It’s movie time here at http://www.michaeldavisblues.com - it’s video time in a big tasty Matchless flavoured kind of way! Last night I flicked my little camera on and recorded myself playing through some SRV tunes just clean and straight into the amp so if you want to hear what it sounds like, stop reading and start watching!

Lol, today I also got 17 spam posts as a present from the internet! I just want to thank the internet for it’s generosity, I mean 7 is a lot but 17!!! Thanks :D Fortunately I have a spam filter installed on my website so most of them (well, all of them so far) are caught otherwise being spammed would be a little like being slimed ala the great 80’s classic (or was it early 90’s?) Ghost Busters (1 +2).

Other than my new amp which is like sex for your ears (but not as messy) I’m coming back to NZ soon for a short 1 week visit starting the 3rd of September. I actually haven’t told many people yet (including my family who are there) so I should probably do that since I’m going to want to be picked up from the airport… and they may want to see me as well I suppose. If anyone else I know wants to catch up leave me a message here or on Facebook, txt my NZ mobile or my Australian one, send me an email or a letter or a bat signal. I’m flying Qantas so your prayers would be appreciated also.

I would also like to point out just before I go play some guitar to Wawa in particular that I saw the new Star Wars movie and it was frikkin’ sweet. Then again, I really like Star Wars especially the Clone Wars cartoon series (which was made by the same people who made the Samurai Jack series, also a favourite of mine) so I pretty much was guaranteed to like it so long as it didn’t suck as bad as the new Star Wars Trilogy did….

Too busy playing to write more - will upload a video later! :)

Well it’s been a week of some physical labour and some gear deliberating and not a lot of posts! Still working at preparing the Gallery I spent much of Monday (I think…) honoring my Greek heritage with a hammer and chisel working away at the floor chiseling free the remaining concrete on left over from the tiles that were removed. And boy was my right fore-arm destroyed after a day of that. I’ve come to the conclusion that I couldn’t have been literate during ancient Greek times due to the fact I wouldn’t have the physical strength to carve symbols into tablets all day.

Aside from that I’ve made a decision on what amp I will be getting and will be ordering it in the next few days from Jackson’s. It’s going to be this amp more specifically after trying out a DC-30 which the channel I liked (it’s a two channel amp) sounds the same as. Hopefully I’ll have it all ordered and here before Thursday night as I’ll be able to take it down to the Nighthawk in Mentone for a thrash, alternatively I’ll take it to Elwood on Sunday. I’ll try get a video on some description so you can all hear what it sounds like and also hear how crap I have become since my practicing schedule has lacked significantly since I’ve not had an amp for 6 weeks now!

In other interesting news I’ve got a new iPod. Now I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t spend money unnecessarily (well, most of the time) which was the case in this situation as it was given to me. I’ve had my old iPod since 2004 - it’s a first generation and it’s almost dead (but has held up particularly well until recently!). So, sad to see my old one go but happy to be able to watch videos and do all the things the cool kids do nowadays on these new fangled things…

Aside from that I might be back in NZ for a short visit in the coming month or so depending on how money holds out this month but I’ll let you all know if you’ll be seeing me local any time soon.

Yeah, so I’m drinking one of those Moccona things right now, it’s kind of like an instant Moccachino… it’s not exactly God’s gift to coffee like that hot German girl led me to believe but for a Sunday afternoon at home in front of the computer it does the trick!

So in recent news not only have I managed to get rid of my old Vox AC15 I’ve also sold my old Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier on Trademe so hoorah, time to reinvest that money into new gear me thinks! Specifcally my taste has suddenly got a little richer, i.e I’m thinking Matchless. Specifically I’m looking at getting either a D/C 30 or a Lightening 15 (preferably with reverb if I can swing it). However there is a problem, the only retailer that I can find that has them in Australia (and probably in the southern hemisphere) is Jackson’s Rare Guitars… in Sydney, which is like 1000km’s north of here lol, so trying them out might be difficult and I don’t particularly want to buy something without trying since, as any gear freaks out there will testify, trying things out before buying with your own guitar/s is extremely important. I will see how it goes though maybe I can work something out.

In other news I’m playing at Elwood tonight and should be getting some video done so will have some footage up within the next day or too, perhaps with me singing as well (unless I’m really bad) so stay tuned for exciting new updates.

Oh and for something else regarding gear, this pedal is possibly the coolest fuzz ever…

It’s that time again in my life (this time is semi-frequent, usually every 6 months) where I make a reasonable purchase of gear - and I have GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) bad! I’m not 100% certain what I will be buying but at the moment it looks to be between a Fender Reissue Blues Deluxe and a Carvin Bel Air 212. I’ve also been looking at buying an acoustic while I’m here for the sake of traveling around it would be quite handy and I like writing on acoustic I seem to get better lyrics for some reason. Specifically I would like a 12 string because I’ve wanted one for awhile and it’s something a little different. There’s a few that I’ve had my eye on and (I am so annoyed) there was a great Martin D1216 on trademe for ridiculously cheap but I didn’t have the cash at the time to buy it! Argh! At the moment it looks like I might get a Maton 12 string because they’re reasonably priced and have electrics on a lot of their models so I will see how it goes, I’m kind of a Martin snob though…

In other musical news I played and sang again at Elwood on Sunday night. It was… not as good lol. Note to self: don’t try to play and sing a song you’ve never practiced before! You might be thinking “duh” but I thought it was worth a shot. So I did ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ by Robert Johnson (but a more modern version obviously) with little success aside from my guitar playing, ‘Texas Flood’ by Stevie Ray Vaughan (actually, I’m not sure if he wrote it I’d have to check, but I did his version) which was better and I love playing guitar to any SRV we all know who my hero is, and I also did ‘Mary had a little lamb’ by Buddy Guy which I’ve gotta say I played pretty damn well and sang good as well I thought. That is a wicked song to jam on, it’s up beat, it’s got a funky riff to it and it’s great to play solo’s over. If you don’t know it check out the SRV version I’ve added below:

Aside from that I’m at work at the moment have been since about 12pm (I know, early start right?) my first client had to cancel and my next wasn’t till four and a half hours later so I’ve had time to kill obviously! It’s okay though, I went to Allan’s Music Store again and looked at their guitars etc.

My first post that I’ve written from work! I’m at the office in the city right now, with a few hours to kill before my next client so thought I’d fill everyone in on what’s happening.

On Thursday night I played the Nighthawk again with great success in the sense that I played quite comfortably. The singer from the second set I did got me to lead the band essentially which was a nice challenge I thought, making intro’s up on the spot, setting speed and feel to songs that I didn’t necessarily know! So yeah, good times in general, had a lot of positive feedback and once I’ve got my amp I hope to do some singing there as well. This Sunday I’m going back to Elwood as per usual and will see if I can sing a set there again (since they’ve heard me sing before, though I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing…). I’ll try get some more video from then.

Aside from that I spent all yesterday at the gallery we’re (Brett Jacques Photography) are opening taking the ceiling down, cleaning it and putting it back up - ironically it made little to no difference and in some respects it came out worse! Oh well, at least I’m not there painting today! Hehehe (sorry Brett).

My two pairs of glasses arrived today (hence the title of this entry) and I checked out some amps!

I went into Allans Music store in the city and all I can say is wow. Massive store lots of great gear (Gibson 56 Gold Top w/P-90’s, ES137 Custom, a few of my favourites) and some possible amps that I am considering. So it’s gear review time!

First off was the Fender 59′ Bassman 4×10 re-issue. This particular amp is unlike a lot of the Fenders I’ve tried, true to original specifications it’s got channel blending, no reverb and really unusual switches for the on/off and standby which are covered in some sort of rubbery type stuff (not important but weird). Sound was a bit dry for my liking and ironically not as bassy as a lot of the Fender amps I’ve tried so probably not the way I’d go but a nice amp none the less.

The next was my personal favourite and a major contender for my purchase. It was an Ulbrick Venue 30 and it was freakin’ cool. They also do a version with Vibrato which I’m considering but anyway, the version I played was just the normal one. First thing I noticed was that the amp projected great for a 1×12, plenty of head room and not too tight for a 6L6 power stage amp. It is basically a one channel amp with two pre amp stages being run in conjunction to handle different frequencies, and when pushed hard enough will break up. One volume all the way up will give you a nice creamy overdrive where as the other will give you the more Brittish toppy drive you might expect from a Vox pushed really hard (not that Vox’s break up a whole lot really). The Reverb was nice as well not too over the top just adding a subtle ambience to the sound. Then came the price and a tear from my eye, however it’s well justified and if I can move some old gear at home (or get it back from repair so I can sell it - Vox :Z) then it’s a given. Oh and did I mention they’re made in my new favourite city - Melbourne? Lol, do I have a lot of bitterness a resentment toward Auckland - Yes.

And here’s a photo of what I look like with glasses! G’night!

Which I am always, of course! Finally after pelicans and piers galore in my last post I have some music related news for you… I sang 3 songs last night. Incase you don’t get the point of that sentence: I SANG 3 songs last night (as well as playing guitar)! Those of you who know me know that I’m not a big fan of singing though I am a passable vocalist (well, I think so anyway) so it was a big curve ball for me when they told me (Matt, the guy organizing the blues night at Elwood) to sing because I suggested I could! So I did Red House by Jimi Hendrix (which I forgot all the lyrics to lol), Leave My Girl Alone by Buddy guy - a personal favourite and Mary Had a Little Lamb (also by Buddy Guy but I did the SRV version of it).

So aside from the fact that I had downed a JD and Coke right before I went on I was surprisingly not nervous (which in fact is a trait with me I’m not nervous when it comes to performing in general) and considering it was the first time I’d ever lead a band let alone an improvised on through a short set before I feel I did okay. I haven’t been practicing singing for about a month though so I was understandably rusty for the first song but it’s something I think I will continue doing since it is my plan to form a band based around songs I’ve written and will perform.

In other news tomorrow I’m off on a whirlwind adventure around Melbourne guitar shops to find my perfect amp - though in all honesty I think I know what I want but it gives me a chance to meet some people and try some things I might have missed otherwise. So I’ll let you know how that goes when I get back, I get paid soon for my months work (I get paid monthly) so there’s some definite spending on the horizon and it’s been a long time coming - being a guitarist without an amp (electric guitar anyway) is like being a cyclist without a bike…?!

Yesterday was the hottest day in July in Melbourne at 19 degrees… pretty sweet. And what better day to take the following photos!

Now I don’t know if you can tell by this image but… that was the biggest bird I’ve ever seen! If I was standing next to it I’d say it would have come up to my chest in height! When it took off it had a wing span of at least 2 metres, huge.

And this is a shot from a Pier near by, water is nice and clear as you can see.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, be sure to swing by the music section I’ll have links/embedded videos of everything I’ve recorded that’s uploaded to youtube there shortly :)

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to put anything up, and I’m figuring it’s quality over quantity. Actually it’s a bit of both today since I have uploaded 4 VIDEOS TO YOUTUBE!!!! That’s right - included is one from my night at the Nighthawk a week and a bit ago and 3 videos from last night at Elwood. To watch the videos go here and navigate through them. But for you lazy ass suckers out there I’ll include one embedded in this post so you can watch it straight away (then go to youtube and watch the rest!).

Aside from playing a couple more times since I last posted, I had Christine over for a few days which was great, she allowed me to be more touristy and do things like go to the Victoria Markets, a couple of galleries (inlcuding a Video Games Expo - yes my girlfriend rules) and generally wander around the city. She was also the camera person last night so when you watch the Elwood videos make sure you appreciate her camera work in a comment!

For those who don’t know me (and those who do and forgot…) it was my birthday on Saturday night and I’m now 22. Had a good dinner at an Italian Restaurant up in Brighton so that was cool. It was my first birthday away from New Zealand so that’s kind of interesting I suppose, I still really miss my Family and Friends but I gotta hash it out here for a couple more months. As it is the time is flying by I’ve already been in Melbourne for 3 weeks on Wednesday, I suppose you could say I’ve settled in now but I’ll be more settled once I get an amp!

Back to something I mentioned a little while ago now I have in fact found the ellusive Pelican - and boy was it a big bastard. I’ll put up some photos of that tomorrow but for now enjoy the videos and things I’ll update again shortly.