June 2, 2006

Awesome amp

Thank you to Mick Miller at M.A.D. Amps, and Heights Guitars in Cleveland, Ohio.

Spencer Bohren does not walk. He glides. I was there the warm October night Spencer Bohren glided into Heights Guitars. First you have to visualize a small, but fashionable, shop in what was formerly a Christian Science Reading Room. Most of the architectural appointments are still intact. The walls are covered with old wooden guitars of every make and pedigree. The floors configured respectfully with classic amplifiers from Fullerton and Chicago, mostly.

Spencer, who was wearing a dark suit and a long chartreuse scarf; hair pushed back, a bit like Leopold Stokowski, was in Cleveland to play a benefit at John Carroll University. It had been a tough couple of months for Spencer. The waters of Lake Pontchartrain had consumed his home in New Orleans and washed most of his gear out into the street. Spencer was drawn that night to a very cool black & white Supro lap steel, sitting propped against a little tweed amp. He tuned the Supro to an open G minor chord, plugged into the little tweed amp and proceeded to play something so haunting, and so beautiful, that it momentarily stunned the three people fortunate enough to have been in the store that night. When he finished, we got up off the floor and applauded Spencer like we'd never applauded anybody (or anything) in the 15-year history of that shop. Spencer walked out with the Supro, bound for Europe and eventually home, to New Orleans.

One of the reasons that rig sounded so wonderful that night was that little tweed amp. It was a MAD Amps Temper Tantrum. It didn't require any set-up or sound check. The amp didn't fight Spencer. It complemented him, his style and that Supro. That's what an artist demands. There is no time for negotiation. Spencer plugged in, turned up about half way and proceeded to kill everybody in the room. We were so deeply impressed we decided to make that amp, "Temper Tantrum" (# 004) a gift to Spencer Bohren from MAD Amps. They are perfect for one another.

November 25, 2005

New Movies and site design!

Spencer's site has a fresh new design with added features! Be sure to check out the searchable lyrics section and new movies with iPod Video-enabled downloads. If anything isn't working perfectly for you, please contact Django at ViscocityProductions.com

Photo credits: Minnesota Public Radio
	If you missed Spencer's Prairie Home Companion debut, you can still hear the show at the PHC archives. Click here to check it out.
	Press Clippings: selected articles from Spencer's many newspaper and magazine articles.