Today I performed at Regent College with Vancouver guitarist Ron Thompson’s group called Gypsalero. Also performing with us was bass guitarist Brent Gubbels.
The performance today was a free noon hour concert from noon to 1pm. Usually we would play outside however the weather this morning was being a little unpredictable so we set up inside in the college atrium.
The nice part about playing in someone else’s group is that I’m not responsible to bring all the sound gear or have to worry about set lists etc. I get to be the sideman. Just show up, plug in and play!
Today I’m trying something new for my own personal setup. I’m using my new Jeff Sigurdson guitar with the LR Baggs element pickup (for classical). Then I plugged into a Boss GE7 eq pedal (I use the pedal to lower my volume during rhythm guitar parts. From there I’m plugged into my Bose T1 were I can add eq, reverb, delay and compression. From there I split the T1 output into a DI and the other into a Behringer B212D powered monitor.
I read a few internet reviews regarding the B212D and it looked really good. Also for a price of $300 you can’t beat it! 550 watts and I was very impressed. (More than half the price of a Mackie)
So, back to the gig. Playing with Gypsalero has been great! We play music that pushes me to be the very best I can be. Within our 1hour performance we tackle music by Chick Corea, odd time Jazz from Dave Brubeck, music from Sting, Santana, Django, and so much more. During rehearsals and other performances we play instrumental tangos, swing, bluegrass, Hendrix, blues, italian tunes, you name it!
The performance was very well received and a lot of fun. Once we were finished again it was time to pack up and hit the road.
Saturday I’ll be performing as a guitar duo for a wedding reception at the Vancouver Yacht Club.
Hey John,
Glad to hear the gig went well. Oh & yes, the good part about performing with other bands as a companion is that you won’t bring anything but your guitar and little bit of gear, such as a pedal, etc. I always used to see you using a mic for the guitar. Now I can see that you’ve switched to pickups. I’ve never heard about LR Baggs element pickup. However, I checked some reviews, and it seems to work perfectly fine. Oh man & about the Behringer B212D… it’s an awesome speaker! I tried it once at Guitar Center, & I loved it! Also, I like the way you guys switched between music styles & tunes. It keeps the crowd pumped and ready for the next track.
~Alaa Marzouk