Setting Sails..
Hey!!
Ok.. lets try to recap here. Since my last post.. I helped mom with the bathroom renovations for a few hours.. and then I biked 10km again to town. I stayed the night and helped Aaron and Siobhan move all their belongings into the 26 foot U-Haul truck. It took us about 4.5 hours to do it.. but it got done. In the mess of it all.. I was contacted by the band in LA I mentioned!!!! I cant reveal the bands name.. but I can assure you..this IS the biggest gig I could ever have landed in Metal. So I biked home 10km to study the material and await their return call.
While doing this.. I got a call from a local sound company called "Trinity Sounds" and they offered me a FULL time position starting saturday. This is something ive hoped to find in this town for ALONG time. So I wasnt sure what direction to take.. do a 2 month USA tour with Metal Blade Records.. and still come home to the same struggles/commitments.. orrr decline the tour offer and accept this position.
So I brainstormed for quite awhile... im STRESSED beyond belief right now.. I may not show it.. but im mentally,emotionally,physically BURNT OUT. So the details of the tour is.. learn 13 songs.. in about 9!!! days.. and be ready to tour by June 10th. Very little time to prepare/learn the material. But being so flattered by this chance.. I downloaded 4 of their songs..and began studying. Threw this.. I called Tim Waterson for advice.. hes REALLY good to me..and thats when I came to realize.. I dont WANT to play Death Metal. I dont WANT to play Black Metal. Its been 9 years of Double Bass struggling for me ..and im not feeling up to it anymore. I literally came to the realization ..that I dont WANT to play METAL anymore. Not Professionally.
Metal is GREAT.. but ive done alot of wrong things and my health just isnt able to sustain that calibur of smashing right now. So im retiring from the bands that are heavier than I want to be playing. Im sorry and ashamed to admit it.. but im not devoting my next 25 years to METAL. Im done being a "professional" metal head.
So I then accepted the job offer with Trinity Sounds and I start tommorow morning at 8am. Im very excited to be apart of this company ..its so relieving to know my day job is musical. So this justifies the rejecting of the USA tour to me and for me.. thats all I need right now.
So my new direction in music will be exposed soon.. soon i'll be putting up samples of me playing ALOT of other styles.. not just speed and power ..but groove and dynamics.. so expect NEW samples soon!!! ..im hoping to start meeting players of my calibur who want to build a band that isnt labelled by Genre ..but is still marketable to the open public. Im using PRIMUS as my example.. thats a band that covers all ends of the music spectrum in my opinion,...and its FUN.
So there you have it folks... new job..new direction.. new Mike.
To the bands im working with atm.. if you read this before I contact you.. get ahold of me..as I may have good and bad news for you.
Take Care..and Smash On.. and FFS ..look after your health so you dont end up like me.
Mike
Ok.. lets try to recap here. Since my last post.. I helped mom with the bathroom renovations for a few hours.. and then I biked 10km again to town. I stayed the night and helped Aaron and Siobhan move all their belongings into the 26 foot U-Haul truck. It took us about 4.5 hours to do it.. but it got done. In the mess of it all.. I was contacted by the band in LA I mentioned!!!! I cant reveal the bands name.. but I can assure you..this IS the biggest gig I could ever have landed in Metal. So I biked home 10km to study the material and await their return call.
While doing this.. I got a call from a local sound company called "Trinity Sounds" and they offered me a FULL time position starting saturday. This is something ive hoped to find in this town for ALONG time. So I wasnt sure what direction to take.. do a 2 month USA tour with Metal Blade Records.. and still come home to the same struggles/commitments.. orrr decline the tour offer and accept this position.
So I brainstormed for quite awhile... im STRESSED beyond belief right now.. I may not show it.. but im mentally,emotionally,physically BURNT OUT. So the details of the tour is.. learn 13 songs.. in about 9!!! days.. and be ready to tour by June 10th. Very little time to prepare/learn the material. But being so flattered by this chance.. I downloaded 4 of their songs..and began studying. Threw this.. I called Tim Waterson for advice.. hes REALLY good to me..and thats when I came to realize.. I dont WANT to play Death Metal. I dont WANT to play Black Metal. Its been 9 years of Double Bass struggling for me ..and im not feeling up to it anymore. I literally came to the realization ..that I dont WANT to play METAL anymore. Not Professionally.
Metal is GREAT.. but ive done alot of wrong things and my health just isnt able to sustain that calibur of smashing right now. So im retiring from the bands that are heavier than I want to be playing. Im sorry and ashamed to admit it.. but im not devoting my next 25 years to METAL. Im done being a "professional" metal head.
So I then accepted the job offer with Trinity Sounds and I start tommorow morning at 8am. Im very excited to be apart of this company ..its so relieving to know my day job is musical. So this justifies the rejecting of the USA tour to me and for me.. thats all I need right now.
So my new direction in music will be exposed soon.. soon i'll be putting up samples of me playing ALOT of other styles.. not just speed and power ..but groove and dynamics.. so expect NEW samples soon!!! ..im hoping to start meeting players of my calibur who want to build a band that isnt labelled by Genre ..but is still marketable to the open public. Im using PRIMUS as my example.. thats a band that covers all ends of the music spectrum in my opinion,...and its FUN.
So there you have it folks... new job..new direction.. new Mike.
To the bands im working with atm.. if you read this before I contact you.. get ahold of me..as I may have good and bad news for you.
Take Care..and Smash On.. and FFS ..look after your health so you dont end up like me.
Mike
posted by Mike Machine at 6/02/2006 01:33:00 PM
3 Comments:
bout time you are finnaly taking my advice and doing music that you have a good time doing. Also the whole not limiting yourself by just doing the metal thing.
also congrats on getting a job that you will like.
haha thanks B.. I guess I have to admit you saw this coming.. thanks for the support tho bro!!
Mike
Hey Mike.
Good job on the drum solos and other samples you've posted here. You're crazy :). Listen, you may or may not already know this but I was reading some of your blogs and noticed that you said something about your health being a concern and that your metal smashing days are over professionally. Well I noticed in one of the videos you have that your technique may be the cause of your troubles.
If you're starting to suffer from any Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs), then you should see a physio therapyst. There's a good one over in Spryfield named Linda MacLaggan. She deals with all the chronic injuries received from the players in the Symphony of Nova Scotia. Also there's a really good drum instructor at the Canadian Conservatory in Halifax named AL Resk. Some massage therapy wouldn't hurt either.
You should get these guys to have a look at you. I have had my RSI problems for almost 2 years now because I didn't deal with the problem right away. I too had plans of working as a professional drummer but now I don't know if that's still possible. I'd hate to think that you fall in the same trap, so heads up man.
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