Fmeh

The Mercury Rising fired me today.

They said I was taking the band in a direction they weren't interested in going. They want to do standard rock, but of course they don't want to think of it that way. First they tell me they want to bring keyboards into it, so I brought my keys into it. Now they say they don't want keys in it--I guess it mellowed out the sound too much. One of the guitarists and the bass player (the bass player who is really cool, read more about him later in this post) still wanted keys, but the other guitarist who doesn't have a good sense of pitch and the drummer didn't want keys.

Last practice they were going to learn one of my songs called "Why Do You Continue To Fight?"

http://kizzume.com/fight.mp3

It was a total disaster.

They were really struggling with the time signature. REALLY struggling. I'd play the part using the drum sounds on my keyboards, singing the instrumental part while counting to 7, for several minutes, then had the drummer try for almost 10 minutes while I sung the count of 7 (so the other members would know where their part fit into it while still showing the count at the same time) and played the keyboard drum sounds and he still couldn't even get the basic grasp of the timing, not even in the slightest. "Just play only the snare on 3 and 7 for now and don't play any other drums, just the snare--just get this part down for now"--nope, he still couldn't do even that.

And one of the guitarists I found out has such a bad sense of pitch that he was unable to find a SINGLE note--I would play ONE note on the keys, over and over, and he couldn't figure out where it was on his guitar--and of course when I said "play an E" (they have their guitars tuned down to a C instead of an E) he said "I don't know theory dude.", but he didn't want me to touch his guitar "No dude, don't touch my guitar" to put my finger on the right fret to show him where the note was. About five minutes later he finally <gasp!> figured out what note I was playing--that one note. We're not talking about a progression, we're not talking about a chord, we're talking about a SINGLE NOTE.

The bass player was starting to get it--he was the only one who was both getting it AND had a positive attitude about playing something unfamiliar. The other guitarist was starting to get it, but he was really upset about the whole thing.

After about 10 more minutes of disaster, I said "Why don't we just work on one of your guys' other songs, we can come back to this another day."

So we worked on some more new songs that the guitarists had written, songs that revolve around two chords. Yeay

Everything seemed good, it just seemed that we were simply struggling on learning very unfamiliar material. I guess I was wrong. Today the two guitarists and the drummer voted to fire me.

I told them that if they want to keep the website, I'll give them all the passwords and transfer the domain name to be in their name so they can handle all that stuff after they give me $50, after all, I did a LOT of work for them in getting their website going and the logo and the t-shirts and the whole works. I probably should have charged more than that, but I'm trying to be a good guy.

What upsets me about this the most is that they had expressed concern that I might leave the band again (I had left the band in 2008), that they wanted to make sure I was on-board. I went in with full force.

In just a couple weeks, MTV.com will be showing the interview, the people that interviewed us came back over to us several times to say that they think my vocals set the band apart from the rest of the bands they've heard. Thinking about that, to me it's ironic that I'm the one that gets fired because "I'm taking the band in a direction they don't want to go."

Fuck 'em.

The bass player already made the distinction a couple weeks ago that if things don't pick up by around Christmas that he's quitting the band (and it's his practice space) and starting a new band with me. Well, it seems very likely that the bass player will be quitting in December and will start a whole new band with me and a guitarist that we know who is TRULY versatile (knows just about every style and knows music theory very well) and a drummer who is also very versatile.

I'm quite down right now, but at the same time, I know I did my best, and I know that out of all the talking the guitarists and the drummer made about "we want to do something different, we want to do things that set us apart from other bands" was just that, TALK. And talk is cheap.

As disappointed as I am right now, I am also relieved somehow.

Anyway, thanks for reading this if you have.

--Kizzume

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Persephone Milk

Ah Fmeh, I am so sorry you lost your band. But you know, it really sounds like you have out grown them - maybe not as a friend but certainly as a musician. You are wonderfully talented and you don't want to be held back by a band that doesn't know even basic theory. I know what it's like to try to play piano with a guitarist that has no idea what they are actually playing. It's a quick road to frustration. I haven't really played in a band per se, but in the moments I have enjoyed playing with others it was always when the other musicians knew more than I did, and pushed me to advance my own skills. If you are to grow and learn, that is what you need. I wish you all the best luck in hooking up with some talented people that can help you achieve your own musical aspirations.

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Chip Midnight

Sorry to hear that Fmeh, but I agree with Persephone. I know you dig fusion and other complex music and I say don't let these guys hold you back. Find some good musicians who understand the theory and are comfortable with odd time signatures and complex progressions. The world really doesn't need any more 1-4-5 songs in 4/4. Oh, and that is a GREAT song!

Ayumi

Hmm. What if you found a prep school full of musically inclined genius children, and while masquerading as a school teacher, formed your own 30 person band to win your local talent competition?

omg that sounds so skeezy when I type it out. HAHA

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Bard Jameson

So sorry, Fmeh, that it has come to this. I really like the song you linked, and really, if the band you were with can't handle a straight 7/8 meter throughout, then you are beyond them and need to move on. I mean, you didn't even "pull a Rush" - like two measures of 7/8 and one of 3/4 - but they can't follow?

I know it hurts, but I second what others have said here - time to move on and find partners who are as good or better than you are. You need to expand, not contract your talents.

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Chip Midnight

By the way, Fmeh, your voice reminds me a lot of Paul Williams or Jack Bruce, the vocalists from Holdsworth's I.O.U. and Road Games days.

Trout Recreant

why do I feel like I've seen that movie?


Hang in there Fmeh - you know what you can do, and you'll get together with the right group eventually.

eku Zhong

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World Undercroft

Trouble with a 7 time signature lol, I did a recording years back with a guy who had no concept at all over time signature. His songs were really good but he would play the parts like Sid Barrett having a seizure. Ironically he would play the passages the same every time.
Instead of trying to figure out 4 to 7 to 13 to 9 to 4 or whatever he was pulling off I came up with the concept of it being in 1/4......after the countoff of 1 1 1 1 we would start recording. We got most of his songs recorded in 1 to 3 takes. (what made it easier was the consistant flow of time, not the meter)
In my experience, those that dont know, need to grow. Those that won't know, need to go.
It may be bucking at the 7/4 or keyboards now but later it will be something else that will "bug" them and the outcome will be the same.
You seem to have a good sense of what you want to do and how you want to do it, I would suggest getting players who want to do fmeh's thing. It will be your own drive that you seem to have that will fuel the fires. There is nothing more powerful than a band with confidence and a clear vison.
(and no more tuning down to c.....just buy 3 basses lol)

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Be11a Lefevre Bunny Swan

Fmeh,
I don't know you that well but I thought I'd send you a little something to cheer you up.
Eight successful people grateful they got canned - CNN.com

So, chin up!

Sooz Pascale

Fmeh...I don't know beans about music, but I know enough to recognize talent when I see, or hear it. Its their loss and I have sense that, catlike, you will land on your feet. Best of luck my friend!!

Soooz

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Kyllie Wylie

As much as I am sure it hurt, I think it was for the best. if the band is so inconsisnt and you discribe I think you would have just ended up miserable and frustrated.

If you are not having fun playing your music, I really dont see a point of playing.

I count myself very luck that I have played with the same people from pretty well the end of high school, and while we never achieved much commercial success we have always had lots of fun playing.

I am still boggled that a person can be serious enough about playing guitar and wishes to be in a serious band and not know where E is on his fret board!!

*hugs Fmeh* after hearing your singing, i am sure you will be able to bounce back and pick up with some others and achieve great success!

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Fmeh

I wanted to be done with the feeling that I was in The Mercury Rising, so I wanted to change my appearance. I first switched to a fumanchu (sp), and tried to bleach it out from the black it was, but then I just thought about how it would never get to be the natural color, so I just shaved it off. Really bad photos, but whatever... LOL

Aodhan McDunnough

A life change. They right now don't quite sound like the people who you should be giving your precious time to.

I think there are some new things and new people out there that are calling out to you. Be ready for them.

Fmeh

Here is the future website for my future new band: traguna.com

Yep, the new band will be called Traguna, and it's going to be primarily MY music. Traguna is a name that I've wanted to use for several years now. If you couldn't guess where the name came from, it was "Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee", a magic phrase from the movie "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" with Angela Lansbury that cast the spell of "substitutiary locomotion". I didn't like the spelling they chose for it, it seemed like it was supposed to be old-sounding or latin, so it should have been more close to "Traguna Macoidis Trecorum Satus Di", and that is the reason why I chose the spelling that I did.

The new band, whether it ends up being with Jesse on bass (Jesse from the Mercury Rising, the only one who stood up for me and told the rest of the band that they were making a mistake in getting rid of me, and the only one who really WANTED to learn new and challenging material) or not. If Jesse stays with The Mercury Rising in the chance that it works out well, and I hope it does for their sake, but if it does work out I will be putting together a band without Jesse.

I'm not going to be waiting around longer than 6 weeks--if TMR is still together at that point, I will start pumping out ads on CraigsList and music newspapers.

Ingrid N

Good luck with your new band.

Do you think they'll even be airing the interview at MTV now?

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Fmeh

Thanks. And yes, they're supposed to be still putting the interview on mtv.com.

Meltemi Case

to be honest I got a bit worried bout somethin like this happenin when you told me that you rejoined...but essentially everything happens for a reason....perhaps getting interviewed by mtv was what the purpose of this rejoining was for....hugs fmeh everything works out it always does mad love to ya

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infiniview Merit

Cool voice man!

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Lewis Luminos

Good luck with your new band. I think it's for the best about the other one, you're way ahead of them in terms of talent.

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Mocksoup Graves

You know I believe that everything has a purpose. I also believe that stagnation is death, and life keeps flowing. Things are moving along nicely.


<3

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annalt

Great voice Fmeh yup, time to move on, good luck with your next project.

Ilyushin Tzedek

In Portugal sometimes we say that bad things happen for good reasons. I think this is one of them. Clearly the band was very far below you technically, especially with a guitarist that seems to be as tone deaf as a brick.

Think of it this way: They were holding you back by forcing you to conform to their incompetence. They're like those people who drive on the fast lane at 40mph, slowing everyone down. Now you have the opportunity to seek out someone who actually has the skillset needed to make music and will allow you to grow as a musician.

Seems to me that them firing you turned out to be a case of the bullet dodging you.

jeaniesing

I think everyone has been out to see a band and left thinking, "That drummer was GREAT," or "The guy on the keyboards stole the show" and strangely missing from their minds is a concept of what the rest of the music was about.... I teach music... lotsa High School kid bands in my past.... the one I remember the most is the one with a world class drummer... there were these three other guys on stage too, I think, maybe 4? And I remember thinking, "I wonder if the drummer sings too?"....

Unless you're going for a solo career, find a band you blend with

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