This week we have been recording everyone's set into protoools. The practice my group had the other morning seemed to be the best one we had yet. I was very energetic, and it sounded 10 times better than what we tracked earlier that week. I am counting on the live performance of these songs to be pretty solid when it comes time, as we have been working all semester on them.

The Story of Anvil: Succession and Failure

Anvil is a thrash band that has been trying to make it since the early 1980’s. Lips and Robb Reiner started the band in their teens, and told themselves they were going to make it. School was not much of a priority for Lips or Robb, and they inevitably gave up school to be in the band. The problem with this was is seemed like there wasn’t going to be a back up plan of any kind, other than probably working a job that was loathed more than loved. Lips’ parents had a hard time accepting the fact that he didn’t want to go to school, or even care about making money. They felt that the arts didn’t provide a solid, stable future. His father seemed to be more supportive than his mother of the music, telling him that as long as Lips is happy with what he is doing, he’s got his son’s back. It turns out though that Lips worked and probably still works at a catering company, where he loads a van with food and makes deliveries. He most certainly doesn’t love his job, and definitely wishes the band could be the main source of income. So as a band, they started out by simply “rocking out and making music” as Lips has said. This seems to be the starting point for typical garage band. The two started playing together at Robb’s house, and wrote music based on their influences. They were a predecessor to that of the big four - Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. Their band started releasing albums over the years, but ran into many problems along the way. Being in a touring band is no easy task, and it requires a lot of effort from a group of people consisting of more than just the band members - instrument and gear technicians, sound techs, managers, PR people, and a bus driver/security. You may not need all these people depending on the status of your band. One big problem with Anvil was that they hired shitty management early on. They hired a woman that they could barely understand, although this didn’t matter because Lips was focused on how passionate she was. Crappy situations arose; there was some miscommunication, missed trains and buses, arguments, and that eventually led to showing up hours late for a gig. After they played the gig, the club owner did not pay them, and the turnout was very scarce that night. Lips ended up getting in the club managers face. This could put a negative connotation with your band and perhaps prevent you from getting future gigs at that club or other clubs where that guy may know the owners. It seems crazy that a band trying so hard to make it doesn’t truly make it, or does but with a ton of hardships, even when they have other members from some of the most popular bands in the world such as Metallica, Guns N Roses, and Motorhead; and even big name producers telling the press and media that they are a generation changing metal band and quite possibly “the next big thing”. Sometimes they’d be playing to crowds of thousands of people. More often than not, they were playing for many less people than initially expected to show up at the concert. They started to fall off the radar because of bad promotion and management. The production wasn’t too great for a while either, and they all agreed that their albums pretty much sounded like crap. Their thirteenth studio album, “This Is Thirteen”, they claimed that production-wise it sounded the closest to what they had been wanting for years. That album initially didn’t sell too well, and they released it independently and sold it to fans directly from them with no distribution deal, and no record contract. They had no money initially to record the album, and Lips’ older sister, a businesswoman, lent the band the money to track the album. Ever since the release and later success of the video documentary that portrayed how they had failed in many ways as “rock stars”.
You have to be in the right place at the right time, and this didn’t happen often for them. They had a big influence on a lot of bands who ended up ripping them off and became famous, failing to mention it was Anvil who was starting in all. Growing up in the 2000’s, personally I couldn’t get into this music. I love heavy metal, and the music and parts of the songs are boring to me. The vocals weren’t something I dug on too much either. And the musicianship seemed to be stagnant though out much of their career, and abilities, skill and technique lacked improvement over the years. Something didn’t translate all the way to the next level, even though they are credited as being a huge influence and even considered pioneers of the direction of 80’s metal. They still seem to be living the dream of being a rock star with actually being one. In many ways Lips still seems like a teenager. When they went in to record This Is Thirteen problems started arising while tracking and he and Robb got into an argument. Lips acted as though he was 14, swearing and making non-sensible comments. Chris Tsangarides, who produced this album their first two efforts, basically had to play therapist and tell everyone they were being irrational and emotional and out of control, and that they needed to get back to the music. Despite all of the hardships, a few positive things come out of this band, and that is powerful friendships, a tight family, and in the end what really matters are those friends and family. You will have the memories of the places you have been and will be able to look back on your experiences, without regret. There is a small window of time for a band to get things done and that is usually in the 20’s and 30’s of your age. If you are still trying to make it at 40-50 years old, it’s just not going to happen, and that’s something Lips will never let go of. I think Robb has stuck with Lips so long ( the two remaining original members) because of the relationship he has with Lips, and it’s probably more out of guilt and the fact that they have been friends for so long rather than because of the success (or lack thereof) of the band. After The Story of Anvil DVD was premiered, released and shown all over the world, the band began to hit a few streaks of success, and have toured the world. Everyone has a different definition of “making it”, and when you have “made it” all depends on if you look at it from a business standpoint or from a personal standpoint.

If you own some expensive musical equipment, you should probably look into getting your gear insured. People rip shit off of other people all the time. Protection from theft and damage could save you a pocket full of money. Not only that… Some gear is just not replaceable. The snare drum that you have had for 7 years just gives a tone that you can’t seem to get out of any other, even “nicer” drum. If you get a policy, make sure you update it if you get new gear. It’s never a good idea to leave your instrument in the car, because of temperature extremes that could warp and erode the instrument. If you have to have it in your car though, make sure you have a larger vehicle with tinted windows, or a blanket or something covering the gear from the sight of thiefs, crooks, and assholes. If you have a lot of gear at home, make sure you only invite people over that you know and trust, and keep the strangers from mugging your place and planning the jacking of your shit. For myself, I should have my gear insured. I have had thousands of dollars worth of drum gear sitting in the same building for 8 years now. If that place burns down, I’m shit outta luck… If you have windows where your gear is and they can be barred, try that to keep unwanted people out of your shit.

Weekly rehearsals are going well, and the band is sounding tighter. I make sure we use a metronome when we practice so if anyone sways from the beat, they and feel it and get back on. It seems like a lot of the people in the class are inexperienced at playing with other musicians, and as a result the groups are lacking confidence as I saw when they performed their tunes for the class. I have noticed that the groups are tending to sound more together when rehearsing by themselves, another indication of stage-fright/pressure/embarrassment. Although, after mondays in-class performance I feel that most people still weren't happy with their performances, and that they will be giving themselves a kick in the ass :)