Tool Covers

[Blue]

I just got into this Tool cover band called "Schism" about a month ago. We just recorded this last night at a rehearsal studio (4/4/06) Any and all comments are very welcome. Thank you.

http://media.putfile.com/Eulogy44
http://media.putfile.com/Undertow7841

[gaspesien]

Great job, you got those drum parts covered alright. Guit sound is pretty good too. If i ever was to have a cover band it would be Tool.

[Nick Garland]

Well done! Drums seemed solid for the most part and in time. On the whole sounds very like tool its uncanny. Congrats.

[VampiricNightMachine]

Wow really good, I love tool , and you guys really did a great job playing their songs, sounds great! Only your singer sounded a bit strange at some points but also overall a very good voice...and this one guitar effect sounds also a bit exaggerated like some duck....
but all in all great work!

[chris--byrne]

I really like this, you've got your part spot on and guitar is great too !! Well done...

[deadbirdsoup]

Nice work! I love tool and you certainly did an excellent job with these two songs. My favourite tool song at this moment has to be Aenema, would love to hear a cover of that! Keep it up!

[Class A Drummer]

Sounds great and congrats.

[Blue]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the comments! It's so daunting trying to do justice to Danny Carey. I want to do right by his playing. And I know people are going to be paying special attention to the drums, especially the Toolheads. And the drummer's in the audience especially!

Edit: There's another CD that is unfinalized of a the other half of the rehearsal. When I get those songs, I'll post them too.

[Degas]

Hey man.....Tool fan myself......you played great....vocals not so much...bass not so much....guitar not bad....but you....you nailed it...
Good job....

[Blue]

Thanks! But you gotta give credit to the singer. That's tough stuff, and I think his voice, remarkably, has that nasal maynard quality that is so rare, AND he can scream. And the guitarist, yeah, he's pretty sick!

When I first was auditiong for these guys, I checked out the website where they have links to audio samples, and that's the first thing I noticed. Apparently the drummer I replaced was absolutely NASTY, like a junior Danny, as they described it, having like a 6 thousand dollar drumset, witht the triggers and everything. When I first hopped on, I was SO NERVOUS. The thought of playing, in succession, at our first show, after only having rehearsed once: The Grudge, Aenima, 46 & 2, and to end... Lateralus. Ahhh! I was practically crapping my pants. I really wanted to quit, and they said a lot of drummers had for that reason. But, its getting a little easier. I've been with for about a month, and I"m really excited cuz I LOVE Tool. I can't quit this experience, this is like a dream come true.

If anyone lives in NYC and wants to go to a show, we have a bunch coming up. Check my profile for the website if you interested.

[Fuse]

ok I listened to Eulogy (both versions tool's and yours)

you played your parts really good, but I just can't stand your singer ...

apart from that good job

[moe.ron]

great job. the only song i like more than these would be prison sex. but aenema is good too. i'm pretty sure thats played with his hands which is makes it all the harder

[weezybaby]

good job
now try to play 'the patient'..
lol

[Colin]

Ah damn, it won't work for me and I'm a HUGE Tool fan!!! Could you upload it to quicktime is possible? Thanks!

[Blue]

Here man, the only one small enough to fit was Undertow, and I gotta say, just as a matter of self-assessment, that I can am completely aware of how much I speed up in the beginning. I only did it not to slow down, and I did it consciously, but I ended up speeding up... I think too much when I play, its such a bitch. It sucks, when you try not to drag you speed up. when you try not to speed up, you drag. And with Tool its so hard. His feel is so incredible. It seems to defy nature, because if youlisten to it, the tempo is usually a lot slower than you think. Try playing to Lateralus, and you'll see. To make it sound that good at those tempo's is damn hard. Maybe I'm wrong about how slow it goes, butI try to emulate that when I'm playing with Schism. Playing Tool, or anything I guess, too fast, just kills it.

You can try to just go to my putfile page and try it from there, although I'm not sure that will make a difference.
www.putfile.com/curtis

Here's Intolerance too.

[Degas]

"I think too much when I play".................
ain't that the truth...I struggle with that time from time....
interesting subject when it comes to playing/performing........
left side of the brain? right side?
better to over think? or over play?

[WeatherKing]

I don't know a lot of Tool songs...perhaps one, maybe two from hearing it on the radio so I know the style. Doesn't mean I don't like them...I dig it. From listening to one of your songs here, I think I need to get an album soon. Eulogy was pretty good. I don't have a reference from listening to the original but your part sounded pretty solid. The levels were a little low but that's minor. That was a mean fill at about 7:30! Impressive!

[drumbig]

Just got done listening to both songs and I think the music sounds real good. Your singer needs a lot of work. It's wierd he has that Maynard tonal thing going on but he has a ton of bad notes and sometimes sounds like he is talking more than singing. I think he has some talent but needs work. Good job!

[Blue]

Thanks bro. I love playing this stuff. It's so fun. I'm so happy I got in this Tool cover band. I went through a HUGE Tool phase when I was younger, but got over it. I still respected them as the best band ever, and I mean that...next to Pink Floyd. It's really giving me a chance to get really involved in the drums again, and have an idol... Danny, someone to listen to over and over and try to pick apart and sort of transcribe his drum parts. It's amazing, if you listen carefully, how much he's really doing that you don't necessarily hear, but feel. It's been an experience trying to pull apart exactly what he's doing, but slowly I'm getting it. There are a few obstacles for me such as technique and independence that don't match Danny's, but this will serve as inspiration to practice. Once again, I'm am head over heels for Tool, almost to the point where i don't listen to anythinge else...I'm not sure how good that is, but I still listen to Jazz and stuff... I don't even listen to other bands anymore, except maybe Deftones and Muse, and a few others... but that's it

[saintjon]

drums are awesome!!

but yeh, the singer needs to take some lessons. Seriously, hes your front man and the one who will decide if your band will be a success or not.

So make him take lessons or turf him for someone who can actually hit the notes. Thats if you want to be a working band. If its just for fun then keep rocking!

Once again, Drums awesome! & thats all were interested here after all isnt it :)

[Blue]

Thanks bro! And, I'm aware of this trust me, and I appreciate the honesty, but I don't feel that I'm a position to say anything. I just look at it as a opportunity to play difficult music, play A LOT of gigs, get exposure, and improve a lot. I just want to play. Playing the music of Tool is reward enough in itself. Getting to play all of those cool fills and grooves, man, its so fun... hard, and not always so smooth (on my part... I'm my own worst critique), but fun!

[MUZZLEFLASH]

You said any and all comments are very welcome, so here you go! :)

Nice drums. Seriously. But I agree with a few of the other guys here. Your singer blows chunks. Big time.

But one thing I don't understand- Why would a group of musicians who actually have the chops to be in a Tool cover band, actually choose to be in a Tool cover band?!? Yeah, learning to play the entire Tool catalogue is cool, but if you want to impress me, throw me something you guys wrote yourself!

Granted, if you're doing lots of gigs in NYC, there's definitely a draw to that, so I can understand. I travelled all over the US playing metal covers in the late 80's, and there's nothing like screaming chicks in the crowd! (and backstage :) ) But here's what I would do- start writing some tunes, and slowly swap them into your sets. Getting a monster following as an original band is tons more gratifying than being in a cover band. Trust me...

[Blue]

First off, thank you for the comment.

Secondly, I agree with you that covering other material isn't.... original. I am in an original project right now, and I can now appreciate the gratification from playing and expressing my own ideas rather than someone elses. The reason that we, as a group of musicians play Tool, is because we love it very much, and want to bring the experience of Tool to people out there who can't see it. As for the singer, no comment. The fact that we get a lot of gigs in NYC is VERY appealing to me, as one who has not been part of the gigging scene before. I would love to and aspire to create or be in an original project that inspires people. That is my true goal.

[Blue]

By the way, do you guys think I rush the hell out of Undertow, because I think I do, and I don't realize that I'm doing it while I"m playing. Everything seems daisies when I"m behind the kit, and then I listened to this rehearsal tape, (and I won't show you the other jams, because its embarassing how much I rush them), and realized that its almost unbearable to listent to becaue of how much I rush them. I got so mad, and I"ve been dealing with this problem forever. I'm constantly adjusting my seat height, and position relative to the bass drum, and the angle of the hi-hat and distance from the bass drum... maybe I'm just not good?... god, I drive myself nuts, and for what?? I still can't play a damn groove right. It really pisses me off. So I try to consciously try to play it slower, and then I feel like it ends up dragging, but I don't know because I can't hear, all I can do to gauge is look at the other musicians and see how much they're rockin out. If they're goin nuts, I feel like I"m doing a good job, if not... I have to hit harder... God, this must sound so stupid. It just makes me question If I'll ever be able to be a pro, which I want to be. I really want to be! Perhaps I'm just not that good, and I ought to use my energies elsewhere. That's where I'm at right now, excuse the rant, I just can't help it. So much frustration over something I love.

[Drummer Karl]

That was REALLY cool music...these are real "NFSU 2" songs, very cool rock...
Where did you and your buddies record these songs?

Karl

[Blue]

We recorded them at a rehearsal studio in NYC. All you do is pay 3 extra bucks, and they set it up and record to a CD. Real rough, quick sound check, nothing too involved. What is NFSU 2? I sense that perhaps I am not privy to new lingo...

[MUZZLEFLASH]

Blue, I can TOTALLY relate to what you said a couple of posts ago. I can be playing and thinking I'm right on, and then when I listen back to the tape, I'm like- What the hell? But you know what? I really think that we ourselves are the only ones who are that "in tune" with our own playing. My band mates will listen to the same thing and go- "It sounds perfect to me". I'm like "Are you on crack?" :) Even when we're in the studio playing to a click, I can hear inconsistencies in my playing that no one else seems to be able to pick up on. My point is, I listened to your Undertow, and while I noticed a few barely rushed fills, the consistency of the tempo throughout the song was pretty darn good!

But here's what I do now- When practicing by myself and with the band, I use a click 90% of the time. I use some of the new fancy-schmancy isolation headphones with the built in click. They're Suhweeet! And worth the $100 investment. I used to have the problem of rushing fills that go into choruses, for some reason. And then slow back down for the verses. Very frustrating. But with constant playing against a click, I'm TONS better. And in the studio, just about everybody plays with a click, and do multiple, multiple takes in order to get it right. Take Lars Ulrich for example. If you've seen him live, you know what I mean. His studio recordings are tight, but when you see him live, his tempos are pretty horrendous.

Anyway, food for thought. Sorry this was such a novel !!

[Blue]

Thanks dude! I appreciate all that. I feel the same way. I listen to stuff, and I'm like... damn, I suck! And everyone is like, man, you sound great! I hear all the little off beats, especially to a click, I hear you. See, my philosophy is that if you are truly comfortable while your playing, it will show in your feel. You should hear my cover of the grudge, I almost want to post to show it, but it is so bad. There is no quarter note! I rush it so bad... But,hey, because I listenend, I have been working real hard to correct it. Who knows what it sounds like, I have to record myself again to see if I've imporved. Boy, recording yoruself is a real piece of harsh reality, but a great learning tool! I avoid it because I"m afraid of it, but I think I'll start doing it because I think I could improve a lot quicker. I have to get me one of those minidisc recorders. Those things sound great! And I could bring them to rehearsals. I have a gig tonight, and tomorrow... so wish me luck... I got to try to relax. I'll just consciously try to slow it down I think. Try to lay back on the beat. But its very difficult. I want to rush into fills. I don't want to lose the energy by laying back to much either. And you're right. I've been laying off the metronome a little. I gotta hop back on that. You play to a metronome while rehearsing with a band? That's a remarkable idea!!! I''ll try it! Thanks Muzzle...

[Drummer Karl]

What is NFSU 2?

hehe, it is just a PC game. "Need For Speed Underground 2" is the real name...there you can listen to many rock songs like this...pretty cool!

Karl

[Blue]

Oh, I have the first one. That game rocked.

[Ninja]

Nice work man. Keeping up with Danny isnt easy but I think your doing a damn good job.

Also I dont think your singer is that bad, its just in that recording the vocals are set to 10 while the rest of the band are set to about 4. Puts all the focus on the vocals and accents when he doesnt quite hit the mark.

[Blue]

Thats True!!! I keep on forgetting that. It's a real rough mix, so yeah, he's like right up front. If he was more blended in with the other tones, it would sound a lot better.

For all Tool fans, you gotta check this out if you haven't seen it. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFoWz4fiwCE&search=Maynard%20

And check out the new single video!!!!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMF-228pBIo&search=Maynard%20

[jamsjr44]

Being a huge fan of TOOL... You guys did a decent job, but they are so hard to cover and the fact that you even tried it is admired. But your singer dude is very hard to listen too.

Your drum parts sound good just a little tightening by the band and you guys would be there. Nice job overall!

[Blue]

Hey thanks Jams. I agree with you. Rythmic hits between the instruments MUST be locked in. I even hear it during rehearsals. Those hits have got to be on, and even within the grooves... it'll just take time. I just got with this band about a month ago. Since then, its definetely gotten better, and I think will only get better once we learn to lock in with eachother, and when I get more comfortable with the grooves. I think I've settled into the music a little more. I feel more relaxed, not so much nervous energy, which tends to cause me to rush a lot, which is horrible with Tool, because they play relatively slow tempos. That's actually one of the hardest things about playing this material, is keeping the tempo under control, because I get so darn excited, I just want to go nuts, but I have to remember to breath, relax, and think about the time and groove and making it feel good to the audience. We recorded a more recent rehearsal, and the quality is much better. This is Parabola from Thursday's Rehearsal:

http://media.putfile.com/Parabol-67

[jamsjr44]

Hey thanks Jams. I agree with you. Rythmic hits between the instruments MUST be locked in. I even hear it during rehearsals. Those hits have got to be on, and even within the grooves... it'll just take time. I just got with this band about a month ago. Since then, its definetely gotten better, and I think will only get better once we learn to lock in with eachother, and when I get more comfortable with the grooves. I think I've settled into the music a little more. I feel more relaxed, not so much nervous energy, which tends to cause me to rush a lot, which is horrible with Tool, because they play relatively slow tempos. That's actually one of the hardest things about playing this material, is keeping the tempo under control, because I get so darn excited, I just want to go nuts, but I have to remember to breath, relax, and think about the time and groove and making it feel good to the audience. We recorded a more recent rehearsal, and the quality is much better. This is Parabola from Thursday's Rehearsal:

http://media.putfile.com/Parabol-67


I definitely will check you out more, I would love to see based on your playing if the other members can sync with you after you've been there for longer than a month. I have only seen about two bands try to cool TOOL not including yours and let's just say it was not good. But what I liked about your band is that the smallest details were not left out as far as some of the stuff Carey played in the background. And you nailed the hi-hat part where the music drops out and it's just the drums and that was impressive. Keep it up man can't wait to hear more.

[cardan]

Drums are near-perfection, I used to routinely play that song, and this recording is a great example of how 'eulogy' should be played (when not being D.C.!). Only thing I can say bad about this particular recording is the mixing, vocal's are much louder than rest of instruments (I don't disagree with the comments about the vocalist...), but great job, keep it up!

[Blue]

Thanks Cardan! The mixing is very bad. The sound guy did a preliminary check, then left the room (it was a rehearsal studio). I was always pushing for recordings during rehearsals because I wanted to hear how I sounded... let's just say it prompted me to imrpove a lot when I heard it back!

For a more recent recording, here's The Pot at Locobazooka, a musical festival in Boston we played a few weeks ago. (It's a little fast... maybe that's an understatement, but, hear for yourself)
http://media.putfile.com/SCHISM--LOCOBAZOOKA-06-The-Pot
and Stinfist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLE0_dw4eTc

[incurve]

Just finished listening to Eulogy, and I must agree with most of the others here in that I have much more criticism for your band members than I do for you.

Your playing, surprisingly enough (to me), is pretty spot on! I noticed some weak spots around 5:25 (most likely lack of uber-professional recording equipment and know-how), and towards the end things fell apart a bit but I think it was mostly the guitarists fault.

Danny Carey's playing is pretty hard to immitate... I think a lot of drummers can sit down and emulate his parts, but they can't pull out the 'tone'. My only somewhat serious complaint about your playing would have to do with this. There's just something about the way Danny hits those drums... unfortunately I'm not eloquent enough to really describe it. Here's the best I can do - he may be playing something very fast and intense, but you can still hear every single inflection of his strokes - it's just very patient and precise if that makes any sense. It's almost smooth and slow, despite it's tempo. I sound like I'm describing fine wine!

My advise to you, would be to play those parts (which you clearly have the technical ability to pull off), and really try to play them at slower tempos on your own, of course, gradually building speed once you're positive you can hit those parts. Whenever I think of Tool's music, I think of those hollow, yet stinging drums of Carey's. I think a really good tuning of your kit would make it sound a little more authentic if that's what you're going for as well.

But I guess that's the real question - what are you going for? I don't know what it's like to be in a cover band. If you're just trying to have fun at some shows then I think you're doing an excellent job. If you want to recreate Tool's music as accurately as possible, I think you're doing a much better job than just about any other drummer out there I've heard try to do it... and you're definitely leagues ahead of your bandmates.

p.s. PLEASE tell your singer to just shut up if he's going to hit those flat notes. Don't perform what you can't do - PRACTICE it. I can hear the potential you speak of, but he definitely needs to go back to the drawing board. I have stuff to say about the guitarist and bassist, but who cares? This is Drummerworld.

[Blue]

Oh, and for those who heard the previous clips, and hated the singer... we got a new singer, and he sounds just like Maynard!