Beware! The Leopard

Jonesing for some gear

Ok, I really cannot afford any new gear at the moment, but I thought I would post on it nonetheless.

There are a few pieces that I would really love to get my hands on.  Both of which are not so easy to find (which makes it easier to avoid buying them).  

The first is a Kawai MP8 Mk II

I used to sell these in England, and when I got my Nord Electro 2 it was a tough decision whether to go with the Nord or get one of these babies.  The Nord won out because it was light and it sounded good, exactly what I needed for gigging.  I still love my Nord, but at home I would really love the full weighted action that the Kawai provides.  The piano sounds are exquisite, comparable with all the other top of the line digital pianos, but more important are the full length wooden keys which make it feel more like an acoustic piano than any other digital piano on the market.  Not to mention all the goodies liked balanced outputs, USB controller capabilities, and a truly customizable sound where you can change everything from the string resonance to key touch, etc.  This is truly a fantastic piano.  Kawai has been around in North America for a while now selling their wonderful acoustic pianos, but they haven't really got a good distribution system for their digital pianos.  It's going to make finding one of these at a decent price a bit more difficult, but that gives me time to save up for it. 

The second item on my list is a Silvertone Amp.  Jack White plugged in a later model and made musical history with the White Stripes, and his guitar tone is absolutely incredible.  For a Blues guy like myself that tone is the Holy Grail of guitar tones.  I don't necessarily want the power that Jack produces with his head and cab combo, but there is something about the Silvertone sound which is extremely appealing.  I had the pleasure of trying out this combo amp from 1959 at a local guitar shop, and let's say that it exceeded my expectations.  It's only 40 watts, and is actually quite a bit quieter than comparable 40 watt tube amps (like my Hot Rod Deluxe), but given that most of the time at gigs the amp is mic'd anyway, that's not such a big deal.  The big deal is the gobs of classic tone that this amp provides.  With a very cool look, retro tremolo sound, this is something that I hope the shop doesn't sell before I can save my pennies. 

NXNE and Windsor

Hey everyone

It's been a while since our last update.  Things are still trucking along, writing, rehearsing, and finding gigs.  Although I definitely wish that I had someone who could do the latter for us. 

As many of you know, the summer is a busy time for festivals, patios, and general party mayhem.  Beware! The Leopard has been put on standby for NXNE, so should a band drop out, we could potentially get the call to fill in.  This is very exciting news, and hopefully next year we'll make the cut directly.

We also have a gig in Windsor at the Phog lounge on August 18th.  We'll be showcasing some new tunes, and it will be a great time, so anyone in the area be sure to come down and check us out.  Further details are coming.

If anyone knows any venues in SouthWestern Ontario that may be available for a gig on the 19th of August, please point us to them, as it would be great to have the mini-est of tours and play for some of you that we rarely see in person.

Alex

Writer's block overcome

When it rains it pours.  For the last number of days, weeks, months I've been up against a bit of a songwriter's block.  I'm sure there's a number of reasons for it, but as an artist it is truly frustrating when you pick up your instrument and nothing new or interesting comes out.  But I suppose if you do it often enough one day something new does come out. 

Not only has something come out, but a bunch of stuff, so in the coming weeks as they're polished be prepared to hear some new tunes.  Those who came out to Mitzi's on Thursday were privy to one of these tunes, "Camden's Burning". 

For those of you struggling with writer's block or some creative block, just keep at it and eventually, things will change.