G.A.S. vs. S.A.F.

Well, there's different meanings for "gas". Gas makes your car go. Gas comes out of your...you know...

...but the G.A.S I'm referring to, stands for "Gear Acquisition Syndrome." You see, as musicians, we're always looking for the perfect set up, that one piece of gear, the Holy Grail if you will that would fix our tone and make us the next super star.

The simple truth is, there's no quick cure for G.A.S. Well, I guess that's not true. The surest fix for it is what was formerly referred to as W.A.F. Wife Approval Factor was harder to gain depending on A.) when you last acquired something for your wife and/or the household b.) when you last gave in to a bout of G.A.S. yourself and most importantly C.) the cost of the cure to your current G.A.S.

W.A.F however was deemed to be politically incorrect...there are a lot of excellent, skilled bass players out there of the female type including but not limited to Lizzy Damont, Amanda Ruzza, Esperanza Spalding, Tal Wilkenfield, Jennifer Arroyo, Melissa Auf der Maur and others (google them if you don't know who they are!) So W.A.F. became S.A.F...same thing, just using Spouse instead of Wife in recoginition of a HUSBAND'S possible objection to G.A.S.

So what is the best way to control your G.A.S.? Other then quitting music that is. Well, get a job at a top music chain...well, scratch that, that just gives me MORE gas. The staff discount does help with the pocketbook, however. Well, I do advise working within the S.A.F. It's personally stopped me from giving in to G.A.S. and regretting it later...yes giving in to G.A.S. can cause you to have regret!!!

Like the time I HAD to have that certain effects pedal. When I figured out that it wasn't the right one, I ended up losing money on it, money I could have spent on the RIGHT pedal! G.A.S. has ruined the finances of many...in my job, I've seen it happen to many a good musician who just couldn't control their G.A.S.

So step one, is to calmly do your product research. Find out what the gear is supposed to do, and be absolutely certain that it's the right product for your needs. As part of your research, there's a mantra we use at talkbass.com that sez "try before you buy!" Wise words. If possible/feasible, try the gear with your own equipment, or with as close to your rig as you're able to before committing to a purchase or trade in order to satisfy your lust (which is what G.A.S. really is when you get right down to it...lust for gear...maybe we should change it to LFG...)

Then, once you're sure, gauge the S.A.F. Be it from the girlfriend or the spouse...a GF's opinion will likely be less important than a spouse's, but you should still check in nonetheless. If you're single...and you have the disposeable income...then get it while you're still single!

Okay, if the S.A.F. is good and you get the green light, and you can manage to pay for that Holy Grail of equipment...go for it!

Just remember...the grass is always greener...G.A.S. is usually cured only temporarily, and then the next piece of gear comes along! But with the help of my lovely wife (the S.A.F. in my house hold), my personal G.A.S. is held at bay for long, long periods of time!

Any other tips on controlling G.A.S.? Feel free to post comments

P.S. to help fund my now (IMO) infrequent bouts of G.A.S. my wife has taken over marketing of the revgroove brand, and has started a some online ventures. Please feel free to click on the links to the right, cheers!


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Now playing: Janet Jackson - Go Deep
via FoxyTunes

Gig Report

Just got in, literally, from a gig in Montreal with Keys N Krates (http://www.keysnkrates.com/), man, I haven't been to Mo-Town north since I was 11...that's way too long ago...and woosh, it was off the hook. Eli and Jesse at the Academy were awesome, and as per usual, KnK (Flo, Tune, and Matisse) put on a great show. The after party was ridiculous (in the good sense) and we made some new friends to boot that we'll look forward to hooking up with again at future shows.

I was going to put up a video blog last night, but we didn't roll into our hotel room until 6:18 this morning. The Delta Montreal is a class joint, I think it's the nicest hotel I've stayed in, on a par with Adams Mark hotels in the states. We were SUPPOSED to leave around 11:00 this morning, but after a roll in at that time, fuggedd aboud it! Flo flew from MO straight back to NY, and so it was just Matisse, Tune and I on the way back for some spirited discussion on the lovely women in our lives (or the lack thereof in one particular case), music, production, and future goals we each have as far as our musical endeavors.

It was indeed a late arrival, all my kids except for the baby were up to greet me...sounds like she's about to get up though. Some stuff happened today before I got home that I won't get into, so daddy coming home to slay the bad guy is an especially big thing this time around!

We'll get back to a bass-centric or musical blog post in the next several days. If you have any ideas on specific topics you'd like to hear my take on, post a comment!



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Now playing: Rev. Groove - The Breakdown
via FoxyTunes

Until next time: The Rev. AJ Groove

The First "Sermon": An Introduction

And so it begins. The new blog. I haven't really blogged in over two years. My son was sick in the fall of '07, and I posted some nasty notes on Facebook about this nurse who tried to deny him health care, but we won't count that.

So, what's the purpose of my blog? Well, my wife thought it would be a good idea...seriously, I need another creative outlet, and I used to be a fairly decent writer, so voila, here we are with Rev. Groove's blog!

Okay, so first of all, I'm NOT an ordained minister. I did have a local minister's license when I thought it was my path to follow and be a full time youth pastor, but it wasn't to be, and I moved on. There's the whole concept, philsophy or theology of all believers being priests jointly, but I want to make it absolutely clear that I'm not a minister or pastor in the common place use of the term, right?

The "RevGroove" handle comes from what I do on the bass; groove. I love playing the bass...I don't get time outside of gigs and church to play nearly enough. THAT'S going to change this week...but that's a different blog. My main joy in playing bass is when I'm with a good drummer and/or rhythm section, just laying it down in the pocket. I don't play a lot of flashy arpeggios, I'm not a virtuoso, I just like to groove. Those are skills that I aspire to, but the most important thing to me, playing the bass guitar, is the groove...

...I'm reading "The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music" by Vic Wooten, one of the great virtuosos on bass. It's really re-inforcing the importance of the groove. When I'm finished, I'll devote a whole blog to a review most likely.

So, I'm going to log off for now...I have a lot to do. Starting the scratch tracks for my demo (the aforementioned source material for a future blog), PLUS I need to lay tracks for a project my brother-in-law is working on (much fun!) and prepare to leave for a gig in Montreal on Friday sometime.

But no worries...I'll be back soon...



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Now playing: J Moss - Operator (Album Version)
via FoxyTunes