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Author Topic: 2018 pretty cool so far.  (Read 5764 times)

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Kim

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2018 pretty cool so far.
« on: Time Format »

Hey so far so good.   Lot of stuff happened in the last few months and I've been busy with all that and haven't had as much opportunity to hang out here as I should and would. 

Had a housing dilemma last fall; the people we rented from for the last 5 years decided they needed to sell their house.  No way were we going to buy it because A: it needed so much more fixing than it was worth, B: we already paid for half of it in Rent anyway so why would we buy it at 1 plus one half of the selling price?   So we had to really scramble to find somewhere else to live and fast.  Would've been nice if they had told us early in the year so we had time for this shit, but noooo.....
Long story short, we were just sick and tired of moving whenever the owners needed us to move so we took the leap and bought our own damn house in the next town over!  :whoohoo!:  And it's damn nice.  We'll pay for it for the rest of our lives, but nobody gets to tell us to pack our shit and beat it.  (unless there's a foreclosure of course) 

I actually have a room now just for all my Home Studio, Music, and Electronics Stuff!  Super stoked!

And the band.  Well, we had to sack the drummer.  This fuggin guy..... You'd think that a musician who wants to continue being a "musician" would actually learn the material and play consistently within 2 years and not insist on just bullshitting his way through it all like it's Improv Hour.  You'd think he could stay behind the kit and be ready to play instead of getting out after every song to roll a cigarette, drink a beer, and hit a pipe. You'd think that someone insisting on doing backing vocals would actually be able to sing and stop messing with the board at the beginning of every practice to do a 10 minute soundcheck just for his backing vocals.  You'd think that he would not blow off scheduled rehearsals to go to parties or  go jam with some other band.   Bah.  Myself and the bassist/vocalist just kept trying to get him to come around and see the light but it just wasn't gonna happen with this guy and we simply could not be bothered to spend another minute trying with him.  Fired and Done.

The very next day (honest!) we met another local drummer who was very excited for the chance to join us.  Did an interview, seemed like a cool guy, showed us some of his chops, and gave him cds of our material to learn.  Less than a month later, he is ready for the real audition (tonight!) :banana-trip:  Fingers crossed that he did what he said he would, is as confidant about it as he says he is, and is already ready to go.  I'll keep you posted.

So.  My first Rants and Raves in 2018.   :thumb-up:
« Last Edit: Time Format by Kim »
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rnolan

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #1 on: Time Format »

Hey Kim, good to have you back on board, I'm currently in moving mode and not enjoying it at all.  Tomorrow I have to get ruthless and throw a bunch of stuff in the garbage skip I hired, I've been here 10 years and the garage is full of stuff I haven't even looked at in all that time.  Top it off it will be 38 deg C (~ 100 deg F) tomorrow... And worse I haven't found a place to move to yet  :facepalm:

Fingers crossed the new drummer works out  :whoohoo!:
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rabidgerry

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #2 on: Time Format »

don't f~~kin start me on drummers.  Played last night and our guy played the set much to slow.  Of course this f~~ks me up as I'm looking to bring it to the crowd and there we are playing like we're 65!  Kills me.  Makes me hate our shows when the drummer is just unable to know what speed a f~~kin song goes.  I haven't enjoyed a gig we have played since August at our launch show.  He doesn't practice, and has no real love of drumming so go figure why there are always problems with him.  Why don't se get rid?  Because where I live is bad enough to get replacements, and no one would ever want to play in a band doing what we do because it's not the trend so we're stuck with it!  I nearly quit after the London show as well because of it, we were dreadful and again it's me worrying about drums makes me make mistakes and then it's all just shit!  Our manager then said to me after I said "I can't do this anymore"..........................."this is your only shot, do you want to give that up?  Everything you've been working toward these last few years will be wasted if you stop now".

So go figure why I chose to stay.
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

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herbyguitar

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #3 on: Time Format »

I have a fabulous drummer. He's very good. He loves to play too... he needs to make more money so he's always blowing us off to go do DJ work because it pays better.
In this area (rural) bass players and drummers are extremely hard to find.
« Last Edit: Time Format by herbyguitar »
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Kim

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #4 on: Time Format »

In this area (rural) bass players and drummers are extremely hard to find.

Right with ya there, Herby.  Here in the "No Coast" we just doesn't seem to have the available players that the East and West Coast areas might be known for.   Everybody and their brother plays guitar.  So very few play bass and there's even less drummers.  If I could go back and do it again.....I'd be a drummer or a bassist and I'd never be without a job. 

1.  It gets worse if you're doing original music. 
2.  Then a bit worse after that if you're doing original music that isn't the trend. 
3.  Now a touch worse if it's original Metal music that doesn't sound like Slayer, Slipknot, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold or some brutal Death Metal. 
The good players want to do covers only, and the trendy covers at that because apparently "there's money in it".  No soul or real satisfaction but they might get some pocket money.

Musician:  Someone who loads $5,000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 150 miles for $50.   

^ The struggle is real.   :facepalm:   You just don't realize how much money is invested with the thought going in that "I'm not in it for the money".   

So back to the Drum Audition.   I can say it went better than I expected! This guy set up just a tiny kit for the audition/jam (he has several kits of various sizes  :o) and just KILLED it!  He only had a short time to prep and learn but was still getting it right.  Remember, the last guy was in the band for 2 years and still couldn't remember "who starts this one?" or where he was at in the song half the time.  Stan and I were just grinning like idiots through the songs because they went so well and just felt perfect.
Hopefully we can continue to move forward now.  There's new songs to write, new places to play, new opportunities to be had.  All of that had to stay on the back burner previously until the Drummer got sorted, but we believe this new guy is up for it.   :banana-rock:
« Last Edit: Time Format by Kim »
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herbyguitar

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #5 on: Time Format »

Musician:  Someone who loads $5,000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 150 miles for $50.

That's me   :banana-guitar:

Sounds like you're back in the groove. Glad to hear it.

When I first started I wanted to be a drummer so my parents bought me a cheapo snare drum and a symbol. Not very satisfying. It was decided, without my input, that drums were 'way' too loud. Then I wanted to play bass but my dad didn't like the idea of having only 4 strings and not being able to play 'real' songs. So I got stuck playing guitar, but at 12 years old I couldn't be too picky, since I couldn't afford to buy my own gear and if I 'could' buy a drum set I'd have to move out and if I bought a bass I'd have never heard the end of it.

On another note: My dad finally came around to actually liking a lot of the stuff I played and would pop a cassette in now and then while driving... back in the 80's
« Last Edit: Time Format by herbyguitar »
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Dante

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #6 on: Time Format »

Kim,

Congrats on the new digs!! That is FANTASTIC.

I have been blessed with great drummers. I don't know why, but I've had a bunch of great drummers who play their kit like it's an instrument. So glad you found a guy with the 'feel' to get it done, regardless of what kit he's playing. I had a guy like that, made a 4-piece kit sound like Neil Peart.

Keyboard players are very rare, good ones are even more rare. They are all really busy too - being in multiple bands. My current band decided to just use two guitars instead of a keyboard player. Guitar players are a dime a dozen....my favorite saying is; shake a tree, three guitar players fall out....and two of them are GOOD.

rabidgerry

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #7 on: Time Format »

No.1 It gets worse if you're doing original music. 
No.2 Then a bit worse after that if you're doing original music that isn't the trend. 
No.3 Now a touch worse if it's original Metal music that doesn't sound like Slayer, Slipknot, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold or some brutal Death Metal. 

The good players want to do covers only, and the trendy covers at that because apparently "there's money in it".  No soul or real satisfaction but they might get some pocket money.

Musician:  Someone who loads $5,000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 150 miles for $50.   

^ The struggle is real.   :facepalm:   You just don't realize how much money is invested with the thought going in that "I'm not in it for the money".   


I numbered some of those points as they are exactly my reality also.  Weird in the U.S you have the same issues in your huge country as I do in my tiny country!

I wouldn't say all good players are doing covers in Ireland, but I will say that the money is in doing covers and for me I could never do a cover band, never.  I never covered peoples songs when I started out and I don't do it now.  A guy in my work is always going on about me doing covers and I'm like "man I aint doin covers, it's not the same as creating your own music, not even close".

The bit about realizing the amount of money you put into the band, well yes I have started to realise and I have also been struggling with continuing as I need a better job and sometimes I'm thinking perhaps I need to quit all this band shit and put my efforts into getting a better job and sorting my life out for the future.  Kind of a heart breaking situation as our touring committments are getting drawn up for the new year and I'm thinking "I need a better job or I will end up f*cked when I have to retire".

Thankfully I do not meet the definition of

Musician:  Someone who loads $5,000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 150 miles for $50.   

A lot of the time house gear/band gear is shared in Europe.  So a band travels from say America to Ireland, well the local support will bring bass cabs and guitar cabs and drums.  Each band on the bill supplying one or all of those things.  The down side is, you never know what kind of stuff you are getting.  I turned up to England having been told gear will be provided only to find nothing had been sorted and I had to ask bands on the bill to let me use their cabs!!  This was the promotters fault since they did a piss poor job of arranging things.
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

Effects:  Ada Mp1, Peavey Rockmaster, Boss GX700 Boss SX700 * Amps:   Rocktron Velocity 300 - Koch ATR4502 - Peavey Classic 50/50
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Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010

Kim

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #8 on: Time Format »

I numbered some of those points as they are exactly my reality also.  Weird in the U.S you have the same issues in your huge country as I do in my tiny country!

Great idea on the numbering, Gerry!  I'll go back and edit like that as well.  While the States are a much bigger country than say Ireland, there's still the trend of people wanting Mainstream Metal.  The Metal you play and the Metal I play seemed to have gone back underground.  Maybe it's a Generation thing.  The 20-somethings think of 5FDP and the like whenever someone says "Metal".
It's what's played on the radio and it's what draws the fans of that age.   Nobody "gets" your band unless they're already familiar with and like bands such as Judas Priest and other NWOBHM.  Nobody "gets" my band unless they are already familiar with and like bands such as Black Sabbath and Candlemass.  You and I don't sound like 5FDP and we don't want to because you and I play by our own rules and have to work harder to get a following....from the Underground back up.


I wouldn't say all good players are doing covers in Ireland, but I will say that the money is in doing covers and for me I could never do a cover band, never.  I never covered peoples songs when I started out and I don't do it now.  A guy in my work is always going on about me doing covers and I'm like "man I aint doin covers, it's not the same as creating your own music, not even close".

Our last drummer also kept trying to push covers.  (Guess where he is now....)  lol
I could do one or two, but am very picky about which ones to do and I'd rather not anyway.  In fact, I could come up with a pretty long list of covers that I absolutely refuse to play, mainly because everyone else already does those and I'm just not interested anyway.  That other guy wanted us to do a Tool cover and some other shit ideas that had absolutely nothing to do with our style.  He also wanted to tell offensive and poor taste jokes in between songs to further f*ck up our reputation to make things "fun".  "People will love it!"  he would say.  Um, no they won't jackass and we'll never get to play in that town again after that. WTF dude.
Never give a drummer a vocal mic.....   ;)
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rabidgerry

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Re: 2018 pretty cool so far.
« Reply #9 on: Time Format »

While the States are a much bigger country than say Ireland, there's still the trend of people wanting Mainstream Metal.  The Metal you play and the Metal I play seemed to have gone back underground.  Maybe it's a Generation thing.  The 20-somethings think of 5FDP and the like whenever someone says "Metal".
It's what's played on the radio and it's what draws the fans of that age.   Nobody "gets" your band unless they're already familiar with and like bands such as Judas Priest and other NWOBHM.  Nobody "gets" my band unless they are already familiar with and like bands such as Black Sabbath and Candlemass.  You and I don't sound like 5FDP and we don't want to because you and I play by our own rules and have to work harder to get a following....from the Underground back up.

It was like that very much here, but we stuck it out, and I honestly think we heped turn the tied.  Younger headbangers, younger than me (hit 35 on Sunday) from late teens to late 20's are getting into their proper metal now.  Some shows we play in Ireland, we have kids wearing gear like you see the kids wearing in the Judas Priest Hot Rocking video!!!  So this is cool.  The mentality still exists however on familiarity.  But we built that familiarity up ourselves so that's what sticking to our guns has done for us.  The scene is far from perfect though.  Too much shit still listened to.

I notice England seems to still be infected by that nu-metal era style crap in some areas, which is weird.  Its like a time warp lol and not a good one.  We do ok over there and are building a rep but some places we walk into and their is f**king limp bizkit playing.  Other places will be Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.  Seems to be pockets of trad and then other pockets of Nu (this is my blanket term for everything shit after grundge  :lol:)

Our last drummer also kept trying to push covers.  (Guess where he is now....)  lol
I could do one or two, but am very picky about which ones to do and I'd rather not anyway. 

We would knock out the odd cover if we felt we needed to fill the set back in the day but that's it.  Here are the songs my band has covered in total through ten years of playing live!!!  You will notice these are generally not the typical songs to cover except for the Priest songs!!!

Motorhead - Heart of Stone
Motorhead - Poison
Motorhead - Die you Bastard (this was done at our single launch and a tribute to Lemmy who had just died at the time)
Judas Priest - Metal Gods
Judas Priest - Breaking the law
Accept - Midnight Highway (only in rehearsal room)
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

Effects:  Ada Mp1, Peavey Rockmaster, Boss GX700 Boss SX700 * Amps:   Rocktron Velocity 300 - Koch ATR4502 - Peavey Classic 50/50
Cabs: 4 x Bugera 2 x 12"
Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010
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