Entering the 21st Century

[Don]

Getting together with a group of very capable musicians for the first time in 40+ years was a joy. Getting to experience the way at least some bands rehearse these days was a shock.

Amps? "We don't need no stinking' amps!"

Well no one actually said that, but they do live it.

Instead of amplifiers each instrument - yes, even the "drums" - plug into an electronic gizmo that sends the sound to earphones worn by each musician. With the phones on one hears the band. Take the phones off and you hear nothing but the singer's naked voice and the rythmatic pulse of the drum sticks beating on plastic plates. Tap, tap, tappity tap.

Oh, and I said "naked" voice for a reason. For the rich two and three part harmonies I was so enjoying ("Wow, these guys sure can sing!") were all the doing of another floor box gizmo - one that takes the single voice, compares it to the chord being played, and creates perfect multi-part harmony according to the settings entered.

Is any of this "bad"? No. What matters is the end product - the music. And these guys sure made some great music. But boy, it sure was different!

:)

-don

As an addendum... If we'd had this stuff back in my day I'd never had met my wife Jan, whose parents had thrown her and her band - "IV Kings and a Queen" - out of the house (and into mine) for being too loud and raucous. Yea noise!!!