We’ve Got A Dance Song

Click on ‘Got A Dance Song’ in the PBGB Juke Box to have a listen to our latest posting.

We were talking some time back about the sort of material we have at our disposal, and there seemed to be a consensus that we were a bit light on straight up dance songs.

So Pete set about writing one.

Based on a Rockabilly drum feel, the song means to represent what goes on in hundreds of Aussie pubs late on a Saturday night when the band is blazing, the punters have had a drink or ten, and the end of the final set is nigh. In other words, classic booze fuelled Aussie Pub Rock !

Pretty straight forward really.

Pete sings and plays drums

Garry Carson Jones plays the manic guitar and the harp

Kevin Breeze plays the pumping bass.

Neil did all the recording and production work.

Garry Carson Jones - HUUUUUGE Shed Day

Garry booked a day of recording in The Shed and enlisted fellow PBGB Family Members Dave Crowden (on bass)  and Ken Vatcher (on drums) as support.

Here's Pete's summary of how it went:

"Brilliant!

Thank you everybody, a great day.

Garry, for grasping the concept and potential of The Shed, and recording some great songs with fellow PBGB Family Members.  

Dave, thanks for being a great sport.  You know what I like about your bass playing Dave?  EVERYTHING!!!!!

Neil, great work on the desk.  Thanks for being in it and making it so easy (for the rest of us).  I was very pleased to hear you say you had learned some stuff this arvo.  As always I deeply appreciate your contributions to PBGB Neil.

Ken – what can I say?  You have introduced us to some of the very best musos around these here parts, and they are all fantastic people. We are very pleased they have become friends of PBGB."


Addendum: Pete played drums on one song, and his enthusiasm and openness (as usual) went a long way to making the day a great success.  Great selection in the beer fridge Pete!

Watch this space for postings of the four songs - coming soon.

Garry in hard rock mode 

Ken at the "Big Gretsch Kit"!

Solid as a rock - Dave on Precision.

Possibly the smallest recording rig in town, but big sounds!  Neil at the desk

   

World Music by Fran Dagostino

Fran Dagostino is a Boston (US) based blues guitarist who has recently released a new CD "World Music" featuring songs which he's recorded with people from all over the world ..... including Pambula Beach! 

Two of Neil's songs made the cut on Fran's CD - "Wrong Way Home" and "Blown Away".

"World  Music" can be purchased HERE.

Cathy back in the Shed

History was made yesterday in The Shed - our first sesh (ever) without Pete present.  Despite the lack of someone organised and on-task, PBGBers present enjoyed a "different" Shed day.  To make up for Pete being away in Melbourne, Melbourne girl Cathy Middleton (no not THAT Cathy Middleton) dropped into the Shed for a play.  Along with Chris and Raymond and Neil, and some serious keyboard technology, some very pleasing sounds were made.

Above: Cathy trying out Chris' fretless Warwick.



Left: Raymond on Pete's kit while Chris starts to think "maybe I should read the manual for this!".

ANOTHER PBGB TEE SHIRT SIGHTING

Seems PBGB Tee Shirts are popping up everywhere these days

Here’s a shot sent in of a bedraggled character sitting on what looks like the surf lookout tower at Canggu, a well known surf spot in Bali.

Jem’s all Teed Up!

As a result of his great playing (Soprano Sax and Fender Rhodes) on Big Car No Shoes, Jem Savage earned himself a place in the PBGB Family, and with that comes a PBGB Tee Shirt.  Can’t beat that !

Anyway, Jem sent us a shot of himself resplendent in his new best Tee Shirt.

Handsome devil isn’t he ??

Kevin's first PBGB post

There's a new song on the JukeBox - "Happy Go Lucky".

Based on a long bass riff by Kevin, augmented by electric guitar by Lyndon and acoustic guitars, drums and percussion by Neil, this is the first PBGB song not recorded in The Shed.  All done on our home set-ups.

It's gentle, rhthmic and instrumental - totally different to what PBGB normally does, but variety is the spice of life after all.

Enjoy!

Interview with Neil

Neil did an interview this morning with Ian Husbands in London and Tom Chianti in New York on JustinTV (in connection with Music Scene Investigations).

There's now an edited version of the interview as an audio file here - also available on iTunes apparently on the Music Scene Investigation podcast downloads.

MSI: Extra with Neil Porter @ Music Scene Investigation

msi.icweekly.net

Links mentioned in the broadcast: 

BandCamp: http://jiguma.bandcamp.com/ 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/jiguma/videos 

MacJams: http://macjams.com/artist/jiguma

:)

JEM SAVAGE JOINS THE PBGB FAMILY

By kindly agreeing to play on our latest song, ‘Big Car, No Shoes’, Jem Savage has become a very welcome member of the PBGB Family.

Jem came to The Shed through the mighty musical networks of Ken Vatcher, and is in fact the beau of Ken and Susie’s daughter Amy.

He hails from Melbourne, where he has recently completed his Bachelor of Music Degree at NMIT. In 2012 he is going on to study Music Performance Honours at the VCA

Jem is a multi instrumentalist specialising in sax, bass, drums and electronics but also dabbling in many other instruments including keys, guitar and flute!

Intent on a career as a musician, Jem provides music lessons to many young players in addition to engineering, mixing and producing a wide variety of music and performing with a number of diverse musical combos.

Jem plays with:

Innerspace, see http://innerspacemusic.bandcamp.com or http://www.facebook.com/innerspacemusic

The Cambrian Explosion, see http://cambrianexplosion.bandcamp.com or http://www.facebook.com/thecambrianexplosion

and for his own music see http://jemsavage.bandcamp.com and http://www.facebook.com/jemsavagemusic

We are absolutely stoked that Jem took time out to come and record with us in The Shed. We love what Jem came up with, and look forward to featuring Jem on future PBGB productions.

Welcome to the PBGB Family Jem. More please - do drop in whenever you are in the district!!

As for the song, well the story goes like this.............

Pete came up with the concept of a song that starts with a cut time groove then breaks into double time. Neil took that away and wrote a melody and some lyrics. Pete and Neil worked ‘in the studio’ (as it were ) to hammer out the drum and bass parts. Neil added some rhythm guitar, Hammond B3, and the vocals. Ken then came on board to add some tasty percussion, and voila, we had a great sounding song just ready and waiting for an accomplished soloist to add the final touches.

Jem happened to be visiting Ken and Susie over Christmas, and had his Soprano Sax in his car, and of course we had Fhrodo ( see post below ) just itching to be played.

So Jem added the super tasty sax and piano parts.

Ken and Neil and Pete took the song back to the studio and started mixing and mastering. Ken called for some devilishly clever adjustments, and there we were – a finished product.

So the final credits for Big Car, No Shoes go like this...............

Pete – Concept, Drums

Neil -   Writer, Vocals, Guitar, Hammond B3, Bass, Co-Producer and Engineer

Ken -   Co-Producer and Percussion

Jem -   Fabulous solo work on Fhrodo ( our beautiful 1971 Fender Rhodes Piano ) and Soprano Saxaphone.

Click on the title on the PBGB Juke Box to have a listen.

Heartfelt thanks to all the people involved, including Simon Tregear for his truly great work on Fhrodo, which, we hope you will agree, sounds just peachy !

We are stoked, hope you like it too !

FHRODO IS UP AND RUNNING

Some months ago, John Hampshire, a close friend of PBGB, rang to say that a friend of his (an expat and fellow friend of PBGB named Ted Howes) had loaned him a vintage Fender Rhodes piano so John’s daughter might have a keyboard to practice on.

John, along with his wife and daughter live in an apartment in Sydney, and space is at a premium. It wasn’t long before John was looking for a new home for the Fender.

John thought of The Shed. Good thinking John !  Bless you my son.

As an avid lover of 70s Jazz Rock Fusion, Pete reckons the Fender Rhodes is every bit as classic an instrument as they come............think Chick Corea, think Herbie Hancock, both of whom played Fender Rhodes.

So after John had received Ted’s blessing, Pete was in the ute on his way to Sydney, to collect he who has come to be known as Fhrodo !

When Fhrodo arrived in The Shed, it became apparent that whilst Fhrodo was in good condition, a bit of TLC would not go astray.

Pete asked PBGB Family Member Mark Bolsius ( look Mark up on ‘The Musicians’ Page of this blog site ) to come have a look and provide an appraisal. Mark kindly obliged and gave Pete a list of required parts.

Pete went looking and came across a guy in Melbourne named Simon Tregear. Simon is widely regarded amongst those in the know as the best person in Australia to have tend to your vintage keyboards (and amps).

Check Simon out at

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/v2/service/61/SOUL-AMP+ENGINEERING+MELBOURNE+VIC+AU+AUSTRALIA.html

So Pete rang Simon, and another unbelievable piece of PBGB serendipity unfolded.................

When Pete told Simon he lived at Pambula Beach, Simon said “Oh really ? Do you know Pol O’Shea and Ken Vatcher ?”

Honest truth folks, this was just a couple of  days after the September 2011 SuperSesh, at which both Ken and Pol  ( and Mark )  blazed away in The Shed.

Furthermore, Simon said he was coming up soon to see his mate Pol, and would drop in to have a look at Fhrodo.

Simon declared Fhrodo a fine specimen, who, with a tweak here and a poke there, would be a great example of a 1971 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 MK-1.

Simon took Fhrodo to Melbourne, poked and prodded, then brought him back.

All we needed was someone to play Fhrodo !

Enter Jem Savage.

As you will see in a later post, Jem played Fhrodo on our latest song ‘Big Car, No Shoes’.

We love the song. We love Fhrodo. We love what Jem played.

Thanks to Ted, John, Mark, Simon and Jem, we now have a classic instrument in near perfect order in The Shed.

Have a listen to 'Big Car, No Shoes' on the PBGB Juke Box, and stay tuned for more songs featuring Fhrodo.