An All-American breakfast is great. A big, juicy, grade-A cheeseburger is even better. When you put them together? Total mouth-watering insanity…and it actually exists. One of my favorite burgers in Los Angeles is the Breakfast Burger at Umami, topped with an over-medium egg, beer-cheddar, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings and smashed cheesy tots. So ridiculous...and amazing. You can hardly eat it because of its height, and there's not a chance you won't make a mess. If you've been eating Big Macs your whole life, then your world is about to go from black and white to color. You realize what a burger should be, and how our standards have dropped quite low when it comes to what classifies food as decent and edible. That's my food review of the year, thanks.
Last week was a blur. I've been furiously producing and recording John Flanagan's next project, due out sometime in 2015. We decided to come to Nashville for various reasons, mostly because I have a number of friends here who I can trust to come in and do a smash-up job. However, we decided the album needed a particularly huge sound, so we ventured to a studio I'd never heard of in east Nashville, aptly titled East Side Manor. The place has enormous ceilings, echoey rooms and a cool vibe, but what caught my attention most was the Baldwin nine-foot concert grand piano that stood in the middle of the room. Between the natural reverb of the studio and the rich resonance of the Baldwin, I was in heaven. It's the type of piano that you play one note and it's the best note of your life. After a few notes, you understand why Elton John, Ben Folds, and countless other artists aren't up on stage playing digital keyboards. Ever since graduating college and leaving the practice rooms behind, I rarely get the chance to play acoustic pianos. Obviously, they can be a bit of a pain to haul around to gigs, plus they need tuning every couple of months. But the pluses definitely outweighs the minuses. The sound generated from an electric piano is synthetic; it depends on speakers the venue supplies, and even when the system is top notch, you still can't feel the sound under your fingertips. With an acoustic piano, your finger strikes the mallet, and the mallet strikes the strings, and everything vibrates. It's a subtle feeling, but a total game changer when it comes to how I play. I can be more expressive, more dramatic, and have a real presence instead of the illusion of one.
The first night, after everyone had left, I sat down and just played. Who knows what I played, but it felt good and it sounded great, and I kind of had a moment. I've definitely been inspired to find a piano back in LA. It won't be nine feet, unfortunately, but an upright will work just as well. After playing my digital Big Mac of a keyboard for so long, I think a real piano is in order. With a side of sweet potato fries, please.
Ross
UPCOMING SHOWS: Ross Bridgeman @ Silverlake Lounge on 10/30. buy tickets at https://tickets.aftonshows.com/rossbridgeman. Promo code: ROSS834. Come out!
Last week was a blur. I've been furiously producing and recording John Flanagan's next project, due out sometime in 2015. We decided to come to Nashville for various reasons, mostly because I have a number of friends here who I can trust to come in and do a smash-up job. However, we decided the album needed a particularly huge sound, so we ventured to a studio I'd never heard of in east Nashville, aptly titled East Side Manor. The place has enormous ceilings, echoey rooms and a cool vibe, but what caught my attention most was the Baldwin nine-foot concert grand piano that stood in the middle of the room. Between the natural reverb of the studio and the rich resonance of the Baldwin, I was in heaven. It's the type of piano that you play one note and it's the best note of your life. After a few notes, you understand why Elton John, Ben Folds, and countless other artists aren't up on stage playing digital keyboards. Ever since graduating college and leaving the practice rooms behind, I rarely get the chance to play acoustic pianos. Obviously, they can be a bit of a pain to haul around to gigs, plus they need tuning every couple of months. But the pluses definitely outweighs the minuses. The sound generated from an electric piano is synthetic; it depends on speakers the venue supplies, and even when the system is top notch, you still can't feel the sound under your fingertips. With an acoustic piano, your finger strikes the mallet, and the mallet strikes the strings, and everything vibrates. It's a subtle feeling, but a total game changer when it comes to how I play. I can be more expressive, more dramatic, and have a real presence instead of the illusion of one.
The first night, after everyone had left, I sat down and just played. Who knows what I played, but it felt good and it sounded great, and I kind of had a moment. I've definitely been inspired to find a piano back in LA. It won't be nine feet, unfortunately, but an upright will work just as well. After playing my digital Big Mac of a keyboard for so long, I think a real piano is in order. With a side of sweet potato fries, please.
Ross
UPCOMING SHOWS: Ross Bridgeman @ Silverlake Lounge on 10/30. buy tickets at https://tickets.aftonshows.com/rossbridgeman. Promo code: ROSS834. Come out!