OT: any musician types out there?

[marciero]

Interesting thread. Thanks all for sharing.

For me- thirty years playing bars, weddings/functions, and some concerts. Folk, rock and roll, country, jazz, a few other styles. Most visible thing from my rock and roll days was a song in a Sandra Bullock movie. Last ten years mostly jazz-straight-ahead with heavy dose of gypsy/Django Reinhardt style. Played Exit Zero jazz fest in New Jersey this summer as sideman for violinist Daisy Castro, and did short tours with her in recent years. Violinist on a gig with my trio last week, Jason Anick, played with Stevie Wonder at Boston Garden the week before. So this is more of "I've played with so-and-so..."

Am not a full timer and rather like it that way. In the summer I cut down on gigs so I can ride the bike. All the full-time pros I know and play with teach and do lots of different things to make it work.

[tylerbick]

Haven't had a drumset set up at home for a couple years since my wife got pregnant and the band moved to a rented 24/7 rehearsal space, but for his 1st birthday last week, someone gave my son a little battery powered toy drumset (annoying as hell like most new kids toys) and he LOVED IT. So I scrounged up some cheap drums (my gear nerd/elitist 20 y/o self is cringing that I even own them, they're a far cry from my birch Tama Starclassics w/ Zildjian A's and K's) and set them up in the basement of our new house still filled w/ unpacked boxes from the move. Sat my son on my leg, handed him my sticks (I play in some pretty heavy post-hardcore/metalish/punk bands, and beat the hell out of my drums, I only play Vater 1A treetrunk sticks, each one weighs about as much as my kid) he held each of them and banged away, not startled, not shy, with no hesitation, even when the ride cymbal picked up quite a bit of volume after he "kept time" on it for a while. He played happily, but with a very serious look on his face the whole time! After 5 or 6 minutes I had him set the sticks down on the snare and hoisted him up to go back upstairs, thinking he had had his fill, and he LOST IT. All he wanted to do was hit those drums! So, needless to say we played around for a few more minutes, I even held his hands with the sticks and "helped" him play a few simple 4/4 rock beats. As if I wasn't proud enough of him already!

[earlfoss]

I've been playing for ~10 years. Did the touring thing for a while and had some pretty good times. I definitely wouldn't have met the people I have and had the life experiences I've had by not doing the music thing.

I really lucked out with my band. Our bass player played briefly with the Flaming Lips and a few other noise bands over the years. Lead guitar player majored in classical and is really, really good.

Our drummer's grandfather was Soupy Sales and his dad and uncle played with tons of rock stars back in the day. The song "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop has my drummer's dad and uncle on drums and bass. They also were a big part of David Bowie's band, Tin Machine. I got to meet a lot of upper level people hanging out with him. Everyone in the band was friends before the band started which made playing and touring that much more fun too.

Lots of stories, too many to write in one post!

[tylerbick]

Originally Posted by earlfoss

I've been playing for ~10 years. Did the touring thing for a while and had some pretty good times. I definitely wouldn't have met the people I have and had the life experiences I've had by not doing the music thing.



I really lucked out with my band. Our bass player played briefly with the Flaming Lips and a few other noise bands over the years. Lead guitar player majored in classical and is really, really good.



Our drummer's grandfather was Soupy Sales and his dad and uncle played with tons of rock stars back in the day. The song "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop has my drummer's dad and uncle on drums and bass. They also were a big part of David Bowie's band, Tin Machine. I got to meet a lot of upper level people hanging out with him. Everyone in the band was friends before the band started which made playing and touring that much more fun too.



Lots of stories, too many to write in one post!

^Aaaaaaand aaaaawesome!!! Lust for Life is definitely in my top 50 albums of all time. I think most "punk" bands/musicians don't realize how much we owe to Iggy and Bowie. I mean, I worship Sabbath and Minor Threat as much as the next guy, but the sexualness and theatrical element both of them approached in very different ways opened the door for a lot more diverse group of folks to make music together.

[earlfoss]

If you want to hear some next level stuff about that era from someone who lived it, I highly suggest you listen to Marc Maron's interview with Hunt Sales. He's my drummer's uncle. Played and toured with Rundgren at 14 years old and was given lessons by Buddy Rich. Talks about the day Lust For Life was recorded and the process that created that album. Good stuff! Hunt is one wacky dude. I hung with him in Austin, TX for a while with my friend and oh man. Oh man.


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[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by earlfoss

Our drummer's grandfather was Soupy Sales and his dad and uncle played with tons of rock stars back in the day. The song "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop has my drummer's dad and uncle on drums and bass. They also were a big part of David Bowie's band, Tin Machine. I got to meet a lot of upper level people hanging out with him.

I can't believe Tony & Hunt Sales are old enough to have kids! I did a couple of gigs as FOH mixer with Reeves Gabrels back in his pre-Tin Machine days.

[mister]

i've played bass for a long time. started on double bass in orchestra in middle school, quit. started taking lessons again in college for an elective, learned lots of jazz theory stuff. always listened to hardcore and punk though. of course love old jazz too.
play in a band with drummer from DC that was in deep in the dischord scene, pretty much was meant to be based on how it all came together.
toured a few times.
don't even have a double bass anymore and kinda purposely forgot about all that music theory, though i know alot of it still comes out without me even thinking about it. these days it's all about feel.

not sure i could stand to be around current day jazz guys. pretty much no desire to play that anymore. there is a dude here that plays banjo that we've played with, i could play with that dude once i get an old double bass back from repair.
also this crazy free jazzish player from the netherlands lives here and he also has played with us in a jam/rehearsal a few times. want to play with that dude too.

old tyme music is starting to interest me for some reason now...

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by Dr Luxurious

Hey Hawker -

Ever heard of Clayton Cameron?
Saw him play w/ Kenny Burrell a while back. Does some cool things with brushes.



Don't forget Joe Morello!!
The only guy I ever heard make a drum solo actually musical

or Billy Cobham, Philly Joe, Elvin, Blakey

Dr...yes indeed Cameron is a real artist when it comes to brushes. First heard about him many years ago when he was Sammy Davis Jr.'s drummer.

Amen to Joe and all the rest. Also a huge fan of Joe LaBarbara who's still killing it after a lot of years. I'm sure Dave has worked with him out in LA.

[Saint Vitus]

Originally Posted by tylerbick

...I play in some pretty heavy post-hardcore/metalish/punk bands, and beat the hell out of my drums, I only play Vater 1A treetrunk sticks, each one weighs about as much as my kid

I used to play with a guy that used 3S and go through them like crazy. Played an old Sonor kit, loud as hell. Undamped Emperor heads, both sides and rang like a mofo.

[tylerbick]

Originally Posted by Saint Vitus

I used to play with a guy that used 3S and go through them like crazy. Played an old Sonor kit, loud as hell. Undamped Emperor heads, both sides and rang like a mofo.

Now THAT'S heavy. I bet he goes through some cymbals too... I've actually downsized from 2B, but with those I never could practice enough to learn any agility w/ them. Slow and doomy was no problem, but when it came time to play anything faster like D-beat or thrash I just couldn't pull off rolls or precise sticking. For a long time a local shop had sticks custom made for them by Vater. They had my favorite, called the "Piledriver". 1/4" longer and a bit after than my current Vater selection. But alas, that shop went the way of many brick-n-mortar shops in this age of e-commerce.

[Saint Vitus]

Originally Posted by tylerbick

Now THAT'S heavy. I bet he goes through some cymbals too...

Funny thing, he was very easy on the ride and hats when it came to stick control, except the hat stand. He had the legs re-enforced with thick raw bar steel welded onto them! He used older thicker, mellow toned cymbals (K or A), he didn't like too much brassiness in the top end.

[Louis]

Random thread drift - a thought experiment for musicians that I�ve always wondered about:

What would happen if I could time-travel and bring back Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi (pick any long-dead famous guys you like), sit them down in a studio and play for them a selection of more recent popular music, say, Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, John Coltrane, Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, AC-DC, Phillip Glass, Nirvana, etc.?

Would they all run out of the room screaming, would they come to appreciate each genre as �different from what I�m used to, but potentially interesting,� or would any of them actually like �Back in Black?�

Bottom line: how flexible would these super-great guys be when it comes to liking tunes that are completely different from anything they�ve ever done?

[OtayBW]

^ Doubtful that anyone would like everything, but I think that most would REALLY dig some....

[Saint Vitus]

Originally Posted by Louis

Random thread drift - a thought experiment for musicians that I�ve always wondered about:

What would happen if I could time-travel and bring back Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi (pick any long-dead famous guys you like), sit them down in a studio and play for them a selection of more recent popular music, say, Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, John Coltrane, Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, AC-DC, Phillip Glass, Nirvana, etc.?

Would they all run out of the room screaming, would they come to appreciate each genre as �different from what I�m used to, but potentially interesting,� or would any of them actually like �Back in Black?�

Bottom line: how flexible would these super-great guys be when it comes to liking tunes that are completely different from anything they�ve ever done?

Likely this would occur:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Saint Vitus

Likely this would occur:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk

I've seen that - very cool