#stateofthescene

April 11, 2014

By: Mark Bradley

  For all bands, a live show means entertaining an audience and delivering their music in the best way possible. More and more, live backing tracks are used in rock and metal bands’ sets. The tracks may be keys, additional programming, bass drops, extra vocal harmonies, even lead or rhythm guitar parts that the bands’ gigging lineup cannot pull off live. Metalcore bands especially seem reliant on using backing tracks to pull off backing synths, bass drops, and other elements previously found solely in electronic music. Asking a room of 20 people will bring back the same two answers (yay or nay), but with 20 different reasons for those answers.

  Are backing tracks something to be shunned as a fallback or crutch, or do they add sonic depth to a bands’ sound that enhances their live show? Our friendly hometown heroes weigh in…

  YAY:

We think playing with backtracking is perfectly fine! If you knew the slightest bit about how we run ours, is that our drummer listens to a track, off of his iPod, which not only contains our programing (which we don’t have a synth player to play anymore) but it holds a key component to our set: the metronome to the song. The drummer is the heart of the band; he designates the speed of the songs. In order to play the song in its original tempo, we think that playing to a “click track” is a necessary component in our live set. It makes everything easier, we don’t have to worry about how we’re going to know when the next part starts. It also cuts out the drummers need for a drum monitor which is always a bonus for the sound engineer because it is one less thing he has to worry about adding to his mix.

– Mike Garrow, When Cities Sleep

This is always a great topic of discussion. Using backtracks is a really great asset. They fill out the depth of your music in live performances in several ways. Backtracking allows you to perform any sound imaginable live. They also allow you to perform your songs exactly the way they are in the recordings. When using backtracks with a metronome it allows everyone to be precisely on time. Even if you don’t want to use samples and sounds in your performances you should still play to a metronome to stay on time. All bands will benefit using backtracks even if it is just some 808s (bass drops). I mean who doesn’t like feeling loud bass drops live? Since my band is a four-piece, backtracking has helped fill the empty sound of not having a second guitarist in the band.

– Jacob Buttner, For the Broken

Personally we don’t mind bands who either decide to use them, or not use them.  In Burdened Hearts, we have layers under our tracks in our recordings and enjoy having all of those layers such as synths, piano, or orchestrals in the background to emulate the same fullness that we include within our recordings.  We would never backtrack any instruments that we already are playing live (guitar, bass, drums, vocals), but just instruments we do not have at our disposal.  Music is music, and we just personally enjoy giving exactly what we have playing when you listen to our EP.  To bands that do not decide to use them, its the same concept [of] having a completely raw sound instead of including everything that may be in a recording.  Personal preference is the real key behind what someone may think sounds best live. As long as both the band and the crowd are having fun, that’s really all that matters.

– Tyler Soden-Mazza, Burdened Hearts

  NAY:

  I personally think its okay to use a backing track while the band is walking on stage or something, but using them to enhance your live performance just doesn’t seem pure to me at all. I’m a firm believer that music is an art that should be raw and pure, meaning when you perform live, everything that is heard from the PA is an instrument being played by the musician on stage, not a laptop.

– Kevin Riner, Always to Never

When a band uses tracks live, I feel that it takes away from the raw performance. Similar to choreographed stage moves, I think it makes the whole set very robotic and non-organic. Yeah, it’s cool when bands have a little bit of synth or maybe an intro to a song, but when it crosses into the territory of leads, vocals, effects, etc. it takes away from the energy and raw power coming from the band. When we [Show Some Pride] play live, we try to be as real and relatable as humanly possible. That being said, I’m not saying that bands that use tracks live don’t play with emotions and don’t have great energy. What I am saying is simply this: people connect with the music more when it is coming straight from the hearts, hands, and voice of the musicians on stage. If a majority of the set is coming from a track on your iPod, how do you expect people to connect to that? Music comes from the heart, not a pre-recorded track that you play over.

– Billy Wisner, Show Some Pride

  I've seen a few places where when done right, backtracking parts makes a lot of sense and seems to really work out. The problem is, most bands have a tendency of relying on it too much. When I go to a show, I go to see that band play their music live onstage. I don't go to hear their album; I go to hear just the band without all the extra crap. One of the best parts about hearing a band live is the human element involved in the playing. Nothing is perfect live, and when the band backtracks half the guitar parts, all the backup vocals, and every extra synth part or glitch that they couldn't live without, a live show doesn't feel so alive anymore. It just sounds like a poorly mixed version of their record playing through speakers.

 – Nick Jones, Lying and Low 

What do YOU think? Let us know YAY, MEH, or NAY here and we’ll release the results on Facebook in a week!

Survey:

Northern Virginia had a ton of memorable moments in 2013. From Ice Jam to Intensity Fest, the Empire Summer Battle, and everything in-between. Albums and EP’s were released from every genre with the hopes of breaking through the crowd and becoming the next big thing. I sat down with four vocalists of four local metal/metalcore bands to talk to them about their thoughts on the local music scene for the first installment of the new Upstream State of the Scene blog.

These bands were chosen because each one brought something different to the local music community, and each one took an active role in bringing musicians together. Madison Apart exploded onto the scene in 2012 when they reunited to bring back their unique pop/metal/synth mashup. Their reunion show at Empire in 2013 proved that they were back in full force to kick ass and take names. Opening up for Intensity Fest, Jonny Craig, I See Stars, and more made them one of the most recognizable locals on the scene. I talked with vocalist Jeremy Morehead, who spoke about his experiences with local music that started back in 2000.

“I honestly hate the term ‘local scene’. Back when I first began performing bands seemed to work harder, play harder, and really push to get new people out to shows. Now bands judge how people perceive them by the number of ‘likes’ on their Facebook page. Bands send out electronic invites and hope the people who ‘like’ their page show up. The ‘scene’ and mentality of a lot of local bands is broken. If bands worked together as peers rather than competition and really promoted shows maybe then we would have a local scene. At the moment, it’s pretty much every band for themselves; and that sucks. Bands have to work for a following and not just expect the internet to do all the work for them.” –Jeremy Morehead, Madison Apart

Set For Tomorrow has been making waves since 2011 in the local metal community, largely in part due to their energetic, charismatic, and passionate (ex)-vocalist Sam Vargas. Sam is one of the most outgoing frontmen in the scene, actively befriending and becoming close with many bands that would have otherwise seemed unrelated to the chaotic shredding Christian Metalcore of his band. Even after leaving SFT, he has gained a reputation for production in Uriah Semper Productions, and is working on a new project called Down and Out. He spoke about his perspective on the local scene from his perspective being a recognizable name and only being 16 years old.

“As cliché as it may sound, scene is brotherhood. It’s when you go to a show and you see people, and are able to be like, ‘hey man, what’s up. Good to see you here’ why? Because you just saw them last week at whatever show was being held. Scene is family. F*** genres and all of these ‘Tough guy, sceeny weenie, hardcore’ stereotypes. No matter who you are, for some reason music has got a hold on you; it’s the core. If I’m at a show and someone falls in the pit, why the hell should I care what they’re wearing? My main point is the scene is revolved around one thing: music. People go to shows because outside of those 4 walls no one ever understands them. But hell, when [you’re] in that room, everyone understands you. It’s like you’re finally home.” – Sam Vargas, Down and Out

In their three years as a band, Jackson & Traveller gained a quick reputation for an intense live show but not until releasing “Fourteen Hope” this July did their buzz really start to take off. After the EP, they’ve released a music video with thousands of views (Feed ‘Em Freedom- check it out), opened up for national headliners, and have people talking about what’s next. Vocalist Caleb Evans has been in and out of bands, replaced members, and supported friends’ bands enough to know a healthy music community when he sees one.

“’Scene’ means a community of people [who are] supporting musicians and musicians supporting musicians. The scene in Northern Virginia is defiantly getting better in my eyes. This is just speaking from our experiences as a band. Bands around here really try to support each other. We personally have made friends with many bands in the scene and we have tried to help each other. However, I feel the scene could still improve. Some bands try to compete for the spotlight and focus on getting somewhere instead of progressing within themselves. It would also be nice to see more show goers come out and support bands they don’t know.” –Caleb Evans, Jackson & Traveller

They are the newest band in the room, but their resume speaks for itself. In the short year on the scene, Always to Never has successfully released an EP, opened up for major acts, won battles, and broken out of their small town to join the larger “Northern VA scene”. Vocalist Caleb Henry is known for an emotional, energetic performance onstage with backflips and a bloody nose being par for the course. Always to Never is incredibly passionate about making their band a full-time job, and Caleb’s insights on the scene are beyond his years.

“The word scene doesn’t mean much to me right now. I know what it should mean though. It should mean unity and loyalty amongst the locals… Sadly enough, there is no real local music scene in the Northern Virginia area because there aren’t any bands that are willing to be local. Every band I know is trying to make it big and I can’t blame them for trying, but that creates tension amongst the locals. This is the exact opposite of what the local scene should be. We should be helping each other reach the top. Not destroying all the bands you think are out to get you.” – Caleb Henry, Always to Never

The singers all arrived to Empire in the early afternoon on a cold Saturday in January. They all had heard of each other’s bands, but few knew each other personally ahead of time. When everyone settled into the Alchemy Room however, instantly stories about shows, festivals, bands, and even some personal stories flowed as if they had been friends for years. They all shared a similar view that the local music community was based too much off of bands competing to “make it” and less about being friends and supporting each other. They also all had some interesting first memories about getting into making music.

“Honestly it’s a weird combo of things that made me want to be a vocalist… I listened to A LOT of Sublime. [They] inspired me to want to create music. The next part that inspired me, and I may catch s*** for this… Fred Durst. It was 1998 and “3 Dollar bill Y’all” had just come out. I thought his stage presence, attitude, and lyrics were the coolest thing on the planet at that time… I know people despise LB and Durst now, but he inspired me when I was younger to do something I’m still doing today.” –Jeremy, Madison Apart

“I was a freshman in high school, and one of my friends was the lead singer in a band… One of his goals was to kick his foot through the state and I thought ‘I want to do that and kick my foot through stages!’ That was back in 2000.”

“Up until a few years ago, I had never heard anyone actually scream before. My first local show was in Front Royal to see In Search of Reason. I didn’t even know it existed at the time so, naturally when I first heard it, on top of being a tad bit scared, I was fascinated by the crazy noises these vocalists were producing. Eventually my curiosity turned to envy, which led to me learning how to scream, and that led to a TON of Asking Alexandria covers! I figured that I like singing other people’s songs so much; why not try to sing my own.” – Caleb Henry, Always To Never

“The album Pass the Flask by The Bled [made me want to be a vocalist]. When I picked up that record for the first time the switch just turned on… I came to one of my first shows to see one of my friends’ bands open up for Born of Osiris and when I saw the locals opening up for them, I knew I wanted to do this.” – Caleb Evans, Jackson & Traveller

“Jack Black can pretty much take the credit for being the reason why I ever thought of picking up a guitar or playing drums or whatever else I did when I was younger. I never wanted to be a vocalist when I first started. I was shy as hell and was pretty used to never being heard. But one day my uncle introduced me to this band called Demon Hunter and a bunch of older Solid State bands, and when I heard the screaming, I fell in love.” As for his first experience with the local scene: “Mikey, my dad and I were driving by Empire… We had never seen a show, and Dr. Acula was playing that night. We drove all the way to Pennsylvania to see a festival and now there was this venue 15 minutes away from home. It was awesome to know that it was right here. ” – Sam Vargas, Down and Out

Despite different backgrounds, everyone immediately was on the same page when discussing their first show experience. It seems that no matter where you come from, there’s always that defining moment when you realize that being in a band IS attainable. Regardless of genre or hometown, seeing another person who’s just as un-famous as you onstage makes the dream a reality. During the photo shoot, the guys also reflected on how the music community had changed throughout their experiences in bands. They all shared refreshing views on the “scene” and how it had changed from when they started versus now.

Jeremy- “I think Facebook has thrown a wrench in the whole local scene… In the beginning, bands were passing out flyers and working really hard to get people out to shows. Now it’s like ‘Oh we’re on facebook; like our page.’ You’re only really connecting with the people you already know and are connected to. I feel like it’s kind of gotten lazy through Facebook. Bands used to be peers and support each other ‘I’ll bring people to your show if you come to my show.” Everybody seems like there’s not a lot of comradare anymore. Even at the shows, some bands pack up their stuff and don’t stay to support other bands. If bands stick around and band together it’ll be a better scene.”

Caleb E- “I definitely feel like it’s harder to connect on a personal level except for at shows. It’s turned into more of a viral thing and I think the personal side is being lost; it’s all marketing and business. People are forgetting about the music.”

Caleb H- “It feels like there were tons of people, whether it be band members or people at the shows. It seems like people are trying to skip that local band phase and go straight to the top. When you go straight for the top and skip that bottom phase… you don’t have any fans or friends at your local level. Everyone’s trying to skip it now. A lot of bands are in competition with each other. Everybody’s mindset is ‘there’s only one label, one management agency and I’m not going to help you out.’ I think the first step to changing the scene is to get out of that mentality.”

Sam- “I met everyone I know at that first show I played here. Before every show then, it felt like ‘dude this will never happen again.’ Everything was super special. Now after playing more, when you get offstage you know everybody. It doesn’t feel like that anymore… it feels more like home. When you play a show or go to a show, you feel it more like you’re a part of it.” I know when I first started, it was a whole competition thing… that only lasted a month. When you realize that it’s a local scene and everyone wants to do something; music is you doing what you love. When you forget about the competition and let go of it onstage, you just have a good time. It frees you up to be more creative. Everyone goes onstage for different reasons. When you finally realize it’s not a competition, it’s easier. Every show is better than the last.”

These four vocalists were chosen to represent their bands as the “Class of 2013” not just because of their bands’ accomplishments in the past year, but because they understand the meaning of community. They, among others like them are working actively to create a musical community of friends. It’s apparent through social media that all the bands they play with become included in this family; very few negative words are spoken about them. At the shows themselves, these guys stick around as long as they can to see everyone else’s group and even help move equipment to keep things on-time.

Music is about expression, art, and community. Without remember where we came from and on whose backs we got to where we are, we can lose our original fire. Everybody enjoys music for different reasons and by letting go of competition and animosity, this community can truly begin to create amazing art. I think the end of this feature is summed up best by Sam when he says about the local music community: “here I find a way were it’s socially acceptable to present myself in a way that I thought no one would ever understand. I guess one day I just said f*** it and wrote my thoughts down and screamed my heart out. Didn’t know if I was doing it right, but I didn’t care because it sure as hell felt right.” -Mark Bradley, Upstream