Obviously the talent and skill of Howard's iconic guitar playing comes from the man himself first and his gear second BUT for $300 you can buy a pedal to help recreate his sonic cathedrals.
Don't know who this legendary guitar player is? Shame on you. Watch this.
I won't be too dramatic about this but the reality is aging is a bitch. It is hard to imagine that I will be in bands for a whole lot longer so I am treating Positive No like it is my last band. I turn 41 in a couple of weeks and I have to be honest, there are just some things that are harder for me to do. Some because of my accident last year, others because the cranky adult in me doesn't have the stamina and patience for what comes with being in a busy band.
The last time I was in an active band was the early 2000s. After Dahlia Seed broke up in 1996 I dabbled in a few NY/NJ based projects like Scissorettes and Souvenir. I ended my decade in bands with Down with the Ship, a math-metal band that also included the incredibly talented drummer Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Burnt By the Sun, Melt-Banana, Discordance Axis). We played maybe one or two shows but then I moved to Richmond, VA and oddly enough, Dave ended up here shortly after me.
Photo by James Damion at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J.
I spent the next decade working behind the scenes in the music industry, recorded my solo album under the name of Ringfinger, but never returned back to the band world. I am not really sure why. I was working a serious full time job but I think part of it has to do with getting older. Part of it was nobody here in RVA really knew I played music or if they did, didn't care enough to ask me if I wanted to join their band.
It wasn't until Kenny and started dating that the idea of being in a band again seemed possible once more. Kenny was the first person in a decade who seemed serious about wanting playing music with me. (Thank you for that by the way!) We began working and recording demos last Christmas and our home recording project snowballed from there. Willis joined us on drums; a free agent after he parted ways with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. Matt joined us on bass rather recently and we met through my current job at Hohner. We are Positive No.
It didn't strike me until our third proper practice how much I really missed this experience. I love the creative energy of playing with a group of people. I had been singing quietly alone in my apartment for so long that I forgot about my old voice. The big voice that can make grown men flinch. No more tippy toeing around neighbors who I feared would be bothered by my creative process. There is an immense freedom, a feeling of utter joy that comes with making a little noise with friends. I am happy to be in this place again and happy to revive this old part of me I thought was long gone.
Positive No will be playing live on WRIR this coming Saturday afternoon. It is our first public performance ever.
