I am completely miserable San Diego!

Its so damn hot!!! Milk was a bad choice...
The A/C is out in my building at work, and I'm melting slowly. Now I know how the polar bears are feeling. Poor Guys.

In Loving Memory

I sort of had to post something about this but couldn't bring myself to do it until now. Its been on my mind all week. I went to the hardest funeral I've ever had to attend this week. A good friend of mine died last weekend from a fall off his 4th floor balcony. Tragic doesn't really cover it. I'd been on that balcony with him on more than a few occasions. This guy had more friends who loved him unconditionally than anyone else I've ever met. He hated no one (except maybe tammy, but she had it coming. he didn't really hate her; believe me, he got her back. don't drink the open milk cartons in the ice room.) "Ben P." was known for his outgoing, ever-smiling presence and inclusiveness of others. The funeral was packed with people that loved him, and was good (aside from a very tackless eulogy from his brother. we get it, you were in Iraq. you looked down him as a druggie alcoholic, because THATS relevent. duh man, get off your pedestal and give some fucking kind words for your brother that just died. anyone who actually knew him knows better.) The graveside service was even rouger. After most everyone else had left for the lunch, his friends (a small mob of them) lingered around the casket; unwilling to leave. Ben would always be the last to leave anywhere, work/the bar. If you're on facebook, theres a new group dedicated to him with everyones pictures. Some folks are raising money to dedicate a bench for him at the Ames frisbee golf course, where he spent alot of his free time. I really still haven't faced the reality of it; i keep expecting him to call me to tell me where everyone was going that night, or for a ride to work, or to clue me in on a local band to go check out. "what's up, shortbus?" I'd give anything to hear that again.
The world is less exciting without you in it, Ben. We all love and miss you.

In loving memory of Ben J. Peterson

speechwriters llc

Here is a band that I really really want to see, but they NEVER come to the midwest. This is a band that consists of two guys (usually) who both play acoustic guitar (with the occasional lap slide) and both sing. Their best work to date is the Bull Moose After Party album. These guys are extremely talented songwriters and humorous performers. Props to Joe T. for clue-ing me in to these guys early on in college. If you get a chance, listen to the Bull-Moose CD and then download one of their many free live shows that are out there on the gigaweb for added effect.

pedal boards (ben harper)

Ben Harper is one of those concerts that still stands out in my mind as one of the best that I've been to in my short life. The stage presence of the Innocent Criminals (his band) is amazing. This post isn't going to so much look at his board, but Ben's gear and setup. Ben's acoustic guitars are a totally clean signal fed directly into the sound board, so not much excitement there. The reason I LOVE ben harper is his lap slide. Lap slide (or lap steel) guitars are 6-stringed instruments which are smaller than a normal guitar and are played on one's lap while sitting down, using a metal bar or 'slide' to fret the strings which stand farther off the neck than traditional acoustic guitars. Ben uses Weissenborn acoustic lap steel guitars, which are hollow bodied, hawaiian, and hollow-necked. (sidenote: Ben NEVER uses a pick on ANY of his guitars except for the extremely rare thumbpick for lap slide.)
Here's where it gets interesting.
Ben has two wires on stage. One feeds directly to the house (aka soundboard) and is used for his clean acoustic sound. The other feeds through his pedals (an Ernie Ball Volume pedal, AutoWah, Ibanez TubeScreamer and Delay, and Wah) into a huge Marshall amp. Okay, now follow this: Ben uses the clean signal for acoustic guitars, the pedal and amps for his electrics, AND (get this), uses both for his lap slide. No, not back and forth, he actually has two input jacks installed on his lap slide weissenborns, giving both a clean acoustic signal blended with the distortion and effects signal. Also, he can cut from a single signal to the other on the fly (ie: Forgiven) using a foot switch. Ben is also known for his quilt-covered chair which is just as much a part of his stage setup as any of his guitars or amps. Favorite lap slide tracks: When It's Good; Forgiven; Ground On Down; and Faded.

pedal board overview (Mike E.)

next up is one of my favorite lead guitarists, Mike Einziger of Incubus. Mike plays several styles of guitar, including harsh edgy rock that got incubus started and soft, swirling, sonic, and trippy dynamic sounds featured in some of their later music. The new incubus music seems to be a happy medium between the two. In any case, Mike needs and uses a multitude of effects. This will be one of the more complex boards I'll dissect. Alright, here are some pictures to start off: (this isn't his, its one VERY much like it... with 2 pedal differences but the same effects and shape)


Mike has alot of pedals, and uses them on the fly at live shows, requiring this 'wing' shape for his board. \_/ This allows him to stay in one place and still be able to reach all his effects. The breakdown goes like this. Paul Reed Smith Hollow-Body Guitars (or recently a Fender '62 Jazzmaster) --> Boss Tuner --> H&K Rotosphere --> 2x Boss PH-2 Super Phasers --> DOD Gonkulator --> Boss RV-3 Reverb Delay --> MXR Phase 90 --> DOD Envelope Filter --> Boss Compressor/Sustainer --> Boss Flanger --> Boss EQ --> Boss Octaver --> into several Mesa Boogie and Vox amps. Here's a more in-depth graphic of how it works. Mike tops all this off with a 4-way switch to control wireless guitar input/backup wireless/normail jacks/master mute.