Mull + Musician in Sarasota, FL

ABOUT

Cannot entertain opportunities right now. Too many family obligations. Will practice to keep in shape and change this status when I can.

Very accomplished guitar player and singer. Played in a couple very successful bands in the 70s and 80s, took a break to raise a family. I would like to play with a band again, but I need to perform often, at least a couple times a month to make it worth my while. This seems to be very difficult to do with bands now. To maintain my chops, I did lot of solo work at farmers markets, acoustic, no amps.

There is a lot more info on my website: ://sites.google/site/mullsmusicsite/

Guitar is my instrument, but I have a composition background. Singing is something everyone had to do if you wanted to work in bands when I played a lot, so my singing got to be pretty good.

I have attached some cuts I wrote, where I sang and played all the instruments. I generally write songs that fit the band personnel and tone.
- "Everything I Want" is a piece I wrote for open mics. I call the style "Blase' Metal".
- "All the Way You Wanted" is a southern rocker, which I wrote in the 80s. It has been played in various versions in bands, but this one is just me.
- "We Have Always Known" is a song that haunted me, and I had to record it to get it out of my mind. The drums are a programmable pop box I made myself, because nothing like that was available at the time. It is about the cults that were in the news in the late 70s, but listeners have assumed more modern interpretations, and it still holds up.

I prefer to play electric guitar on stage, but you will find me busking sometimes, or at farmers markets ( Bethesda Farmers Market lately). Looking for Alt Country, with some growl in it. I usually experiment to find the right sound for a song or band, rather than bring a style and try to fit it in somehow.

Screen name:

Mull

Member since:

Jan 18 2010

Active within 1 week

Level of commitment:

Committed

Years playing music:

35

Gigs played:

Over 100

Tend to practice:

More than 3 times per week

Available to gig:

2-3 nights a week

Most available:

Nights

Influences

Composition - Beatles, Yes, Joni Mitchell, Eddie from Ohio, the Smithereens, Jethro Tull, Steely Dan. I like tight phrasing, and detailed arrangements.

Guitar - Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, John Ambercrombe, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Kaki King, Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Instrument experience:

Rhythm Guitar:

Expert

Lead Guitar:

Expert

Vocalist:

Advanced

Acoustic Guitar:

Advanced

EQUIPMENT

People have asked me to be more specific, so here goes -

Les Paul Standard converted to stereo is what I mainly use with a band. I also use a fender strat (an actual one) and a Line 6 Variax, which is useful when playing 60s material especially. No need to switch guitars during performance. I figure out which guitar to use based on the material.

I have a few semihollows that I use a lot - on the intro of "I lost my heart", for example. The intro of "All the way you wanted" is a Harmony Silhouette, and the slide was played using the Les Paul through a dual showman with SRO12s at full volume (hope the neighbors liked it). The lead in "Everything I Want" is a Les Paul through an Acoustic 260 and SRO 12s.

Lately I usually use the Fender Showman with a single 15 EV SRO cabinet. I have a Kustom amp and a few others I use for some period stuff I do.

In the picture, I am playing a borrowed Telecaster when I sat in with Tiki and the Barbarians for a few songs.

When I play open mics, I bring an Harley Benton Custom Line Superior -E VS electro-acoustic. This is a well balanced guitar, perfect for electro acoustic performances in small settings. When I play outside, I use a Nagoya Guitar, because it has crowd stopping projection. Very loud.

I have a bunch of other guitars that I use in special circumstances, and pedals, etc. Designed a built some of them myself, and for others. I use a POD XT Live now, and a Variax.
Takes the worry out of setup. I have found that this allows the opening sound of a pop song to be duplicated almost exactly. I have even experimented with using laptops as stompboxes.

Also repair equipment, I am an EE. Built all of my cabinets, and have a few experimental ones I use. When I join or form a band, I expect to change my equipment to get the right sound.

MUSIC