Well, we’re just hours from our 10 p.m. debut of Betamaxx, our mashup of 80s pop and modern metal. Donna Jean’s Libations, 67th Avenue and Bell Road on Glendale! $3
Hung Dynasty follows.
Archive for the ‘About the Band’ Category
Back at the Conservatory
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Friday night, Hung Dynasty hit the studio again. Once again, we were at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Gilbert, Ariz. This time, Mike Gray was the man at the controls. He did a really nice job of getting some sweet sounds out of our rigs.
As for what we recorded – well, we’ve had a power ballad kicking around for awhile, so we did that. We also did a cover. Can’t tell you which one yet. We really want to get some licensing for this one and get it on the air, actually. Should be fun!
I honestly don’t have enough guitars
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
My Carvin Bolt Plus is a go-to guitar. I love playing it.
I currently have four guitars. And it boggles my mind that this is honestly, genuinely not enough to meet my needs. That’s ludicrous. Here’s why they’re just not enough:
Hung Dynasty/Betamaxx - My primary band and its soon-to-be-sprung-on-the-world offshoot tunes to Eb. Playing live without a backup is the acme of foolishness, especially for a hard-hitting, Floyd Rose-using brute like me. So I’ve got my wonderful Carvin Bolt Plus and pretty solid Charvel 375 DLX (known as Liberace because … well, just look at it!) pulling duty for these projects. The Carvin is Number One - the action is beautiful, and the swamp ash body and HAS Sound bridge pickup just destroy all my other guitars from a tone perspective. It’s not even close.
Luminatus – Though our first gig only had four tunes, I expect that to expand. That means my battered Charvel Model 4 (known as Big Red), which is tuned to D, is going to need help. I’ve gotta be honest: I’m cheap, or I would simply have Carvin build me another Floyd-equipped Bolt Plus. At about $1,000, they’re a killer value for a high-quality USA-made guitar. But I’m cheap, so I’m likely to lurk for an old Charvel or Kramer. Some of the Kramers have real Floyd Rose bridges, not the
Big Red (seen here in an early Hung gig) is making a comeback in Luminatus.
knock-off “licensed” models. That makes a huge difference, and don’t let any sales drone tell you any different. I would also commit some serious transgressions to get a hold a Michael Wilton-signature LTD, or a 90s-vintage ESP Horizon or Mirage. Yum.
General Use – A koa-topped Ovation acoustic/electric. This is handy for figuring out tunes from bands that are tuned to A440, which is pretty much most of them. It’s also very handy for just getting a different vibe from practice and songwriting. To be honest, practice on the acoustic negatively affects my electric playing: The higher string tension forces me to fret chords and notes harder – that same amount of pressure can actually make chords (especially inverted triads) sound out-of-tune on the electric. I have to be mindful to reduce my fretting pressure.
The truly funny thing? I hate buying guitars. It’s because I always have sneaking suspicion I could’ve gotten something better for less. But that’s just because I’m a jerk. Oh, well.
Liberace is likely to see far more action when Betamaxx is rolling. I'll need its trashy 80s glam flash.
Getting Prepared for Avatar
Saturday, January 16th, 2010Hung Dynasty had a good practice last night. We got through some stuff that we’ve neglected, plus worked on some new material.
Of course, the best moments are often between songs – you know, the fun brand of Hung Dynasty banter. Todd mentioned he was thinking of “biting the bullet and going to see Avatar.”
“Pack a lunch,” I told him. “It’s a long movie.”
“Lunch?” he said, incredulously. “I’m gonna bring a catheter and a leg bag!”
What does “Indie Music” really mean, anyway?
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009I used to understand what “Indie Music” was supposed to mean: artists that weren’t signed. But I’ve noticed that meaning has changed. Now, indie bands are actually signed to labels. “Indie” has become a sonic and visual signature rather than an indication of the band’s career status.
Why am I thinking about this? Well, it’s because all these “Indie Music” sites are friending Hung Dynasty on MySpace. Obviously, they didn’t bother to listen to the songs or look at the photos.
See, we have guitar solos. Our drummer uses a double-bass pedal (and actually hits his drums hard). None of us wear skinny jeans, guyliner or a silly haircut (aside from my just having plain ol’ long hair). So really, there’s nothing anything “Indie” about us. Except for being unsigned, which is really what “Indie” should be rather than a code word for overly sensitive, lo-fi, jangly, cutesy three-chord semi-rock.
5 Awesome Things About Being in a Rock Band
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Me playing a gig at the Marquee - huge sound! Notice the short hair?
When you’re in a rock band, you actually have a lot to complain about: Shady promoters, terrible set times, broken gear, schlepping gear, and so on.
But let me tell you, certain things make all the crappy stuff really worth the effort. Here are my top 5:
5. Your first gig being mic’d: At some venues, you just put your gear on stage and they let you rip. In better venues with quality sound systems, they’ll usually mic each amp and some of the drums individually and run it all through the PA for a better mix. Let me tell you, our first mic’d gig at The Last Exit was something I’ll never forget. Phung was back there on the drums, and the engineer said “kick drum, please.” Phung gave a nice steady thump, and you could hear the volume and resonance increase as the engineer turned his channel up. It was awesome, and it repeated for all the instruments. It is sooooo cool!
4. An awesome compliment: There’s nothing quite as good for the morale as sincere compliments from the audience. I think my favorite was when someone yelled out “Ya’ll are a bad buncha motherf*ckers!”
3. Picking on the drummer. And the singer. And the bassist. ‘Nuff said.
2. Having someone recognize you in public: A few times, I’ve had people say “Hey, you’re from Hung Dynasty,
right?” I even saw a Hung Dynasty sticker on a car, and I didn’t know who was driving it. Extra-awesome for a local band.
1. Playing on the same stage as your favorite band: Now this is simply stupendous beyond comprehension. I saw Hammerfall at the Marquee Theater. Then, I got to play there. It is a huge rush to hear your rig mic’d up at pro touring band volume. Next time I was there, I was watching Nightwish and thinking “hey, I’ve been on that stage!” In the grand scheme, it’s a pretty small thing. But when you’re a Minor League Rocker, you take the victories where you can. And this one? It was one to savor.
So, if you’re in a band, I’d love to hear your Top 5. Whatcha got?
