Steve was on a plane to Asia, but I hooked up with his friend Jerry: Jerry was an electrical engineer who designed data centers for hospitals back in the day - we chatted about several Houston-area clients we both knew - as well as an incredible keyboardist: Steve had told me about him 20 years ago, and it was fun to finally meet him: He now is a full time musician, playing piano on cruise ships and in lounges near his home - he relies on technology, but is very non-technical in his music - never wants to use a computer, just wants good keyboards that make good sounds with a minimum of fuss. Steve has pressured him for years to get digital, but he's resisted. Today at NAMM, his white whale was to scour the floor looking for SOMEONE who will make a specific type of floor pedal set so he can play baselines with his feet…. His specific requirements are actually pretty esoteric, and it was fun to watch him talk to the reps and get them to finally understand what and why….
For me, it was about revisiting my favorite booths and going deeper on a few things: Here's what I loved today:
Of course I went back to the Prophet booth - and played those beautiful synths for quite a while. I really connected with them, and if I can be said to have one gearlust thing, it's for the Prophet 12. It's just amazing.
Right next door was the Moog booth, and I had a chance to watch a legend: Suzanne Ciani is a synth pioneer who helped create some of the first electronic product IDs - the singing coke bubbles, the beeping GE dishwasher ads: She formed an ad agency, made a shedload of money in the 1980s, and then retired to do new age music…. But she's famous for her 1970s and 1980s appearances on Letterman and 321 Contact where she explained the coolness of synths…. She was at the Moog booth and did an impromptu concert on the giant modular synths. I was thrilled.
Around the corner I found a booth by Modus: This is a red haired synth freak named Paul Maddox who was a total PPG nut like I was, and built his own "versions" of the PPG in the dark days when Waldorf was not doing very well…. He got funding and has made his own beautiful synths called the Modulus 002 - his backer refers to it as "The Aston Martin of Synths" and it is just beautifully made, with a huge distinctive sound. While I was there, the guys from Waldorf were there praising him for keeping the dream alive. If I had a spare $5k, I wouldn't mind having that great synth but alas, priorities. They were just so friendly and kind, I felt like staying there all afternoon.
Up in the Roland booth, I was paying more attention to their marketing - turns out they're making a BIG play at having their entry level electronic drum kits targeted at KIDS - the videos, and in the demo booths were 9-11 year olds hitting the skins. It inspired me to make sure my kit at home is set up and ready for Isaac, since he said he wants to play. I played with their other synths, and was just… meh….
I visited the "basement" which is where the smaller companies are, and chatted up French software makers, custom guitar guys, and appreciated the "fringes" of the music industry - these were guys trying to break in, and had good, boutique products.
I wandered into the DJ and Lighting area - got my fill of smoke machine fog, but it was fun to see how much these little units can do now with lasers and LEDs - so much more flexible than the lights I used to run at the Rogue nightclub in Minneapolis in 1993…
Bottom line: It was so much fun to be at the show, and I kept my gear lust in check - literally the only things I would have a hard time resisting were the Modulus and the Prophet. And neither would ever leave my studio - they're as much art as instrument.
I had a food truck lunch of SAUSAGES, and in the line chatted with two Taiwanese ladies who really wanted to work on their English - we had a fun talk about running, half marathons (proudly told them about Pamela's run), how cold MN can be, how Tokyo is so cool, but how Taiwan is cooler…. It was a fun way to pass the time in a very long line.
We left after 6 hours, and I got a short nap in - to recover from a horrible night where my neighbors literally did not go to sleep the entire night, and boy were they chatting and laughing. I called the front desk 4 times on them - and was not very well rested. But now I'm caught up, and need to consider what to do with my evening. I might just go find an in-n-out burger and a movie theater, or just chill out - no big ambitions.
And that's the update - I need to get to the airport by noon tomorrow, so I'm thinking of what I can do between now and then. I may not have big plans.
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