Thursday, April 28, 2011

Random Thoughts!

(Some of my personal quips!)
"Time to distance... The past has been passed.. The future awaits... And I'm standing at it's gates!"

"If a great musician lived and died before anyone heard or experienced his work... Was he a great musician?"

"The Three "M's" of Great Music! 1) Great Musicians 2)Great Material 3)Great Marketing"

"Thoughts and Prayers to those affected by the tornados in Alabama."

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

CAN I GET A HELLYEAH!

Seven grueling hours of the most intense and enlightening practice I think I've ever been involved in! Great songs are coming together and we are taking our time to contemplate every note and timing structure. We want this to be better than right... These works are to be perfect and we are going to work and rework them till they are! These songs are of the commerciality and quality to deserve our upmost time and effort! And the three of us desire that outcome. To finalize our rehearsal my oldest friend that I have had since 1978 (My 400 watt Peavey Mark IIII bass amp) blew up! First there was the popping, then the sizzle and poof...A plume of grey smoke! A Freaking Pyrotechnics show from my amp, and we haven't even gotten to the stage yet!! CAN I GET A HELLYEAH!!!  Yeah I gotta fix it, replace it, or both...But that was AWESOME!! I'll probably go back to Bi-Amping my speaker cabinets with a slave amp like I used to in another time & place! But that was one helluva sign at the end of a great rehearsal! It don't get any better than that!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Left the Cheap talk behind!

Tomorrow is the day I get to spend at the studio in Oklahoma city with my band mates in INVOKING SCARLETT! We are set to rehearse & start recording on two collaborative works. "I'm In Love" & "Fate Lies"! I'm so stoked about the possibilities of these two songs and the talent that will bring them to life! James Kelly is such an over the top guitarist I feel a little overwhelmed by his ability & diversity. Yet he is such the humble soul you sould never think this man could slay the world with his playing. And then there is Andre, who freely admits being an early Phil Collins admirer.(He states to the time BEFORE Phil moved out from behind his drumset!) What a rythym machine Andre is... I feel overwhelmed at times with these two talents...And yet they tell me they feel the same about me! Go figure!  No wonder this Trio has the makings of something great!

Friday, April 22, 2011

TRUTH IN ARTISTRY!

There is such a thing and I can only wish that more "self appointed" artists were intelligent enough to "get it". But after all the years spent in this industry and studying it religiously, and after all the wanna be's I've had contact with throughout the years, I know that will never happen. You know the type as soon as they open their mouths..."Yeah..I've done that"... "I've written hundreds of songs"... "My band was seriously looked at by *enter the name of ANY record company*. You know it and can feel the warmth of the crap! How come they have no pictures of that time of their life? How come they can't produce notebooks or lyric sheets of all these songs they supposedly wrote? Names of Band members can't be remembered? What I'm getting at is there is TRUTH, which makes you a better artist and believeable to your fans. All the rest is just lies and cheap talk!!

FrIdAy!

Even tho I gotta work tomorrow (Rotational thing) I still love Fridays! Payday for most people and after 5:00 it's the start of the weekend! It's also the weekend that I traverse back to OK City on Sunday  to rehearse in ernest with my new band buddies! I'm so stoked!!! James sent me a new song called "I'm In Love", and I loaded it up on my DAW then gave a couple of hours to learning it. This song has great potential! Anytime I can listen to a song and imagine it as an instumental rock song, I know it's gonna be good! I can hardly wait. This song is what I had imagined INVOKING SCARLETT to sound like. Unique and new when compared to other gendres out there. Kinda in the same way that Van Halen set the rock world on it's side back in the 70's when they broke!  Sunday might be Easter but I have a serious urge to go rabbit hunting!

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Start Has Now Finished!

Well folks.... The beginning has now ended! All cylinders fired up... Chemistry was rampant! So cool that the preliminary meeting "just to see how things would go", turned into an all day event! What a solid foundation was laid during this process. I wounder if this was how Pat Travers felt when he met Mars Cowling... or if this is how they felt when they met Tommy Aldridge? It was pretty awsome to say the least. More was accomplished in this informal session than most bands can acheive in a month of 8 hour saturdays! NUFF SAID! Now it's time to let the artistic, creative, construction process move ahead, and let the music do the talking for us!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Tomorrow!

Tomorow will be the day I finally get to meet my new bandmates that have already committed to INVOKING SCARLETT! Guitarist / Vocalist / Songsmith - James "Machine Gun" Kelly, AND Drummer / Vocalist / Bouncer - Andre'!  We have already exchanged many song ideas and emails...THANK GOD for the internet and emails!! The chemistry has already started a fusion which heightens my anticipation, excitement levels, and pushes my anxiousness to extremes. I was up until early morning thirty polishing my Bass (Vintage 1970 Fender P-Bass), checking my speaker cabs (thank goodness I did too!) just to find out I had a rattle at a volume level lower than I usually play. So off came the back of that cab to discover that I needed to replace 4 mount lag screws on one of my 500watt 8" speakers! All cords rolled up nicely...Mikes stored away...Portable DAW with headphones..Tool box... (Where's the freakin DUCT TAPE??? Oh...here it is!!!) Pedal Board with cables...Guitar (customized flyin V!!) Mike stands... JEEZE!!! I'm gonna hafta hire somebody to do this one of these daze!
In other words...Everything is ready to pack into the vehicle and drive @ 100 miles to start the physical melding of talents into hopefully a force of musical nature! We all bring to the table, years of experience in playing, crafting, & touring... This is gonna be LOUD!! and fun....of course!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

#1

Do I get to do the HAPPY DANCE???  In this business there are those that believe it's all about the music and that is all that is necessary. Well that is only HALF the picture! Look at music as a product... First and foremost you must have a GOOD product! ( if the buying public wants crap the'll go and buy manure that is labeled "Manure"! They want good songs and good music and are willing to pay for it! But how can they pay for it if they don't know it exists?? How will they ever know that some band in Tulsa is making great music if the artists decision is 100% for the music and everything else will work itself out? THEY WILL NEVER HEAR OF OR ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BELOVED MUSIC WILL DIE WITH YOU!! Great music is nothing if nobody gets to hear it outside of the artist or their loyal "local" following! Hell...Even Mozart had publicity and promotion....MARKETING!!! The 3 M's of our industry are 1)Musicians 2)Music & 3)Marketing! Try leaving out one of the 3 elements and all you do becomes nothing more than a hobby, destined for the attic, garage, or basement! How else could I acheive the #1 spot locally for the Rock category on a major website that caters to independent artists? Am I here to slam my old banmates? Absolutely not, because they chose their path and that path was not for me! But the online fans have spoken... Not me...but the FANS!! And for one reason or another the proof is in the pudding and my pudding tastes damn sweet right now! (Did I tell ya???  I LOVE SWEET PUDDING!!)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

My Daughter to My Mom!

This was written by my wonderful Daughter about my wonderful Mother! I wanted to share this as an indication of what love and inspiration my family has brought to my life...One of a hundred reasons that my life is so great right now...(even in the face of adversity.... it is how you choose to react to the situation that makes all the difference in the world) This is about the "Never give up" attitude my Mother instilled in me and how it has crossed generations to her grandaughter...My Daughter!! Named after the famous Fleetwood Mac song by Stevie Nicks..."Rhiannon", I gave some of my musical legacy in that moment of inspiration when she was born. From that day the world was her oyster and she has been a force to recon with ever since.  Here is her offering;

My grandmother, Doris Winkelman, completed her last radiation treatment this morning.
To clarify. that's Monday, April 4th, at 10am.
She walked in armed with three platters of cookies and a brilliant smile. I couldn't help but smile too, as three other patients said hello and asked how she was. They all knew her by name. They all knew it was her last day, and they each asked her questions about her personal life, as if they'd known her for years. Seems like they have, since they're all at ProCure for the same reasons that Grandma is.
The receptionist knew her by name, and knew that I was her grand daughter. Moments after she clocked in with her badge, the radiology tech came out and grabbed her. Grandma knew her, as well. They exchanged smiles as the young woman escorted her charge back to the treatment area.
That tech had reason to smile, as does Grandma. So far, Proton Therapy has been wonderful. Nothing like the radiation she received last winter. A bit of a sore throat, a bit of fatigue (mostly due to the travel for twice-daily treatments), but no pain or nausea. Dr. Prebula, Grandma's primary radiologist, was so caring and careful. She made sure to check and recheck everything that crossed her desk concerning my grandmother, even before the two of them met. Dr. Prebula was immersed in Grandma's treatment from the beginning, taking every step she felt necessary in order to ensure that Proton Therapy achieved the results it was intended to.
Thus far, the experience has been positive, and I can't say that it's all thanks to the technology. It's thanks to the people, too.
ProCure really seems to pride itself on being a family. Patients and staff alike are treated as though they're attending a family event instead of a treatment. It shows in the faces of each staff member, and in their voices, as they greet the patients. They hug, they smile, they joke, and they treat each person who walks through the door like they haven't seen them in years. The waiting area is tastefully and comfortably decorated, with beverages and snacks for the waiting patients and family members. Large windows look out over the Oklahoma landscape, and local artwork and photography adorn the walls. This is all very different from the picture I had in mind, you can be sure of that. Instead of scary and confusing and sterile (you know, that sort of stereotypical imagery associated with cancer treatment), Grandma's experience has been bright and happy and uplifting. There's something to be said for the mentality of a patient undergoing cancer treatment, and ProCure seems to know that. 
Grandma checked out of ProCure just a few minutes ago. She wasn't able to walk out the door for all the hugs and well-wishes she received. This is just another part of the pattern of friendships she has a habit of spontaneously forming. You see, she checked out of the temporary housing complex she's been staying at on Thursday, March 31st. When I arrived, one of her many new friends was just leaving. She made Grandma promise to come back and visit. Ten feet down the hall, we met a couple at the elevator who made her promise to visit. At the door to the parking lot, an older woman made her promise to come back and visit. At the front desk, the receptionist, along with three or four other volunteers and staff members....made her promise to visit.

She seems to have made friends all over Oklahoma City, and I think the city will honestly mourn her when she leaves today.
As you've all read via Grandma's updates (on Facebook and the FUMC newsletters), you can tell that she has enjoyed the people, but she's ready to head home to Perry. Please rest assured that whatever the next hurdle is, Doris Winkelman is going to jump it like a six-foot tall Olympic champion---without breaking a sweat. And carrying a platter of cookies, too.

Rhiannon Nicole Winkelman

Monday, April 4, 2011

Life is good!

Damn I love my life right now! Just made my way up to the #2 position in the rock category on the website for Independant Musicians & Bands.What makes that so sweet is that the band I left behind due to what I considered bad business moves and the lack of understanding when considering the new world of music business, have moved from #7 to #20... OK that doesn't seem like much to most, but when expanded into the national ranking for rock bands, it puts me at #940 and they have moved to # 4214. Sometimes when you try so hard to make a difference and give 110% to move the project you are with forward, there is little you can do when theose you are involved with refuse to listen or even consider your input. Often times there are those that think they know all they need to know about the unknown they are entering into. That is sad and unfortunate to move blindly ahead like that. I chose a different path..Studied hard...and worked my craft. Paydays come in little things like these rankings and give acknowledment from peers that I was on the right track and all that studying really pays off!

Friday, April 1, 2011

A New Era!

Funny how life evolves, changes, moves this way and that, isn't it! I honestly believe what my new partners bring to the table, combined with my efforts, has all the markings to be really special. We've decided on a name for this project..."INVOKING SCARLETT", and we're really pleased with the initial positives we've received so far. The seasoned sound of this combination of talents is beyond belief! Let's just hope there is enough glue and planetary attraction to solidify this dynamic marriage! A unique and interesting detail is that we live and work a hundred miles apart. In that respect I am ever thankful for the internet and digital media streaming over it at a billion pieces a millisecond! In the past it would have made what we are about to do an impossibility which would have led each of us to "settle" for the talent pool at our disposal locally. Now the world is our playground, and talent that is better suited stylewise and personality-wise becomes accessable, useable, and allowable! I have grown through the erea's of 78's to 45's to LP's, 8-tracks, to cassettes, to digital compact disks! Now all is damn near obsolete and antiquated! All is enhanced digital media that already is offered on thumbdrives and micro memory cards! As Artists, we are now the masters of our own destiny, with only our determination or lack thereof to propel us to any level of success we can imagine or into obscurity. In this respect we have control and how far we can go is up to us!