Demeter Tube Direct - A Review

The Demeter Tube Direct is a veritable sonic Swiss Army Knife for musicians. For those of you who aren't acquainted with this mainstay of studio and stage, I'm talking about the original vacuum tube direct box as designed by audio nerd par excellence and lead guitar slinger of The Heaters, James Demeter.

The DTB was originally conceived as a studio direct box. During the design process James came down with a bad case of the flu. He found himself wondering what would happen if he used a 12AX7 vacuum tube in his circuit. Sometimes delirium is the mother of invention. And so a modern pro audio classic was born.

Demeter's brain child has often been imitated but never equaled. Before he manufactured equipment Demeter paid his dues as tube amp guru to the likes of The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, David Lindley, and many others. He knows how vacuum tubes work. I've been a tube direct user since the early days and I can't help but wonder when I see something running off a low voltage wall wart power supply and claiming to be a vacuum tube preamp. I guess there are folks who will believe anything...

My own love affair with the DTB began one day when I asked James if I could use my preamp with my newly acquired Sunrise Guitar Pickup given to me by our friend James Kaufman. Some folks will find this hard to believe but I'll swear on a motel full of Gideon Bibles that it's true... that's the first time anyone paired a Sunrise Pickup with a Demeter Tube Direct. Now it's become the reference standard for acoustic guitar amplification.

Open Mic Cancelled

After a trial month of open mics at the PD Bean we decided to abandon the project. It's a good idea and could work. It would take more time and effort to promote than I have available. If you're interested in taking over, stop by the PD Bean and talk to Dan about it.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Wish I had the time available to promote the event. It was fun for a short time, but I need to focus my time and energy on my photography business.

Open Mic at the PD Bean

Alan Rogers' Open Mic, Santa Fe's first and best open mic, returns after a long hiatus. We're thinkin' of it as the Alan Rogers Open Mic Comeback Tour.

The event kicks off July 9 at 6:00pm at the PD Bean Coffeehouse at 2411 Cerrillos Rd. in Santa Fe. Sign-ups start at 5:30.

Just like in the good old days Alan Rogers will provide sound for the talent and will fill in as needed with music and atrocious funny jokes.

Folksingers and songwriters are welcome. Because the PD Bean is a cozy venue the open mic will be limited to acoustic instruments (acoustic pickups are OK). Sorry, no drums or Marshall amp stacks.

The event is scheduled for the second and fourth Monday night of each month. Stay tuned to this blog for pictures and reports. The picture below shows your genial host and coffee bean wrangler, Dan. Come down and visit us Monday night.

Pat Malone at The Bishop's Lodge

While photographing a wedding last weekend at The Bishop's Lodge, I had a chance to dig Pat Malone's jazz duo playing in the main lobby. Pat and bassist John Blackburnet fielded my request for "Green Dolphin Street" with one of the grooviest arrangements of the venerable jazz standard ever... these guys are cool.

Pat Malone perfoms Thursdays and Saturdays at La Posada, Sundays at La Fonda, and Fridays at The Bishop's Lodge. Call (505) 983-6377 for more info and for more about Pat, visit his website at patmalonemusic.com.

Butch Crouch CD On Sale

Butch's long awaited CD I Got So Close is finally here. You can pick up your autographed copy on Sunday nights at El Farol on Canyon Road. For more info click HERE to visit Butch's myspace.com page.

It ain't a perfect world folks but you'll feel better about it after you listen to Butch sing about it all with compassion and humor. After all these years and all the things life has thrown his way Butch still has that magic sparkle in his eye and his gravelly whiskey baritone just gets more soulful with every passing season. Go have a couple of beers and listen to Butch. I bet before long you'll be smilling through the tears.

Busy McCarroll at Gig Performance Space

Santa Fe music scene mainstays Busy McCarroll, Kevin Zoernig, Justin Branford and Joel Fadness will appear Saturday, March 24 at Gig performance space at 1808 Second Street in Santa Fe. The show begins at 8pm and seats can be had for a modest $10-$15 donation at the door. It's an intimate venue and there isn't a bad seat anywhere in the house. For more info visit www.gigsantafe.com.

Chuscales releases new CD

Chuscales is a soft-spoken man with a kind, gentle manner about him... until he picks up his guitar... then his guitar speaks. It sings, shouts, whispers and cries with passion, fury, tenderness, melancholy, mischief, loneliness...

Chuscales' guitar has loved and lost, it has tossed and turned in an empty bed, it has gone hungry without food, and stayed out all night drinking... it has tiptoed barefoot up the stairs at the break of dawn and laid down in it's case without waking a soul.

You can hear Chuscales on Friday and Saturday from 5-7pm in the lobby bar of Santa Fe's legendary La Fonda hotel. Be sure to pick up a copy of his new CD, Guitara Flamenca. You won't be disappointed. Chuscales in concert more than lives up to his reputation as a master of the Spanish and Gypsy guitar.

My only complaint about his CD is that it should be one of ten... instead of the only available recording.