55To45 + Musician in Thunder Bay, ON

SEEKING

ABOUT

SONG CLIPS:

HAPPY SONG:
Bass intro was me just dicking around and the DAT happened to have been left on. This is the actual dicking around, not a retake, as was released on the CD....

Kinda how we sorta approached things back then...... duuuhhhrrr

SOFT TOAST:
This is a 1 1/2 take version of Toast, see Vid Clip #1, that was done for a radio show we did on 92 Citi FM in Wpg.
Another of my 10 minute wonders so, again, there's some goofs in my playing and vox, and drummer's drums, but if you want perfect, I heard the London Philharmonic is looking for a bow stringer or sumpin'.

DAMAGED AT THE TOP FLOOR:
Like all the trax, everything you hear is me, c'ept fot the drums, they were played by "F". (I'm the "B" in "F'n B").
Lyric is about a guy having a visit, and a problem, with a friend of his who's sort of a psychotic ass.... till the guy realizes that his whack job friend may well only exist in the guy's own mind...
ooops

VIDEO CLIPS:
The 1st video clip here's 1 of the more popular songs I wrote. Actually might've been the 4th or 5th one.....

The 2nd clip: Sister Blister (me) singing Zombie by the Cranberries.
I'm the nun ....

Clip #3:Doing Gerry Lee Lewis Via Iggy Pop + Vodka in Scotland, (hadn't been on stage or seen drummer in 6 months and the bassist was losing his stage virginity.) The funky little drum and bass guitar bit at the beginning was a 1:05 song mocking the 'talent' of rappers. My funkiest bass line I ever funked out.

Clip #4: A collection of demo's I got from Wes Borland when he, his bro and a bassist were looking for a singer after he left Limp Bizsh*t. I only had 2 days to write, arrange and record vox (with some re-arranging of 2 trax), get it mixed, poorly, and air mailed out to Cali. Wes' bro wrote me and said they really dug it and he'd be in touch. Then the label killed the project. Yay.

Finally, #5:
Some Metallica from the last epic album they recorded. This was only my 2nd time playing/singing in public! Crushing....
This is from the second time I'd ever played live in front of an audience. 6 months before this clip, I couldn't say a 1 syllable word while playing, unless I stopped playing......

That ratio is refers to sumpin' I believe in when it comes to gigging:
55% Showmanship
45% Musicianship

IE:
Play like a GOD and stare at your navel
OR
Engage the crowd, put on a great show, and flub n fek up some bits from time to time if need be vs standing still and staring at your hands or feet..

I vote for Door #2.

Note - The mix on some of these , as far as balance, is pretty asstastic. Background vocals on Happy Song are really NOT in the back, etc, etc.....
Just Sayin'

Everything you hear on these tracks, c'ept for drums, is me, FYI.

Put out first recording in 1992, 2nd one got radio, tv, and print exposure, nearly international to 40 markets. 3rd release in 98 got some radio play on Q107 in TO and college radio. All releases were original music only.

Pretty diverse, as in - label weasel at Atlantic records in NY, NY, contacted us after reading a review of #2 in a national mag out of T.O., and asked us to write more songs like 3 of the trax. No thanks Hank, go for a wank.

BIG TIME into putting on a good show. If you prefer to stand like a mannequin and impress the other musicians in the crowd with ability/technique- good on ya! But we came to pack clubs in Ont, Minnessota, Wisconsin, even a gig in Edinburgh, by following the ratio mentioned above

If you've not got some performing legs under you, (at least 30 or more gigs), I'm not someone to contact. I'm kinda sorta past my Yoda 'Let me train you Padawan' phase in life!
>:)
That said, if you gots some energy about you, could be good!

Screen name:

55To45

Member since:

Feb 22 2010

Active within 1 week

Level of commitment:

Committed

Years playing music:

30

Gigs played:

50 to 100

Tend to practice:

2-3 times per week

Available to gig:

2-3 nights a week

Influences

You'd not believe me if I told you but music is sustenance, just like food, and I try to inhale as many different things, to keep a varied diet.

If you're into one type of thing and ONLY that, we won't fit......
Realizing you gotta pick a direction to go out and play clubs/covers etc.....

Instrument experience:

Vocalist:

Advanced

Rhythm Guitar:

Advanced

Vocalist - Baritone:

Moderate

Vocalist - Tenor:

Moderate

Acoustic Guitar:

Moderate

Background Singer:

Moderate

Vocalist - Alto:

Moderate

EQUIPMENT

6 electrics (1 built myself from a Kramer body and various parts. I fitted it with a sweet Roland midi pickup which connects to a G2/synth pedal set up, the 3rd is a PRS I've ripped apart and am putting some hums into). Also have 2 acoustics, full guitar rig with a mid 90's EVH 5150 4X12 slant cab. It crushes small children and breaks hips in people over 70.
>:)

MUSIC