A FRIEND IN NEED: Steve Lawson, a longtime friend, amazing bassist, and groundbreaking artist, has just been diagnosed with cancer (lymphoma). He's in good hands with the British National Health Service, but that doesn't cover all of the financial hardship associated with this. How can you help? By purchasing a subscription at his Bandcamp page, which I've linked to this post. It gives you access to a massive collection of music he's produced over the years, as well as instant access to new material, and other benefits.
Steve was there at the beginning of a couple of crucial career developments for me. His house concert touring model was the inspiration for the loads of house concert and intimate venue shows I did with Kira Small from 2009-2013. And he was also the first act at the 2011 Anaheim Bass Bash, the night The Aristocrats played their first-ever show. Somehow, Steve was always there at the right moment, instigating Good Things.
He's a great guy and a great musician. If you've never heard his material, I invite you to check it out, and consider helping out in any way you can. ... See MoreSee Less
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Instantly get everything Steve Lawson makes, and then some. Get all the new music I release, plus 36 items from my back-catalog, subscriber-only specials, and exclusive access to my fan community. SOUNDCHECK APPROVED BY ELLIE: She thought the room sounded really good for The Aristocrats' first show in over two years at Ramona MainStage last night. (She's less sure about the chicken.) She's the very best girl and I'll miss her a lot. *sob*
But it's time to hit the road.
Thank you to everyone who saw the world premiere of two new songs last night, and welcomed us back to the stage. It was way too much fun. North America, here we come!
Ellie ... See MoreSee Less
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FINAL TOUR PREP: When you see this, that means The Aristocrats DEFROST tour must be starting tomorrow night in San Diego at Ramona Mainstage, and then on July 4 and 5 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro. 10 weeks starts tomorrow! ... See MoreSee Less
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AND SO IT BEGINS: Touring rig for The Aristocrats DEFROST Tour. Coming soon to a North American venue near you. 😉 ... See MoreSee Less
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SATCH MEETS THE SWR MO’ BASS: Hopefully everyone knows I’m GK All Day these days by now…but 20 years ago I helped develop this crazy amp called the Mo’ Bass when I used to work at SWR. I never thought I’d get a chance to break out a sound as wild as that head’s BassSynth for a Joe Satriani tune, but along came “Night Scene” and it just seemed like the right thing for it. Fortunately, Joe agreed! This is one of my favorite tracks on the album - maybe it’s a sleeper for some, but the changes, melody, Joe’s playing, Rai Thistlethwayte’s vintage-crunchy Rhodes solo, and Kenny Aronoff’s groove all made it a blast to track. (Make sure to watch to the end where I demo the sound.) ... See MoreSee Less
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