| Author | Message | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1239 Registered: 1-2005 |
I got tickets to tonight's sold-out first show. Want to take my custom 5-string SC Signature Standard to get it signed - considering the control plate route, but would prefer to get the headstock signed! Thought about taking off the strings to have him sign between the tuning posts where they used to put the decal, but I think it would just be easier to have him sign the back of the headstock. Fortunately I work near Yoshi's so I'm trying to figure out a way to do this - don't really want to bring the bass into the club for the whole time. I also went by after lunch, hoping maybe he would magically appear - there was a hotel shuttle bus (foolishly didn't think to notice the hotel name!) and someone got out with a bass in a case - not Stanley. I kept walking back and forth, trying to decide what to do. The guy had a little bit of gear - cymbals, a couple of road cases - should have offered to help! Anyway, the door was still open so I went to my car, got the bass out (I brought it with me) and walked over - I am just too shy - asked if Stanley Clarke was there - "no" - does he sign stuff? - "yes" - thanks - "no problem". I should have said something about being a 5-string, etc., but my brain froze! Anyway, wish me luck! | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 919 Registered: 9-2008 |
Hope not shy enough to take some pics, please (good luck!) | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7955 Registered: 6-2000 |
I was going to the Sunday show, but I injured my leg a couple of days ago and I just can't even think about going out until it feels better. If I have a miraculous recovery, I'll be at the 6:00 Sunday show. Take at least your backplate, and don't be shy! Stan is super nice. | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2852 Registered: 5-2009 |
Mica ,I wish for you a fast recovery from your leg injury. | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1240 Registered: 1-2005 |
Thanks for the encouragement Mica! I hope you feel better! I did make it backstage between sets due to the benevolence of certain people - my first time backstage at Yoshi's! Mr. Clarke asked me to wait until he finished his dinner so I just stood there and soaked up the atmosphere. His drummer, Ronald Bruner, Jr., was like "are you sure you want it defaced like that?!!" and I just replied "it's being anointed." I then took my leave - no pictures, no albums signed - this was more than I could have asked for.   I have to tell you, I don't think it really hit me until I was driving home - I had "School Days" (the song) on and halfway home, partway through the solo, I just turned my car stereo ALL the way up and started screaming! (fortunately I was on the highway!) When I was a 16 year old kid in Tokyo listening to it on vinyl I had no idea that I would finally meet him in person, let alone have him sign an actual Alembic Stanley Clarke bass! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1241 Registered: 1-2005 |
Couple more things - I did get to ask Stanley what he thought of his 5-string - will post the answer later, I don't have the energy right now. Also - GO SEE THIS BAND if you get the chance! His new band is SMOKIN'!!! | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2855 Registered: 5-2009 |
Congratulations Harry ! | ||
| oddmetersam
Advanced Member Username: oddmetersam Post Number: 270 Registered: 7-2008 |
What a fabulous story, Harry! And it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving guy. On a technical note, what type of marker or indelible ink pen did you take with you? And sending healing vibes towards your leg, Mica and in time to see Stan the Man.... | ||
| charles_holmes
Advanced Member Username: charles_holmes Post Number: 250 Registered: 3-2009 |
You have that "Little child that saw Santa Claus and got his dream toy for Christmas" look holding your axe! Hee Hee! Kudos to you my bass brother! PS ...Mica, I'm sending lots of healing vibrations to ya girl! | ||
| pauldo
Senior Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 955 Registered: 6-2006 |
Mica - you know we got your back with positive, healing thoughts and prayers. Harry - that is awesome that you got to hang with the gang! Ronald is a killer drummer and a shinning soul. | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 920 Registered: 9-2008 |
Cool! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1242 Registered: 1-2005 |
So I was hoping to be able to post in the thread about Stanley Clarke's 5-string Alembic but it is closed, so I will say it here: I asked him about it! He said that he just needs to practice on it - for a year! But he didn't say anything negative. I said it was the "best of both worlds" and he kind of agreed. Last night I believe he was playing the buckeye bass - the one pictured here? - tuned tenor. He only used it on one song - the bass/drum duo was so intense he broke something on the bass! At the very end he kept flipping it up - I thought he was looking at the filter control settings but someone who was sitting closer said something happened at the bridge - maybe a string flipped out of the saddle? So he played upright the rest of the show. But when he was using the Alembic (with LEDs I might add), sometimes it seemed like he was using an octave pedal for some of the low notes. Maybe seeing mine will convince him to give it a try again! ;) | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1243 Registered: 1-2005 |
Very crappy picture, but here is the bass ready for second set - you can just see the bird inlays:  | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1244 Registered: 1-2005 |
And here's the bass drum jam where he busted the bass!  | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 11044 Registered: 5-2002 |
Great picture of you holding the bass with the sig! I'm guessing you might want to get a clear coat finish on top of it to preserve it. Hmmm ... wondering if Mica was in the shop today fixing Stan's bass. | ||
| that_sustain
Intermediate Member Username: that_sustain Post Number: 140 Registered: 8-2012 |
That looks like the bass Stanley was bragging about during the Premier Guitar interview on youtube. Congrats hieronymous..and get well Mica. | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 1859 Registered: 2-2005 |
More info and pictures on the bass can be found here and here. Keith | ||
| pauldo
Senior Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 957 Registered: 6-2006 |
Nothing wrong with Stan on the upright. I spent my Sunday morning watching this: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=A5BkCp4KfZ0&feature=fvwrel At 58:30 Stan does his upright thing . . . Love his mastery of that instrument. | ||
| serialnumber12
Senior Member Username: serialnumber12 Post Number: 1037 Registered: 12-2004 |
ive jammed on stage with stanley a few times it was fun ,but how did he endup with that bass? i know it was origionally made for a club member | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 1499 Registered: 5-2002 |
I saw that band a couple of years ago. Great, great band. The drummer had gotten food poisoning that day and was puking his guts out before the set and then came on and absolutely tore it up. One of my favorite new drummers, for sure! I had just gotten the shorty that Pierre-Yves now has and was thinking about bringing it in for him to sign, but decided not to. I bet Pierre-Yves would have liked that extra touch, though! Everyone, go see this band, they are all amazing! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1245 Registered: 1-2005 |
Yesh! Caught the second show tonight (Sunday) - burning again! Unfortunately though - NO ALEMBIC! He must've really busted it up Friday night! Still a great show though - here's the setlist: E.S.P. Light as a Feather Three Wrong Notes No Mystery (w/Mads Tolling on violin) Only four songes, but everything was amazing - I really like Kamasi Washington, the new sax player. I felt like this is as close as I will ever get to seeing something like John Coltrane playing with Tony Williams (not that that ever happened?!) They were really burnin' tonight. I hung around afterwards for a bit but no luck autograph-wise - I had brought the sleeve to "School Days" from the recent box set. I did get to meet someone who was backstage the other night when I got my bass signed - showed him the pic of my bass signed by SC - said I felt bad interrupting his dinner - he said "it's alright - he gets it all the time - he's a star" and I felt a little better... | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 921 Registered: 9-2008 |
Love him playing the upright! | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 923 Registered: 9-2008 |
Your smile says a little about your feelings, Harry... Great pic, thanks | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7958 Registered: 6-2000 |
More like a failed experiment on the bass. It left Yoshi's after the first Sunday show (thanks to a kind Club member). They restrung it A-C, but in the original E-G slots. Well, Stan plays expressively enough that he kept jumping out of the too-big slot. We're going to be seeing the bass tomorrow and cutting a new nut and bridge to convert it to tenor tuning... no more string jumping! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1246 Registered: 1-2005 |
Thanks for the update Mica! | ||
| jos
Member Username: jos Post Number: 67 Registered: 4-2009 |
I did listen to Stanley at Catalina Jazz Club earlier this year and yes it was a great performance! The new group is amazing, great sound!! Listening to all the great bass players in the world Stanley is still the man with a great unique sound on both upright and electric bass and a true innovator...….after all these years he still gets better and never stops to surprising!! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1248 Registered: 1-2005 |
"Listening to all the great bass players in the world Stanley is still the man with a great unique sound on both upright and electric bass and a true innovator...after all these years he still gets better and never stops to surprising!!" Nicely said! I agree, he sounds truly inspired and amazing. I was trying to explain him to my wife, and realized that he is one of the biggest legends of all time for the electric bass. I don't like top 10 lists but if I had to choose 3 innovators of the bass I would say Jack Bruce, Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. Well, how about top 5: Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius. Would love to get Chris Squire in there too - see why I hate lists?!! | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 5405 Registered: 7-2004 |
Top innovators? Phil Lesh has to be on that list! Bill, tgo | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1249 Registered: 1-2005 |
Yup, and Jack Casady too... | ||
| jos
Member Username: jos Post Number: 68 Registered: 4-2009 |
………Actually Stanley Clarke should be at the list where Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock and a few more are…. beyond their instrument, people that meant something to the world!! | ||
| flpete1uw
Intermediate Member Username: flpete1uw Post Number: 169 Registered: 11-2011 |
Stanley on his new Bass, "I asked him about it! He said that he just needs to practice on it - for a year!" That's where I'm at with my Series 1 purchased back in December! These Basses are extension of your body. All the nuances, tone and dynamic ranges make them so that any mistake or subtle changes in playing comes out much more dramatically than any Bass at least I’ve ever played. No mistakes unless they be heard. This is reassuring that Stanley takes such Pride at what he is doing taking the time to make his performances right. The more you play the more you learn. I got a lot to learn. Harry your smile says it all, what a Great Experience. Pete | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1275 Registered: 1-2005 |
Finally posting an update - I took my SCS2 to the mothership to have a little bit of work done - there were the usual instruments hanging out on the walls, couch, etc. - we got a tour, which was great since my wife was with me and she had never seen anything except the office! When we got back to the office, Mica just offhandedly mentioned that Stanley's bass was on the couch. ???!!!$#%@^# I had noticed the bass but didn't put it together - this is the bass that I had just seen him play for one song a few weeks earlier! Managed to snap a couple of pics:   What a thrill to have my bass so close to his. As you can probably guess, I have the couch photo as my lock screen wallpaper on my phone, and both pics are on my hieronymous twitter page. Next step is to use the bass in rehearsals with the new band, and then hopefully we can start gigging! | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 2910 Registered: 5-2009 |
Nice pics Harry ! | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1277 Registered: 1-2005 |
Thanks Wolf! I'm especially happy because I only had my iPhone but they came out OK! I should mention that the carpet shot is my laptop wallpaper! | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 5454 Registered: 7-2004 |
Harry: Coincidentally, I know exactly how you feel. I stopped off at the Mothership this afternoon. There were two guitars sitting in their open cases next to each other. One was Woody, (my custom Further), and the other was the gorgeous Orion with Further stage electronics and MIDI belonging to John Kadlecik, the lead guitarist in Further. I didn't even think to take a picture. :-( Bill, tgo |
