So on Thursday Oct. 30 I was jamming with Counterpoint!
This is the band that was playing in the 2008 Nuance Art Rock festival. This experience was one that I will remember for years to come.
The guys in CounterPoint are looking for a guitar player that will help round out their unique sound. As you’ve read in some of my other posts on this blog and on my Guitar Licks and Tips site, I have been very excited about how these guys approach song writing and how they play, because they achieve that BIG FAT sound that I LOVE.
The guys from CounterPoint
They asked me if I wanted to jam/try out for the guitar player role for these masters of progressive rock, when I saw them that fateful night at the show. I hummed and hawed about this for months it seemed (really it was only a couple of weeks). Then finally one night I said to my wife, what the heck and just threw my hat into the ring! That night I had a lot of trouble sleeping. In the back of my mind I was saying to myself Am I really ready for this?
We then set a date to get together. It was delayed a few times because of this, that and the other thing, but finally we got together.
When we sat down in the rehearsal hall, Rising Star Studios, I was finally relaxed. You couldn’t find a nicer bunch of guys. We sat and talked for a while, they even brought a couple of beers to make the jam more relaxing, nice touch.
I just stuck to my coffee because I had the songs that I went through at home in my old brain box running in overdrive and I didn’t want to mess anything up! As a rule I don’t like to drink when I play guitar, unless it’s at a campfire or just goofing around here and there. While jamming with guys of this caliber, you need to have your head screwed on correctly! As it turned out, these were just your regular kinda guys and I had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Keep on Jammin’
Just asking, did they offer the gig to you or are you waiting for them to reply?
Sorry for the confusion there JT.
They just asked if I wanted to jam with them, I think? … and yes I am eager for their response. Thank you for your reply to this because it shows me that someone else maybe interested in the outcome other then myself!
As I am more then aware, there are a number of other noteworthy guitarists in the Toronto (GTA) area in which to find a suitable musical kindred spirit to CounterPoint, but I hope that I’m the best suited!
Wish me luck JT!
Carol, we all just have to be patient!
This is not a band that you can do one session with and then BANG, your in. They are the polar opposite to your average garage band. The guys in CounterPoint are unreal in their ability to execute any one of their songs. I was captivated by their level of playing from the very first chord they played at the Toronto, 2008 Nuance show! Plus, I wouldn’t expect or have it any other way!
Stay tuned for the results! And I promise it won’t last as long as the US elections!
Don’t leave us hanging, man. How did it turn out? Did you get the spot?
Good Luck anyway, all of us at one time or another dream of being in a band. Some have the talent, others (me) don’t stand a chance. No matter what you got to experience something few others will get to.
Hey Stick!!!
I’m sure it sounded AWESOME!!! Did you guys just jam on Counterpoint original material or did you work on some covers as well??
Dom
That’s a neat way of looking at it JT. I never really thought about it that way?
Well Mr. Nardone, we played the original tunes that they created and asked me to interpret them in my own way and then jammed as well.
That night, I felt I pulled off the original ones GREAT! My equipment went south on me, but I felt ok about it.
The one thing that I wished that could have been achieved was, I wished that they recorded that beginning section of the night for them to play back later and see what I bring to the CounterPoint table.
This would have shown them that I have the proper insight and technical know how to approach their unique brand of prog. rock. As you know Domenic, I have tons of ways to move a song forward, chord progression wise, and really enhance songs. Unfortunately, they recorded ONLY the jam part of the evening. This portion of the evening, I felt like a fish out of a water to some degree.
Having played with me before Dom. and being of the same musical ilk, you know that I shine when I have obtained all the intimate details of a particular song and have perfected it to the max! This means PRACTICE THE HELL OUT OF A SONG, to the non-musicians out there. I refuse to give into anything less!
This way of practicing gives me the latitude to “Jam”, while playing in a band. I’ve never been one to just “Jam” for the sake of jamming, I honestly do not get a lot out of it as a musician. It’s fun and all that stuff everyone, please don’t get me wrong, but I’m not one for the spotlight. I crave to be the one in the background making the big FAT SOUND that brings the band to a much higher level! Besides, there is nothing more in the world that makes my blood boil then sounding sub-par!!!
So that’s it in a nut shell Domenic Nardone. Even if I don’t get the gig, I will be going over all the tunes they will play and just wait for my time to jump back on board with these GREAT MUSICIAN’s at a later date!
Please, keep on Jammin’ Domenic!