22 February - Day Off

No work to do and no errands to run today, but instead of just lounging about the house, I have decided to visit a couple of favorite local music stores. One of them recently moved into a new location, a building they purchased last year. This will be my first chance to go see what the new digs are like. And the other shop has a pedal in stock which interests me, because it would serve the same purpose as two pedals I currently own. As you know, I am in favor of fewer things to stomp during performances.

So yes. I strongly suspect my next post will be about yet another change to the main pedalboard.

6 February - Success

The recent change in pedal order and placement worked like an absolute charm at our recent gig. Practically silent noise floor, and an improved ease of on-and-offing* during live performance. Very pleased.

*Technical term I just invented.

22 January - Impermanence

It turns out that my idea for more clarity in the pedal order did not prove itself in the real world the way we expected it to in the lab. After last night's rehearsal, I decided to tweak things again. Delays were swapped back between the two boards and the reverb and preamp places changed on the main board. This seems much better to my ears this morning.

Of course what all this messing about really proves is the reason I (like many players) use Velcro for attaching pedals to boards. Change is often required of us. We need stability, but we also need impermanence. I shudder to think how things would be if we had to use glue to hold our pedals down.

19 January - MLK Day Eve

It was a pleasant enough temperature in my unheated attic studio today to get some practice in. During the winter months, I usually just move gear around in the main part of the house. It's not a big deal, but I don't like cluttering up the living space, so I pack it all back up again once I've put in the time. Today it was a treat to just plug the Tele into the little studio Ampeg and work on some new material for a bit.

And apart from honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. tomorrow, there's nothing else going on that's worth mentioning. I mean Tuesday we have rehearsal, but that's about it.

15 January - Pedalboards Update

All I really did was swap the two delay pedals, but it's still a change, and needs to be documented for future historians (yes, I am laughing as I type this).

8 January - First Rehearsal

Our first practice session of 2025 was yesterday evening. It was good to be together again, and we had fun narrowing down which new songs to get ready for the February show. I brought a pleasantly trimmed-down set of gear along: my Telecaster, the three-pedal board, and my little five-watt tweed amp. Wonderfully simple.

We've decided for now to keep the show in its current form: Mistress Miriam out front, with Rachael and yours truly as a supporting string section, sans drums. One advantage of not having a drummer is that we can practice and perform at a volume that's quite a bit lower than when someone was behind the kit. Don't worry, we still make a sound that fills the room. We hope you'll come out this year and hear for yourself.

1 January - Here We Go

Well, it's the first day of 2025 and we've been enjoying a quiet day at our house. Looking forward to more studio projects this year, as well as performing for you with The Mistress Miriam Show. Stay tuned.

29 December - Counting Down

Gonna be the new year in a few days. Looking forward to many aspects of it, but NOT the political circus that's coming to town. Okay, enough about that. I hope you all had a decent 2024. It was an emotional roller coaster ride now and then, but at least the music-making was good.

The Mistress Miriam Show begins again on February 1st. Check out the "2025 Shows" list over there in the right-hand column. Anything we've got booked will show up there.

Be well, see you 'round.

7 December - Winter

Well, it's looking a bit more seasonal than it was in that last post. But we're told that temps are going to rise again in the next few days, so this snow won't last very long either. Rehearsals resume this week, and we'll be glad if it's not a miserable slog to the practice space.

1 December - 2 Photos

We got a light dusting of snow the other day, but it was barely enough to mention, never mind shovel. It was gone the next day. Our surroundings here on the riverside still look like November. We're getting ready for the Solstice and the season that follows, but it's not here yet. I suppose my point is that there's a stark beauty to the place during this in-between time of year that I quite enjoy.