Generally sound check is at 6 PM here in San Jose's Jazz Cafe, one of the premier venues for live music. Today we are playing for MUNDOLOCO LIVE SESSIONS and we arrive early to make sure everything is just good.
Everyone is there and checking their instrument and checking volumes when we all notice the sound booth rather...dark and empty... Must be out getting a quick bite or something...
So far from the truth and so far from the venue!! Esteban's car had broken down in Escazu, which is miles away and hours away in dreadful Costa Rican traffic (If you never seen Costarican traffic imagine New York Style driving in a very crowded India road at noon, during a soccer final on a Monday with no air conditioning).
Argh! Well we decide to wait a little. We already know that Esteban is not showing up until later and it's just one of those days when soundcheck has to be done with without actually checking anything.
A few hours later we come back for the show, and everything looks nice and setup, Esteban style. "I just need you guys to ease every instrument in so we can check during your first song, try to make it a dub instrumental.." remarks Esteban. He looks easy and unworried. Maybe he knows something we don't.
Up we go to start the show, and surprise surprise, Esteban works the magic behind the knobs from a 20 second soundcheck into perfect sound! LOL, we all crack each other a smile.
It was a really good show last night and it was fun seeing new faces and old. The new songs still need a little more confidence but they sounded great. Thank you all!
One Love
Leroy Van Brown
martes, 26 de mayo de 2009
domingo, 24 de mayo de 2009
The cat ate two doves!
"The cat ate two doves!" screamed Ari from outside Perez' apartment as he left to work out the songs we will be playing this coming Monday.
"I don't blame him," said Noni "they are really tasty!" A moment of silence gave the rest of the apartment the special effect of disbelief.
"Eeeww...now where did YOU eat doves?" remarked Kuma.
"In Guanacaste, you hunt them and then eat them." Noni's smirk denoted he was really enjoying our faces of disbelief.
It is not unusual for rehearsals to digress into all kinds of conversations and jokes, which has lead pretty much to our own personal dialect. Made up of Spanglish and all kinds of references to old music, soccer (Mistico's favourite subject) and just basic dopey comments, it has come to somewhat of an art. Today's rehearsal was clearly headed towards a conversation that would or will eventually end up being part of the band's personal dialect.
"O.K.! Let's keep working on this idea guys! 1 2..." Daniela was imposing a little order. She arrived two weeks ago to the Kingo front and for a young lady, she has quite a lot of character.
The main idea tonight is to go over the vocals on some songs. The song to be worked out last is Push Out The Bad Vibes. The song basically is a repetitive idea on pushing out all that is bad vibes and letting in only good vibes. We have never felt sure on the tempo or beat the song had, and out of the blue last rehearsal it all came into order. Today then, we work on the backing vocals, and a ska break which will go after a mix down a third through the song.
"Why don't we add our voices as if they were brasses?"
Daniela's eyes gleam with a wonderful idea, but just as she throws it out there there is a second of doubt.
"Well, I mean, maybe not for this coming Monday, but we can work it out!"
We decide to let it run through for a while, and depending on the outcome, just throw it out there on Monday. A few runs through the idea and we know the final verdict. We HAVE to do it!
And so it is, that the song Push Out The Bad Vibes got itself the following vocal work. The main idea is to keep doing this whilst there is a guitar solo playing on top. The recording is cellphone quality, but hey! Enjoy!
"I don't blame him," said Noni "they are really tasty!" A moment of silence gave the rest of the apartment the special effect of disbelief.
"Eeeww...now where did YOU eat doves?" remarked Kuma.
"In Guanacaste, you hunt them and then eat them." Noni's smirk denoted he was really enjoying our faces of disbelief.
It is not unusual for rehearsals to digress into all kinds of conversations and jokes, which has lead pretty much to our own personal dialect. Made up of Spanglish and all kinds of references to old music, soccer (Mistico's favourite subject) and just basic dopey comments, it has come to somewhat of an art. Today's rehearsal was clearly headed towards a conversation that would or will eventually end up being part of the band's personal dialect.
"O.K.! Let's keep working on this idea guys! 1 2..." Daniela was imposing a little order. She arrived two weeks ago to the Kingo front and for a young lady, she has quite a lot of character.
The main idea tonight is to go over the vocals on some songs. The song to be worked out last is Push Out The Bad Vibes. The song basically is a repetitive idea on pushing out all that is bad vibes and letting in only good vibes. We have never felt sure on the tempo or beat the song had, and out of the blue last rehearsal it all came into order. Today then, we work on the backing vocals, and a ska break which will go after a mix down a third through the song.
"Why don't we add our voices as if they were brasses?"
Daniela's eyes gleam with a wonderful idea, but just as she throws it out there there is a second of doubt.
"Well, I mean, maybe not for this coming Monday, but we can work it out!"
We decide to let it run through for a while, and depending on the outcome, just throw it out there on Monday. A few runs through the idea and we know the final verdict. We HAVE to do it!
And so it is, that the song Push Out The Bad Vibes got itself the following vocal work. The main idea is to keep doing this whilst there is a guitar solo playing on top. The recording is cellphone quality, but hey! Enjoy!
jueves, 21 de mayo de 2009
L.V. Brown
Hello! You don't know me do you? I'm L.V.Brown, trusty friend of the Kingo Lovers! Yes I! Travelling all through Costa Rica with my buddies I decided it would be fun to keep a blog of our cool cool runnings. Let me share with you a little of what my headlights have seen! Keep coming!
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