| Pics & Ramblings by Debbi J. Needham |
Cool Halloween Adventure Books for Young Adults! Buy my cool Kid - Adventure Series! Adventures in Times Book Series by Debbi J. Needham GO TO: amazon.com, djneedham.com GO TO: OrchardHousePress.com |
| All Writing & Photos by Debbi J. Needham C.2000-2010. Please safeguard intellectual property by citing author &source. If you want to reuse or reprint a photo, please contact me. |
skyclyde.com
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| Hells Kitchen Tacoma 4-24-10 |
| Public Image Limited ShowBox, Seattle, 4-20-10 |
| Tony V's, Everett, 4-24-10 |
| Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine Showbox, Seattle 12-30-09 |
| Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine Showbox, Seattle 12-30-09 |
| The Fun Police Shows Tiger Lounge, Seattle, 3-13-10 O'Malley's, Tacoma - 4-17-10 Tony V's, Everett, 4-24-10 Chihuahua's, Auburn 5-5-10 |
| Public Image Limited ShowBox, Seattle, 4-20-10 |
| SugarFixx Bob's Java Jive, Tacoma 4-24-10 |
| My Life in Black & White Hells Kitchen, Tacoma 4-24-10c |
| __________________________________________ Want me to take Pics of your Band's next show? I'd be willing to come out for free cover and a donation offer! Email me! _____________________________________ |
NORTHWEST MUSIC SCENE - my blogs about live music in the NW!
First published Early Fall, September 20, 2010 - republished 2011 by D. Needham
Rock Band 101
My experiences creating my rock band from scratch!
Rock Band 101
My experiences creating my rock band from scratch!
| Past Blogs |
| Voxxy Vallejo Hell's Kitchen, Tacoma, 7-2-10 |
| Voxxy Vallejo Hells Kitchen Tacoma 7-2-10 |
| New! See Klondike Kate - My band |
KLONDIKE KATE! premiered at Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma on August 10th, 2010. Ever since
then, Jeff Millar, Jose Sanchez, and I have been rockin' all over the Northwest.
How'd we do it? What advice would I give a new band just starting out?
Back in February 2010, Jeff & I met at a local house party. We hit it off immediately and
decided right them we wanted to start a band. He was tired of squeezing on stage with a big
band, and I wanted to play in my own band.
We needed a place to practice without bothering the neighbors. So in no more than a
week and weekend, we kicked my chickens out of their chicken coop and turned my
backyard shed into a jam pad, soundproofing it with sound board and insulation. Then we
practiced all the time, but mostly just jamming, not writing complete songs. My breakthrough
in composing came after learning to play the song Gimme Gimme by Black Flag. I downloaded
the tabs from the internet and played it on all instruments; drums, bass and guitar. The
process clicked. From then on Jeff and I wrote a dozen songs and practiced every day.
Playing our first and second gigs was a tremendous learning experience. It was different
from practice. I learned what to do the hard way. Jeff might have known a bit more than me
- and he'd probably tell you he told me so - but this was my first time gigging in my own band,
and I had to learn it all myself. For one, I learned that you have to have the right equipment
to gig live, and it has to be reliable. A guitar tuner on stage is a necessity. Also bring a
back-up guitar just in case a string breaks - and by all means - control your live sound. Don't
just rely on the venue's sound man.
Our second gig was a mess. We didn't have a direct input box so Jeff couldn't use one of his
electric-acoustic guitars, so he used his only electric guitar and a string broke. At that same
gig, we couldn't hear each other's instruments because the sound-man was also cooking
burgers. He didn't place the monitor anywhere near my drum set, so I watched Jeff for the
changes in the songs. We played half a song 'off' throughout the remainder of our "shortened"
set. The memory still burns my ears. From then on, we learned to set up our own equipment
so it sounds good in many different scenarios.
We met bass player, Jose Sanchez, in the Summer of 2011. We practiced like crazy with him
throughout the summer, gigging live all the time, and our sound changed a bit and our stage
act progressed. We keep evolving as a group, and our collaborative minds create a crazy stage
show. Needless to say, the process is continuous and we have an absolute blast. We've had
some awesome gigs and some not-so-great ones, we've argued as a bandmates, but remained
focused on the band. We keep learning and having fun. Good luck to you & don't give up!
then, Jeff Millar, Jose Sanchez, and I have been rockin' all over the Northwest.
How'd we do it? What advice would I give a new band just starting out?
Back in February 2010, Jeff & I met at a local house party. We hit it off immediately and
decided right them we wanted to start a band. He was tired of squeezing on stage with a big
band, and I wanted to play in my own band.
We needed a place to practice without bothering the neighbors. So in no more than a
week and weekend, we kicked my chickens out of their chicken coop and turned my
backyard shed into a jam pad, soundproofing it with sound board and insulation. Then we
practiced all the time, but mostly just jamming, not writing complete songs. My breakthrough
in composing came after learning to play the song Gimme Gimme by Black Flag. I downloaded
the tabs from the internet and played it on all instruments; drums, bass and guitar. The
process clicked. From then on Jeff and I wrote a dozen songs and practiced every day.
Playing our first and second gigs was a tremendous learning experience. It was different
from practice. I learned what to do the hard way. Jeff might have known a bit more than me
- and he'd probably tell you he told me so - but this was my first time gigging in my own band,
and I had to learn it all myself. For one, I learned that you have to have the right equipment
to gig live, and it has to be reliable. A guitar tuner on stage is a necessity. Also bring a
back-up guitar just in case a string breaks - and by all means - control your live sound. Don't
just rely on the venue's sound man.
Our second gig was a mess. We didn't have a direct input box so Jeff couldn't use one of his
electric-acoustic guitars, so he used his only electric guitar and a string broke. At that same
gig, we couldn't hear each other's instruments because the sound-man was also cooking
burgers. He didn't place the monitor anywhere near my drum set, so I watched Jeff for the
changes in the songs. We played half a song 'off' throughout the remainder of our "shortened"
set. The memory still burns my ears. From then on, we learned to set up our own equipment
so it sounds good in many different scenarios.
We met bass player, Jose Sanchez, in the Summer of 2011. We practiced like crazy with him
throughout the summer, gigging live all the time, and our sound changed a bit and our stage
act progressed. We keep evolving as a group, and our collaborative minds create a crazy stage
show. Needless to say, the process is continuous and we have an absolute blast. We've had
some awesome gigs and some not-so-great ones, we've argued as a bandmates, but remained
focused on the band. We keep learning and having fun. Good luck to you & don't give up!
Hells Kitchen in Tacoma, in