LESTER YOUNG AND DAD

MY FATHER TURNED UP FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER ARMED WITH 5 CD'S BY LESTER YOUNG, DIZZIE, MINGUS, PARKER, AND ART PEPPER. HAVE YOU HEARD THESE, HE SAID. HE PAID A BUCK A PIECE. BEST 5 DOLLARS DAD EVER SPENT. I SAID POSSIBLY, BUT LETS PLAY'M ANYWAY. BEATS LISTENING TO BING SINGING WHITE CHRISTMAS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BEST WISHES FOR THE COM ING NEW YEAR

THIS PIC IS OF MY PARENTS, NOW WELL INTO THEIR 80'S, BUT THEY DON'T LOOK IT!
THEY BOUGHT ME MY FIRST FLUTE 46 YEARS AGO, IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY


TO ALL THE VISITORS TO THIS BLOG, A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. IT HAS INDEED BEEN A VERY EXCITING YEAR, AND NEXT YEAR LOOKS LIKE IT WILL CONTINUE.

season's greetings from BRUCE BONGERS to all.

GREAT DRUMMERS

THE DRUMMERS FOR, IN ORDER FROM THE TOP, KEVIN BORICH, DRESDEN DOLLS, SYN. IT SHOULD BE NOTED, THAT THE LAST DRUMMER, KEITH HERBERT, DRUMMER FOR SYN, FRED KARNISS ARMY, THE GOLD TOPS ETC HAD A SLINGERLAND KIT WHEN I FIRST MET HIM. I THINK BUDDY RICH ADVERTISED SLINGERLAND. THEY WERE THE COOLEST DRUMS BECAUSE THEY ADVERTISED IN "DOWNBEAT" MAGAZINE.

LIVE RIG FOR MY WIND SYNTH

I HAVE FINALLY PACKAGED UP MY VL70 AND MU80 SYNTH MODULES TO ALLOW ME TO DO LIVE GIGS EASILY. I WILL FIT A SMALL SUB MIXER THIS WEEK AND GET AN AMPLIFIER OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD.

DOWNHOME TRIO THIS SUNDAY AT KIAMA

THE DOWNHOME TRIO, PETER DOYLE, BRUCE BONGERS, AND PETER O'NEILL WILL BE AT THE GRAND HOTEL KIAMA 4-7PM ,THIS SUNDAY 17TH DECEMBER. CHECK EM OUT.
TAKE A LOVELY DRIVE DOWN THE SOUTH COAST, AND BE REWARDED WITH SOME FINE BLUES.

db RECORDING STUDIO

I VISITED DAN BERGEN'S dbRECORDING STUDIO THIS MORNING. DAN IS A FEW MINUTES AWAY FROM MY PLACE AND HAS A VERY IMPRESSIVE HOME STUDIO. DAN IS PICTURED ON THE LEFT AND STEVE MAHER, ANOTHER HOME STUDIO NEIGHBOUR IS SEATED. THE STUDIO IS LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE BANDS IN THE LIVE ROOM, AND IT HAS A SEPARATE VOCAL BOOTH AND AIR-CONDITIONED CONTROL ROOM. AS THE PICTURES SHOW, HE HAS 2 BEHRINGER DIGITAL DESKS, 24 TRACK SIMULTANEOUS RECORDING, THROUGH AN RME INTERFACE, AND LIKE STEVE, RUNS A CUBASE SYSTEM. AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF OUTBOARD EFFECTS AND A LARGE SELECTION OF MICROPHONES MAKES THIS A GREAT RECORDING VENUE WITHOUT THE BIG CITY PRICES.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT DAN, HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS dnberg@optusnet.com.au

OLD PIX

THE VERY CORPORATE LOOKING GOPHERS, I BET THEY HAD BUMPER STICKERS TOO. THE TOP PIC IS WAYNE THOMAS AT WORK IN 1977.

JOHN LENNON, PREVIOUSLY OF LIVERPOOL, UK, DIED ON THIS DAY IN 1980

I WAS IN AMERICA WHEN JOHN LENNON WAS KILLED. I WAS IN L.A. I WAS GOING TO A RESTAURANT FOR DINNER, I ENTERED THE PLACE AND TOLD THE WAITRESS, AND SHE SAID," YEH, THAT SORT OF THING HAPPENS HERE ALL THE TIME"!!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN EVER FORGET THAT COLD RESPONSE.
JOHN LENNON WAS A GREAT ROCK MUSICIAN, A GREAT SONGWRITER, A GREAT ARTIST.
I WILL TREASURE MY MEMORIES OF THIS GREAT MUSICIAN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
CHECK OUT www.johnlennon.com

HI ,TO EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD!!

I INSTALLED A GLOBAL TRACKING GIZMO THAT SHOWS WHERE PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD LOOK AT THIS BLOG. DON'T BE SHY, SAY HELLO, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MY BLOG, MAKE COMMENTS. I AM AMAZED THAT SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD LOOK AT THIS. COME ON, SAY SOMETHING TO ME.

RECORDING, THUNDERSTORMS & RED WINE

THESE PICS SHOW STEVE IN HIS ENGINEERING ROOM. AS WE HAD NO REQUIREMENT FOR OPEN MICROPHONES, I WAS ABLE TO SIT IN COMFORT OUT THERE TO RECORD.





JUST GOT BACK FROM STEVE GARD'S STUDIO, WHERE YESTERDAY, WE HAD AN EVENTFUL AFTERNOON RECORDING SOME OVERDUBS AND DODGING THUNDERSTORMS, WHICH CAUSED US TO SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN A FEW TIMES, TO AVOID ANY ELECTRONIC DISASTERS. WE THEN STOKED UP THE BARBIE,AND SAMPLED SOME WINE, WHILE LISTENING TO SOME OF STEVE'S EXTENSIVE LP COLLECTION.