Thoughts on being a Musician/Being in Bands

Bands are weird. When I was a teenager, I just thought that bands were a combination of talented musicians who rocked - and that it came naturally to them ("that" being kind of an unknown to me - I didn't start thinking about the songwriting process until I was actually in school. Even when writing songs as a teenager, I didn't see it as a process - it just happened.)

Nevermind the concept of ego and personality. Or drug abuse. Or not doing a damn thing for the band. All this stuff didn't exist - people in bands were just better at playing their instrument or singing or something then I was. At least when I was a teenager.

Howevah, as ah gawt oldah, more experienced, more perceptive, ah started realizin that a band is a family. N like any family, thar are always issues. Sometimes thar minor, sometimes thar nawt, but tha big thang is you have no control over them.

You don't - who knows where yer drummer is coming from? Who knows what the lead singers 2nd grade gym coach said to them? Who knows what yer gawna hafta deal with next? N is it even manageable?

From these kinds of points, ah started to piece togetha that a successful band is nawt just a combination of a few great musicians. It is also tha example of a great fit (or lack thereof) of personalities and vision. The bassist might be the best damn funk bassist on the planet but if he's stuck playing rap-metal, it's likely tha band won't make it above tha local scene. Or even last, especially if tha drummer keeps going through shit w. his girlfriend and/or methamphetamines. It's a total crapshoot!

This ties intae somethang ah also noticed in musick skool - that many of tha cats ah met were intae individuals, nawt bands. Ah've always liked bands - ah think ah responded ta meldin of tha minds, tha group effort, n tha combination of them all bein great playahs who in some instances had been rawkin out togetha fer decades.

Individuals have a great chance in many ways - once they've been established as someone worth working with. Also bein hot n makin money on tha tour circuit doesn't hurt.

It's as all these pieces were startin ta come togetha that ah started double-thinkin my initial plans as a musick student. Originally, ahd wanted ta be a professional musician. Howeveah ah was beginnin ta realize this meant one of two thangs: 1)Find a band that works and stick with it (meanin, git a shite job ta pay fer it) er 2)Find someone with connections n gae on tour/in tha studio w. them (which means givin up a lawt of control ovah tha type of musick as makin).

Neitha of these were thangs ah COULDN'T dae, but ah realized (ratha quickly) that ah DIDN'T WANT TO! Apparently ah would ratha have a standard, borin job of some sort that did nawt feed me emotionally, musickally, spiritually, etc., so that ah could keep my musick as personal n somethang ah cared about.

This is all pretty idealistic in my opinion now - especially cuz ah've realized ahm STILL playin intae one of those two paradigms. Findin musicians ta werk with is NAWT EASY. At least good ones that ah like hangin out with AND enjoy tha musick we're creatin. N even in my best case scenarios, ahm still comprimisin.

Ah play in two pop-ish bands rite now - n ah like em. Ah like it a fair amount actually - but a part of that is that as people, we mesh. Logistically, it is doable fer me (ah git rides n borrow amps n git cheaper rent - it's sorta ridiculous tha measures they gae thru fer me), and ah dae like tha musick. Howevah, ah think tha people almost outweigh that in many places fer me (while nawt entirely). Ahm currently searchin fer my own backup band - n ahve already started comprimising. It's a big pain in tha ass, this makin musick w. otha people. But ah like tha alternative less - makin musick by myself. Borin n hard.

Thars nawt a point ta this blogpost - ah haven't figured it out. Ah just have a lawt of thoughts n especially perspective on musick/bands/band dynamics/tha musick biz n every once in a while need ta express them apparently. Thas why ah have a blog. Git yer own!

Punk Rawk N Roll

Well, we did it. The Mysterious Odors gawt tha fawk back togetha n rawked out fer a killah weekend in Los Angeles.

Thursday ah werked most of tha day n then hightailed it to tha airport. Aftah some traffic n bollox, ah had a rental car n was on my way ta reunite w. some crazy ass dudes. It all took longah then expected, which was expected, but we ended up in tha same place at tha same time w. some instruments n cans of liquid smarties n then thangs gawt stanky.



It was pretty awesome. We practiced Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Saturday ah took a visit to an unlikely museum, The Museum of Jurassic Technology. Ah especially enjoyed tha miniature displays (both of em).

Sunday, it was time. We went to Downey, California, and we blew it up. We tore yer head off. We jumped around, fucked a PA, gawt our sparks on, and basically left that place in ruins. Ah still can't believe we didn't git arrested.


Sometime before all this ah gawt pissed off at tha best dispensary in LA fer needin my original documentation, but still managed to end up samplin some of snoop dogg's private reserve.

We decided tha debauchery wasn't ovah yet since ah wasn't leavin until Tuesday, so on Monday we went n recorded ourselves w. both video n audio in tha practice spot. It is ridiculous. Really ridiculous. All we have now is whas on tha site: EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW!

IF anyone ken tell me of free easy software that allows me to cut and paste sections of audio/video in m4v format, ahll git you some real songs too.

Also, we have youtube videos of us enjoyin ourselves aftah tha debaucherous recordin session. We decided we should follow Upper Deck and Chief Limberger to work. N git drunk. Which is exactly what we did.


(in tha parkin lot on top of a van)

Ah drank prolly 7 sparks that day. That was stupid. My stomach hates me.

Anyway, ahm back in SF now, back ta werk tomorrow. Oh yeah, but before ah fergit:

Wee the Band CDs are in my hot lil hands!!!

You will git to enjoy soon. Just lemme settle back in fer a day er so.

Oh yeah....

Ahm totally in a new band n we have videos n stuff from our stint at Expressions College of Digital Media (see et tu bass?) You can find all 3 of the individual videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/weethebandsf

But since ah love ya, here they are:

Postman


Rise


Glass of Wine


Note: The audio came out very quiet for all of them so you'll probably half to crank it.

Unfortunately, our favorite song had some technical difficulties. BUT, you can listen to Absolution on the Wee the Band website. You can even download it - for free.

Keep in mind also that I'd had all of 4 practices with these folks over the course of 5 weeks before playing this. Nawt too shabby. Tha whole video is also watchable from tha website itself.

We played last nite at tha ReTox Lounge in tha dogpatch to a bunch of very nice asian people who were thar ta watch thar friends. Ah managed yet again ta make it through tha nite w.o payin fer a single drink!

thursday will be a tuff day

It's 1 am, ahm prolly at least 30, if nawt more like 60, minutes from sleep. See below post, n you'll know that ah hafta be at werk at 9 am (meanin, out tha house ABSOLUTELY nae latah then 8:05). Howevah, ahm pretty sure Warren Teagarden recently rawked tha Stork Club, n ah sorta have pictures ta prove it (altho most of them are fuzzy).

Yoga was switched ta tomorrow as well, as an act of universe synchronicity. But this means nawt only will ah need ta be out my house in 7 hours, but tha ah wont be back here till past 9 pm tomorrow; that day includes 8 hours o work (likely data entry), a phone call w. a potential employer, 2 hours of commute, 90 minutes of bikram (which ah haven't been ta since Sat), n cleanin tha studio (45ish mins., depending). This all before ah have dinnah, relax, n process everythang from today n tomorrow.

As busy as this current life ah have is keepin me, ah hafta admit, ahm pretty fawkin happy. Which was tha point of movin out here, rite?



Also - It's been exactly four months since ah gawt here. Ah arrived Oct. 27th (which incidentally is tha date of tha last think13 "balance" performance), ahm on tha verge of somethang. Ah ken totally feel it. Bein on stage 5 times this year is nice too!