Stoner/DOOM Bassists thread part 36 - Old School Death Metal Wannabes

[Tractorr]

Originally Posted by Corey Y

I have never understood that mindset, that something is somehow better or worse depending on how many or few people like it or know about it. Like if you ask someone if they like the sound of an instrument, amp, pedal, etc. and the first thing they say is "I don't know, what brand is it?". The funny thing is that those two groups of people always seem to vilify the other. You're a sheep for liking something just because it's popular, you're a hipster liking things because they're obscure. To me those two people are the same personality, with only the most mild of twists on a theme.

Agreed, if Red Fang is on the radio I will keep listening provided their music is still good.

I knew the old drummer from Against Me and I asked him one day "How does it feel to have your band headlining the Warped Tour, in Spin magazine, and your tshirts in every Hot Topic in America." His answer was, "We didn't change anything. We make the music we want. Other people just started liking us."

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by beebassdude

why is that annoying? if there are certain guitar triggers that cue your drummer or certain bass parts, he needs to hear them. i use triggers from my entire band during songs, sometimes theres a vocal pattern that tells me "ok im in the right spot" or theres a guitar note that tells me its time to change, etc.

at some point when you memorize a song this kinda stuff goes away, but cues are always good, especially live. last thing you want is to tell yourself you have it memorized, blank on a part, and **** up, and in turn **** everybody else up lol.

It's annoying because for the songs where he actually needs to watch/listen for queues... the bass part is where they're probably going to be, given that I wrote the songs in question, and the guitarist is watching for my lead.

I actually kinda feel like the drummer doesn't really consider me to be a real member of the band.

[Corey Y]

Yeah, I totally get that Tractorr. I agree with the Rollins thing too. If a band does what they want to do and get huge attention and success from it, I'm happy for them. If a band has no integrity and just plays whatever they think will make them popular or get them ahead, THAT is a sell out to me. Even if they don't actually make money. I've certainly known plenty of bands locally that do that, with the only dividend being a temporary glut of attention from high school kids who move on to liking something else within a year.

[JoeVictim]

Originally Posted by Corey Y

I feel the same way about compression in audio production as I feel about money, drugs, technology and host of other things in life. There's nothing inherently bad in it, it's when it becomes most important thing and/or everything else revolves around it that things become problematic. A lot of the bad rap compression gets in music is based around people using compressors as hard limiters for EVERYTHING. Using compression to smooth out volume fluctuations is for mastering, as an effect or in mixing it should just be a tool to alter dynamics and attack. You can get more snap out of a snare or kick drum with compression a dozen different ways, without ever boosting any EQ. You squish everything as a matter of course, to master a recording from the front end on...you get a recording that sounds squished and has no dynamics. You let everything breathe and have plenty of headroom, then let the mastering engineer hard limit everything...you can get a super loud, hard hitting recording that still has dynamics. Whenever you hear a recording that has a huge drum and/or bass intro and the guitars kick in and everything drops in volume...THAT'S overuse of compression right there. That's an example of what you get when people have no sense of proper gain staging, bypass mastering engineers and trying to make everything redline at 0dB straight on from the input when recording, because it doesn't sound "BIG ENOUGH" the first second it comes out of the monitors. As Sam already said earlier...not loud enough? Turn up the f*cking volume, the knob is right there. I read it said to listeners all the time, people need to say it in the studio more often these days.

Big +1. Local dude gave me his demo to scope, mega compression everywhere.

Compression can be your friend, but instruments should not sound like a 1989 casio keyboard produced them.

[mc_muench]

This discussion is great.

everyone had some really good points.

Not all of our music is accessible for the radio, but some is...what I'm saying is, why isnt that on the radio/more known? I cant see Sleep being on the radio but Graveyard, Dead Meadow, Red Fang, and others that are around currently, bands we've linked to and even some of our bands here, and bands that havent even formed yet, I can see being on the radio. And if people can connect the dots from those to Sleep and the stuff that isnt radio friendly or not current, there is their rite of passage right there.

I'm talking about the future, not the past coming back to present.

[Lazarus.Bird]

Originally Posted by change-jug

Who here has been to a High On Fire show for their current tour? Me and my buddy are going to see them Monday the 3rd. I`m pretty stoked! I just got HoF`s De Vermis Mysteriis on vinyl in the mail today(I love Amazon Prime). Pretty heavy album.

Please get there on time so you can see the rock gods known as Lo Pan.

[Tractorr]

Originally Posted by mc_muench

This discussion is great.

everyone had some really good points.

Not all of our music is accessible for the radio, but some is...what I'm saying is, why isnt that on the radio/more known? I cant see Sleep being on the radio but Graveyard, Dead Meadow, Red Fang, and others that are around currently, bands we've linked to and even some of our bands here, and bands that havent even formed yet, I can see being on the radio. And if people can connect the dots from those to Sleep and the stuff that isnt radio friendly or not current, there is their rite of passage right there.

I'm talking about the future, not the past coming back to present.

I don't know all the ins and outs of radio but Clear Channel and other networks own so many stations that it is hard to break in. They have contracts with specific record companies and the like. It is basically legal payola these days. Need to find a good college station.

[mc_muench]

Public radio is the only radio I listen to, because its not everything on repeat, you get to hear new bands.

And I'm not saying that we need our own station, but a once a week block of time for new acts that are keeping alive what Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, etc started, on the station that plays Led Zeppelin and Sabbath, doesnt seem that hard to do.

I guess I just dont understand how someone could love a band, and not want to listen to what that band has inspired, because some of it is better!

[Bur]

Played last sunday with fellow band's drummer... That was hellova tetra-hydra-alcoholic gig... Made 3 songs & then just jammed... Kinda f***ed up a couple of times, but that's ok. Beware!!! Very dark & stupid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzKDVCKWz4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3PHmIaJByk

[beebassdude]

Originally Posted by Lazarus.Bird

If he can't hear now, how does turning everything up help lol

Can he just not hear the guitarist, or is your other guitarist or you drowning him out?

[beebassdude]

Originally Posted by Sartori

It's annoying because for the songs where he actually needs to watch/listen for queues... the bass part is where they're probably going to be, given that I wrote the songs in question, and the guitarist is watching for my lead.

I actually kinda feel like the drummer doesn't really consider me to be a real member of the band.

Lol sounds like cues arent the problems, youre just frustrated with your drummer.

[JoeVictim]

Originally Posted by mc_muench

This discussion is great.

everyone had some really good points.

Not all of our music is accessible for the radio, but some is...what I'm saying is, why isnt that on the radio/more known? I cant see Sleep being on the radio but Graveyard, Dead Meadow, Red Fang, and others that are around currently, bands we've linked to and even some of our bands here, and bands that havent even formed yet, I can see being on the radio. And if people can connect the dots from those to Sleep and the stuff that isnt radio friendly or not current, there is their rite of passage right there.

I'm talking about the future, not the past coming back to present.

Thats what happened to bands like Unwritten Law. After a while, it just became a formula. Bands like Green Day made it and instead of playing the 90's style skate punk we all know (only some love), they went all Brain Stew and sucked ballz since. Same with Less Than Jake. A Florida band I have seen play maybe 30 times. They are from Florida too so, they would always catch the leg of whatever tour in Gville and come play Tampa/St. Pete then Miami and go home (til they got big enough to tour on their own name). Hello Rockview was blah. I haven't checked them since that record came out. It was enough to turn me off.

I hope, I really, really do, because I witnessed it with punk, and I hope Stoner Rock continues to include all the elements we love. I hope it doesn't become some watered down version of what happened to almost every genre that has become popular (remember when Sugar Ray was a good hardcore band?) Anyways, thats it. I loved this music when my dad blasted Sabbath all those years ago. I embraced it when bands I liked covered awesome songs like Children of the Grave (the Fartz). And I guess I consider myself to be apart of this music scene.

I hope bands can "make it" I would love to turrn on VH1 and see Wino counting down the top 25 Stoner Rock bands/songs/albums. Or Eddie Trunk interview Graveyard or hell, maybe one of your guy's bands. I gave up the "sell out" crap long before I hit drinking age. If the bands play what they play and get big because they just plain rock, hell yeah. When a band changes themselves stylistically to meet the formula of a genre or the formula of what's "marketable", that's when I have issues.

Rock on. I like convo like this.

[Rushing]

Most of the time I have my ipod plugged into my stereo but i'm kinda lucky here in Mn we have a cool yet very hipster radio station thats ran on regular FM by Minnesota public radio. Everything from deep cuts from Led Zeppelin to the latest hipster band to old blues and bunches of local state wide artists. They really cover the spectrum but lacking in metal which is ok. I just ran to the store and this was on the radio... Dandy Livingstone - Rudy a Message To You.

Minnesota Public Radio "The Current" playlist

As far as "selling out" goes...if you can make money off of some art/music you've made... Awesome

[mc_muench]

My Warwick is finally selling tonight...$300 back in the bank. Cool.

[OldCrow]

Fvck yes.

[mc_muench]

We got a few awesome public radio stations here in Milwaukee too, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee and 91.7 WMSE. But they lack in metal as well besides being played for an hour on Sunday at like midnight.

[bassboysam]

Originally Posted by OldCrow

Fvck yes.

Nice!

[Jason!]

Public radio all the way. On my way to get dinner I heard Castles Made of Sand (happy bday Jimi!) Planet Caravan and Mulatu Astatqe. I think they've played us or going to...without major label backing I don't believe it's possible to get anything good on a corporate station.

[Corey Y]

Originally Posted by Bur

Played last sunday with fellow band's drummer... That was hellova tetra-hydra-alcoholic gig... Made 3 songs & then just jammed... Kinda f***ed up a couple of times, but that's ok. Beware!!! Very dark & stupid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzKDVCKWz4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3PHmIaJByk

Sounds cool, I made this while I was listening to it...

[DethByDoom]

Word. Public radio is the way to go. I use the "tune in" app. If you guys have a good local station post it. Share the love. Need city, station name, and frequency.