Fingernail on 25/2/2008 at 16:43
I didn't really want to bump an old thread, but since there was at least some moderate interest in the past, you can now download mp3s of a live gig my band did recently, almost a year to the day since our first gig. We've come on a lot since then.
And you can watch videos on youtube (the source of the mp3s, only the sound quality on youtube is worse - it's never perfect because it was just a camera recording).
The youtube playlist of the whole thing (12 songs) is here: (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SQMxPxV1Xo&feature=PlayList&p=615D935425693832&index=0&playnext=1)
and the tagged mp3s are in a zip file (about 38Mb) here:
(
http://www.thedebtoffensive.com/tdobirthday.zip)
Some of you may enjoy the better bits at least a little - but most of it came off pretty well. Older songs like Burn Out (perhaps should be renamed "Too Damn Fast"), Youth, Days of Uncertainty, Jason and the Argonauts and Call it Off tend to be tighter; some of the others were getting their premiere and as such were a little tentative in places.
We'll be going into a proper studio (tm) of some description over Easter to record two or three songs as "proper" demos.
PigLick on 26/2/2008 at 03:52
cant you chop it up into dial-up friendly bits?
Stitch on 26/2/2008 at 04:30
Jesus, you guys have some talent but you need to actually start pushing this shit more. Right now you guys come off bored and hamstrung by a shitty vocalist.
I suggest heavy use of alcohol and drugs mixed with high-pressure gig schedules that keep you all constantly in each other's faces. Escalate this into the uncharted, long-since-stopped-giving-a-fuck territory where great music happens.
Random_Taffer on 26/2/2008 at 04:57
I'd have to agree. I really like the instrumentals, there's definitely some great talent and a great style to be found there. Unfortunately, the vocalist just sounds off to me. Perhaps a bad night?
Scots Taffer on 26/2/2008 at 05:07
My comments were the same, I swear, I'm not just bandwaggoning. I had the second reply all lined up when my work comp crapped out. Interesting sound, terrible singer - I see this all the time with young bands and it seems they either wisen up and jettison the singer, the singer founds new depths of talent, or the band can't handle rejecting anyone and eventually break up.
Shug on 26/2/2008 at 07:59
perhaps take on a nice mix of advice and have the singer die of a drug overdose
Fingernail on 26/2/2008 at 09:32
Well, in defense of the singer, the fact that his voice deteriorates over the set is something that he and we are aware of and needs work to build some more control and stamina, and there are a couple of problems caused by basically pushing too hard for the sake of power - which not only destroys the voice eventually but also pushes some of the notes sharp.
Also, try singing Call it Off, for instance. It ain't easy.
I mean, the bottom line for me is, he can really sing and it's his voice we want, he just needs to give it that professional polish of being able to do it really well live, and even on a bad-voice day, do something alternative. Which is a matter of practice and experience, really. This is, what, only our 8th gig in a year or something? We're trying to get more frequent gigs now.
And yeah, the bassist is standing way too far out of things if you watch the video, and looks rather detached and uninterested some of the time. Bassists. Brothers.
And the drummer kept dropping sticks. Indonesians.
All of that aside, thanks for taking part and commenting!
Angel Dust on 26/2/2008 at 09:59
Quote Posted by Fingernail
Also, try singing Call it Off, for instance. It ain't easy.
It aint easy because it's out of his range. I'm not being a dick but you shouldn't write parts you can't pull off consistantly live. You don't have to be 100% (it is always good to push yourself a bit) but it should somewhat comfortable. The fact is it doesn't matter how tight or interesting the band is it's the singer that most people listen too. My band had similar problems with our last singer. The parts she wrote were fine, actually they were great, but she had real trouble singing some of them live and it didn't matter how many cool riffs, rhythms, fills or solos we did alot of people wouldn't listen to the whole set. When people heard the recorded versions of the songs the response was much more positive as we were able to get good takes. However up and coming bands have to do the hard yards and win fans live to get anywhere so having a singer who can sing and work the stage is vital.
I don't think you should boot your singer immediately though. The tone of his voice gels well with your sound and he has some good parts. You've just got to get him to take lessons and/or consider tweaking some of his parts. It can just be a temporary thing too while he strengthens his voice.
Fingernail on 26/2/2008 at 10:23
Well, Bowie can't do a lot of his stuff live the same as on record. But it's a good point, and perhaps more alternative versions live would be good in those areas. The thing is, I write it all so it's my fault that some of it is so hard. Or not hard, but it just needs a level of "I know I can do this" before you open your mouth, as opposed to "will it be ok this time?"
I'm confident that we'll get there.
Angel Dust on 26/2/2008 at 10:48
Quote Posted by Fingernail
The thing is, I write it all
:laff: I was guilty of writing some of the difficult vocal parts in my band also. Just keep in my mind your singers limitations when writing though.
Bowie isn't the best comparison to make since he had alot of other things going for him eg charisma, stage persona, a unique voice etc that you could forgive the occasional ropey perfomance. Of course now that he's famous and has plenty of fans it doesn't matter how he sings on any given night the crowd is gonna love it because they know the songs.
Don't forget the importance of being a good frontman either. Plenty of rock singers with sub-par vocals, David Lee Roth and Anthony Keidis are two examples, have been able to make up for it with the amount of energy they bring to a performance.
