Mowl
Member
Here's the original version of the Sex-O-Sonique version I posted previously.
This is Herbie Hancock from 1978: year of the vocoder.
This is Herbie Hancock from 1978: year of the vocoder.
The Music Thread
- Thread starter Mowl
- Start date
Electricity
Member
Mowl
Member
Some shots of the finished product of this year's winter evening project: the restoration of a very rare RIMS 20'' frame kick-drum with accompanying original Roto Toms by Remo USA: the higher pitched rack of three drums sized 6'', 8'', 10'', with some cowbells for the colour and fun. The kick drum is the lowest volume bass drum I've ever heard or used. It's so quiet and self-contained that one can conduct a conversation while playing it.
The Roto Toms have no such limitations and are as loud as you might want them to be.
Roto Toms are currently seeing a resurgence of popularity among the international star players. We have for some time been seeing everyone add some octobans to their rigs but the Rotos are the real deal. They're mounted on cast-off parts from a Roland digital drum rack I converted with standard power tools for optimum positioning and open tuning made by simply rotating the entire drum frame either clockwise (for higher pitches) or anti-clockwise for flatter pitching.
Not exactly an auto-tune set-up but rather a hybrid type that can be adapted to any song/pitch/tuning performance on the fly. A set of high-pitched original Remo Roto Toms currently sell for around €650 while over stateside they're cheaper from a supplier: but the weight of having it sent will soon see your savings curtailed. I got these (a 1974 issue) from my neighbour, Lassi, whose son I taught some basic music theory and drumming skills to a few years back.
Kid grew up and has his own band now, so he knows he can borrow these any time as his Dad was kind enough to pass them along to me for renovation.
The rig as is weighs just under thirty-five kilos, quite a reduction but it's made easier by noting one doesn't need any more than three additional boom arms to mount cymbals onto. I also intend to add Roland triggers to each tom/snare/kick to broaden the scope of library sound samples to back the acoustic levels. In effect, I can play all the backing tracks/sequencers via a headphone mix AND have a clean signal for the triggers while staying in time with the click-track.
Next step in finishing this project is to bring a large collection of broken and cracked internationally-branded cymbals I collected from several Helsinki bomb shelter studios over the years. The intention is to have them all laser cut to remove the damaged outer edges and to keep the remaining amount of cymbal metal/weight integrity safe from further damage. Once the damaged edges are taken off, I'll then start to lathe the metal to reduce the weight across the bell and into the bow. Once that's done and the excess weight is removed, I'll start 'burning' them with variously sized holes to create as many strange/new unique sounds as I can. I'm not looking for perfection, but rather as many fucked-up and left of centre sounds as I can create. Like so:
This was a regular cymbal in its earlier life but it was cracked by its owner who simply kept using it until he couldn't get a tone from it. I simply cut off the section that was cracked and discarded it; then burned another few holes in select spots to give some tone and sustain from what was a dead piece of metal. Customized cymbals like this are a bubbling under item that everyone wants to try but few can afford to buy new, like so:
New issue 'burned' cymbals cost an arm and a leg, but my approach is a more holistic and up-cycling attempt at creating new and different sounds.
All logos and details of maker and type will be removed so they appear generic and of no brand other than previous 'Mini Mowl' kits like several I've designed and built for other players over the years. Hacking up drum gear and repurposing it has always been a hobby of mine. Replacement parts these days are often very expensive and most have to be ordered in from the designer. Instead, mine use parts from the local hardware store so anyone can copy or mimic my approach. I like to keep it simple and sturdy so that it gets a fair shot at being used onstage to gauge the reaction from listeners and audiophiles.
This completed rig will be given to one teacher at the Pop/Jazz Conservatory nearby for the students to play and experiment on for the coming season, and later on I'll do a clinic for them myself showing how triggered elements can broaden the scope of what's already a rather unique set of sounds.
Next up is a project renovating three custom drums by Tama of Japan: they'll be ready by the end of the month.
If all goes well, I may invest in a set of these rather eye-catching Staccato/North drums built in the 1970s: they sound even weirder than they look:
Music is an endless well of bright new ideas and updated themes on previous failures.
Like these, by Vox Drums:
Fucked up is right.
The Roto Toms have no such limitations and are as loud as you might want them to be.
Roto Toms are currently seeing a resurgence of popularity among the international star players. We have for some time been seeing everyone add some octobans to their rigs but the Rotos are the real deal. They're mounted on cast-off parts from a Roland digital drum rack I converted with standard power tools for optimum positioning and open tuning made by simply rotating the entire drum frame either clockwise (for higher pitches) or anti-clockwise for flatter pitching.
Not exactly an auto-tune set-up but rather a hybrid type that can be adapted to any song/pitch/tuning performance on the fly. A set of high-pitched original Remo Roto Toms currently sell for around €650 while over stateside they're cheaper from a supplier: but the weight of having it sent will soon see your savings curtailed. I got these (a 1974 issue) from my neighbour, Lassi, whose son I taught some basic music theory and drumming skills to a few years back.
Kid grew up and has his own band now, so he knows he can borrow these any time as his Dad was kind enough to pass them along to me for renovation.
The rig as is weighs just under thirty-five kilos, quite a reduction but it's made easier by noting one doesn't need any more than three additional boom arms to mount cymbals onto. I also intend to add Roland triggers to each tom/snare/kick to broaden the scope of library sound samples to back the acoustic levels. In effect, I can play all the backing tracks/sequencers via a headphone mix AND have a clean signal for the triggers while staying in time with the click-track.
Next step in finishing this project is to bring a large collection of broken and cracked internationally-branded cymbals I collected from several Helsinki bomb shelter studios over the years. The intention is to have them all laser cut to remove the damaged outer edges and to keep the remaining amount of cymbal metal/weight integrity safe from further damage. Once the damaged edges are taken off, I'll then start to lathe the metal to reduce the weight across the bell and into the bow. Once that's done and the excess weight is removed, I'll start 'burning' them with variously sized holes to create as many strange/new unique sounds as I can. I'm not looking for perfection, but rather as many fucked-up and left of centre sounds as I can create. Like so:
This was a regular cymbal in its earlier life but it was cracked by its owner who simply kept using it until he couldn't get a tone from it. I simply cut off the section that was cracked and discarded it; then burned another few holes in select spots to give some tone and sustain from what was a dead piece of metal. Customized cymbals like this are a bubbling under item that everyone wants to try but few can afford to buy new, like so:
New issue 'burned' cymbals cost an arm and a leg, but my approach is a more holistic and up-cycling attempt at creating new and different sounds.
All logos and details of maker and type will be removed so they appear generic and of no brand other than previous 'Mini Mowl' kits like several I've designed and built for other players over the years. Hacking up drum gear and repurposing it has always been a hobby of mine. Replacement parts these days are often very expensive and most have to be ordered in from the designer. Instead, mine use parts from the local hardware store so anyone can copy or mimic my approach. I like to keep it simple and sturdy so that it gets a fair shot at being used onstage to gauge the reaction from listeners and audiophiles.
This completed rig will be given to one teacher at the Pop/Jazz Conservatory nearby for the students to play and experiment on for the coming season, and later on I'll do a clinic for them myself showing how triggered elements can broaden the scope of what's already a rather unique set of sounds.
Next up is a project renovating three custom drums by Tama of Japan: they'll be ready by the end of the month.
If all goes well, I may invest in a set of these rather eye-catching Staccato/North drums built in the 1970s: they sound even weirder than they look:
Music is an endless well of bright new ideas and updated themes on previous failures.
Like these, by Vox Drums:
Fucked up is right.
Electricity
Member
Mowl
Member
Karl Wallinger: (19.10.1957-10.03.2024)
Ex of the Waterboys (Mike Scott needed him more than Karl needed Scott) before forming World Party and releasing his own, far superior, music. Having dealt with Scott first hand I can entirely understand Wallinger walking out. Scott's an arrogant bastard, always was, always will be. I spent a weekend jamming with them in The Top Hat out in Dunlaoire after Kevin Wilkinson topped himself. It was a nightmare from the get-go and one of the lousiest times of my life watching these guys drag their arses through their own music.
As it happened, Fran Breen got the gig - and recently he told me of the tribulations that drove him to walk out too.
One day Scott'll get what's coming to him.
Ex of the Waterboys (Mike Scott needed him more than Karl needed Scott) before forming World Party and releasing his own, far superior, music. Having dealt with Scott first hand I can entirely understand Wallinger walking out. Scott's an arrogant bastard, always was, always will be. I spent a weekend jamming with them in The Top Hat out in Dunlaoire after Kevin Wilkinson topped himself. It was a nightmare from the get-go and one of the lousiest times of my life watching these guys drag their arses through their own music.
As it happened, Fran Breen got the gig - and recently he told me of the tribulations that drove him to walk out too.
One day Scott'll get what's coming to him.
Electricity
Member
Electricity
Member
Mowl
Member
Electricity
Member
My first (rock 'n roll) band that I was into was G N' R
I think, if I was a little bit older, it would've been Lizzy
Mowl
Member
Well, forgive me for pissing on your party but I met Slash and the newer drummer at Slane at the Use Your Illusion tour where I was hired as an assistant to Daryl Downey, the son in law of MCD owner Denis Desmond. Guns and Roses had seven caravans backstage and ours was beside Slash's, who was a pretty laid back guy. Axel Rose had to be practically dragged out of his caravan by his own crew because he was pissed andhigh as a kite and didn't ecen know what fucking country he was in.
They were shite.
After two songs I went up to the staff room in Slane Castle and took a nap.
When I woke the gig was almost over so I walked back down to see the end.
After they dragged their arses off the stage, I was under the drum riser pulling red hot stage lamp plugs out of their sockets. The crowd were still cheering and thinking they'd come back for another encore, but nah: Axel went back to bed. Rock and roll, eh?
Yeah - it IS weird standing on a stage with 60,000 Irish people screaming for more.
Even with my tool belt on they thought I was something to do with the band.
But then I am rather fetching in a rock'n'roll kind of way, right?
How about you?
Did you hop the fence or were you even there?
Stick with Oasis, Jambo - they're about your intellectual singalong level.
Electricity
Member
Electricity
Member
I keep on thinking that I've posted them all and then I keep on finding one.. it's incredible
As was the band/Noel Gallagher
Electricity
Member
Yo Dave!
David
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this -
The reason I ask is, is because I know that metal fans (which I think you are, Maiden and others) really hate GNR. Why is that reasonable. Sure, they (GNR) point somewhat in that direction, clothes, haircuts and so on, even the music sometimes.. But GNR were a rock 'n roll band, what's the beef?
DavidI'd like to hear your thoughts about this -
The reason I ask is, is because I know that metal fans (which I think you are, Maiden and others) really hate GNR. Why is that reasonable. Sure, they (GNR) point somewhat in that direction, clothes, haircuts and so on, even the music sometimes.. But GNR were a rock 'n roll band, what's the beef?
Mowl
Member
Yo Dave!
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this -
The reason I ask is, is because I know that metal fans (which I think you are, Maiden and others) really hate GNR. Why is that reasonable. Sure, they (GNR) point somewhat in that direction, clothes, haircuts and so on, even the music sometimes.. But GNR were a rock 'n roll band, what's the beef?
Because they're a cheap-assed American fake Hanoi Rocks.
Read up, they even said so themselves that when The LA Guns and Hollywood Roses decided to collaborate, they based their image on Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe's gypsy style with Hanoi Rocks. Sami Jaffa (another legendary Finn) still plays bass with The New York Dolls and was Hanoi Rocks' original bassist. All that said, Hanoi Rocks were/are shite. Big in Japan, yes. But in America? Not so much. They did three nights in London recently and oddly enough every ticket sold out.
Andy and his ex-wife Angie had their own Osbourne's-style television show which documented Andy's hopeless relationship with drink. Monroe is a TV veteran at this stage and hasn't changed a bit since the 1980's. He's still a popular name at the summer festivals and has had a number of shows of his own. Hanoi Rocks were plagued by bad luck, alcohol-related incidents, deaths, and drug issues.
Sami Jaffa did well out of his career with Hanoi Rocks and is very comfortable fronting his own Finnish television show about Finnish food and drinks traditions. He basically travels all over the country getting pissed and having take-away night-food. Great bassist, you might see him on any stage in town and it's no big deal. Monroe gets all the attention though. Andy's hopeless from the drink. Last time we talked it was early afternoon and I was waiting for this one band playing that night to get an interview for the college magazine: Andy came over and drank the equivalent of an Irish wake. The band quit the interview because of him and I had to finish it that night by phone.
Hopeless isn't the word for it.
But anyway - forget Guns & Roses - they're a second hand Hanoi Rocks.
Furthermore: Jambo - you know fucking nothing about music.
Invest in some Spice Girls albums or remixes of Showaddywaddy hits, you're fucking useless.