Harmonicas, Gigs, and Recordings

Since the last post, Short Punks has been busy adding gear and writing songs. In a recent commute home from work we stopped at Brian's favorite guitar shop, Midwest Buy and Sell, and brought home a beautiful new Gretsch, which is featured on the new CD due out in the spring. You can read about that at the other blog.

And after the addition of the new guitar, we also asked Bob Kessler, a great harmonica player, to join us a featured artist at gigs and on the new CD. Our first couple of shows together at Phyllis' Musical Inn and The Bottom Lounge (see pic) went great. Bob brought some new energy and great sound to the Short Punks set and we're looking forward to releasing next CD. So, check back here for updates.

Where Has the Time Gone

It has been so long that one of us posted that we both forgot the password to blogger.

It has been a few months since the last post, but life has been busy as we not only continued to gig but also changed jobs, completed degrees (Pearl), and watched over sick cats.

Here's an update on our doings (not all music-related) since our last post (in no particular order).

1. Gigs at the Swing State in Lake Villa (our first all-ages hookah lounge)
2. Pearl completes her Ph.D. and becomes Dr. Drummer
3. The kitchen gets painted
4. Ben, our cat, is diagnosed with lymphoma
5. Brian buys more Home Brew pedals
6. Brian begins playing bass for an R&B band in Chicago
7. Brian gets six and twelve string Seagull acoustics
9. Brian buys and trades more guitars then Pearl can remember right now.
10. Brian get 2 new bass amps (GK 400RB and an Ampeg B2R
11. Covering "White Line Fever" by Merle Haggard for the trucker issue of Roctober.

Gigs have slowed down as we adjust to new day jobs and nurse an ailing cat, but plans are in the works for a new recording hopefully this Christmas.

So, that's what new here. If you're interested in receiving notices of gigs, then drop us an e-mail at shortpunksinlove@sbcglobal.net

GIG ALERT: Hotti Biscotti, Friday, April 11

Short Punks will be performing this Friday, April 11 at
Hotti Biscotti
3545 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 292-6877
Show starts at 9 PM.
No cover.

On the bill, is Bill Liggett, singer-songwriter extraordinaire, and Tim Wais with his band, Jungle of Cities.

We're all alumni of the Chicago Acoustic Underground podcasts: Short Punks (episode 32); Tim Wais (episode 38); and Bill Liggett (episode 22). CAU is a great forum for local Chicago artists and has helped many of us find an audience.

GIG ALERT

Tomorrow (3/23), Hotti Biscotti at 9 PM.

Just Brian and his new acoustic Seagull guitar and me on snare. We're last minute fill-ins. It should be a mellow, relaxing evening so if you're looking for some place to hang out, drop by!

Hotti Biscotti
3545 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 292-6877

Short Punks: The Latest Review

In the recent issue of Roctober, Brian found this short notice about our first CD.

Short Punks in Love. Moody indie with a nice balance of resonant guitar and spare percussion. Far less cutesy than the band name, but just as romantic (actually, more so).

Thanks to Jake Austin for the notice -- it's nice to be noticed. Meanwhile, if you still haven't heard our debut CD, then send us an e-mail at shortpunksinlove@sbcglobal.net with your mailing address and we'll send you one for FREE!

Guitar Geek Alert!

I just found out last night that Joel at Homebrew Electronics has decided to use my sound clip of his Uno Mos boost pedal on the HBE site. Click on the link to their page and you can hear me rocking out with my Tele, my old Fender Champ, and Joel's Uno Mos (well, it's 30 seconds of rock, but even a little rock is enough). If you go to their page, scroll down and click on the "Uno Mos (Fender Champ)" clip to listen.
I'm honored because I have been a fan of Joel's effects since I picked up his Germania booster last year. Also, as many of you know, I am a huge Journey fan, and the band's guitarist Neal Schon is one of Joel's featured artists on the HBE site (he uses one of Joel's overdrive pedals). So Short Punks and the dude from Journey are sharing some web space (Andy, I know you're out there digging that).
For our non-guitar geek readers, I should explain that the Uno Mos and the Germania are basically volume boosters; when you put one in between your guitar and your amp, and you flick the switch, you get a very sweet overdriven sound as the pedal increases the volume of your guitar's pick-ups and makes the tubes in your amp work a little harder. You know those sounds Clapton got early in his career with Mayall and Cream? Rory Gallagher's beautiful live sound? Tony Iommi's dark distortion on Sabbath's records? Brian May's guitar symphonies? The Edge's distinctive, bell-like tone? All of that comes from treble-boosters like the Germania or the Uno Mos. For those with sensitive ears, this also means you can get that classic, crunchy guitar sound without turning up your amp to nosebleed volumes.
I have two more of Joel's pedals...a Mock I delay (which gives you an echoey, slap-back, '50s sound; think old Elvis and Johnny Cash records) and a Tramp, which is a tremolo/pre-amp. What does that one do? It varies the volume of your guitar sound to give you the tone you've heard on tons of surf and late-'50s/'60s pop records...the best example? That pulsating sound Link Wray gets on "Rumble." In a few words...full-on-rock!
Joel's stuff is elegantly built, sturdy, and very affordable for gigging musicians. His pedals sound great no matter what kind of music you play. They not only record well, but they are some of the best effects I've ever used live. Some pedals sound great in the studio but sound muddy or overly artificial and indistinct on stage. Joel's stuff always sounds warm, organic, and present in a live setting.
Oh, and since he's using the clip on his site, I also won a free pedal! I won't say which one just yet, but I'm sure I will be using it on the new CD...thanks, Joel!

The Champ!

So a few people have asked me about the new songs we've been writing over the past few months. I did some preliminary recording today of riffs which will show up on the new CD. This photo might give you some idea of the sound I've been looking for...for the last six months I've been listening to Jimmie Vaughan, Peter Green's early Fleetwood Mac songs, The Stooges (again!), Freddie King and, to balance off the blues, the greatest hits from OMD (yes you remember them and you love "If You Leave"--admit it!) and The Chills. We'll be recording this CD ourselves as we did the first one...this is a shot of the guitar set-up I've been using: and new Gibson Melody Maker, my old Fender Champ, and a few pedals (that's an Homebrew Uno Mos booster which sound very Faces-like with the Gibson and the Champ). That's great for you gear-heads, but what is the new sound? I'll post a rough demo of one of the new songs, "The Jackson Stomp," in the next few days. Since Rosie and Ben both have songs about them, we figured Jackson the bunny should be next...!