Red Hot SampleTank Trons at the Grammys

[Squids]

I am in LA right now and I've got some more Squids Stories if you're interested in living vicariously through the "almost like a movie" events I seem to stumble upon now and then. Plus just info about who is using what IK/Sonic Reality product in the music biz... I am here to report!

I am over at Ocean Way setting up a new Sonic Reality/Ocean Way Drums demo room and it is really cool! You know what's weird? East West's office/studio is right down the street (practically next door!). Bizarre. Anyway, Chris who plays keys on the side of the stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers just came by to pick up some of my SampleTank tron sounds (that you may have in Sonik Synth and/or Squids Tron Collection) which he is going to use next Sunday for their performance at the Grammys (and then on the rest of the tour). It's a similar thing to the Rolling Stones where there's a rock band playing the good old analog stuff but there's someone on the side or behind the stage with the computers and keyboards... I call it the Wizard of Oz gig and I've had some of those. Mike McKnight who I worked with a little bit sampling for Madonna has the ULTIMATE Wiz Rig. He's now UNDER the stage with practically a whole midi studio. You can ask him about it in his column in Keyboard "Ask Mike".

Anyway, there have been some fun adventures. I got to meet Richard Lewis who was there and he's very nice. I even made HIM laugh which was awesome. Did you guys know I have this thing about wanting to do a stand up comic routine? I don't want to be a comedian or anything but life is short and I like to try everything (sample everyhing) so one of these days I may do an open mic or something. Did you know Rick Wakeman does stand up? It's true! I haven't seen it though.

What else do I gots... I met a girl who has a band called "Tastiskank". Now THAT is a band name. It's like a female Tenacious D I think. But, it added the adventure.

I am doing some cool sample sessions while I am here. I can't say what but I will say that it IS vintage.

That's it for now. Squids reporting to you from Los Angeles.

[manytone]

LA will do that to ya

Cool stuff Squids.

[BERFAB]

I would pay good money to see you and Rick Wakeman on the same bill at the Laugh Factory. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Great stuff Squids...

-B

[Kim Lajoie]

-Kim.

[Sequent]

Squids at the Grannies.

Go and have an In 'n' Out Burger for me, will ya? That's the first thing I wanna do next time I'm in L.A. land.

[Mr. Tunes]

hey squids, does jon brion use your tron samples?

[Caleb]

You always tell great stories Squids.

About the closest I get in Melbourne is running into Tim Rogers the lead singer of "You Am I" in a local newsagency buying a paper. We must have had the same newsagency for a while because I saw him there a couple of times.

Unfortunately, I make the world's worst star-f**ker. All I could think was that he looked exactly as scruffy as he does everywhere else. I never really followed the band much anyway.

I might have a different reaction if I had a chance to meet Tori Amos. So far, just seen her in concert. Have you ever run into her in your travels Squids?

That said - you don't just meet these people, you get to work with them quite often. For me, it would be an amazing and surreal experience to work with artists I have enormous respect for. Of course, if I had any chance at all for that I'd have to have some sort of talent/notoriety myself.....yeah right! Somehow I don't think being KvR member 1061 really cuts it.

Regards
Caleb

[Kim Lajoie]

Well, I shook hands with the Evermore dudes out the back of the MUSE concert last Tuesday.

-Kim.

[Squids]

Squids at the Grannies.

Go and have an In 'n' Out Burger for me, will ya? That's the first thing I wanna do next time I'm in L.A. land.

You know, I was thinking about that when I drove by. I try only eat things here that I know I can only get here. I prefer Tommy's though because their horribly sloppy chili burger is just oddly fantastic!

[Squids]

hey squids, does jon brion use your tron samples?

Well, back in the day I brought a Mellotron and of all things a Sequential Prophet 3000 with tron samples to use on Aimee Mann's "Whatever" record at Tony Berg's studio (Tony produced Squeeze, Edie Brickell, Michael Penn...). But, Jon himself I don't think uses digital samplers oddly enough. He is quoted saying "Jon Brion is afraid of computers".

Some of these guys are old school and it takes some doing to get them to cross over into computer music stuff. However, I have gotten Tom Waits and recently Brian Kehew (long time friend and collaborator with Jon and even took over the Fiona Apple gig on her last album) to get into computer music tools based around Squids Tron, SampleTank and Miroslav (the incentive). It is only a matter of time before Jon caves in. Haha. I haven't talked to him in a while though so maybe he finally has by now.

[Mr. Tunes]

hey squids, does jon brion use your tron samples?

Well, back in the day I brought a Mellotron and of all things a Sequential Prophet 3000 with tron samples to use on Aimee Mann's "Whatever" record at Tony Berg's studio (Tony produced Squeeze, Edie Brickell, Michael Penn...). But, Jon himself I don't think uses digital samplers oddly enough. He is quoted saying "Jon Brion is afraid of computers".

Some of these guys are old school and it takes some doing to get them to cross over into computer music stuff. However, I have gotten Tom Waits and recently Brian Kehew (long time friend and collaborator with Jon and even took over the Fiona Apple gig on her last album) to get into computer music tools based around Squids Tron, SampleTank and Miroslav (the incentive). It is only a matter of time before Jon caves in. Haha. I haven't talked to him in a while though so maybe he finally has by now.

ah interesting. i was asking cause this weekend i was writing some demo music for a tv spot and i was using some tracks from jon's I Heart Huckabees score as sort of temp music/inspiration. the SR trons inside soniksynth 2 and the melloT refill are great for that quirky sound. it's sort of spooky yet realistic at the same time. all i can say is the sound of those trons layered is simply infectious

i actually first found out about what the tron is from posting a snippet of a john medeski song on this forum a few years ago and you told me that i already had a tron on my computer (you put a tron violin patch in the Misc. Keys section of the Sonic Synth1 collection).

[Squids]

Now back to regular music-related stuff. Today Allen is over at Capitol recording Mary J Blidge with an 85 piece orchestra live (including vocals)! I may stop by just to see that because it sounds amazing. There is some kind of Grammy fashion thing going on at Ocean Way this week... you know, I should take pictures to add a little something here. I need to charge my camera up. Jack's room will blow your mind. Gear fest.

[telebunke]

nobody loves me more than my piano

That's a good one for a song title

tele

[manytone]

The Debbie Gibson thing was years ago when I crashed the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary backstage party. I borrowed someone from HBO's pass to get back there and I had "a moment" with Debbie where I felt I could have asked her out. I forget why I didn't.

Perhaps lucky for us then, as with your "Sample Everything" Moto, there just might have ended up being a Debbie Gibson Vocal expansion Tank.

[Caleb]

Cool stories Squids - I didn't realise that my comments were going to lead to a foiled dating history.

I'm still trying to imagine someone like Brooke Shields walking up to someone and asking them if they need a hand moving a heavy instrument. I'm also trying to imagine you innocently chatting her up before you realised who she was.

Regards
Caleb