Mannyacs

Back-up Vocal~ One of the features of guitar magazines I enjoy the most, is the coverage of trade shows. It could be Winter NAMM, Summer NAMM or even Bass Day U.K. These are gatherings of legendary musicians from across the entire spectrum of sound, displaying the gear they use and getting to know each other. The articles offer reports on the “who, what, where”, but they also provide great photos of the show highlights and personalities present. These are especially fun to see. Because, given half the chance, when image stops ruling the roost, musicians can really be goofy. I’ve run across some truly spectacular photos of otherwise stalwart and focused giants, who act like cartoon characters when they get to let their guard down and be themselves. More than a few pictures in these very pages have been inspired by magazine photos capturing those moments. Since the “Splendor U Hullabaloo” story took on such a chaotic life of it’s own, ran for such a long stretch and was such a trick to pin down, it seemed appropriate to let our friends at “Zoop Magazine” serve as the Greek Chorus to offer some final parting shots. 

I recently stumbled across a documentary on the making of the Mark Knoplfer “Golden Heart” album. In my humble opinion, it remains one of his finest solo works without question. Over the course of the interview, Knopfler discussed his admiration for the Nashville session musicians who played on the record. He made a passing comment about how these fellows truly understand “the secret of the song”. That one quote jumped out at me and I knew it had to find a place in the Mannyacs pantheon. It just did. Much thanks the kind soul who posted the video on youtube. I wish I could cite the source for the 20ft. amp notion with more clarity. Truth be told, it was inspired by a photo I ran across during a casual Facebook Newsfeed scroll. It was taken from a picture of a bass player standing in front of a 20-30 ft. tall amplifier. Could have been real, could have been fake. I just know it was good enough to use. Further, it’s exactly what our own industrious Manny would build and show the world. Whether it’s safe to use or not.

Finally, it seems that Reb Beach has now become a Mannyacs institution. It still stuns me to know that one simple reference could generate such a caliber of speed, that it transformed itself into a new force of nature in my little creation. Who knew?