Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Now let's see if we can populate this event:

Back row (L-R) we have Gene Schillaci (Squirebass), Randy Zimmerman (randyz), and Alan Elson (Alan). Front row (L-R) we have Robert Fougerousse (Drzoom) and Michael Williams (Emjayw)

And another:

It was great fun meeting fellow Forumites Alan, Michael, Robert and Gene and getting to see some great RIC guitars in action.

I hate to admit it, but I brought a black Teardrop 9-string, and I only played it before the jam session to try out a certain jangly effects box that Michael has a thing for. Now I can see why. It really nails the Byrds' sound on a 360-12. Maybe next time I'll come prepared to play one of my Ricks.

As event organizer, Robert had everything set-up by the time I arrived. Although he had trouble keeping the papers from blowing out of the music stand, he kept the show moving while singing and playing his new 660-12 MG. I especially enjoyed the psychedelic snarl of his Jeff Beck solo on 'Shapes Of Things' (played on a Strat).

Michael is a veritable human riff machine. I'm convinced that he could pull off a masterful cover of any song played on 60/70's oldies radio. He has obviously spent a lot of time working out every detail of Roger McGuinn's solo picking on his 360-12 MG. An obvious stickler for detail, his guitars were perfectly set-up and his song sheets were bound and laminated.

Alan chose to stay in the background, sitting close by his Ampeg rig, with his favorite MG Rick bass. Although some of the numbers were unfamiliar, he is a very fast learner and seemed comfortable playing whatever came along. At the end of one number there was a long sustaining bass note that vibrated the room. Robert turned around and said something like, "Wow, is that your bass?". To which Alan stated matter-of-factly, "Yes. It's a Rickenbacker."

Gene showed up a little later, and brought as many guitars as the rest of us put together. He also brought a small Rickenbacker amp and his keyboard. At first he added vocals, keyboards, and even attempted some harmonica playing. Later he settled into playing his Monty 350V on a couple of Byrds tunes.

Drumming and additional bass duties were handled by a couple of Robert's friends. Alan was kind enough to loan out his JG Rick bass for the evening. In doing so, I think he helped convert yet another player over to the RIC side.

The songs for the evening including many from The Beatles, The Byrds, and The Animals. I was particularly impressed by their rendition of 'Ferry Cross The Mersey'. With a 660-12 and two basses playing in unison behind Michael on lead vocals and his 360-12, it sounded much more powerful than Gerry and The Pacemakers. It was in fact very heavy and menacing. Perhaps it should be retitled 'Great White Shark Prowling The Mersey' when they play it. It was very cool!

Although I was tempted to get up and join them, I was enjoying the show too much. Both Michael and Robert try very hard to match the style of the original artists. I'm not sure they would like my style that seems a little less reverent and a lot sloppier. Although I favor sixties tunes, I tend to play them faster and louder. I suppose the place where our styles cross would be on the jangly Byrds stuff.

Let's plan on doing this again!

Great recap Randy. Next time we'll do a few of 'em R-A-N-D-Y style! Mike

Yes, that was a great recap Randy - except my name is not Robert, it is Richard.

Richard

Thanks for the recap and pictures, folks!

Robert: Sorry about that. Ooops! I mean Richard... (I'm terrible with names)

And on that suspenseful note, we draw this exciting episode of Rickenbackers in Dallas to a close.

Don't touch that dial!.....

Sorry I couldn't make it, guys and gals. A raging earache took me out of the game for the night. Sidelined due to injury.

But I am now off the IR and ready to play, coach. Any chance of a second opportunity?

I have some time... I might see if there is any place here in the Richardson area where a bunch of folks get together.

Any other suggestions as to location?

I just talked to the business manager at the high school where I am a teacher, and he said we could use the school assembly room next Saturday, a week from tomorrow. This is The Highlands School in Irving. Would you guys be up for this, and if so would it be better on Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening? This session would be a little bigger than the one we had last week, because I have about 8 other guys wanting to come in response to my ad on Craigslist.com
Here is the link http://dallas.craigslist.org/muc/354913178.html
I would like to put together a band to play Friday and Saturday night gigs locally around the DFW Metroplex area. This would probably be a five piece band with another guitarist, a bassplayer, a drummer, and a keyboard man, and presumably one of these would also be a lead vocalist. My idea is to play exclusively music of the sixties, and call the band something like The Time Warp, to indicate that our niche is to play specifically music from that period. I don't harbor any illusions about making it big. My objectives are modest, and I think, realistic. I'd like to gig about eight times a month (every Friday and Saturday night) and net at least $100.00 per man per night. I could use the extra $800.00 per month. We would have to start as a cover band and quickly work up a repertoire of about sixty songs, and then we could gradually add some original numbers into the set lists. We would have to retain a booking agency to keep us booked that regularly and pay them about 10%+. It would probably involve playing at anything from frat parties to bars, but I'm hoping that musical niche would attract some business from the boomer generation to play at some nicer places too. Another reason I want to limit the repertoire to the sixties is because those are the songs I already know, so it would be a relatively quick thing to work up a repertoire of sixty songs and start gigging, whereas if I had to slowly and painfully learn newer songs one by one, it would take forever to work up a repertoire big enough to gig with, and I'm just not willing to do that. I am 55 years old, I can play lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and sing back-up vocals and harmony, but I am not much in the way of lead vocals.

Also, I am a family man, so I am not interested in the cliche'd rock 'n roll lifestyle of sex, drugs, and whatever, although I am known to down a few beers on occasion. I am not interested in playing heavy metal with Satanic lyrics, or anything with explicitly obscene lyrics. So that's me in a nutshell, and that's what I'm trying to do. If you are interested in this, e-mail me and we'll see if we have any musical chemistry.

So if any of you guys might be interested in joining a band like this, or if you just want to jam, either way is fine. So Saturday, June 30, evening or afternoon, which is better?

Richard

Here is a tentative song list I'm working on:

Song List

Kinks 1. You Really Got Me
2. All Day and All of the Night
3. Tired of Waiting
4. I Need You
5. Till the End of the Day
6. Set Me Free

Jimi Hendrix 6. Purple Haze
7. Hey Joe
8. Fire
9. You Got Me Floatin’
10.Little Miss Lover
Foxy Lady

The Yardbirds 11. Train Kept a Rollin’
12. Heart Full of Soul
13. For Your Love
14. Shapes of Things
15. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
Over Under Sideways Down

Cream 16. I Feel Free
17. I’m So Glad
18. N.S.U.
19. Sunshine of Your Love

John Mayall
(with Eric Clapton) 18. All Your Love
19. Little Girl

Santana 20. Oye Como Va

Zombies 21. Tell Her No
22. Time of the Season

Rolling Stones 23. Jumping Jack Flash
24. Get Off My Cloud
25. Time is on my Side
Heart of Stone
The Last Time

The Beatles 26. Taxman
27. Revolution
I Call Your Name
Eight Days a Week
You Can’t Do That
I’m a Loser
Nowhere Man
You Really Got a Hold on Me

George Gershwin 28. Summertime (slow bluesy arrangement)

The Boxtops 29. The Letter

Manfred Mann 30. Do Wah Diddy Diddy

Gerry and the Pacemakers 31. Ferry Cross the Mersey
32. Don’t Let the Sun

The Animals 33. We Gotta Get Out of This Place
34. House of the Rising Sun
Bring It On Home to Me
It’s My Life

Chad and Jeremy 35. Summer Song

The Kingsmen 36. Louie Louie

Soul Music/R & B 37. I Feel Good
38. Knock on Wood
39. Good Golly Miss Molly/Devil with the Blue Dress On
40. Hold On I’m Comin’
41. Get Outta My Life Why Don’t Ya Babe, You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On

The Doors 42. Light My Fire

Unknown 43. Since I Fell for You
44. All These Things
45. Time Won’t Let Me
46. G-L-O-R-I-A
Lies

Paul Revere and the Raiders 47. Kicks

Jeff Beck 48. Rock My Plimsoul

The Hollies 49. Carrie Anne

Peter and Gordon 50. I Go to Pieces

Roy Orbison Pretty Woman

The Searchers Needles and Pins

B.B. King The Thrill is Gone

Iron Butterfly In A Gadda da Vida

Proud Mary

The Who I Can See for Miles

The Byrds Hey Mr. Tambourine Man
Turn! Turn! Turn!

Steppenwolf Born to Be Wild

Dave Clark Five Glad All Over
Because

Wow! That's quite a list. I'll try and be there. Can't promise anything yet, but I'll try. Afternoon or evening should be okay. Mike

Hey, that sounds good. If given a choice, afternoon would be better for me, but I'll go either way. It was fun the first time, bound to be even better the next time. Looking foward to another happy gathering. Alan

Either time, Richard, although Saturday night would be better for us church going folks...

As I told you before, I am interested in a serious gig type thing. I know it didn't work out the other night but I can send you via email a little more musical info about myself with abilities etc...

Let me know and I will do my best. You are on the calendar with Sat or Sun first weekend of July