*  August 22, 2008 : Ping website update

 

The Audio and Photos pages have been updated.

*  May 12, 2008 : Cornerstone Festival update

 

Ping is collectively looking forward to rocking on the Gallery Stage once again. Check your programs under "J" for Jeff Elbel + Ping. We're playing at 4:15pm on Thursday, July 3, 2008. It's going to be a great set ranging from old stuff to new stuff. In fact, the oldest of the old stuff will be dusted off. We're going to play the first song ever written for Farewell to Juliet, which was done in late 1991 - a few months before John Bretzlaff and I had even met. We'll throw in a couple of Ping favorites along with a pile of our future smash hits.

This year's line-up:

John Bretzlaff - guitar
Kim Bretzlaff - vocal
Mike Choby - organ
Dan Cullnan - drums
Dave Dampier - percussion
Jeff Elbel - guitar, vocal
Matt Gadeken - violin
Stacey Krejci - bass
... and possibly a couple more.

Please spread the word and help us build a crowd. We're not the biggest band at the fest, but we're the ... okay, we're not the best band at the fest either, but we love to play and have solid songs that are great fun. This iteration of Ping is a fantastic bunch of musicians and I'm proud to stand among them. Plus, Buddy's selling merch.

HELP WANTED: If anyone is willing to record our show to any digital format, please let me know (e-mail: jeff_elbel@yahoo.com ) if I could have a copy of the raw footage.

*  November 7, 2007 : Sharpe World Music ensemble, Bill's nuptials

I'm playing upright bass for a full band show with Sharpe World Music Ensemble this Friday at Heartland Cafe in Chicago, IL.   Check Ping's Shows Page for a map and details.

I just returned from a trip to lovely Huntington Beach, CA, for the wedding of wonderful lady Jackie King and dear pal Bill Bowman. Bill was recording/mix engineer and rhythm guitarist for the Andrewesley album Strength.  We played together in the Andrewesley band until my move from CA to IL in late 2004. One of Bill's signature phrases inspired the Ping song "You Little Victim," which is one of my favorites.

Andy ("Andrewesley") Carter has been living in Panama as an instructor at Morro Negrito Surf Camp for the past year, and was in the states for the wedding.  He looks scruffy and fit.  He's back in Panama as of this Tuesday, until next September.

Congratulations, Bill! Be sure to call me anytime you need a fresh batch of unsolicited advice (which always begins with "don't take anyone's blasted advice").

*  September 28, 2007 : Guitar Faces

Check the Photos Page to see some new posted images of the band.

Finally, there are some new photos of John Bretzlaff looking ridiculous. Make fun of somebody else for a while! I know I will.

Update: Now included are pictures of everyone else in the band: bassist Marc Ludena, drummer Andrew Oliver, percussionist Dave Dampier, organist Mike Choby, singer Kim Bretzlaff, and violinist Matt Gadeken.

These images were all pulled from footage shot at the Cornerstone Festival this summer, at which time I had a beard that Danny Galaxy dubbed "The Silver Bullet." I'm going through the footage and the live multi-track audio with an idea about putting together a proper concert DVD. It would probably lose a lot of money, but would be really cool. That description seems to fit most everything that Ping has done to date. It would be especially cool if we could all gather and do a commentary track.

I'm playing bass for a full band show with Sharpe World Music Ensemble tomorrow in Lisle, IL. Check the Shows Page for a map and details.

*  August 19, 2007 : Los Angeles show THIS Wednesday!

Here's a last-minute surprise ... I'll briefly be in Los Angeles this week, and my friends at the Talking Stick have booked me for a set following their regular open mic night this Wednesday. I'll play at 9:30pm, and it'll be over by ten.

I'll drive straight from LAX to the Talking Stick, and expect to be there by 8:30pm. The main purpose is to see people, so if you can come early or stay late, I'll look forward to visiting.

Since it's open mic, feel free to jump in with your own music, or let me know if you'd want to play with me. Otherwise, I plan to play a handful of new PING songs you haven't heard. There's no cover charge, and all ages are welcome. Check the Shows Page for a map.

I've missed palm trees, Amoeba Records, Talking Stick's awesome Caprese sandwiches, and especially my good friends in California. Hope to see you there.

*  August 16, 2007 : Meet Your Maker lyrics

The lyrics for the Meet Your Maker album have been updated. To read them, visit Ping's Lyrics Page.

*  August 7, 2007 : Great Performers of Illinois

If I perform in the Great Performers of Illinois series with somebody else's band, does that make me a great performer of Illinois? More likely, it makes me an Accessory to a Great Performer of Illinois. Could I have that in writing?

Anyhow, I'll be assisting Tom Sharpe as upright bassist. Tom is certainly a great performer, and is definitely from Illinois. His Sharpe World Music ensemble plays this Saturday at 2:30pm. It's either IN the space-age, brushed aluminum confines of Chicago's famed (and somehow, acoustically beautiful) Jay Prtizker Pavilion, or on the Great Lawn immediately behind the seats. Either way, if you're on site, it'll be obvious.

Here's a direct link to Great Performers of Illinois Saturday schedule and info.

Sharpe World Music performs at 2:30pm. All ages welcome. Free of charge.

Two weeks ago, I was stunned when we played to 1300 people in Rockford at Sinnisippi Park. I wonder what this is going to be like. Should be fun, no matter what. There are drum circles going all afternoon between the band slots, so there will be ample opportunity to dance with hippies.

And then on Sunday, the same series is bringing Lanterna, Poster Children, and Occidental Brothers African Dance Band International (or whatever their exact name is). All three of those acts are great. I'm going to try to make it for those.

*  August 1, 2007 : Meet Your Maker lives!

A smattering of wonderful people continue to politely harangue me regarding Ping's apparently-shelved Meet Your Maker concept album. I began work on this project at the same time I started on the path that saw me moonlighting with other people's bands, producing albums, mixing and mastering. These days, those activities consume most of my studio time. But when there's a break in that action, I still love to tinker with Meet Your Maker, which lurches forward in fits and starts.

Meet Your Maker was always going to be the type of project that required more time than albums like The Eleventh Hour Storybook and No Outlet, both of which were started and finished within a reasonable matter of months. I don't want to give anyone the impression that Meet Your Maker is going to rival Dark Side of the Moon. It's not. But it's going to be a lot of fun. Even after so many years (recording began NINE years ago), the tracks are still exciting to me.

The past week offered opportunity for one of those aforementioned lurches. Hammond B3 whiz Phil Madeira recorded his parts for seven songs, which were a thrill to hear. Phil thrilled on these tracks:

Here Comes the Sunburn
Just Add Water
Going My Way
Pretty Birds
Miracle Rain
Bedouin Girl
Tomorrow

Over the past few days, I've been in touch with a couple of Ping guitar alumni, Peter Rhee and Matt McCabe , who also plan to participate. Peter sent a rough track for "Tomorrow," and it was nice and heavy.

I'll be making a few arrangement changes in order to involve Andrew Oliver. Andrew's been our live drummer at Cornerstone for many years, but my friend and monster drummer Nick Amoroso laid down the album tracks with bassist Clint Davidson and myself while I was still in California. Andrew is a very creative and musical percussionist, though. He's heard in this role throughout The Eleventh Hour Storybook, and the plan is to involve him in this way for Meet Your Maker.

Also interesting is the possibility of involving a violinist. Those who've seen the big band versions of Ping know that Emily Randle, Bernie Mauban and Photoside Cafe's Matt Gadeken have made great additions to the sound, and they keep John Bretzlaff from showing off as lead guitarist during every single tune. One can only experience so much of John's magnificence before swooning, and what good does it do to play for an unconscious crowd? I digress ...

Will Meet Your Maker be ready for Cornerstone 2008? I don't know. That would be ideal, and I'll try my best. But I've finally learned not to promise that. Will Meet Your Maker be ready before CDs are utterly and completely irrelevant? Gee, I don't know - that could be earlier than next summer!

  - Jeff Elbel, 30 July 2007

*  June 24, 2007 : Summer Newsletter

Click this link to read the Summer Newsletter. Topics: 

 
* Jeff Elbel + Ping: Cornerstone Festival, LOST DOGS date
* Filming Ping
* CD sale through July [plus iTunes, etc.]
* We Have a Winner (poor sap)!
* Chicago Sun-Times article about Cornerstone 
* Sharpe World Music ensemble
* Podcast
* Studio work

*  June 22, 2007 : Lost Dogs, etc.

Check the Shows Page to find info on upcoming PING and Sharepworldmusic Ensemble shows. Cornerstone is in two weeks. Can't wait.

An opening set by Jeff Elbel + Ping is still technically tentative for the July 1 show by the LOST DOGS in Bolingbrook, IL, but the possibility looks good enough to call it "likely." We'll be able to confirm on Monday, June 25th. Feel free to e-mail ping@marathonrecords.com for final details. I (Jeff) will provide technical assistance to the promoter and Lost Dogs for this show.

*  June 14, 2007 : Summertime

Just got back from the Tape Op Conference in Tucson, AZ. This was my fourth, and it was fantastic and exhausting and fun and educational - just like I'd hoped. AJ Wilhelm and I helmed the Logic panel on Friday, June 8. We had a good turnout, and I think everyone learned something. I certainly did. My favorite panels were the Mastering Demo Session and Potluck Studio's "Crazy Tracking" session, led by my hero Mark Rubel of Pogo Studio in Champaign, IL (the center of the universe, as Mark reminds us often). On Saturday, I helped stage a show from setup to teardown by DeVotchKa (great band, not only because Nick and Shawn are Logic users), John Vanderslice, and one of my very favorite bands, Calexico. I'm still sore from hauling PA around in the desert, but I'm glad I did it. Lift with the back, not with the legs. Is that right? Maybe that was my problem.

Pick up or log on to the Chicago Sun-Times on July 24 to see a feature that I wrote about the Cornerstone Festival. I was able to get quotes from Jason Martin of Starflyer 59, Mike Roe of The Lost Dogs and 77s, Glenn Kaiser of Resurrection Band and Glenn Kaiser Band, filmmaker Rob VanAlkemade, festival director and Resurrection Band drummer John Herrin, and Gallery Stage manager Glen Van Alkemade (also of Busker Kibbutznik).

*  April 16, 2007 : A peek behind the curtain

We'll have a nice big line-up for our Gallery stage set at Cornerstone this summer. It'll be great fun. The players: 

 
John Bretzlaff - lead guitar
Kim Bretzlaff - vocal
Mike Choby - organ
Dave Dampier - percussion
Jeff Elbel - vocal, rhythm guitar
Matt Gadenken - violin
Marc Ludena - bass
Andrew Oliver - drums

Who knows, maybe we'll be able to haul a few more people up there with us! We'll miss Stacey Krejci, Clint Davidson, and Andrew Carter, but it'll be great fun to have Mike Choby and Marc Ludena, who are both joining the Ping family for the first time. Dave Dampier and Matt Gadenken are making their first return engagements, so they're veterans. You could be next.

We're going to haul out an old Farewell to Juliet tune, particularaly for this show, that I don't think John and I ever played in FTJ. We may have played it at True Tunes Upstairs on the Grace and Dire Circumstances tour, but I don't think so.

Since the "festival version" of Ping is geographically challenged, we have to do a lot of rehearsal on our own. Before the big show, we gather to nail everything down. Here's the letter I (Jeff) sent to the band today, which sheds light on what these people have to put up with. Like it says in the song, "I lean on such good friends while they prop me up."

Hi, all,

Below are links to download seven mp3 files. These links will expire on Monday, April 22. If you don't mind, please send me a note once you've gotten them.

These the "old" tunes in the set (the new ones will be demoed asap, I promise). What you hear are the arrangements and keys in which we'll play them. If you tune your instrument down 1/2 step (Matt, I don't know whether it would make it easier [or even work] to tune the violin down 1/2 step), you'll find that these fall into common, easy keys.

The charts I sent earlier are written as if the instruments were tuned normally. So, to play along with the audio, if the chart says "C," tune down and play what looks like a normal C major chord.

Argh, wait - there's an exception. "[secret song title]" will be actually played in B-flat (as heard on the audio). So, if you're tuned down to run through the other songs, it'll "look" like you're playing in B. I'll adjust the chart (currently written as Bb) to B and resend asap, in order to reflect this.

Mike, if we get the same KORG CX-3 organ, it can be pitched down and you could play easy/standard chords, too. Here's a link to the manual:

http://www.korg.com/service/support.asp?A_PROD_NO=CX3

Whether this helps you for practice would depend upon whether whatever you have to practice WITH has a similar feature. I sent a note to Trevor Wiitala asking whether we could arrange the CX-3 again, but haven't heard back yet. If we were luckyenough to get a real B-3, you'd have to play in half-step-flat keys. I apologize again for this. Maybe this is why U2 has no analog keys on tour - pretty much all of U2's music is tuned flat like this. And Bono's a professional singer. ;-)

*  February 9, 2007 : Cornerstone 2007

Some good news for Ping - we have secured a spot at the 2007 Cornerstone Fetival! Thanks to everyone who voted for us. I'll be working on some groovy new material for the band, and expect another great time in Bushnell.

Lately, I've been coming up to speed as double bassist (upright electric) for another project called Sharpeworldmusic. I met Tom Sharpe through my friends in North from Michigan. Tom is a former drummer for North, and sat in for a Ping show in Ann Arbor several years ago. In the meantime, he has made a considerable name for himself as a composer, instructor and percussionist in the world music field. He is a two-time (at least) winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in that category. His ensemble features lots of percussion, of course, but has roots in progressive music a la Genesis and Peter Gabriel. Gabriel's Passion soundtrack, a personal favorite, informs Tom's sound. The arrangements are tricky, so it has been a fun process. My first show with the ensemble will be in mid-April at Elmhurst College. More details to come.

And, of course, I intend to have some Ping or solo shows to invite you to as well. Thanks for visiting.

*  December 30, 2006 : New Review

I'll reconstruct Ping's Press page as soon as possible (the old page was deep-sixed by the nefarioius hacker). In the meantime, I'll post a fresh review here in the News column.

Scott "Dr. Music" Itter wrote a thoughtful review of Ping's The Eleventh Hour Storybook CD. Scott writes about music with depth and passion; you can read his new work weekly at drmusic.org, as well as HERE. Here's Scott's review of Ping:

Jeff Elbel is a real original. You might not like it …you might love it, but one thing is definite – Jeff Elbel and his pop outfit PING are true originals. Taking acoustic-based pop melodies with hooks bigger than Ali and Spinks, and wrapping them tightly around coy and playful lyrics, Elbel + PING create a disc of nursery rhymes for adults.

If you're a parent, you might be familiar with melodic artists such as Ralph Covert and Laurie Berkner that are writing catchy pop songs for children. Elbel crafts his songs in a similar fashion, but instead of gearing his songs to the kids, he uses metaphoric craftiness and adult themes to motor his tunes into your heart. And, make no mistake; it is the heart that takes the full frontal blow here. These songs that are included on PING's "The Eleventh Hour Storybook" are a slice of "Americana," if you will. Elbel is a storyteller that almost anybody can relate with. In "Bark Along With Cody," he tells us of the headaches that come with his neighbor's barking dog. The song has a large dollop of humor and realism, and has been featured on the classic "Dr. Demento Show." He also covers the realism of pregnancy in the same humorous and creative manner by way of "Muffin In The Oven," another song that has made its way to Dr. Demento. These are very real issues that Elbel toys with, and his songs are a real comfort to the ear. Let me share one of my favorite lyrical passages, which comes from a song called "Goodnight, Rabbit" - it goes something like this:

"This is how I mix my metaphors / Stop me if I used this one before / Any nimble tongue can stumble / That's the way the cliché crumbles."

This is beautifully written stuff that's a pleasure to listen to.

Besides featuring Elbel's writing skills, "The Eleventh Hour Storybook" has some wonderful musicians and studio people involved in the project as well. Hammond B3 player Phil Madeira (Emmylou Harris) plays on three tracks, and the mastering is done by Dan Stout of Wilco fame. Everyone involved with this disc seems to be on board with Elbel's style, which makes for a very solid recording. Do yourself a favor, come home to the sounds of Jeff Elbel + PING, and most of all ….have some fun.

*  December 21, 2006 : Look, Ma(s), We're on TV!

So, apparently a clip of "Radio Flyer" from the No Outlet CD was used during episode 27 from the sixth season of MTV's Made.  The episode subject was "Miss Teen Arizona."

Here's a description of the series, from MTV.com:

"On every new episode of MADE, one willing candidate embarks on a mission to transform his or her life. Wheter it's to become a varsity football player, a BMX biker, or a surfer, each teenager has a dream to break out of their shell and find out who they reall are."

The following is from the description of this particular episode:

"What girl wants to be known as a tomboy in black? Not Stephanie.  She wants to shed that reputation and be MADE into Miss Teen Arizona. ...

In the Miss Teen Arizona pageant, Stephanie doesn't make the top ten, but wins Miss Teen Congeniality.  Through this MADE experience, Stephanie found herself."

You go, Stephanie.

Jeff Elbel + Ping aren't listed among the featured music artists - probably because the "Radio Flyer" clip used was between 11 and 20 seconds long.  But we're proud to have added some acoustic pop jangle to brighten Miss Stephanie's path to self-discovery.

Here's a link to the MTV webpage for MADE episode #27.

*  December 11, 2006 : Upcoming Shows

Hi! Check the Shows Page for details on a Chicago area Christmas-themed shows next week.

*  October 3, 2006 : It's big fun clicky vote time!

The voting ballot is online for just a little bit longer at the Cornerstone website. Ping would loooove to return to play on the Gallery Stage in 2007. Please visit the link below and vote for "Jeff Elbel + Ping." We're listed alphabetically under "J."

Click this link to vote: Cornerstone Voting page

Thank you, thank you! - jeff

*  October 3, 2006, 2006 : Evildoers!

The Ping website was just hacked, and we lost all of our News, Shows, Audio, and Press info. Since I (Jeff) have been busy mixing albums and whatnot, I've let other important things (like backing up the website) fall by the wayside. Spilt milk now ... I'll rebuild asap.

*  September 21, 2006 : Upcoming Shows

Check the Shows Page for details on a Chicago area show this weekend.