Sowhat said:

yes. i don't think he really knows what people wanna hear from him.

alot of contemporary artists finds themselves adapting to the time in which they're working.. success usually comes from adapting, or abandoning the popular context, altogether, to me.. i think prince has done his share of both..

michael b.

Sowhat said:

sometimes.. but, by and large, it never seemed to effect his mindset..

michael b.

Sowhat said:

Sowhat said:

not really, no...

michael b.

Hi Michael, thanks for taking so much time to answer questions. My 14 year old son is into music in a big way and he is getting particularly interested in drums and guitar. I have borrowed him my own Telecaster but I know nil about drums. What kind of kit would you recommend for a beginner? and what's the best advice you could give?

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

Sonny is a guitar player also? So basically Sonny and Levi were interchangable (if needed) parts as far as Bass and Guitar.

So does Levi consider himself a Guitar player or Bass player first? What about Sonny?






.
[Edited 7/28/06 14:00pm]

Hey Mike,

I think you missed my question on page 10 of this thread. Sorry if it's been asked already, but I checked the previous threads the best I could and didn't see anything similar.

Can you describe a bit of your experience playing with George Benson?

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

And then there was also this october 2005 session with the horn section?
cheers, joozt

I'm a singer, but I figured playing instruments will help me gain credibility. I'm considering learning several (including drums) at once. Is this a wise idea? And is 19 too old to start trying to be a musician?
[Edited 7/28/06 16:45pm]

Sowhat said:

OdysseyMiles said:

it went on for a week. he blew everybody's mind, everyday. he never played the same thing twice. prince came through the studio, and had his gibson signed.. the record is called "that's right"..

michael b.

Michael B,

A few years back, my girlfriend & I came up from Chicago & caught a THRUSH show @ Cabooze, The next night, The Fuz were @ The Fine Line, all the seats were taken.....and in you walked. You ended up sitting at our table & chilled with us the whole night, A very fun night of music and stories!!! So....thanks again!!

I would love for you to comment on the THRUSH disc and performances. If memory serves correctly, I believe Fields said you tracked the drums in one session. What brought THRUSH together and was there ever any intent to take that project beyond Minneapolis?

Thanks for all the fantastic music,

Soulflyer....

PS- any trip to Minne includes an extra day to catch The Combo!

goosebumps said:

a yamaha stage custom kit.

if he gets bored, don't get mad.. alot of cats i knew that used to play, don't anymore.. music is a very personal thing, and not everyone has the discipline for it.. especially kids that are growing up now, listening to crap. so, don't be surprised if he loses interest, and/or wants a sampler, instead..

michael b.

jooZt said:

yes, it happened. but, none of the material we worked on, together that night, appears on 3121..

michael b.

Soulflyer said:

wow!! funny.. thrush only played probably 15 shows in 12 years.. LOL
yes, it's true. but i did that several times with prince, so it wasn't that uncommon a feat for me.. we were brought together by frustration.. phil was frustrated by the rembrandts.. i was frustrated with working with prince, and wanted to rock.. we met at john's studio one day, and started talking.
john interrupts our conversation and says, "you guys can record the album for free, right here, if i get to be the bass player.."
a small label in japan offered us a deal.. we didn't take it..

we are, presently, discussing doing a new album that will properly place phil solem where he deserves to be, in the history of rock.. phil solem is he best musician i know.. not the baddest, but the best..

michael b.

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

I have that record! Haven't listened to it in ages, but I'll be dusting it off tonight.

P had GB sign his Gibson?!?!?!?

Nice.

thank god!

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

Michael,


Since I am not a musician, I had kind of assumed that in general if you are a Bass player, that is what you do (with Prince being an excemption since he plays pretty much anything but horns).

I guess I tend to think in terms like Baseball. For example, if you play shortstop, technically you can play other positions like say the outfield, but not nearly as well and only do it in emergency situations.

That is why I enjoy your perspective so much. As a fan, I only get to hear a finished CD or watch a polished (or not so polished) live show but not the ins and outs of how they got to that point.

I had never thought that maybe most Bass players can play the Guitar (and possibly other instruments) very well and vice versa.

I do not even know how hard it is to learn to play Bass if you are a Guitar player or to learn to play Guitar if you are a Bass player. Are the skill sets the same?

Am I Making any sense??? LOL.

Michael,

The other day I received an email from Paul Peterson (I get his newsletter) and there was a picture of you with several other people. Was this for a recording session or a jam session or something else? (Unfortunately I deleated the email so I do not have other names or information to reference).

Singingboy said:

sure, it's a wise idea..
it's later, but not necessarily too late..


michael b.

Sowhat said:

somewhat.. but most fans that read the liner notes and whatnot are privy to this information. wendy is known as a guitar player, but is credited quite often on wendy and lisa records as a bass player, as well..
most people know that levi played bass with sheila and prince before switching to guitar.. i hope you don't think that kind of fluidity and technique happens overnight.. these people come into this camp as multi instrumentalists, practically everyone of them.. sheila also plays bass and guitar.. it's kind of a thing.. just pay closer attention to your album credits..

michael b.

Sowhat said:

a recording session.

michael b.

Hi Mike,...I'm an admirer of your skills.

I made an observation about Sonny T. in some of the Prince videos.
In the beginning e.i.(Diamonds & Pearls) he's always standing with
his bass. Later videos (Peach & The whole Beautiful Experience) he's
found sitting down playing his bass. I thought it odd because most
bands have their guitarists running active. Am I tripping,...or was
there a reason for this?

Hello Michael,

1) Although you agreed that the interview on UK TV where Prince wore a mask and spoke only through Mayte was silly, I thought your comment about kids who can play a B flat Minor 7th was very profound (at least I THINK it was you - has been YEARS since I saw it - might have been Hayes). Do you remember this?

2) Around Sept 93, the NPG did a special set for live radio in the UK, where you played to a small live audience for about 20 mins. You played the instantly recognisable funk set, starting with 1999 and funking through DMSR / Baby I'm a Star / America (and a few others). Just wondered how that ranks for you amongst the smaller gigs you played during your tenure. For me, it was probably the chief reason I became such a fan.

3) When Chris Rock interviewed Prince, he asked for Prince's ideal band line-up. He said Michael B on drums, Sheila on percussion (etc). I agree on the former, but not the latter Did you hear that, and if so, how did you feel about being picked ahead of all other drummers in the 'dream band' line-up?

Levi
(not the real one)
[Edited 8/3/06 1:35am]

Hello Mr. B !

I dont have any questions but I just read through nearly all of this thread and its obvious to me that you are a good drummer cuz you have managed to keep up with answering 11 pages of questions without missing a beat lol

r u tired yet?

Cheers. x

bigwillpreacher said:

lol - there may be a legitimate reason for this I guess, but this question reminds me of one I asked Michael B. at the opening of the London NPG store - I'd recently heard the bootleg () of the "Interactive" show, introducing all the new songs, and I asked Michael if there was any significance that Prince called him "Michael" throughout the show, instead of "Michael B." - was he following Prince's lead in changing his name? Michael just laughed...

Levi said:

Agreed. I listened to that live on Radio 1, taped it at the same time, and wore the tape out over the next year or so, listening to it almost daily. That was probably the tightest session Radio 1 has ever broadcast. Amazing stuff. I always wished that this had somehow been available for the public to buy.

ebonyrhythmbuddha said:

Sweet! I did not know that...

Michael B! WOW!
My questions:
1. Somewhere in this thread you've said Prince doesn't visit the org. Ok, but do you know if anyone close to him does it to keep him informed?
2. What do you think Prince will think if he knows you are here answering our questions?

thanks a lot.