Long lost caver says hi...

Hi boys!

Thought I'd drop by to say hi to all the old timers. Haven't been around much because I stopped playing guitar over a year ago but they dragged me back in for 3 last goodbye shows recently. I'm also completely over Setzer. Deleted all his stuff from my ipod. Learned a few things and lost respect. I'm stuck on music recorded prior to 1980. HA!

Anyway, I did trade my 62 Bassman in for a Kustom Defender 50 watt combo for my last couple of shows. Didn't miss the Bassman (or Tophat) at all. This amp has the sound I love and it weighs considerably less.

Catch me up, what'd I miss around here?
Nikko

Hey Nick! It sounds like you need to catch us up!

Nikko wrote:

....because I stopped playing guitar over a year ago....

WHAAAAT - how is that even POSSIBLE?!? I'd rather saw my own foot off with a spoon than stop playin' the guitar, but it could be me who has issues... The longest break I've had from playing was in 1994 when I thought I was sick of it and left the band, then one month later I was asked to join a new band. My wife later said my grumpiness had been almost unbearable when I was out of it...

Nikko wrote:

Catch me up, what'd I miss around here?

Well, there's a new album called "Setzer goes instru-MENTAL!", but you probably don't wanna hear about it...? Other than than, Webby plays with a big band, Tavo makes the awesomest pedals and amps, I started playing with Otis Grand, and most all the Euro-hoodoovoodoo'ers are looking forward to the upcoming Setzer tour - except me 'cos I won't be able to go to any concerts. I suggested Helsinki as the goal of our vacation this year, but I was outvoted two to one. So we're going to Rome when the tour is in my neck of woods.

Hey, I wanna know what you do INSTEAD of playing the guitar...

I quit the band because it was taking time away from my kids and if there's no point in playing guitar (like gigs), I don't play. There's too many other things to do like running a business, two kids, an ex-wife, a fiancee, two dogs. lol. Funny thing was, after I quit, I realized how much I hate bars. lmao. and drummers and drummer's girlfriends.

I still have and love my Brain Seltzer. It's be road worn by a rogue DOD pedal that lost it's velcro and attacked in the case, but it's still going strong. Hell, I didn't need that knob anyway.

Decided it was time to fulfill my dream of playing Great Balls of Fire on piano and started lessons. Never reached that point (I can play the solo, but not the rhythm, figure that one out) because I got completely stuck in Jerry's country days. That's where his really good stuff is. Another Place Another Time, What Made Milwaukee Famous, You're All Too Ugly Tonight, etc.... Quit lessons because of the band and haven't started them up again, but I'm enjoying the piano so much more than guitar.

Last Setzer album I bought was the one before that big-band classical thing. Give me more rockabilly and I might buy it, but right now I'm soooooo past the sound of a big band. Found out a couple of things about him that I just can't respect so I probably wouldn't even buy more rockabilly.

How's everybody been around here? Can't wait to see The Casino next month.
Nikko

Yeah that's right, JLL's country era is totally cool! And there's too many guitarists, we definitely need more good piano players!

BTW, please tell me you at least got some money as well when trading the Bassman for the Kustom....?

Oh yeah

Nikko wrote:

Found out a couple of things about him that I just can't respect so I probably wouldn't even buy more rockabilly.

I don't know you but I don't like your attitude, I mean if you got something to say say it upfront or keep it private. Oh wait - do you happen to have a friend named Tommy?

Not that Nikko needs anyone to defend him, and I'm sure he prefers I don't, but he's just stoppin' by to say hi to the folks who were around when this forum was a little more friendly and entertaining. Nikko was a funny and extremely informative part of the proceedings back in the day. You might remember the extraordinary amount of work Nikko put into his website of Setzer tabs. They were legendary around these parts. If you're a guitarist and a fan of Setzer's, his work could be invaluable to you. Nikko was also among those persistent fans on a quest to find the nuts and bolts of Setzer's sound. One of the best things about guys like Nikko and Tavo is that they've shared what they've discovered to the delight of many fans. So the man's put his time into serving the Setzer fanbase over the years, and although I don't play guitar, I sincerely appreciated his work. Heck, the guy even attempted to write out the violin part to "Jumpin' at the Capitol" for me.

All of this to say that Nikko probably couldn't check in with his former compadres here without mentioning very briefly why a guy who did so much for Setzer fans hasn't been around in recent years. The point was to say hello, not to slag off Brian. I wouldn't dwell on it. I decided a while ago that I don't wanna know what goes into my hot dogs - I just like how they taste. I love the music of many artists about whom I know nothing outside of their recorded output. It's been tough to get past some of the things I've learned in my Setzer obsession over the years. In the end, I love the music, and that's what it has to be about for me. But I respect Nikko for being a man of principle in eschewing Setzer fandom while appreciating the comraderie that inhabited the HDVDL circa 2003-2006.

I'll say "welcome back," and I love me some piano - Kevin McKendree's piano was my favorite part of the sound from "Rockabilly Riot," and I really dug Robbie Chevrier's keyboard into to "Rock This Town" on "Red, Hot and Live." Whether it's boogie woogie, honky tonk, or box-bangin' rockabilly... if you stumble across anybody you think should be on our musical radar on your keyboard odyssey, give us a shout.


Not helping-billy

Rickabilly wrote:

All of this to say that Nikko probably couldn't check in with his former compadres here without mentioning very briefly why a guy who did so much for Setzer fans hasn't been around in recent years. The point was to say hello, not to slag off Brian.

Unfortunately It came across to me as though he was slagging off Brian as well!

hey folks, check out Blair Carman. Ican't say hes in Jerrys league but he does get up and stomp around on those keys!

Yes Nikko is one of the old guard so to speak, and besides my wife is solely responsible for pushing me to start making the brain seltzer preamp(and then of course the guitarists in this forum that backed it up once it was made). I still like to mention that he even gave me his RE301 space echo to reverse engineer as boost to climb out of my unemployment
depression. Because of him I have a job and if there ever was a Setzer fan dyed in the wool its this boy.

The tabs were fantastic, all around the world Setzer guitar fans knew the site made by Nikko. Awesome work!!!

But i have to agree with Christopher. Say it or don`t say it.
But this " i know something but i won`t talk about it" is bull.
BS is a fantastic musician so he won`t be a real bad guy.
But i`m sure he made mistakes over the years. Like we all.
I`m working in the entertainment business here in Europe and i`m sure i`m a good one.
But not everybody like my style of working, my attitude or what ever.
And from time to time people doing something wrong or something contradictory.
That`s life...

I miss the tabs!