NAMM Wrap up

[imcarthur]

It was nice to see the usual suspects @ NAMM. Rick, Dave, Todd & his better half. It is always fun to connect & speak with you all. I thought I saw Wolf one morning as well. I did not wander the show at all & the only acts I caught were Shel (who performed every hour thirty feet from my post at our booth) & Will Knox performing his upcoming hit (I think) at UA (immediately behind us) with the extraordinary Fab doing his usual two-step intro. We were taking guesses on the four Shel girls – until we all got cozy & we found out that it was ‘just’ four sisters. Fantasy killed. Will is a London-based singer/songwriter whose material is incredible btw.

I was drugged on Oxi during the day & alcohol fuel at night so I had a strange fuzzy show - my kidney ‘asteroid’ being the cause. I hope that I talked intelligently to the masses (and the Pelicans). At my station . . .



One quasi-plug . . . the new Fender Passport Studio – a joint Focal/Fender project that was launched at NAMM.



I also managed to sneak out to Cars and Coffee. The stars of the morning . . .



Sunrise from the 18th floor of the Doubletree . . .



Ian

[Rick V]

I'll take the 917 please

[RWebb]

any decent car stereo amps or head units pop up?

[imcarthur]

NAMM is a Pro show so no 12V. CES - 2 weeks earlier - had stuff but I didn't go near the convention center for the duration. Mirage to Venetian . . . repeat daily.

Ian

[slodave]

Great to see you again, Ian! I'll post some of the concert pix I took a little later.

[nostatic]

Cuba Libre lives!



Ran into Victor in the lobby and got to chat briefly. Good thing as he tends to get mobbed on the floor:



Got to finally meet Tony Levin:



But my wife was way ahead of me - she met him back in '98. She was an artist-in-residence at Banff and Tony had his band there working on material. They have a communal eating area so they met over food. Got to revive the connection 16 years later:

[slodave]

Here's a few from the main stage in front of the convention center. It was great to see you again, Ian! Rick Lee and Wolfe as well. I had a blast. I knew a number of people from Washington that came down. One was a photographer I have shot with up at a music festival last year. I was not planning on being a photographer at NAMM, but he persuaded me to get into the photo pit for Jonny Lang and let me use one of his cameras for the show. The next two days, I brought mine down and shot the shows at night. I did run through the exhibits each day, but I really didn't pay too much attention to anything.

Jonny Lang (night one)




Sheila E (night two)




Later into the night.... Maragold with Greg Howe on guitar




Robby Krieger (night three)

[slodave]

Here's a link to a Facebook album that has random pix from the show that I quickly took with my iPhone..

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153738013480008.1073741848.645660007&type=1&l=b2eeab04f6

Greg Howe after a after show party/show.


Orianthi. She passed by Ian and myself last year, but I did not get a chance to get a pic with her. This pic and the concert photos I took made the show for me this year.


One of these years we really need to all get together for a drink or something! Todd!!! Message me your cell!

[Rick Lee]

Good seeing you guys again. Ian, I was at Cars n Coffee, but didn't even think to look for you. BTW, I was there when that "917" drove off. Sounded like he put a Beetle four cyl. engine in there. It was super underwhelming.

Although I didn't get to rub elbows with too many big names this time, the DV Mark show on Fri. night still has me in awe. Jeff Berlin and Danny Gottlieb didn't suck. But then I saw Frank Gambale and Alain Caron with Damien Schmitt and I think it changed me forever. Right across from me stood Billy Sheehan and Victor Wooten and they looked floored by Alain and Frank. Just unreal playing those guys. How the hell did I just learn of these guys?

But I came to see Maragold, as I knew Greg when I was a kid and helped a little with their album release PR. It's a crime those guys aren't filling arenas. I just sent their mgr. my review a few min. ago. Can't wait to see them on tour in Phoenix.

[slodave]

Their manager liked the hi res pix I emailed. I'm going to write her again and offer to take pix if they roll through the L.A. area again. Maragold rocked! I'm glad I was able to get into that event.

[Nostril Cheese]

Most people don't realize how GOOD Robby Krieger is. I saw him play few years ago and was floored. He also wrote most of the music and lyrics in The Doors. Not Morrison.

[slodave]

One from Robby Krieger's Jam Kitchen.

Post by Dave Mason.

[imcarthur]

Great pics guys. Stevie Wonder wandered by our booth & Marilyn Manson was mixed in with a pack of Goths who walked 3 ft in front of me - with me oblivious to him. I am such a celebrity-watcher failure . . .

I got to Cars and Coffee early before 7 am & only stayed for 20 minutes or so since I had to be back for breakfast with my group. Next year if the weather co-operates . . . or maybe in October during AES at the Staple Center but that drive will be a bit more daunting.

My exit flight was delayed 3 hours so I drove to nearby Playa Del Rey to lay in the sand soaking up some sun & nursing my sore kidney.



Ian

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Cuba Libre lives!

I'll paypal 50 cents to anyone who can photo-chop "poopy-head" onto Todd's badge.

[imcarthur]

Make it a serious offer & I will put it on the badge next year as his nickname - just like mine says Cuba Libre - which was a joke from my co-workers last year that has stuck.

Ian

[nostatic]

I live to serve...

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I live to serve...

Oh great. I didn't think anyone would actually do it. Now where the heck am I gonna come up with 50 cents? it was supposed to be just a social experiment.

Ok, PM me your paypal addy and I'll send the 4 bits.
I knew pelican was gonna drive me to the poor house. I can hear the wife now, "what did you do with your allowance already?"