Sunday, December 28, 2008
Coming up next... Bottom Of The Hill!
Our good friends Evolution Eden invited us to rock the stage with them again at the Bottom of The Hill on January 27th! yea, it's a Tuesday night, but we will put on a show that will make your Wednesday morning hangover well worth it! More details to come!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
MHB at the Rockit Room with Evolution Eden!
Our CD release was a hit, and we are coming back to the Rockit Room again to share the stage with our old friend Evolution Eden!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The MHB on KFOG
So Ollie is crusing down the road at around 3:45PM today and turns on his car stereo to hear "Go Ahead" already in progress. The levels seem a little bit off, so he goes to check the display and instead of "CD" it reads "104.5".
He checks the CD player only to find no MotherHumbuckers CD loaded. He switches back to 104.5 to catch the ending of the song and a fade into the Police's "Murder By Numbers". The Police are followed by Gavin Rosdale, etc, etc... If you check the KFOG playlist at 3:59 on 11/01/08 you will see that order of songs. So Rosalie must have slipped us in between Lucinda Williams at 3:52PM and the Police at 3:59PM. Makes sense since our "Go Ahead" is only 3:47 long and Lucinda's "Can't Let Go" is only 3:28 including fade in and fade out.
KFOG is a great supporter of local music, and we are sure glad they liked our track enough to air it! Props to Ollie for representin'!
He checks the CD player only to find no MotherHumbuckers CD loaded. He switches back to 104.5 to catch the ending of the song and a fade into the Police's "Murder By Numbers". The Police are followed by Gavin Rosdale, etc, etc... If you check the KFOG playlist at 3:59 on 11/01/08 you will see that order of songs. So Rosalie must have slipped us in between Lucinda Williams at 3:52PM and the Police at 3:59PM. Makes sense since our "Go Ahead" is only 3:47 long and Lucinda's "Can't Let Go" is only 3:28 including fade in and fade out.
KFOG is a great supporter of local music, and we are sure glad they liked our track enough to air it! Props to Ollie for representin'!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
CD...Released!!
We finally had our CD release party at the Rockit Room on Friday Oct 10! It was a total blast, and couldn't have been any better. We had great support from Solcraft, Plasterkatz, and Hey Young Believer. Ben did our sound, and everyone had a great time! A big debt of gratitude goes out to our friends and fans for making the evening as great as it was.
Solcraft opened the show with their explosive brand of power funk rock and set the tone as spectators filed in. Friends, family, coworkers, ex-coworkers, teammates, acquaintances, and total strangers packed the floor as 10PM rolled around. The lights went out, the announcer introduced us, and we busted into "The Lesson" as the lights blasted back on. Ollie integrated our now infamous chant "When I say Mother..." into the song. With only seconds between songs, we promptly rolled into "Fightin'" then "Groove". I introduced ourselves to the crowd and at that point someone threw their underwear onto the stage! Unfortunately it was a pair of not-so-white men's briefs. The crowd howled while I started the intro to "Go Ahead" and Martin came in with his funky bass line.
We followed up with "Nacho Lover", where the audience gleefully sang part of the chorus before my guitar solo. Ollie dedicated "Live Again" to Jay, and then we invited Kookie up to sing "Thunderstorms & Rain" in which she appears on the CD. We then did our slightly modified version of "Diamond Rings" where Jose busted a nut after the subtle intro and then wished M a rock n roll happy birthday.
The open chord led into "How Bad Do U Want It" followed by "Devolver". We bopped into "Don't Waste My Time" and creeped into "Horcrux". We ended the experience with the venerable "Propaganda", and then made our way off stage to mingle with our peeps.
Overall the performanced felt solid, though i know I flubbed a few of my guitar parts. But hey, that's the beauty of flying through the air without a safety net.
Leading up to the show, we had mention in the SF Chronicle and on KFOG's morning show. We will most likely gig at the Rockit Room again on Nov. 22.
We even got blogged about on Gemma's website!
Good times...
Solcraft opened the show with their explosive brand of power funk rock and set the tone as spectators filed in. Friends, family, coworkers, ex-coworkers, teammates, acquaintances, and total strangers packed the floor as 10PM rolled around. The lights went out, the announcer introduced us, and we busted into "The Lesson" as the lights blasted back on. Ollie integrated our now infamous chant "When I say Mother..." into the song. With only seconds between songs, we promptly rolled into "Fightin'" then "Groove". I introduced ourselves to the crowd and at that point someone threw their underwear onto the stage! Unfortunately it was a pair of not-so-white men's briefs. The crowd howled while I started the intro to "Go Ahead" and Martin came in with his funky bass line.
We followed up with "Nacho Lover", where the audience gleefully sang part of the chorus before my guitar solo. Ollie dedicated "Live Again" to Jay, and then we invited Kookie up to sing "Thunderstorms & Rain" in which she appears on the CD. We then did our slightly modified version of "Diamond Rings" where Jose busted a nut after the subtle intro and then wished M a rock n roll happy birthday.
The open chord led into "How Bad Do U Want It" followed by "Devolver". We bopped into "Don't Waste My Time" and creeped into "Horcrux". We ended the experience with the venerable "Propaganda", and then made our way off stage to mingle with our peeps.
Overall the performanced felt solid, though i know I flubbed a few of my guitar parts. But hey, that's the beauty of flying through the air without a safety net.
Leading up to the show, we had mention in the SF Chronicle and on KFOG's morning show. We will most likely gig at the Rockit Room again on Nov. 22.
We even got blogged about on Gemma's website!
Good times...
Monday, September 22, 2008
"The Lesson" CD release Oct. 10, 2008
Hey all, the time is here. Our CD is now in existence and in full circulation. You can get your copy at the release party! With support from Solcraft, Plasterkatz, and Hey Young Believer, this show is going to be off the chain. Be there!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
MHB featured on Wine World TV
Your MotherHumbuckers have been commissioned to provide tunes for the immensely popular Wine World TV spoof series. Watch renowned wine critic Steve Heimoff poke fun at himself and his industry in this installment:
Monday, August 18, 2008
And they're off!
The CD Master and artwork have been sent to the duplicating shop. We should have a hot batch of CDs ready to serve in the next couple of weeks. You know what that means: CD Release!!! We'll keep you all posted!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
CD Artwork
Just working on the artwork for the CD now. I am experimenting with different layouts, fonts, etc. Brings me back to the graphic design days as SFSU. We should have something cool really soon!
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Rocked the Rockit Room
Friday night's gig at the Rockit room kicked major ass. Every band in the lineup had the crowd enthralled, and we fed off of that energy when it was our time to play. It was super hot that evening, and after a long day at work I was a bit drained. We arrived at the club at around a quarter to eight and loaded in. We were using the house amps that night, and we had to help haul the half stacks on stage and set them up. That littel bit of manual labor helped us get our soundcheck done first.
After that, Sack (oh yeah, did I mention he is back? No more Star Searching for a bass player) went back home and Pmastre, OP, and I went to the Thai restaurant across the street. I chowed down on some pad thai while we talked about how good this show is going to be. I asked the guys if I should wear a shirt over my tank, or change to a t-shirt. Pmastre looked at me and said "You're asking ME for fashion advice??" He had a good point, so I turned to OP, who said I should just go with the black wifebeater. We headed out onto the street where masses of summer-clad people were wandering about. After making final wardrobe decisions, we dispersed only to meet again at the club.
Rayzed started the night off strong by getting the house jumping to their eclectic blues-rock set. They had a pretty good draw, and most of their fans stayed for the duration. Hey Young Believer was next, and they gained a bunch of new fans with their female-led pop-rock style. We were next, followed by Solcraft, a foursome that rocked heavy on the bass and guitar a la Rage Against the Machine.
I felt that our set was pretty entertaining. "F**king rockin'!!" as one spectator put it. Behind the scenes was another story! Just before the set began, OP gets the crowd going by chanting "When I say Mother, you say Bucker!" and everyone was playing along. In the meantime, I was fumbling in the corner, getting no sound whatsoever from my amp, doing my best not to freak out. As OP starts getting ready to play the "prelude song", I discover that my cable was not plugged in to the amp input! And I am an IT professional?? Duh'r. All systems were go, but the amp was still a little bit unfamiliar to me. [note to self: Bring my own Mesa rig next time!]
As the set went on, my stupid (but good-looking) guitar kept going out of tune [note to self: Play the PRS next time!], and I think someone else was going out of tune too, so my confidence was waning, and it showed on a couple of solos. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sack looking at Pmastre for assistance with something, and Pmastre just looked back at him like "what do you want, I'm trying' to keep time, dammit!". In between songs I was playing the oh-so-amateurish "tu-ning" song, since I didn't have a tuner in my chain. [note to self: Get an inline tuner!]
It was hot to begin with, but being upstairs, under the stage lights, and jumping around like a maniac really pushed my thermostat to it's limit. I was sweating like I was running a 10k in the desert, and the Red Bull knockoff I was drinking was not putting it back. I had a track workout the night before, and my quads started to remind me of that. I was starting to fade, but the set was almost over.
At some point, OP called out the wrong song, and we all argued with him for a second, doing our best Abbott and Costello. It entertained the crowd, so maybe we'll keep it in the act.
We clunked our way through our 2 new songs, as we always do when introducing our latest hits ;-)! In "Devolver" I have a guitar solo that goes through 8 measures and then cuts into the chorus, but the fellas inadvertently cut to the chorus after only 4 and I was stuck on the front of the stage doing my best Nerdie Van Hagar to the crowd and I had to slyly walk backwards to my mike and jump into singing the chorus without anyone being the wiser. The funniest part about that was that the guys were giving me the stank-eye even though we agreed not to look at each other during flubs!
We ended the set with the big bang of "The Lesson", and we were all sweaty and spent! Despite the technical difficulties, we laid it on the line and shot our wad with conviction. All our friends/family/fans came up to pat us on the back and tell us how great the show was, but I was just glad to be done! OP's stong vocals, Sack's much-improved basslines, and Pmastre's relentless pounding reminded the crowd what the MHB is all about.
A big thanks to everyone that came out and filled up the Rockit Room even during what Marco calls the "slow season"!
As goofy as the set was at times, I loved every minute of it! Our next big show will be our CD release party some time this summer. Our CD has been mastered and now just needs to be duplicated and packaged! Sample songs are already up on the MotherHumbuckers MySpace page! Stay tuned!
After that, Sack (oh yeah, did I mention he is back? No more Star Searching for a bass player) went back home and Pmastre, OP, and I went to the Thai restaurant across the street. I chowed down on some pad thai while we talked about how good this show is going to be. I asked the guys if I should wear a shirt over my tank, or change to a t-shirt. Pmastre looked at me and said "You're asking ME for fashion advice??" He had a good point, so I turned to OP, who said I should just go with the black wifebeater. We headed out onto the street where masses of summer-clad people were wandering about. After making final wardrobe decisions, we dispersed only to meet again at the club.
Rayzed started the night off strong by getting the house jumping to their eclectic blues-rock set. They had a pretty good draw, and most of their fans stayed for the duration. Hey Young Believer was next, and they gained a bunch of new fans with their female-led pop-rock style. We were next, followed by Solcraft, a foursome that rocked heavy on the bass and guitar a la Rage Against the Machine.
I felt that our set was pretty entertaining. "F**king rockin'!!" as one spectator put it. Behind the scenes was another story! Just before the set began, OP gets the crowd going by chanting "When I say Mother, you say Bucker!" and everyone was playing along. In the meantime, I was fumbling in the corner, getting no sound whatsoever from my amp, doing my best not to freak out. As OP starts getting ready to play the "prelude song", I discover that my cable was not plugged in to the amp input! And I am an IT professional?? Duh'r. All systems were go, but the amp was still a little bit unfamiliar to me. [note to self: Bring my own Mesa rig next time!]
As the set went on, my stupid (but good-looking) guitar kept going out of tune [note to self: Play the PRS next time!], and I think someone else was going out of tune too, so my confidence was waning, and it showed on a couple of solos. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sack looking at Pmastre for assistance with something, and Pmastre just looked back at him like "what do you want, I'm trying' to keep time, dammit!". In between songs I was playing the oh-so-amateurish "tu-ning" song, since I didn't have a tuner in my chain. [note to self: Get an inline tuner!]
It was hot to begin with, but being upstairs, under the stage lights, and jumping around like a maniac really pushed my thermostat to it's limit. I was sweating like I was running a 10k in the desert, and the Red Bull knockoff I was drinking was not putting it back. I had a track workout the night before, and my quads started to remind me of that. I was starting to fade, but the set was almost over.
At some point, OP called out the wrong song, and we all argued with him for a second, doing our best Abbott and Costello. It entertained the crowd, so maybe we'll keep it in the act.
We clunked our way through our 2 new songs, as we always do when introducing our latest hits ;-)! In "Devolver" I have a guitar solo that goes through 8 measures and then cuts into the chorus, but the fellas inadvertently cut to the chorus after only 4 and I was stuck on the front of the stage doing my best Nerdie Van Hagar to the crowd and I had to slyly walk backwards to my mike and jump into singing the chorus without anyone being the wiser. The funniest part about that was that the guys were giving me the stank-eye even though we agreed not to look at each other during flubs!
We ended the set with the big bang of "The Lesson", and we were all sweaty and spent! Despite the technical difficulties, we laid it on the line and shot our wad with conviction. All our friends/family/fans came up to pat us on the back and tell us how great the show was, but I was just glad to be done! OP's stong vocals, Sack's much-improved basslines, and Pmastre's relentless pounding reminded the crowd what the MHB is all about.
A big thanks to everyone that came out and filled up the Rockit Room even during what Marco calls the "slow season"!
As goofy as the set was at times, I loved every minute of it! Our next big show will be our CD release party some time this summer. Our CD has been mastered and now just needs to be duplicated and packaged! Sample songs are already up on the MotherHumbuckers MySpace page! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
MHB at the Rockit Room, June 20, 2008!
We have been rehearsing our two new songs, Horcrux and Devolver for the upcoming gig. Of course, we have been jamming on our old tunes as well. Here is some tasty rehearsal footage from Lennon:
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Pickup Swap
Since I had some time to kill, I decided to swap the Dragon II pickups in my PRS Custom 22 with EMG active pickups, 85 in the bridge and 60 in the neck. You can't coil tap these particular EMGs, so I also replaced the stock 5-position rotary switch with a 3-way toggle. I want to experience the difference in active pickups vs. passive. Since the PRS is built as an innovative instrument, I figured the EMGs, which are innovations on the conventional pickup, would be a good fit. Plus they look kinda badass.
The built-in preamp on the EMGs has me intrigued. We've all heard these in action with metal bands like Metallica et al, but I have read that they also work well for hard rock and jazz. I'm banking on the increased definition and clarity.
Playing at low volumes, I notice right away that they are very quiet; no hum or buzz when strings are not played. I also noticed that they are very sensitive, picking up every little string movement. As far as tone goes, I won't really be able to tell until I crank up the amp at rehearsal this week.
What I am looking for is the signature EMG hot lead tone with lots of sustain that can make me play better than Steve Vai. We'll see how that goes.
The built-in preamp on the EMGs has me intrigued. We've all heard these in action with metal bands like Metallica et al, but I have read that they also work well for hard rock and jazz. I'm banking on the increased definition and clarity.
Playing at low volumes, I notice right away that they are very quiet; no hum or buzz when strings are not played. I also noticed that they are very sensitive, picking up every little string movement. As far as tone goes, I won't really be able to tell until I crank up the amp at rehearsal this week.
What I am looking for is the signature EMG hot lead tone with lots of sustain that can make me play better than Steve Vai. We'll see how that goes.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Holding Pattern
Despite the issues in the bass dept., we are still writing new songs, jamming, and fantasizing about Konocti Harbor. Just sitting tight and putting our bass guitar star search on hold for now. In the next couple of weeks we should have our bearings back and be MoHumbuckin' full speed ahead.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Lookin' for bottom
It's been a challenge writing fresh material these days, but we are faced with another dilemma: Marty Mart is taking his Fender Jazz bass on an indefinite sabbatical, so we neeed to find someone to step in and fill the shoes. Know any aces of bass? If so, send 'em our way.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Next up... Mastering
At this point we have everything recorded and mixed. The tracks have been sent to Chicago for mastering. That process should be done by the end of the month, then we can send it all out for duplication. After that, we will start gigging again, and getting our music out to the masses. As soon as we have one CD in every household in the US, we will move on to world domination! Or maybe just play some local watering holes.
In the meantime, we are working on new material. The next batch should be more intense and focused. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, we are working on new material. The next batch should be more intense and focused. Stay tuned!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Great Magnet again
OK, we are getting closer and closer to our final goal of completing our first CD. We went to see Adam of Great Magnet at his new digs in Santa Rosa. We originally intended to just go and adjust levels on our previous recordings, but we wanted to redo some parts and overdub others, so the process took much longer than expected. We completed 6 of 11 tracks, and will return to finish it off. Slowly but surely, we're gettin' there!
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