walter tore's spontobeat
walter tore's spontobeat
| Singles |
| Songs not currently on albums, or not otherwise posted by the artist. |
| Live at Alpine Hall |
This was recorded 6/21/03, at a outdoor benifit concert in the heart of the Sonoma County wine country. This gig was following my grease fire ( check the song) in my BBQ smoker. I was up at 1am checking the BBQ, and at 4am a pilot error caused a spectacular grease fire that ruined the 14 racks of ribs I was smoking for the benifit party that these tunes were recorded at. So, at 6am that same morning I go and buy 14 more racks of ribs and BBQ them all morning at Alpine Hall (gig site). At noon I was done BBQ'ing, and then set up and played two, one hour sets that you are now hearing. I was up a total of 30 hours at the time of this recording. Needless to say I was on a natural high of BBQ smoke, no sleep, and excitement. My voice wasn't in very good form (BBQ smoke), but all things considered I think it came out ok. This was my first time recording with my Sharp MD-7 minidisc recorder. Next time I am going to put the mic closer tho the PA speaker and get the vocals more on top. Thank God for summer vacation
P.S.: For those of you tht don't know it, I make up all of these songs as I go along, and record them with a sharp MD-7 mini disc and core sounds stereo mic.
The technique used to record all cds:
21st Century Field Recordings - All of Walter's music is recorded in the early 20th century field recording tradition. Adventurous men would pack their simple recording equipment in the back of their cars, drive into the deep south, to locate and record, in their homes, the musicians of that area. This is how most of the country came to learn about blues, folk, country, and Cajun music. These visionary men paved the way for the slick studio recordings we now take for granted.
Walter sticks to this recording concept by using only a mini disc recorder and a stereo microphone to record all his band and solo cds. Once they are recorded they are formatted to cd quality, and may get a slight touch of reverb, echo, and compression. It only takes about 2 minutes of production time to transform a mini disc recording to a finished cd.
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| Recordings done with Samplitude |
| I just discovered this recording program and am going hog wild with it. It is a somewhat of a secret in the recording community, but usually replaces Pro Tools once people hear them side by side. I owe it all to Michael Tsang, owner of Midi Music. All words and music are spontaneously created and recorded, no overdubbing, or change are made. |
| Metal on Metal |
As I sit here typing these notes, I think back to the days when I slept on Louisiana Red’s couch in Long Island, NY. He would play his national steel for hours in that living room. I often fell asleep to his music, and when I woke up in the morning, he would be sleeping in his chair, with that guitar in his lap. He never gave me any real lessons except how to hold the slide, and when he would go out, I got to play his guitar. Those were very special days for me. Almost 3 decades have passed since then, and I finally feel like I am able to catch that groove he so effortlessly puts down.
Life is a wonderful journey, and I feel blessed for all the experiences music has provided me. I never know what is going to come out of my mouth or instruments, and as you listen to these songs, I hope they inspire you to reflect on your life. Who knows, I may be singing about you!
The Black Cat Mojo Guitar, was given to me by the owner of the Black Cat Lounge, Paul Sessoms. This guitar is handmade, and has a spell on it, and a set of written directions. I follow them to the letter, and believe it or not, it has predicted the Smiling With Hope Foundation, recording my own cds, and using the internet as a way to promote my music. Paul is dead, and the Black Cat Lounge has burned down. The only worldly link he has left to music is this guitar. Music was his whole life, and those who knew Paul can tell you how powerful this can be. The other guitar on this session is a1940 National Steel. I don’t consider myself a bluesman, just a musician. Society likes labels, and I surrender to it. Do good work, love yourself and all around you, and you will feel peace. I hope to meet you someday. Walter
P.S.: For those of you tht don't know it, I make up all of these songs as I go along, and record them with a sharp MD-7 mini disc and core sounds stereo mic.
The technique used to record all cds:
21st Century Field Recordings - All of Walter's music is recorded in the early 20th century field recording tradition. Adventurous men would pack their simple recording equipment in the back of their cars, drive into the deep south, to locate and record, in their homes, the musicians of that area. This is how most of the country came to learn about blues, folk, country, and Cajun music. These visionary men paved the way for the slick studio recordings we now take for granted.
Walter sticks to this recording concept by using only a mini disc recorder and a stereo microphone to record all his band and solo cds. Once they are recorded they are formatted to cd quality, and may get a slight touch of reverb, echo, and compression. It only takes about 2 minutes of production time to transform a mini disc recording to a finished cd.
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| One Man Band |
| I play the bass drum, high hat, guitar, vocal, and harp, all at the same time, and record it live to mini disc. All the words and music are spontaneously created and recorded |
| All Alone With My Harp |
| solo harp/vocal recordings |
| I'm Tired of Club BS - So I Started My Own |
| I have gotten so burnt on playing/trying to play clubs over the past 30 years, that I have decided to make my own. I set up my living room with my band, we invite a bunch of people to come by, I do some slow smokin BBQ, and we party. No booking agents, club drunks, jammers, stupid requests, etc. Our first time doing it was 11-30-03, with just me, Katherine on drums, Doug on bass, my wife, and my dog. I am going to do this every couple of weeks, invite some folks, and see what happens. I am going to record it and post some of it here. |
| Tascam DA-30 DAT Recordings |
| I just bought one of these used and am thinking my mini disc days are numbered. Here are some recordings. |
| Dan Lange - recorded at the 21st century field recordings Studio |
| Dan came by my house and recorded these songs. We used 2 mics. An AT 3035 on the guitar, and a Rodi NT 1 on the vocals. They went into a ART TPS preamp, into a Delta 66 soundcard and was mixed with Samplitude Master 6.5 recording software. The only mixing done was to add compression to the entire mix. This was my first attempt to record anyone else. It was pretty simple. It took about 3 minutes to get the mic levels set, and then I just left Dan alone. Enjoy!! |
| Rainy Day Blues |
| I am off today, Feb 16th, and it is raining like hay up here in Santa Rosa, Ca. I opened the window to my office/recording studio, and put a mic to it while I recorded. Listen to some real Ca rain, that makes the grapes and redwoods grow so tall. |
| Mocha's Last Party? |
| Our dog Mocha is dying of lung cancer. We had a party at our house last night, 2/21/04, to celebrate her life. She loves music and BBQ. We had about 60 people cram into our little 1,200 sq ft house. I smoked a full BBQ spread, and the food and wine flowed. My brother, who was the leader of the grunge band, Bob Evans, former MCA recording artists, came up from L.A., to record us and jam some. It was a great night. We had the women dancing on the floor and I caught my old groove that I had during my days as the house band at the Legendary Black Cat Lounge in Austin, Texas. Mocha is on steriods and a side effect is food compulsion. She swiped a few ribs off some kids plates, and was lapping up brisket grease that spilled on the kitchen floor. My wife and I have never her the pleasure of eating people food, but last night she had her fill! I want to thank all my friends that came out and made this one of my best gigs ever! I also got hired to cater a big shindig at a local winery. The owners were there and loved the BBQ. It was a great time. On a technical note, the living room is about 20' x 12'. lathe [laster walls, and hardwood floors. We weren't able to get any isolation on the mics. One was on the vocals, which went through a fender passport deluxe 250 PA, and 2 mics in the back of the room. All in all, for the small space and all, I think it came out ok. |
| All Alone On the National Steel Guitar |
| stuff done solo with the O style |
| Live On 4th Street |
| I am fortunate enough to be able to play whenever I want, in front of the local music store, in my town, Santa Rosa, Ca. It is on the main street, and gets a lot of interesting foot traffic. I bring my bass drum, high hat, 1940 national steel style O, my dog Mocha, and harps. I decided to take my recording gear and set up and do a cd. This is going to be an ongoing project. The gear I use is: Rode Nt 1 mic on vocal/harp, AT 30305 on general sound, and it goes into a ART TPS mic preamp, and recorded on a Tascam DA-30 DAT recorder. I then mix it through Samplitude Master 6.5 recording software. |
| Out in The Mojo |
| I am recording these on my DAT, in my old garage. It is all redwood and has some great acoustics. Nothing added to these except a bit of compression. |
| Me and My Old Friend - 1 man Band |
I recorded some stuff with my first electric guitar yesterday (March 20, 2004). It is the big hollow body, f holed, arched top, single humbucker pu, volume only knob, no name guitar, on the lower left corner of the Live at the Alpine Hall cd cover. The body is arched on front and back, and is about 6 inches thick. I got it in 1980 for 20 dollars. It was the only electric guitar I owned, all the way until I hit Austin. It wasn't loud enough to keep up with the club next door. It would feed back. They were drowing us out! I kind of put it away at that point and bought a jazzmaster. Now I have 2 electric guitars, and they are the only 2 I have ever owned.
I had a Luthier in Belgiun build a intonated bridge and put new tuners on it. It was stripped and finished clear(before I got it). Other than that it is stock.
It called my name yesterday. I plugged it in my deluxe reverb. The strings must be at least 10 years old. I rubbed a cloth over them to get the slip back on them. It was even close to being in tune. It was time! The neck on it is like a baseball bat, and the action is perfect for fretting or slide, all the way up the neck. I put the volume to 2 on the amp and the trebble to 10, and bass to 3, with no reverb. I turned the guitar volume all the way up, and picked with my fingers. This baby screams, and man I forgot how fat its tone is.
I have a new axe in the arsnel now that I rarely go above 2 on the amp volume. It is funny how our situations change over time. I was tempted to sell it many times, but because it has no name on it, I figured for what I would get, wasn't worth the hassle. I have had this guitar in shops all over the world, and no one has been able to identify it, other than that it is from the 50's most likely. Maybe somebody here knows what it is? I will be posting the songs in a few hours when I get home form work. It reminds me of tht sound Lightnin got when he amplified. I felt his spirit on them strings. I am sure glad I never sold this guitar. Walter
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| Live With My Band |
miscellaneous stuff all done live, with all words and songs spontaneously created
Walter Tore- vocal, harp, guitar
Douglas Ian McKenzie- bass
Katherine "steady baby" Stevens- drums |
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