Now You’re A Man!
First, I bought a pot (08/16/07). Then I bought dinnerware and gave up paper plates and cups (early 2008?). I even fixed my old couch once upon a time (03/20/06). And here we are at the next step of my maturation. Ladies and gentlemen, I bought power tools. And used them even! I had some metal work I needed to do on a guitar (which I’ll discuss in a minute), and I needed a Dremel and a power drill. Well after three trips to hardware stores to get equipment, drill bits, and screws, I was all set. I spent two nights in my apartment making sparks like it was Flashdance, and now not only is my guitar good to go, but I think I felt my balls drop too! Where’s that grunting Tim Allen when you need him? Because if I’m not mistaken, I think I just became a man!
(P.S. I so loved looking at those old blogs… reading what was going on with me in those days as well as my friends’ comments. Le sigh!)
This Friday (2/5), This Charming Band will be playing at one of my favorite venues: San Jose’s Blank Club. We’ve got a lot of friends in San Jose, and the shows there are a hoot, almost without exception. Starting with this show, you may have noticed our flyer format has changed. There are a few benefits to this, not the least of which is that they’re way easier to put together. It also allows for a more modern and sleeker consistency, as well as a lot more room for including show details. There are pros and cons. True, the overall effect may be slightly less “Smithsy” than the old format, but it was getting harder and harder to find workable images and prepare those things. With this new approach, the full picture can be seen, without having to creatively sneak in all the details in and around it. Of course, I still love those old flyers, and I’m profoundly proud of some of them. But we’re trying something new, and here’s the result… what do you think? (Incidentally, this one’s a tribute to the ailing Dennis Hopper. We love ya, Frank!)
So I hope to see you all at The Blank this weekend, where I plan to “hang out with my twang out.” That’s right, those of you who come will bear witness to the re-debut of El Twango, my long-forgotten Fender Telecaster. See, I got him many years ago, but frankly I was too green to contain him. Telecasters really cut through the mix and have a very different tonal quality than any of the guitars I regularly use. I always had a hard time dialing in a good sound, and every little flub was painfully obvious. So after just one use in the first year of TCB, El Twango was banished to guitar collection purgatory. Not sold off, but not played regularly either. And there he remained for years… until I found he was the natural choice for my short-lived spaghetti western project (absolutely nails that Alessandroni-esque tone by the way, though he himself reportedly used a Strat).
So that was all in the back of my mind. Then recently I decided that maybe it was time to give him another shot in TCB, and to my great pleasure, I found that the Tele actually “fits” me now. And not only that, but it sounds like the vicar’s knickers on a lot of the old Smiths stuff. “This Charming Man” was largely recorded with one, believe it or not. Teles were also used extensively on the “Meat Is Murder” album, and they’re a favorite of Boz Boorer. So it just makes sense. I’ll be including El Twango in the roster on Friday, and I expect him to make regular appearances for the foreseeable future. A new (but old) guitar, how exciting!
Listening to: Various Artists – “Still Dead! The Grim Reaper’s Jukebox“
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