Deeper Blues Invades Nashville
Sometimes people forget that, before I came to work for Eden two years ago, I'd been an endorser for more than a decade, and a bassist for 35 years. And while David keeps me pretty busy with various projects and duties, I still am able to continue my music career. Most of my Behind the Scenes reports are about life "behind the curtain" at Eden. This time, however, I get to mix Eden business with my own. Let me tell you about the new Rock and Load showcase down in Nashville.

Our Special Projects Coordinator Lane Baldwin, lost in the Blues.

But first, a little back story: Edenites (forum members) already know that I put a new band together last summer, and that we're currently working on our first CD. Deeper Blues is, first and foremost, a Blues band. Our goal is to offer True Blues in the sense that the stories are deeper as is the emotional presentation. Deeper stories. Deeper emotion. Deeper Blues. Get it? Oh . . . and a few deeper solos thrown in on top.

Near the end of last year, singer/songwriter Dan Shafer looked around Nashville and realized there was a ton of Rock music in town, but no place to properly showcase new acts. He gathered a group of industry friends and created the nexus of Rock and Load. One of those friends is Eden endorser Abe White, who fills the bass chair in the house band. (Another Endorser, Dave Webb, serves as first-call sub when Abe is off on the tour bus.)

Now, Abe and I are close friends and we keep in touch with constant phone calls. It was still a shock, however, when he called to invite Deeper Blues down for a set. "Uh, Abe, you know we're a Blues band, right?"

"Yeah, so was ZZ Top. You coming down or what?" he laughed. "Just play real loud and you'll be fine."

Deeper Blues is Gary Jones (guitar), Aaron Bouslog (drums), and Lane Baldwin (bass, vocals).

Deeper Blues followed Dan, and he was definitely a tough act to follow. We opened with a song that Abe said reminded him of old Sonny Boy Williamson recordings. Just to set the tone, don't you know. A quick shuffle to get everyone bopping, then it was time for some serious Blues. Stormfront features Gary Jones' blistering guitar work, and the audience was mesmerized throughout. Drummer Aaron Bouslog -- only 19 and already a monster! -- kicked us off into Hound Dog, my tribute to John Lee Hooker, and wouldn't let up.

After a solo presentation of Underground, we finished off with Gravedigger Jones, a straight ahead Rock slug-fest that can barely qualifies as Blues. I've got to tell you, I didn't realize our set had gone by so quickly. When we got word (before Gravedigger) that we had time for one more song -- and there were still four or five left to go on the set list -- I seriously thought we were getting "the hook." I thought to myself, "well, this was fun while it lasted," and prepared to smile through the luke-warm after-show response.

Gary Jones steps up for a solo while Aaron and Lane lay into a Deeper Groove.

Boy, was I wrong! Dan came up immediately and asked us to book another date. He even admitted that he had been a bit concerned about booking a Blues band; he thought we might not go over, no matter how good we were. "But, man! You guys ROCK! When are you coming back? Everyone wants to know."

It was also a real treat to perform for so many Eden brothers-in-arms. I mean, I've know Roy Vogt for twenty years and he's never heard me play live. Like Abe, he'd only heard recordings, mostly working with other artists. Dave Webb and Steve Cook were there as well, and both offered very positive feedback. The guitar players all gathered around Gary to rave over his custom rig. Even Scoop loved the rig, even if Gary did kick the plexiglass panel out of the way half a song into the set and let 'er rip.

We got all the Eden endorsers in attendace to hold still long enough to snap a few shots. Shown here, left to right: Roy Vogt, Gary Jones, Abe White, Lane Baldwin, Dave Webb, and Steve Cook.

The pictures for this report were taken by Lisa. Bless her heart, she was kind enough to spend our entire set snapping pictures so we'd have proof we were there. <laughs> So, thanks loads, Lisa! And, in case you're wondering . . . yes, we'll be back. Our next appearance will be March 15. And this time, Roy promises he's bringing all his bassists from Belmont University. If you're ever in Nashville on a Thursday night, be sure to check out Rock and Load. It's a show you won't want to miss.

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HeartRock in the Heartland

Arabella Watson (with mom Wendy) shows off her lifetime backstage pass from Deeper Blues.

If you've been keeping up with doings in the Garden, you know that Arabella, daughter of Eden endorser Wes Watson, has had a grueling first year of life. Just barely past her first Birthday, Arabella has already had a pair of heart operations, a temporary pacemaker, and a permanent pacemaker. The Good News is that she's doing very well. The Bad News is that it's already cost a ton of money (not to mention stress and heartache) and there's still a lot more to do.

Wes's band mates in StrangeLand (A Christian Metal band), did what any group of close friends would do: they decided to produce a benefit concert to help raise funds. (The concert was held this past Saturday, the 24th.) I got a call the day after they'd made the decision. They wanted to know if my band Deeper Blues would care to take part. I quickly agreed and also promised to do whatever I could to help promote the event. (There's an advantage to my job, since I get to choose most of what goes on our web site.)

Over the next few days, we pulled the details together. The band set up an account at a local bank to receive funds, and also created a web site from which you can make a PayPal donation. Wes and I are close friends, so we stayed in constant contact during the Gear Up phase, all the way up to the night before the event as we attempted to finish the Backstage Passes. During the last few days preceding the event, I decided I didn't have enough to worry about, so I put together a video crew and contacted our Official Photographer (that's Jeremy Sparling of ImageI) so we could get some decent pictures. (Most of the pictures for these reports come from my own little consumer camera.)

Saturday morning arrived with a haze of gray that promised trouble. The have kept its promise and turned into a nasty rain / sleet / ice / snow storm that left slush several inches deep on the roads. The video crew was already at the event by the time I arrived with band and video director Mike Harper in tow. In a fit of unprofessionalism, I headed straight for the MegaThunder Rig Wes and I put together. But, seriously. Look at that rig and tell me if you blame me. Once I'd come to my senses, I got busy preparing for the concert.

Excuse me, where do I plug in?

A roomful of endorsers. Shown left to right, Lane, Gary Jones (Deeper Blues, Goodfellas), Wes Watson (StrangeLand), and Terry Richards (Eternity X).

Here's a quick list of the bands that performed:

Skeeter Meat
This was the band's first live performance, and the very first performance for Steve, the band's bassist. They did a great set of Classic Rock covers and got the event off to a wonderful start.

Under the Radar
Another cover band, but this time delving into 80s and 90s music. Another well-timed and well executed set.

Deeper Blues

Deeper Blues drummer Aaron Bouslog. At 20, Aaron hasn't been alive as long as Gary and Lane have been playing. He makes up for it with dedication and talent that are virtually unmatched. And you can tell he loves his job!

Gary and Lane of Deeper Blues throw down. "Man, I love this band," says Lane of his new partners. "I'd do a bowling alley grand opening just to play with them."

StepDown
These guys are the house band for Rock 105.7. Blazing through a set of modern Hard Rock covers, these guys showed why they have the high profile gig in town.

Barters and Friends
Hard Rock was obviously the main genre for the day, and this group did an amazing job, especially on their AC/DC covers. My throat hurts just thinking about it.

Jeremiah's Journey
Wes also plays with this band on occasion. But this time, they had their other bassist (and a good friend of Wes'), Dave Gama on the bottom end. Their brand of Worship Rock is sure to make you feel good.

Freefall
Tyler Mustard is one apple that didn't fall far from the tree. The son of StrangeLand's lead vocalist, Karl, he's still in High School, but already shreds like nobody's business. He led his band through a high energy set of finger-bleeding, ear pounding heaviness. Good job, guys!

Predicate
This is a side project for Eternity X, a great Metal band with a new CD out soon. Guitarist Jerry Prater demonstrated that you can do more with seven strings than you can with six.

StrangeLand

Brothers in Bass -- Lane and Wes pause during sound check for a quick shot for the family albums.

Karl Mustard, Wes, and Kevin Schmitt tear it up during a rousing set of original Christian Metal. "People think heavy music is all about death and destruction," says Wes. "But it's really OK to sing about other stuff. And we LOVE to sing for the Lord. We just do it louder than some."

The Megasonics
Finishing the concert, these guys showed everyone why they're the top Hard Rock cover band in the area.

Deeper Blues took the stage third, as our guitarist Gary Jones had another gig that night with his band Goodfellas. Our drummer Aaron Bouslog drew the short straw so he had to drive home early with Gary. We all had a blast! The stage setup was excellent, as was the entire production. And you know I had a gleam in my eye thanks to sixteen tens and three THOUSAND Watts. Before we knew it, our set was over and we were back in the real world. I swear, if we could have done another set right then, we would have! It was that much fun.

Before StrangeLand's set, we did a short group prayer for Arabella and her family. It was so wonderful; you could feel the positive energy swirling around the crowd huddled in front of the stage.

Then it was time for some Old Time Religion. StragneLand are all about making a joyful noise unto the Lord. They just like to do it really loud. Think Metallica Gets Religion. Wes and the boys -- Kevin Grose (lead guitar), Kevin Schmitt (rhythm and lead guitar), Wade Helm (drums), and Karl Mustard (vocals) -- poured their hearts into their set. And why not? It was their brother they were helping to support. I've always gotten a kick out of the idea of Christian Metal. I love the fact that churches have loosened up enough to welcome music of ALL types. And StrangeLand is a band that any MetalHead can enjoy.

One highlight (among many) of the StrangeLand set was when Terry Richards of Eternity X sat in for a song. The two bands have been friends for some time, and Wes just had to have his buddy come up and play through the MegaRig.

Wes and Kevin crunching through a unison line. Drummer Wade Helm drives the bus.

Speaking of the MegaRig, did I mention how wonderful it sounded? And how LOUD it was? Yeah, we could have used half the rig and still shaken the rafters, but you haven't lived until you've heard a rig like this, barely into it's power band and with gobs of headroom to spare. There wasn't a guitarist in the place that wasn't intimidated. Well, actually there was one, but I took care of him right quick. When he attempted to start a Volume War while setting up for their set, I just turned up an extra two notches and hit a Low E. "Dude. Don't do that. I'll melt your kidneys." I think I made my point, because he got himself under control pretty quickly! <maniacal laugh>

We've only begun to go through the video footage in preparation for editing. However, we did manage to get some low-res files of some of Jeremy's work. All the pictures here are courtesy of ImageI, and on behalf of both StrangeLand and Deeper Blues, thank you so much for fitting our last-minute request into your schedule.

As for the success of the event, I'd rather let Wes tell you:

"Emotionally moved" doesn't even come close to describing how I feel. My entire family was very deeply touched by the fact that so many people came to show their support. And to have so many great bands on such a nice stage was more than I'd hoped for.

The money was the icing on the cake, really. I mean, absolutely, it helps, and we deeply appreciate everyone who has donated. But the support from friends and people you love means so much when you're dealing with something like this. It just helps you get through the next day, you know?

I also want to thank all of our sponsors, especially Randall Amplifiers and Eden Electronics for their gracious assistance. It's nice to know we're part of your family as well.

And, Lane, I don't care if you're embarrassed. The speech you made, and the prayer you offered before our set were very moving, very touching in a personal way. I so hope they got that on film.

As I mentioned previously, the Arabella's Heart Fund is still open. Visit her web site to learn more about her condition and to make a donation via check or PayPal.

On behalf of Wes and his family, all of as at Eden thank you for you support of our brother and his family in time of need. Thank you for being an active, positive force within our community. If you would, please, take a moment to put Arabella in your thoughts, your heart. Close your eyes and see Arabella growing up happy - and healthy. Then send her a little healing energy. I know she'll appreciate it.

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New York State of Mind
Mark Egan Meet-N-Greet at Historic Manny's

I literally just walked back in the door from my trip to New York to take part in a Meet & Greet featuring Jazz great Mark Egan. To sweeten the deal, the event took place in historic Manny's Music. We also hosted two bassists from Boston - Tony Vaughn, a veteran of stage, studio and pit, and Evan Marien, an exciting young player and composer who's continuing his education at Berklee. Our National Accounts Manager Randy Shamber coordinated the event, and Carl and the rest of Manny's staff took excellent care of us all. (Forum members already know why brother Edenite and endorser Dennis Michaels was unable to attend, and we missed him. But Dennis and I traded several phone calls...)

So... what follows is brief account of my trip, written just shy of midnight Tuesday, so I could mail it to Bill with the rest of the Web Load.. (I was lucky to get home in time to write this intro, which Bill was kind enough to remind me of.) Thanks to everyone who made it so easy, and so much fun. If only it hadn't been so cold! (laughs) But at least I missed the storm...

Well, I made it. Just barely, but I'm here. The plane was late getting off; my luggage tried to hide from me; my taxi ride sucked!

Other than that, I'm fine. (huge grin)

By the time I got to the hotel Monday night, it was time for dinner (a great little Cuban joint called Havana). Later, I did my best to work on a research project that's behind schedule. That lasted about an hour before my head started drooping and smacking the keyboard. So, enough of that - let's find Law & Order on this ancient TV. That lasted about ten minutes and I was out like a light.

Tuesday morning I was up early and felt much better. So I finished my research project and prepared for the Meet. I had my priorities straight, however - lunch first! Real New York pizza from Ray's just down the street from Manny's. Then a short walk around the Times Square area and it was off to Manny's to get my act together.

Manny's is in the heart of the theater district, home of the biggest signs in the world!

Whenever I'm in New York, I always have a slice of the world's best pizza.

I have to tell you, just walking into Manny's was a big deal for me. I mean, this is the store where Jimi did business. And John Lennon. Dylan, the Who, AC/DC, Kiss, Chet Atkins, James Cotton, Eric Clapton. You toss out a name, and they've done business with Manny's. It's just cool to think you might be playing a bass that Sting tried out last week. And I'm still enough of a fan to get a thrill out it.

Walking the same ground as Jimi, Lennon, Townsend and just about everyone else in the Rock world.

Just one wall of many that are covered with star photos.

OK. I'm better now. Back to work.

Carl was a HUGE help... and we figured everything out quickly. We had the second floor bass section good to go in less than an hour. I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out this and that, and talking to the sales guys, swapping stories and ideas.

Folks started showing up about an hour early, so we had a lot of time to talk about gear. One guy came early specifically to audition the new WTX-260. We talked for about ten minutes before he said, "OK, who do I see to buy one?"

"Oh, Carl....."

Carl and his customer checking out the WTX-260. Try as he might, I wouldn't let him have my unit.

Evan Marien and Mark Egan. Evan wisely took the opportunity to ask Mark lots of questions. Mark was very impressed with Evan's technique and, more importantly, his writing skills.

Evan Marien got there about 5:30 immediately planted himself in front of the WTX. Yeah, he wants one, too. Tony Vaughn showed up about 6, and by that time things were in full swing. Mark was a tad late due to traffic - the Long Island Expressway can be a real bear when things jam up.

Once we had all the endorsers there, I got everyone to talk about their personal rigs a bit, did a little more yakking about Eden, and then transitioned into Full Schmooze Mode, letting everyone get a chance to say HI to our endorsers, and get a signed photo of Mark.

Salesman extraordinaire Carl with uberbassist Mark Egan.

Mark was also kind enough to bring some CDs to add to our prize bag. We did several drawings, giving away lots of T-shirts and hoodies, as well as three sets of monitors. Everyone that wanted to got the chance to speak with Mark, Tony and Evan for a few minutes, and got a chance to check out the gear.

After the event, which only ended because they kicked us out of the store (LOL!), National Accounts Manager Randy Shamber took Mark, Evan (and his guitar player) and myself out to a very nice Thai dinner. It was a lot of fun to just hang out and listen to everyone's road stories. Believe me, Mark has some good ones... he's only recently returned from a European tour, so we got to hear the latest.

The owner of the restaurant was kind enough to take a quick picture of our table after dinner.

It's now almost 11, and here I am getting this all down for tomorrow. I apologize for not taking more pictures, but I was so busy that I flat-out forgot until it was almost too late. In about two minutes, I'm headed for the pillow, as I have to get up early to catch a plane home. But I have to tell you - if you've ever wanted the chance to get to know one of our endorsers, or learn more about Eden gear, the Meet & Greets are for you. It's always a great hang with cool people. I love it because I also get to make new friends, or meet "Net friends" face to face.

Next time you're in New York, stop in to Manny's and check them out. If nothing else, you'll see more star photos on their walls than anywhere else in the world. (They also have a very cool book you can take home.) Manny's is an historic landmark in the world of music, and should be seen and appreciated by all. I'm very glad that I finally got to spend time there, and hope I'll be back soon.

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March 28, 2007 - The Real First Entry
Wow. My very own blog. lol... This is cool. As we've been gearing up to offer more tour blogs from our family of endorsers, we decided it made sense to gather my Behind the Scenes reports into one place. That should make it easier for y'all to follow along as I travel for Eden-related activities. So... above this first entry, you'll find some of the recent BtS reports. (The rest of them are still available here.) So, even though there's some stuff above this, you're now reading the first actual entry for the blog. And off we go....

Dan Shafer's Rock & Load Show
Speaking of events -- my band Deeper Blues did its second Rock and Load Show on March 15. As usual, Nashville was a blast and the show was a ton o' fun. Dan Shafer is not only a gifted singer and songwriter, he's a wonderful person. Dan has had the good fortune to enjoy a very successful career, working with some serious heavyweight outfits -- such as Bad Company -- and doing more commercial jingles than you can shake a stick at. You've probably heard him hundreds of times on TV and radio.

Man, I love this band! Gary Jones (guitar) and Aaron Bouslog (drums) tear it up every time we play. I just try to keep up!

Anyhoo... the Rock & Load Show is Dan's way of giving back by offering up and coming bands an opportunity to present their material to industry insiders. The show has gained in popularity so quickly that there are now a couple of "copy cat" nights in town. Well, imitation and flattery and all that. And, it's cool, because there's a LOT of good Rock music in Nashville, enough acts worth spotlighting to fill more than one night in a town that size. When we look back on this in a few years, we'll all be able to thank Dan for getting the ball rolling. (Cool, dude. Have a cookie! lol...)

During the solos, Dan usually fades back to stand right in front of Abe's Eden rig (WT-800, 410XLT, 210XST). "I love to feel the air move," he says.

Eden Night at the Rock & Load Show
Our next visit to Nashville will be May 10th, when we'll co-host Eden Night at Rock & Load. We're working with the wonderful folks at Corner Music (Hi, JD!!) to begin the festivities at 7PM with a Meet & Greet. On hand will be endorsers Abe White, Roy Vogt, Sean O'Bryan Smith and more. Between us all, we've got more Eden gear than most people would know what to do with... except John the Barbarian, who would probably hook it all up at once! Seriously, though, we'll have most of the amps and several speaker combinations for you to check out.

After a few hours a getting to know everyone, the concert will start at 9PM and will feature at least 4 bands - Dan Shafer and his team, Deeper Blues, Sean O'Bryan Smith and Roy Vogt (they'll do a combined set) and Falling Awake. So, we've got Rock, Blues, Jazz/Funk fusion and more Rock. And every band is powered by Eden. Oh, yeah...

Mike Watt Covers Bass Player
Man, if you don't know who Watt is, get yourself a copy of the latest issue of Bass Player magazine (April '07)! Philospher King, the name bestowed by the BP staff, is a perfect fit for one of the most important Punks ever! The article coincides with the kick-off of a US tour by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, once again with Watt pounding the low notes. This time, however, it's going to be a bit different -- Mike will be using a pair of our V-T300B all-tube heads, driving a pair of our new D-810RP cabinets, designed in collaboration with the legendary Rocco Prestia. In fact, we're running the amps through the final test after burn-in today, and they'll be on their way to New York later today or first thing tomorrow.

Mike's been using our WP-100 Navigator and power amps (WT-1000, WT-1550) along with D-410XLT cabinets for years. Unfortunately, because of the nature of previous Iggy tours (one-nighters at mostly festivals with pre-supplied backline), Mike hasn't been able to use his own rigs. This year, however, the band is trucking it's own show -- to mostly sold-out venues, so Watt's a Happy Guy right about now. I'll have more on this soon...

OK... that's enough for the first one... I'll be back soon with more Behind the Scenes news. Til then -

Keep Thumpin'!

Lane on Bass...

Pictured:
Watt and Iggy prove you're never too old to Rock and Roll! The Stooges tour is already sold out in most cities. Although we hear there are still a few tickets left in Denver.

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April 4, 2007 - WATT Gets a New Rig

OK. So far, so good. I got word Friday that the VT300B amps for WATT's tour with Iggy Pop and the Stooges arrived safe and sound. We sent three units, two for the show, and one as a spare, as well as some spare tubes and speakers. Because the amps will be dragged all across the country, we wanted to make sure that WATT and the technicians could deal with all but the biggest problems.

The cabinets went out on Friday (D810RP), and are being shipped directly to the first venue. They're big, so they went by truck freight. They should be there by the time you read this.

And here's something very cool -- we managed to get road cases for the amps at the last minute. It's always the details, right? During one of our conversations last week, tour manager Eric Fischer and I realized we had all forgotten about the cases. Eric was totally cool about it... said he still had a long list of stuff to purchase before the tour and he'd figure something out. We didn't want Eric to have to deal with another headache, so I grabbed the phone and called Kathy Galbraith at SKB Cases. Kathy is the Media Goddess over at SKB (my title, not theirs). She is also now officially the Saver of the Day.

Some of you might remember that SKB was kind enough to provide a Bass Safe for me to use when I fly out for training functions. It's been a life saver more than once, and I've used SKB rack cases for more than a decade. So, it was a natural to call SKB for help with this emergency. Kathy, along with Katie, Queen of Sales, managed to find a trio of 4-space shock racks, which they are sending directly to the tour. Eric will get these in DC and will then mount the amps. Hopefully, I'll have pictures soon.

So... all hail Kathy, Saver of the Day, and Katie, Queen of Sales! Ladies, we all appreciate your hard work very much!

Let's see... what else? Deeper Blues played up in ChicagoLand again this weekend. Brought the New Thunder Rig (WT1205 and D610XLT). Miced the drums and guitar, but NOT the bass. Gee, I wonder why? LOL... Seriously, more than enough volume and low end to cover the gig without PA support. I did use the Bass Boost to fill out the sound... kinda like adding my own sub, you know? Got to meet one of my Net friends at the show. (Hi, Todd!) It's always cool to meet folks I've talked to via the Net ... 'specially those I've known for years. The fact that Todd also uses Eden gear has nothing to do with why he's so cool. (Well, OK, it does, but only a little.)

Tood H. and Lane between sets at the Checkered Flag.

The band is getting ready for the Meet & Greet on April 19th. I can't tell you how excited we all are to be playing with Johnny B. Gayden! I've known Johnny for more than two decades and we've managed to keep in touch as we both moved around. When I first heard of the event here in ChicagoLand, Johnny immediately came to mind. Thankfully, he liked the idea as much as I did. I'm still not 100% sure what songs we'll do, but I know for certain we're doing one that's just begging for some bass solos! Y'all NEED to be there, OK?

Gary and Aaron tearing up a Deeper Groove.

OK. That's all the dirt worth dishing this week. Until next time,

Keep Thumpin'!

Lane on Bass...

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April 18, 2007 - What Day is This?

Man! The last week has been NUTS! But it's been fun, so let me fill you in a bit.

Last Wednesday, just as I was sending the last of my files for the web load, one of our computers died. Gary's old Mac finally gave up the ghost. We knew this was coming but had hoped the old box would last through the summer. Bzzzt! (crowd sighs sympathetically) Thank you for playing, and Carol has some lovely parting gifts for you back stage. So... off to Best Buy for a new box.

Well, gee whiz, guys. We don't have enough going on, so let's get a video camera while we're at it! We'd been doing research on cameras and were pretty sure what we wanted, so it's not quite as hair-brained as you might think.

Three guys. New, unused credit card. Store full of goodies. You do the math.

That evening, we came home with a fancy new computer for Gary, a fancy new camera for our Videographer Mike Harper, and all the gew-gaws (minus one). Within minutes, Gary was loading up Soundforge and Mike was zooming in on any- and everything. Lots of "well, this is cool" dialog and "oops!" here and there.

OK. Great. You got some new stuff. So what's this got to do with Bass? I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you about the Stooges. (Stop scratching yoru head; it will make sense in a minute. I hope.) Sunday, Mike and headed up to Chicago to spend the afternoon with Mike Watt. If you've been keeping up, you know that Watt is currently on tour wiht Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Because the band is carrying its own gear, Watt gets to use his own rig. And for this tour, he's running a pair of VT-300B amps (with a third on the road as a spare) into a pair of D-810RP cabinets.

Guitar Tech to the Stars, Chris Wujek, is in charge of Watts rig. To add to his long list of duties, Chris kindly agreed to blog for us, with Mike's occasional additions. Click here to check out that blog. Watt is also maintaining his regular blog on the hoot page, and that's a whole different spiel.

So...back to Sunday. Harper and I got to hear the sound check and familiarize ourselves with the room. Once everyone had made enough racket to ensure that everything was louder than everything else, Chris helped us invade the stage for a few minutes of taping. The Lighting Director was none too pleased at losing valuable focus time but, thankfully, didn't throw anything.

Once we were done with the stage area, we headed upstairs into the band's sitting room. For the next hour or so, I talked with Watt and Chris about the rig, and about the tour while Mike made the camera make funny noises. Watt is a wonderful guy to hang with. His philosophy is as deep as his bass lines, and it was a real thrill to sit with him. I mean, guys... we're talking WATT, you know?

After the interview, we headed off for a GREAT Mexican dinner at El Cid's down the street. Then, back for the show. And what a show it was! The entire band was amazing and Iggy is just as wild as he's ever been. Climbing on amps, inviting dozens of audience members up on stage to sing and dance. If you get a chance to see this show, DO IT! Hock your sister's doll collection if you have to (keep your basses, though), but see this show.

We got back from Chicago about 4 in the morning. Back up at 8 and off we go for a new week. Monday night, I got a call from Harper. Seems that, even though LOTS of people would want to upload video from a camera to a computer, that's the one cord NOT included with the darn thing. Yeah, we can hook it up to a TV, A DVD player, the Illinois Power Grid network and probably a toaster, but we couldn't hook it up to a computer. Oh, no. That's another $40 for that cable. (When they cost $40, they are no longer cords; they're cables.)

Now, I don't know about you but, to me, that's just dumb! Even dumber... all the way to dumberer, perhaps even dumberest... is the fact that the manual says almost nothing about how to hook up to a computer! 'S OK, though... about 2 in the morning, we got it all lined out and knew what we needed to buy. We just had to wait for the store to open.

In bed at 4 again, and back up at 8. I'm now injecting coffeee directly into my veins in an effort to stay awake. Back to the store, grab cable. Back to Mike's place. And, voila! Within minutes, the camera is uploading, and the picture looks great on the computer screen.

Later in the evening, I was over at Gary's as he tweaked some live audio. We were able to use several tracks from the Arabella's Heart benefit back in February and have already loaded one up on MySpace. The second track we'd planned on loading was a bit too big for MySpace, so we're going to have to split it into halves and try again. Gary will be back at it again today.

I managed to get to bed early last night -- 2 in the morning this time. And here I am furiously typing away. I've got about eleventy-six things to get done before John "the Barbarian" Altevogt shows up at my door with a pile of basses and a thin layer of road grime.

<break>

OK, I'm back from Mike's and have uploaded the first Watt vid... just a short presentation on the amps. Next week, we should have interview footage to show you. You can watch the first video here.

It's now almost 3 in the afternoon. JTB should be here in a few hours. I better stop typing and get this to Bill for upload. Starting Saturday, I'll be out of pocket for a while. Yes, I'm actually taking a few days off. I'm pretty much just planning on sleeping. I'll be back soon with more inside skinny. Til then,

Keep Thumpin'!

Lane on Bass...

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April 25, 2007 - Johnny B. Gayden Rules!

If you're a forum member, you know I'm on vacation this week. But I didn't want to wait to give you a quick report on the Johnny B. Gayden Meet & Greet.

Bottom Line -- it was a blast!!

Not including store staff (many of whom weren't on the clock) and USM staff, we had about 50 people, inlcuding a couple of forum regulars. Always great to meet more Edenites face to face, you know? We get to know each other in the forum, but it's cool to put a face to the name, and a voice.

Johnny is a SLAP MONSTER! The pictures don't do it justice. You've got to see it to really get it. Watching his hands fly across the strings, hearing a barrage of notes fly by like nothing... then right back into the groove! Man... it was awesome.

Johnny and I have known each other for twenty years but this was the first time we ever got to jam on-stage together. I'm still walking two feet off the ground just thinking about it. My bandmates Gary and Aaron feel the same way.

As I said, I'm on vacation this week, so I'm going to close for now and let the pictures do the talking, if you will. Our Web Guru, Bill Henshell, has posted some here. There are a TON of others over on the Deeper Blues web site, so check them out!

I'll see you in a week. Until then,

Keep Thumpin',

Lane on Bass...

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May 2, 2007 - What Vacation?!?

Well... I'm back. Didja miss me? Evidently, some just couldn't wait til I got back. While I did actually have quite a bit of time to relax and do what I'd set out to do, I still ended up working about 25 hours. That's just a little less than half my normal schedule for Eden, but I also shed myself of another 40-50 hours of other work, so I really ended up only working about 20% of a normal LaneOnBass Schedule.

The western slope of the Rockies is beautiful his time of year and it was good to sit by the water, walk among the Aspens blooming in groves, listen to the hawks. I got to reconnect with one of my closest friends and his family. It was good.

Very good.

Saturday morning, however, I got up about 8:30 for breakfast and one last visit with my friends. I headed home about 2 in the afternoon and didn't go to sleep again until very late Sunday night. Right back into the swamp, as it were. Now, those of you on the forum already know why, but I'll tell the rest of you in case you haven't seen the Events Page yet:

Beginning July 1st, Abe White's new show will be on RealityRadio.biz! It's going to be called Bass Talk with Abe & Lane™. Yeah, I know. My name is on there, too. But that's just a technicality. Think of me as Ed to his Johnny. Jerry to his Dean. Jelly to his Pean... never mind. You get the idea.

Anyway, it's a long, winding story and I only have time for a few lines. See, Dan Shafer wanted to do a showcase for original Rock music in Nashville. He asked Abe to help put together a band. Then Abe suggested Deeper Blues as a feature band. Then we went back. Dan and the band became close friends. Then an Internet radio station (now RealityRadio.biz) partnered with Dan to simulcast the Rock & Load Show live each week. Then Abe appeared as feature guest on last Friday night's show with Hayden James. Then the owner asked Abe to host a show. Then Abe called me. Are you with me so far?

That brings us to Saturday when, as I was leaving my mountain hideaway, I checked messages on my cell. The first one was from Abe and he basically said to get off my lazy backside and call him because he had something big to discuss. I called and he told me about the offer to do a show and said that I'd better do it with him, or else. (He actually used far more colorful language and, at one point, I think he might have threatened me if I said no. But he makes REALLY good cookies, so it's all good.)

Anyhoo... we talked for long enough that I'm pretty sure I've used all my rollover minutes. Then I drove all night, fueled up on coffee and cookies, and thought a LOT about this whole thing. Two gas stops, a dinner break (with more gas), forty-twelve gallons of coffee and who knows how many cookies later, I pulled into Danville just shy of 11AM. Had a quick meet with the folks at Charlotte's concerning our regular Friday gig (starts this week! Deets here.) and then straight home. After major assault by the cats -- Hey! Where you been all week, ya bum?! -- I started right back in on things.

So... let me save myself some time. Check out the Events Page for details on the show. And I'll be back with more next week about it.

Now, back to Johnny B. Gayden. We're all still floored by everything. Gary, Aaron and I are still walking on air, and Johnny and I have talked several times about co-headlining a show with his band. I think we already did a link to the Deeper Blues web site so you could see all the pictures that Jeremy Sparling shot for us. Just in case, here it is again: deeperblues.com. And here's a graphic our Creative Director whipped up using three of Jeremy's photos.

Pretty cool, huh?

Geez... what else? The T-shirts will be here any day. Should have them NO PROBLEM in Nashville next week for the Rock & Load extravaganza.

I guess that's it, then. I'm just too frenzied to think of anything else. So, will see you next week, when I'll file a quick report before we head out to Nashville for Eden Night at the Rock & Load Show. It's going to be a blast (check the Events Page for more) so don't miss it if you're within a few hundred miles! Live schmoozing, live broadcast, taping videos for the web site(s). It's gonna be nuts!

Hey! Anybody know any cool bass players? See, there's this radio show...

Keep Thumpin',

Lane on Bass...

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