r/SeattleMusicians

What's up everyone! My name's Jeff, you might know some of my past bands (Mantic Ritual, Warbringer, Gygax, Glyph). I've got a pet project called The Fae - think prog metal but it's 1975 - and I'd love to find a singer who's in the PNW to help me finish this new EP (maybe full length?) I've got mostly written and recorded. Longer-term, I'd love a full lineup that's all nearby enough to do some gigging.

Here's some links to the music: https://thefae.bandcamp.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/@thefae8836

Influences include Queen, Rush, Yes, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, and some metal stuff like Symphony X. Trying to make music that rocks and is fun while still having some depth and creativity to it, and I love me a pretentious literary theme.

Historically the lineup has been spread all over the world, but I got tired of working long distance and started going it alone. The original singer was James Paul Luna (White Wizzard, Holy Grail, Intranced) and once scheduling got tough, I said fuck it and sang the full-length myself. So far we've done an EP (complete with split-screen video from the 2020 lockdown) and a full-length. We did a west coast tour that was a lot of fun, but I learned that I don't enjoy being the frontman and I'd rather stick to guitar/keys/backing vocals.

I'm pretty experienced (lots of records and US/international touring under my belt with past bands Mantic Ritual, Warbringer, Gygax, Glyph, and a lot of hired gun work), have a decent home studio to work in, and I'm decently connected into the metal scene, but seeing if I can find some people who really focus on groove and dynamics.

Who's out there? Let's rock!

(A search for a "lead" type guitar person, cross-posted.)

"In general, it could be said that the division of guitar labor in Radiohead is that [Thom] Yorke plays rhythm, Jonny Greenwood plays lead and Ed O’Brien makes weird noises. But that’s an oversimplification, as any of the three are capable of doing anything at any time."
--"The Golden Age of Radiohead"
Guitar World, April 1998.

https://www.guitarworld.com/features/radiohead-interview-golden-age-radiohead

Most popular rock music occurs either with a singular guitar "hero", or in the rhythm/lead binary. Everyone knows this, right? Rhythm and lead. Lead and rhythm. One player does one thing, the second does another... there are songs about it:

"Mind he’s strictly rhythm he doesn’t want to make it cry or sing..."

Even relatively well-known guitar "heroes" admit that they can be somewhat lacking in certain areas:

"What do you think are your biggest weaknesses as a guitarist?"
“Playing rhythm is one of the main ones."
--Slash.

You see posts searching for one or the other quite consistently, but that's really not what we do. Guitar is a means to an end, a mid-frequency tool that adds many layers to a delicious ensemble of sound. Sure, sometimes the breakdown is rhythm, noise, lead... sometimes it's rhythm, rhythm, noise... sometimes it's rhythm, lead, lead... or sometimes, in the words of Thom Yorke:

“Sometimes the nicest thing to do with a guitar is just look at it.”

So, knowing there are already two of us looking for a third guitarist...

... if you can do that lead stuff without always resorting to a major pentatonic scale - Adrian Belew's solo approach in "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and "Elephant Talk", for example, was to allow the guitar to mimic non-musical sound sources, playing textures that suggest elephants, cars, and industrial noise rather than traditional guitar vocabulary...

... if you feel like playing in a rehearsal/studio project making cinematic progressive rock - not prog metal, mind you - with middle-aged people because I know young cats often want people their own age (I was the same way when I was younger, so don't worry: you're forgiven for not reading any further)...

... if you're willing to meet in Bellevue and Bothell because we aren't capitol hill-centric and we are not going to be...

... and if you have the prerequisites: reliable gear, reliable transport, and wisdom enough to have gotten over your substance issues and yes that also means alcohol...

... if you're down to hang out with musicians who take a pluralistic view of those around them... 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️♀️🌎🌏🌍

... then drop us a line!

We don't expect to find someone today, tomorrow, next week, next month - we're pretty sure this is a tall order and are perfectly happy to wait for the right person. The "right person" part is the most important part. We don't care that you're not some accomplished virtuoso, we just want everyone to like being in the room together making art. The right chemistry is the challenge.