Press Release

[bovinehost]

Ernie Ball Forum Members Privy to Open House Celebration

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA (September 7, 2005) – Company President and “Big Poppa” of the Ernie Ball Forum, Sterling Ball welcomes forum members, their families and friends to San Luis Obispo, California for an open house September 16-17. The two-day event celebrates the rising popularity of the Ernie Ball forum, featured on the Ernie Ball website, www.ernieball.com.

The Forum was started on June 10, 2002, and now boasts over 3500 members discussing everything from music to current events.

The open house will feature a tour of the Music Man factory, a roundtable discussion with Sterling Ball, the Music Man design staff, and an artist panel including Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, John Petrucci, Tony Levin, Vinnie Moore, Dave LaRue, John Ferraro, and many more.

Two live concerts will take place during the weekend’s festivities including a Friday night concert where forum members will jam cover tunes. On Saturday night the aforementioned artists will play some of their favorite tunes for those attending the open house weekend.

The event is open to forum members only, and signups have closed. To check out the Ernie Ball Forum and become a member go to www.ernieball.com/forum.

 

[JB1]

Have a blast, all those attending.

I'll be thinking of you, plus the board will be damed quiet!

Make sure this event is well doumented, some photos would also be great.

Enjoy, oh and BP, outstanding work/event/line-up. I'm seriously disappointed not to be there & share, but thanks anyhow. Maybe I'll get another chance some day.

 

[Psycho Ward]

There will also be a rare special appearance by Chuck “Psycho” Ward wearing only a ButterCream SR4!

There will be a photo session after Friday nights’ concert, so have you picture taken with Psycho and post them here!

















Scary isn’t it! OK, here’s the deal, this appearance can be STOPPED, if enough drink ticket ransom is paid…. Muhhahahahahahahah




(Don’t worry; I plan to be one of the best dressed forumites attending, speaking of which I’ve got to go down to the Goodwill store…)

 

[bassmonkey]

Will there be any official video clips posted? That would be fun for us people living on the other side of the world. I'd love to know what all the fuss is about Tony Levin, I've heard a fair bit of his stuff and it doesn't seem that amazing. Perhaps he is better live. (*dons flameproof suit* )

 

[Bill]

Yeah, I'd love to see photos of this event! Sounds like it'll be a great time.

 

[bovinehost]

I'd love to know what all the fuss is about Tony Levin

Try some King Crimson. Call me later to thank me.

 

[maddog]

I'd love to know what all the fuss is about Tony Levin, I've heard a fair bit of his stuff and it doesn't seem that amazing. Perhaps he is better live. (*dons flameproof suit* )

No flaming here. TL grooves. If you're into the space between the notes, you get what is so amazing about him. He doesn't show off, he anchors the band. And he anchors the band with tasty little grooves that are so simple yet bear repeated listening. I've got his World Diary album and it is one of my favorites. Check it out if you can. Friends have noted how sparse it is for such a reputation as he holds. But the sparseness is what makes it work for me. Anybody can play lots of notes, Tony playes just enough.

Tom

 

[Freddy-G.]

Try some King Crimson. Call me later to thank me.

His work with Peter Gabriel.... loved it before I even knew who TL was. And it freaks me out to hear him play with the members of YES when Chris Squire isn't present.

 

[bassmonkey]

Try some King Crimson. Call me later to thank me.

I have a few of those in my vinyl collection, and I have listened to his solo stuff. I've heard a lot of his session work and it really doesn't float my boat. I will say though, that the tone he got on the john Lennon "Double Fantasy" album was absolutely beautiful. "Sledgehammer" grooved, and his tone on that Peter Gabriel album was very nice, but as I say, not really my thing.

I'd better shut up now, in case he reads this, and makes the trip to England to kick my sorry, non-successful (barely a)bassplayer a*s.

 

[bovinehost]

I think it must depend quite heavily on what floats your boat musically.

Lots of people worship Flea. I myself can't stand the RHCP's singer, so I can't get past that in order to really appreciate Flea. I like him better when he's playing with other people, and he's a fine bassist, but not really my cup of tea.

Marcus Miller's solo stuff drives me batty. I KNOW he's a great bassist (listen to his work with Donald Fagen), but he's overly thumb-happy for me.

I suppose I'm more of a meat and potatos guy, and my ability to appreciate a great bassist depends on the context in which the bass is played. As an old guy and dedicated Beatles fan, the song comes first.

So what DO you like?

 

[bassmonkey]

So what DO you like?

I like Jamerson, Bernard Edwards, Pino Palladino, Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, Stuart Zender, Bootsy when he played with James Brown, that sort of thing.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

I saw Tony Levin play with the California Guitar Trio and Jon Anderson singing Yes' "Heart of The Sunrise" this past Jan at NAMM on a SR5 with funk fingers and my jaw's never quite been the same after hitting the floor so hard....

 

[bovinehost]

I think Tony is THE Utility Bassist of the Modern World.

Try to imagine a guy who fits in with Paula Cole, Peter Gabriel, Karen Carpenter, Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Simon, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, John Lennon, Laura Nyro, Carly Simon, Yes, Jules Shear and Warren Zevon.

Not to mention his solo stuff.

He scares me.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

The only other time I've seen him live was back in '89 at some small club on Ventura Blvd in Tarzana, CA. Not sure what band it was...."something, somthing & Levin" I believe was the name. Possibly with Bill Bruford being one of the "somethings"...was a long time ago and I don't recall.

He was playing a Chapman Stick and my jaw equally hit the floor that night, that much I do remember.

 

[adouglas]

I think Tony is THE Utility Bassist of the Modern World.

Try to imagine a guy who fits in with Paula Cole, Peter Gabriel, Karen Carpenter, Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Simon, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, John Lennon, Laura Nyro, Carly Simon, Yes, Jules Shear and Warren Zevon.

And many, many more besides. The guy is more versatile than a Swiss Army knife: http://www.tonylevin.com/discography.html

Just for grins one day I Googled "funk fingers" and found a Japanese page that had an obsessive-compulsive analysis of their construction, right down to measurements in millimeters and macro photography. I clicked on Google's translation link, and the result was what you'd expect from a robot...but there was something funny.

TL's name was translated as "the To-knee" every time it appeared.

Here's to The To-Knee. I get to go see him in Kingston, NY in three weeks. Kewl. Wish I could see that panel discussion, though. Any chance of taping it and posting an mpeg?

 

[Morrow]

I went to a clinic that Mr. Levin did several months ago. He didn't play all that much but when he did my jaw hit the ground. He is that good.

As a session player he could nail the perfect part to whatever was going down.

He serves the song and that to me is what bass playing is all about.

 

[bassmonkey]

So, the consensus is that To-knee is great! Well, I won't argue against the weight of opinion.

So come on BP, what you going to do for the less fortunate forum members who can't make this great event? We need some morsels to keep us going through the forthcoming long winter nights. Pics won't do, it has to be video and/or mp3s. Do you think you could do something to help a poor bass-porn-starved limey out here?

 

[bovinehost]

BP is having the entire event professionally filmed - even the Forum Jam.

I'm not entirely sure that filming the jam is responsible, but it should provide laughs for many years to come.

Ah, history shall remember us.

 

[AnthonyD]

Wow! I feel so privileged being a part of this event!

Way too cool!

 

[Psycho Ward]

I feel honored to attend and I’m still quite blown away by the generosity of BP and company. This is going to be a blast!





I’m going to stay clothed out of respect and behave (Dude is the one to worry about ). I told my doctor that I was going to drink and he goes off like a broke record, “remember you only have one liver, you only have one liver”. I told him remember there is only one EBMM open house, I’m going, I’m going to drink and if my liver don’t like it can stay here with you!