"formed a band, i formed a band"

this sort of thing

this month (or maybe next month) marks the 10th anniversary (or maybe the 11th) of GMS' sole foray into the world of the live rock performance.

that's right, shocked and titillated readership: in may or june of 1998 or 1997, GMS strapped on a tobacco sunrise wood effect replica fender jazz bass and crossed the liminal line between audience and stage, wherein and whereupon unstable identities are forged, challenged and reaffirmed. the shit went down at winchester's railway inn.


we were called blast first for a bit, and sister at some point too. perhaps a pattern was emerging. the headline act was grain, who sounded more like korn than wheat, and nothing at all like bread.

in job interviews, i like to suggest that the experience required teamwork, good communication skills, and an ability to work to deadlines. it helped me to grow as a person, but also to recognise my limitations. no recordings were made of the performance, but here are some mp3s of other bands doing their versions of our songs.

j. mascis & broken social scene - 'freakscene' (live, 2006; orig. by dinosaur jr)

pavement - 'in the mouth a desert' (live, 1996)

nirvana - 'aneurysm' (live at reading festival, 1993)

sebadoh - 'together or alone' (live in tokyo)

helmet - 'sinatra' (live, 1991)

perhaps you have an equally uplifting story you'd like to share in the comments section. do keep it clean.

The Oxford English Dictionary ... of ROCK: Part 3 - bass

"bass! ooooh-wa", as the furious five once sang. september 2007 saw some much-needed additions to our definition of bass, as the previous entry (1937) seemed to be referring to some sort of free-standing boogie-woogie machine. i used to pose as a four-string king. my bass had a sticker that said 'mean people suck', and i could play 'aneurysm' by nirvana and 'in the mouth, a desert' by pavement. there you have it.

bass, adj. and n.⁵ [DRAFT ADDITIONS SEPTEMBER 2007]

A bass guitar.
Although it is not certain exactly what instrument is referred to in quot. 1937, the contrast with the Bassoguitar (an upright bass) suggests it is prob. an electric bass guitar of the type now familiar, which became commercially available (on a very limited scale) at around this time.

1952 Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury 18 Oct. 20 (advt.) Fender Precision Bass. A new sensation for bass players. 2005 Uncut June 30/1 Romeo..plays guitar..while younger sister Michele plays bass and harmonises.

bass-heavy adj. (of music, sound, etc.) characterized by an abundance or excess of bass frequencies or by a prominent bass line.

2002 Time Out N.Y. 29 Aug. 143/4 The real centerpiece of Scarface's albums remains their bass-heavy beats.

that's convenient - magic numbers and scarface are both great! listen to their songs (especially the bass!), then buy their records.

scarface - 'in cold blood' (from the fix)

magic numbers - 'this is a song' (daytrotter session)

bonus

pavement - 'in the mouth, a desert' (live in cologne, 1996)

nirvana - 'aneurysm' (live at reading festival, 1992)

previously on the oed of ROCK