From sbac@alum.berkeley.edu Mon Sep 01 00:57:42 2003
Subject:I'm glad I joined this group!

Well, I went to see David Jacques play his Hammond rig on the Mariott on Saturday, and
I'm sure glad I went. First of all, the Raging Sun is a smokin' blues band, I mean, they
are pretty freakin' good. The harmonica player River Blue is fantastic, and so is Steve
the singer, and the rest of the band. I have to say that the guitar player Terry was
spectacular, one of the most technically sound blues guitar players I have seen in recent
memory. And, of course, David was great also, but he was there for mainly for backup, it
wasn't a showcase for him, i wasn't able to go to his thing in Fullerton with his quartet
sorry!).
I have to thank David for taking time to talk to me and answer all of my questions,
since I have never seen a clonewheel rig up close. He explained why the Speakeasy was so
great and how he's set things up the way they are. It was very valuable for me, because
up until now, I've just been reading about it and messing around with my half-ass B4 rig
at home.
Best of all, David and the band let me sit in for a song! That was the first time
I've played a Hammond live in front of people, and it was exciting! I was able to tell
why that Speakeasy is so highly regarded, it gives a lot of meat to the sound. They even
let me do a solo for quite a while (which they probably shouldn't have in retrospect!),
and it was just such a blast. I'm very grateful for the experience. I gotta say, I've
been playing piano all my life, and even though I've been trying to get the hang of the
Hammond, it's a totally different experience. It was weird having to play much less (as
far as number of notes) because as long as you press the key, sound is coming out. So it
was hard to adjusting how to play less because there is so much sound coming out, as
opposed to a piano. Also, that pedal is a strange experience, I mean, what do I do with?
Am I supposed to be messing with the volume all the time? I don't know, I felt like I
was wiggling my foot just because it was there. And the pedal is so loose, seems like if
I change it a little, the volume goes way loud or soft. I have to get used to that.

So, it was quite a thrill, to say the least. I've been playing piano for quite some
time, but the sound you get from a Hammond is, dare I say, a little more satisfying. I
mean, you can put some emotion in the organ that you just can't do on a piano. I can't
wait to delve into the Hammond more in the future. Thanks David and Raging Sun!

Aram

PS. Sorry I had to leave early, but in the parking lot, I heard you play Green Onions,
so I had to stop walking and listen to it. Awesome! I'll be sure to check out your
quartet soon.