Music videos that feature Rics

gearHed289 · June 11, 2023, 10:20:34 AM

So this is kind of cool. Back in late March, the violinist in my band, Chuck Bontrager, became the first person to receive a doctorate in the University of Illinois' electric strings program under Dr. Rudolph Haken. His final recital was a chamber music program, and apparently our little heavy prog band counts as a chamber orchestra.

Nomadic Horizon did a short set of our own material, and we also backed some folks that Chuck had flown in. One of them being Joe Deninzon, who is the violinist and singer of the band Stratospheerius. He joined us for their song "the Prism". The really cool part is - Joe has just been announced as the new violin/guitar player with Kansas as David Ragsdale has left the band after 17 years. Their singer since 2014, Ronnie Platt, is a local guy I've known since the late 80s when he was in a Yes tribute band.

This lineup sounds great!

Ric content:

non-Ric content:

uwe · June 22, 2023, 08:51:58 AM

Herr Heslin/Prog Boy, this is just lovely, Arabic scales and all, I really dig it!

That Flying V(iolin) (I wasn't aware until now that they even existed - I really need to go out more!) is très awesome.

uwe · June 22, 2023, 08:56:13 AM

I can't compete with Tom's mind-expanding posts, a good man must know his limits. This is just Mark Clarke (he of Colosseum, Uriah Heep, fleetingly Rainbow etc) miming with Tempest on a Ric to an audio obviously recorded with an EB-3 or some such. You can't fake maho imho.

I'm not aware that Mark Clarke audibly played a 4001 ever anywhere (please correct me if I'm wrong). It might have been a prop from the TV show studio. You can tell it's not his bass as his right hand finger positioning and the thumb rest on the Ric don't align at all.

So maybe I should have better posted this at the EB-videos thread in the Gibson Forum under "Mark Clarke playing an EB-3 but not admitting it ..."?

gearHed289 · June 23, 2023, 08:44:00 AM

Yeah, it was pretty mind blowing to have this guy come into the rehearsal room and break out a black Flying V violin with 7 strings.

It goes down to guitar drop D, or one whole step away from the lowest note of a cello. It's also got tiny frets that are almost flush with the fingerboard. Then there's his pedal board and half stack... I think he has "instrument size issues", as he is consistently the loudest guy in the band. People sometimes say they would like to hear more of the violin and I have to tell them "It's there, it just sounds like a guitar!" Look up Mark Wood on YouTube. He's the creator of the Viper series.

For a second, I thought the gal in the video was this girl Zee Crain who also performed with us that night, but I was mistaken. Here we are with Zee and guest guitarist Guido Sánchez-Portuguez who is one of the professors at U of I.

uwe · June 23, 2023, 09:04:27 AM

I've unfortunately never played with a rock violinist (played with a classical string trio), but I'd really love to.

Not really Prog, but more Brit Art Rock (with a Punk slant), I always loved The Doctors of Madness for their violin work.

What you're doing with Zee on that track (which I like as well) is actually more Art Rock than Prog too.

uwe · July 05, 2023, 09:07:42 PM

Some Aussie with a Ric.

ilan · July 06, 2023, 03:36:22 AM

Aug 1964 Fireglo RM 1999, #DH163. Maurice Gibb later had it refinished in white over the FG (it was not stripped).

In the late 70s Pete Greenwood bought it from Honky Tonk Music in Essex. AFAIK it's owned since 1980 by Andrew Winter.

Photo: Paul D. Boyer. Featured in "The Rickenbacker Electric Bass - 50 Years as Rock's Bottom"

Paul Boyer · July 06, 2023, 08:54:50 AM

Photo credit: Paul D. Boyer. Featured in "The Rickenbacker Electric Bass - 50 Years as Rock's Bottom."

ilan · July 06, 2023, 09:24:58 AM

Quote from: Paul Boyer on July 06, 2023, 08:54:50 AM
Photo credit: Paul D. Boyer. Featured in "The Rickenbacker Electric Bass - 50 Years as Rock's Bottom."

Sorry for failing to give credit. I've edited my post.

Paul Boyer · July 09, 2023, 06:29:06 AM

Thanks!

Alanko · July 12, 2023, 04:02:30 PM

Chris Glen of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, rocking a Fireglo 4001.

Is it hard rock, progressive rock, vaudeville??? Sparks and Queen are remembered for their eccentric and camp stage show, but the SAHB were right up there too! Brilliant stagecraft and delivery from Alex. I think Bon Scott got his sleazy yelp from Alex and maybe even Johnny Rotten lifted some of that hyper-enunciated delivery as well.

ilan · July 14, 2023, 02:59:31 AM

They remind me of Spinal Tap.

Jeff Scott · July 15, 2023, 01:26:13 PM

Quote from: Alanko on July 12, 2023, 04:02:30 PM
Chris Glen of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, rocking a Fireglo 4001.

Great stuff!

uwe · July 26, 2023, 12:37:17 PM

Bon Scott was a card-carrying fan of Alex Harvey, he was his role model.

Johnny Rotten/Lydon was more third generation, he patterned himself (admittedly so) after Gary Holton of the Heavy Metal Kids and emulated him,

but Holton in turn was of course another great fan of Alex Harvey! There was a good portion of Brit Vaudeville in Alex Harvey's act, you're absolutely right. Harvey was born 1935, he simply came from another era and had other influences than most 70ies hard rockers who were ten to fifteen years younger than him (Gary Holton was born 1952, yet died - overdose - already only three years later than Harvey who was 47 when he passed away in 1982 due to a heart attack, tragically one day before his birthday).

uwe · July 26, 2023, 02:33:12 PM

Quote from: ilan on July 14, 2023, 02:59:31 AM
They remind me of Spinal Tap.

That's sheer blasphemy, Ilan, Alex was decades before Spinal Tap! It's like saying that Torah & Talmud remind you of Old & New Testament.

Faith Healer was a rock disco dance floor stomper in the 70ies in Germany.

I always thought that Herman Brood tried to recreate some of that song's groove and atmosphere with his equally excellent Saturday Night.

Rock DJs often played the songs back to back. All that dandruff!