Will the Studio Save my Band?

[ilovethesechord]

I am playing bass in a power trio of sorts, we are called "Prof. Oak." The drummer and I both played our respective "first show" roughly 2 years ago, and since then, have been developing a gnarly groove with a decidedly post rock kind of sound. I enjoy riffing off of the drummer, Wyatt, and trying to find new ways to accent his special personal style/groove.

Around 5 months ago, I bought my first bass guitar, got an amazing deal on a massive TE head, and found a good cabinet at my local pawn shop. I slapped some very expensive flatwound strings on the bass, and I fell in love. Almost immediately after Wyatt and I grooved out our first holy bass + drum jam, I looked at Wyatt and asked him a question that I had never asked a musically inclined friend before: "Will you commit to a band with me?"

He said yes, and we both saw that it was good.

ENTER ZACK!

Zack is our current guitarist. He is good. I am so fond of his playing that he can actually melt my face; his solo playing is so powerful that I cannot help but burst into a smile and lower my head like some bashful kind of bubbly puppy fuzz dog.. or, something like that.

I asked Zack to practice one day, he came, we jammed, and we all saw that it was good.

We had been together no more that 2 months (that's exactly 6 practices) when we got our first gig - we had all decided we were so good at this "music" thing that we could go on stage and knock out a 30 minute set. We had no rehearsed material, only a handful of modular riffs and a loop machine.

...at the end of our jam, the audience of primarily christian high school kids was so fierce I had to cover my ears - these people were louder than the stage volume!

Our second gig was fun too - at this point though, the sparkle had faded and our rock stardom from the first gig had worn off. We made 160 bucks though, had a blast, and were generally well received.

*Here Is Where We Stand Now*

Currently, I am Zack's personal chauffeur; I drive him (and possibly his girlfriend) to and from practice every Thursday. Our practice has deteriorated from an AMAZING outlet for the deepest most expressive corners of my soul to standing around while Zack "teaches" us the new song were going to play.

Zack, confident in his guitar playing virtuosity, no longer feels the need to jam.

Wyatt, on the other hand, is forced to over play, in a futile attempt to add rhythm to Zack's robotic song writing approach.


...we are all frustrated! I'm not having fun at practice, Zack cannot seem to submit the "rhythm section" into slavery, and Wyatt, due to Zack's refusal to syncopate, feels he has zero creative input and is ultimately replaceable. however, if he were to drop out of the band, he would leave us with no place to practice.

Here is the Zinger, though. For one reason or another, there has been no practice for three weeks. My TE head is blown out on the left output stage, and the speakers on my cabinet are all torn or are beginning to tear. In Oct. I will be taking my Head to a repair shop, (while it is still barely under warranty) Re coning my cabinet, and repairing the 4th member or the band (the looping synth section) This will effectively disable the band for an unforeseeable amount of time. Meanwhile, I am a part time student at a community college, and am still learning music theory, playing piano, and saving money for a new guitar to record my solo projects in a nice studio.

I feel like the best thing to do would be to take the band into said studio, (very very cheap basement/friend studio) and record, record, record. Jam for as long as we can, nail down all of Zack's song ideas, and create several rhythm tracks for Zack to nail down himself, so he can try to learn how to better accommodate Wyatt and I. this way, even though we cant practice, we will all be able to take something home and study.

Is this a good idea?

-Trent

[JimmyM]

Eh, people's personalities aren't going to change because of the studio. I personally wouldn't waste the money on it at this point. I'd wait till you can make the band more stable, otherwise you're throwing good money after bad IMHO.

[bertbassplayer]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Eh, people's personalities aren't going to change because of the studio.

+1, the studio can bring out the WORST in people too.

[Alaska Bass]

+1. You are wasting your LIFE, not just your time, hoping beyond hope for a change in direction from an inevitable course. Move on with your life, using these gear issues as a non-offensive parting method if necessary.

Continue to grow and expand, pushing your creativity while reinforcing your knowledge base.

[kaputsport]

I say go back to playing shows... No practice, just 30 minute jams...

[DanAleks]

So, you found a drummer you can really groove with, Wyatt.
You added a guitarist that can play his butt off, Zack.

Zack has changed the rules of the band, when and what he will do. He refuses to jam, he "teaches" you the new songs, you have to drive him to practice.

Wyatt has had to change his style to accommodate Zack. I'll guess the change in Wyatt's playing has affected your playing, too.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

You have what is referred to as a "prima donna".
With all the carping I hear about bad drummers, do you really think it's a good idea to let a prima donna guitarist potentially break up the band?

And when I say "the band", I mean you and Wyatt.
Doctor Dan prescribes a new guitar player.

[stflbn]

The studio will give them all decent demo material to find new bands with at least...

[Kenny Allyn]

Originally Posted by ilovethesechord

I enjoy riffing off of the drummer, Wyatt, and trying to find new ways to accent his special personal style/groove.

I read this post and find some things a bit confusing

You say you did a show (your first one) that is an unstructured jam? Later I read Zack is offering up some "robotic" structure, the two seem opposed to each other? If that is the heart of the problem (musically speaking) then it seems this cross direction points to the fact that not everyone is on the same page so to speak. That leads me to think that recording anything would be a waste of time until the issue is resolved?

...

[basslinejam]

Originally Posted by bertbassplayer

+1, the studio can bring out the WORST in people too.

+1
When I read the thread title, my immediate reaction was, "NO! - it's the OPPOSITE!" If a band does not have good habits and ok interpersonal understandings, the studio experience can rip you apart.

[megadan]

I think you and the drummer should go into the studio and record.

Then find lots of hot **** guitarists to record over your material. You could make some amazing music that way.

[kraigo]

Studios have destroyed far more bands than they've saved. The red light increases any pressures, it doesn't decrease them.

KO

[baba]

Originally Posted by bertbassplayer

+1, the studio can bring out the WORST in people too.

+1

Why not just buy a Zoom H2 for less than $200 and record ideas as you rehearse? Then listen back as a group. One of you can then cull out the agreed good stuff and email mp3's to everyone for further listening/input. It's a great way to get material together. Plus you can record your gigs and do the same.

[NKBassman]

Originally Posted by basslinejam

+1
When I read the thread title, my immediate reaction was, "NO! - it's the OPPOSITE!" If a band does not have good habits and ok interpersonal understandings, the studio experience can rip you apart.

+1

[jgroh]

are you and the drummer only interested in jamming with no thought out song structure, or do you want to put together real songs? It might just be a case to where the guitarist is taking the wheel because no one else is. I think you should communicate what you are feeling with the others and if that doesnt work it out, you and the drummer find someone else.

[NKBassman]

Originally Posted by megadan

I think you and the drummer should go into the studio and record.

Then find lots of hot **** guitarists to record over your material. You could make some amazing music that way.

This.

[john turner]

if i were you i'd record all that you got, and then give it a listen, objectively as possible, to hear what works and what doesn't. your prespective on these things might not be the same as the other guys'.

but i'd still definitely get it recorded. you want to have a record of what you've done.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by jgroh

are you and the drummer only interested in jamming with no thought out song structure, or do you want to put together real songs? It might just be a case to where the guitarist is taking the wheel because no one else is. I think you should communicate what you are feeling with the others and if that doesnt work it out, you and the drummer find someone else.

+1 Talk about what is going on with everyone first. Don't just start doing something. Get it all out in the open and let everyone have their say. Try to remain calm and not get mad if others disagree, and then make a decision on the future of the band and you're role in it, if any.

[Getaway Driver]

Originally Posted by DanAleks

So, you found a drummer you can really groove with, Wyatt.
You added a guitarist that can play his butt off, Zack.

Zack has changed the rules of the band, when and what he will do. He refuses to jam, he "teaches" you the new songs, you have to drive him to practice.

Wyatt has had to change his style to accommodate Zack. I'll guess the change in Wyatt's playing has affected your playing, too.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

You have what is referred to as a "prima donna".
With all the carping I hear about bad drummers, do you really think it's a good idea to let a prima donna guitarist potentially break up the band?

And when I say "the band", I mean you and Wyatt.
Doctor Dan prescribes a new guitar player.

+1 BILLION

This guitarist doesn't want to be in a band with you, he wants YOU to be in HIS BAND. We kicked out a singer for that same reason and it's the best decision we ever made.

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by megadan

I think you and the drummer should go into the studio and record.

Then find lots of hot **** guitarists to record over your material. You could make some amazing music that way.

I like this idea. A lot. Might be kind of hard to track just drums and bass with no guitar for a guide track, but if the OP and his drummer have their stuff down cold it can be done.

Heck, the guest guitarists might even come up with stuff that's better than the diva guitarist they're working with now.

And BTW, the whole idea of going into the studio to "save" a band is a lot like having a kid to "save" a marriage. It may work... for awhile... but if the foundational stuff is broken it's only a temporary -- and potentially, very expensive -- fix.

[Crazyeelboy]

ilovethesechord - your situation seems to be either 1) Zack is just a pushy egomaniac and you need to get rid of him or 2) Zack is trying to put some structure into your music and you need to work with him. Look at this objectively and decide what to do.