The New, New Julie Slick Thread

[JimmyM]

I just started a new thread here:

The new Adrian Belew Band (feat. Julie Slick) on tour

... to spread the word about the new Adrian Belew tour. Looks like they're covering enough ground to accommodate almost everyone (except for @JimmyM, as usual).

They hate me, that's all it can be.

 

[Lobster11]

They hate me, that's all it can be.

Maybe they fear you.

 

[Lobster11]

Here's the official video for one of the tunes from EchoTest's new Daughter of Ocean:



If you think this is dark, wait until you hear the whole album. I just listened to it start-to-finish again last night for the umpteenth time and I'm tellin' you, every minute of it is a masterpiece. No joke.

Also, for your entertainment pleasure, here's a just-posted vid of Julie with the Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense, getting her Tina Weymouth on singing (!) Genius of Love:

 

[Lobster11]

New interview in Bass Magazine:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Lobster11]

Here's a much easier-to-read version of the Bass Magazine interview:

https://bassmagazine.com/artists/julie-slick-the-rebirth-of-slick

 

[JohnArnson]

Love her bass playing, she's among my favorite top 10 bass players, but I am not a big fan of EchoTest, like her work with Adrian Belew much better.

Regardless she got some seriously impressive experimental/progressive rock chops, and, referring to the latest Bass Magazine interview with her, I too think thinking is evil, or at least to some extend, and definitely seriously overrated compared to intuition.

 

[Lobster11]

Love her bass playing, she's among my favorite top 10 bass players, but I am not a big fan of EchoTest, like her work with Adrian Belew much better.

Regardless she got some seriously impressive experimental/progressive rock chops, and, referring to the latest Bass Magazine interview with her, I too think thinking is evil, or at least to some extend, and definitely seriously overrated compared to intuition.

EchoTest certainly isn't for everybody, so I understand if you don't like it as well as the Belew stuff. But -- which EchoTest albums have you heard? The last two, From Two Balconies and Daughter of Ocean, are very different from the first two, featuring more vocals and more instrumentation: They sound much more like "rock albums" than the sparser earlier stuff. So if you've only heard Fourth Dementia and Le Fil Rouge, you owe it to yourself to listen to the latter albums.

Also, have you checked out Julie's two pre-EchoTest "solo" albums? Each is populated with an amazing assortment of guest players, varying from track to track, including Robert Fripp (via sampled soundscapes) on three tunes from the self-titled Julie Slick, and an appearance by Adrian Belew on one tune from Terroir. Both of these albums are now available for free listening on YouTube, so you can try before you buy:

 

[JohnArnson]

EchoTest certainly isn't for everybody, so I understand if you don't like it as well as the Belew stuff. But -- which EchoTest albums have you heard? The last two, From Two Balconies and Daughter of Ocean, are very different from the first two, featuring more vocals and more instrumentation: They sound much more like "rock albums" than the sparser earlier stuff. So if you've only heard Fourth Dementia and Le Fil Rouge, you owe it to yourself to listen to the latter albums.

Also, have you checked out Julie's two pre-EchoTest "solo" albums? Each is populated with an amazing assortment of guest players, varying from track to track, including Robert Fripp (via sampled soundscapes) on three tunes from the self-titled Julie Slick, and an appearance by Adrian Belew on one tune from Terroir. Both of these albums are now available for free listening on YouTube, so you can try before you buy:

I haven't heard any full albums, just random tracks and concert snips, but it's actually the other way around, I liked the weirder slightly more experimental incarnation of EchoTest better than the new more rock oriented and slightly more mainstream incarnation of the duo, still not enough to listen to any of it for the pure sake of enjoying the compositions though, outside of curiosity and respect for Julia Slicks obvious talent, and I still like Adrian Belew's stuff better.

I hate to say this, cause I really do love Julia Slick's bass play and think she is a very talented musician, but somehow it comes off to me as trying too hard to be artistic, and failing due to lack of real substance, this goes especially for the newer incarnation of EchoTest.

Don't get me wrong I love weird and artistic music, that is if there's a real point with it and it is used to express something with real substance, weird and artistic can still be interesting just for the sake of it though, but it isn't likely something you feel much like going back to really.

But I do actually seem to recall having heard some tracks long ago by a project she had with her brother at some point, "paper" something, if my memory serves me, on Bandcamp, and I actually really liked that.

PS: Haven't heard those two albums you link to, listening now and will get back with a comment on them when I am done listening.

Edit after having listened a bit to "Mela":

I really liked the first track on "Mela", reminds me of a somewhat post rocky instrumental Mr. Bungle and perhaps I detect a slight John Zorn vibe, the second track is great too, sounds like a happy musically talented psychotic could have written that piece, I like that perspective, definitely promising, and much more me than EchoTest.

Will get back and listen to the rest.

 

[Lobster11]

But I do actually seem to recall having heard some tracks long ago by a project she had with her brother at some point, "paper" something, if my memory serves me, on Bandcamp, and I actually really liked that.

Right, that was the short-lived band "Paper Cat," with brother Eric on drums and Robbie "Seahag" Mangano on (baritone) guitar. They never managed to get an album together because they all became so busy with other projects, but there are a couple of live shows available on Youtube that aren't too hard to find.

PS: Haven't heard those two tracks you link to, listening now and will get back with a comment on them when I am done listening.

Edit after having listened a bit to "Mela":

I really liked the first track on "Mela", reminds me of a somewhat post rocky instrumental Mr. Bungle and perhaps I detect a slight John Zorn vibe, the second track is great too, sounds like a happy musically talented psychotic could have written that piece, I like that perspective, definitely promising, and much more me than EchoTest.

Will get back and listen to the rest.

By the way, that's Marco Minnemann on drums on the second track. Interested to hear what you think of the rest of the album....

 

[Lobster11]

EchoTest's set from the recent SeaProg festival:

 

[CryingBass]

Thanks Claws.

I have one of those Roland VB99's, and have done that same move before at the beginning.

Too bad I can't play Bass. So glad Julie can. But - is it Bass anymore?

 

[Lobster11]

Thanks Claws.

I have one of those Roland VB99's, and have done that same move before at the beginning.

Too bad I can't play Bass. So glad Julie can. But - is it Bass anymore?

Hey, thanks for the nickname. I like "Claws" much better than, say, "Stalk Eyes" or "Meaty Tail."

Is it "bass"? For the time being, at least, I'm gonna continue to call it "bass" because (1) the instrument itself is definitely a bass; (2) although she often plays it like a guitar, she and Marco often switch roles mid-song so she's playing the bass part while Marco goes high; and (3) she calls it "bass." Whatever you call it, though, I think it is ground-breaking, pioneering stuff -- and I wish more people realized it!

 

[Lobster11]

 

[Lobster11]

So, last Saturday we had our (almost-) annual visit from Julie for a house concert in Richmond VA. As in previous years, this was at the house where one of my "hobby" bands plays (almost) weekly, so lots of gear was already set up in the room. This year she came to do a solo set -- which was (of course) awesome -- but then, for the first time, a couple of my band mates and I joined her for a totally improvised jam of 45 minutes or so. I'm still waiting to receive recordings of her set and the after-jam, but here's a pic from the jam session:

 

[Lobster11]

Here's a new (audio-only) interview with Julie:



It sounds like there could be a lot of interesting new things to look out for in 2020, including the possibilities of an EchoTest tour and some new collaborations. Stay tuned!

 

[CryingBass]

Another great JS post. Great interview. Tour = Bike on Fire. That would make a great band name.

And you got to jam with her? Now I gotta call you 'King Claws' !

Thanks for these posts. Like you might have said, I find it odd that Julie has not gotten as much attention as she deserves ( along with her brother! ) on TB.

Keep it up buddy!

 

[Lobster11]

Another great JS post. Great interview. Tour = Bike on Fire. That would make a great band name.

And you got to jam with her? Now I gotta call you 'King Claws' !

Thanks for these posts. Like you might have said, I find it odd that Julie has not gotten as much attention as she deserves ( along with her brother! ) on TB.

Keep it up buddy!

Thanks for all that. Always glad to know that at least someone is listening and appreciating this thread.

Yeah, love the bit about how going out on tour is "just like riding a bike -- except the bike is on fire..."

Don't know if I deserve a promotion just for having gotten the opportunity to jam with her, though. Maybe you should hear the tapes first. But it sure was fun!

 

[bench]

Thanks for all that. Always glad to know that at least someone is listening and appreciating this thread.

Yeah, love the bit about how going out on tour is "just like riding a bike -- except the bike is on fire..."

Don't know if I deserve a promotion just for having gotten the opportunity to jam with her, though. Maybe you should hear the tapes first. But it sure was fun!

Do you by any chance know what kind of pick she uses. I have seen her with .73 Tortex, thin Planet Waves Celluloids (Triangles and Teardrops...) or does she use what´s there??

 

[Lobster11]

For the last few years she's been using the .70 D'Addario/Planet Waves celluloids:

https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Rainbow-Celluloid-Guitar-Medium/dp/B00E9SX6JQ

I'm 100% certain about this because I have several that I've gotten directly from her over the last few years. (This way they come with mojo already built-in!)

BTW, a trick she taught me was to pick with one of the rounded "corners" rather than the pointy tip.

 

[bench]

For the last few years she's been using the .70 D'Addario/Planet Waves celluloids:

https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Rainbow-Celluloid-Guitar-Medium/dp/B00E9SX6JQ

I'm 100% certain about this because I have several that I've gotten directly from her over the last few years. (This way they come with mojo already built-in!)

BTW, a trick she taught me was to pick with one of the rounded "corners" rather than the pointy tip.

thanks a lot! i already do the round edge thing because of bobby vega does she use those for the slick six and the normal basses?