Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[lucas303]

Shameless self promotion here. We've been working on getting everything ready to roll the last month or so after recording some demos in our practice space. We'll probably go this route for the remainder of the batch of 10-12 songs we've got going before throwing down cash on any sort of studio time. Anyway, it spills into some stoner/psych territory. So this seems like the place to share...

This is awesome! I bet you guys are great live.

 

[Deleted member 132197]

Shameless self promotion here. We've been working on getting everything ready to roll the last month or so after recording some demos in our practice space. We'll probably go this route for the remainder of the batch of 10-12 songs we've got going before throwing down cash on any sort of studio time. Anyway, it spills into some stoner/psych territory. So this seems like the place to share...

I added it to my wishlist to listen to during work this week

We're also prepping for our first EP. Haven't been in the studio for over ten years and can't wait. Also nice to be forced to finally finalise songs. And be more free to experiment. We're thinking about adding synth and bowed EUB.

 

[Grahams Groove]

Me too, we released the demo 3 days ago.
We made same as you the recording and mixing by ourselves in our reharsal space (TWICE ), it was so draining. Now I would only want to rest a bit but seems like the hardest part is yet to come.
I got in touch with some venues to find a gig, but they don't even give it a listen.
We already know 2 bands we could share a gig with, one of which is already an "established" band, but I don't know. All of this feels like talking to a wall. I don't even know to what point it's ok to insist before it becomes counterproductive. I feel so uncomfortable in all of this "public relations" crap.
I HATE public relations, I HATE promotion, I HATE networking.
I feel tired and I would gladly leave all of this to someone else.

Well, that's a bummer. We're not the most business savvy dudes, but are lucky to have pulled experience from our previous bands/projects. Plus, we've approached this as a passion project first and foremost. So the style, approach to writing, etc. is purely for our enjoyment first. I frankly don't know any other way to sustain a band without burning out or growing loathsome of the commitment required to make things work. Likewise, it helps that we've got some complementary skill sets between the three of us to organize the website, come up with graphic design/band images, etc. Anyway, I would say if it's just you doing the social, recording, promoting, booking, etc. ask the rest of the band for help. I think it's great for maintaining sanity when everyone is shouldering some of the load...

This is awesome! I bet you guys are great live.

Thanks man - I appreciate it. Getting the demos together and website up was kind of the precursor to trying to get some gigs. So hopefully that will start rolling in the next month or so. Definitely focused on being able to execute everything live first and foremost!

I added it to my wishlist to listen to during work this week

We're also prepping for our first EP. Haven't been in the studio for over ten years and can't wait. Also nice to be forced to finally finalise songs. And be more free to experiment. We're thinking about adding synth and bowed EUB.

Nice! Post your stuff here when it's done. Always interested to hear what other folks are doing in this thread, and I almost always give bandcamp/album links a spin when they pop up in this thread...

 

[xJasonSmithx]

I have a Walrus Polychrome flanger arriving tomorrow. I am pretty stoked, it is the last piece of gear that I consider a "need." I think it will be the perfect modulation pedal for me. I'll post some pics and thoughts once I have time to hook everything up and play it for a bit.

 

[lucas303]

I have a Walrus Polychrome flanger arriving tomorrow. I am pretty stoked, it is the last piece of gear that I consider a "need." I think it will be the perfect modulation pedal for me. I'll post some pics and thoughts once I have time to hook everything up and play it for a bit.

As a flanger fan, I'll be interested in your thoughts about it. If nothing else, the art on it is awesome.

 

[Deleted member 132197]

As a flanger fan, I'll be interested in your thoughts about it. If nothing else, the art on it is awesome.

same here! I ordered the polychrome some time ago on reverb but the seller decided after I paid that he didn’t want to sell anyway. Anyhoo. I’m quite happy with the BF-3. Which flanger is on your board atm?

 

[Andysalt01]

Me too, we released the demo 3 days ago.
We made same as you the recording and mixing by ourselves in our reharsal space (TWICE ), it was so draining. Now I would only want to rest a bit but seems like the hardest part is yet to come.
I got in touch with some venues to find a gig, but they don't even give it a listen.
We already know 2 bands we could share a gig with, one of which is already an "established" band, but I don't know. All of this feels like talking to a wall. I don't even know to what point it's ok to insist before it becomes counterproductive. I feel so uncomfortable in all of this "public relations" crap.
I HATE public relations, I HATE promotion, I HATE networking.
I feel tired and I would gladly leave all of this to someone else.

If it's any consolation, I think getting the first few gigs under your belt from a standing start is one of the hardest parts. Especially if you don't have previous band experience or relationships to be able to hit someone up.
Hopefully the studio time was rewarding. I always find the DIY stuff we do rewarding as I tend to learn through the experience whether it be engineering or during post.
I'm really bad at the networking thing. I plug away with emails most of the time and that's helped to build a few contacts/gigs / festivals but I'm generally lame at the real life stuff.
Bands can absorb loads of time and still feel like traction is difficult. If you can spread the load all the better to build social etc.
Hope you get some uptake soon as it's really rewarding, and ultimately hope you're finding it fun cause that's always been my number 1 out of it. Creating and making some music.

 

[oZZma]

I have a Walrus Polychrome flanger arriving tomorrow. I am pretty stoked, it is the last piece of gear that I consider a "need." I think it will be the perfect modulation pedal for me. I'll post some pics and thoughts once I have time to hook everything up and play it for a bit.

I had an MXR that I regret having sold... Probably I'll get another flanger. Curious about that Walrus Polychrome.
(Also looking for a phaser, any recommendation?)

If it's any consolation, I think getting the first few gigs under your belt from a standing start is one of the hardest parts. Especially if you don't have previous band experience or relationships to be able to hit someone up.
Hopefully the studio time was rewarding. I always find the DIY stuff we do rewarding as I tend to learn through the experience whether it be engineering or during post.
I'm really bad at the networking thing. I plug away with emails most of the time and that's helped to build a few contacts/gigs / festivals but I'm generally lame at the real life stuff.
Bands can absorb loads of time and still feel like traction is difficult. If you can spread the load all the better to build social etc.

As far as I can understand from this first "exploration", it's all about relationships. There are very few venues and a million bands. Venues don't even check the material you send to them. No one cares about the music.
We would have preferred to play in squats rather then actual "venues", but even there, looks like you need to be "buddies" with them, they don't even bother to check if your music is good or it sucks. My guess is that this situation would require me to go to other people's gigs even if their music is awful to my taste, "be around" and do a lot of this kind of hypocrite a$$ kissing, which I'm not willing to do. I'm too old for this crap.

Hope you get some uptake soon as it's really rewarding, and ultimately hope you're finding it fun cause that's always been my number 1 out of it. Creating and making some music.

I miss the good old times when the band was all about writing, and nothing else. All these social tasks are against my nature.

 

[Kaa]

Shameless self promotion here. We've been working on getting everything ready to roll the last month or so after recording some demos in our practice space. We'll probably go this route for the remainder of the batch of 10-12 songs we've got going before throwing down cash on any sort of studio time. Anyway, it spills into some stoner/psych territory. So this seems like the place to share...

Good stuff! To this tin-ear bass monkey, it sounds good enough to put out as is.

 

[xJasonSmithx]

I had the EHX Bass Clone chorus for a while and the crossover was cool. It has the ability to only effect the higher notes. Unfortunately, I’m the full band mix it seemed so subtle I could hardly tell when it was on.

I had an MXR that I regret having sold... Probably I'll get another flanger. Curious about that Walrus Polychrome.
(Also looking for a phaser, any recommendation?)

I owned a vintage Boss BF-2 and it seemed really subtle as well. It may have just been something wrong with that specific pedal or something in my signal chain though. I don't have a lot of experience with phasers but I had a vintage Ibanez PT-9 that was amazing. It was really lush and swirly sounding. It could get a little on the funky side if you wanted it to but not too funky in a bad, cheesy way if that makes any sense. I would have kept it for sure but I am working to pay off a credit card.

 

[lucas303]

same here! I ordered the polychrome some time ago on reverb but the seller decided after I paid that he didn’t want to sell anyway. Anyhoo. I’m quite happy with the BF-3. Which flanger is on your board atm?

Alexander F.13, which I fell for after watching this:

 

[oZZma]

I had the EHX Bass Clone chorus for a while and the crossover was cool. It has the ability to only effect the higher notes.

I didn't even know about this pedal until 5 minutes ago. Just sent a message to a seller. Thank you very much

(Just joking. I hope it will solve some huge problems I have with higher notes, which I use a lot)

I owned a vintage Boss BF-2 and it seemed really subtle as well. It may have just been something wrong with that specific pedal or something in my signal chain though. I don't have a lot of experience with phasers but I had a vintage Ibanez PT-9 that was amazing. It was really lush and swirly sounding. It could get a little on the funky side if you wanted it to but not too funky in a bad, cheesy way if that makes any sense. I would have kept it for sure but I am working to pay off a credit card.

I put my eyes on both the Boss flanger and phaser, because I don't want to spend too much. I'm not a fan of that footswitch tho, actually I would be glad to know if there is any of these pedals that comes with a momentary footswitch, because I plan to use them on short sections and I'm damn clumsy at switching pedals On and Off.

 

[xJasonSmithx]

I didn't even know about this pedal until 5 minutes ago. Just sent a message to a seller. Thank you very much

(Just joking. I hope it will solve some huge problems I have with higher notes, which I use a lot)


I put my eyes on both the Boss flanger and phaser, because I don't want to spend too much. I'm not a fan of that footswitch tho, actually I would be glad to know if there is any of these pedals that comes with a momentary footswitch, because I plan to use them on short sections and I'm damn clumsy at switching pedals On and Off.

the Boss BF-3 has a momentary mode you can select. The Polychrome also does momentary if you just keep your foot on the switch.

 

[oZZma]

the Boss BF-3 has a momentary mode you can select. The Polychrome also does momentary if you just keep your foot on the switch.

Wow! Good to know! Thank you!
Such a shame the Phaser doesn't seem to have the same feature

 

[Deleted member 132197]

I didn't even know about this pedal until 5 minutes ago. Just sent a message to a seller. Thank you very much

(Just joking. I hope it will solve some huge problems I have with higher notes, which I use a lot)


I put my eyes on both the Boss flanger and phaser, because I don't want to spend too much. I'm not a fan of that footswitch tho, actually I would be glad to know if there is any of these pedals that comes with a momentary footswitch, because I plan to use them on short sections and I'm damn clumsy at switching pedals On and Off.

the Boss BF-3 has a momentary mode you can select. The Polychrome also does momentary if you just keep your foot on the switch.

the BF-3 has a poopie ton of features for the price. Nor only the momentary switch, but also tap tempo! Which can be great to play around with in jams. Also, IMHO it gets very close to the BF-2, but a bit less muddy (the BF-2 I had sounded great, but a bit on the dark/muddy side)

 

[Deleted member 132197]

poopie ton

freaking content filters

 

[oZZma]

the BF-3 has a $H!T ton of features for the price. Nor only the momentary switch, but also tap tempo! Which can be great to play around with in jams. Also, IMHO it gets very close to the BF-2, but a bit less muddy (the BF-2 I had sounded great, but a bit on the dark/muddy side)

I love Boss pedals. They are so unfancy The only downside is the footswitch. I have a PS3 Delay with SO MANY amazing features it scares me I never managed to truly "use" it anywhere tho. I hope all those features on the flanger will not have the same effect on me


Oh, fixed that forum bug

 

[kleinenenten]

Alexander F.13, which I fell for after watching this:

Excane does more than distortion vids? I did not know that. This is quite a good video. Not a fan of his distortion vids, as I feel they all sound the same when he does his thing.

 

[lucas303]

as I feel they all sound the same when he does his thing.

That's how I feel about Patrick Hunter's demos. To my ears most things end up sounding virtually identical. Maybe that's what he's going for though, what do I know.

 

[br1qbat]

Me too, we released the demo 3 days ago.
We made same as you the recording and mixing by ourselves in our reharsal space (TWICE ), it was so draining. Now I would only want to rest a bit but seems like the hardest part is yet to come.
I got in touch with some venues to find a gig, but they don't even give it a listen.
We already know 2 bands we could share a gig with, one of which is already an "established" band, but I don't know. All of this feels like talking to a wall. I don't even know to what point it's ok to insist before it becomes counterproductive. I feel so uncomfortable in all of this "public relations" crap.
I HATE public relations, I HATE promotion, I HATE networking.
I feel tired and I would gladly leave all of this to someone else.

There's gotta be somewhere to start. Can't say I know a darn thing about the scene in Italy. You guys friends with any other bands? How about calling the venues and offering to open any relevant show? Is there any online fb groups or insta for local music in your area?

I probably have it easier than most being in the Midwest of the USA and near enough to a major metropolitan area [Detroit]. I know if I were in NYC or LA it would be harder to start out, but theres a few places that have no issues throwing unknowns on an off night.