I’ve followed with delight the evolution of monster bass talent (and OG SD Wallflower) Paul Howland into a dubstep DJ — a testimonial to the kind of reinvention a creative mind embraces, regardless of genre or gear.
However, this 35-year fan of Paul’s fret work is always excited when the man picks up an axe and takes his talent analog.
So I’m gleeful about his recent appearances on six strings, playing with Unsteady, a ska band with which he toured nationally and recorded two albums in the 1990s.
Paul’s first tour of duty was on bass as part of a lineup organized in 1992 by saxophonist/vocalist John Roy. Other members of the era included keyboardist Kevin “Baby” Hewitt as well as guitarist Creedy Bates and drummer Kent Graves, both veterans of venerable San Diego ska band the Donkey Show.)
As of December 2017, Roy and Hewitt are still going steady with Unsteady, along with an expanded lineup that features a full horn section and two guitars.
Re-enter Paul Howland, who’s been gigging with the band in recent months — his first public appearances as a guitarist.
(Footage by Curtis Meacham, November 2017. To see an extended set, visit his Facebook page.)
Paul has attacked his new role with characteristic focus: “Unsteady conducts weekly band rehearsals, so in addition to attending rehearsals on a weekly basis, I’ve been spending time at home learning the new material as well as figuring out the guitar parts on the older songs that are still a part of the repertoire from the time of my tenure as bass player.
“Most of my private practice time since re-joining the band as one of the guitar players has been dedicated to what I would call ‘performance-focused practice,’ figuring out the existing guitar parts to the tunes so I will have something to play at the gigs.”
Paul has also been meticulous in choosing his toolkit. “Another thing I find incredibly handy is thePalmer Pocket Amp MK II, which I use all the time and highly recommend. It allows me to blend any stereo audio, such as the audio from my laptop running Transcribe, with the sound of my guitar, and listen on headphones for practice purposes. It’s also got some pretty decent guitar tones in it and some other neat features.
“I also enjoy working on guitars: choosing different string gauges, adjusting the neck relief, action and intonation. I also spend time fooling around with amp and guitar pedal settings to find usable tones for the different songs.”
Since Paul rejoined Unsteady, he reports, the band has been playing out “two or three times a month.” Upcoming shows include The East County Art and Music Fest, a drug/alcohol free New Year’s celebration for the youth of East County San Diego.
And for fans of “The P-Man Show,” Paul is “still DJing, playing mostly a variety of house and techno. ‘The P-Man Show’ is still going strong on Sub.FM as a bi-weekly.”
I cut down on radio recently, it’s once every 4 weeks now.