Fans of the band may have noticed that for the past few shows, Frank has switched from playing his normal sit-down keyboard to the stand-up device you see in this photo.
This device is called a keytar which is an amalgamation of keyboard and guitar. To explore what this means for the band and its sound, I had the following Q&A with band lead Frank Primeggia.
Hi Frank -based on the photo it looks like you are playing a Roland AX-Synth Shoulder Synthesizer. What motivated you to get one and how long have you been playing it?
"I felt the need to be unencumbered and give the shows a little more flair. This particular model allows me to go completely wireless as the unit has over 200 sampled sounds. So I can move around (a lot) and play various sounds to add more sonic depth to the songs. I have been tinkering with various keytars throughout my career but all of them required wires to a “brain” as they were slaves and needed sounds coming from a MIDI source. This model is like a dream come true for keyboard players who want top notch sound and freedom to rock!!"
Playing a stationary keyboard seems like enough of a challenge for most people, but with the keyboard moving around in 3 dimensions, how much harder is it to play than a regular keyboard?
"You don’t have to use your left hand like you would to maintain the bottom end on a stationary keyboard so from that perspective, it is easier because your focus is on your right hand. However, the beauty of this instrument is that there is a ribbon controller which lets you pitch bend notes (especially useful when playing guitar sounds) and there is a modulation bar which assists the player in “bending” notes as well as adding Leslie tremolo effects when playing the organ bank."
"There is a particular piano sound that when using the modulation bar gives an ethereal Ray Manzarek late ‘60’s tone. So while your left hand is not doing traditional movements, you need to train it to play more like a guitar player bending strings. It takes a little getting used to but it adds a lot of fun to playing."
Aside from the mobility is there anything you can do musically on the keytar that you can’t do on a standard keyboard?
"Technically no but let’s not underestimate the freedom factor. I love to put on a show and dance around, this allows me to go “all out” and leave nothing on the table when I am performing."
Since you play the keys mostly with your right hand, it seems like musical output is more or less cut by half versus a standard keyboard. Is that the case and do you think it has an effect on the band’s sound?
"On the contrary, I am able to add more depth to the band because I can dabble with other sounds. If Francesca Rose is not touring with us due to her college commitment, I can add another guitar to the mix or I can play bass while Dan plays some sax parts. As the band is migrating to all originals, I think the instrument allows us to be more versatile not less. Jeff and I even trade guitar solos on our new song Shadows. In the past, I was only playing organ or the piano as we were building a sound and a mood by starting off as a Dead/Stones cover band. As you are aware, I was lugging a Fender Rhodes and Hammond XB-3 to all our gigs. Lugging all that equipment was cool in the beginning because it kind of legitimized what we were trying to do but as we grew and starting writing songs at a crisp pace, we needed a change sonically and visually. I think we are a better band now with the new set-up."
I’ve noticed in prior gigs, the other guys orient themselves so that they have a line of sight to you so they can pickup on visual cues about when to transition etc. With you facing forward this would seem to affect the bands chemistry somewhat. Any thoughts on that topic?
"It is definitely different for them that’s for sure. I think when I first debuted it at Tenampa, Chris was thrown off as he was used to “seeing” me and he used my head movements as visual cues. But as time went on, it became less of an issue. We rehearse religiously and I only rehearse with this set-up as well so the band has been able to re-orient themselves to how I react and interact with them. At our last show at The Winery at Saint George, there were no issues. The only issue for me is that I am completely exposed but we aren’t called Without a Net for no reason. We pride ourselves in taking chances and throwing ourselves in new and different situations musically. We liken our approach to that of jazzmen over the years; you never know what might be coming next. The Dead were very big in that department and we have all seen enough shows to appreciate that a group of guys can instinctively follow one another into the abyss and come out the end creating really special music. Without a Net is that band and you will be seeing us take even more chances with our new material in the coming weeks."
Do you plan to play the keytar exclusively going forward or are we going to see the old sit-down Roland keyboard back for future gigs?
"I think what people saw at The Winery show will be the modus operandi going forward. If the venue has a piano, I will sit down and play piano to certain songs especially when Francesca Rose is playing with us. She adds a different dimension with her vocals and when she is singing, I want the spotlight to be on her. Playing the piano gives me a break, lets the audience focus visually on her instead of the lunatic Disco Cowboy and allows the music to breathe a little. So tell our booking agent to get us some gigs where there’s a piano and I’ll show them some diversity. Otherwise, get used to the Disco Cowboy being mobile, who knows I might play some songs on a horse!"
Thanks for taking the time to talk.
"My pleasure."
