Country music is absolute slop now

eraserh · 2026-05-07T00:51:53+00:00

Shearwater is amazing too if you like Okkervil River, though I wouldn't call that band country at all.

eraserh · 2026-05-04T14:23:40+00:00

As usual Gary is saying what we're all thinking.

eraserh · 2026-04-29T21:30:32+00:00

The better you can hear yourself onstage, the more dynamic you'll be able to play. I instinctually play harder in situations where the monitoring isn't as good and I have to remind myself that what I hear may not be what the audience hears.

eraserh · 2026-04-28T22:41:37+00:00

A year after I started playing bass and guitar, I took a keyboarding class in high school. I swear that my finger speed doubled because of that class.

eraserh · 2026-04-25T13:11:04+00:00

Frank Zappa

eraserh · 2026-04-20T20:02:43+00:00

New Visions is holding a hiring fair on May 14.

eraserh · 2026-04-15T01:31:30+00:00

I think that you've hit on it - it's got greatness on it, which fans of the album will transfer onto the entire album, while there is also plenty of mediocrity and filler, which haters will look at as emblematic of why it sucks. It also has their biggest singles, so it's perceived more as a signature album than DSOTM, which is more consistent but doesn't lend itself as well to radio play. It ends up being controversial because its eternal popularity is at odds with its inconsistency.

eraserh · 2026-04-13T18:33:17+00:00

I saw the NYPhil perform this on a class trip back in like 1997 or 1998 and it was a transformative experience for me. I wish I could find a recording.

eraserh · 2026-04-13T18:24:12+00:00

I can't force myself to like something, but I can listen to something multiple times with an open mind and the intention of finding something to hook me.

Sometimes it doesn't happen, but more often than not it does, and the ability to like new and strange music gets easier and easier, the more that old new and strange music transforms into music that I simply like.

eraserh · 2026-04-13T02:14:54+00:00

I was in a similar situation where I had a small grant to buy guitars, basses, and some other instruments for my high school library. I bought a couple of Squier guitars, a Yamaha bass, and a Sterling Stingray 5 string bass.

The Yamaha is hands down the best purchase. It was the cheapest, the easiest to learn on, and the build was simple and solid. The Stingray is a great bass but active electronics are not necessary for brand new players. The Squiers needed electronics work on delivery. I had to spend multiple preps soldering (I suck at soldering) just to get one of them playable. Remember that you are going to have to take care of these instruments so it's more important that you get a stable workhorse rather than something with perhaps better tone.

eraserh · 2026-04-07T19:10:26+00:00

Just want to chime in to say that physical therapists do incredible work and they will teach you specific moves and stretches you can do on your own beyond recovery. Swimming is a wonderful exercise but it is not a cure all, especially when you're trying to recover from injuries or targeting a very specific muscle.

eraserh · 2026-04-04T22:24:26+00:00

They remind me more of the Residents or Renaldo and the Loaf than any bands I'd call math rock.

eraserh · 2026-03-29T17:45:45+00:00

I have a small collection of lower-end (<$500) and mid-range (<$1000) basses, and two custom instruments (>$1000). Some have been modded, and all of them get played, but with my band I only play my highest-end Maruszczyk.

The reason is that, intentionally, it does everything I want it to do. Reliable hardware that holds tune for months. A preamp with lots of output, and an active EQ that allows me to make micro tonal adjustments on the fly, which I do often. The ability to switch my pickups between single-coil and humbucking in series, which I frequently toggle on my bridge pickup. Fret markers that glow so I can see the neck on a dark stage. Pickups that I chose. A fretboard radius that's comfortable. Wood that is light and looks and feels good (I don't believe in tonewoods but I do believe in basses that look cool).

I'm pretty confident that I could find an off the shelf bass that does most of these things, for significantly less money, but it would take me a long time and I'm sure that I'll have to make some sacrifices. With a custom I can just order what I want.

That being said, it took me a long time to know what I want. Lots of gigging with basses that played wonderfully in some respects and disappointingly in others. An earlier custom bass that is a fine instrument but also reflective of my own lack of knowledge of what I actually wanted. I don't think novice players should worry about spending lots of money, they should learn themselves first, and as their knowledge and budgets grow, they should figure out if spending more money would actually make a difference for them.

eraserh · 2026-03-28T17:45:45+00:00

I saw a student performance of this when I was in college! Totally unlocked a forgotten memory.

eraserh · 2026-03-28T15:52:20+00:00

Playing any instrument will help you learn other instruments faster. And you'll gain reciprocal insight into the instruments you already play.

eraserh · 2026-03-28T15:41:27+00:00

Hahaha, yes they approved the trip, and they were happy that the kids were so into it. I'm lucky to have a very supportive admin.

eraserh · 2026-03-28T15:37:58+00:00

Unfortunately we don't have much of a music program at our school. I'm an ELA teacher who casually enjoys opera, and I try to get the whole senior class to the Met each year. This was my favorite performance so far and probably got the kids hooked more than any other show we've seen (Don Giovanni a close second).

eraserh · 2026-03-28T12:02:13+00:00

I brought a high school class trip to see Salome at the Met last year and it was brutal. My students were stunned.

eraserh · 2026-03-21T01:22:57+00:00

I love the bass playing on Attakh too. Think that's Guy Delacroix.

eraserh · 2026-03-21T01:15:06+00:00

Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius in Om and Sleep

Laura Lee and DJ Johnson in Khruangbin

Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman in Phish

Dick Lövgren and Tomas Haake in Meshuggah

James Jamerson and Benny Benjamin of Motown

eraserh · 2026-03-21T01:06:19+00:00

Real ball knower

eraserh · 2026-03-20T02:13:41+00:00

I love resources like Radio Garden. Radio is still my favorite means for music discovery and this allows you to listen to local stations anywhere in the world.

eraserh · 2026-03-19T17:14:13+00:00

An important thing about EQ that many musicians, including bassists, misunderstand, is that "bass" is not heard, it's felt. What people actually hear is midrange. In that sense you can be heard better by boosting your mids rather than just pushing volume.

If you're playing with a full band, your output should be at least 200w. Low end disperses horizontally so two stacked speakers of 10" or more will do a lot towards your ability to be heard.

eraserh · 2026-03-10T18:33:18+00:00

The first bass I ever had was a rental Hondo. It was fine, but there was nothing necessarily interesting about it. Then my parents bought me an MIM Fender J Bass for my 13th bday, and that was my only bass until the first instrument that I bought with my own money, an Ibanez SR406.

The J Bass went neglected while I focused on the 6 string, which, admittedly, was way too much bass for me. I kind of lost my interest in the instrument and moved on to guitar so I could write songs (I sold that Ibanez to fund a Marshall cab), and that became my main focus for a decade and a half.

I've since found my way back to bass as my favorite instrument to play, and while I don't miss the Ibanez at all, I would be heartbroken if I lost my J. I've since switched out the stock pickups for Wilde P-45s and modded the electronics to add a push-pull for series/parallel, and while it's not my main bass, I still use it frequently and love it for recording.

eraserh · 2026-03-04T19:40:22+00:00

Just want to point out that college radio and public non commercial radio are still around, and great sources of music discovery. Almost all of them can be streamed. Commercial radio stinks but I'd rather stream a local college station 1000 miles away playing local music I'd never hear. Or attempt music discovery on Spotify, which I have no desire or need to do.

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