8Mile
Platinum Member
This was the hardest musical challenge I have ever faced. I got the call yesterday morning at 10:00 AM to do an emergency sub for a gig they were scheduled to play at 7:15 PM that night.
I had never played the songs or played with the band before. Four original progressive metal tunes (not exactly my comfort zone!), all pretty complex with odd times, unusual forms, etc. I would be playing along to backing tracks, something I had never done before live, either. I hurried together some quick charts and we had a couple hours to quickly rehearse. I don't own a pair of in-ears, so my drummer buddy Jim helped me out big time by driving over his pair to the rehearsal house. They kept falling out because I didn't realize how you're supposed to wear them, so I borrowed a skull cap from the guitarist to try to keep them in (which worked).
We would be the second of five bands playing and we were packed in like sardines waiting for our turn to set up. Needless to say, it was all stress, all the time. My main worry, besides not knowing the music AT ALL, was that the in-ears would fall out. With me being the only one who was getting the click, everything would completely fall apart if that was to happen. All the backing tracks would be out of sync, etc. But fortunately, that didn't happen.
We had some flubs, but we made it through and I was finally able to exhale for the first time all day. My head was buried in my charts the whole time, just hanging on for dear life. The guys in Theandric are great and super-talented, which made it all a little easier for me to get through. Despite the stress levels, hanging on for dear life, I had a blast. Great music will have that effect! An experience I will never forget.
I had never played the songs or played with the band before. Four original progressive metal tunes (not exactly my comfort zone!), all pretty complex with odd times, unusual forms, etc. I would be playing along to backing tracks, something I had never done before live, either. I hurried together some quick charts and we had a couple hours to quickly rehearse. I don't own a pair of in-ears, so my drummer buddy Jim helped me out big time by driving over his pair to the rehearsal house. They kept falling out because I didn't realize how you're supposed to wear them, so I borrowed a skull cap from the guitarist to try to keep them in (which worked).
We would be the second of five bands playing and we were packed in like sardines waiting for our turn to set up. Needless to say, it was all stress, all the time. My main worry, besides not knowing the music AT ALL, was that the in-ears would fall out. With me being the only one who was getting the click, everything would completely fall apart if that was to happen. All the backing tracks would be out of sync, etc. But fortunately, that didn't happen.
We had some flubs, but we made it through and I was finally able to exhale for the first time all day. My head was buried in my charts the whole time, just hanging on for dear life. The guys in Theandric are great and super-talented, which made it all a little easier for me to get through. Despite the stress levels, hanging on for dear life, I had a blast. Great music will have that effect! An experience I will never forget.
