Name a band with two drummers. It’s okay if they just have the second drummer for their live set up, a’ la Genesis, but bands with a drummer and a percussionist do not count. Eligible bands must have two full contraption kits.
I’ll start with the aforementioned Genesis.
A few months ago I discussed with HVB, The Back Office, and The Mod (collectively “the Board Members”) the possibility of forming a Rock Town Hall Recording Society. The concept would be that someone records a basic track (as simple as just a beat or a single instrument track, but no more complicated that a sparse track containing chords and a melody/lyrics). Then, they would forward it to the next person in line so they could add something to it, and so on until we have a finished track. We could evaluate each addition and decide whether or not it should stay in the mix. If we could figure out a way to forward the thing as unmixed tracks, then everyone could take a shot at a final mix. The idea is that anything on any track can be edited, deleted or replaced, including my lyrics or melody. No experience necessary!
The main issue is what format would we use.
This should be a digital project. That way we could have all of the tracks sync up while their being passed from machine to machine. Also, I think we should be able to save the tracks as WAV files and it wouldn’t matter if people were using PCs or Macs. Based on my previous discussions the Board Members, a series of WAV files would quickly become too big to e-mail, so we might need to snail mail a disc from person to person. I’m not a very tech savvy guy, so Board Members feel free to remind me why this wouldn’t work.
I have a song that I wrote back in the days when RTH was a Yahoo Group. Someone had suggested that we write short songs about Angry Gnomes. I wrote one that day but have never recorded it. I’d gladly offer up that gem as a starting point. If that’s the starting point, I could record a rhythm guitar track and a scratch vocal track. It’s about a minute long.
I’m certain the final outcome will conclusively prove that creating art by committee is a fool’s errand but I think it could be an interesting journey, especially if we get to the point where different people are mixing the same tracks.
Anybody want to give this a shot? Any suggestions how to make it work?
My number one pet peeve regarding lyrics is when the songwriter “rhymes” a word with the same exact word.
Last night, I was listening to some Junior Brown and I heard the following couplet:
“One of us will have to give, or there’ll be nothing left to say,
So Darlin’ I’ll do anything you say”
Now, I really like Junior Brown but I have to call him out on this. Junior: It’s not a rhyme if it’s the same frigging word. Get a rhyming dictionary if you have to for chrissake, but rhyming “say” with “say” doesn’t count.
I’m looking for more examples of this egregiously lazy technique (or lack thereof).
Please ignore the artistic merits of lyrics and just focus on the “rhyme.”
Sleater-Kinney came up on the iPod today, and once again I had the same internal conflict that arises every time I hear them. I love the guitar playing, the songs, the drumming, the arrangements, the production, the guitar tones, and the overall sound. Plus, I love rooting for an underdog so a three-chick rock band with no bassist holding their own in a dude-heavy genre appeals to me. But I just can’t seem to make my peace with that voice.
On the old RTH, I recall someone suggesting that the reason some of us couldn’t handle the voice was because we were uncomfortable with strong women or some such nonsense. But I don’t think that’s the case. The voice sounds like Geddy Lee’s shrill younger sister to me. And I can’t stand his voice either.
I’m not giving up on them just yet because the good is really good, and I’m hoping this is one of those acquired taste things. But I’m not optimistic that I will be able to get over the hump on this.
Does anybody else have a band/artist that is otherwise perfect for them, but for a huge and possibly deal-breaking flaw?
As an aside, there’s also a great Last Man Standing here: Intra-band hook ups. Hell, Grace Slick could keep that going for weeks. SK would have been my trump card.
I was listening to the “Cowboy Song” by Thin Lizzy yesterday and got to thinking about twin-guitar harmonies. It seemed like every hard rockin’ arena band from the ’70s had them, and then, sometime in the early ’80s, they abruptly fell out of favor, possibly due to Boston’s egregious overuse of the technique.
What I’m looking for is the best example of the technique.
To be clear, I’m not looking for the longest solo employing guitar harmonies or the most intricate. I’m looking for the one that most captures the spirit ’70s arena rock in all its bloated glory. My determination as to who has the belt will be both arbitrary and capricious. In the event that I can’t decide if an entry is the current winner, the matter will be decided by the first two people to vote in favor of, or against, the entry.
Just to get things started, I’ll say the “Cowboy Song,” but know that I have an Ace up my sleeve.
While they probably never aspired to the gold standard Super Group status that Cream enjoyed, over the years some folks have thrown in their lot with other similarly situated folks (read: modestly successful/past their prime/second or third banana in a successful group) and formed “B” curve Super Groups. Sort of like if The Green Lantern, The Atom, and Hawkman formed their own Justice League (I’ve been watching a lot of superhero shows with my 4 year old lately).
Anyway, which of the following second- and third-tier Super Groups did you think had the most promise before you actually heard the music?
Which did you like the most after you heard their music?
Feel free to add a poor man’s Super Group of your own but make sure that it is comprised of at least three people who have had a modicum of success on their own.
I’m looking for songs that list the days of the week.
The lyrics don’t have to mention all of the days of the week (although that’s preferable), but they do have to list several days in succession. Lyrics that mention a few particular days as part of a narrative are not sufficient. I’ll also accept songs that list the months of the year.
I’ll start with “Friday On My Mind,” by The Easybeats.
