The beer-bottle xylophone is the happiest instrument on earth. · 4:05pm Dec 4th, 2016
There is a busker in Sydney that has been plying his trade for sixteen years. He goes by the name Catfish the Bottleman. And, yes. he is the inspiration for the name of the band called Catfish and the Bottlemen. Every few years I stumble across him, and I spend a few minutes enjoying his performance. The instrument demands a rather high energy performance, and it is just such a joy to watch.
Come on, how can that not bring a smile to your face?
Technology and progress are constantly moving forward. Last Saturday night I ran into him setting up for another busking session. There was something new, however. A laptop, amps and a big speaker, wires running to every beer bottle...
With the aid of a MIDI box, he has invented the electric beer-bottle xylophone.
I got to watch him tune up twice. First by setting up his MIDI triggers and sound effects, later the old-school "topping off the water in the beer bottle to get the right note."
The instrument still requires a high energy performance, but now the sound is just as high energy. And it's still a joy to watch.
He is suffering a few teething issues. His F Flat trigger crapped out on him, and the software he was using did some weird things...
But he's only been working on the electric version for a couple of months. Give it a little time...
When you hear a major band using the electric beer-bottle xylophone on an album, just remember the name. Catfish the Bottleman. (it is kind of memorable...)
That’s cool!