I was at Walmart earlier (where else?) and there was a guy in there wearing a cape! I don't know what his deal was but I was surely not going to get close enough to a guy in a cape to find out.
But that reminded me of seeing Liberace play at our long since gone theater in the round known as The Front Row. It only had 26 rows so every seat was great, and the sound in there was amazing. Plus the stage rotated so every 4-5 minutes you were in the middle of the stage.
So Liberace started his show. We all know he was extremely flamboyant both on and off the stage. His opening outfit was gold lame! He played 3 songs, then introduced the first of 3 guests, a female singer whose name I don't remember. She sang 2 songs, during which he went off stage to change clothes. When he returned he was wearing what amounted to a black jump suit with a red shirt, and a black cape with red lining that matched the shirt. And here's why the cape came into play.
After the first song of that segment he told a story about the IRS disallowing his deduction for his stage costumes. He explained how he debated with the agent that many of, if not all of, his outfits could also be worn as everyday clothing. And the punchline, delivered with that smile and wink that he had, was
"THIS is the outfit I wore to the audit!"
"I got the deduction!"
Sadly, he was a lifelong chain smoker, which depleted his pulmonary and cardiac systems, and that led to his body not being able to combat the effects of HIV later in life. He was a fantastic player. During that show he played a LOT of Chopin pieces, and he really knew how to capture an audience.
Not unlike the guy in the Walmart, who drew the complete attention of everybody he passed!
Yep... I never saw him live, but I do recall more than a few TV shows. He also used a trademark candelabra on the piano. His outfits were certainly "out there"... Cool story about the IRS audit.
Speaking of Walmart.... I saw a guy in there dressed in a Scottish Kilt. Complete with the high socks, military style boots, the scarf or whatever it's called that goes over the shoulder and the leather bag on a rope.... He was totally bald, and had those leather forearm protectors on as well. All he was lacking was a sword and bagpipes. This was in NC... right up the road from me about 5 miles.... I love the people of Walmart. So entertaining.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
True story about a month into the lock down we had a guy wandering around the neighborhood with bagpipes in a kilt (and the rest of the attire) .. and actually playing. Just walking around playing that awful racket ..
Lasted a couple days, not sure what happened after that. /Honest, wasn't me that put an end to it, by I raise a pint to whoever did
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
True story about a month into the lock down we had a guy wandering around the neighborhood with bagpipes in a kilt (and the rest of the attire) .. and actually playing. Just walking around playing that awful racket ..
Lasted a couple days, not sure what happened after that. /Honest, wasn't me that put an end to it, by I raise a pint to whoever did
Maybe he walked across the bridge into Sarnia. People will do anything to get out of that state!!
True story about a month into the lock down we had a guy wandering around the neighborhood with bagpipes in a kilt (and the rest of the attire) .. and actually playing. Just walking around playing that awful racket ..
Lasted a couple days, not sure what happened after that. /Honest, wasn't me that put an end to it, by I raise a pint to whoever did
Hi Bob, Bad to listen to, worse to record and reminds me of another true story. For about ten years I lived on the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. One day this pipe major walks into my studio and asks if I'll record a cassette of him playing bagpipes. Never being one to turn down paid work, I said yes and we fixed a booking. Well, it turns out that apart from being unbelievably loud, bagpipes have a frequency range from way down low, to frequencies which only dogs can hear and which are high enough to affect the bias on the tape machine (it was back in those days). I now know why none of the other studios within 100 miles would take the job. The only way I could get any sort of result was to strip out the high frequency with a Klark-Teknik graphic and then flatten the whole thing with a Drawmer compressor. After the recording I put back some brightness with an Aphex. The upshot was that he loved it and for the next few years I became the "go-to" place for bagpipe recordings on the basis of his recommendations. Eventually I fled to England and safety!
Liberace was a fabulous entertainer AND pianist, still enjoy his shows on you tube
ROG, what a great story, I played in Skye twice a week for a few years and loved it. Never tired of the scenery. Not a fan of the pipes either but, I like them when played with other instruments
In one of the yacht clubs that we frequently perform at, on formal nights, one guy dresses up in his kilt and all the accessories (except weapons), and his wife has a matching outfit. On formal nights I wear my tux, which my accountant tells me I can't take as a tax deduction.
And yes, Liberace was a very good pianist and entertainer.
I can't say for sure but I once heard that in China they call that song "Silverware".
Some years back a friend of mine bought a newer upright piano than what he had so when his daughter spent here every other weekend and alternating holidays with him she had a better piano to practice on. When he did that he gave me him.
I immediately went to all the salvage store places in my area and bought up every candelabra I cold find. I must have had a dozen of them. He sent me a pic when the delivery people delivered it. When I got home I sent him another pic with all of those things on it. That was like 9 years ago, and that piano is long gone, but he still has that picture.
Years ago, when I was in Columbus, Ohio, late one Friday night, around midnight, I go into a United Dairy Farmers store...you know kinda like a 7-11 these days.
Standing in line, there is a guy a few customers ahead of me. This guy is dressed in a purple velvet suit with bell-bottom pants with a bright canary satin shirt with collar points that spread out to his shoulders. He has a wide brim purple velvet hat on with a big yellow canary ostrich feather sticking out.
Everyone was starring, not knowing whether to laugh or smile for fear of getting shot. Anyhow, when he gets up to the checkout, he tells the checkout girl "Give me a pack of what I am....Kool!
Years ago, when I was in Columbus, Ohio, late one Friday night, around midnight, I go into a United Dairy Farmers store...you know kinda like a 7-11 these days.
Standing in line, there is a guy a few customers ahead of me. This guy is dressed in a purple velvet suit with bell-bottom pants with a bright canary satin shirt with collar points that spread out to his shoulders. He has a wide brim purple velvet hat on with a big yellow canary ostrich feather sticking out.
Everyone was starring, not knowing whether to laugh or smile for fear of getting shot. Anyhow, when he gets up to the checkout, he tells the checkout girl "Give me a pack of what I am....Kool!
I'm guessing it wasn't Liberace, but was instead, a local [*****]. (Uhhh OK.... essentially a "brother" who runs a business with certain ladies of ill-repute, and is known for dressing outrageously. )
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 01/10/2108:45 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6 & 7, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, et bien plus encore!
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!
With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!
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Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!
With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!
Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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