Every year the med school holds a multi cultural show for charity and every year it is over run with dance acts. I tried to do it last year and found that I was getting irritated with the management due to the lack of interest in anything American. I offered to do a blues set and a flamenco set and they only wnated the flamenco. I told them that blues is the root of all modern music and is 100% African American = culture. They ignored me as I woudl nto fal lin line so I opted out. This year my class was in charge so I again tried the same two acts. This time I had much success. Not only did they like my acts (also becasue it was not dancing) but they asked if I would play some jazz in the back ground during intermission It was a good time. My blues act sucked as I was not ready when they opened the curtain on me (not plugged in, back to the audience, bent over..). I ran through it fast. The other acts kicked major ass and I got a lot of accolades form the crowd. Many people were wondering why I am in med school instead of on the road (if only ).

I figured I would share this with my extended family

penniesless musician or rich doctor. Hard choice. Mom wanted me to be a doctor but I hate people and a summer working in a hospital made me definetly not want to do that. I wanted to be a musician but stage fright was to much. Mine and my moms dream crushed

Looks like alot of fun though.

Next year, rebuild a tranny for them on-stage and really piss them off.

cool man!

Headlines read, "3rd year med student rebuilds tranny in front of shocked and dismayed audience!"

HHMMmmmm so you play guitar eh? Interesting........ Maybe the next east coast meet needs to be kicked up a few notches! Scotty play drums pretty good. Who plays Bass?

Oh and BTW, what happened to your new friend with the collection of cars???? Any comfirmation yet?

Stop using your right pinky as a pacifier you sissy.. just 'feeeeeel' the strings... lol.

way cool.

Yep, someone emailed me off line and asked if I knew him and verified his existence and the existence of some of his collection. I am gonna try hook up with him this weekend or Fri.

Rods shop would do fine for a jam session

I like to play everything form blues-jazz-flamenco-heavy metal If it dont suck, I like it. In practice I was getting annoyed at some of the other "performers" taking up my space so I regailed them with a rendition of old Metalica standards One chick I HATE liked it though

It's med school. You decide what kind of "tranny" to rebuild.

I dont play "correctly", I play what I like, how I like

Self taught, what do you expect?

I don't expect anything... I play the same way.. lol

I know what you mean about finally getting a chance to jam a bit!! I mess around in the office with my guitars here and there, but just last Wed my buddy (who plays drums and bass) asked me if I wanted to get together at a jam space in LA and crank it up a bit.

My ears were ringing for almost 3 days I have a home-built full stack with 8 350-watt PA speakers and an 1100-watt Crown amp that I plug my EQ and Line-6 into - needless to say I had both nobs up 3/4 and felt like trying to set a noise record like The Who

Fun just to rip through some standards (The Cult, AC/DC, Van Halen - the usual suspects that everyone knows including a rather hap-hazard Hot for Teacher). I have 4 guitars - all of the "metal" variety and bought for that reason. First guitar was a BC Rich Warlock but sold it back in the 80s for a crackle-paint Charvel (tuned drop-D or drop C whether I use 9s or 10s), then got an ESP because nothing was more metal than an ESP late-80s/early 90s and tuned it down to B, then picked up a couple of Ibanez the last few years - one is in standard E tuning and the latest is Eb. Basically cover the gamut of metal tuning

The last Ibanez, I walked into Guitar Center, saw it hanging and thought "that is so metal to the point of stupid, I MUST have it".

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Man - med school, huh? That is some serious time commitment, so good to hear you got a chance to "get away" even for just one Sat evening!

The jazz bit I did for intermission was rather impromptu. i was practicing and one of the third years kicks ass on piano and started playing along. Then my friend in my class who plays bass as good if not better then Flea started in. I havent felt coheasion like that in years. I always had a hard time finding non-deushbag musicians to jam with. I dont have an ego, it wasts my time, and I dont have time for others egos either. That or they lacked the concentration to get it together on any song. My frined who plays bass is great, but he is hard to play with as he tend to want to do his own thing and playing along is a PITA when its all slap-pop.

I got the featured Charvel Surfcaster after many years of wanting it when I saw Scott Ian of Anthrax with one. Its a great guitar for metal as it is semi hollow and has a mean low end crunch with good sustain. My other electric is a Epiphone Les Paul sunburst. I am lookng at getting an Ice Man in the future and a dark blue Ibanez hollow body F hole that I played at Guitar Center. I tend to like guitars that are nothe easiest to play or that have an odd look. It gives them more soul.....kinda like the 914

I am gonna have to rebuild a music workstation again real soon. I was thinking I could get by with using ACID, Sonic Fire and Cinescore but it just doesn't sound right. Little to hockey and mechanical. Although everything I do is sample based it's not bad. Just need good samples which I have plenty of. I just hope my fatar still works.

Evil what year charvel is that? It looks very retro.

Not sure. Scott Ian from Anthrax played one in the late 80s early 90s before switching to a more contemporary Jackson. The lipstick pick up is definetly retro al la Dan Electro from the 60s. It gives a real nice clean tone that makes solid state amps sound like tube. The humbucker at the bridge screams! I picked it up in 95 new, they may still be making them.

Good job and thanks for not posting a picture of you flamenco dancing.

I dont dance! I will post a pic of me with the acoustic electric as soon as I get one from my friends. Our camera had an issue

I hear you on that one! My buddy I jammed with last Wed is really a bassist and similar to your experience, that guy is like Flea and loves Rush, so not a far 2nd to Getty. HOWEVER, when we jam he plays the drums and it is just the two of us - I use the EQ and the Line-6 to get a really scooped sound and with so much head room in the amp I can produce a pretty brutal tone with tons of bottom end. When people ask why so bass-y I would say it was so I wouldn't have to mess with a bassist and that is one less ego and guy showing up late and high. Try to jam with him on bass and it is this crazy slap-style triplet stuff that is tough to work to unless you want to play that style of music.

When I was really trying to put together a band and so forth in the early 90s it was just amazing how tough that is and to me, it is no wonder that most of the musicians that "make it" really make it because they have nothing better going on (like a career or college ambition) and they all use the same drugs. Let alone I would advertise as guitarist looking for others and list these brutally heavy "influences" and one time I showed up and the band played ska music and did some covers of a band that I walked out of a concert on (went to see the opening acts and that band headlined -left after about 30sec of the 1st song).

I like those Ice Man guitars! I think my next one will either be a nice hollow-body (I rock out with friends but probably similar to you, by myself I jam a lot of blues and jazz stuff) - I just turn on the smooth jazz radio station and wail away or I really would like an old Explorer. Both are pricey so they are on the wish list so to say.

Don't take any crap, o Evil one. That is a perfect application of the pinky pacifier. I was a two finger guy, myself. Scary thought. Here's a pic of me doing about the same thing 48 'effin years ago. Every noticed that real NARP's also play guitar? Want me to tell you what's gonna happen to you over the next 40 years?

Howard performing the old favorite, 'I Used to Kiss Her on the Lips, But It's All Over Now.'