08-18-2008

Live at The Rutledge - U.S. Music Corp. 2008 NAMM Showcase

Another bit of update on what's shaking (I'm going to try like hell to keep these coming at a more regular pace):

Dirk (Big Purple Dog Productions) and I have been going through a collection of recordings - live material as well as recordings we started but didn't get to wrap up last year.  Some of this will see the light of day soon, most likely in addition to the mysterious Music?City Live (more on that to follow).  The rest of this is leading us up to a new studio record.  We've got a bunch of material, but I'm not sure how much we'll end up wanting to put out on this next studio release, so for now we're going to shoot for about 6 tracks.  Right.  I'm sure once we get going, we'll end up not wanting to stop!

Sean's physical therapy-ing it and getting back to his usual self.  Hopefully the bald one will be bouncing about in no time!  In the meantime, you can check up on the man, his solo record Tapestry, and all of his low-end grooviness at myspace.com/seanobryansmith. 

Gear-geeking Update: 
I've been redoing my pedalboards and overall setup...

I've long since decided that I'd kill myself if I tried to put all of my pedals on one giant board, so the two-board setup has been serving well as a lighter alternative.  These new boards from Trailer Trash are great!  And fortunately, I've run out of room, so no new additions are possible.  No, really...  I'm going to be using the first Roger Mayer Crossroads (bottom right) to switch between my main amps and my Fender Vibratone, which is a vintage rotating speaker cabinet.  This may seem a bit of overkill with the Rotosphere I've already got on my first board, but they're actually different flavors of swirl.  And I'm a gear addict, so I'll justify this any way I can .

The honeymoon with this little baby isn't over by a long shot.  I recently brought it out to Serenity Hills Studios for a little show-and-tell, and just for the hell of it, we cranked up the the Tweed preamp and let the amp cook a bit.  I can't wait to get into a full-on session with this!  Hopefully sometime this week we'll start laying some down at BPD...

My friend Jon Justice will be coming through town with his band this Friday, and I'll be doing an acoustic set to open at The Pond in Franklin.  Jon just finished up a killer new CD, and it's rare that they make a stop in the area.  Come on by and check us out!

See y'all soon...

j

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What I’m up to - 08-11-2008

Right.  So I've been holding my breath for the first 10 days of August.  This seems silly, but everything's been so goofed up lately.  This is soooooooo counterproductive.

Sean had surgery on his knee last week.  Make sure you drop him a line if you get the chance - he's going to be hobbling around for the next little bit...

Today, well yesterday actually, I made a decision to breathe a bit easier and let things happen on their own.  Recently I was describing how sometimes I'll end up writing something for myself - my own little anthem of sorts - just to help me put my mind straight.  This is what started coming out around 12:35am Sunday morning when I couldn't quite settle down to sleep:

• "Hollywood Beginning" - 08/2008

  Give me another kiss
  Like the one we had last night
  I don't want to ride into the sunset
  Unless we stop to watch the sunrise

  For too long I've been focussed on tomorrow
  Worried what the next will bring
  But starting now I'm taking a new turn
  Let each moment with you be its own thing
  
      So check my RSVP
      'Cause this is where I will be
  
          And if we work this right
          We could build a paradise
          I don't need to know the perfect ending
          I just want a Hollywood Beginning...
  
  Yes I know I think too much
  And sometimes not nearly enough
  But if I try to skip ahead and see the last scene
  I'll end up missing all the good stuff
  
  'Cause each act is even better than the first one
  The greatest thing that I have ever known
  So starting now I'm taking a new turn
  Gonna let this story play on its own
  
      So check my RSVP
      'Cause this is where I will be
  
          And if we work this right
          We could build a paradise
          I've got a scene in mind
          And we can take our own sweet time...

---

It's funny - looking back through my notebook, I realize how awful my quick-write-this-down-while-it's-flowing grammar can be.  Oops.  I guess that's why we proofread .

I finally picked up Sean Costello's record We Can Get Together.  It's been almost four months now since he passed on, and I was a bit surprised how much it hit me again listening to these songs for the first time.  I really miss this guy - man, what soul.  Check this out if you get a chance.  Hell, make the chance.  This is a man who had something to say.

I'm going to be doing a few acoustic shows coming up.  August 22nd at The Pond in Franklin, TN, and August 30th at Jenicca's in Louisville, KY.  I'm looking forward using these as a chance to break out some of this new, in-the-works stuff I've got.  We're also going to be heading into the studio to try out some of this with the new line-up - I really feel like the sound I've been hearing in my head is closer than ever to coming out with this latest incarnation of the band.

Somebody told me a few weeks ago that time was against me.  Not in any sort of "you only have so-and-so left on Earth" kinda way, but in regards to music.  I'm not sure when it was decided that after a certain time you are no longer a valid musical voice, but I'd like to say now, even just for myself, that this is a ridiculous idea - musically and otherwise.  Time is against ALL of us, but I'm not going to worry about that anymore.  I'm only going to make the promise to do the best I can to let those around me know how much they mean, be the best that I can be, and hopefully leave someone with a smile or two.  And I'm getting excited about the (unknown) future again... 

Thanks for reading...

j

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Show tonight - Friday, August 1st!

Hell, yes.  There will be a killer show tonight at The Rutledge!  Our good friends from Sam Stone will be lighting us up with some heavy North Mississippi style, Deeper Blues is coming all the way from Illinois to throw down the power with us, and Kristen Cothron will be making a very special guest appearance.  And we'll be recording it all courtesy of Big Purple Dog Productions!!!  You do not want to miss this party.  Festivities get underway around 8:00pm...

It's been a crazy ass month - for real.  Sean, Lance, and I moved out of the boogie pad in a fit of sanity and got our own places .  Lance has stepped back from the music for a bit, joined the world of academia, and is physicisting it up at MTSU (damn it, Lance!).  Sean injured his knee in a freak stage-diving accident.  Ok, I made up the stage-diving part, but he did royally blow apart his knee at his own show a few weeks back.  He'll be out-of-commission for the next little bit, and is undergoing surgery next week (please keep him in your thoughts!).  Kristen Cothron was seriously injured in a horrific car accident and has been unable to perform (seriously, we're lucky she's still here).  Thank God, she happens to be one of the strongest people on the planet, and she's making steps toward a fine recovery - I'm looking forward to hearing her tonight!  All-in-all, I've been ready for a new month.  I have high hopes for August . 

I sincerely hope you'll join us tonight at The Rutledge (410 4th Avenue South, Nashville).  If you're not in town this weekend, or if you just simply can't get out of your babysitting gig, check us out online at www.therutledgelmv.com.  We should have a live broadcast of the show running all night...

Much love to all of you - the return of the Short Bus is at hand.  Y'all take care, and we'll be seeing you soon!

j

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That Randall?
Current mood: excited

Yes, that Randall. 

(Warning: Gearslut confessional...)

I have recently come on as an endorser for Randall Amplification, the same Randall Amplification that has for years been the go-to amp for metalheads and gainfreaks such as Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Anthrax, and Disturbed.  I know what you're thinking: "Isn't that a radical departure from your usual sound, Justin?"  Well dig this - Randall has developed the MTS Series, a line of amps with swappable preamps based on a wide variety of classic tones.  They've just sent me their 15-watt RM20 head and two preamps, the Blackface and the Tweed (my cabinets are on the way).  This has far exceeded my expectations!

My new Randall RM20HBP with Blackface preamp.

First off, I'm thrilled that Randall offered cosmetics other than the standard metal grill that I'd seen for years - what can I say?  I have my vanity to consider .  Since my speaker cabs have yet to arrive, I'm currently playing this through my Vibrolux, and I'm loving it!  I'll probably end up using the Blackface preamp most of the time (it's based on an old Fender Twin), but the Tweed (based on a Fender Bassman) sounds amazing in this amp as well - I was amazed at how much the character of the amp changed with the preamp swap. 

Here's a close-up of the removable preamp section.

Here's the "Tweed" preamp.

Swapping the preamps takes about 30 seconds.  Seriously.  It's almost as easy as changing CD's in a CD player, and there are basically two completely different amps available to me through these preamps (Randall currently has 12 different MTS modular preamps available).  This is definitely something that will be great for recording our next record...

Of course, adding a new amp has necessitated adding a few other new toys and changing the rest of my rig around a bit (I've been told that an intervention for my gearslut addiction is close-at-hand).  Here's my latest pedal configuration:

This will need a bit of tidying up in the coming months, but I'm quite pleased with the way everything is working together.  I added the original, hand-wired Clark Gainster back into the mix, and it is sounding great with the new amp!  For some reason, I couldn't get it to really match up with the Vibrolux at the volumes we have been playing, but the Randall loves this pedal - once again it's my main box.  The Clark/Barber Gainster is also sounding much more organic through the Randall, even at low volumes.  Now since the RM20 doesn't have on-board effects such as reverb or tremolo, I picked up an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Plus reverb unit and a Voodoo Lab Tremolo.  These were both excellent finds - I'm thrilled ... 

Special thanks to Lane Baldwin at Randall/US Music Corp for treating me right.  We'll be at The Rutledge on June 19th for the Randall Amplification NAMM Party - everyone's invited, and it'll be a killer night of music.  In addition to the JCB set, Sean's band will be performing, Deeper Blues will be performing, and a number of special guests will be featured throughout the night.  Check it out on the 19th!

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

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04-16-2008

16 April 2008

This Friday we're throwing a party!

High Caliber_Live and Short Bus Mafya present
An evening with Justin Conn, Sean O'Bryan Smith, and Kristen Cothron
Live at The Rutledge - 410 4th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee
Friday, April 18th - 8:00pm...

We'll have a bunch of fresh material to debut, Lancelot will be rejoining us from his tour of the world, Larry van Loon will be returning to keyboard duties for us, and many of our friends from near and far will be making the trip!  We've all been crazy busy lately, so this will also serve as a Belated Birthday Bash for me !  Do not miss this rare show at one of Nashville's hippest venues...

---

Remembering Sean Costello:
This morning I received news that our friend Sean Costello passed away early Tuesday morning.  Today would have been his 29th birthday...  I had the opportunity to get to know Sean over the past few years, and I absolutely thought the world of him.  From the first time I saw him playing with Susan Tedeschi in 1998 to the last time I sat in with his band at B.B. King's in Nashville, I was always overwhelmed by Sean's musicality and depth.  I was fortunate to have had the chance to know him - I cherished our discussions about our musical evolutions and the business, and he'll be greatly missed.  If you're of the mind to say a word of prayer, I hope that you'll remember him and those he left behind...

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

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News! 03-2008
Current mood: excited

It’s coming:

Music?City Live is on the way!  Two tracks from the new record are now on the page, and we’re hoping to have everything in place for our projected mid-April release.  This live project was recorded December 15th at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley, and will be presented as a CD/DVD 2-disc set.  Give a listen to the title track "Music?City" and new crowd favorite "Short Bus!"  Here’s the track listing:
  1. Southern Girls
  2. Alright Now
  3. Music?City
  4. Damn 19/Use Me
  5. Dirty
  6. Short Bus
More details soon...

Save the date!  Make plans now for our Release Party Extravaganza on Friday, April 18th at The Rutledge in Nashville, Tennessee.  Our beloved crazy bass player, Sean O’Bryan Smith, will be releasing his solo record that night as well, and Ms. Kristen Cothron will also be joining us.  Lots of guest musical appearances from our friends and true SBM style fun are sure to make this an evening to remember!  And it’s rumored that my birthday falls dangerously close to the date as well ...

If you’re in the Nashville area, be sure to stop by The Groove (www.thegroovenashville.com).  The Groove is our exclusive in-store retailer for Justin Conn Music/Connfidence Records, and they also happen to be the hippest damn store around.  They stock lots of used music, vinyl, and hard-to-find items, and have one of the most helpful and friendliest groups of people in town!  Check it...

I sincerely hope to see you all soon - thank you for your continued support.  Without you, none of this would be possible!

j

Southern Funk ’n’ Roll for all mankind... 

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Up-dates
Current mood: excited

Hey hey!

Things are continuing to move along and shape up nicely for our live CD/DVD.  The audio for this is brilliant!  Much thanks to Dirk at Big Purple Dog Productions for taking such good care of us.  Listening back to the show feels just like being there at 3rd & Lindsley - from on-stage banter to audience "Bus!" yells .

photo by Anna Henderson Photography

Here's the final setlist for Music?City Live:

• Southern Girls
• Alright Now
• Music?City
• Damn 19/Use Me
• Dirty
• Short Bus

Make plans now to throw down with us in Nashville at The Rutledge on April 18th.  We'll be having a dual release party for Music?City Live and Sean O'Bryan Smith's new record, Tapestry, and Ms. Kristen Cothron will be joining us as well.  This will be a show not to be missed!

***

We've got some exciting shows coming up this month:
    - Saturday, February 16th - Bluesboro - Murfreesboro, TN
    - Saturday, February 23rd - Blue Monkey - Memphis, TN
Lance will be embarking on a world cruise for a while, so come out to Bluesboro tonight for his grand send-off party!

Mr. Shannon Wickline will be joining us for next week's show at Blue Monkey!  Shannon is a phenomenal keyboard player, and we're thrilled to be hooking up with him again.

See you all soon!

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

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Huntsville Voodoo
Current mood: grateful

photo by Anna Henderson Photography

We gathered up a few of the Short Bus Mafya crew and went down to Huntsville, Alabama last Friday for our first visit to The Voodoo Lounge.  What a cool club - killer speakeasy kinda vibe, with some ridiculously good late night food (which is much appreciated).  Thanks to Lance and Jodi and the Voodoo bunch for making us feel at home.  We made a bunch of new friends, and we're psyched to get back down that way!

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

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Into place...
Current mood: excited

Hey hey!

Right, so everything really seems to be falling into place these days.  The live CD/DVD is coming together nicely - we're just about finished with the audio mixing and mastering, and we're on to the video editing.  Working with Dirk at Big Purple Dog (audio) and Carlton at FootFunk Productions (video) has been a blast!  You will not be disappointed, I promise .

photo by Anna Henderson Photography

Sean is also putting the final touches on his solo release, Tapestry.  He and I are plotting a dual release show this spring - more news to follow shortly...

This month we'll be making our first stop in Huntsville, Alabama, at The Voodoo Lounge on February 8th.  We're stoked about getting to play this joint - it's got a sort of intimate speakeasy vibe, and the late-night food is killer!  Stop on by if you're free next Friday...

See you all soon...

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

2:51 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Short Bus Success!
Current mood: grateful

I'd like to send out a sincere thank-you to everyone who made it out to our show last night at 3rd & Lindsley - we had a fantastic turnout!  Big Purple Dog Productions brought out their mobile recording studio, and Carlton and Tia from FootFunk Productions were running video on us all night.  We're sure to have preserved some of our crazyfunk for posterity ...

Here was last night's set:

• Southern Girls
• Alright Now
• Music?City
• Damn 19/Use Me
• Backdoor Santa
• Dirty
• Short Bus

Little Johnny Kantreed opened up the evening with some kickin' songs on his Lowe Bow - awesome.  Then Nashville legend Nick Nixon graced us with a bunch of acoustic soul that reminded me why I love listening to soul singers.  He's simply amazing!  Our hostess for the evening, Ms. Debbie Ritter, closed everything up with her band, and sang her ass off!  Right on. 

I was delighted to see so many friends in the club last night.  Seriously, it means the world to have you with us, and last night was incredibly important to us.  Thank you for sharing in the beginning of our Holiday festivities!  We hope to see you all again soon...

j

Southern Funk 'n' Roll for all mankind...

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