Dopers! Check out my band's music!

Cafe Society
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So, we’ve been working on this for a while now. Here’s the result of several months of recording and mixing. This is still closer to being a demo than it is an EP or something. It still has flaws, but overall, I’m pretty happy with it.

The band’s name is Nag Hammadi (which for you history buffs is a reference to the town in Egypt where a lot of lost Gnostic manuscripts were found).

The most apt description of our stuff is “Middle Eastern space rock.” The lead guitar/bouzouki/other stuff player comes from a Greek family, and has been into Middle Eastern music for a long time. That’s pretty much where that influence comes from.

Otherwise, we’re all huge Sonic Youth, Siouxsie and the Banshees, My Bloody Valentine, etc. fans. We all grew up with punk rock and noise bands. But while you can hear all that in there, I think we’ve succeeded in being fairly original.

Anyway, take a listen to it and let me know what you think.

“Shamille” is a pretty straight Middle Eastern song, but with some fuzzed out bass. The rest get into more rock territory with ME influences.

Technical stuff (cuz I know y’all want it):

We recorded this with a bunch of layers. The bouzouki parts were done with electric and acoustic bouzoukis that were built by the guitarist on Fender Katana bodies. They were mostly recorded through a 1950’s tweed Champ, with the occasional appearance by a very old Epiphone Galaxie (not one of the new reissues).

The guitars we used were a Danelectro, a 1968 SG, a Fender Katana (he’s got a thing about them), and a 1970’s strat.

The electric guitars were recorded mainly through my silverface Bassman 10, with various Sitori Sonics effects (which the guitarist also makes). The main OD sounds were via a Sitori Sonics Brownies and Cream. GREAT pedal. Great amp.

My bass is a G&L L-2000 recorded through a Samamp preamp/DI. I use a Traynor/Ampeg halfstack live, but this was much easier for studio use, and it turned out well.

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**Ogre **- no idea when I can get to this (swamped at work, and I spend my idle time tooling up my last guitar building post for the SDMB) - but I really look forward to hear this; sounds like it will be cool!

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Thanks for putting it in your queue!

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Sent myself a link since I’m at work - I’ll listen at home.

Thanks.

Sending a link to my “music guy”.

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Awesome. Thanks!

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I’m not at work and DUDE!!! I love this!!

It’s not what I expected after reading “punk rock” and “noise bands” (not two of my favorite things) but I’m glad I didn’t let it stop me from listening. Actually, you describe what you’re doing really well and I should learn to read for comprehension.

My exposure to ME music has been mostly limited to Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant, but I recognise the influence and love what you’re doing with it. I can close my eyes and smell incense, see the swirling scarves and hear the dancers’ feet in the sand. (But maybe that’s just my own weird imagination and TMI. :))

I like all the songs with “Dystopia” being my favorite at first listen. I would totally buy the CD. (“It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it. I’d give it an 87, Dick.”)*

*that’s an American Bandstand reference for you kids in the audience

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Oh, man. Thanks a lot! This post made me smile big time. As for the dancers, we played Voodoo Fest in New Orleans this weekend, and hired a troupe of (ludicrously sexy) belly dancers and a (oh my god what was I doing? Oh yeah, playing bass…how on earth do you bend in that direction?) fire dancer. It was a load of fun.

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“Shamille”, sounded fairly good to start but got boring fairly quick. If I found it at random, I would have moved on.

“Cylon”, I really liked and for some reason it reminded me a little of early Floyd meets George Harrison. I mean that in a very good way. It had a good sound.

“Saved”, It sounded too much like the others. Not your best.

“Cold”, was interesting. It had a good sound. It oddly reminded me of Bauhaus.

“Dystopia”, Again interesting song. It had a sonic buzzing that I enjoyed. I think it would be great on Acid*.

Did you get any seperation into the songs, I could not really tell from my laptop speakers. “Dystopia” would have be great with some good sepeation.

Overall I liked it. Good job to you and your band Ogre.

Jim

  • I use to do acid in my 20s. I do not so anymore, but it really sounded like music I would have enjoyed when I was tripping on Syd.
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Thanks for the thoughts. I would suggest, if you have some time (and the inclination), that you take a listen through headphones, or a better set of speakers. There are LOTS of sonic treats in there. Lots of layers, lots of separation. Dystopia alone has something like 12 different guitar layers (and I mean different guitar/amp/effect/pan/etc. combinations, not just doubled tracks and punch-ins and whatnot).

Thanks for listening!

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Good stuff **Ogre **- can only listen at low volume on my only-decent office-docking-station speakers. I hear a LOT of Siouxsie in your vocalist, with some Sinead O’Connor mixed in (but then again, the tom-tom work in Cylon has a bit of a Mandinka feel, if you will).

I really like the stuff - sounds great. I like the ME influence of Shamille - it’s funny but after listening to Death Magnetic a few times, I half expected your song to break into full-bore metal after the initial riff!

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Excellent **Ogre **! It reminds me a bit of late '60s/early '70s British folkies such as Fairpoint Convention. I can hear the Sinead in Cylon too. Really great stuff. Well done.

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I fear that this will be taken the wrong way, and I apologize in advance. dons asbestos undies

First, the good. I love the layering and seperation. Musically I found it very rich (but not too busy) and vivid. Having a musician for a dad ensures that I pick apart everything I hear, and I find no fault with the sound of the band. Well done, Ogre and friends!

Annnnnd…the not-so-good. Female vocals. I know, I know, call me misogynistic, but there are only a small handful of vocalists who belong to the fairer sex that I enjoy listening to. I tried to tune it out, really I did, but dammit you just did so well at blending all the elements of the song, that it wasn’t possible.

I really hope you don’t feel I am criticizing your efforts. I think you did a fantastic job! It’s just not for me. (But I will be reccomending it to all my alt-rock-listening friends!)

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Ogre, we ask that you request permission from a mod before starting threads like these. Whether you’re promoting a book, movie, or even your local neighborhood production of The Cat in the Hat, we want you to ask first so that the SDMB doesn’t turn into a college-town streetlamp where anything and everything is promoted. Please be sure to ask permission in the future.

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Since Ogre now knows to clear threads like these with the mods, and since he’s asked me to re-open the thread, it’s open again.

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Thanks, Skip.

(Now watch this thread sink like a rock. :))

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Ah, but before it does, let me answer some of the more recent comments:

The Siouxsie comparison is one we’ve gotten from a few independent sources…and it’s one I particularly enjoy. Siouxsie is one of my favorite singers of all time. And Val has a really good voice (and it translates well live).

Re: Death Magnetic: really?! I have thus far avoided the album. I don’t think I’ve heard any of it. Does some of it really have a ME feel?

Thank you very much. That’s definitely an endorsement I can get behind as well. I think my favorite Sinead is the amazing version of “Foggy Dew” she did with the Chieftains on the Long Black Veil album. I’d really like to see if Val would be up for doing a mournful, atmospheric song like that.

Not at all. I appreciate the input (though I utterly disagree with you about the ‘female vocalist’ thing.) I am happy, however, that you enjoyed the music.

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Nah - the beginning of the 5th track, All Nightmare Long, has a clean, chorusy riff that has a bit of an exotic feel, but not definably ME…

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I’m really enjoying it Ogre but I’m connected via an air card so even at lo-fi it keeps breaking up which is really annoying. I’ll listen more at home.

Before my connection crapped out I got to hear all of Shamille and half of Saved. I really, really like the fuzzy bass on Shamille and I’m digging the vocalist.

Thanks for sharing.

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I really liked the music and it sounded like a very high quality compilation.

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Thanks! I look forward to hearing your opinion once you hear it on a good connection.

Thank you very much!