Machine Head have been looking for a bassist for a little while now, and even had some big names like Christian Olde Wolbers formerly of Fear Factory try out. Now they're getting down to the wire.
It's been pretty crazy for Machine Head with the bass tryouts; big name dudes, one-handed dudes, dudes nobody knows, etc. Now Rob Flynn said about the position-
Got 8 guys lined up so far, some “known” guys, some dudes who are under the radar, all have touring / stage experience. It’s exciting in some ways, and weird in others, I never thought I’d be going through this process again, and it fucks with my head from time to time.
It’s just a fill-in slot for Mayhem, but these guys have to deliver on several levels, they got a bit of big shoe to fill, the dude who used to be onstage left was a presence, so we’re going to test these guys out musically, performance-wise, creatively, and see if there’s any kind of chemistry there.
I’ll let you know how it goes next week.
So we wait! It's cool to see what Flynn and the guys picked some guys that nobody has heard of; shows that they're really going for quality over just having a big name guy in there for the sake of having a big name guy in there. I'm pumped to see who it is! Oh, and then Flynn talked a little (a lot) about some new material… some of which is apparently super stoner metal down in F#. Read the whole statement-
Been writing a lot of lyrics lately, it’s been going slow, still trying to find that “thing”, that “subject”, that “hook” for each of the 4 finished songs we have. It can be goddamn frustrating as all hell. You write and write and write, or you freestyle over the song while playing it, hoping it “tells you something”, and one day you think something clicks! You go write it down or go to sing it, and it’s a mess, doesn’t make any sense, doesn’t go with the vibe of the song, back to the ol’ drawing board. I read a quote once by Keith Richards (from back when he wrote good songs), “that when you’re writing, you’re just a vessel, you need to let the music pour in and out of you, go thru you”
It’s true in so many ways.
In the past, I’ve written awesome, poetic lyrics for some songs before, lyrics that I was really proud of, and I just could not get them to work with the song, it just didn’t “go”.
And that’s where I am right now, 2 binders, half-full of cool, different, poetic lyrics that just don’t “go”.
**pounds head against table**I woke up this morning at 6AM, wrote a whole a new set of lyrics, on a whole new subject, to the 2nd song we wrote, gonna take a pass at singing it today, no idea if it’ll work.
The one song title we have is “Beneath The Silt”. In some ways, it kinda reminds me of “Elegy” from “Through The Ashes Of Empires“, has a stoner-ish-vibe about it, but tuned way down to F#, and with those Machine Head trademarks, the oft-imitated oscillating high notes, ala- the beginning of “Ten Ton Hammer”. It’s a cool song, different, pretty straight ahead for us, and short by Machine Head standards 4 and 1/2 minutes (LOL!)
Been finishing up some rough demos that we are recording in our Jam Room, laying down guitar tracks, been jamming thru some new ENGL amps, checked out a Powerball II and their new amp the Savage 120, the Savage 120 is B-R-U-T-A-L! Not digging the Powerball II. Also, going to check out a new Prototype from Randall today called the Thrasher, it was designed by Mike Fortin who is known in amp circles as somewhat of a Mod God (for all the non-musos that means: a god of amp modifications, LOL). Been playing them through the non-jumbo, traditional, straight Mesa Boogie cabinets, it’s hard to beat the Boogie cabinet, so fucking TIGHT! It almost adds a pre-mixed expensiveness to any amp once you mic it up.
Got a good chunk of guitars done, will finish those up today before it gets broken down for tomorrow. Got a good chunk of bass done too on the demos, Phil has been laying down the bass tracks so far and it’s gone really well, he’s got a lot of cool ideas, locking in with Dave’s insanely awesome drum beats.
Today is the last day for tracking guitars on the demo as we’re getting ready to begin try-outs tomorrow (Friday). Got 8 guys lined up so far, some “known” guys, some dudes who are under the radar, all have touring / stage experience. It’s exciting in some ways, and weird in others, I never thought I’d be going through this process again, and it fucks with my head from time to time.
It’s just a fill-in slot for Mayhem, but these guys have to deliver on several levels, they got a bit of big shoe to fill, the dude who used to be onstage left was a presence, so we’re going to test these guys out musically, performance-wise, creatively, and see if there’s any kind of chemistry there.
I’ll let you know how it goes next week.
We’re in an exciting period, that’s for sure. There’s some pressure here and there but that comes from within. Machine Head has always strived to bring our people the best of what we have. Whether it’s the music, tours, merchandise, etc. we just want to give our people what they deserve. Right now the focus is the songs, the riffs, the feel and how it all comes together. In addition to the four songs, we also have a ton of riffs ready to be put to use, not to mention all the ideas still in my head. When I look at what our collective craniums have in store for the maniacal Machine Head fan, all I can think of is this…
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.””
