Thursday, May 20, 2010

Eschew, the Band

What is eschew? Is it better than toast? Will being eschewed hurt? These are all questions for which I can only answer, sometimes there is and there is not. Eschew is my band of one. I play guitar and record my parts on the fly so I can make layered sound scapes. This is done with Roland music technology. I thank them and honor them. The sound pallet I use is familiar and the music is homemade. I do not bring a laptop full of arrangements to the gig so the effect is like listening to tracks being built at a recording session.
The eschewing takes place as I move through the rolls played by different band members. I have been in bands and enjoy working with musicians. Writing for a band is a process which is fraught with the politics of group dynamics. You have to share. You have to play well with others. A one man bands still requires discipline. I have to tell my bass playing self to play fewer notes, turn down and not drink all the beer. I have to get the keyboards to not cover everyone's part, and of course the lead guitar is so full of himself he never shuts up. This the dynamic of band life.
Some of you I have played music with may feel eschewed. I pay tribute to you. I could use some help hauling in the pa. The reason for it all is of course is the freedom to experiment with the arrangement. Finding parts and putting them together without having to having to document them to hear how it will work is my reason I love the looper. I just lay it out there and then if it fits, I go with it and then try something new. This is improvising. It is cheap, and it is low-fi.