tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69645764944171114012024-03-13T10:25:53.379-04:00Bill Berends - music, guitars & more...Visit www.billberends.com for more information.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-72130892219461348372012-10-09T13:03:00.000-04:002012-10-09T13:54:12.629-04:00New solo album: In My Dreams I Can Fly !!!I'm not sure who may see this since I'm not on here very often, but I would like to announce that I have finally <i>finished</i> my album of guitar instrumentals! The reason I set up this blog in the first place.
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Rather than go the traditional route of finding a record label, I want to bring the music directly to you, but I need your help. I am now taking pre-orders on <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/" target="_NEW">Kickstarter</a> to raise the funds to get the CD pressed.
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The album is called <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/bill-berends-solo-album-in-my-dreams-i-can-fly" target="_NEW">In My Dreams I Can Fly</a> and features 12 brand new original instrumental works for electric guitar. Sort of in the vein of Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson perhaps, but with my own style and substance.
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There are two videos on Kickstarter that feature sound clips from the album and a bit of a presentation by yours truly. The one down at the bottom seems to be getting the most interest, so please, stop by and have a listen. And, if you could, help me get the word out by sharing this link where you can… forums, music blogs, facebook, myspace, anyplace. The funding drive ends at Midnight, November 5th, 2012 so there isn’t a whole lot of time!! Thanks.
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/" target="_NEW">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/</a>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/bill-berends-solo-album-in-my-dreams-i-can-fly" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" TARGET="_NEW"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://mastermindband.com/graphics/kickstarter-box1.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>
This is an all-or-nothing proposition with Kickstarter, so your money is not at risk. I either reach my goal and the CD gets pressed, or I don't, in which case you won't be charged. I really hope you can help me bring it to fruition by placing a pre-order now. I think it’s a great album that Mastermind fans can enjoy, but it’s good for classic blues rockers as well, and certainly for guitar enthusiasts! For prog fans I am pleased mention I have Jason Gianni of the Neal Morse band helping me out on drums for this record and Jason kicks ass!
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I really hope I can get the CD out to you THIS year because this is a very important record for me. After this album gets released there will be a new Mastermind album coming, possibly next year, but a lot depends on if I can get this new album funded, so I am asking for your help. Thanks for reading and go check it out!
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/" target="_NEW">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/</a>
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Thanks!!<br>
Bill<br>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-36668835335009153532012-03-28T08:17:00.001-04:002012-03-28T08:19:11.519-04:002012 already?!Wow... it's been a long time since I've even logged in here. Is it really 2012 already?! Damn. I have so many places on the web this one kind of got put on the back burner. Sorry about that. To keep up with my current activities, bookmark my home page which is easy enough to recall if you can remember my name... <a HREF="http://billberends.com" TARGET="_NEW">billberends.com</A><br />
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Go check it out now! Actually, check it out in a few days, I plan to do some news and updates in April. I am falling woefully behind on the virtual world I'm afraid. You can friend me on Facebook for quick updates and the odd joke or political rant, but I am trying to keep that in check these days. I really just want to concentrate on music now, but you can usually find me there... <a HREF="http://facebook.com/billberends" TARGET="_NEW">facebook.com/billberends</A><br />
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Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Lots more music coming in 2012. Also, believe it or not, 2012 is the <b>25th Anniversary of <a HREF="http://mastermindband.com" TARGET="_NEW">MASTERMIND</A></b> (!) so I plan to do something special for that. Not sure what yet, but check in from time to time to find out. We do have a new album in the works, but it may be a while before it's completed. Perhaps later this year. <br />
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My own solo album of guitar instrumentals which I promised some time ago is finally in the final stages of mixing now. Everything takes longer than I'd like, but I think it was worth the wait. I am really very pleased with it and plan to get it out there somehow in 2012.<br />
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Below is some recent video from another band I play with that does a Mahavishnu Orchestra trip. Good fun. Lots more video on my youtube page which is (wait for it)... <a HREF="http://youtube.com/billberends" TARGET="_NEW">youtube.com/billberends</A> :)<br />
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<iframe width="425" height="264" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Om1wa2_4P2E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Otherwise things are okay. My health has been pretty good (knock on wood), I think my playing has improved, and I've written a lot of new music. Some of my best if I do say so myself! Now getting it recorded and out into the world is the primary goal. It's a different world now, but hang in there, I will get this stuff released somehow. I promise.<br />
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A couple of live shows coming up too. Visit my <a HREF="http://billberends.com/schedule.html" TARGET="_NEW">schedule page</A> for when and where. I expect fewer live gigs this year as I concentrate more on recording, but anything is possible. Besides my own projects, I am also collaborating with some other folks. More about that soon. So, all in all, still kicking it out and looking forward to a productive year ahead.<br />
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Thanks for visiting!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-74008904542248304102010-10-29T01:15:00.002-04:002010-10-29T07:12:54.789-04:00Extended jams...A couple extended jams from recent gigs...<br />
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<object height="264" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tJ7CItgrGSY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tJ7CItgrGSY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br />
<b>Steppin Out</b> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ7CItgrGSY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ7CItgrGSY</a><br />
A long time favorite jam w/ guitar & drum duet a la Cream<br />
Another version playing the Firebird can be found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLaGL_6E450">here</a><br />
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<object height="264" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjnwZGrt5co&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjnwZGrt5co&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br />
<b>N.S.U.</b> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjnwZGrt5co">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ7CItgrGSY</a><br />
Another favorite Cream tune (by Jack Bruce)Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-19251707182677552472010-10-22T19:38:00.001-04:002010-10-29T04:23:50.406-04:00Old skool...Recent bar gig video - Country Lakes Pub NJ (Oct. 9th, 2010)<br />
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<b>Snowy Wood</b> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMHl9PC_KxQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMHl9PC_KxQ</a><br />
From John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers "Crusade" featuring Mick Taylor<br />
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<object height="264" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i2I8Vax2g-c&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i2I8Vax2g-c&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br />
Hideaway <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2I8Vax2g-c">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2I8Vax2g-c</a><br />
A Freddy King classicBill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-90250056151445006972010-07-30T01:20:00.002-04:002010-07-30T01:22:00.290-04:00Recent interviews 2010...A selection of new interviews...<br />
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<a href="http://billsprogblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/10-questions-withbill-berends.html" TARGET="_NEW">10 Questions with... Bill Berends</a><br />
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<a href="http://usaprogmusic.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=373&Itemid=45" TARGET="_NEW">USA Prog Music interview</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.virtuosityone.com/mastermind_int.htm" TARGET="_NEW">Virtuosity One interview</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8620" TARGET="_NEW">Ytsejam interview</a><br />
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Enjoy!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-71711247389823511252010-06-23T18:32:00.003-04:002010-06-23T18:35:41.224-04:00Outside Woman Bluesmore home movies...<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xw46_yZF04" TARGET="_NEW">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xw46_yZF04</a>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-77443159262169381412010-06-21T21:42:00.002-04:002010-06-21T21:46:20.998-04:00See My WayBerends Bros Band rehearsal home movie<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cE7rh4FBW0A">http://www.youtube.com/v/cE7rh4FBW0A</a>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-72937281484650202602010-04-24T01:56:00.003-04:002010-04-24T06:18:18.159-04:001963 Gibson SG JuniorSomeone sneaked a camcorder into a Berends Bro's rehearsal while I was trying out my buddy's gorgeous vintage 1963 Gibson SG Junior... <br /><br /><object width="425" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QLIL89VZHZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QLIL89VZHZY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="264"></embed></object><br /><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLIL89VZHZY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLIL89VZHZY</A><P>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-27941863706168052392010-03-04T04:21:00.005-05:002010-03-04T04:27:02.825-05:00Insomnia reviews!Lots of nice reviews coming in for the new Mastermind album! Check them out <a href="http://mastermindband.com/reviews.html">here</a> then purchase a copy in the <a href="http://mastermindband.com/store">Mastermind Store</a>. Thanks!<br /><br />I hope you enjoy it! Let us know.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-55827449969870463152010-01-28T00:24:00.003-05:002010-01-28T00:28:03.456-05:00First Insomnia reviewThe first review of the new Mastermind "<a href="http://mastermindband.com/insomnia.html">Insomnia</a>" album is online... I was quite pleased! Hopefully others will notice this album and share some of these sentiments. Mastermind deserves a wider audience!<br /><br /><style> BODY {font-family="Microsoft Sans Serif"} TT {font-family="Fixedsys"} BLOCKQUOTE.CITE {padding-left:0.5em; margin-left:0; margin-right:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; border-left:"solid 2";} SPAN.TABOOHEADER {display=none} </style><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.imhotep.no/?did=9095929&aid=9069486" TARGET="_NEW"">http://www.imhotep.no/?did=9095929&aid=9069486</a></u></span><br /><br />Nice.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-1649053268794303582009-12-18T03:54:00.005-05:002009-12-18T04:06:20.713-05:00MASTERMIND signs with LION MUSIC!!!Hey, today is my birthday! Yay me!! I have chosen this auspicious occasion to make a very big announcement…<br /><br />MASTERMIND has signed with LION MUSIC (Finland) to release the long awaited INSOMNIA album!! The album will be released on February 19th 2010. Featuring Tracy McShane (vocals), myself (guitars, synths, bass), my brother Rich (drums), and Jens Johansson (keyboards), I am really happy to finally see this album get released properly.<br /><br />Read more here: <a href="http://mastermindband.com/blog/?p=30">http://mastermindband.com/blog/?p=30</a><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://lionmusic.com/">lionmusic.com</a> for more information about the release.<br /><br />Happy birthday indeed! A wonderful way to start a new year!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-10019840683482440042009-12-17T01:54:00.005-05:002009-12-17T02:03:40.496-05:00Strings on Fire updateI was pleased to see I made <a href="http://truthinshredding.blogspot.com/2009/11/news-strings-on-fire-my-top-31.html" target="_NEW">the first cut</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span> in the Strings on Firecontest. Like I've said before, I don't take these contests seriously in the competitive sense and certainly don't consider myself a state-of-the-art shredder, but it feels nice anyway. Cool.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-47301734127688792262009-11-23T23:23:00.008-05:002009-11-23T23:36:50.167-05:00Firebird Strings On FireAnother take of the Strings On Fire track (see previous entry) playing what else? The mighty Gibson Firebird V... there's nothing else like it!<br /><br /><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXXr4d7SgBE" TARGET="_NEW">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXXr4d7SgBE</A><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXXr4d7SgBE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXXr4d7SgBE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-29807603514947407252009-11-22T22:20:00.012-05:002009-11-23T23:34:59.620-05:00Strings On FireHere's another video for <A HREF="http://truthinshredding.blogspot.com" TARGET="_NEW">Truth In Shredding</A>. I don't take the <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srKWOD9j6aY" TARGET="_NEW">contest</a> aspect of it too seriously, but enjoy the challenge of playing over the unfamiliar. Kind of rough & tumble... I just got home from a bar gig and decided to give it a shot before the deadline, so in just under the wire. If it wasn't for the last minute nothing would get done. Enjoy!<br /><br /><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8Q32t_h7w" TARGET="_NEW">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8Q32t_h7w</A><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nf8Q32t_h7w&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nf8Q32t_h7w&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-80670979571950885792009-09-30T20:51:00.015-04:002009-09-30T21:21:26.567-04:00Early Mastermind albumsThe early Mastermind albums are now streaming at bandcamp.com. If you aren't familiar with these I encourage you to go listen. Progressive rock power trio with lots of blazing guitar & guitar synthesizers. Enjoy!<br /><br /><b><a href="http://mastermind.bandcamp.com/album/mastermind-volume-one"><img src="http://bandcamp.com/files/62/33/623304320-1.jpg"> MASTERMIND Volume One</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://mastermind.bandcamp.com/album/mastermind-volume-two-brainstorm"><img src="http://bandcamp.com/files/10/53/1053119954-1.jpg"> MASTERMIND Volume Two "Brainstorm"</a></b><br /><br />My playing & writing has evolved over the years, but I think these recordings have stood the test of time. As you might expect, all the guitar is my '68 Gibson SG and Marshall JCM800. More to come!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-10996234346919266082009-08-31T04:01:00.168-04:002009-08-31T23:47:57.731-04:00Shred this...I made this video for <a href="http://truthinshredding.blogspot.com/" target="_NEW">Truth in Shredding</a> which is a guitar-centric web site run by a fellow named Laurie Monk. It's for a guitar contest called "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQLnqpN3sW4" target="_NEW">Shred this...</a>" where a bunch of guys (and girls) play over a simple backing track and strut their stuff. The winner gets some kind of prize and bragging rights... maybe even a trophy!? lol ;) Actually, it's really mostly about networking, but it's a fun idea anyway.<br /><br />I've never entered a talent contest before for a plethora of reasons... so I looked at it as more of a challenge than a competition. Being involved with a community of guitarists seemed like a nice idea and I thought 'well, if I'm so cool I should be able to do this'... I also thought it would be a good way to launch my new youtube channel, or at least have something up on it for now anyway (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/billberends" target="_NEW">youtube.com/billberends</a>), so here it is, shred this....<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMroSLqbxd4" TARGET="_NEW">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMroSLqbxd4</a><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TMroSLqbxd4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed><br /><br />My real goal was to see if I could make some kind of video with the limited means available to me... i/e no video camera, so I rigged up a webcam and gave it a go. Some of the other entries are obviously overdubbed or punched in and that's not <span style="font-style: italic;">*truth*</span> in shredding as I see it, but I don't think there are actually any rules. I just plugged into my little Fender Champ and played straight thru, so it is what it is... me & my guitar in the wee hours, a little buzzed, and tired of dicking around with computers. But I had to make the deadline! Yes, I'm something of a slacker... if it wasn't for the last minute nothing would get done.<br /><br />As for shredding... I never really liked that term but have come to accept it in the vernacular. There are some interesting entries from what I've seen, then a slew of Satri-vai-howe type stuff. Pretty much what I think of when I hear the word shredding. I prefer a more natural stream of consciousness 'I-don't-practice-scales-all-day' kind of playing and was never big on two hand tapping, or what Frank Zappa referred to as "stunt guitar". I also like a more natural guitar sound with just a bit of tube grit and a touch of reverb. I just play a guitar like it was originally meant to be played... old skool. It is interesting to note I didn't see many other Gibson players. Mostly Ibanez & Strats.<br /><br />Anyway, it's a cool website with lots of guitar info, news, links, and players. The Shred This Competition is a good clean fun way to draw some attention to the site, so check it out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ps1:</span> Bb at the end of the video refers to the key of B-flat, *not* a guitar friendly key. That might explain the dodgy bits. :P<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ps2:</span> thanks to Cheryl <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/redhairedstepchild" target="_NEW">the flute mistress</a> for inspiring the webcam idea and posting often enough to get me off my butt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ps3:</span> if anyone wants to donate a digital video camera you'd see a lot more video from me! Seriously... just a thought. :)Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-2636468889358099122009-07-14T00:39:00.036-04:002009-07-23T00:00:43.810-04:00Session workA few months ago I mentioned on the <a href="http://mastermindband.com/blog" target="_NEW">Mastermind blog</a> I was up for for some studio collaborations. Studio production and recording is my day job so to speak, and outside of Mastermind I must've recorded and mixed a thousand bands in various studios including <a href="http://mastermindband.com/studio/" target="_NEW"> my own</a> over the past few decades. Now with the internet it's possible to work with people in distant places, so being somewhat behind the bleeding edge I am just now getting 'round to that sort of thing. Hooray for the interwebs! Here are some projects I've worked on recently...<br /><br />First up, a guitar solo I did for keyboard wiz kid Fab Muratori in Italy, aka <a href="http://www.myspace.com/fabshiver" target="_NEW">Fab Shiver</a>, on his tune called Streams. A nice mellow, new agey track, but with some smokin' soloing from both myself and Fab... a little bit in the vein of Mastermind's <a href="http://mastermindband.com/excelsior.html" target="_NEW">Excelsior!</A> perhaps. That may sound contradictory, but somehow it works. I like it and hope to be working with Fab again in the future. Go have a listen.<br /><br />I just finished some mixing, editing, and guitar work for <a href="http://www.lunamusika.com/blog/?p=3957" target="_NEW">Luna Jade</a>, a fantastic female singer in Florida. Here she's posted some preview clips of her tune called <a href="http://www.lunamusika.com/blog/?p=3957" target="_NEW">A Symphony of Angels</a> as mixed by yours truly. The editing involved was simply shortening and extending the track for radio or DJ use, but the composition and music is all Luna. I added some rhythm guitar as I heard it and a bit of a solo on the extended mix which turned out really nice. A fantastic tune, did I mention Luna can really sing? Go check her out.<br /><br />Currently I'm working on a few tracks for other artists (along with my own music) and I'll post links when they become available. If you would like to have me mix, master, produce, or play on one of your projects, get in touch and let's see what we can work out. My fees are quite reasonable and I enjoy taking on an interesting challenge.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-91010676118644329622009-06-13T01:33:00.025-04:002009-07-14T04:53:04.545-04:00It's that time of year againTruss rod adjustment time. It comes around twice a year in the Spring and Fall. Now the rainy season has been upon us for a few weeks the effects are starting to appear. I first noticed my long scale bass buzzing around the lower frets. Next, the Firebird was buzzing on the open D string and first fret. No coincidence as these two have the longest, slimmest necks of all my instruments. I haven't played either for a little while so the change seemed to come on somewhat dramatically. Huh?! WTF? Oh right... it's been raining for two weeks. I learned to recognized this effect early on in my guitar playing career, but it is still a pain in the butt if you pick up a guitar to play and there's a bzzzzz that wasn't there a few days ago.<br /><br />The reason for this is humidity of course. As it becomes consistently higher like it does near the Jersey shore (oppressively humid in the warm season), the wood in the neck and fingerboard begins to swell giving the neck a slight backward bow causing the strings to lengthen and lower. On my instruments with beefier 50's style necks like the SG Special and Melody Maker, the effect is less immediate. Even though my old '68 SG has quite a narrow neck, it is not as shallow as the slim 60's profile of the Firebird, so it may not need adjustment for a while. Haven't played the 335 in a week or so, but I'm sure it will be affected soon being a slim 60's profile.<br /><br />To the seasoned player all this surely comes as no surprise, but for the less experienced, you may just pick up your axe one day and go "huh? It played fine yesterday, wtf?" If your action is high you may never experience string buzzing, but it will affect your intonation regardless of the action. Since Gibson guitars have mahogany necks they may be more sensitive to humidity than hard maple necks which have tighter grain, thwarting humidity more effectively (I would imagine, you'd have to ask a Fender player).<br /><br />For some, making a truss rod adjustment themselves is unthinkable and prefer to take their axe to a pro for an adjustment. It really isn't that difficult! If you're even slightly serious about playing, you should learn this stuff. Also, when the truss rod is adjusted, quite often you'll need to tweak your bridge height and intonation as well. Although you would think in theory if the neck is tweaked back into position, the rest would fall back into place, that's not always the case. These adjustments are simple as well once you know how to do them. I would love to have a full time guitar tech to deal with this stuff, but not being the case I have always done all my own guitar work.<br /><br />To offer some advice from my experience, just be careful and go slowly. It often takes 12 to 24 hours for a truss rod tweak to take effect, so don't over do it! I usually find a quarter turn of the nut is enough, but on newer guitars which seem more susceptible to humidity changes, you may need a full half turn. But do it in two stages to be sure you don't go too far... quarter turn looser, maybe another quarter turn the next day if need be.<br /><br />If you are traveling or use your guitar in a lot of different places, sometimes you need to adjust more often. For years I just left the truss rod cover off of my SG and tweaked it as often as needed... but that is ugly I suppose and I've become more conscious of that in these times of vintage guitars and their 'purity' lol... be careful not to lose the little cover screws, they're a pain in the butt to find on the carpet and a hassle to get proper replacements.<br /><br />On a side note, Gibson guitars are a joy to adjust with a full size nut on the truss rod end. Asian imports (and Fenders) have allen key adjustments which are a royal pain... firstly, just finding the proper size allen wrench is a challenge (since different brands use different sizes) and, they are very easy to strip out. If your truss rod nut is really tight, chances are a steel wrench will easily strip out the soft brass bolt rendering it useless. Nightmare! Gibson TR nuts have greater surface area for a socket to grasp, sockets are more readily available in the average tool kit than metric allen keys (tho' you should carry one with your guitar), so yet another reason for my Gibson preference (Orville Gibson invented the truss rod FYI).<br /><br />To wrap this up, obviously in the Fall the opposite is true. As things dry out and your guitars are living in a drier, heated environment, the wood shrinks and you need to tighten the truss rod as the neck begins its bow forward. The symptoms of this are higher action and the intonation going out. Back to tweaking, I have recordings to make!<br /><br />Remember: righty tighty (Fall), lefty loosey (Spring)Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-42100629627142939162009-05-24T01:47:00.018-04:002009-07-14T02:09:48.620-04:00Kjaerhus VST pluginsJust a little tip for folks using VST plugins for digital recording. I use lots of them and have tried a million more it seems. I download all the free ones I can find to try out when I can find the time, but quite honestly most of them suck. For most people Waves is the gold standard of plugins and they do make some great (expensive) stuff, but I've never been totally happy with any of their compressors.<br /><br />In all honesty *nothing* can replace a good hardware compressor IMO no matter how well it models an LA2 or 1176 etc... hell, even a cheap dbx 266 sounds better than most plugin compressors to my ears! But digital is here to stay so it is what it is.<br /><br />Recently I've been trying out the FREE Kjaerhus Classic compressor and EQ and I have to say I really like the way they sound. Very smooth and analog... makes me wonder what their retail releases sound like. Anyway, try them out for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised, I know I was... <b><A HREF="http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/download.php" TARGET="_NEW">kjaerhusaudio.com/download</A></b><br /><br />ps: for Windows OS only.<br /><br />Happy mixing!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-64040336995706156092009-05-21T22:35:00.009-04:002009-05-21T22:57:18.109-04:00Stayin' alive!Without a doubt playing music is what keeps me alive, and not doing it... put me in the hospital. Seriously. Between everyone's schedules, work and other obligations my plugged in time in real time has been severely limited the last couple of months and sitting at the PC recording bits alone is NOT the same thing at all. <br /><br />I jammed out a couple nights this week and I feel f*cking great! It's a rejuvenating tonic of the highest potency. So my immediate goals are to get all this media stuff done ASAP. All of it, from recording to mixing to editing video to laying out album art, all of it is more sitting sitting sitting at the computer and THAT my friends, will kill you. Or it will me anyway. I gotta get his stuff done, turn OFF the pc's, grab a guitar and turn it up to eleven. If I can't get my people to do it, I am heading out to find more people to play with... so towards that end I am game for anything interesting anyone may propose that will keep me plugged in and playing. Get in touch!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-61962127248369758542009-05-14T12:18:00.011-04:002009-08-31T23:32:07.456-04:00Gibson prices part 2hey I just read that Gibson has lowered the prices of new SG's big time! Seems they priced themselves right out of the marketplace so they're now about 28% lower. I guess they read <a href="http://billberends.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-gibson-prices.html">my blog</a>! Greedy bastards. ;) So, in turn, hopefully used prices will drop as well. Good news for real musicians... <A HREF="http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/gibson-sgs-new-pricing-508/" TARGET="_NEW">Gibson SG new prices</A>Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-53051493853407950352009-05-09T09:14:00.010-04:002009-05-14T12:29:22.683-04:00In the hospitalFriday morning around 9:30AM my heart began racing then went into Atrial fibrillation... those who know me know this has happened before, but this time the speed of the heartbeat freaked me out so I called 911 and an ambulance took me to Virtua Memorial where I still am.<br /><br />After I got some sleep the A-fib stopped... now I am waiting for a cardiac evaluation then OUT of here I hope. I wanted to go see Dave Larue last night but missed that... I can't remember any of my other passwords like Twitter etc, and can't see the screen here as it's halfway across the room with small fonts! But wanted to let people know where I disappeared to.... I have my cell on me if you want to call. Will report back when I get out.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-33975783269510208442009-05-01T20:11:00.005-04:002009-05-01T21:52:51.283-04:00On the death of excitementNo that this has much to do with music, but when I heard of GM discontinuing the Pontiac brand I was a little sad. I suppose it is a reflection of our times, the recent Pontiac line had <i>nothing</i> to do with the original concept... GTO, Grand Prix, Trans Am, etc. In the 60's Pontiac built - quoting <a href="http://blogs.automobilemag.com/6507316/editors-soapbox/jim-wangers-on-the-death-of-pontiac-excitement/index.html" target="_NEW">Pontiac ad man Jim Wagner</a> - "excitement!"<br /><br />Excitement indeed! I learned how to drive on my parents '67 LeMans Sprint Six and let me tell you something, <i>that</i> was a real automobile!! A straight 6 OHC with four on the floor, this was the little brother to the mighty GTO and made my teen years something to remember!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/features/0207hpp_1967_lemans_sprint/index.html" target="_NEW"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mastermindband/blog/67_LeMans_Sprint.jpg" /><br />[ 1967 Pontiac LeMans Sprint ]</a></center><br />Wagner goes on to say "all these little boys in men’s jobs come along, and come up with insanely stupid ‘G’ names" ... and a product that had little or nothing to do with the original idea. So another bit of inspired history disappears into the mega-profit (and loss) world of 21st Century capitalism. I will always have my memories.<br /><br />I suppose this does relate to music in a way... with real rock 'n' roll having been absorbed by multinational mega corporations decades ago and made for MTV marketing, where is the excitement in new music? If you have a clue I wish you would give me a hint. Just like the new cars being made today, excitement has been mass produced into everything is the same bland tasteless disposable nothingness.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-2910818937057622692009-04-19T19:07:00.018-04:002009-08-31T23:32:28.635-04:00New Gibson pricesIt's no secret I am a fan of Gibson guitars both old and new, but the retail prices of new Gibson's has finally entered the realm of the totally ridiculous. $899 for a new faded SG special? Get real... I got a sweet deal on mine in '06 from a buddy at Guitar Center and paid $450 for it new which I thought was semi-reasonable. The actual GC price at the time was $579 in a gig bag which even then I thought was pretty high for an instrument with a five piece body. <br /><br />Since I don't like new Gibson cases I picked up a vintage 1970 Gibson case on Craigslist for $80 which was a steal. I prefer the slim profile of the old cases and hate cases that balloon out at the headstock, it just looks so goofy. I figured out why it was so cheap tho' when I got it home, it stunk of mildew and I had to rip out all the cloth and reupholster it. Did a great job if I do say so myself. Anyway...<br /><br />I wanted an SG I could bang around at gigs and not worry about like I do with my '68. The faded is a nice guitar, it really is! But to get it to sound decent I had to swap the pickups for '57 Classics (another $100 on ebay) and I put Grovers on so I have about $600 into it. Now I wish I had sprung for the Standard as I am really missing binding & inlays. Out of curiosity I started poking around and found new SG Standards (still with shite 490/498 pups) have shot up to $1,649!!! Geez. <br /><br />On the flip side of the coin, it seems used prices aren't climbing as fast... probably because nobody has any money to spend, but I fear getting a guitar off ebay sight unseen. Gibson QC is notoriously inconsistent and quite a few newer SG's I've played had necks like baseball bats. Real clunkers. Not to mention dealing with people on ebay. So I will keep an eye open for a deal. I doubt I can get more than $550 for the special - I am holding on to the case - but I see them go for $500-$550 all the time w/ the Gibson HSC. <br /><br />BTW my original SG Standard cost $225 w/case back in 1968 so the dollar is worth roughly 15% of what is was back then. Even so, this <A HREF="http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl" TARGET="_NEW">inflation calculator</A> shows the new price should be about $1,375. The funny (sad) thing is, if I want a new SG closer to my old one I'd have to go for the '61 reissue which costs $1,999... so it may be a while.Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6964576494417111401.post-22502225976907701762009-04-13T08:14:00.010-04:002009-04-19T09:34:28.246-04:00Classic Mastermind videoUploaded some classic Mastermind clips on youtube this weekend...<br /><br />Check out the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4087F4C0CD2F1D9F" TARGET="_NEW">Mastermind classic playlist</a><br /><br />I needed a mental break from recording so got into some video. Watching this stuff reminded me of what I enjoyed about the earlier material and I expect Mastermind will be getting back to some new stuff in a similar vein. More to come!Bill Berendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365034057993776475noreply@blogger.com0