Post by Bret Walker on May 7, 2003 10:34:35 GMT -5
There have been some concerns voiced to me about the future of the band, based on its "history" of lineup changes.
Let me soothe your fevered brow. This is no indication of the future of the band, insofar as there is little chance of Max the Dork going away anytime soon.
The first seven years of the band's existence, it was just me. Alone in my bedroom, writing songs. Singing to no one. A closet punk. Eventually I came out of the closet to perform live, and there was a certain fan base formed. That fan base was extended when Max the Dork started to gain some popularity through exposure on the Internet. The first album was released, then the second. All this was done with only one person in the band.
With the release of the albums, and because of the sound on the albums themselves, I was pressed into changing the way I performed live. Originally it was just me with a guitar and a microphone. But because of the drums and bass on the albums, I felt I owed my audience more. So I bundled a couple CDs with just bass, drums, and backing vocals, which accompanied me on my live sets. It was during one of these shows that I met Tony, and the idea of adding a live drummer and bass player became appealing to me.
But going from a one-man band to a three-piece band had its share of growing pains. I may have been a bit rushed in my excitement to actually have a band. But after all, with a band behind me, my writing went through the roof. I could experiment more in rehearsal, and hear it live rather than in my head. Unfortunately, in my rush to complete the band as a unit, I took the first people who approached me. Our style, I felt, didn't match well with Matt's, and he was replaced with Justin. Now Justin knows punk, and he is very happy in the band, and I'm ecstatic about having him in the band, so I would consider Justin to be part of the nucleus of the band. Tony, unfortunately, was on the fringe for quite some time. I recognize that he's a spectacular talent on the drums, but the problem is, he had never really been exposed to punk the likes of what we play. Yes, he's a fantastic drummer, but his style just didn't complement the band very well. And we genuinely like Tony, he's a fun guy to have in the band. That's why the decision was so hard and so painful to make, and that's why we tried so hard to make it fit.
So here's the lowdown. While going from a one-man band to a multi-member band has been a learning experience, I think I have a better idea of what I want the band to be after six months of some trial and error. The auditions coming up will include not only the act of playing the music, but also a feeling of what the music is all about, the energy we exhude, the political views we present. Being a fun person and a person we can just pal around with will not be enough, although that will be important as well. The musicians we add to the band will have a firm grip on what it is to be punk, what the style of punk is all about (and yes, despite some opinions to the contrary, punk DOES have a style all its own), and what the overall philosophy and direction of the band is.
Hopefully this will calm some of the panicked souls out there. Understand that Max the Dork as a band is not in trouble. We're just trying to piece together the best unit we can.
Let me soothe your fevered brow. This is no indication of the future of the band, insofar as there is little chance of Max the Dork going away anytime soon.
The first seven years of the band's existence, it was just me. Alone in my bedroom, writing songs. Singing to no one. A closet punk. Eventually I came out of the closet to perform live, and there was a certain fan base formed. That fan base was extended when Max the Dork started to gain some popularity through exposure on the Internet. The first album was released, then the second. All this was done with only one person in the band.
With the release of the albums, and because of the sound on the albums themselves, I was pressed into changing the way I performed live. Originally it was just me with a guitar and a microphone. But because of the drums and bass on the albums, I felt I owed my audience more. So I bundled a couple CDs with just bass, drums, and backing vocals, which accompanied me on my live sets. It was during one of these shows that I met Tony, and the idea of adding a live drummer and bass player became appealing to me.
But going from a one-man band to a three-piece band had its share of growing pains. I may have been a bit rushed in my excitement to actually have a band. But after all, with a band behind me, my writing went through the roof. I could experiment more in rehearsal, and hear it live rather than in my head. Unfortunately, in my rush to complete the band as a unit, I took the first people who approached me. Our style, I felt, didn't match well with Matt's, and he was replaced with Justin. Now Justin knows punk, and he is very happy in the band, and I'm ecstatic about having him in the band, so I would consider Justin to be part of the nucleus of the band. Tony, unfortunately, was on the fringe for quite some time. I recognize that he's a spectacular talent on the drums, but the problem is, he had never really been exposed to punk the likes of what we play. Yes, he's a fantastic drummer, but his style just didn't complement the band very well. And we genuinely like Tony, he's a fun guy to have in the band. That's why the decision was so hard and so painful to make, and that's why we tried so hard to make it fit.
So here's the lowdown. While going from a one-man band to a multi-member band has been a learning experience, I think I have a better idea of what I want the band to be after six months of some trial and error. The auditions coming up will include not only the act of playing the music, but also a feeling of what the music is all about, the energy we exhude, the political views we present. Being a fun person and a person we can just pal around with will not be enough, although that will be important as well. The musicians we add to the band will have a firm grip on what it is to be punk, what the style of punk is all about (and yes, despite some opinions to the contrary, punk DOES have a style all its own), and what the overall philosophy and direction of the band is.
Hopefully this will calm some of the panicked souls out there. Understand that Max the Dork as a band is not in trouble. We're just trying to piece together the best unit we can.
