Grinding Gears
Grinding Gears with Todd Grantham
It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments?
For this week's edition of Grinding Gears, we sit down with Todd Grantham, keyboardist and all-around good guy of The Quivers. He gives us the exclusive on stealing vibraphones, pling-plinging and the burns.
Read our interview at the link here!
You can also preview The Quivers' latest EP Gots To Have It! at the Bandcamp streaming link below. They'll have physical copies at their show at The Brick this evening.
-Michelle Bacon
Grinding Gears with Todd Grantham
It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments? This week we talk with Todd Grantham, also known as the suave ivory tickler of The Quivers. The Deli: What kind of gear are you using? Todd Grantham: At home, when I'm relaxed and want to play sitting down? I play a 1959 Cable Nelson Spinet piano. It's been in the family since before I was born and I've been playing - mostly banging on that piano since I was a baby. I love it. You can't make a keyboard thunder and rumble quite like it. The Deli: What makes your particular gear achieve the sound you're looking for in your music? Todd: Opportunity, convenience, good fortune and affordability. The Deli: How would you describe your sound? Todd: Sometimes it's a little toot or a beep. Sometimes it goes Rrrrrrrarrrrrrrwwwwwrrr. When I'm in a hurry on piano it goes pling pling pling. The Deli: What projects are you in you're in right now? Todd: The Quivers have become a full-time job for me. I couldn't be more artistically satisfied playing with this gang. But I played organ and piano on a few songs for Red Kate's upcoming album. Can't wait for that to be released. Holy cow, them boys are serious! Their song "Hypnotized" is gonna be big! You'll see. The Deli: What other instruments do you play? Todd: I've toyed with an accordion and a tin whistle, and can make a harmonica groan like a flattened tire. Oh, and I shouldn't say this, but for at least a dozen years I've had a vibraphone that doesn't actually belong to me. If the rightful owner sees this, I'll probably have to kiss that vibraphone goodbye. So this is off the record, right? The Deli: Who are your favorite or most inspirational players (of your instrument[s]), both in KC and beyond? Todd: Locally? Jason Beers plays a wicked organ with Wild Chipmunk & The Cuddly Poos. He sickens me with how effortlessly fantastic he is. You know what? This is a difficult question. He's not a favorite, nor inspirational. He's freakish. He's a mutant. He should be shunned and banished from society. Devil-man! Devil-man! He loosens our morals and our morale, and I hear he's one of those free-thinkers. The Deli: What is your ideal dream equipment set up? Todd: If it were the ideal dream, we wouldn't be talking about musical gear. The Deli: Todd: To be honest with you? I don't shop for gear. Bernie [Dugan] tells me, "You need to get one of these…" and then he goes out and GETS IT FOR ME! I love my friend! But he makes me play extra pretty for him. The Deli: Do you have a favorite KC venue to play in terms of sound quality? Todd: recordBar always does us well. I recommend the Cowtown Mallroom too. The acoustics in there are a hoot. The Deli: Ever made or have thought of making your own custom gear? Todd: Oh god… Oh GOD the burns! Call 911. Although Todd probably doesn't have the burns, you can catch him performing tonight at The Brick with The Quivers. They'll be joined by The Wild Ones and Bummer City, both from California. The Quivers' new EP Gots To Have It! will also be available this weekend! -Michelle Bacon
Grinding Gears with Todd Grantham
Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She enjoys the smell of Elmer's School Paste, but never the flavor.
Grinding Gears with Jason Beers
It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments?
For this week's edition of Grinding Gears, we sit down with multi-talented multi-instrumentalist Jason Beers, who plays with The Brannock Device, Dead Voices, and Rural Grit. If you want to hear from someone who plays bass, clawhammer banjo, musical saw, trumpet, and more, Jason is someone you want to hear from.
Read our interview at the link here!
-Michelle Bacon
Grinding Gears with Jason Beers
It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments? This week we talk with one of the hardest working musicians in town, Jason Beers. The Deli: What kind of gear are you using? Jason Beers: Kustom 250 amp, with a 2x15 Kustom Cabinet loaded with EV speakers. '78 Gibson RD Artist bass. I use both in The Brannock Device and Dead Voices. Deering Goodtime banjo that I sometimes use with a small Dean Markley amp. That's it. I'm not a gear freak. I used an EBO knockoff when I had a pinched nerve in my neck for a bit. That was a fun bass. The Deli: What makes your particular gear achieve the sound you're looking for in your music? Jason: I like my amp because it is indestructible and very basic with lots of headroom. My bass has the ability to have a wide tonal variety, so I can control what I need tone wise from my bass. It has a built in treble "expander" and compressor. I have that expander circuit on in Brannock Device and off with Dead Voices. The Deli: How would you describe your sound? Jason: For Brannock Device, it's a really hard attack, deep and focused on the midrange frequencies. I use a variety of techniques in that band. The bass takes on a more nontraditional role for the Brannocks. I like the sound of a picked bass, but I can't play bass with a pick worth a darn. For Dead Voices, I dial it back quite a bit and just try to be solid and more like a traditional bass player, trying to lock in with Matt's bass drum, rather than trying to dance around with Bernie's (Brannock Device) drums. The Deli: What projects are you in you're in right now? Jason: Playing bass and singing in the Brannock Device, playing bass in Dead Voices, playing solo clawhammer banjo, and some duet/trio things with the Rural Grit crowd. I get involved in some one-off things, on occasion. I have a long running all-bass band with Johnny Hamil, the Wyco Lowriders, that hasn't played in quite a while, but we haven't killed it yet. The Deli: What other instruments do you play? Jason: Clawhammer banjo, organ/piano/keyboards, trumpet, musical saw, spoons, harmonica, guitar...hmmm...I've yet to play drums in a band. The Deli: Who are your favorite or most inspirational players (of your instrument[s]), both in KC and beyond? Jason: Well, on bass - that would be Rob Wright, Mike Watt, and Barb Schilf. Johnny Hamil and Mark Reynolds, locally. The biggest bass influence is not a bass player at all, per se, but Ray Manzarek of the Doors. I love those bass parts he came up with. The Deli: What is your ideal dream equipment set up? Jason: I have it now. Basic amp with headroom, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my bass. Very versatile and monsterous - I really feel like I'm working a big machine. The Deli: Jason: I haven't shopped for gear in years. I do stop into Bentley's Music in Parkville every-so-often. Back when his shop was around, I bought TONS of stuff from Jim Curley's Mountain Music Shoppe, including my current bass set-up. The Deli: Do you have a favorite KC venue to play in terms of sound quality? Jason: Byron at Davey's is always a great sight to see behind the board. The Record Bar has stellar sound. The Deli: Ever made or have thought of making your own custom gear? Jason: Mark Smeltzer is in the middle of making me a banjo out of an acoustic guitar, strung left-handed, with TWO drone strings, one on the top and one on the bottom. Other than that, no. Jason will be playing a special set on Saturday, August 18 as part of a Money Wolf Music Secret Show, at a yet undisclosed location. He'll be performing a set from Kansas City's past musical giants, likely never to be performed in another setting again. Jon Stubblefield will also be performing that evening. There are only 30 tickets available, so go to the link here and get your tickets while you can! -Michelle Bacon
Grinding Gears with Jason Beers
Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She once fought the mighty Cerberus, and won.
Grinding Gears with Chris Meck
It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments? For our newest feature, Grinding Gears, we first sit down with guitar extraordinaire Chris Meck, who has been a mainstay in the Kansas City music scene for years. He and his lovely wife Abigail Henderson have been writing music together in The Gaslights, Atlantic Fadeout, and currently, their duo Tiny Horse. Chris, with Abby, is also a co-founder of the Midwest Music Foundation. The Deli: What kind of gear are you using? Chris Meck: Guitar-wise, I use two guitars that are Fender designs but that I made. I don't like current production guitars, so I hunt parts online until I find just the right body, and just the right neck, with just the right finish and the pickups that I like best, etc. So I have a Stratocaster and an Esquire (a one-pickup Telecaster) that are "Meckocasters". I also have a '50s era Supro lapsteel that I screetch around on, and it all goes into my heavily modified '72 Fender Deluxe Reverb. Oh, and pedals. I use a lot of pedals. Analogman Sunface fuzz, modified tubescreamer, a modified Rat and a modified Line 6 DL4 delay mostly. The Deli: What makes your particular gear achieve the sound you're looking for in your music? Chris: It's all very touch-responsive and full-frequency reproduction is there. I like a balanced sound so that I can manipulate things with my hands to get different sounds. The Deli: How would you describe your sound? Chris: Old school, deconstructed. The Deli: How was the process of finding your right equipment to achieve your sound? Chris: That's a good question. I don't think it's ever really "achieved." The process is the point. I'm always tinkering, looking for improvements. I'm always going to sound like me, both the good and the bad, but am seeking the best version of that I can put forward. The Deli: What projects are you in you're in right now? Chris: Tiny Horse, mostly. Getting our recording studio up and running. The Deli: What other instruments do you play? Chris: Just guitar. a tiny bit of lap steel. I'm just learning, really. The Deli: Who are your favorite or most inspirational players (of your instrument[s]), both in KC and beyond? Chris: In KC, Marco Pascolini, Jimmy Nace and Mike Alexander come to mind. Overall, I really like Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams and Marianne Faithful), Bo Ramsey, Buddy Miller. I pretty much want to be Buddy Miller when I grow up. When I was just learning, it was the Jimmy's (Hendrix and Page). Keith Richards. Hubert Sumlin. early Clapton. The usual. The Deli: What is your ideal dream equipment set up? Chris: I'm pretty much there. If I had slightly smaller and slightly larger versions of my amp with the same sound for varied size gigs I'd be a little happier, I guess. I'd like to build a Jazzmaster and a Jaguar just so i had the full set of bastardized Fender designs. The Deli: Chris: Because I'm very specific about my gear, I shop online a lot. If I go to a music store, it's usually Midwestern Musical Co. For strings and stuff like that. Maybe a nice Jaykco guitar strap. The Deli: Do you have a favorite KC venue to play in terms of sound quality? Chris: recordBar. It used to be Davey's, but I don't really feel as at home there these days. Crossroads is cool. The Deli: Ever made or have thought of making your own custom gear? Chris: Almost all of it already is. :) You can see Chris in action this Sunday at recordBar at the Sonic Spectrum Dealer's Choice tribute show. He and Abby will be playing as Tiny Horse with a crew of friends. They'll be playing several selections handpicked by Sonic Spectrum host Robert Moore. You can also frequently spot Chris running sound at local venues across KC, and doing a damn fine job of it. -Michelle Bacon
Grinding Gears with Chris Meck
Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She looks extremely angry at all times, even when you might not think so.
