WANTED: Constructive Criticism of Band

rocknrollbandit · #1 09-30-2009, 04:09 PM

Hey guys, I know there are a million of these types of threads but I'm just looking for some constructive criticism here, I love music and love playing and anything that could help improve would be great! If you could take the time to check us out I'd be much obliged

here it is
myspace.com/theshowlps

Thanks!

megadan · #2 09-30-2009, 04:21 PM

Listened to "Brownie Song"

Some of the tones don't quite jive (lead guitar, kick drum), but that could just be myspace.
Vocals are on key! That's 50% of the battle right there.

Quarter note build up is a little cliche. Vocals are still great. Bass line is busy but it works.
Maybe dumb it down a little in the verses. Drums and bass cleary understand key concepts.

Little repetitive. Riff after the build (pre chorus?) doesn't really do it for me, not enough pay off.

Guitar solo was a little cheesy. Don't fall into the trap of thinking every song needs a guitar solo. It doesn't have to work like that.

Vocals were the highlight for me, and I usually prefer instrumental music. No reason why you guys couldn't be great if you keep working at it.

rocknrollbandit · #3 09-30-2009, 04:23 PM

thank you, exactly what I'm looking for!

rocknrollbandit · #4 09-30-2009, 04:41 PM

rocknrollbandit · #5 09-30-2009, 05:36 PM

bump bump?

basscheez · #6 09-30-2009, 05:56 PM

All of the tunes seem to start slowly or quietly, with one instrument, then build. You might try a couple tunes that just rock hard from the start to add some variety, wake people up. Try having everybody come in on "one" with something faster paced.
Just my $0.02

standupright · #7 09-30-2009, 06:01 PM

The Brownie Song - mostly good. got bored after about 2 mins. like the "sound" and "feel"

Set Me Free - like it. very much. needs a couple of solos. drummer is a little soppy.

Clozer - good. but not interesting enough to be over 5 mins long. no solos.

The Ocean Dreamy - bass sits real nice in the mix. first song i've actually really heard you. catchy line. good work. nice switch up in the middle of the tune. still no solos?

Somebody to Love - not bad. not interesting enough to be 5 minutes long.

Free Flyer - nice vocal pitch / harmony. too repetitive. stopped listening after 2 mins.

See Me Now - like the way it starts off. good tune.

rocknrollbandit · #8 09-30-2009, 06:14 PM

thanks everyone! there are solos in some other songs, we just don't want to have the songs be too predictable. same with faster songs, we have ones that are faster right away, just aren't on our myspace. thanks so much for your input everyone, I've always found talkbass to be extremely helpful and supportive

rocknrollbandit · #9 10-01-2009, 04:03 PM

one last bump for bumpity time's sake?

rocknrollbandit · #10 10-05-2009, 02:06 PM

aw heck one last bump, all comments are greatly appreciated!

tbone409 · #11 10-05-2009, 02:31 PM

Coming from a local-ish kid who's your age:

you guys are good and the picture is there, you just need to work on cleaning it up around the edges a little bit.
In general the 'clean' guitar sound is muddy and indistinct (especially in "somebody to love"), and the drum work could be cleaned up.
My personal preference is for a more forward mixed snare and brighter guitar sound(not too trebly but with distinct notes).
Bass-wise really try to get your line in "Brownie Song" to lock with your drummer, it's sooooo close to being a tight jam.
Vox were solid for the most part.

keep up the work!

sirpug · #12 10-05-2009, 02:45 PM

Listened to them all. I think they sound good myself. Only thing that bugged me was the fact that all of the songs were over the 5 minute mark (one was just under I think). While good they all became repetitive to me. Listened to them once but I'm not sure I would be able to over and over.

rocknrollbandit · #13 10-05-2009, 04:42 PM

thank you! the recordings of somebody to love, free flyer, and see me now are all older recordings we did ourselves a while ago so don't expect too much in quality from them

thanks for the advice, we could definitely shorten up some songs

ryanphonic · #14 10-07-2009, 10:29 AM

overall - you have a nice blind melon/black crowes bluesy rock thing going on. It sounds like all the players know their roles and complement each other. On that front, you guys are already ahead of bands 20 years your senior.
The songs do all kind of blend together, though.

And I agree with the above poster on Brownie Song. You've got a great line here, just lock it down with your drummer (esp. important in the drum-less bridge, if that makes sense.) Song should end at 3:15.

All in all, keep working at it and hone what you've already got going for you!

rocknrollbandit · #15 10-07-2009, 07:59 PM

thanks alot!

becker4567 · #16 10-07-2009, 08:20 PM

Listened to all the stuff. For the most part, good song construction, but they could be a bit shorter for recording. Live, a 5 minute song is good, but recorded, they need to be in the 3:30 to 3:50 minute range max (usually around 3:20). Good vocals. Good guitar. If that is the type of sound you want, stick with it for now until you feel confident enough to branch out. Bring the bass up front more. Drums have a kind of Keith Moon type sync, which I happen to love. Not just beating in syncopation, but sort of doing his own thing and drawing the whole sound together. Keep it up!

rocknrollbandit · #17 10-07-2009, 08:57 PM

so the general consensus is shorten the songs up, I would agree that we could definitely do that, thanks for all the input so far guys!

countrybassist · #18 10-08-2009, 06:41 AM

I listened to all of the tunes and even though I know little about your style of music, I thought it was good. But it does sound to me like your drummer is the weak link. His fills don't always work and he has tempo issues.

So Low Bass · #19 10-08-2009, 07:20 AM

I don't mean to be at all disrespectful, but I come to this board to "talkbass". I see more and more "my band" type of posts here. Are there "talk-my-band" sites out there?

ryanphonic · #20 10-08-2009, 08:07 AM

So Low Bass,

I think the benefit of this site is that it's broken down into categories that get you where you want to go. Amps, Effects, Instruments, etc. What are you looking for when you step into the "Recordings" section? Personally, I don't care to listen to bass-only recordings all day, and ultimately (for me) it's about how our (all-important!) instrument fits into the mix.

The caliber of people here is excellent, and members are quite open to new things and willing to put time into their posts. I can't think of a better forum within which to showcase our efforts.

No disrespect meant on my end either - I'm just telling you what I've seen from the site. If I can find new music with an emphasis on bass, all the better.
Best,
Ryan