We’re Playing at the Octoberfest! October 13, 2007
Posted by sherrichekal in Band News.Tags: Bluegrass Music, Bluegrass Octoberfest, Deepwater Bluegrass, Ohio, Toledo
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Hey Toledo,
Here’s a chance to see us pick at something local! No need to drive for hours to catch the Deepwater Bluegrass band! We’re playing at the Bluegrass Octoberfest in Toledo, Ohio on October 20, 2007, starting at 2:00 p.m.
Please tell everyone and come out and say hi! We would really appreciate the company!!!
Welcome to Mike McGuffie! October 2, 2007
Posted by sherrichekal in Band News.Tags: Bluegrass, Deepwater Bluegrass, Mandolin, Mike McGuffie, Ohio, Toledo
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Okay, it’s been a couple months now, but we are SO excited to have Mike McGuffie playing mandolin with us! He completes our sounds and we all just meld together great already so we just can’t wait to see what a few more months under our belts will do!
Check out the website and check out the new photos and all.
What’s Better… Single Mic or Lots? April 9, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Band News.add a comment
Here’s a question, guaranteed to generate feedback.
One mic for a show, or a line up of mics?
I must admit, it’s like watching a bluegrass ballet to see the pros all rotate in and around one big old mic on center stage. Makes the hair curl on the back of your neck.
But what if you’re getting older, don’t move so graceful like and are trying your darnest not to forget the words to your song and who’s kicking off the next piece and all that moving in and out just makes your eyes cross and someone end up in the ER?
What’s the best mixup? Maybe one in the center for vocals and harmonies and then say a pair of instrument break mics on either side so that you don’t have to move around tooooo much, and still keep the music going strong?
What say you all?
Looking for a Mini-Disc Mic April 9, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Recording Equipment.add a comment
Well, we’re woodshedding our new band, and we have a great additional member to the band and are now a foursome. Much better for bluegrass! (Less breaks for the banjo player!) We’re recording the practices and have a sony mini-disc recorder for most of the time. Problem is, that little thing is so selective and just LOVES to pick up the banjo and the bass and drown out everything else.
I just have a little omni-directional 1/4 plug in mic that I bought on Ebay. It’s okay, but it’s really not good. It’s too small, too cheap and well, just okay. I started looking around for a good 1/4 plug in mic, maybe like a condenser mic? I found one called a Sony ECM-MS907 and it’s about $80. (more than the mini-disc… hahaha) But it will plug into ANY 1/4 recording device, including the laptop! That’s cool. Another is the Audio-Technica PRO 24… About $70 on ebay. Not sure which to choose!!! Any suggestions out there???
Drum Machine is Here! February 23, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Recording Equipment.add a comment
Hey, after seeing another of these little marvels and finding out that they have a great bluegrass bass-mando chop beat to practice too, I just had to go and get one of these off of eBay… my favorite recording studio equipment shopping place!
It’s called a Zoom MRT-3B and if you’re careful, you can get one off Ebay for about 60-90 dollars. They do a TON of stuff, so if you ever want to lay down some percussion drums or snares just like Bobby and Sonny used to do in the 70’s grass, you’re ready to just pipe it into your recording. Or it can be great to practice and smooth out your banjo rolls and such. Since we’re not playing with a permanent mando player, it should help to add a little dimension to practice when we don’t have a sub helping us out.
Should be helpful in many ways, and a great piece of new equipment to play with. Now all we need is a good pair of studio moniters… nearly done accumulating gear for the first round!
Great Band Dynamics Article February 18, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Band News.add a comment
A friend passed on this GREAT article about band dynamics… and it’s funny, too! I really enjoyed the section on HOW NOT to succeed… I know I’ve been guilty of a few of these things from time to time… how about you?
It’s written on a blues website, but still… blues… bluegrass… hey, it’s close! There is not that much out there for the bluegrass musician, so we have to adapt from other music wisdom. However, this article really does have some good basic stuff about bands and the whole reason some fail and others make it. Good reading…
How to Succeed or Not – Article Link
Ear Monitors February 18, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Recording Equipment.add a comment
Well, we’re hardly ready for the road, but still, this was a neat thing that I found.
Apparently, the thought is that ear monitors, those cool little buds that slip in your ear, and work off of remote wireless technology, were expensive and only for folks like Mountain Heart or Lonesome River Band… but fear not! Ebay to the rescue!
I found a LOT of these systems on eBay… just waiting for you to bid and buy. And a 5 piece system was selling with a “buy it now” price of only $315! (Plus $12.99 shipping and handling) Now, that’s really not that expensive… and to be able to overcome the constant difficulty of shall we say, normally not-so-great monitor systems at some bluegrass events… at less than $75 dollars a guy? Shoot, that’s an easy call.
Not sure of the quality or the type and such, but their feedback was good.
Consider typing in the eBay search… “Ear Monitor”
Kick Off Instruments February 18, 2007
Posted by deepwaterbg in Recording Mistakes.add a comment
Well, we were recording a song and were using multi-tracks to do so. We had made a first track with everyone playing and singing, and got it as we wanted. Then we began to lay down the various instruments… guitar, mando etc. But we went and laid down the banjo last, and it was the kick off instrument! Funny thing… it was nearly impossible to get the banjo right, because there was no way to know when to start!
Lesson Learned?
Record the kick off instrument first… but most importantly, add a little countdown first so that the poor banjo or mando player has SOME clue when to start so that the beginning of the song doesn’t sound well, rushed or delayed in some manner…
Deepwater Bluegrass 