You can also read my blog about this gig at http://joelpelletier.blogspot.com.

Being John Entwistle
(also visit my page about this project!)

My latest music project, which has become a larger "art piece", is agreeing to perform in a Who tribute band, The Who Show. When I decided late last year to return to live rock performing, I knew it could only be if the music was something that I truly loved and admired. In the last few tears of playing my "Chamber Pop" music, I was starting to get over the whole MY MUSIC thing. Not that I don't still believe that many of my original songs, recordings and performances are still GOOD music (some even great, at least to me), but the whole self-promoting careerism required to exist in the belly of the music business beast was becoming more than I could stomach. I'm in this for the art (in this case, the music), certainly NOT the music business, and still believe that MONEY RUINS ART.

Also read my new essay, "Tribute Bands - Real Music?"

Here's the band performing AMAZING JOURNEY from TOMMY:

The Who Show Live at the OC Pavilion, 3/22/08

So, if I'm going to play live again and drag out all the basses and gear I have collected over the years, it must be for music I love. I did one gig with a 1960's British Invasion band at the end of 2006, but the band sort of faded away. During that time I saw an ad for a WHO tribute, and knew that was the gig for me. I learn to play bass listening to and learning songs from the Who, and upon further reflection see the major influence not only of John Entwistle's playing style and sound, but of Pete Townsend's writing and guitar playing. I purchased a cheap Epiphone Thunderbird bass and went to the audition with a half dozen Who tunes under my belt, and have not looked back since.

The gig, however, is much more than playing the songs. As silly as these bands can seem to me (still, see my essay "Tribute Bands - Real Music?"), they are musically no different from any cover band (music written and made famous by others), except that it's all music from one band. For most, that's rather limiting, but The Who had DOZENS of hits spanning 20 years, and the biggest problem we have is choosing which songs NOT to play in a one or two-set evening (The Who themselves have complained of the same thing - with so many STANDARD hits they are required by the audience to perform, they only get about 20 minutes in a concert to mix in some newer of less-famous material). In fact, just about EVERY original touring band is manned by musicians who were not part of the original recordings or writing, so they, too, are simply cover musicians (though hopefully paid a bit more...).

The "tribute band" idea takes this a step further - bands that try to recreate the original band's live concert experience. Some just try to faithfully sound like the original, but others go as far as hiring musicians that look similar to the original members, and match their costume and gear (instruments, stage amps, etc). Beatlemania, a hugely successful Broadway show, has spawned a popular and VERY lucrative touring show for those still involved. All of this appeals to my approach to making any art - reproducing as much as possible the original inspiration for each work (for example, my Ensor-inspired American Fundamentalists painting, or other paintings that borrow from Magritte and others).

Becoming John Entwistle allows me to indulge in a bit of bass guitar gluttony (within reason - I don't have John's financial reserves), bone up on some great bass parts, and even delve into his somewhat "dandy" stage costume stylings on the late 60's and 70's. He was a bit of a peacock, dressing up to cover his perceived physical shortcomings (a bit overweight, weak chin, etc); I am not perfect, either, and actually have a "lack of manly chest and shoulders" problem that he did not, so I have to try to dress like John AND try not to look like gussied-up coat hanger with womanly hips. Otherwise, I have a somewhat similar body and facial structure to Mr. Entwistle, certainly closer than any Who Tribute band photo I have been able to find online (yes, there are others throughout the US and UK).

John had LOTS of basses and LOTS of clothing, as well as quite a few hairstyles over his almost 40-year playing career (he died in 2002). Since our band has a killer Keith Moon-style drummer, I knew we needed to look like the classic 1970's-era Who. I decided to match the look of the 1970-72 John (Tommy, Quadraphenia, Who's Next) with the facial hair, costumes and basses he was using at that time. The beard was just a matter of not shaving and shaping to the 70's style, with a bit of dying to match an early-1970's era John (there's a bit of gray on my chinny-chin-chin if left to it's own device). The hair was another story, after a few months of letting it grow out, I concluded that there was no way I could grow it THICK enough on top to look correct (thanks to genetics and my age - I'm trying to match someone in his 20's, not mid-40's), so off to the wig stores! I found a great one that, when properly tweaked, nails his late 60's Beatle-cut transition into his early 70's locks.

As for clothing, in this era John's ensembles consisted many jackets, usually high-waisted, with bell bottoms and loud shirts. Many of this era's promo and concert photos show him in leathers, but as a VEGAN I searched for vinyl alternatives, and have found some killer coats and boots. I decided I could not settle on ONE outfit - the other band members may have been a bit more consistent, but John seemed to enjoy the dress-up long after the others got sick of it. It was only into the 1980's before he settled into one bass (a rather ugly-looking but incredible-sounding and playing custom BUZZARD bass he designed himself), and his stock jean or leather jacket (with his combed back grey hair and beard), a look I see no need to match for this gig despite it's simpler/easier attributes.

Basses moved me in a very different direction. For almost 20 years I have been a Steinberger bass player. In the 70's early 80's I built my own basses, a few inspired by John Entwistle's Thunderbird and Chris Squire's Rickenbackers. Then in 1983 I played my first Steinberger L2 (you remember, the HEADLESS polycarbonate ones), and realized I could never build one as perfectly balanced (physically and sonically), so I sold all my "pieces of wood" and never looked back (I have a passing relationship with Ned Steinberger to this day, and own a few Steinberger basses from their pre-Gibson days, as well as one of Ned's NS Design electric uprights). John Entwistle owned ONE Steinberger, but never played them live. In fact, he owned HUNDREDS of basses, and there is an incredible book of his bass collection (or part of it, anyway) published just before his death. At the 2003 auction of his estate, many of these basses sold for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars, and most of them sit entombed in glass casses throughout the world (including at many Hard Rock Cafes, and one wonderful 1960's Gibson Thunderbird in a plexi case at West LA music - NO, THEY WON'T LET ME PLAY IT!!!).

I decided to try to reproduce the MAIN and most famous instruments from each period until the late 70's, and have been building hybrids from basses and parts. These basses will LOOK as close to the famous axes he used to record and perform their biggest hits, including:

• An early 1960's-era large hollow-body bass with/flatwound strings, similar in look and sound to the many he played in the mid-late 1960's (in this case I found a beautiful Epiphone Jack Casady model with a HORRIBLE pickup, but my friends at EMG are working on this for me)
• His "Frankenbass" (a mashup of many different Fender Precision basses, but with a very heavy early 1951-style Precision body - I have it all but for the right body, which I am still trying to track down)
• A Thunderbird bass (he bought the last 10 from Manny's Music in 1971 or so when he found out they stopped making them). Mine started as an Epiphone Thunderbird bass, but the only orignal part left is the body (which STILL needs to be refinished someday for the original brown instead of reddish color)
• A "Fenderbird", consiting of a Thunderbird bass body (an incredible sounding non-reverse Epiphone, even if the pickups are not exactly the classic configuration) with a maple Fender bass neck (John likes Precision necks, I prefer Jazz necks - whatever)
• An Alembic "Exploiter" (his hand-made Alembic Explorer bass with the custom inlays, intricate electronics and larger headstock). This is a work in progress, and will take some time to do right

As for AMPS and bass gear, John went through many, using mostly SUNN gear in the 1970's, and finally settling on Ashdowns in the 1980's. I have been a Hartke amp user for more than 15 years, and Larry Hartke has promised to help upgrade the rig to keep up with the MUCH higher volume levels required (The Who was famous for their volume levels). My little 12" Hartke combo stays home, and I now have two 4x10 cabinets for high end, matched with two single 18" EAW PA cabinets (incredible low end) and my trusty Hartke 500-watt bi-amp head (to possibly be upgraded soon to 1000 watts). To keep the classic SUNN look, I have made some silver speaker grill covers with SUNN-style HARTKE logo plates, two dummy SUNN heads, and a false SUNN-inspired front for the Hartke bass amp in order to maintain the look, but there is no compromise in the sound quality. John always complained about bad amps, speakers, strings and basses in the 1960's and early 1970's, and that's part of the gig I do not wish to duplicate. For strings - Rotosounds (of course - John developed his strings with them), but LaBella does make THE KILLER flatwounds.

Like all such projects, it's the research that represents the bulk of the work, and potentially surrenders the most gratifying of rewards. It's made me somewhat of an expert on John Entwistle, a job that is far from complete, and the deeper I get, the more complex bits of playing and personality are revealed. As of 5/07 I have 3 gigs under my belt with the band (they have existed in one form or another for almost 8 years), and keep tweaking the gear, costume and performance. There is a big video shoot coming up (more about that later), and this band actually has the potential to be gigging and touring all over the US and beyond, with some gigs already booked through 2008. For a decade of so I stopped playing with electric guitarists entirely (fed up with the volume problems primarily), but it's a pleasure to be playing loud rock again, this time all music I love. Let's hope the hearing holds out long enough to enjoy it.

Yes? Perhaps... (12 August 2006)
I have been getting back some of my classical repetoire (and learning more) on a wonderful 1950's Baldwin concert grand piano I aquired in January 2006 (although I'm STILL getting the voicing right, and the whole temperature/humidity control issue is driving me a bit crazy). Plans to play some of this stuff live... does not exist (yet).

What IS in motion is a potential new Los Angeles-based band performing ONLY early Yes (from "The Yes Album" to "Close to the Edge"). My bass style has always been a mix of Chris Squire, Geddy Lee and John Entwistle, so it's no strecth to sound like Chris (and it has provided a wonderful excuse to finally own a Rickenbacker bass, which influenced my instruments, playing and sound for almost 30 years). I suppose, if I am to get back into clubs performing rock music, that I should play what I LOVE, and what got me into this music to begin with. Learning this music has been a great pleasure (and will continue for some time), and I am in the process of finding that Bill Bruford-style drummer to form the core of the band.

Once a musician, always..? (10 January 2005)
2004 was my year for painting, politics and personal life stuff. My only 2004 performances were at 2004's NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA (see below), and a set at the Egyptian Theatre for the ARTifest Festival (plus a quickie set at the House of Blues with my 60's trio The Modern Flashbacks). At this year's NAMM I will attend as a spectator only (eyeing the latest 24/192 recording gear). Even my piano has been in storage for the last 5 months, something I hope to get back by March. With "pop" music seeming less and less relevant to me, it should be interesting where the music muse leads these days.

NAMM 2004 Performances (15-18 January 2004)
Proving once again that there is still some "music" left in the "music business," I played a few times at the 2004 Winter NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA. My main performance at the Starbucks in the Anaheim Marriot on 15 January, sponsored by Yamaha, Thomastik-Infeld and Intellitouch, was with a string quartet (Marci Vaj & Kristen Autry, violins; Daryl Silberman, viola; Vahe Hayrikyan, cello) performing on Yamaha "Silent String" instruments (potentially a great way to tour with a string section and a full band). Larry from ADK Microphones provided one of his great Area 51 tube mics, the same vocal mic I own and record with.

I met with my friends (anyone who helps me to make music is a friend) at all of these companies, and even got a chance to try out a wonderful carbon-fiber acoustic guitar made by a Louisianna company called CA (Composite Acoustics) at a songwriters showcase I performed at the next evening at the Marriot.

There are potentially many wonderful things I could be doing with Yamaha's help in the future, on top of the Silent String section I'll be testing out more this year. Helmut Frank from Thomastik-Infeld was very positive to the idea of helping fly me back out to London (and this time Vienna) to perform again in Europe in the spring or summer 2004.

(left) Joel with Michael Schaner, Yamaha; (right) Chris Rohrecker & Jake Connally from Connally and Company (distributor), Joel and Helmut Frank, Thomastik-Infeld

(left) Mark & Rusty (Intellitouch) with Joel (two of my biggest fans!); (right) Larry & Joel (ADK Microphones)

Chamber Pop: (Real) Time 5.1 Demo Recordings & Video (19 September 2002)

A demo recording session for my next pop album/project/CD/DVD/whatever, tentatively entitled "Chamber Pop: (Real) Time," was done in 2002. My band (Brian Patridge and Kate Lewis), engineer Brian Soucy, and 11 local pro string players donated an afternoon to help test the 5.1 recording gear I have been accumulating over the last two years. Above are stereo MP3 versions of the 4 songs - below is a video of the shortest of the 4, Minute Song, from footage shot by Jeff Daly (thanks VERY much, Jeff). I am working on DVD authoring to produce a DVD demo with all 4 live takes, including 5.1 AND stereo 24/48 audio tracks (switchable with the DVD remote). Anybody think they might like to release this stuff (go to Video for more)? Minute Song (demo video - 62 seconds) Quicktime 5 (2.5mb | 5.6mb | 14.9mb) MPEG (3.1mb) Real Video (56k180 | 56k360 | DSL) Windows Media (56k180 | 56k360 | DSL)

(reload the page to view 16 different photos from session)

Chamber Pop (1999) is my 12-song audio CD and ten-language CD-ROM, known as an Enhanced CD. The term "chamber pop" is a desciption of my musical style, a hybrid of pop songs and modern classical-style chamber music (think of George Martin's classical collaborations with the Beatles). Drawing on my classical training and my years as a pro rock/pop musician, it combines to create a unique but natural acoustic sound and style for the end of the 20th century. The 12 songs range from the personal to political and philosophical (see lyrics), and wide variety of arrangement styles and techniques were employed, drawing from pop, rock, folk, jazz and classical chamber music styles. Except for electric bass (on tracks 1, 8 and 11) and electric guitar (on tracks 6 and 11) the album was recorded entirely with acoustic instruments (including drums), with no sequencers, synthesizers or samplers.

All tracks are yours for FREE (if you choose to download them). If you are interested in helping to support the artist directly, go to support for the details... and your comments are very important to me! 1) What Are You Now? (3:09) band and string quartet Real (to preview) | MP3 (to download, 2954k) 2) Lie To Me (3:48) acoustic band (bass/guitar/drums) and string section Real | MP3 (3575k) 3) Rather Have You (4:01) solo voice and string quartet Real | MP3 (3870k) 4) Wall Inside (4:26) solo voice w/acoustic guitar and string quartet Real | MP3 (4166k) 5) Same To You (3:33) acoustic band (bass/piano/drums) and string quartet Real | MP3 (3335k) 6) Birthday Song (4:16) band and string section Real | MP3 (3993k) 7) 20th Century (4:47) acoustic trio (guitar/bass/percussion) Real | MP3 (4600k) 8) Always (2:38) band and string section Real | MP3 (2542k) 9) Touch (4:38) acoustic band and string quartet Real | MP3 (4350k) 10) Sword (3:27) voice, acoustic guitar and string orchestra Real | MP3 (3322k) 11) Not Afraid Of The End (4:53) band (including electric guitar) and string section Real | MP3 (4699k) 12) Never Be the Same (3:49) solo voice and string quartet Real | MP3 (3676k) Credits and information Artist: Joel Pelletier Title: Chamber Pop (Enhanced CD) Producer: Joel Pelletier Engineer & Vocals Co-Producer: Brian Soucy Label: The Way Home Media CD9801 Distributor: Valley Media (retail label - Orchard) Publisher: The Way Home Music (BMI) Credits: Vocals, acoustic & electriuc basses, acoustic guitar, piano, violin, Joel Pelletier; acoustic guitar, Chuck Crowe; drums & percussion, Joe Lizama; drums, Lenny Roberto; electric guitar, David Hill; violins, Marci Dictreow & Eric Gorfain; viola, Jimbo Ross; cello, Nikka Stein-Ross © 1998, 1999 Joel Pelletier Older Pop/Rock Tracks (pre-Chamber Pop) I always expected to release these as a compilation of tracks recorded over a 10-year period (searching for a style that eventually became CHAMBER POP), but with the concept of CDs becoming rather redundant, why not start posting them here? Human (1989) Real | MP3 (4062k) Recorded live in a studio in 1989, featuring an 8-piece band (with myself on vocals and Chapman Stick). A "gender-neutral" love song (based on my then-belief in reincarnation and soul-mates... yuck!). Shades of Grey (1992) Real | MP3 (3727k) Recorded live in a studio in 1992, featuring a 4-piece band. I tend to think of Bill Clinton (pre-Monica) while performing this one, and this was a GREAT band (and I still miss this drummer, named Gordy Townsend). Also posted is the original 1993 version of Belgrade, also recorded and mixed live to stereo. If I was embarrassed by them, I wouldn't post them, so check these out. They're COOL, and were recorded entirely live, mixed live to 2-track DAT (no post-mixing!!!). This is how I will be recording my next bunch of songs, either direct to 2-track 24/194k, and/or direct-to-5.1 at 24 bit/96 k. Go to Comments to get on my list, or check back at this site for more on this new project...

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