[Brian Krashpad]

Had a long church band practice Saturday, 90 minutes for 5 songs for service, then a short break and a couple hours for a special welcome back for the college kids in a couple weeks, the latter is originals by my band director, so I guess that makes another band I'm in. It's me on bass, a drummer, and the band director on keys or guitar, and vocals. VERY different than anything I've ever played before, and challenging as a bassist. His songs are much more complex, especially rhythmically and time-signature-wise. He wants to play clubs sometime eventually.

The service Sunday morning went very well, I thought. We did an amped-up version of the ol' campfire/VBS song "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love." It ended with an 8-bar electric guitar rock solo on my Rickenbacker. Everybody who said anything to us directly said it was good, including even a member of the handbell choir (!). We'll see if the higher-ups got any complaints from elsewhere though. There are a lot of old cranky people there who are eventually going to have to figure out they need to go to the early service if the notion of a rock guitar, or drums and bass, in church is a problem for them The new vicar said we surprised him with the ending but also that he liked it. There were a lot of college kids there (UF starts today), so I'm glad we did some rocking songs.

We're crammed into a space that's not really meant for a band, and play through a PA (well, I keep my guitar out of the PA actually) not meant to handle anything but sermons, but we're tweaking weekly and it's really starting to come together. I bought a little Fender Super Champ XD (small combo amp with a 10" speaker) that I use as my stage monitor, and then line that out into my PA head I use with my 1x15" bass cab (this is in front of me and pointed away from me, so I can't really here it without a monitor).

As usual, I played one song on mandolin. Still kinda freaks me out that I'm teaching myself mando in front of 200-300 people each week, haha. The mando goes straight to the PA head (different channel than the line out from the Champ) so that I can switch instruments with no unplugging. Also since the mando is acoustic-electric I don't need a monitor like I do with my guitars.

DId some back-to-school shopping after church Sunday, got lunch boxes, a bike lock (Jack is going to ride to his bus stop), and I fixed the chain on Jack's bike, which he had gotten more boogered up than I have ever seen a bike chain. Put the vanity in the master bath and shimmed it, but haven't secured it to the wall yet. Will be glad when the master bath renovation is done.

Getting closer.

What about y'all?

[emeraldwilly]

slow forum is slow. love the v dude. mandolin is for

[emeraldwilly]

hooters

[Brian Krashpad]

Mandolin is for hooters?

You mean The Hooters?

I'm pretty sure mandolins have been around for a bit longer than that.

:winkx: