by Gregory 'Bassie' Jackson
Thank you to everyone who has offered so much positive feedback regarding this tour journal… and encouragement… this goes to all the Spear supporters worldwide… and the band members… Adam… Joshua… and Mr. Rodney… Thank you…
So much has happened in the past week since the two gigs at the Pit… in North Carolina… but yunnowhat… today I want to focus this diary in a different direction… just for today… cool with you?
I read somewhere recently that great minds go on asking confounding questions with the same intensity throughout their lives… as I read these words… It was in Charleston, SC… yeah… in a college bookstore with Cecil… a few hours before sound check at the music farm down the street… yeah…
Well anyway… at that moment, I realized that I am witness to this process… within this realm… in the Spear camp… Winston Rodney… and the other members of the crew… the camp…
Mr. Rodney's sense of wonder and curiosity come out in the depth and breadth of his interests… and in his willingness to question some accepted ideas and policies… and behaviours… like trendy this or that… yunno…
His creative curiosity is an example to me… for the prospects and possibilities… the potentiality to remain fresh… while maintaining a sense of focus… this curiosity… is something that doesn't have to cease… as we age… it enhances daily experiences… make this moment more interesting…
Like after a gig… walking through the hotel lobby… 2:00 a.m… "Gregory…" yes Mr. Rodney… "why don't you try my bass on the next gig… see how it sounds…" yunno…
Curiosity… like a snowball rolling down a mountain side… it builds… and picks up things… around it… and grows… movement… could be small… or massive… yunno…
Stewart and I sit in the bus… the members… in their bunks… its a long ride… the Silver Streak… whistling down the road… soothing… bottled water… shoes off… under a canopy of stars…
Stewart leans forward… "you want to try a little more mid in your amp rig?… what do you think it would sound like to you? would it help you?"
Engaging our thoughts… that's what great minds do… and then comes the snowball effect… the snowball effect of positive feelings…
But Stewie… what is the Spear swing man? how can we take it to the next level… sipping some cool drinks… Tedo and Sylvan… heating up another two plates of steamed snapper… listen… hands to their hips…
The questions continues to linger… result… yes… they come…
Norfolk Virginia… Micah Robinson walks into sound check with his new horn… the love horn… bright tone… it really stands out in the horn mix well… it projects… yeah… maybe that is what he said… but what seems to me to matter the most… is the curiosity… fueling… the movement… the action… you see…
The snowball effect…
I forget the stage… the band is cooking and stewing like big pepper pot… Naya Keith… been on our list for a few… yunno… we dig in… serving up big portions of all the good stuff…
Curiosity enters… Mr. Rodney calls out… "drum and bass…"
Wow… ok… we shift gear… but not really… we just… make a stand… yunno… drum and bass… and continue the journey…
And man… it sounded sweet… something we tried out the first time… in that moment…
Curiosity continues… one night… it was in North Carolina… now I'm going back to last year… but check this out… this is a drummy story… Mikey… you listening…? ok… we are hitting the gig… then boom… the snare head bursts… but do we stop… does Mikey stop… what… are you crazy? smile…
Mikey hits the tom… yunno… keeps the riddim with a tom tom hit… as the tech changes the heads… but hey… hear it is… the snowball effect… it sounded so interesting… so good… the colors… it was part of the whole vibes… the "swing" yunno…
Now we use it every night… just check out the last few bars of African Postman if we are hitting it… and you will hear it… now you know the origins of that line…
I can go on… but the rains are coming down hard now… here at the holiday inn express… yeah… thunder too… I can hear it above me… and I'm thinking… hummm… let me wrap this up… and get up to my room cause I may have left the window open… maybe I did…
But here… let me finish this thought…
Think of the best teacher you ever had… what makes them brilliant? hummm?
…the ability to help the student to learn for himself? yeah…
Curiosity… a life long process… as manifest within the works of one Winston Rodney…
For us… the musicians… and you perhaps… is that a yes? smile…
till next time, from the road… guidance and protection as you make your forward movements…
Gregory
August 24, 2000
August 18, 2000
Kill Devil Hill, NC
by Gregory 'Bassie' Jackson
Sorry to take so long to get back to everyone… we are here in North Carolina… you should have seen the looks on our faces to see sunshine… and clear skies… after weeks of cloud cover… it was like coming up above the water… after taking a long long deep dive… into the penetrating waters…
We dozed… as the bus glided down the highway… we call her the silver bullet… and man… when we hit an open stretch… it is so smooth… we just glide…
Usually all of us are sitting up… and chatting about this and that… as we make our blast off from our hotel…
But after Tom hits the open road… we make way for our bunks… usually Tedo is the last one… riding as co-pilot up in the front seat…
Its been a pretty interesting past few days… we did a two day stand in Nantucket… and had a blast…
I enjoy it out there… intimate setting…
I must admit that sometimes days slip by… I recall we played a bubblin set up in New Hampshire… later after the show… many of us walked along the board walk area… Hampton Beach… just gazing in the store windows… me and Cecil bounced into James… and later Micah… all of us on different missions… for us… we sought out some ice cream… but no luck… we got some nice vibes though… just walking slowly… and talking through things… the parts we want to focus on and things like that… the essence of the groove… that sort a stuff…
Earlier that same day… Stewart and I had a nice chat… yeah… I treasure those moments… it was in a little restaurant a few hours prior to show time… just talking about things to do to make that special Spear swing… even stronger… we sat and talked and talked… till the place was empty… time didn't exist… we just went on vibes alone… something timeless… I'm learning a great deal about that… and just letting go… and riding that special kotch… the spear swing… yeah… its about life… really… ssssssshhhh… can you feel it…? somewhere deep inside… its there… Just watch the man… the Spear… watch him free out… tune in… on that frequency… and you will know… smile… I'm not just saying this to be saying it…
Mikey and I are trying something… yeah… I'm anticipating the riddim a bit… building the urgency… yunno… Stewie would say its bad bwoy style… Mikey is riding the hi-hat… yeah… its a special sort a swing… but not with every tune… check out our live set on rocking time… close your eyes… and penetrate that… then come talk to me… smile… chuckle…
Its 3:00 a.m. the a.c. in my room is busted… but Micah's room is cool and peaceful… he is out… just taking a stroll… I'm happy he checked me… I was standing at a soda machine… with Tedo… laughing about this and that…
Earlier today… I got a wicked lesson in mix… just me and Virgo… our house engineer… you see… on stage… its a different mix all together… we got the horns men… Micah, James, and Clyde… yeah… they have there own mix to hear themselves… and Mikey… he gets a lot of attention… cause the drums mix is very very important… same with everybody… Mr. Rodney too… we take our time at sound check… and get all our levels right… Me… I'm hanging with some new gear… and I'm learning how it reacts under certain conditions… sometimes it loves me… other times… I need to be patient… and learn… learn to adjust my levels… yunno…
Today… I got a lesson though… in mix… as the others were in the bunk… our silver bullet whistling down the highways… and byways… Virgo and I chilled out… listening to some c.d.'s on the system… he cut it up… dissected it… and explained a lot of things about what is happening in the mix on the house system… what you all enjoy…
I'm curious… and I feel it is important to know about what is going on… and Virgo was very pleased to share… Cecil… he sat with his feet up… and listening too… asking questions… as we rewind the c.d. and point out things…
My eyes are getting heavier… I wish I could go on… but tomorrow is another work day… I need my rest… maybe I will get together with some of the bredren and go jet skiing… during the day… morning time… when the sun kisses the sky blue… yunno… god spare life… right…
we'll see… time to move into anther space… or as James would say… re-charge the batteries… chuckle…
Man… just before I sign off… I got a picture in my minds eye… of the look on this young woman's face… as she had a few moments near our bus… with Spear… got her poster signed… this is after we had a nice little chat… about how she digs reggae… and how she was hip to it a few years ago… in college… hey… y'all listening… we like hearing from you… thanks for sharing…
Spear had a sparkle in his eye… magic… as he put his ink on the poster… she was in a magic realm… we all shared that experience…
magikal huh?
till next time…
Bassie signing out!!!!!
Sorry to take so long to get back to everyone… we are here in North Carolina… you should have seen the looks on our faces to see sunshine… and clear skies… after weeks of cloud cover… it was like coming up above the water… after taking a long long deep dive… into the penetrating waters…
We dozed… as the bus glided down the highway… we call her the silver bullet… and man… when we hit an open stretch… it is so smooth… we just glide…
Usually all of us are sitting up… and chatting about this and that… as we make our blast off from our hotel…
But after Tom hits the open road… we make way for our bunks… usually Tedo is the last one… riding as co-pilot up in the front seat…
Its been a pretty interesting past few days… we did a two day stand in Nantucket… and had a blast…
I enjoy it out there… intimate setting…
I must admit that sometimes days slip by… I recall we played a bubblin set up in New Hampshire… later after the show… many of us walked along the board walk area… Hampton Beach… just gazing in the store windows… me and Cecil bounced into James… and later Micah… all of us on different missions… for us… we sought out some ice cream… but no luck… we got some nice vibes though… just walking slowly… and talking through things… the parts we want to focus on and things like that… the essence of the groove… that sort a stuff…
Earlier that same day… Stewart and I had a nice chat… yeah… I treasure those moments… it was in a little restaurant a few hours prior to show time… just talking about things to do to make that special Spear swing… even stronger… we sat and talked and talked… till the place was empty… time didn't exist… we just went on vibes alone… something timeless… I'm learning a great deal about that… and just letting go… and riding that special kotch… the spear swing… yeah… its about life… really… ssssssshhhh… can you feel it…? somewhere deep inside… its there… Just watch the man… the Spear… watch him free out… tune in… on that frequency… and you will know… smile… I'm not just saying this to be saying it…
Mikey and I are trying something… yeah… I'm anticipating the riddim a bit… building the urgency… yunno… Stewie would say its bad bwoy style… Mikey is riding the hi-hat… yeah… its a special sort a swing… but not with every tune… check out our live set on rocking time… close your eyes… and penetrate that… then come talk to me… smile… chuckle…
Its 3:00 a.m. the a.c. in my room is busted… but Micah's room is cool and peaceful… he is out… just taking a stroll… I'm happy he checked me… I was standing at a soda machine… with Tedo… laughing about this and that…
Earlier today… I got a wicked lesson in mix… just me and Virgo… our house engineer… you see… on stage… its a different mix all together… we got the horns men… Micah, James, and Clyde… yeah… they have there own mix to hear themselves… and Mikey… he gets a lot of attention… cause the drums mix is very very important… same with everybody… Mr. Rodney too… we take our time at sound check… and get all our levels right… Me… I'm hanging with some new gear… and I'm learning how it reacts under certain conditions… sometimes it loves me… other times… I need to be patient… and learn… learn to adjust my levels… yunno…
Today… I got a lesson though… in mix… as the others were in the bunk… our silver bullet whistling down the highways… and byways… Virgo and I chilled out… listening to some c.d.'s on the system… he cut it up… dissected it… and explained a lot of things about what is happening in the mix on the house system… what you all enjoy…
I'm curious… and I feel it is important to know about what is going on… and Virgo was very pleased to share… Cecil… he sat with his feet up… and listening too… asking questions… as we rewind the c.d. and point out things…
My eyes are getting heavier… I wish I could go on… but tomorrow is another work day… I need my rest… maybe I will get together with some of the bredren and go jet skiing… during the day… morning time… when the sun kisses the sky blue… yunno… god spare life… right…
we'll see… time to move into anther space… or as James would say… re-charge the batteries… chuckle…
Man… just before I sign off… I got a picture in my minds eye… of the look on this young woman's face… as she had a few moments near our bus… with Spear… got her poster signed… this is after we had a nice little chat… about how she digs reggae… and how she was hip to it a few years ago… in college… hey… y'all listening… we like hearing from you… thanks for sharing…
Spear had a sparkle in his eye… magic… as he put his ink on the poster… she was in a magic realm… we all shared that experience…
magikal huh?
till next time…
Bassie signing out!!!!!
August 11, 2000
Martha's Vineyard, MA
by Gregory 'Bassie' Jackson
Greetings from Martha's Vineyard… yeah… the Spear tour continues… don't have a lot of time though to write today… been hitting it hard… at the moment its me, Micah… who's machine I'm using… Tom our driver… Gene… riddim guits… and James… Trumpet… sharing a house overlooking water… next to a lazy road… the sound of gravel under car tires… cracking and popping…
James is stretching out… Gene is watching mad about you on the t.v… my clothes are spinning in the dryer downstairs… no… nothing in the fridge… hummm… and where is Micah… I think in his room relaxing…
Past few days we were in Ithaca… hot place… the haunt… no… I'm not joking… it was so hot the power amps in the dressing room felt like a furnace… after our first show… we could have roasted some corn and fed everybody up in that place… laughs…
But I must say the few days out in Great Barrington were sweet… we had a day off… and many of us found things to do… tune into nature…
Steven… celebrated his birthday… I had mine a few days before… and Micah's is coming up soon… bunch of Leos up in this band… smile…
Steven seemed very relaxed… lying in a hammock…
Cecil… who is our shutterbug… took a bunch of nice shots of him… Me… I had a chance to bounce out to the Twin Lakes… and rent a row boat… me and Cecil… I got my workout in… Cecil… well… he gave up after we got tangled in some weeds… laughs… we went back to the dock… and got a power boat… and tore up the lake a bit… later we dozed off on the dock… after having some ice tea… the cool breezes was sweet…
Mr. Rodney… busy as usual… many interviews and things…
And yeah… our last night up there in the woods… Sylvan and Tedo bubbled up some food… nice vibes…
The music… man… it is tight… I tell you… it was a pleasure to play in the intimate environs of the Helsinki club… I could feel Stewart's touch on the keys… and I was right on top of Mikey… on the drums… things got real tight…
Micah's got his horn… and our transport to sound check is in a few minutes… I'm up here in my shorts… and gotta find my pants… so I'm going to jet outta here… I know Chris… and Virgo have hooked up things nice at the club… so I want to get there… and do my thing… yunno…
Till next time… guidance and protection as you make your journeys…
Peace and love… from the road… Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
Greetings from Martha's Vineyard… yeah… the Spear tour continues… don't have a lot of time though to write today… been hitting it hard… at the moment its me, Micah… who's machine I'm using… Tom our driver… Gene… riddim guits… and James… Trumpet… sharing a house overlooking water… next to a lazy road… the sound of gravel under car tires… cracking and popping…
James is stretching out… Gene is watching mad about you on the t.v… my clothes are spinning in the dryer downstairs… no… nothing in the fridge… hummm… and where is Micah… I think in his room relaxing…
Past few days we were in Ithaca… hot place… the haunt… no… I'm not joking… it was so hot the power amps in the dressing room felt like a furnace… after our first show… we could have roasted some corn and fed everybody up in that place… laughs…
But I must say the few days out in Great Barrington were sweet… we had a day off… and many of us found things to do… tune into nature…
Steven… celebrated his birthday… I had mine a few days before… and Micah's is coming up soon… bunch of Leos up in this band… smile…
Steven seemed very relaxed… lying in a hammock…
Cecil… who is our shutterbug… took a bunch of nice shots of him… Me… I had a chance to bounce out to the Twin Lakes… and rent a row boat… me and Cecil… I got my workout in… Cecil… well… he gave up after we got tangled in some weeds… laughs… we went back to the dock… and got a power boat… and tore up the lake a bit… later we dozed off on the dock… after having some ice tea… the cool breezes was sweet…
Mr. Rodney… busy as usual… many interviews and things…
And yeah… our last night up there in the woods… Sylvan and Tedo bubbled up some food… nice vibes…
The music… man… it is tight… I tell you… it was a pleasure to play in the intimate environs of the Helsinki club… I could feel Stewart's touch on the keys… and I was right on top of Mikey… on the drums… things got real tight…
Micah's got his horn… and our transport to sound check is in a few minutes… I'm up here in my shorts… and gotta find my pants… so I'm going to jet outta here… I know Chris… and Virgo have hooked up things nice at the club… so I want to get there… and do my thing… yunno…
Till next time… guidance and protection as you make your journeys…
Peace and love… from the road… Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
August 04, 2000
Winooski, VT
by Gregory 'Bassie' Jackson
Sun is playing a game of hide and seek with the clouds… cool air… and relief from the humidity… a nice ride from New Haven… which was a hot show… its nice to have monitors that really work… and kick it… past few days have been exciting… cape cod… a few days out at Kevin's place… the beachcomber… cycling during the afternoon to the salt pond… having a chat with Stewie about the music… listening to some songs on my four track… Stewie giving some feedback and ideas… me and Cecil with our axes in our hands… a cool breeze… the door open…
Watching Virgo riding his bike back to the hotel from the sound check… yard vibes… you should have seen the look on his face… sheer joy huh? we honked as we zipped by… in Kev's van…
Enough of us are really into fitness… most of us work out… Gene runs… most towns he is out with his Gel's… running… I asked him… he use to be all county or something as a distance runner…
Mr. Rodney does the treadmill… so do I… plus i jump rope… Clyde is a weight trainer too… James does workouts after each gig… very disciplined too… Chris works out… mostly with Cecil… doing the hotel gym thing mostly…
I jump rope from time to time… when I can't get to the gym… it helps keeps the vibes up… playing the gig requires a lot of concentration… and a great deal of strength… different demands for all of us… it is our responsibility to keep things together…
And we do it in our own way… our own personal expression…
After the gig… riding to the next venue… man it is a sweet ride when the bus gets to trucking… the air kicking in the bunk… sometimes I pull down my t.v. screen… but mostly I enjoy rapping with everyone… in our living room… Sylvan or Tedo may be firing up some fish in the kitchen… Micah setting the place on fire with some funny jokes and one liners… Stewie in the mix… and Gene too…
Tedo rides shotgun with Tom our driver… Me… I bounce from spot to spot… and the boss is in the back chilling…
Hey… I realized I need to get up to Cecil's room and review something from the gig tape… something I need to focus on… "the swing"… the "spear swing"… is a special kind a groove… it just isn't a one drop… or a rockers… or steppers… it is a type of vibe… of sound… "a swing…" I want to check something from last night…
Micah is hear… chilling in his room… i'm borrowing some time on his lap top again… daag… i gotta get me one of these huh?
He's watching some sports… two hours till we catch transport… time to jet…
One love from Vermont… catch up with you further down the line…
Bassie Jackson
Sun is playing a game of hide and seek with the clouds… cool air… and relief from the humidity… a nice ride from New Haven… which was a hot show… its nice to have monitors that really work… and kick it… past few days have been exciting… cape cod… a few days out at Kevin's place… the beachcomber… cycling during the afternoon to the salt pond… having a chat with Stewie about the music… listening to some songs on my four track… Stewie giving some feedback and ideas… me and Cecil with our axes in our hands… a cool breeze… the door open…
Watching Virgo riding his bike back to the hotel from the sound check… yard vibes… you should have seen the look on his face… sheer joy huh? we honked as we zipped by… in Kev's van…
Enough of us are really into fitness… most of us work out… Gene runs… most towns he is out with his Gel's… running… I asked him… he use to be all county or something as a distance runner…
Mr. Rodney does the treadmill… so do I… plus i jump rope… Clyde is a weight trainer too… James does workouts after each gig… very disciplined too… Chris works out… mostly with Cecil… doing the hotel gym thing mostly…
I jump rope from time to time… when I can't get to the gym… it helps keeps the vibes up… playing the gig requires a lot of concentration… and a great deal of strength… different demands for all of us… it is our responsibility to keep things together…
And we do it in our own way… our own personal expression…
After the gig… riding to the next venue… man it is a sweet ride when the bus gets to trucking… the air kicking in the bunk… sometimes I pull down my t.v. screen… but mostly I enjoy rapping with everyone… in our living room… Sylvan or Tedo may be firing up some fish in the kitchen… Micah setting the place on fire with some funny jokes and one liners… Stewie in the mix… and Gene too…
Tedo rides shotgun with Tom our driver… Me… I bounce from spot to spot… and the boss is in the back chilling…
Hey… I realized I need to get up to Cecil's room and review something from the gig tape… something I need to focus on… "the swing"… the "spear swing"… is a special kind a groove… it just isn't a one drop… or a rockers… or steppers… it is a type of vibe… of sound… "a swing…" I want to check something from last night…
Micah is hear… chilling in his room… i'm borrowing some time on his lap top again… daag… i gotta get me one of these huh?
He's watching some sports… two hours till we catch transport… time to jet…
One love from Vermont… catch up with you further down the line…
Bassie Jackson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)