Re: To the Block and Ruse guy

[kflint@annihilist.com (Kim Flint)]

>Dr Michael P. Hughes writes:
>>To the guy who wanted pointers to what looping can do in rock. . .
>
>Also, The Mermen.  I haven't listened for it on records, but I've got
>a DAT of an appearance they did on KFJC with some wonderfully subtle
>looping.  I was listening away when I realized that there were two
>guitar parts playing, and it took me a while to realize that one of
>them was looping (a fiarly long loop).
>
>The Mermen's guitarist roolz the effects universe.

Jim Thomas uses Obie Echoplexes, for those keeping track.

Another rocker using loopers is Neal Schon of Journey. He's fanatical about
the echoplexes he has. (I get phone calls every time he has a question or
even thinks there's something wrong, for which I received a thanks in the
liner notes of the new Journey album. Woohoo! Don't stop believin'!) Neal
uses them live for Journey and Abraxas, as well as for recording and
composing. He does a couple of things with them live. One is the obvious,
looping a rhythm part so that he can solo over it. For a band like Journey
its pretty important to duplicate the recorded versions fairly accurately,
and the loopers make the overdubbed parts on the album doable live. His
other main use is for backwards guitar parts. Sometimes he'll play around
with lots of overdubs to get interesting effects. After one of his Abraxas
shows he recorded the last 200 seconds of his playing for the night, and
left it looping while the audience left and the roadies tore down the
stage.

For composing and recording, he syncs the echoplexes to his rhythm machine
and loops guitar synth, VG-8, and straight guitar sounds to build up a
section until he likes it. (Undo is real handy for this)  When he gets it
right, he records it.

I think looping works great in a rock or blues context. That's not all,
though. I know of some bluegrass players that are into it too! Interlocked
polyrhythmic frippian soundscapes are all well and good, but sometimes ya
just gotta rock....

kim

______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                   | Looper's Delight
kflint@annihilist.com       | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html
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