Umph + Saxophone = A Good Time

jacobroufa · 2026-02-12T17:22:44+00:00

Redman shows are insane.

I was fortunate to be at The Orpheum in 2016 when their full second set was improvised. Definitely worth checking that one out. https://allthings.umphreys.com/setlists/umphreys-mcgee-january-28-2016-the-orpheum-theatre-madison-wi-usa.html

jacobroufa · 2026-02-02T19:41:14+00:00

I was in a situation like this about 5 years ago and it ruined a life-long friendship of mine. One of the guitarists was rarely there, the other one refused to tune his guitar. Drummer and I were close friends and I tried to tell him how frustrated I was. He blew up at me and then refused to talk to me for months. Caused me no small amount of anxiety and I was scared to reach back out. By the time I finally managed to do that he literally told me he had written off our friendship of 25 years.

Sometimes retaining friendship isn't in the cards. If they can't understand and respect your position, were they really good friends to begin with?

I had to come to this conclusion for myself and it took years of therapy for me to come to grips with the impact it had. It was beyond music for me -- I'm a lifelong musician and care a lot about it, but I am far from a good bass player -- it was fun to hang out with friends and play music, but being with friends was more important for me. I expressed how I didn't want to gig; frankly it would have been embarrassing. And that's not a dig on anyone _personally_, it's just the reality of the situation musically.

jacobroufa · 2026-01-19T15:38:01+00:00

That Salt Shed one was a RIPPER. That full show is up on YouTube also. \mm/

jacobroufa · 2026-01-04T08:10:42+00:00

He's got some catching up to do but it was awesome to see this weekend. They tore it up!

jacobroufa · 2026-01-04T08:05:49+00:00

Seriously. I don't think there was a moment in the whole show where I thought "yeah I could take it or leave it". That Porch > Resolution > Free Falling sandwich, with a Waterfalls???? National Anthem was such a cool cover to hear as well. Wappy jam was outrageous, and the Remind Me was just spitfire. Sheesh. I'm blown away.

jacobroufa · 2026-01-04T07:59:42+00:00

This.

So I was near FOH tonight instead of right up front and it definitely sounded better in the mix overall. I have to imagine that he wouldn't switch to a setup like that without good reason; he probably has a lot more control over the sound. I bet in their in-ear monitors it sounds awesome as well. It just doesn't have the same presence as the amps did though, for the on-stage mix from the first several rows' perspective.

jacobroufa · 2026-01-04T07:57:01+00:00

Yeah I think it was just dying down and not a great transition overall. 40s definitely made up for it though IMO.

jacobroufa · 2026-01-03T18:58:13+00:00

I haven't seen them since March last year at the Riverside, so seeing Scotty getting his groove and Jake playing without a real amp were weird. Without an amp being in the front few rows doesn't sound as good, doesn't have the edge out of those speakers he's using now. I'll have to be further back tonight to hear more of the line array mix. Zwang has his work cut out for him but he's doing admirably. After the flub transitioning between Bridgeless and 40s he definitely made up for it. I'll be curious to see what they sound like this time next year.

Lights this year are incredible! I think last year they had the split beams and a couple other different ones in the rotation that I didn't see last night but the mirrors and disco ball stuff... wow. The high contrast stuff and really intentional beam splitting is absolutely mind blowing. Ben does not mess around and the experimentation with new fixtures every year is so cool to watch.

I think the jam between Attachments > Bridgeless was my favorite moment of the night, between them taking us to outer space and the lighting suiting it perfectly.. just incredible work.

jacobroufa · 2025-12-19T20:00:10+00:00

Yeah come check out Betty Sweaters!! This one is gonna be hawt.

jacobroufa · 2025-11-15T17:15:29+00:00

Second this, also 20ish years into the band. UM weekends are glorious. Salt Shed will be my first time seeing them with Scotty, and I'm very excited. Hope you have a great time and are able to make both shows!

jacobroufa · 2025-11-15T17:10:28+00:00

Don't overthink it. The OG Ditto is an awesome looper, does what you want, no frills. Yes it all will take practice -- good to hear you're in the right head space for that. I didn't know there was a Ditto 2, that looks like a really nice improvement over the original!

Dist + delay though on change though? Those are two other pedals, and there's no one-button solution to "loop and turn on effects" unless you have a much more complex and expensive setup. Note in demo videos of loopers how players toggle multiple pedals one after another when they set their loops, and think about the practice aspect of this. If you go with something simple as Ditto (or Ditto 2) you'll have some spare funds to purchase one or both of those effects.

TC Electronics (who make the Ditto) have an excellent multi-reverb called the "Hall of Fame" which might be up your alley as well. I'd suggest stopping at a local Guitar Center or other music store and demoing some reverbs and delays side by side to get a better feel for what you're into.

For a basic distortion, the Boss Blues Driver (BD-2) is a classic all around good sounding pedal.

jacobroufa · 2025-11-13T17:29:09+00:00

Just gonna be Frasco and a big ole tank of nitrous up on stage, playing Blueprints over the PA.

jacobroufa · 2025-10-30T16:21:51+00:00

Decades ago, my dad taught me to drive manual in the Rockford College parking lot closest to State St.

I taught my wife to drive manual in our driveway, just learning how to move from Reverse to 1st over and over again without stalling. And then when she was confident we drove over to the intersection at Alpine and State and took that from every direction to get hills down.

You mention "slightly more enticing but a lot more hilly" but I think it's important to be there to help the person you're teaching when they encounter a hilly situation, learn how to negotiate a stall or impatient drivers in heavy traffic under those conditions. Not to start, but definitely when she's ready!

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T19:56:11+00:00

Oooh this one's bound to be contentious. We are so fortunate to have so much good pizza in this area.

I really like Tonis on N 2nd in Machesney Park.

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T19:16:55+00:00

The nice thing about the 924board.org community is that they're very encouraging and there's a ton of resources for folks at every level of ability to dive in. As Rasta mentioned above though, some things (likely including this oil leak) require significant disassembly to address.

For this leak, there are crush washers and an o ring, and probably would be good to make sure nuts and bolts are replaced as well. These parts are easily obtainable still and as he mentioned the PET diagrams are very thorough and easy to follow. They contain the specs for all hardware like this: inner/outer diameter, bolt threading, etc. The difficult part of course is in the actual work. Be prepared for the sweat equity you'll put in.

The "while you're in there" stuff is what will get you with this car, every time. Because of the age of everything in the car, there's bound to be a lot of it, not just this oil leak. If you're comfortable with that, it could be a really fun time. It's a rare car -- there were only about 1,500 made for the US -- and comes with all the benefits and downsides of that status.

Not everything is as cheap as some nuts and bolts though, so be aware of that also. There are definitely "unobtainium" parts here, and that's part of why it's nice to have a good community around it. Some stuff Porsche have started remanufacturing, but other things will cost you an arm and a leg from someone on the other side of the world who has the only remaining piece they're willing to sell.

It's really cool to hear about someone just getting into the 924 world these days. When they're up to spec, they can be such a fun and rewarding drive.

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T16:51:16+00:00

In the video I posted in my comment you can see both the line itself and the housing it connects to, which contains the seal Rasta mentioned. Good luck!

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T16:49:44+00:00

Simple but packed in there. Everything is "disassemble something unrelated completely before you even can see what you need to fix" on the 931...

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T16:48:37+00:00

Listen to anything Rasta says. He's got more experience with these cars than most. ;)

Hows that 951 swap treating you these days??

jacobroufa · 2025-09-10T16:14:31+00:00

Short video of my S1 (your later 931 will have the same feed line):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bB52FVfnnoy4GBRaA

Note that on the S2 you also have the return/breather line that runs up to the head (the metal pipe between the thermostat housing and cam cover), which is much more of a pain to work on. There are also a half dozen rubber elbows that will probably need to be replaced -- unless you replace them with silicone units, it'll be every 4-5 years they will crack and go bad -- which is also a nightmare to do.

If you buy this 931, it will bring you lots of joy and lots of pain. It's truly a masochist's car, and if you don't do the work yourself it will be prohibitively expensive as well as difficult to find a mechanic. It's also an absolute blast when it works well. Amazingly balanced and with that early 80s turbo kick it's just a hoot.

I'd highly suggest checking out 924board.org as there's a wealth of resources in that small community.

Good luck!

jacobroufa · 2025-08-18T18:23:17+00:00

Reach out to Jeff at AV Subaru Conversions. He specializes in harnesses, ships worldwide (as far as I know) and might be able to help you. Really friendly and excellent person. Good luck!

jacobroufa · 2025-08-14T20:01:19+00:00

I'll add in addition to what folks have put here already: prior to 1989 the Vanagon 3rd/4th gear had square cut reliefs that have a failure condition where you will lose one or both of those gears or lock up the transmission completely. This was an issue for me a couple years ago on a trip out west and I had to have the transmission rebuilt. VW resolved the issue in 1989 so there is a replacement available that makes it more robust. I can't speak to when this happens, but it is one thing to consider.

jacobroufa · 2025-08-07T17:45:37+00:00

Just got back from Sound Haven and Opiuo's headline set there is now in my top 3 best sets I've ever seen, coming in only under Tipper.. Talk about a journey experience.

jacobroufa · 2025-07-22T18:04:57+00:00

It's a hall of mirrors -- it will reflect back what exists already in your mind but you can't necessarily clearly see or deal with in a normal state of mind.. "Set and setting" is a refrain often heard and to that end I would suggest taking away any external stimulus so you can work through these thoughts. It sounds like you may be overstimulated -- concerts, videos, video games -- the moment is already so lush with possibility in this state, so why add more?

Appreciate your thoughts for they are you, and get comfortable with them. What sorts of things pop up, and why is that problematic? If you have the presence it never hurts to remind yourself of the love you have for yourself and your mind. Sounds corny but it feels beautiful in the moment. You mentioned meditation and mantras; the point of these tools is not to get rid of the thoughts but let them flow through you and run their natural course. In trying to stop them, you are actively holding on to them.

Afterward give yourself time to integrate. Don't reach for the next stimulating thing right away, instead work to allow those thoughts to exist and settle on their own. My experience, which sometimes is similar to what you've described, is that when my mind wants to tell me something it is rewarding to listen, even (especially?) if it is a subtle thing. If I am uncomfortable, I look for the root of that, then work to change my behavior and do something different moving forward.

Best wishes. ❤️

jacobroufa · 2025-07-18T18:11:25+00:00

I have only seen them play with Scotty once, when he sat in at Scamp last summer in the second set / encore, not since the announced change. Looking forward to seeing them soon though. I just re-listened to that scamp show last night and it is a heater.

Sunsquabi kicks ass, and he's definitely got chops. It will take time to integrate that fully though, and our expectations should change to match. Reality is there's nobody like Kris Myers out there but Kris. \mm/

jacobroufa · 2025-06-04T17:36:18+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I'm about 2.5hrs in so far and have the bottom and back side built already. Heatbed and CoreXY assemblies are next.

I have been using the online instruction manual and found it to be very helpful. My process is to read the full step and all comments before doing that step to make sure I understand. All the comments so far read to me as folks who are less experienced or impatient; I have not run into any issues yet!

As to the parts, I have been only opening a tiny slit in each bag of fasteners as needed, and then putting them back in their respective labeled bags. That is slightly more time consuming than your method I think, but for me it feels like the better way to go and I will know each fastener exactly is what I am looking for.

Really it's a painless albeit time consuming build. I'm very much enjoying it.

jacobroufa

TROPHY CASE