Saturday, October 8, 2011

A-Basses and Albey Balgochian

Recognize that the majority of the posts on this site have dealt less with music and more with gear, but, you know what, fuck it. That's where our heads are at right now. In two months time we'll be posting studio pix and tour pix and cock shots and evs for you to check out. But now? Gear.

Unfortunately, being a bassist means that one is fundamentally an unhappy person. Unhappy that yer not the guitarist and don't get guitar solos, unhappy that yer not the drummer and doesn't get to smack shit up, unhappy that yer not the singer and doesn't get laid. Well, actually, there is the quasi-rare SINGING BASSIST category, which is like being a bastard, red-headed stepchild who still gets laid but is unhappy about it. What? See also: Sting, Geddy Lee, Lemmy, Paul McCartney and other control freak, type-A musicians who have a tendency to over-analyze their output. So I guess this analogy doesn't really work, but go with me here.

ANYWAY, so many basses over the years. The early years infatuation with the almighty Fender Jazz Bass, the mid-period "Slappy da bass" with Music Man Stingrays, the "I wanted to play fucking guitar in the band" directionless period where a fucking Yamaha was inexplicably purchased. Now? The A-Bass period.

A-BASSES.

The story is so long that I don't know if I can recount it. In short: Albey Balgochian = world renowned bassist learns how to build custom basses by learning how to build and fix violins -- truly difficult skill, if you consider it. In any event, famous bassists like Stanley Clarke and Foley and Darryl Jones buy those basses and LOVE THEM.  Albey opens up his own company (working closely with Darryl) calling it TADA: A-BASSES.  Ridiculously amazing instruments emerge.  Then, after doing this for a few years, he stops doing it.  Clearly being in the music instrument production business is more hassle than its technically worth -- and, somewhat famously, it was taking time away from his true love: playing. A-Basses is subsequently retired, eventually the Darryl Jones license goes to Lakland for a few years, where it was mega-popular.  Through all this, it is worthy to note that Albey is one of the nicest human beings (and one of the most amazing bassists -- he plays with Jazz legend Cecil Taylor in NYC) alive today. Whether you're hanging and talking about bass, or rapping about afro-cuban funk music or talking about pizza.

Anyway, so I was walking through the East Village one day, where I lived at the time (and hope to live again, soon), headed to oysters and champagne at some bar whose name escapes when I saw an A-Bass sitting in Guitar Man in the East Village -- Albey, who also lived in the East Village had apparently dropped it off, trying to move it out of his inventory.  Specifically, this was a vintage 1996 A-BASS prototype that he had worked on with Darryl as a DJ prototype (later produced by A basses then Laklans). After screaming off to two ATMS to take out enough money to cover it, and the wife's buy-in, this A-BASS was mine.  And it was a doozy.  When I first picked it up, the action was too high, the strings were flatwound, and the thing was HEAVY.  But when I plugged it into the store's small amplifier the thing just sang.  Also, the finish was beautiful and the birds-eye maple neck was like nothing I'd ever seen nor played.  Leo Quan badass bridge.  Basslines pickups.  Hipshot tuners.  All pretty standard fare...but for some reason, with its dings and dents and character, it just fuckin SMOKED.

Since I loved the proto so much, I eventually got the nerve up to reach out directly to Albey, via email, to see about the possibility of having a new, custom bass made. Albey eventually responded and invited me to NYC to discuss the project. He had too of his basses laid out, a fretted and a fretless. We hung for a loooooooooooooong time, talking about music and, of course, bass, and stories about the company and Darryl and Cecil Taylor.  I got the impression that he was sort of interviewing ME for the bass, to see if I was the right "fit" for the instrument.  Of course, he would deny this, but I actually like the fact that you sit down, talk about it, and work it out.  He had tons of materials left over from the old company, and some new stuff, and could put together a bass for me, sure.  In fact, he had one last remaining nitrocellulose hand carved body that he could work on for me.  I, of course, jumped on this after seeing some iphone pix from his studio in Boston.  A down payment was issued. The rest, as they like to say, is history.


The above bass is the freaking AMAZING thing that was produced from this project.  Suffice to say, this picture only partially does it justice.  Not only is it beautiful, a swamp ash body, capped flamed top, Aero Pickups, passive controls, and a rare and unique fretted EBONY fingerboard, but its the best sounding bass I've ever heard in my life.  To hear this roaring through GODZILLA, my 90's vintage Trace Elliot stack (more on that some other time) is like hearing THOR accidentally drop the hammer of the gods from the top of the Empire State Building onto a massive kick drum.  Um. Or something like that.

In any event, to sum this post up, A-Basses are the only basses that can produce the sound in my head. They're the only basses I wanna play because they're perfect. As the logo clearly states, A-Basses SING.

Friday, October 7, 2011

GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA

There's a cautionary tale for you.  Technology can never whoop the arse of a gigantic, green sea monster forged out of the ashes of Nuclear Destruction.  Or something like that.  Needless to say our first show is probably going to look a lot like this poster.  Jeff is the red thing in the background.  I'm not sure where Ralphie is...probably in the back, having a vodka.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

All The Beautiful People Are Going To Hell

Well, howdy ya'll!  Long time, no speak. We here at Camp GLC have been down on the ranch, scrubbing up some new tunes for ya'll! Why the fuck am I speaking like this, anyway? What?

Anyway, GLC, now that most of its members are, or soon to be are, back in the same time zone, will be pushing forth with our NEW FUCKING ALBUM!!!!!!!!  Which, full disclosure, will probably be preceded by our NEW FUCKING EP, many of which songs, but not necessarily all, will go on our NEW FUCKING ALBUM!!!! Confused yet? Me too.

In any event, the band is planning on recording in the Greater Baltimore area, specific location TBD. The resulting EP should be out in early 2012ish.  A full album sometime after that. "Will there be shows????" beckons the inquisitive crowd? Yessir there will, but nothing has been planned yet.  Certainly on tap will be a 98 ROCK NITB and possibly some other very lowkey stuff. The band has decided -- collectively, and sans amphetamine-fuelled superego -- to scale back and play some small club shows, hit it like its back in the day. Get close to the audience.  Let them feel the HEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT.

So many new songs have been written, and some have circulated on crudely recorded PODCAST recordings - "WEREWOLF PARTY" sounds like a mix between the Pixies and QOTSA.  "JULIET" sounds like the f'ing Stones, and "ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HELL" sounds like something completely different entirely.  Sonic Youth meets Kiss, maybe? Who the f knows.

In any event, the rock has been kept alive, so too has the pop and the .alt.  So you get a little bit of everything this time around.  Serious rehearsing commences, captain, in 4, 3, 2, 1...

Peace
Joe/Ralph/Jeff/Chad

Monday, September 12, 2011

So Sad We Missed You!

Wow, like we were TOTALLY on a VACAY this past month.  Sadly, unless you were following that bastard Facebook account, you probably didn't know this, but JOE BLACK and DIRTY RALPH did a stunning set of acoustic music at the HEY-BUDDY-PALOOZA / 98 ROCK benefit in Hampden, Baltimore, MD.  Good times were had by all.  Beverages were consumed, money was raised. Rock. Roll. Carry on.

In any event, gearing up toward the fall: JB has written a bunch of new tunes, newly minted guitarist The Chad got with some of the guys and apparently a RIP ROARING version of Whatever Happened was played, along with about a 3 hour rock and roll jam culminating with a shit-hot version of Clapton/JJ Cale's COCAINE.  Ironic, really.

In any event, just a sign of life. There are a bazillion emails that await, and we shall sort through them.

Toodaloo.
Team GLC

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Girls Like Cigarettes on INDIE 104 Los Angeles / Combustible You in Daily Rotation in Canada...

Well, there you go again. Writing a subject line that pretty much just sums up what the fuck we wanted to say thus obviating the post itself. But we digress. GLC proudly notes that WHATEVER HAPPENED has been picked up by the venerable INDIE 104.1 out in Los Angeles. In fact, for their online station, you can go directly to their website and REQUEST OUR PUNK ROCK ASSES!!!!!!  Well, not so punk rock anymore, but you get what we're saying.  

Separately, we got an email from our most excellent buddies at TRANQUILIZER RECORDS RADIO up in Toronto...they've added COMBUSTIBLE YOU to their DAILY rotation. Which is also pretty f'ing cool. So, if you need a daily dose of hate and sarcasm and plane propellor transference, just go ahead and check in. REQUEST REQUEST REQUEST REQUEST.

REQUEST.

Oh, and a random picture of a pug. For good measure.


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Introducing THE CHAD...

Or as he is alternatively known, Charles Lesch, IV, Esquire. Or something like that.  In EITHER event, Girls Like Cigarettes is honored to have Mr. Lesch sitting in with us at GLC central for the immediate future as our second guitar player.  The Chad brings years of music acumen, a ridiculous guitar rig (see below) and a blistering vintage guitar tone we've not heard since that ole' Stevie Ray Vaughn album that's been collecting dust on the shelf.




Chad is also an endorsee of stupidly boutique guitar rigs and haughtily endorses both DR. Z and TWO ROCK.



In any event, look for our boy at a GLC show near you this Fall.  BOOOOOYA.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

GLC on KGHP-FM Seattle, Maximum Threshold Internet Radio, and Tranquilizer Records Radio Podcast up...

I suppose after writing such a long subject line, it's kind of pointless to rehash. But, YEAH, check it out: Whatever Happened? has been added to KGHP, maximumthreshold.net, and the podcast featuring the song is up on trainquilizer records.  What are you still doing here???? Go request us, goddammit!!!!

Oh, and here's a completely random picture of a wookie.  I have no fucking idea why some band members ask for the shit that they do on this website...