Ima Robot

[NathanTbass]

Im a huge fan of the first Ima Robot record...on any given track, how many bass parts would there be going on at the same time?

[jmjbassplayer]

One. Except a double (black jettas), or a track along with a synth bass (A is for Action, STD Dance).

Glad you like. A real moment in time. I hope people continue to enjoy it in the future.

Best,
JMJ

[jk3]

i love everything about the track "Dirty Life"...really dig the bass in it, btw...has a real Jamerson feel (to me)

[jmjbassplayer]

Cheers! Jamerson with some John Taylor smattered in for good measure.

[lovefist]

The tune "Scream" was really cool when I got that album. I always was like "That has to be one a hollow body bass." Just curious if it was the Vox?

[christoph h.]

i absolutely love the album. great songs, great band AND great bassplaying, so it'S win/win/win.

[JimmyM]

justin, you mentioned a while back that they were working on a third album...any updates? are you involved this time?

[Silver Hammer]

I'm not Justin but in an interview Alex Ebert said that the album had been done for a while and would probably come out sometime this year. I doubt they will make another after this or tour since Alex seems pretty busy with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. On that note, Justin what's your opinion on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes? It's a completely different sound to Ima Robot but I love it.

[JimmyM]

sheesh, what's the point of putting out an album if you don't tour behind it? that just throwing it to the wolves, isn't it?

[Silver Hammer]

Don't quote me on this since I saw the interview about a month ago but apparently Ima Robot recorded the album while they were trying to get off of Virgin so when they got signed to another label there were issues with getting it released. While that was getting figured out Alex decided he was sick of the lifestyle he had led in the band and didn't want to write that kind of music anymore and sound insincere so he got clean and formed a different band. He said there was a chance they would work on more stuff but that he wasn't in that mindset anymore.

[jmjbassplayer]

"Scream" = simple Am. Std. P-Bass w/ rounds.

I don't really want to speak for Alex, or judge what he says as truth or otherwise. And since I'm no longer in the band at all, but only on the most remote periphery, I can't comment on the current strategy of the band.

Suffice to say, there are VOLUMINOUS amounts of unreleased Ima Robot stuff. Just all kinds of ideas in various stages.

Ima Robot, for factors external and internal, never got what it truly deserved, or realized what it was capable of. Virgin records performed a complete and epic fail, and their promises to us from the executive strata were beguiling and attractive, yet ultimately hollow and ineffectual. They had terrible ideas for us when they did have ideas, and they just didn't have the juice...they were in fact in the middle of a protracted demise during our time there. Part of my reason for my departure was their shameful and embarrassing choices/demands they put upon us for the recording of album #2, not the least of which was their terrible producer "recommendation" (read: ultimatum). Choices and demands which the other band members became complicit to, yet I couldn't live with. The label acted from fear, and we were guilty of placating that fear.

In some ways, we were also just simply not "of our time". We didn't play the game like other bands, and our ideas were too irreverent, and too sophisticated to compete with bands like The Killers, et al. You could simply NOT reign us in when we were at our prime. We also just wanted to do what we wanted, and took too much satisfaction in pleasing ourselves first, and others second.

But I have a certain degree of mild regret, that Ima Robot is not at this moment a continuous and dominant force in popular music culture. Because there was a time when we were poised to be just that. I pitied the headlining band who chose us to open.

Alas, such was not to be. We're more of a footnote in the pantheon of music from the 00's.

But seeing Alex do his thing in ES&TMZ is very satisfying to me. I'm also in on the ground floor with that record, as I played some bass and have co-writes on it. Live, it's become quite a thing. Seeing them destroy Coachella this year gave me deep satisfaction, yet also, I must admit, some regret, as I stood there side stage with other Ima Robot alumni.

Alex is the real deal, ladies and gents. He will be on the artistic radar for a long time to come.

Best,
JMJ

[JimmyM]

wow, 18 hours and nobody's commented. i guess there's not much to say after all that.

so after all this has gone down the way it has, if you have a unique band who doesn't take direction from idiots well like ima robot, should you avoid major labels? it seems the one thing a unique band doesn't want to happen is meddling from record company weasels, so are they to be avoided at all costs if you want to do things your way? i see the edward sharpe project is with rough trade, and while they're been around for decades, they're not exactly a major. is that better for the more quirky among us? is this even a question that has a definite answer?

anyway, while ima robot may not have set the world on fire in a big way, you guys left behind a really superb debut album that seems to be regarded more highly as time goes on. nothing wrong with that, bro.

[jmjbassplayer]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

if you have a unique band who doesn't take direction from idiots well like ima robot, should you avoid major labels?

Yes.

[JimmyM]

well i guess that's a question with a definite answer after all

[xray]

""But seeing Alex do his thing in ES&TMZ is very satisfying to me. I'm also in on the ground floor with that record, as I played some bass and have co-writes on it. Live, it's become quite a thing. Seeing them destroy Coachella this year gave me deep satisfaction, yet also, I must admit, some regret, as I stood there side stage with other Ima Robot alumni."""


They tore up Lollapollooza a couple of weeks ago. I'm so glad there's XM to get these acts out to the general public. If we had to leave it to the majors (Virgin) we'd never come to realize how much great music is out there and we'd still be a captive audience to the DJ spinning for his dinner.

The good news (at least my take) is usually people who come upon a group like ES&TMZ usually go back to the roots, aka, Ima Robot to see how they branched out or matured from their earlier endeavors. So usually there's some type of resurrection of the original stuff.

The first time I heard ES&TMZ on XM I knew there was something familiar about them AND they'd end up being a group to listen to. Thanks God for all the multimedia sources that are available to us these days. Ima Robot lives.

[xray]

Pretty interesting story.
http://motherjones.com/riff/2010/01/...agnetic-zeroes

[turbotito]

Just FYI, Ima Robot is coming out with a self released album on October 16th 2010
For more info, visit imarobot.com or facebook.com/ImaRobotMusic
Yes, Virgin almost killed this band, but we are gonna try make it work again. Everything that JMJ said about the process of making the second album is true and we all hated it. Virgin was about to go out of business and simply couldn't think straight :-(

P.S. check this beautiful video featuring two new Ima Robot songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLx5f0KqMQU

P.P.S. JMJ we miss you

Cheers,

Filip

[jmjbassplayer]

Hear hear, Filip. Songs sound gorgeous.

I miss you too, love.

JMJ

[thombo]

Originally Posted by xray

Pretty interesting story.
http://motherjones.com/riff/2010/01/...agnetic-zeroes

mother jones... hippie.




good interview!

[micahbell]

So over all, was the band displeased with Monument?

Also, Justin, what all did you play on? Just the first album and the EPs before, or more?