46 Long - the Blog!

Lock it up!

2011-02-05T20:46:00.001-05:00

Despite cursed gear....a great night at Arnold's. Two brand new Jonathan songs made their Arnold's debut. Gotta love the "Woo Hoo" NKU crew, and thanks to Lou and Bob for yet another return visit, and to all of our new fans! See you next month! We have recording to do in the meantime....

Tennessee, Baby!

2011-01-29T13:23:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a great evening last night! We played two rockin' shows, we debuted a new song by Jonathan, "Tennessee," we met all sorts of new friends, and we had awesome fan support! Thanks! Let's do it again this next Friday at Arnold's!

BIG FRIDAY!!!!

2011-01-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

It's come to be known as BIG FRIDAY in 46 Long land. This Friday, Jan 28, we
have TWO shows for your boogie pleasure:

7-9 PM - Pendleton Arts Center Final Friday. This is the gig for those of you
who want an artsy, family-friendly, smoke-free time of it. The Pendleton is an
arts complex downtown, and at the centerpiece is an eight story former warehouse
that has been turned into artist studio loft space. It's really cool, there's
tons of food and drink, and you feel like you're in a far more hip city than
Cincinnati. No offense, but it's a matter of degrees. This event is special, as
it is, in part, a fundraiser for the Huntington's Disease association. Voluntary
donation at the door and all cash bar proceeds go to fight Huntington's Disease.

11:00-??? Southgate House - Winter Blues Fest. This is the gig for those of
you who wish for a decidedly UN-wholesome, debaucherous time of it. We work both
sides of the river, baby! We'll be in the lounge doing who knows what, and
having a good time of it. The Blues fest is both Friday and Sat, and there will
be hot Blues on three stages all night, both nights. Bands hit the stage at
8:00, and go until the whiskey and smokes are gone.

Can't decide? Well, our favorite words are BOTH and MORE. See you Friday!

Links:
http://www.pendletonartcenter.com
http://www.southgatehouse.com

Well, Happy New Year to you, too!

2011-01-03T18:53:00.002-05:00

Holy crud! We wake up this new year to exciting news: "Off the Rack" has been voted one of the top 89 albums of the year by WNKU! We're #59! By some miracle, we're higher in the list than Charlie Musselwhite, David Byrne, Indigo Girls, and Peter frikkin' Frampton. Yowza! Thanks so much to the coolest fans any Blues Duo could ask for!

So, let's celebrate this Friday at Arnold's. It's first Friday, so that means we'll be rocking the courtyard from 6-8pm. Mention this post and we'll buy you a beer!

Then, we're finishing the month in grand style with a big two-gig evening on Friday the 28th. We'll be at the Pendleton Galleries for the annual Huntington's Disease benefit gallery walk. As usual, we're on the 7th floor of this huge eight-story artist loft warehouse. Beer, food, wine, and beautiful people galore!

Then, later that same evening, we're playing the Winter Blues Fest at the Southgate House in Newport. We're playing at 11:00 (or so) in Junie's Lounge. This is always a wild event, with three stages of rockin' Blues all weekend.

Important links:
Arnold's: http://www.arnoldsbarandgrill.com
Pendleton: http://www.pendletonartcenter.com
Southgate House: http://www.southgatehouse.com

See you soon, and thanks again!

- Blake and Jonathan

Vote, and vote again!

2010-11-02T10:15:00.001-04:00

Yes, it is election day, and whether you're a tea-guzzling Republitarian, or an Absinthe-quaffing Progressiberal, go exercise a power that corporations wish they had. Vote.

Speaking of which, we still need your votes for the CEA awards. You can vote as often as you wish, and we wish that you loves you some voting. It only takes 30 seconds. Really!

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/best-of-26-cea-music-nominees-2010.html

Voting ends Nov 15. Just type your email and click away. Don't worry about neighborhood, etc. unless you want to brag. We're nominated in the Blues category, and the competition for votes is fierce. Sonny Moorman has every leather, denim and chrome vote locked up from Ludlow to Lebanon, and Ricky Nye has the entire beret-wearing population of northern Europe backing him. Grooveshire has the jam band crowd locked up, and they'll forget that they voted, and will, therefore, be sure to vote again. And J Dorsey will get all twelve of the 20-something blues-loving crowd in town to vote for them (each with 1000 facebook friends). We can't make it alone on the age 30-45, married with kids crowd that likes acoustic Blues (that's not always Blues) without guitar solos vote. We need you, too!!

So, to sum up. Vote. Vote again, and then come on out to Arnold's on Friday. We'll be there from 6-8, and we promise we'll show you a good time.

- Blake and Jonathan.

2010 CEA Nominees!

2010-10-24T22:50:00.002-04:00

Holy cats! We've been nominated for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award!!! We're incredibly flattered and humbled and all of that sincere crap, but at the end of the day, you like us! You really, really like us....!

Ahem. That said, and as badass as getting nominated is (the process is about as secret as a McArthur Genius Award), we need your help. Yeah, we're already trying to figure out the color of our tuxes and the length of the limo for the awards ceremony in November (or do I have that backwards?), but we don't have any chance of winning if you don't get out the vote. Our competition is fierce, with previous CEA award winners Ricky Nye, J Dorsey, and Sonny Moorman - both legends - in our category.

Your vote can help us win against these odds. All you need to do is click on the link, type your email address, and vote for us in the Blues category.

Here's the link: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/best-of-26-cea-music-nominees-2010.html

While you're there show lots of love for other local artists. Just not in our category, OK?

We love you! Thanks!

Midpoint...we hardly knew ye!

2010-10-06T20:37:00.003-04:00

It was all over in a flash on Sept. 24 - We played, we played our asses off...and then....it was over. Just a short, sweaty 40 minutes. After that, we headed out to explore the musical offerings of Midpoint. Well, I did - Jonathan went home a bit early. O I checked out a bunch of bands - notably Space Hog and Goose. Tried to get in to see Surfer Blood, but couldn't get close - line around the block. When Mike Breen and his date couldn't get in, and when Dan Bockrath (my intrepid escort at that point) couldn't bypass the crowds, you know it was a smokin show. Anyway, we wandered down to Arnold's, of course, and it was off the hizzook (or whatever the kiddos say these days), of course. Seriously, when all else fails - go to Arnold's. We wrapped the night up there, heading our separate ways, and wanting more.

The next Friday found us at Arnold's ourselves, and had a full house - mostly of new inductees. Perhaps as a result of Rick Bird's awesome article about us and the CD in the Enquirer. Thanks, Rick!!!

We have HD Beans on the 22nd. For those of you who don't know it, HD Beans is a funkily sprawling coffee shop / bar / cafe on Montgomery Rd between Kennedy Heights and Silverton. Look for "Big Papa's Car Audio" - it's right next door.

Then we'll see you at Arnold's, of course!

- Blake and Jonathan

Speaking of HD Beans - mark your calendars early for the Dec. 18 show at HD Beans to celebrate Blake's 40th!!!!

Midpoint, Baby!!!! (slight return)

2010-09-15T20:50:00.003-04:00

Step one: Check your calendar for next weekend
Step two: Cross off everything that doesn't say "Midpoint Music Festival."
Step three: Have the musical adventure of a lifetime in a place that you won't hardly recognize as being Cincinnati.

We'll be at the Washington Platform stage at 8:00 on Friday. After that, we're gonna party. Who's gonna join us???

Wow...

2010-09-08T20:17:00.001-04:00

Here's what the promotional materials for the Midpoint Music Festival have to say about us:

"Dig it: Harmonica as an expressive lead instrument, Blues stripped-to-the-bone but still capable of rocking your ass off."

Yeah, that'll do.

Thank you!

2010-08-30T13:01:00.002-04:00

No time to blog extensively here, but we can't thank our fans enough for all the love and support you showed us on Saturday night. Our CD release party was everything we hoped it would be. What a hell of a night and a damn good party. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Let's do it again this Friday at Arnold's, shall we? See you at 6:00. We still got plenty left in the tank.....

- Blake and Jonathan

Metromix promo

2010-08-25T11:19:00.002-04:00

In this morning's somewhat less alternative entertainment mag:

"This is quite a weekend full of awesome local bands releasing awesome local albums. Here, we start with the bluesy, honky-tonkin’ stylings of 46 Long. The duo – Blake Taylor and Jonathan Reynolds – is releasing its third album, “Off the Rack” and it’s full of sexy blues and jazz tracks, so you have to make it to Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge to help them celebrate. Please read this closely: Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge. Not Covington. We wouldn't want you to miss the party. Though, if you have to, you can check the band out every first Friday at Arnold’s Bar and Grill (6 p.m.), downtown." - Danielle Pfarr

Cooollll.....

Citybeat promo!

2010-08-25T10:51:00.001-04:00

Here's what awesome Mike Breen has to say in this morning's Citybeat:
• "Acoustic Blues duo 46 Long celebrates its new Off the Rack Saturday at 8 p.m. at Molly Malone’s in Pleasant Ridge. It’s the twosome’s first covers collection, but, just as the duo defies Blues stereotypes in their songwriting and presentation, the new album’s offerings are more re-imaginings than straight covers. And the selections — from The Beatles and Nina Simone to Morphine and Bob Dylan — are also delightfully unexpected. With acoustic guitar, minimal percussion and wicked harmonica, 46 Long crafts an engaging twist on traditional Blues — not an easy thing to do in a style so cemented in tradition. (www.46long.com)"

Coooool.......

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!!!

2010-08-24T12:24:00.002-04:00

It's almost here! Saturday, August 28 is the big CD release party at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge. We're expecting a good crowd and a fun time to be had by all. Hell, if nothing else, WE're gonna celebrate. Party begins at 7:00, music at 8:00.

Should be some press this Wed, 8/25. We should have something brief in Metromix and Citybeat. Check it out. Hopefully, they'll find something nice to say.

See you Saturday! If you can't make it, we're gonna extend the celebration to next Friday at Arnold's......why not?!

CD Update!

2010-08-19T09:33:00.002-04:00

"Off the Rack" is now available in physical form at CD Baby, and is also now available for download on iTunes and on Amazon. Go get it. Tell your friends!

First Press!

2010-08-17T18:25:00.003-04:00

Here's a link to our first review - Metromix has reviewed the single, "You Look Like Rain." Check it out!

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/music/article/songs-from-danieles-ipod/2134735/content

Big doings!

2010-08-17T18:25:00.001-04:00

Hey, super-cool 46 Long fans:

First of all....drumroll, please....THE CD HAS ARRIVED! At long last, after 2
1/2 years of work, the new 46 Long CD, "Off the Rack," is here. We're pretty
darned pleased with how it turned out. The CD is available at shows, of course,
and is currently in stock at Everybody's Records in Pleasant Ridge. It is
available for download at CDbaby.com ( http://www.cdbaby.com/46long ) and it
will also be available for sale in hardcopy at CD Baby later this week. We hope
to have copies at Shake It Records in Northside soon, and it will also be
available for download on iTunes in the near future. We'll keep you posted.

Speaking of the CD, the CD Release Party for "Off the Rack" is on Saturday,
August 28, at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge, from 7-12. It's an all-ages
affair, so bring the whole family...friends, etc...Come celebrate with us! We'll
be start playing around 8:00, and finish when we feel like it.

This Friday, Aug. 20., Blake will be joined by super-talented
multi-instrumentalist, Chuck Land, at Hamilton County Parks family grill-out at
Lake Isabella from 6-8. Should be a good time, and very family-friendly.

Arnold's - Friday, Sept 3. 6-8. Be there.

And finally...SAVE THE DATE! We've been selected for a Midpoint Music Festival
Showcase slot. On Friday, Sept 24, we'll be playing the Washington Platform
stage from 8-8:45. Midpoint is a vibrant, exciting, eclectic music festival,
and a heck of a way to sonically explore downtown. More information available
at http://www.mpmf.com

That's all. More to come. Thanks for rocking!

- Blake and Jonathan

Arnold's...

2010-08-06T22:16:00.002-04:00

Dunno about you, but I thought that tonight's Arnold's gig kicked ass. Wasn't the biggest crowd, but it was a good one - Les, Victoria, Jonathan's Stepmom, Beer and his lovely wife (yes, his actual name is beer), Neil and Kimberly, the Oseas clan, and lots of other cool folks. The music was smokin - there were moments when I thought Jonathan and I had ESP, and the frikkin Arnold's servers brought us a pitcher of OTR for the stage. Seriously. We love Arnold's. CDs are due on Mon.

CD Now Available On Line!

2010-08-05T22:11:00.001-04:00

Check out the link to the right or follow the link

Midpoint Venue and date announced!

2010-08-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

We will be at Washington Platform on Friday, Sept 24. Looks like that will be the main acoustic stage for MPMF 10. Excellent company, that! More details to follow. We expect to be an early act that evening. Possibly as early as 7pm.

CD is Finished!!

2010-08-02T10:57:00.002-04:00

Off the Rack will be in our hands...possibly by this Friday's gig at Arnolds! Woo Hoo!!!

Midpoint, Baby!!!!!

2010-07-12T14:59:00.002-04:00

We've just heard that we'll be playing Midpoint Music Festival again this year! Woo frikkin hoo!!!! We'll let you know when we find out more, but it's shaping up to be quite the eventful second half of 2010. Stay tuned....

CD Release Party Announced!!!

2010-06-05T18:07:00.002-04:00

First of all, thanks to all of you who came out to Arnold's last night. it was another packed house, and We appreciate all the friends, family, and fans who came out to show us some love. We love Arnold's and we love you!

So now, the big news - we have confirmed the date for the CD Release Party for "Off the Rack"! We will be at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge on Saturday, August 28, from 8-12. It seems like so far away, we know, but it'll be worth it. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Off to the beer tasting party at Winton Woods next Friday. See you there?!?!?

A concise message.....

2010-06-01T09:25:00.001-04:00

You. Us. Arnold's. Friday. 6:00.

Any questions?

(PS - we expect to be able to announce our CD release party for "Off the Rack" very soon. Stay tuned!)

So many damn fans!

2010-05-11T20:34:00.003-04:00

Man, did the troops come out to Arnold's on Friday night. Too many to mention by name - we gotta name them by type: You had the Walnut groupies, we had the NKU crew, we had the "who's on 1st" churchers, and many more, new and old, to our semi-controlled, semi-acoustic mayhem. Thanks so much for sharing your Friday evening with us!

As for the CD, we're getting down to it. Life has temporarily intervened in the form of our dayjobs, bbut we'll get this thing done soon, we promise*!

(* not committing to a definition of 'soon')

Oh... YEAH

2010-04-30T21:37:00.001-04:00

Rat-a freakin' tat TAT!

RIP, Seagull

2010-04-23T08:35:00.002-04:00

Shortly after we finished recording "Time's Right," Jonathan decided that he wanted a studio guitar - something a bit fancier, a bit more delicate than his road warrior Takamine - just for recording. The Seagull he purchased was a lovely little acoustic, and is featured on nearly every track on our upcoming CD.

This doesn't end well, as you have probably already guessed. Yesterday, as Jonathan was cleaning up where the cat had pooped in the studio (another problem, entirely...I mean, we already sound like crap as it is...) the big guy stood up, hit his head on the bottom of the Seagull, dislodging it from where it was hanging, and sending it hurtling to the concrete floor below. "F-ing shattered" were the words a bereft Jonathan used.

So tonight, take a moment to pour out a little of your 40oz, or a sassy Zinfandel, in memory of the Seagull.

Then you can go over to our facebook fan page, and check out the late Seagull in action on "Hoodoo Your Love."

Check us out on Facebook!

2010-04-18T13:11:00.002-04:00

Here's the link to the 46 Long fan page on facebook! Photos, news, and sneak peeks of the new album. Check us out! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/46-Long-Fan-Page/115326788481704?ref=ts

Hangin' with Michael Hill at Arnolds

2010-04-03T20:53:00.002-04:00

Now... we know Arnolds' is one of the coolest joints in Cincinnati. But this Friday drove the point home yet again.

The night got off to a spotty start, when I happened to hurl one of the brand-new JBL PA speakers off the stage and onto the concrete patio floor. Sorry about that Rhonda.

But, the speaker came out fine, and Blake showed up and we hand a delicious OTR ale and got ready to fire up the first set. As I was tuning and strapping stuff to my feet, a group walked in. One of them definately checked out my guitars with a practiced eye... 'self', I said to myself, 'he's a guitarist.'

So we kicked things off, and promptly started to cook. The sound was especially good (hey... maybe speakers LIKE to be hurled to the floor!), and the crowd was into it. I checked out the guitarist who was smilin' and groovin' along. 'Cool' thought I, 'it's always nice to get positive feedback from another musician... and danged if he doesn't look kinda familiar.'

And then it hit me. That was Michael Hill. Of Michael Hill's Blues Mob . So, inbetween songs I cunningly say "Hey... are you Michael Hill?" And he replied "Yep."

So.... I'm playing guitar for Michael Hill... an internationally recognized guitarist and social commentator. But, hey... he's diggin' it!!!

We finished up the set and Mr. Hill came up and introduced himself and his son. He was totally gracious, and chatted with us for most of the space between sets... and then set off to see his very first hocky game.

We then proceeded to smoke the joint for one more set, and then handed the stage over to the Juggernauts.

That's the sort of stuff that happens at Arnolds...

Arnold's Friday!...someone better call a hearse....

2010-03-31T16:56:00.003-04:00

How can it possibly be a month since Bockfest already?!? Cool, anyhow. Come on out to Arnold's this Friday for our monthly First Friday extravaganza in the courtyard. It's supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny. We're on from 6-8 as usual, and, as usual, it's all-ages and free. Come check out what new chops we've developed in the studio.

Speaking of studios, meanwhile, I'll leave you with a video of my buddies in Spoon in the studio...using slightly more fancy gear than us....

Written In Reverse from Spoon on Vimeo.

Wooooo Who?

2010-03-19T19:08:00.001-04:00

Blake... That's Who!

The CD's in the can...

Now it's time to mix and master.

Bockfest Redux

2010-03-07T22:18:00.002-05:00

We love Arnold's for a number of reasons: a great physical space, a crowd that knows and loves live music, and a sense that you're a part of a tradition that stretches back well over 100 years, and will go on for another 100.

But Friday night reminded us not only of all of those things, but how much the staff and management matters to what makes Arnold's the coolest venue in town. Bockfest is Arnold's big event of the year. You know how your local Irish pub reaps half o' its green for the year on St. Patty's Day? This is a similar situation for Arnold's and Bockfest. When Jonathan got there at 5:00, it took him 20 minutes to get his guitars from his parking spot a half block away, through the crowd, to the stage. When I got there, I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to play, as the stage was full of heavy drinkers (not in the band). Both rooms and the courtyard were packed hip to hip, and ther ewas a mob scene outside of the bar, waiting to get in, and waiting for the Bockfest parade. It was this way all night, and we were able to throw down to our heart's content to a packed house all night. But despite the crowd, Ronda and the Arnold's crew, knowing that we'd never get anywhere near the bar itself, made sure we had beer and waters all night long, and got us food after aour show. They were busier with paying customers than they would be all year, and they still made sure to take care of us. Classy.

I hope they made a fortune this weekend. They deserve it.

Debauchery Central

2010-03-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

OK, usually it's bad form to blog on a private party, but I'm close to the hosts of our gig this past Saturday, and I can tell a tale or two.... or maybe I won't. Jonathan and I only played until 10 or so, but somehow, I didn't get to sleep until after FIVE. This party was something else. I'll just say this: they BUILT A STRIPPER'S POLE IN THE LIVING ROOM ....just for the party. I'm not saying any more....to protect the guilty...

This Friday, at our monthly Arnold's gig, the bar gets raised yet again, as we'll be playing Arnold's annual beer blowout extravaganza - Bockfest! It's destined to be another wild time, so come on out! We're on stage from 6-8. The party starts at Arnold's at 4 pm, parade at 6, and the fun goes until....?

As I'm writing this, Jonathan is in the studio laying down the guitar and vocal tracks for our final song for the CD. I'll add harp and percussion soon, and then we'll be in the home stretch. We'll keep you posted!

Come on out to Bockfest!

HD Beanz, Byotchez!

2010-02-21T20:04:00.003-05:00

Ahem....Well, we're right in the middle of a bunch of giggin, and when it's finished, we're gonna put the final touches on the music for the CD, and then we'll do the annoying part of getting licenses for the cover tunes, get the graphics and packaging done, get set up with itunes, etc..... figure we'll have the CD ready by 2015 or something....

Thanks agaion to HD Beans for a rockin' night on Friday. Thanks to the Bond family, Bob, K and the kidz, the Barnyard Burlesque crew, and everyone else who came out to see us that night. Lots of new 46 Long fans, we hope. Seemed that way at the time. Oh, and Josh Eagle is a damn fine singer / songwriter as well.

Private party this week, then Arnold's on the 5th for BOCKFEST!!!! See you there!!

Calm before the storm...

2010-01-16T11:09:00.003-05:00

Happy new year, 46 Long fans! We miss you, but after a month plus break, we'll be back in action with a vengeance !

Sunday, Jan 24, Leo Coffeehouse 7:00 pm Free! We're happy to be invited back to the premier acoustic / roots / folk venue in town. We'll be one of three bands, and we'll be playing a short set, but it's always a good time with a room full of serious music fans and musicians.
http://qcbleo.wordpress.com/leo-coffeehouse-schedule/

Friday, Jan 29 - Pendleton Arts Center Final Friday 7-9 pm All-ages. We love this annual gig where we get to be surrounded by eight floors of great art, eclectic, beautiful people, and we provide the soundtrack on the seventh floor. Valet parking available (or free shuttles from lots on Reading and Pendleton)
http://www.pendletonartcenter.com/cincinnati_oh.html

Then, later Friday night, after we finish at the Pendleton, we'll fly across the river for the Winter Blues Fest at the Southgate House. Blake will be joining Cheryl Renee and Them Bones for their 11:25 set. The past two years have been amazing nights of music and memories. We highly recommend checking out the winter blues fest this year! http://cincyblues.org/node/69

And, finally, we're back at Arnold's, starting a string of first Friday gigs on Friday, Feb. 5, at 6:00. http://www.arnoldsbarandgrill.com

Thanks for everything, and we'll see you out soon!

- Blake and Jonathan

p.s. - we're thiiiisss close to being finished recording the new cd...really...

Thanks!

2009-12-21T23:28:00.002-05:00

Well, something was amiss at Arnold's on Friday - the staff seemed really on edge and weren't their usual warm n' fuzzy selves...must be stressful in the service industry this time of year - and Jonathan was under the weather, but we still had a good time for my birthday bash. We even broke out a new song - our arrangement of Willie Dixon's "Weak Brain, Narrow Mind." Definitely a work in progress. Might help if I remembered the words....maybe ought to put it in the first set...

Thanks to everyone who made it out - Nick, Bob, Marg, Dan and Sarah (and friends), the Fellerhoffs, the ladies of Barnyard Burlesque were front and center, singing along (we love that), the Caterwaul crew, Dave, Ronelle, Zoe, Lucia, and anyone else we've forgotten to mention.

Nothing until the Leo Coffeehouse on Jan 24, and then the Pendleton is the 29th. We can't wait to see you!

Arnold's Friday / Blake's B-day bash!

2009-12-15T22:48:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's my frikkin' birthday, and what I want is a hot crowd at Arnold's. What are you gonna do about it?!? Huh!?!?

We hit the stage at 6:00. We'll even be debuting a new song. We'll buy you a beer if you pick it out (without us saying). Hint - it's a cover.

See you there.......

Cowbell, Baby!

2009-12-14T22:39:00.002-05:00

That's right: we've got a fever for cowbell that just won't stop.

No... we aren't doing a cover of "Burning for You" (well, now, wait just a second, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea...). Nevermind. But we do have a cowbell, and we aren't afraid to use it.

December update!

2009-12-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

We're the world's suckiest bloggers, BTW.

To the hottest fans out there:

Things have been quiet lately in 46 Long land - well, at least on the surface. We haven't had too many shows, but we've been slaving away in the studio to finish up the next CD, "Off The Rack." With only two originals, this album will feature our own unique take on classic songs, most of which would not be considered traditional "Blues." There's Willie Dixon, but then there's Morphine. There's Howlin' Wolf, but then there's the Beatles. Throw in some Nina Simone, some Dylan, some Tom Waits, and.... We're pretty excited about it, and hope to have an actual product by early spring. We'll keep you posted.

We only have one show this month, and we'll be celebrating!

We'll be at Arnold's on Friday, Dec 18, from 6-8 PM. This is a free, all-ages show, and apart from celebrating the start of Christmas break, it's also Blake's birthday, and we'll be hanging out afterward to show the big guy a good time.

So come on out to Arnold's on the 18th, and if not, we wish you a premature Happy New Year, and we'll see you in January! Thanks for everything!

- Jonathan and Blake

"They'll never see it coming."

2009-11-11T19:41:00.004-05:00

...I quote Jonathan after our recording session last night during which we finally took a stab at what we think is a unique arrangement of "Come Together." Yeah, THAT Come Together. It'll take another night of accesorizing, but we're pretty excited about the possibilities. The folks at Rubber Biscuit Studios are even kinda jazzed about experimenting with mixing options.

Amazing what happens when you get to wear pants all night long.

Arnold's date change!!!

2009-10-25T19:58:00.000-04:00

Hey, all you cool 46 Long fans with flexible schedules -

We've had a last-minute date change for our next Arnold's show. We will be playing Arnold's THIS FRIDAY, Oct 30, from 6-8. We are CANCELLING the Nov. 6 gig.

This Friday's show will be from 6-8, free, all-ages, yada, yada....all the usual goodness. We hope you can be there. Then, I think that we only have one show left in what has been a very cool year for 46 Long. We'll be back at Arnold's - same time, same place - on Friday, Dec. 18.

http://www.arnoldsbarandgrill.com

Thanks, and we hope to see your beautiul / devilishly handsome selves on Friday!

- Blake and Jonathan

Blake goes bottomless.

2009-10-09T21:37:00.002-04:00

So... we managed to scrape together the dough to book a few hours of studio time at RubberBiscuit on Thursday night. I got there and helped the AE get things set up, and Blake showed up a bit later. We were going to be working on a Willie Dixon cover, and were going to try a vintage-vibe approach to the tune -- going for a mono recording with only a single omni mic. This, of course, meant that there was little room for error.

But, er, Houston... we've got a problem here. It's Blake's pants. He's shown up wearing some sort of nylon-esq running suit kinda loose synthetic thingys. And they go "whif whify whiffy whif" every time he moves. And Blake moves a lot when he sings or plays.

Uh... what to do?

The RubberBiscuit dudes have spare strings... they have lots of mics. But they don't, uh, keep extra PANTS around.

We don't exactly get to record as often as we would like, so this calls for extreme measures.

Blake took off his pants.

Now... I know Blake pretty well, but this brought, shall we say, a degree of intimacy to our relationship that had not previously existed. Thankfully, he wasn't going commando this evening. In fact, he and I were wearing near-identical boxer briefs. It's just that I still had my pants on.

Despite Blake's best efforts, we didn't manage a keeper track that evening. Though we may have gotten some good "studio outakes."

And, Ladies, remember... it's 46 LONNNNG.

And Blake's the little one.

Hell, Yeah! (Slight Return)

2009-09-28T20:45:00.003-04:00

Blake ain't blowin' smoke here... though he was blowin' the windows out on Friday night. That was a killer gig. One of the best in the many many years I've been giggin'.

Victoria and I had a great time out before our own gig. We caught a couple of quasi-prog bands at the Know Theatre (New Vega) was one. We then strolled to the Below Zero Lounge, where Joshua gushed over how beautiful Victoria was and abused me for my white socks. We discoed down for a bit under the lazer lights, and then headed off to catch the Heartless Bastards (and Blake) at Grammers. Along the way we chatted with the very cool driver of Scion #4. At Grammers we couldn't find Blake, but enjoyed the tail end of the Bastard's set... and ran into none other than the Bootyshaker herself, who announced she was on her way to the Courtyard to see none other than 46Long.

We then headed to the Courtyard in a responsible manner. We had a nice chat with the driver of Scion #2 on the way. Pulling up in front, we were tickled to find Sir Luke outside with a bunch of friends... more fans! Woohoo! We stood in line for a minute and then managed to crowd in, despite the door dude announcing that there was no room at the Inn. Blake waved from the back, and none other than Nathan was hanging out, too.

Chick Pimp were totally rockin' out, and the crowd was jumpin. Blake fretted (as Blake must) that the shift from a full band to us might not work for the crowd. I declared that we were going to burn the joint down... there was way too much momentum built up in the room to worry about such things.

Chick Pimp finished up and broke down with professionalism, and good cheer. We hooked up our wee little instruments, I strapped stuff to my feet, and THEN WE THREW DOWN. It was one of those nights were you just couldn't be out of the groove. And another shout out for our sound guy... it's no easy thing to have to dial in a band on the fly, but this guy had us rockin' half way through the first song. Wish I had bought you a beer!

Anyway, I only broke the surface of normal consciousness a couple of times during the set... the rest of the time I was totally groovin' on the vibe and the crowd... oh... and Victoria's dancing. That's my wife boys... keep your distance!

45 minutes or so later, soaked with sweat, we pulled off the stage and enjoyed the Frankl Project before Victoria and I heading back to wake up the babysitter.

A dang fine night indeed.

Aw...Hell, Yeah!

2009-09-28T08:28:00.007-04:00

We're still trying to digest all that went down on Friday at Midpoint Music Festival, but suffice to say that it was an amazing experience that exceeded our rock star fantasies. I'm sure I'll forget key parts, and I hope that Jonathan will get a chance to fill in the blanks.

First of all, we need to thank the organizers of this incredible event - Dan McCabe, Dan Bockrath, John Fox, Mike Breen, Brian Baker, Brian Meeker, our awesome soundman (we got lucky on that count), everybody else at Citybeat, Cincinnati Bell, the Courtyard Cafe, Cincinnati Police....the list is endless.....Thank you, thank you...!

So Jonathan and I were flying separate Friday night. He and Victoria made it a night on the town before our set. They're a darned good looking couple. Maybe he'll blog of his travels if he adds to this post.

So I was flying solo, but not for long, as, well, this is Cincinnati. I hadn't barely parked my car before I started to run into people I knew...dodging cries of "Mr. Taylor!" from former students who were trying to sneak wine at the gallery openings on Main St. as a start...

Right. Well, I wandered up Main st., figuring I'd better check out some other venues before I settled in to the Courtyard. I figured that the scene at Grammer's would be big, and, being Cincinnati, I figured that I'd hook up with people I knew there. And, of course, I was right on all counts. The Wildbirds were rocking out the front of the tent, and were a reminder of the fact that, with rare exceptions, people my size (200 lbs. and bigger) are rarely successful frontmen in rock bands. Yes, based on my observations this weekend, it would seem that most rock stars need to be about 5'9", about 140 lbs, and have lots of hair. Let me check the mirror...nope, nope, aannnnd....nope......I could bench press two of 'em, though.....maybe.... **

But Grammer's was the place to be all night, and was certainly the place to see and bee seen. Even so, I hooked up with friends who wanted to see as many venues as possible in the 45 minutes between the Wildbirds' set and the Heartless Bastards. So, we hit all of the OTR venues, and were most impressed by The Aviation Orange. Great sound, energy, and they somehow pulled off being somewhat derivative and very fresh at the same time. Nice job, folks. And here's to Cupcake!!

Finally made our way back to the Grammer's tent, and it was a mob scene for Heartless Bastards. Estimates had the crowd at over 800 people inside the tent. The line at the bar was 15-20 minutes long, but it was worth it, as you knew it was the biggest party in town, with a kick-ass band to boot. I was left with a surprising Zepplin vibe from those guys. I didn't expect that.

OK, time to make my escape back to the Courtyard Cafe.

When you're a gigging musician, what you usually want is a cool venue, with a large, enthusiastic crowd. When you're an acoustic Blues duo, often working the early shows, this isn't always the case. (Arnold's kicks ass, but it is dinner time, and coffeeshop gigs are nice but rarely stroke your aging ego.) Well, when I got to the Courtyard at 10:30, I had to wait in line to get in....and I was in one of the bands! The place was shoulder to shoulder, with the crowd completely infringing upon the band's space...in an exciting way. With no official stage, you use the monitors as a minor barrier in this situation.

So my anxiety is building somewhat, as Chick Pimp, Coke Dealer at a Bar is laying down melodica-infused gypsy funk. Those last four words may never have been put together before. But they're loud, and groovin, and kicking ass, and all I'm thinking about is how we don't have an official rhythm section, and how different we're gonna be from these guys. What are these cool, young, counter-culture hipsters gonna think of our little act?

I shouldn't have worried. I'm sure Jonathan was in total control, of coure. He's the smart, confident one. But you see, the crowds at midpoint aren't just rock fans, or punk fans - they're music fans. If you have some talent, some passion, and bring the energy, they're gonna respond, and show you some love.

So, we totally smoked the place. Jonathan was in a killer groove all night that he couldn't shake, and I channeled my nerves into the energy of my performance. The crowd was amazing. People were being turned away at the door it was so crowded, and man, was the crowd great in their response to us. To put the night into its proper context, I give you this, my favorite image of the evening: We're in the heart of the Nobody's Fault but Mine / Shame on Me jam, and right in front of the stage was a group of mohawk-wearing punk rockers, completely groovin' with us, whooping, hollering, and leading the cheers, which stretched all the way to the back of the room.

It was a hell of a night. We want to thank those who caught our set, and I apologise in advance for who I'll forget..... Larry, Andy, and Ray from 1st UU, Dan B.,The Caterwaul Crew, Ayla's mom and friends, John Fox, Pete Delgado from WNKU, Victoria, our dancing queen, Luke and Lydia, dude from Voodoo Puppet, Sam and friend, and the 100 or so others we've never met before and showed us such a good time.

Let's do it again, shall we?

PS - if ANYONE has any pictures from the show, please let us know.

** - (update) Some people who know me well have delicately pointed out that it has been over a decade since I attempted to bench press anything near 280 lbs. Fine. I'll bench the lead singer of the Wildbirds twice and we'll call it even, ok? Sheesh....

Midpoint, Baby!!!

2009-09-22T19:59:00.002-04:00

This is the big one.....

This weekend, from Thursday through Saturday, downtown Cincinnati will be
hosting the biggest indie music festival in the midwest. 270 bands in over 20
intimate venues will electrify the Queen City.

Your favorite semi-acoustic Blues duo (that's 46 Long, by the way) will be at
the Courtyard Cafe on Main St. Friday night (9/25) at 11:30. We'll be part of a
very eclectic lineup (which is the name of the game at Midpoint). For example,
we'll be taking the stage after a band named "Chick Pimp, Coke Dealer at a Bar."
Should be interesting to say the least.

We'd love your support at what is probably our biggest gig in years. Tickets
will be $5 at the door. Music starts early in the evening. For more information
on the festival, and for weekend passes to all events / venues, go to
http://mpmf.com or visit http://www.citybeat.com .

See you this weekend!

-Blake and Jonathan

46 INCHES Long..........

2009-09-13T21:08:00.002-04:00

We kid you not. This is what they had written in all of the press releases, and on all of the flyers and posters for this past Friday's gig at the Hamilton County Parks' beer tasting event in Winton Woods. We saved some flyers as proof....sheesh....46 INCHES Long.....

So, of course, you'd imagine the place to be packed with excited (if nervous) lonely women and elephant fetishists................but no such luck.....

That's not to say that it wasn't packed with cool people and excellent beer. At the beginning of the night, I walk in to the main room where we're going to play. The entire room is ringed with tables loaded with trays of bottled beer on ice....the good stuff, too. Jonathan says to me, "Either this is going to be the best gig ever, or the most frustrating gig ever, depending on their beer policy for the band!" (Actually that hot lesbian swimsuit model gig was pretty frustrating for me, but to each his own. Jonathan always was only in it for the beer...)

Anyhow, we got to play right next to the Moerlein OTR booth, and the kind gentlemen there made sure our cups were never empty for long. Did we mention that we love Moerlein OTR?

So this was a very good gig, and we got to play for an entire crowd of 46 Long virgins - I didn't recognize any familiar faces, anyhow. Want to give a shout out to the College Hill Beer Club, our favorite school SRO, and all the folks running the show. It was a great night, and we hope to be invited back to more Hamilton County sponsored events!

Citybeat too?!?!?

2009-09-13T21:07:00.002-04:00

Yup, we're in this week's Citybeat as well. I'll be durned.....

http://www.citybeat.com

Good Press!

2009-09-10T18:27:00.002-04:00

Check it out, yo! We're in Metromix!

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/music/article/meet-the-band-46/1449997/content

Been too long....

2009-09-06T00:19:00.003-04:00

SORRY!!!! The start of the school year is insane for us. I don't even have time right now - just the tiny window while the Mrs. gets ready for bed. No, I don't have to sneak my blogging, but, well, that's not what I'm here to talk about. Two quick things - Arnold's again rocked last night. Thanks to everyone who came out - from the Brian to the burlesque - and, despite some apparent microphone issues, and the stage being stormed by the next band before we even had a chance to start breaking down (you guys are a good band, but dudes, give us ten minutes, and we're out of there. Then we don't have to all be crammed in and competing for cramped passageways to move gear like lost salmon. It raised the stress level unnecessarily to have you guys rush your gear up there like that. When we went back to get the gear we forgot in the hustle, the waiter told us you dudes have done that to other bands. In good faith and comaradeship, that ain't cool.We're pros. We know you need the stage. Just wait a minute. It's only two of us, anyhow.) it was another classicly good Arnold's night. Did you check out the Hoodoo-drop down - jockey jam? Never done that before...not sure what inspired it or where it came from, but it was a fun surprise...giggle.

Second thing - after picking up the mic stands at Arnold's this afternoon (ahem) I dropped off flyers at the Courtyard cafe for our Midpoint Music Festival showcase performance on Friday, Sept. 25 at 11:30 pm. That's gonna kick so much ass. Hope you folks can come out in droves.

We love you - no time to thank you in person right now. We've recorded 8 / 11 songs for the CD. It is coming along, we promise.....

- Blake

MIdpoint Venue Confirmed!

2009-07-27T21:51:00.003-04:00

It's still early... but we're pretty tickled. Mark those calendars! We'll be at the Courtyard Cafe at 11:30 on Sept. 25th for the Midpoint Music Festival.

My First Beaver

2009-07-15T22:36:00.002-04:00

I wish I'd taken a picture. Big furry thing, too.

Despite what you might think, this is the long-overdue (and all too brief) post Lake Isabella gig wrapup. Long story short: It was sunny, it was rainy. We were out, we were in. It was the best of times, it was....well, even during / after the rain it was prety darned cool. Great food, cool (and hardy) fans, and hey, I even saw a beaver. Buck teeth, flat tail and all. What it was doing in an oversized farm pond is beyond me, but hey.......I guess we were less than 100 yards from the Little Miami River. Maybe he got lost....

We're juggling vacations right now, but we'll be back to the studio and gigging in two weeks. See you at 'Da BEAN!

Arnold's Shots... Thanks Paul!

2009-07-05T19:12:00.016-04:00

Hey... Paul from the Cheap Suits came through with some cool photos from Friday's gig... so here they are!

First.... Blake Blows... in a good way. Feel free to notice the very sexy Heil Classic Microphone.

Then... I emote a bit. Feel free to notice the somewhat more understated yet still sexy Electro Voice Raven Microphone. Also feel free to ignore Blake's butt in the background. Goodness knows I try to.

Not to be outdone, Blake cuts loose with his best crooner face. Watch out, Harry Connick, Jr.!

Finally, these are my hands, and my guitar. Great shot, Paul!!

More Arnold's Magic!

2009-07-04T13:23:00.004-04:00

Ok... Ok.... It's well established that Blake & I love to play Arnolds. It's a great room, the staff are super-cool, and the crowd is always receptive. So, we were in a very good mood as we loaded in to play the dinner show last night.

We arrived to find the Cheap Suits setting up for their show later that evening. I was slightly miffed that they had taken over the stage with their gear... but as soon as I talked to them, I found them to be first-rate guys. They immediately offered to let us use their (very fancy) PA, so as to save me the trouble of setting our own up for the night. Paul, the bass player, not only helped out, but he ran sound for us during the gig. He even took some cool photos, which I'll post when he forwards them along. Rock on, Paul!

The first couple of songs, admittedly, seemed to drag a bit, but after a few minutes we started to work up a sweat and started smokin'. In particular. I thought that we laid down a totally kickin' version of "'Till the Mood is Right" and a very nice version of "Death Letter."

And... on a mic-geek side-note, I tried out a new mic last night. I picked up and ElectroVoice Raven a couple of months back, but was disappointed by its sound in the studio... it came across as too bright. But, I had heard good things about this mic live, so I gave it a try. Darned if it didn't sound dandy. Now both Blake & I have sexy stage mics.

Since when did we become a real band!?!

2009-06-01T10:07:00.003-04:00

Pardon the self-deprecating humor, but what the hell? We have two big bits of news this week. The first is that we've been asked to play the Rivertown Breakdown this year. This is THE big roots / Americana gathering in the tristate every year, and we've been added to this year's bill! The big event is Saturday, June 13 at the Southgate House. We'll be playing the upstairs parlor from 8:00 to 8:45. There will be bands on all three stages all night long, capped off with an all-star jam at 1:00 am. More information can be found at: http://www.rivertownbreakdown.com

Then...and here's even bigger news....yesterday we found out that we've been selected to play the Midpoint Music Festival. This. Is. Huge. Check it out for yourself: http://www.mpmf.com I went to this last year, and in one night, I might have seen a dozen bands in about nine different venues, and not only was the music good and very diverse. but every place was packed. I don't know where they shipped the people in from, but there they were. This will be a great weekend, so save the date in late September!

Phew, all of this, and we're headed to Rubberbiscuit studios tonight for more recording mayhem....pretty soon, we'll be finished recording, on to mixing, and then....well, let's just say it will be "Off the Rack".....

Magic on E. 8th St.

2009-05-16T08:48:00.002-04:00

Well, the big guy and I dragged our dragging butts downtown last night - both of us worn-out, exhausted, and overworked with our Clark Kent duties, and with no end in sight. Playing music seemed like an irresponsible diversion from our, well, responsibilities. We hadn't played together in nearly a month, and we had rust upon our rust.

That said, we both were looking forward to our little oasis on the stage at Arnold's for a two-hour vacation, and man, did the courtyard work its magic. I think it was one of our better shows, musically, in a while. I knew something was up when Jonathan was noodling around with the slide on the Liberty as I was setting up (he's always there before me), and he was laying down chops that I'd never heard him play before. I said to him, "Someone's been practicing," and he looked at me and said, "I haven't picked up a guitar in weeks."

So, I think we definitely had some smokin' moments last night, but we couldn't do it without all of the energy from the fans. A big shout out to all of the soon-to-be- Eagle alumni - Max, Mike, Matt, Mark, Maeve, Martha(I'm seeing a pattern here), Aimee, and everyone else in the WHHS crew there last night. We love the t-shirts! '09!, '09!

Thanks to our loyal grown-up fans and their families - The Vitz Family, The Taylor Family, The Bond family, the Lowry family.....and to our new fans, like Jennifer (Happy Birthday!) and all the rest of the 46 Long virgins and new fans....we hope that's a mutually inclusive statement.

Of course, apart from being such a cool venue aesthetically, Arnold's wouldn't be Arnold's without the great staff. Thanks to Rhonda and the crew for another evening where we felt more than appreciated. We look forward to returning....I think in July (have to check the calendar).

So, it's back to the old grind for the two of us, and it will be a week or so before we get any breathing room. But then, I believe we have a CD to finish up. More on that soon....

You guys rock!

Have we no shame?

2009-04-30T15:55:00.004-04:00

I mean, really. It's bad enough that we've decided to do a CD of mostly cover tunes. And not just any cover tunes... some decidedly challenging cover tunes. More so, and with all due immodesty, I think we've been kicking butt in the process. So far we've got some totally groovin' and very original versions of Tom Waits, Morephene, and Nina Simone tunes in the can. It's defintely been worth the big bucks we've been spending on studio time at Rubber Biscuit.
But now I'm starting to worry. One of the song's we've been working op arrangements for is "Come Together." Yeah, that "Come Together"... the one by the Beatles. So, here we are, a High School English teacher with a Harmonica (OK, a bunch of harmonicas) and an African Historian with a guitar (OK, a bunch of guitars), doing a cover of a Beatles tune. Can we possibly come up with an angle, a groove, or a vibe that makes the tune our own? Have we gone too far?

Time will tell.

Have we mentioned that we love Arnold's?

2009-04-04T13:59:00.002-04:00

You know, the big guy and I were a little crestfallen when we first learned that we were being moved to the early slot at Arnold's instead of the "get naked" 9-1 slot. I mean, what's the point of playing rock star if it's so early that there won't be anybody loose enough yet to dance in front of the stage?

But then again, this is Arnold's we're talking about.

We had a blast last night, and would have gone on all night if the headlining band, Langiappe (cool, N'awleans vibe, BTW), hadn't been in a hurry to set up, and if Jonathan's poor, baby, uncalloused fingers hadn't given out. The Moerlein OTR was magical, and the food afterward was great.

But most importantly, the fans kicked some serious ass. Big shout out to "From the Highlands to the Lowlands and back again" Rita. Welcome home, lass. Great to see the "four in the corner" women again out on a ladies' night. And we can't say enough about the Dancing Eagles. Represent and Summum, yo! You want 'A's? We want t-shirts!!

Ahem.

And to all the 46 Long virgins, and the awesome staff members who always make us feel loved (this is a rare thing in this business), we give a hearty thanks!

We hope to see you there again next month. Yes, you can be a rock star in the 6-8 slot.....if you're at Arnold's....

Mastering Mayhem -- Ozone 4

2009-03-21T16:00:00.007-04:00

Blake's off on Vacation... you know, the usual. Monaco, Seville, Bahrain, Kuala Lumpur. While he's jet-setting his way about, I figured I'd throw up a bit of gear geakdom.

In addition to playing guitar, singing, and stomping my feet, I also handle a bit of the audio duties for 46Long. That means running sound at gigs and also helping out the AE in the studio. Increasingly, I've also taken on tweeking the mixdowns from the studio. For a couple of years, I've been using Ozone 3, and have been pretty pleased with it. While many professional mastering engineers rightly scoff at the abuse of Ozone "Presets" by amatuer mastering types, I've found that if you go beyond the presets and work with the various available within Ozone, such as the EQ (see above) and multi-band compressors, you can get some very good results. So, when Izotope came out with Ozone 4 recently, I sprung for the upgrade right away.

My evaluation? This is a very nice step up from Ozone 3. The ability to dial in more/less of individual paramaters in a sort of wet/dry ballance is very nice. And, the new preview setting, which helps ballance the gain of the track with and without the processing is a huge help in A/B'ing a particular setting package.

I'm having a blast feeling my way through the potential of Ozone 4 while working on the tracks for "Off the Rack." Hopefully we'll have a final version for all you fan's come Summer!

H.D. Beans & Bottles Debut

2009-03-14T22:19:00.002-04:00

Last night was a first for me & Blake... we played H. D. Beans in Silverton for the first time. It's a great coffeehouse kinda joint, but they've recently branched out into beer & wine. They had a beer tasting going on, and wisely decided to hire a Blues Band to add some vibe to the occasion. Even better, they hired us. Blake & I sampled the Brooklyn Brewing Lager repeatedly over the evening. Not a bad brew at all.

We managed to grab a sandwitch while setting up... mmmmmm. Thanks Sara! The room was all full of wood and angles, and sounded great. Never seen such comfy chairs in a band venue, either... everybody looked like they were reclining in the first class section of Singapore Airlines.

It was a family-friendly show for the first set, and the room was packed with kids... most of them actually paying attention and dancing around. The second set was a bit more mature, so we got to throw down just a bit.

A lovely evening. Thanks to everybody for coming out! We had a blast.

Blow Blake, Blow!

2009-03-07T14:07:00.004-05:00

Amazing but true... Blake & I managed to make it to Rubber Biscuit at the same time this week. Blake came with an agenda in mind: to lay down some electric harp to go with the vocal and guitar tracks I did earlier for "Who's Been Talkin.'" As such, he was hauling along his '62 Princeton and his fancy-schmancy custom bullet mic. We set the amp up in Rubber Biscuit's custom amp isolation unit, and set to work.

Wasn't long before Blake was blowin' in style, as usual. The sounds were good, but then the AE had a killer idea, and threw a JolyMod 319 up to capture some acoustic tones to blend in with the amped track. Oh... BABY! That's good tone.

I'll be working on a mix with the AE soon. We'll see how it comes out.

Solo in the Studio

2009-02-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well, Blake is sick. No... not like that. Well, yeah, he is.... but I mean right now he's got a cold. So, I wound up by myself in Rubber Biscuit a couple of nights ago.

What to do? Rather than just drink beer and talk microphones with the engineer, I decided to lay down a track for Blake to add to later. Luckily, one of the tune's we're considering for "Off the Rack" is an old standard of mine: "Who's Been Talkin?"

So, I chose my trusty MXL 960 with Peluso Capsule for Vocals, and went with the Blue Bluebird on the Seagull S Folk, which is a very nice sounding little guitar.

We got some nice sounds right off. The Bluebird is great on acoustic guitars. There was a bit of bleed between the two mics, since despite the AE's grumping I went ahead and tracked vocals and guitar at the same time. I'm all about vibe over separation and purity. In fact, I think bleed between the mics is a beautiful thing most of the time. It makes things sound bigger and more natural.

So, even without Blake, I was able to make it a pretty productive night. And, mysteriously, there was a lot more beer around. Once he's feeling better, we'll bring him and his '62 Princeton in and have him blow some electric harp, which he hasn't gotten to do much on this project.

New Show Added!

2009-02-25T16:51:00.000-05:00

Hey, we're happy to announce a new venue / show: HD Beans, a super cool indie wi-fi coffehouse / cafe is ramping up their live music schedule. We'll be there Friday, March 13 from 7-10, following their beer tasting from 5-7. It's all-ages and free, so come on out! Info and map to the venue:

http://www.cincinnatiusa.com/Dining/detail.asp?RestID=11072

Did we mention they're now serving beer?!?!?

Back, Jack, Do it Again...

2009-02-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

As we said a couple of weeks back, our last visit to Rubber Biscuit Studio was a bit of a bust. The AE did rework the mix from that night, and came up with something that sounded pretty good sonically, but Blake & I agreed that our performance still wasn't what we were looking for.

BTW, we were working on a Nina Simone cover, a gospel-inspired tune called "Nobody's Fault But Mine." Now, when you're middle class white guys like us, you don't just crank out a cover of Nina Simone doing gospel and not bring something to the table. It's the musical equivalent of taking Michael Jordon on in a slam-dunk contest. You're gonna loose, but you hope you'll come out with people saying "Well, shit, they CAN dunk." Last time, we just weren't slammin' it. It sounded OK, but we weren't exactly gettin' air. And remember, Blake's the short one at 6'4".

This time, though, was different. We were gettin' pretty decent tracks right off. Of course, we stumbled here and there. I can't play the same thing the same way twice to save myself, and Blake has been known to have every single note planned out in advance, so there were a takes that came to a crashing halt so Blake could tell me what I was doing wrong. I, of course, smiled and said I would try to do better and went right back to doing things how I do them. 'Cause I can't do them any other way. Hell, I don't even know what chord I'm playing a good chunk of the time. And, frankly, sometimes you just need to hang out on a chord (whatever the hell chord it is) for a while, because it just feels good to be there.

The result? Well, I sat down with the engineer at Rubber Biscuit tonight, and we did a mix. Frankly, I think it totally freakin' smoked. Blake totally carries the tune vocally, and is his typically window-pane-shaking-self on harp. I'm diggin' my gritty resonator tone, and singin' low. Blake added a tambourine part for sizzle, and I laid down a kick track to give it some roots.

Blake hasn't heard it yet. We'll see what he thinks.

UPDATE (By Blake): I humbly but excitedly agree on the essence of smoke associated with this track. Great job, o gods of audio engineering!

And I don't plan out every note....I just like to call it having a vision...and it can be a little rigid at times...

Oh, and I used to be able to dunk. Really! Twelve years and two reconstructive surgeries ago........I can still get rim, though.....

- BAT

Post-Pendleton!

2009-01-31T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well..... we had a blast as usual last night at the Pendleton galleries. And, as promised, there was lots of great art, good food and drink, and primo people watching.

Thanks to our old friends and new who came out: The 1st church crew - Larry, Joe, Ken, Beth, Susan, Jo Ellen, Denise, and so many more. Your support has been amazing, and it means a lot to us. We hope that you had a good time and enjoyed the tunes. And we made some new friends, like Randall, Ellie and her friend, The amazing, ubiquitous Leugers boys, and we hope that Dan's brother likes the CD. See Dan for the refund if necessary. He's good for it.

Anyone else we may have missed / omitted, please forgive, as I'm operating on not much sleep, because......

.....I headed across the river afterward to the Winter Blues fest. Man, what a good show that was. What struck me was how BIG the bands on the main stage were. I mean, the Bluebirds, and whoever was playing the 10:00 slot...there must have been at least 10 people onstage in each of those bands.

Sounded great, but how the hell do you pay all of those people? Sometimes I don't even pay Jonathan.......and he has roof issues, I hear.....

I got a chance to sit in with Ricky Nye, and I gotta say, when you sit in with that band, you REALLY need to be on your A game. The musicianship is SO good...I mean, as a harmonica player it's hard to not have an inferiority complex about the limitations of your instrument as it is, but with really good musicians, especially those who so freely go from swing, to boogie-woogie, to Blues, to Jazz...and kick ass in all genres, well, if you're gonna play with the big boys, you better listen carefully, pay really close attention, be aware of space, space, space, and don't suck. I hope I did these things ok. Thanks, Ricky!

It looks like it will be a while before our next gig. Sniff. Maybe I ought to hustle and get some more shows...but where? Besides, we have a CD to finish.

On that note, thanks again to everyone last night. It was a great evening!

Studio Shots

2009-01-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

A bit belated, perhaps, but here are some studio shots from the last session at Rubber Biscuit Studio. We didn't get a final take... but them's the breaks!
The first shot is of Blake singing into a OktavaMod MK319. This mic likes Blake!

Next is me, playing the Liberty Resonator. That's a modified MXL 960 tube mic with a Peluso CEK 89/s capsule and a NOS Mullard 4024 tube.

In the background is a TNC1200 tube mic, which the engineer was using as a "room mic" to add a bit of space to the tracks we were laying down.

Here's Blake doin' what he does best! He's got lungs down to his knees.

And, finally, here's me, doing my best to belt out a line. You'd think with all that emotin' we woulda gotten a keeper track... but that's studio work for ya! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But... you, loyal fans, can trust us to keep pluggin' away until we get it right. Or until we run out of beer, whichever comes first.

Pendleton this Friday!

2009-01-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

Go ahead, ride the storm out, and then come on out this Friday to what has
become our favorite annual gig - the Final Friday Benefit for Huntington's
Disease at the Pendleton Galleries!

Yes, it's Cincinnati's best eye candy all night long, and it's for a good cause.
The Pendleton Galleries are located downtown (see link) and comprise a complex
of warehouses that have been turned into artist studios. The final Friday of
every month, artists open up their lofts to the public. There's food and drink
galore, great art everywhere you look, and a guaranteed eclectic crowd of art
lovers of all ages.

Oh, and there will be live music from us, 46 Long, on the 7th floor of the main
building, and more live music on the 3rd floor. Valet parking is available, or
take the pendleton neighborhood shuttle from the free parking on Reading Road.

There's a suggested $5 donation at the door. After that, come on in and slather
yourself with all the oil pastels and box shiraz you can handle. We hope to see
you out! The Pendleton website is :
http://pendletonartcenter.com/cincinnati_oh.html

Afterward, join us as we head across the river to the Southgate House for the
winter Blues fest! Three stages will be giving you all the red hot Blues you
need on a cold winter's night. Don't miss Ricky Nye's full band set at 10:45,
and the Heaters as well! More info at http://www.cincyblues.org/

Thanks! See you Friday! And look for our post-gig / Bluesfest post on Saturday!

Darnitall.....!

2009-01-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

So, we gathered late last evening at Rubberbiscuit Studios for a crack at "Nobody's Fault But Mine" - A la Nina Simone. No dice. Got a decent take finally, but unless the engineers can work a miracle, it's not gonna make the cut. I think we either tried to be too fancy, or not fancy enough. I dunno. I just show up and play. I never was the smart one. Don't worry, we'll try again - maybe next time, or maybe we'll try something different next time. Let Nina percolate a bit.

I did have two beers I never had before - both very nice........So the evening wasn't remotely a complete loss...and hell, an evening spent playing music AND drinking good beer? Sheeut......

Maybe Jonathan will post a picture or two...one of the groupies had a camera......

Howdy!

2009-01-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

And remember, we're up to more than playing sweaty gigs. We're working on a new CD, too. This one is going to be mostly covers, and not the sort you'd expect from a mostly-Blues Duo, either. We got some Morphine, some Nina Simone, and some Beatles in the pipeline.

And, we're sparing no expense. We've booked time at Rubber Biscuit Studio, which features one of the finest mic collections around! You should be impressed!

Welcome to the 46 Long Blog!

2009-01-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

So, we've finally decided to join the few dozen or so other blogs that are out there. What we envision this to be is a place for us to reflect on recent shows, post news and updates, and get feedback from our fans.

Ideally, we'll have our thoughts on recent shows within 24 hours, and we welcome your comments / questions / professions of undying lust, etc. For example: "That was a kick-ass 'Death Letter' tonight," or "Hey what was that cool new song?" or "Does Jonathan stuff his trousers, or is that natural?" You know........

So here's your chance to hang backstage with the band. Help yourself to whatever. Remember, though, the Bourbon is for Blake, The Remy XO is for Jonathan, the beer is for everyone. Blake will happily make mixed drinks for the ladies, but please understand he's not being entirely altruistic in doing so.

Welcome!