Random anonymous internet quote

[cozmik_cowboy]

"If your music doesn't sound like someone else's, you don't listen to enough music." 


And on a related note, can anyone point me to the exact quote and who said it for something like "We become original by trying to sound like our heroes and failing"?




Peter

[elwoodblue]

... can anyone point me to the exact quote and who said it for something like "We become original by trying to sound like our heroes and failing"?

Here ya go :

"It's my failure to sound like my heroes that's allowed me to sound like myself"
-John Mayer


 

[edwardofhuncote]

I've been listening rather intently to Dead & Co. at Madison Square Garden show from 11/1/19 last year. "He's Gone" from that show, particularly Mayer's guitar solo, is quite inspired. The whole show is pretty darn good. Oteil Burbridge took the front on "Fire on the Mountain" and owned it. Gotta' be careful not to go too far with my enthusiasm knowing some here may not share the same sentiments, but what those guys are doing seems a respectful/respectable tribute to the Grateful Dead. (to me at least)

[gtrguy]

One of my favs:

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

[cozmik_cowboy]

... can anyone point me to the exact quote and who said it for something like "We become original by trying to sound like our heroes and failing"?

Here ya go :

"It's my failure to sound like my heroes that's allowed me to sound like myself"
-John Mayer

Thanks - but that's not the exact thing I was looking for - which IIRC, was from someone a generation older than Mr. Mayer (maybe his failure to sound like his heroes seeps over into stealing their verbal riffs, too?)

One of my favs:

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

Dr. H.S. Thompson - one of my favs, too.

Peter

[David Houck]

One of my favs:

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

Dr. H.S. Thompson - one of my favs, too.

Ha!  I thought Hunter Thompson as soon as I read it!  I guess his writing made more of an impression than I thought it did.

[David Houck]

... Gotta' be careful not to go too far with my enthusiasm knowing some here may not share the same sentiments, but what those guys are doing seems a respectful/respectable tribute to the Grateful Dead. (to me at least)

They're a good band.  It was a while before I began listening to them; but I do like what they're doing, and I enjoy listening to them from time to time.  And they seem to be getting better as they go; and John is a really good player.

[cozmik_cowboy]

I have only listened to a few Dead & Co. things, but my take is that, yes - they are very good (given the personnel, no surprise there).  But them seem to be less into Dead-style jamming that the more conventional rhythm-section-behind-a-lead-guitarist playing.  If I delve deeper, will I discover differently?

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

I'll only say this; I wouldn't enjoy Dead & Co. much at all if I hadn't been listening to hundreds of hours of 1970's Grateful Dead recordings, giving me some context to draw on and balance it against. A lot of what they do just wouldn't make sense if you didn't understand the origin. Scarlet>Fire for instance. Then they (purposefully?) don't do Scarlet Begonias in the same meter as the Dead did... I think some folks are put off by that, some are pleasntly surprised by it. I bet a lot of their audience doesn't even know the difference, they just recognize, even expect them to play Scarlet>Fire.


I don't think Dead & Co. are necessarily trying to do exactly that thing. They do seem to have found a niche' that works for them. Not to say they don't have a bad night. Me and one of my coworkers who kinda' follow the band saga will read the excuses... and smile.

[David Houck]

Peter, you're right; there's a difference between a band that's just backing up a guitar player and a band that's listening to each other and playing off of each other and improvising together.

Perhaps a good test might be Dark Star.  Here's one from this past June.  I haven't listened to it yet, and can't right now; but will try to later.  Without Phil and Jerry it's not going to be the same; but this band has been playing together for a while now, so it will be interesting to see what they're doing with something like Dark Star.

[lbpesq]

I like Dead and Company, they are a really good Dead cover band.  Personally, I just don’t see myself forking out $200 for a ticket, $50 for parking, and dealing with a crowd of 17,000 to see a Dead cover band.   Especially when I can see Phil & Friends at the Grate Room at TXR with 420 people.   The above Dark Star is nice but, honestly, I think Wolf and I and some friends did a better version the last time we played, last month.  (We’ve been calling ourselves the Jerry@trics).  Certainly more band improv and we got a bit more out there.   I think the fact that Mayer initially played Alembic guitars with Dead & Co., but switched to PRS on an endorsement deal says something about where this band is coming from.  Having gone to about 200 shows between 1970-1995, I’m admittedly spoiled, but Bobby (whom I love and has been the major influence on my playing) singing Dark Star just doesn't do it for me.

Bill, tgo (the Garcia one?)

[hieronymous]

I've seen Dead & Company 8 times - I don't think I would have been interested if Oteil wasn't on board but he was one of my absolute favorite bassists during one of my formative periods. I've seen some great shows, I've seen some mediocre ones. I like what they do. There will never be another Jerry Garcia. I'm impressed by John Mayer, I think he really gets into his role in the band, in fact there are times I wish he would step up more and just wail! But the biggest peaks that I've seen are where both he and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti get going together and the whole band jumps on. My biggest complaint about the band is Bob Weir's guitar sound - it's really just awful IMO but what are you going to do? I do like Bob Weir a lot more after seeing the recent documentary, but that guitar sound, it's like his slide playing but all the time...

The initial quote by cozmik_cowboy I can't help with, but it reminded me of Billy Sheehan saying "You have to learn the rules before you can break them" - wish I had figured out a way early on how to learn the rules!

But my favorite music quote is:

If you can't hear the rest of the band, you're playing too loud. If you're playing too loud, you aren't listening.

[cozmik_cowboy]

. Not to say they don't have a bad night.

And we all know the Dead never had a bad night......

Perhaps a good test might be Dark Star.  Here's one from this past June. 

Great idea, Dave!  I'll check that out later today.

I like Dead and Company, they are a really good Dead cover band.  Personally, I just don’t see myself forking out $200 for a ticket, $50 for parking, and dealing with a crowd of 17,000 to see a Dead cover band.

Or any band!

(We’ve been calling ourselves the Jerry@trics). 
Bill, tgo (the Garcia one?)

Love it!!

....but that guitar sound, it's like his slide playing but all the time...

Am I the only one in the world who loves Bobby's slide playing?? 

Peter

[xlrogue6]

I like Dead and Company, they are a really good Dead cover band.  Personally, I just don’t see myself forking out $200 for a ticket, $50 for parking, and dealing with a crowd of 17,000 to see a Dead cover band.

Or any band!

Peter

That kind of ticket price would require resurrection, at least for me.

[lbpesq]

Yea, I’d pay that much for the original Dead, the Beatles, or Mozart.  Otherwise not.

No Peter, you are not the only one who loves Bobby’s slide playing.  I think Bobby and his family like it, too.  Not counting them, yes, you are the only one!

hehehehe

Bill, tgo