Back on the band front
 

Thursday I audition for this:

http://audiokingsofthethirdworld.bandcamp.com/

Iggy and the Stooges versus the Cure, original post-punk garage stuff made by middle-aged guys who look like middle-aged guys.

Nobody does this, so I think it could be a thing.

Cool. Good luck!

Nice!

Looks like fun!

This one time, at band camp....

Aweomesauce UT :) Good luck!

"idlike angst"? Cool.:hedfone: Good luck.

Wear your hat

Will you be a Drum Major, twirler, or flag dancer? :D

http://www.halftimeusacamps.com/

I am now an Audio King of the third world.

It was a really good connection, me and them, and I liked their ideas and they liked my playing, so this is now officially a thing.

OMG, you've sold your soul. :reaper:

I did not raise the average age or weight of the band.

:lol2:

:) Comfort zone, you're in it!

Congrats, Tony! How often do they do gigs?

Plus, you have a greater than average number of legs, so they should appreciate that too!

It's gonna be about once a month. Apparently the act is in some demand, maybe because there's no drummer or amps to clog things up on crowded bookings.

Only the womenfolk appreciate that. But thank you very much!

All right, congrats! We'll need video ...

Did you wear your hat?

Excellent!!

No hat required. We don't look cool. We PLAY cool. I will announce myself by my playing with authority, and the people will be astonished.

Everything about this is awesome.

I love the 'comfortable being who I am--just listen to me play' thing. Maybe the most of all things.



I've been told strange things about what I look like when I'm playing. Something like being disinterested or detached. I love things like drummers whose elbows never raise from their sides, or guitarists who sit on a stool. It's a musical performance --not theatrical, a dance troupe, or a fashion show. Maybe, at some point, at the semi-pro or pro level you feel like you have to keep up appearances, but there are examples which could indicate that this is only if you believe that you have to do that. You posted a Cheap Trick track here recently. They were ugly dorks, like Toto. Who cared?

Yeah yeah! Not only that but people *adored* Cheap Trick for looking like ugly dorks. I feel like if you are authoritative on stage, people will pick up on that and respect it, no matter what.

http://cellar.org/2012/akottw.jpg

Here are some of the guys. I have replaced the dude in the middle. OK I might have lowered the average age by a year. The singer, I can tell, is a freak, and I can't wait to play out with him. The guitarist is a different kind of freak who has followed every "alternative" act since the Velvet Underground. We were stunned to find out that not only were we both at a Julian Cope (who?) show at a small club in 1986, but we were both backstage, with about 8 other people, chatting with Cope for ten minutes afterwards. So it is destiny.

OK be prepared to hear a genre that you don't normally hear, including enormous amounts of fuzz and distortion, it may take some getting used to:

One of the more garage-y songs, "She":

http://soundcloud.com/jacksn45/she-rj

The song that will be ALL ME, "Camera":

http://soundcloud.com/jacksn45/camera

hmmm... that guy had a hat....

so, what? they use a drum machine on stage? I definitely hear drums in bofe dem tracks.

and I like the first one. the bending in the second one is kind of imprecise... I don't know if that's intentional, but it is a bit discordant.

I'm totally jelly, btw. I wish I was in a band. let me know if you ever need a big fat guy to come up and play some leads or sing back up.

I could get a hat.

Yes, not actually a machine but sound files. There is a lot of pre-recorded content. The guys say there's no drummer because they can't find one good enough who wants to do this sort of thing.

Totally intentional. This band does some weird-ass things and will completely throw in, say, a keyboard solo that is not in the key of the rest of the song. That's the nature of it, let's make it weird and unpredictable, trancey and/or psychedelic. Once you hear it a few times it settles into your brain a little. But if not, just freak out man!!!

Aw man, that was more likely in the cover band than in this one, where we will do one 45-minute set of about 10 songs. Although the cover band is not dead, just resting and will occasionally be brought out to do parties and stuff.

BUT you have total control of your destiny! You can do anything. Here is the Craigslist Philly Musicians section.

How about this dude in Coatesville!

@Flint
Yeh, like the Dead with all their theatrics. wait what? ;)

Yeah, Guy is playing a gig at the park in Downingtown today, sitting in because their drummer couldn't make it. It's taken him six weeks to get ready. :haha:

Congratulations on your newly-rebroken-leg UT!

I'm wearing a hat, so I'll :tip it: for you.

:congrats:

First rehearsal after we've gotten going is totally productive, and we shoot for an early October "test gig" which will go not really announced. I think.

The guys throw me into a totally new situation, where I'm learning songs not by listening to them over and over, but actually having them tell me what the riff is during rehearsal. The lead singer, who is a manic sort, sings me the riff. I play what I think he's singing. "No, no, it's like nah nah na-na-na nahhh. If you can hum it you know it." He's right.

These guys are all about jamming out different ideas until they coalesce into a song. We mess around with ideas for the first 30 minutes of rehearsal. A song idea approaches. It's all down on tape for us to remember the next time. Creativity flows and is permitted.

It's pretty glorious to be in a new situation. It's exactly like being with a new [appropriate sex goes here]friend. You know, there's being with someone for 15 years and there's being with someone two weeks, and both are exciting in different ways. This is the two weeks version, and we are infatuated with each other. The old bass player brought skills and ideas -- I bring different ones. It's not that one is better than the other, it's just different, and that's very interesting for everyone.

Sounds great!

What no Drummer? :mg:

I've noticed a ferw bands now just have drum machines chuggin' away in the background, is this a world conspiracy against drummers,

And electric but with no amps.

We're practicing at low volumes in an attic! It's totally different.

The test gig is First Friday Phoenixville. We are at Iron Eagle Antiques which is two doors down from the Colonial Theater. I am thinking we go on at 6, 7 and 8 because the idea of First Friday is people are moving around, stay 15 minutes at one place and then move on. Our set is like 30 minutes or so, so we'll just re-run it a few times.

Is that a real cyberman or just some guy in a costume?

:D

See, the three guys who know how to play instruments just dress casual and stand at the back and do their stuff.

Now, the other guy...

We might get an open spot Friday night at The Fire

which would be really nice, one of the finest original band rooms in town on Friday prime time... hope it happens

Nice ... hope it comes through.

Not happening, one of our guys can't make it

I didn't know we were that bookable. We'll play that room someday.

Bother.

It's a good sign to be booked like that though.

Too bad. But if they wanted to book you this week, you'll get the chance again.

I have left this band and will be pursuing other things.

All the best, UT. You'll do great.

Other things musical or something completely different?

I will be looking for a new music thing to do.

Well I am doing pit band for a musical for community theatre this season:

Working: A Musical

shuddup, it's sondheim and community theatre is noble.

Better than that, it's fun. When you're not worried about street creds and career moves, you can jam with anybody and enjoy making music. http://cellar.org/2015/cheers.gif

Plus, cast parties are awesome!

Sounds darn cool!

Not to compare you with a child, but my daughter performed with a pit orchestra in the spring, and she had a blast. All the actors and director were very impressed with the musicians who would just play the stuff at the first rehearsals as the actors were on the stage struggling with their lines and blocking and stuff. And what Clod said. The cast parties! You'll have fun.

At this particular show's cast party, drinking is prohibited due to the presence of minors. This was announced pre-run, so there would be no dissent.

Musicians don't need no stinkin alcohol. ;)

Plus, after party parties are awesome! :beer:

It's very cool doing this project but damn I wish the drummer was better.

I get to listen in on all the community theater drama without having to worry about it. The board wants to hassle the director, because he ignored some of their demands. But the show got a great review from the community paper, which makes that harder to do. Fascinating.

Curtain is at 8, the actors and managers get there before 7, I get there at 7:20. Here is a time constraint unlike most in life. There is simply NO OPTION to be late. You will let hundreds of people down if you are late. I give myself enough time to still make it if my car breaks down halfway there. I can still call someone to fetch me.

Another local theater company is doing Rocky Horror in the fall, and supposedly they have found a different bass player. :cry: My guitar player is angling to get me in anyway. It's a coup for a community theater to do Rocky. All the other community theaters will be jealous. Community theater doesn't get to do camp or anything of a sexy nature. They are planning midnight shows. The audience might participate. It should be entertaining.

Hearing all about the dirty laundry, you don't have to wash, is fun.
Sounds like a fun gig, except the drummer... it's always the damn drummer. :lol2:

Rocky Horror?!?! Good luck trying to stop 'em. A few years ago a movie theater in the next town played it (@ midnight) for what was planned to be a week long run. Canceled after the second night. Apparently, they just weren't prepared for the audience participation.:lol2:

TOAST! Some theaters played it at midnight for years. It kept the janitors employed. :haha: