of everything that ever was recorded and everything that's being recorded right up to - now.

And it's relatively easy to find and listen to. In so many cases we don't have to search and rummage the world for stuff we want. When i was a kid it was a 20 minute bus ride to the Main Library in town , and a long walk to the nearest Record Store. A whole day could be devoted to finding out about someone and their music.

Today - click, drag, surf. Chances are someone somewhere has put it up. Or if not, I can. It's truly wonderful. The world of information right here, and I don't even have to comb my hair and go out.

In that vein of thinking, a guy like Mayer has been able to immerse himself in musical influences and information in greater quantity and much faster than anyone could have in 1969, or 72. So he and others of today can pull it all togethe fast, they've got it all at their fingertips. Tney (we) can cover years of music in week.

But to absorb it and make it part of us takes time. The music has meaning, now what does it mean to me? It has an immediate impact, and that will take root over time.

I'm just rambling. But there's a thought in there somewhere. :)

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Like you, I've been listening to Mayer for at least 4 yrs. His music never tires me, and I find his stuff invigorating.

ACT 2... thank you thank you thank you. It means the world to me that I may have had an influence on someone, musically.

I remember a little while back where I posted a Mayer song and it was not necessarily taken with any seriousness. So it's so nice to have someone else appreciate him as I do.

Socks,

Back to your post...wowza...there's alot there. Thanks for the blurb. I always learn so much as you express your thoughts about music and the way you choose to express it.

It always opens my musical mind and I am able to understand music on a more involved level.

MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE SONG ... (for right now)

GRAVITY....

I just can't seem to get enough.

I walk into my classroom with the cd in my purse...hoping that at some point in the day I'll be able, all on my own, have a chance to just listen on the class CD player.

That's always a good day for me when I get to do that.

True story.... I was getting my wallet out of my purse the other day and out pops out at the grocery check out, some random cd I had in there (it may have been John Mayer). Most women carry make-up, toiletteries, personal sundries... no, I carry CDS.

: )

Edited by A la prochaine
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Wow, Oakspear, you do have guts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While living in Memphis for several years, I loved hearing the blues LIVE on Beale Street, especially on Saturday afternoon. You walk up and down the street and listen to raw blues. That is one thing I miss about Memphis.... about the only thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, keep on telling your tales. You are fun to read!!!!!!!!!!!

I second her. :)

Socks, I'm reading ya man.

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Blues was my specialty; I did a show called Shadesof Blue for most of my tenure, focussing on comparisons between original blues and their later cover version or ripoffs. I had a jazz fusion show for a while, as well as a short-lived "surf guitar" program.

keep it coming Oakman!...Hey, on the jazz fusion stuff - what did you like? I got into John McLaughlin for awhile before/during/after Mahavishnu Orchestra - some of his technique was like a nervous twitch on speed - I could only take it for so long....Anyway - do share some more behind the music scenes - cool stuff!

Edited by T-Bone
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Liked Mclaughlin during Mahavishnu. Saw him live at My Father's Place, I think it was, in Manhattan in 1980 with a "believer" who worked for a record company. It was an "unplugged" show, just John & another guy on acoustic guitars. Ravi Shankar opened.

Return to Forever, plus solos of all the guys in it, especially Stanley Clark; Weather Report, and Jon-Luc Ponty

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Liked Mclaughlin during Mahavishnu. Saw him live at My Father's Place, I think it was, in Manhattan in 1980 with a "believer" who worked for a record company. It was an "unplugged" show, just John & another guy on acoustic guitars. Ravi Shankar opened.

Return to Forever, plus solos of all the guys in it, especially Stanley Clark; Weather Report, and Jon-Luc Ponty

I wonder if that was Larry Coryell? I had a whole album with those two on acoustic guitars...I've got Return to Forever's Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy - love it! And their Light as a Feather CD features Stanley Clark's unique acoustic bass style.

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Just googled this Stanley Clark...please forgive my ignorance here. Interesting website...

but I thought this was the coolest... he has a Stanley Clark Scholarship...

This is what is written in the Scholarship Section:

Stanley has never lost his awareness that the opportunity to excel in art, in fact all of society, is not equally available to everyone. Sometimes the only thing that separates a young person from success at a high level is the avenue. Believing that “talent, and not one’s socioeconomic background should be the predicate of an individual’s chance to go on to create artistically,” Stanley feels that those who have had success in realizing their own vision have a duty to help others in their struggle to emerge.

What an insightful man.

Edited by A la prochaine
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