Friday, April 25, 2003
Flecktones.com has posted my Bela Fleck interview
I wanted to say thank you to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones not only for taking the time to grant me an interview about their Macintosh use, but for recently publishing it prominently on their website, in their "Cosmic Quarterly" newletter. The Flecktones continue to be one of the most fan-accessible world-famous bands, and their music is delightfully unique. To view the interview on their site, go here, choose Flash interface, click on the "Cosmic Quarterly" button, scroll down just a bit, and you'll see it. For those of you who want it all and want it now, here's a repost of the interview:
"Ten Questions with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones"
1. The Flecktones feature a banjo, a saxophone, a bass guitar, and something called a "synth-axe drumitar". There is no lead guitarist, no traditional drummer, and no vocalist. How is it that a band so different from any standard band formula can be so popular?
Béla - Beats us!
Richard - We've been lucky enough for so many folks to give this band a listen. Once that happens, folks are hooked. The music is different enough for music lovers to take notice. It's intelligent and has humor. It's a change of pace from the normal stuff, so people get into it very easily.
2. Which Mac models are you sporting these days? Why do you choose to use Macs as opposed to some other kind of computer?
Béla - I have always loved Mac's. Richard and my brother Louie have always recommended them.
Richard - Both Béla and I have Titanium G4's, a must for road travel. In the studio, we each have G4 towers for ProTools use. I had been exposed to DOS computers back in the early 80's. I understood the concept and saw the need for them, but I couldn't get over the green screen and the non sensical commands needed to make use of the computer. So I waited. One day in July of 1984, a good friend of mine sat me in front of a 128 Mac. The screen was white, the letters were black and point and click environment made all the sense in the world. By August, I had my very own 128. I still have it. It's got all the signatures inside! I jumped feet first into the Mac because it worked the way I wanted to use a computer. I could draw pictures (stage plots were the first thing I made), the black and white screen was easy on the eyes. I was hooked.
3. What role do Macs play in the Flecktones recording process?
Béla - We record with ProTools on a Mac.
Richard - In 1995 some friends of ours approached us with a recording platform that was Mac based. It was the Nu-Bus ProTools System. The pitch to Béla was that he could edit to his heart's content. We were on the verge of working on our first live album, which would become "Live Art". We had recordings of shows from different nights and Béla wanted to take the best of the shows and put together a great live show. ProTools was the answer and the Mac was the only game in town. The rest is history.
4. In what ways do you use your Macs while touring?
Béla - We make our set lists, merchandise reports, itineraries. Also I do some editing and occasional sequencing on the bus.
Richard - I use my Mac for everything. I do all the advance work, which means I keep track of Promoters, Venues, hotels, sound companies, lighting companies, schedules, directions...that was the first program I bought, a data base. I use drawing programs to do stage plots, word processing to create Riders, write letters. Now, logging on to check e-mail, get info from the Internet. I also have a good sound analyzer program (Spectrafoo) that I use during every show. I use spread sheets for keeping track of merchandise.
5. The iPod currently has a 27% share of the digital music player market on a monetary basis. When Apple released the iPod, did you think that it would be able to make that much of an impact in the music world so quickly? Do you have an iPod? If so, what music are you listening to?
Béla - Richard has one and loves it. I don't yet.
Richard - I got an iPod as a gift from my wife for Christmas. I didn't realize how much I would love this unit. I have about 50 albums of every kind of music - old stuff to new stuff - Poco to Joni to Radio Head to Peter Gabriel to the new Flecktones album!
6. Apple has stated that it intends to release a slew of new software this year. What software would you most like to see Apple come out with next?
Béla - Don't know
FutureMan - I would like Apple to develop software to support my newest concepts innovations - hopefully you will soon learn of it.
Richard - that's a hard one, those folks are so ahead of the curve that they will think of new directions to go long before I could imagine them!
7. Are you beta-testing Safari along with the rest of us? If so, what do you think of it so far? If not, which is your web browser of choice?
Béla - not I.
Richard - I have downloaded Safari, but I have not used it yet. I don't know why.
8. What new capabilities or innovations would you like to see Apple come out with on a future model? Is there any feature that you've been longing for?
Béla - No it just keeps improving.
FutureMan - I have developed some new concepts and features that is a "think different" type of approach and innovation for the computer -- I cant say more right now.
Richard - same as #6
9. Is it true that [Flecktones bass guitarist] Victor Wooten uses a PC? What's going on there? When are you going to convince him to switch?
Béla - We tried, but he is an iconoclast! The more you try, the more he wants to do it his own way. Actually he has so much PC software, it would cost a mint to get back to where he is.
Richard - Actually, Victor now has a Mac in his studio. He's been using ProTools for about a year now. I guess he is ambidextrous!
10. The Flecktones have a new studio album coming out this year. I can't wait to hear it. What can you tell us about it?
Béla - Lots of music, three CDs worth! Lots of guests and we are very happy with it. We feel that we used the studio in deeper ways then ever before.
Richard - we've accomplished things that were hardly possible 10 years ago. We had a ball making the most of the capabilities of ProTools.
I wanted to say thank you to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones not only for taking the time to grant me an interview about their Macintosh use, but for recently publishing it prominently on their website, in their "Cosmic Quarterly" newletter. The Flecktones continue to be one of the most fan-accessible world-famous bands, and their music is delightfully unique. To view the interview on their site, go here, choose Flash interface, click on the "Cosmic Quarterly" button, scroll down just a bit, and you'll see it. For those of you who want it all and want it now, here's a repost of the interview:
"Ten Questions with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones"
1. The Flecktones feature a banjo, a saxophone, a bass guitar, and something called a "synth-axe drumitar". There is no lead guitarist, no traditional drummer, and no vocalist. How is it that a band so different from any standard band formula can be so popular?
Béla - Beats us!
Richard - We've been lucky enough for so many folks to give this band a listen. Once that happens, folks are hooked. The music is different enough for music lovers to take notice. It's intelligent and has humor. It's a change of pace from the normal stuff, so people get into it very easily.
2. Which Mac models are you sporting these days? Why do you choose to use Macs as opposed to some other kind of computer?
Béla - I have always loved Mac's. Richard and my brother Louie have always recommended them.
Richard - Both Béla and I have Titanium G4's, a must for road travel. In the studio, we each have G4 towers for ProTools use. I had been exposed to DOS computers back in the early 80's. I understood the concept and saw the need for them, but I couldn't get over the green screen and the non sensical commands needed to make use of the computer. So I waited. One day in July of 1984, a good friend of mine sat me in front of a 128 Mac. The screen was white, the letters were black and point and click environment made all the sense in the world. By August, I had my very own 128. I still have it. It's got all the signatures inside! I jumped feet first into the Mac because it worked the way I wanted to use a computer. I could draw pictures (stage plots were the first thing I made), the black and white screen was easy on the eyes. I was hooked.
3. What role do Macs play in the Flecktones recording process?
Béla - We record with ProTools on a Mac.
Richard - In 1995 some friends of ours approached us with a recording platform that was Mac based. It was the Nu-Bus ProTools System. The pitch to Béla was that he could edit to his heart's content. We were on the verge of working on our first live album, which would become "Live Art". We had recordings of shows from different nights and Béla wanted to take the best of the shows and put together a great live show. ProTools was the answer and the Mac was the only game in town. The rest is history.
4. In what ways do you use your Macs while touring?
Béla - We make our set lists, merchandise reports, itineraries. Also I do some editing and occasional sequencing on the bus.
Richard - I use my Mac for everything. I do all the advance work, which means I keep track of Promoters, Venues, hotels, sound companies, lighting companies, schedules, directions...that was the first program I bought, a data base. I use drawing programs to do stage plots, word processing to create Riders, write letters. Now, logging on to check e-mail, get info from the Internet. I also have a good sound analyzer program (Spectrafoo) that I use during every show. I use spread sheets for keeping track of merchandise.
5. The iPod currently has a 27% share of the digital music player market on a monetary basis. When Apple released the iPod, did you think that it would be able to make that much of an impact in the music world so quickly? Do you have an iPod? If so, what music are you listening to?
Béla - Richard has one and loves it. I don't yet.
Richard - I got an iPod as a gift from my wife for Christmas. I didn't realize how much I would love this unit. I have about 50 albums of every kind of music - old stuff to new stuff - Poco to Joni to Radio Head to Peter Gabriel to the new Flecktones album!
6. Apple has stated that it intends to release a slew of new software this year. What software would you most like to see Apple come out with next?
Béla - Don't know
FutureMan - I would like Apple to develop software to support my newest concepts innovations - hopefully you will soon learn of it.
Richard - that's a hard one, those folks are so ahead of the curve that they will think of new directions to go long before I could imagine them!
7. Are you beta-testing Safari along with the rest of us? If so, what do you think of it so far? If not, which is your web browser of choice?
Béla - not I.
Richard - I have downloaded Safari, but I have not used it yet. I don't know why.
8. What new capabilities or innovations would you like to see Apple come out with on a future model? Is there any feature that you've been longing for?
Béla - No it just keeps improving.
FutureMan - I have developed some new concepts and features that is a "think different" type of approach and innovation for the computer -- I cant say more right now.
Richard - same as #6
9. Is it true that [Flecktones bass guitarist] Victor Wooten uses a PC? What's going on there? When are you going to convince him to switch?
Béla - We tried, but he is an iconoclast! The more you try, the more he wants to do it his own way. Actually he has so much PC software, it would cost a mint to get back to where he is.
Richard - Actually, Victor now has a Mac in his studio. He's been using ProTools for about a year now. I guess he is ambidextrous!
10. The Flecktones have a new studio album coming out this year. I can't wait to hear it. What can you tell us about it?
Béla - Lots of music, three CDs worth! Lots of guests and we are very happy with it. We feel that we used the studio in deeper ways then ever before.
Richard - we've accomplished things that were hardly possible 10 years ago. We had a ball making the most of the capabilities of ProTools.
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