Joe Plessas

It was a thin and awkward time…

joe — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:36:09 +0000

Just posting a few vintage pics from my Bedouin days, courtesy of my “αδελφόs από διαφορετικός μητέρα”, Matt Broad. What a guy.
These are from June of 1993, Grimes Day (the last day of school at Bishop Grimes High in E. ‘Cuse) to be exact. That’s Bob Kane on the drums. I’m using my old black Squier Tele; a fine guitar that I don’t know why I sold. Gus is also featured. I’m playing through a Marshall Lead 12, driving a an ancient Fender Tremolux head that belonged to Kris Heels. That, in turn, is going into my old chopped Univox cab; a 4×10 equipped with Celestions, that now belongs to Ben Manglos.
My, how scrawny I am…

2/3rds of Birds show at Main Street Bike Shop

joe — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:34:13 +0000

http://mainstreetbikeshop.com/about/music.html
“The morning after Joe’s show, Mark, friend of wllm from syracuse, just down stairs. sitting here in lvrm with me just looking around for a bit then says, ‘i can’t believe how perfect last night was’ … ‘everything’”

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Tonal Development

joe — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:40:26 +0000

I’m not typically in the habit of giving away the shop, as they say, but an interaction with a curious audience member at a recent Phantom Pilots show has gotten me to thinking: what little tidbits of gear configuration can I pass along?
Well, let’s begin by deconstructing one of my favorite tricks - string swells. To start, it’s neccesary to have a few basic elements on hand; namely (working from last to first) , pitch transposition, reverb and easily variable volume.
So, from the guitar, you’ve got your basic tone: it’s vital to tweak the envelope. The reverb should be set as such: Mixed fully wet, decay about 7-10 secs and dampening to taste. I’ve found that the Alesis Ineko is capable of some truly lush reverbs. My particular favorite is the “Space” preset - transcendent!The pitch transposer, in this application, is particular to the purpose of lending a nicely detuned octave. This gives a tonal quality similar to a cello/viola pairing. However, (of you’re lucky) that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A few years ago, I came across an old Boss RPS-10 Delay/Pitch Shifterand picked it up for not too much. These little beauties are a member of the short-lived Micro Studio Series; half-rack units from the mid-80s. Not only does this model have a multi-range digital delay (with reverse! not to mention a very analog sound), but a splendid pitch shifter that operates in three modes - tight, loose and reverse(!). Also, the coolest feature about the RPS-10 is the keyboard control. With ANY keyboard, you can vary the transposition in nice, neat steps. By employing the hold function, you can lock in a transposed pitch and play it like a sample. Quite nice. If you can find an RPS-10, do not hesitate to purchase it. You’ll thank me.
For maximum response, it’s best to throw a volume pedal at the head (from the guitar) of the line. Control is vital to keep these lovely swells from breaking over the wall of the rest of your sound. I have a couple of volume pedals; an Ernie Ball and a DOD FX-17 Vol/Wah. The Ball’s action is quite luxurious, although the DOD has a distinct advantage by way of its optoelectronic operation - no crackles or dead spots.
Well, I hope this little tutorial has been helpful. Until next time, remain electric!

Birds Anonymous

joe — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:38:32 +0000

The other night, my brother John stopped by to lend bass support to the budding musical project that my wife Stef and I have undertaken - Birds Anonymous. We hashed out a couple tunes from “1/2″, namely, “Butterfly Knife” and “Running Through the Woods”. I have to say that, thus far, it has been a breath of fresh air to approach these songs with a new arrangement and perspective. It’s been quite some time since I’ve performed my own material within the context of a trio - or a band at all, for that matter! For the past several years, the performances that I’ve made have been solo vox with guitar. For one who is given to fleshing things out, this has been quite an exercise in anxiety. By that token, I’d just like to send a note of thanks out to John and Stef for helping me to remember that no man is an island - least of all, a musician.

What to Expect

joe — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 04:09:36 +0000

In this first entry on the new and improved site, let me start by saying that I shall try to keep the contents of this blog rather concise and focused on musical discussion. If you’re interested in any of my ruminations about faith, politics and various other topics, you’re welcom to review the “older” postings, as well as my myspace page (ya gottta have one these days!).
Let’s begin by talking about the new direction I’m hoping to take in the next few months. Having dwelt upon my self-produced recordings, I can say with reasonable conviction that I need to make my arrangements a bit more “portable”; I find myself following the reverse career arc of the Beatles. With that said, the aim of the new project, Birds Anonymous, is to bring not only selections from the past few recordings to new life, but to write new pieces with a greater adherence to clarity and simplicity. At the heart of every good song is a resonant passage that sells it; declares it as something unique and important. I resolve to let these signatures sing out, unencumbered.

Pax Christi,
JMMKP

A note from the webmaster - Site Redux!

joe — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:46:00 +0000

Welcome to the newest version of Joe’s site! It was about time. Joe has been busy, hence his site should keep up to date as well.

At present, he is developing an EP “Dew Claw” and album “Mr. Think-Electro-Good” as a solo artist and is also working with Rob Coye on shows and recordings for the Phantom Pilots project. A new band, Birds Anonymous, is also in the process of being formed.

You can contact Joe using the link to the form on the top navigation bar. Enjoy!

The President who cried Wolf

joe — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 04:00:51 +0000

It is nothing short of immutable truth that those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.
Well, it seems that, in the throes of INTENSELY negative press, scandal and abysmal ratings, the Bush administration has seen fit to trot out their version of the Boogey Man - Osama bin Laden. The reports of a tape that surfaced at Al Jazeera containing purported messages from bin Laden only get me to thinking how much the entire thing smacks of the old “Tokyo Rose” intrigue.
A few points:
Timing - how is it that we only hear from bin Laden these days when the president is in danger of impeachment or there’s an election pending. Hmmmmmmm.
Modus operandi - the entire effectiveness of terrorism is based upon the element of surprise. If bin Laden takes the time to warn us or offer us ultimatums, doesn’t that effectively take the wind out of his sails?
Verifiability - we are told that the CIA is working to verify that this tape is indeed bin Laden. Now considering the CIA’s “stellar” record at manipulating world affairs, how am I to trust that this entire situation is not a hoax? Indeed, how am I to trust anything that any agency of this government tells me to be true?
Never have we seen such widespread corruption in government. Now, as the bricks fall from this rotting wall, I can only hope that those who have been blinded for the past 5 years see the naked emperor that stands behind it. This tape is not a call to stubborn bravado and foolhardiness. It’s a call to wake up.

a note of thanks

joe — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 04:00:16 +0000

I’d like to take this opportunity to extend a personal thanks to NBC journalist Kerry Sanders for extending a hand of kindness. I witnessed his report from New Orleans today on the Today Show. Within the report, there was footage of Kerry crouched next to a weary, dehydrated man of 91 years, who was laying on his back on the cold floor of a shelter. Kerry took the bottled water he had at hand, as well as an energy bar, and attended to the man’s basic need for nourishment. This moved me deeply, but there was another aspect to Sander’s charity that I found especially touching.
The fact that Kerry took that most precious gift of time and gave it to this stranger, who not only needed nourishment of body but of soul as well, must not be overlooked. He took his time in the midst of chaos and suffering to converse with and try to raise the spirits of this man, who he may never see again.
As a Catholic, I’m familiar with the contemplative prayer of the Stations of the Cross. Though there is no mention in Scripture of one particular character contained therein, we hold as tradition that a woman named Veronica made her way through the jeering, abusive crowd that lined that bloody path. When she came face to face with the Man she knew to be her Lord, she took the veil from her head and wiped His bruised, beaten Face. In that moment, the madness that surrounded them disappeared - and Kindness silenced hatred. Christ left upon that veil the image of His Countenance.
So we see that where simple kindness is, there Christ will show His Face.

God bless,
Joe

Oh! and here’s something…

joe — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 03:59:35 +0000

Yesterday, as I was driving along, listening to NPR (which will remain with us, thank God!), I came across a snippet from Bush’s pow-wow with the new Iraqi prime minister. Well, kids, I didn’t think it possible, but the mo-ron has topped himself again.
Bush flatly refuses to set a date for withdrawal from Iraq in his usual, ever-so-autocratic manner. I suppose he’s allowed this whole “commander-in-chief” thing go to his head. The aspect of his diatribe that was particulary offensive to intelligence was his statement that setting a deadline would be tantamount to giving up the shop. Weeell, Georgie Boy… IT AIN’T YOUR FREAKIN’ SHOP!!!
So he comes out with, “To set a dealine is like telling the enemy, ‘Just wait us out”" (I paraphrase, since no news agency can provide me with a direct quote). Are we to stay there forever, then? Ooooh, I see… yeah, we’ll just stay there till the “mission’s accomplished”. Riiiight.
Where did I hear those words before?
It’s been said that it’s possible to impeach a ham sandwich. Why not a load of bull, then?

to further polarize…

joe — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 03:58:48 +0000

At this point, I cannot help but wonder what it takes for people in this country to get truly indignant - or better yet, angry.
I’m referring to the recent stirs in Washington that have, at least in my eyes, unvieled the callous ambition of the Republicans. It seems as if Karl Rove and the gang are hunting Big Bird with an elephant gun, mix-aphorically speaking.
I’d like to thank my brothers-in-arms who turned out to let Congress know that we desire to keep the “public” in public television. Whadda ya know? they actually listened to us! Not to be carpingly academic, but the fact that this sort of vote ever saw the light of day is disgusting. God forbid that we are provided (by our own means, mind you!) an alternative to the bread-and-circus broadcasting of the corporate media. So what does the GOP try to pull? A silencing of what is often a voice of dissent. Well… AIN”T HAPPENIN”, YOU FAT NAZIS!!! The people have spoken!
And while I’m on the topic of fat Nazis…
I don’t care if Congressional Dems are calling for Karl Rove’s resignation. No, I”M calling for it. YOU should call for it. Call me a voice in the wilderness.
To begin with, I can guarantee you that he wasn’t scrambling desperately to find out whether or not one of his best friends was buried in rubble or falling from a collapsing floor. How dare he co-opt a New Yorker’s pain!
I’m stewing - more later…