Stoner/DOOM Bassists thread part 38: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Smoke.

[Ron Now]

Yeah, we're UK bound in late April...we're stoked.

[JoeVictim]

Originally Posted by Ron Now

Yeah, we're UK bound in late April...we're stoked.

I guess you guys finally opened the practice space door then, huh?

I thought that was a little funny.

Stoked for you, dude. Only country I have been to besides US is Canada. (not for music though)

[JoeVictim]

I had an idea for an elaborate entrance that would feature the previously linked "Intro" while a black clad figure approaches our amps and instruments and "blesses" them with "unholy" water.Then we go on stage and blow the doors off.

Drummer said, it's too much...

What are your guy's shows like? Anyone else trying to do something different?

We all play heavy music, but how far down are you guys going into the doom hole?

Next thread: Doom Hole

[Ron Now]

We didn't get into our practice space actually, the building owner had to come the next day to drill out and replace the deadbolt, so we have a new lock on the room. But had to miss out on a practice because of it. It was funny, but also pretty lame.

As far as the hooded figure blessing your stuff with unholy water, seems a little gimmicy to me, but outside of Gwar and Sunn, I prefer when a band just comes out and destroys without the need of theatrics.

That being said, there was a grind band out this way called HeWhoCorrupts that used to use a whole buisnessman gimmick that was really funny and entertaining to watch.

[mc_muench]

I would play the music intro and hold off on the unholy water boy, at least for now, when the band gets momentum then pull him out, that way people wonder who he is because theyve never seen him before.

[ampegfuzz]

I have an idea for and intro, walk on stage to this

http://youtu.be/goZqYXcZtKY

With a mariachi beginning to that.

[JoeVictim]

Yeah, Ron. Not as much as an impact these days. Now, if this was the '70s or '80s...

There is a thin line between trying to put on a show and being gimmicky. I really hope we don't come off as gimmicky with the intro I made up.

[JoeVictim]

Originally Posted by mc_muench

I would play the music intro and hold off on the unholy water boy, at least for now, when the band gets momentum then pull him out, that way people wonder who he is because theyve never seen him before.

Thanks, MC. I was just about to PM you since I think you were the only one to comment about it originally.

We are definitely going to just stick with the intro music for now. I don't know where the black robe social club gathers to even ask someone to help.

[Lazarus.Bird]

Right now we open with the "can you dig it" sound clip from warriors. Then between songs we have some spacey sound effects and sometimes sound clips that are either funny or science related. Anything to fight the silence.

[Ron Now]

It definitely is a fine line between gimmicky and putting on a show for sure.

I've found that a cool yet simple light show/effect can really bring a whole new level to performances. Especially over skits, theatrics, and costumes.

Early Russian Circles shows they used to perform with 3 red flood lights (one pointing at the guitar amps, one at the bass amp, and one in the kick. And then they'd have the room turn off the rest of the lights, it would make everything very dramatic looking, plus that band always was tight and sounded great...which definitely helped make their shows rememberable.

A friend's band Native does/did something sort of like what Young Widows does. Anytime they get "loud" they kicked on floodlights and vice versa when they would play quiet, but it was a cool dramatic effect.

The best example is Sigur Ros, they are one of my favorite bands and absolutely mesmerising live. I saw them a few times on the Takk tour and they all dressed normal, played their songs, and had a really cool light show with a backdrop that would play scences and such...those were some of the best concerts I had ever seen. When they came back through on the next album (which title is entirely too long to remember) gone was the simple lightshow and back drop and in came weird costumes, stage pieces, confetti, and more elaborate backdrop scenes. It wasn't as impressive, it was more distracting than anything.

[Toastfuzz]

Originally Posted by Lazarus.Bird

Anything to fight the silence.

We're the farthest thing from a drone band, but between all our songs me and the guitarist just let our rigs drone feedback and I rock around my wah and punch my bass until drummer calls the next one. Gawd I cant wait to play this show

[JoeVictim]

Thanks Ron. Experience is sometimes the best advice. I agree with light stuff.


If I could find some projector thing to just shine the Still Valley image Corey did up on our amps, that would be cool enough for me.

The oil projector is overdone.

My drummers old band played with the gun fight sequence of an old western slowed down. It was like a frame a second or something crazy. They took a 5 minute scene and put it into their 30 minute set. It was way rad, but the locals would already know we are biting the other band...

Oh well. I'll do this organ synth/backward vocal thing and keep it at that for now. Lighting was definitely in the plans. As simple as Jucifer's lights are, they are really cool.

[JoeVictim]

This is all Ghost's fault...

[Toastfuzz]

Originally Posted by JoeVictim

If I could find some projector thing to just shine the Still Valley image Corey did up on our amps, that would be cool enough for me.

Figure out a way to do it Bat signal / stenciled silhouette style. Then don't get mad when I eventually copy your stellar idea.

[Jason Hall]

Fog machines... lots and lots of fog machines...

[Ancient Tone]

My current band (Drop Electric) utilizes a simple light show. We set up a few LED flood lights either set on one color or set to fade between colors in unison, and then when we hit our hard and heavy parts our video guy kicks on the strobe lights. We also always have video playing on a back drop or on the wall behind us, we generally have set videos for songs and we have a dedicated video guy who controls all of that through a laptop and video projector. We've gotten numerous compliments on our visual show, which really helps if your band is mainly instrumental.

[dunwichamps]

im on a terrible gear bender, just bought an el cap but man it sounds so nice

[eyeballkid]

skip.. I checked that out... pretty cool. some of it may be a little challenging to put bass to that's interesting and fitting... but i'm up for the challenge.... pm me the details you're thinking....

[Ancient Tone]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

skip.. I checked that out... pretty cool. some of it may be a little challenging to put bass to that's interesting and fitting... but i'm up for the challenge.... pm me the details you're thinking....

Will do!

[The_Janitor]

An old stoner rock band I was in had a super-cheap light show. I bought a cheap fog machine at one of those halloween stores' after halloween sale. We also had a cheap spinning globe with colored lenses that shot out rays of colored light. I'd put it and the fog machine under my drum throne, and would let the fog rip a couple of times per set. People loved it. I had clear heads on my kick drum, so you could see the colored lights flashing through the kick drum. We got drunken rave reviews about that. Also, lots of requests for MORE SMOKE!

Another cool thing: If anyone is familiar with the old stoner band Volume, when I saw them they had strobe lights taped to the top of their stacks. They had them plugged into one of those christmas tree footswitches that lets you turn on the christmas lights without crawling under the tree. When they got to a heavy/fast/solo part the singer would kick on the strobe lights. It was very effective and very cool.