TheGoodRev

I was offered 9db, 15db and 25db filters and was told that 15 was the most common for rock musicians. Some drummers go for the 25's, and most classical musicians go for the 9's. I took the 15's and they're great, no problem singing with them in, you can literally hear everything almost perfectly, just at a lower volume. I found a small amount of treble loss with them, but I guess nothing is perfect.

You'll want to contact an audiologist, that's who made mine. And yes, they are worth every last penny.

Hey man, no worries at all. I don't know my music any more than you do, maybe we just know different shit. I've been thinking about you the past couple days as I'm in the middle of a giant Dylan kick, and I know what a huge fan you are. In any event, I agree, Gov't Mule are a serious band.

This is gonna have its own thread soon, but I figured I'd post it here:

Ok, ok, I'm outnumbered. I still hear the South in Mule, though. Maybe not as much as Skynyrd or Marshall Tucker, but I hear it in there.

I tracked down an mp3 of Wine and Blood. Dig how much Southern rock is dripping off this tune. Bunch of slide guitar, the harmonies in the chorus, lyrics about a destitute old hopeless drunk of a woman. I want to laugh at the sterotypicality of the tune, but I kind of like it too much to do so! Great Lesli-fied solo, and you know with Warren he's playing it through a Leslie and not a simulator. Wine and Blood

No problem man. They're both SBD.

OH YOU'D BETTER APOLOGIZE YOU BASTARD EDIT TO ADD: I refuse to let purple ruin my sarcasm

Absolutely, man. The guy is a monster.

I knew somebody would bring up the Truckers when I said that, and I knew it'd be you NR. I didn't see them when they came through, though I know I should have. I've heard they're records, and they are great. Ok, a tie with Mule. And the North Mississippi Allstars, circa 2002.

My sweet lord. I knew it all along, Chris. Who's the lucky boy?

I'll give you MMJ - a fine band who have consistently put out some fine records over the past couple years. I'm just getting back into It Still Moves after a couple years, I've had in the car for a couple weeks now. I don't think they're any more South than the Mule, though. They portray a significant modern and/or indie/whatever you want to call it rock influence, I think. Was it you, Jaimoe, who posted that link to the video of Jim James and bandmate playing on the radio? The other guy was playing pedal steel for a while, and it was great I thought. As for Mule, though. Heavy blues, guitar-rock, yes. Even moreso when they were a trio. But I hear the South in there all over the place, especially since Deja Voodoo (the first record as a quartet). Between Warren's accent and lyrics and his pentatonic scales, to the fact that they're one of the few bands who will bust into a straight boogie, they've got Dixieland written all over them. Have a listen to the tune Wine and Blood from Deja Voodoo and tell me that isn't the most obvious marriage of the 70's Nashville sound and modern country radio you've ever heard. Wish I had an mp3, I'd post it. Edit: found it. Wine and Blood Anyway, you make a good point. Southern rock is only one part of their sound. The predominant other part is definately blues-rock/guitar-rock/classic-rock.

Brad I'm surprised. I think you'll like them. There have been different Mule eras. They began as a trio, and were the most powerful trio I had ever heard. Original bassist Allen Woody was incredibly aggressive as a player, but it was warranted within the group; he was holding down all the rhythm playing, complimented by Matt Abts on the kit (one of my absolute favourite drummers) and of course Warren Haynes on guitar and vocals. Warren's main weakness is that he is something of a dinosaur rocker. Think Leslie West of Mountain. He seems to be perpetually in middle age; his voice, while powerful and expressive, is heavily rooted in blues-rock cliche; and his guitar playing, though it is virtuosic at times, is somewhat trapped within a certain mold. That said, though, he is the personality of the band and in buying into what he is all about, you buy into what he is expressing with the band. For the most part, I buy into what he does. Here are some mp3 examples I have kicking around of the Mule Trio, as I call them. October 29, 1995 at Park West, Chicago, IL Rocking Horse Eternity's Breath Jam > St. Stephen Jam March 10, 1998 at Opera House, Toronto, ON Pygmy Twylyte > Blind Man in the Dark > Mother Earth When Woody died in 2000, the band spent approximately 3 years playing with a rotating cast of bassists, also adding Danny Louis on keyboards in that time. Dave Schools of Widespread Panic played with them a great deal, as did Andy Hess, who toured with the Crowes before their hiatus. In 2003 they announced that Hess would be the new permanent bassist, and that lineup has remained intact. They are certainly, in my books, the finest modern representation of Southern Rock that exists today. They also employ heavy nods to psychedelia and extended instrumental playing (in their own style of course), making them a highly entertaining act in my opinion. The only thing I find is that they have a big catalogue, so it's pointless to go to a show hoping and praying for a particular tune. What you get is what you get, and sometimes (a la last year's Kool Haus gig), you'll get a whole first set of fist-pumping cock-rock when you're looking for something a little more dynamic; but then you might be rewarded (a la the same gig) with a ridiculously intricate second set, wherein the band decides to cover, for example, three or four Beatles tunes in a row. I think I'm going to be at the Dec 1 show. Looking forward to it.

Hey, check out LURE from Ottawa at Casbah tonight. They're an insane band. I don't know how to describe them really. Three-guitar attack. Intense progressive players, but the music runs the gamut from shimmering pop goodness to heavier excursions, etc. Check out their MySpace and listen to the tune "Hold On To Your Bricks". www.myspace.com/lureottawa Also on the bill, other friends of mine, The Front Runners. Fist-pumpin, Brit-informed rock and roll. $5 cover tonight I do believe, and don't quote me but I think it's cheap Steamwhistle night, which means $3 pints.

Hahaha Deb I can assure you that there is nothing school-related that will be getting in the way of anything music-related in my life. You want to look for a thread entitled "Surly Young Bucks take a Surly Young Break". Basically, yeah, we've been around since about February, only serious since about July. What can I say? Our lives move quickly. Everybody has other projects they're going to concentrate on now: Max and Mike are recording an EP with Charlemagne, with Dan on the knobs; meantime, Dan has an INCREDIBLE solo record that is done and being mastered right now, and he has put together a band to support the record. I'll be playing pedal steel for him. The guy is incredible, for fans of Ryan Adams etc. You can hear a few tunes at www.dangriffin.ca . My favourite is The Summertime, but there's also Whiskey & Wine, and East Coast, the latter two we play in the Bucks. So, given all that, the boys think it's realistic to reconvene in the spring after these two records have been pushed a bit, but I'm on the opinion that Dan's new band will serve whatever role the Bucks have been serving. The style will be similar and there will already be a record to push, so I just can't see it making sense to reconvene and put in all that rehearsal. We're all still friends, though. But we DO have one more show left, and it's going to be a doozy. Thurs November 30 at Pepper Jack's with What The Thunder Said. What say, Deb, you guys feel like treking down to the Hammer?

I will agree that Marco was looking super fine last night.

Good times. Good jamming. I'm actually still here. Sink kid is here and alive and well.

Monster Jam seems to have ended early I think I'll see you all soon!

HA Just leaving for Monster Jam right now. It'll be a game-time decision whether I make it up there, but there's a good chance.

Last night was a blast. Nice to see ya, Mr. Slippery, and kookycanooky too, thanks for taping. Everyone check out The Canaries, they were phenominal, such great writers and players. They're in Windsor next week, and playing at Tranzac in Toronto the week after. www.thecanaries.ca