QUITTING THE BAND, PART ONE

Last night we dusted off the old machine and tried cranking it up.

Yes, Happy Boy (at 80% strength) got together to run through the songs, reacquaint ourselves, and quit the band. All three things went well.

It felt pretty much exactly like the old Happy Boy, maybe a little bit tighter (we've gotten better, as individuals, I think). The arrangements were mostly remembered and it felt pretty familiar. As an extra bonus, we used headphones to monitor the vocals, which gave the proceedings a slightly detached feel, but allowed me to hear whether I was in tune. A big help.

I haven't even begun to put my guitar pedals back together in any kind of usable form - last night was straight into the amp. At the height of Happy Boy, my effects were generally:

1. ProCo Rat, first in line, for boost as much as for distortion. Graham Coxon from Blur had two of these, which is why I originally bought it, but now I'd buy it 'cause I love it.
2. Boss DD3 digital delay, used for straight up echoes and whacked out noises on "Visible"
3. Boss TR2 tremolo, mostly for the intro to "Peace Chicken" and some other tremoly moments. Sadly, seems to be out of commission right now.
4. Electro-harmonix Small Stone phaser, used sporadically when things need to get a bit swirly
5. a tuner. The most important effect ever made, it makes me sound in tune.

I'll be adding a volume pedal for the upcoming performance(s), and probably playing through either a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Bandmaster, if you care about such things.

It was fun to play with a band again. It's been a long time, but it's like riding a bike, only a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.