Im totally hooked on Royal Blood right now, also a non doom bass/drum duo.
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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
So, I may have lost my mind but I'm thinking of dumping that drummer that I've been jamming with. Everything is cool when I'm in the room and playing music with the guy, but I feel like every time that concludes and we're text and/or emailing back and forth it's a totally different story. Likes he's constantly trying to passive aggressively push me to different styles of music and blowing off my opinions/requests on things. I got us a guitarist, my good friend who's totally into the music and willing to show up for practice every week, and every few days he's telling me about new guitarists he's talking to and wanting to try out (who never show up and never want to play the style of music I'm writing). On top of the other stuff I've already chronicled a couple times before on here, sending me edited versions of recorded jams that change the whole thing and cut half the parts out, constantly saying he's into the music I'm writing (I'm the only one writing anything, he responded to MY ad) and then suggesting we bring in other people to add things that make no sense to the music (I mentioned the post rock influence suggestion thing, I'm writing heavy stoner riffs, like the jams I play in my gear demos). I think I just want to stick with writing riffs with my friend on guitar and sequencing simple drum beats, then just look for a drummer later. I like the guy personally and we have great chemistry in the room together while jamming, I just feel like he's paying me lip service and covertly steering me in whatever direction he wants to go. I even told him I've been the primary songwriter in bands before where everyone just kept rejecting the style and asking me to write more songs until I didn't even like the music (that I wrote) and didn't want to be in the band anymore. So I would think he'd get the hint that I want to play the style I'm writing and either go with it or move on. My wife said I'm not trusting my gut enough and it seems obvious that he's a nice guy, but just doesn't want to do what I do and is just trying to change it without being confrontational or honest and I'm just weary to kick him to the curb because it's been so hard to find a drummer.
They've been around a long time. They broke up a few years ago and just recently got back together and recorded that album. I was a big fan of their last album and the new one is good too. My infant son likes them. I've played them for him a few times and he bounces around and looks around at the invisible tunes swirling around his head.
Non-SD, but there's another kick-ass Bass/Drum duo. I'm probably the last to find out. Death From Above 1979. I watched the video and I was thinking to myself that the riffs were choice, but I could not hear the bass guitar. Wait to the credits to get the band info, look 'em up, and find out there's *only* bass guitar.
vimeo.com/107372990
vimeo.com/107372990
They've been around a long time. They broke up a few years ago and just recently got back together and recorded that album. I was a big fan of their last album and the new one is good too. My infant son likes them. I've played them for him a few times and he bounces around and looks around at the invisible tunes swirling around his head.
Yeah Corey it sounds like he's just not that into it. Which is poopy. Best to figure that out now instead of spending more time and effort on a project that you won't be satisfied with.
I wish that I had figured out that things weren't working out in the last band a little faster than I did. It was kind of the same thing, we'd all get together and talk about what we wanted to do, I would say what I needed to happen for me to be happy with the band, would get lip service agreeing with what I said only to have the weird passive-aggressive attempts to control start again almost immediately. I should have listened to my gut and walked - there would have been a lot less anger and negativity going around.
I wish that I had figured out that things weren't working out in the last band a little faster than I did. It was kind of the same thing, we'd all get together and talk about what we wanted to do, I would say what I needed to happen for me to be happy with the band, would get lip service agreeing with what I said only to have the weird passive-aggressive attempts to control start again almost immediately. I should have listened to my gut and walked - there would have been a lot less anger and negativity going around.
Also PSA:
I don't know if any of you guys are familiar with the band Rival Sons, I hadn't heard of them until yesterday. Anyway - they are booked to play a show here in WI, there's a local stoner band called Carbellion that's been around for at least 10 years that was supposed to open the show. They spent the last few months promoting the poopie out of the gig only to have Rival Sons decide that they didn't want any local openers on the bill the day before the show. Apparently they threatened to cancel their appearance entirely if any local bands were allowed to play the show.
So, just a heads up if any of you guys are slotted to open for them on the current tour or have a chance to open for them in the future. They pulled a serious dick move and shafted a couple of really good Wisconsin bands out of a gig. So player beware...
I don't know if any of you guys are familiar with the band Rival Sons, I hadn't heard of them until yesterday. Anyway - they are booked to play a show here in WI, there's a local stoner band called Carbellion that's been around for at least 10 years that was supposed to open the show. They spent the last few months promoting the poopie out of the gig only to have Rival Sons decide that they didn't want any local openers on the bill the day before the show. Apparently they threatened to cancel their appearance entirely if any local bands were allowed to play the show.
So, just a heads up if any of you guys are slotted to open for them on the current tour or have a chance to open for them in the future. They pulled a serious dick move and shafted a couple of really good Wisconsin bands out of a gig. So player beware...
I'm basically typecast into playing in metal bands since I did it for so long. Ill get to the point where I give up tying to do a different style and then play metal again. I know deep down I would rather play something else and I where that on my sleeve. I still give my all to projects but I always express that I like other things more. I know not to push other people to do other things since that is the type of music I agreed to do coming in. I may try to sneak in some of the other styles I like, but I won't try to change the band that I joined. In this case I think he should know what your into and maybe mix in his style but not to the point that compromises your vision. Granted I don't exactly know what post rock is, but maybe their is a middle ground(?).
Corey if you don't see it working out, it will be easier to walk away now than later.
That sucks about Rival Sons. I like them. They are pretty big, I'd be surprised if it was actually the BAND making this decision. They're at the point where they are told when and where they are playing, show up and play their set. I'd be surprised if it wasn't the manager or label or booking agent or whatever doing this, or that someone screwed up when they booked the show. I'm assuming that info is coming from that local band. It's also possible the promoter or venue is lying to them because they shaged up.
That sucks about Rival Sons. I like them. They are pretty big, I'd be surprised if it was actually the BAND making this decision. They're at the point where they are told when and where they are playing, show up and play their set. I'd be surprised if it wasn't the manager or label or booking agent or whatever doing this, or that someone screwed up when they booked the show. I'm assuming that info is coming from that local band. It's also possible the promoter or venue is lying to them because they shaged up.
I have nothing against post rock or the particular bands he keeps bringing up (Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky), it's just nothing like the music I want to play or write. I've played him tons of tracks of bands similar in style to what I want to do and my own demo clips, so there's no confusion.
For example, Mogwai:
The riffs I sent him that I jammed out with my buddy on guitar...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I appreciate the feedback guys. My instincts are a little f*cked up for dealing with bandmates now, after all the flakiness I've been dealing with the past couple years now. I'm pretty set on politely letting him go. He already told me he's going to pursue a second project with that post rock guitarist, who didn't like the songs I wrote apparently and had no interest in playing with us (duh). Even though he told me the first time we jammed that he never does side projects.
For example, Mogwai:
The riffs I sent him that I jammed out with my buddy on guitar...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I appreciate the feedback guys. My instincts are a little f*cked up for dealing with bandmates now, after all the flakiness I've been dealing with the past couple years now. I'm pretty set on politely letting him go. He already told me he's going to pursue a second project with that post rock guitarist, who didn't like the songs I wrote apparently and had no interest in playing with us (duh). Even though he told me the first time we jammed that he never does side projects.
Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me either. I know it wasn't the venue and I believe you if you're saying that it doesn't seem like something the band would do. Just a poopy situation all around.
Al Cisneros does.
Also thanks for the good words dude. Glad you guys like it!
Show last night number 4 in 4 weeks, or is it 5? I dont know its been alot. But pulling my 810 out of my wagon a wheel came off the cab...I had to one wheel it the whole night. That was fun.
Sounds like the drummer is really set on a different sound than you want and is just trying to passive-aggressively steer you in that direction because he knows damn well it's at least as hard for him to find a good bassist as it is for you to find a good drummer.
Dig the riffs! Tell him you are only interested in playing post, post rock. Maybe run a hot wire over to his pedals and every time he doesn't conform you give him a quick zap LOL. I say trade him for the drum machine. You would think with drums you wouldn't even care what genre you are playing as you still get to be Animal from the Muppets.
@Corey Y
Have you tried bringing an external drive or something and getting the raw tracks immediately after practice?
That way you could do your own editing and present what you want to the drummer objectively.
Then see if he's on board. Some folks really are bad at communicating verbally about music arrangement.
I've had too many conversations that sounds like, "play that riff where you do the thing with the pedal that sounds so good. You mean the verse with the Chorus, or the chorus with the Distortion?"
Have you tried bringing an external drive or something and getting the raw tracks immediately after practice?
That way you could do your own editing and present what you want to the drummer objectively.
Then see if he's on board. Some folks really are bad at communicating verbally about music arrangement.
I've had too many conversations that sounds like, "play that riff where you do the thing with the pedal that sounds so good. You mean the verse with the Chorus, or the chorus with the Distortion?"
Yeah, I'm not saying it couldn't have happened the way you described, but that it could have also happened a bunch of other ways and the local band only knows what the promoter told them.
I feel like a band that has played in front of tens of thousands of people at once has bigger fish to fry than to try to boot a local opener off their show in Wisconsin last minute.
Yeah corey I think you should part ways with him. The genres seem to have a similar tempo but polar opposite styles. Maybe thats why he came aboard. Maybe he thought you could just lighten up the tunes you have. Unfortunately sounds like its time to call your old drummer Al (esis).
As much as I know what you're talking about, it's definitely not that. I'm talking about recording a full song, so the arrangement is clear because we played it, and ask to have the files sent to me. Then he just edited everything and created a completely different song and sent me that. So just not at all what I asked for in the room. I don't think it's malicious, I just think it's what everyone is sort of agreeing on. He hasn't been able to find anyone who have their sh*t together and figured he'd work on just slyly getting me to do someone other than what I wanted. I don't hate the guy, he's cool, his behavior is just aggravating.
Yeah, well, I do have a Superior Drummer (2.0).
People's behavior is generally why I hate them.
Have you directly expressed your concerns to him about his backseat (backbeat) driving?
I know that most people don't like confrontations but not voicing your issues is just as passive aggressive as what he's doing.
If you've been direct about this already feel free to give me the STFU.
Have you directly expressed your concerns to him about his backseat (backbeat) driving?
I know that most people don't like confrontations but not voicing your issues is just as passive aggressive as what he's doing.
If you've been direct about this already feel free to give me the STFU.
