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Old 04-11-2019, 07:38 AM   #1
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Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

Now that the European Tour is complete and our schedules have aligned, there’s a lot to discuss. We cover the latest DMB news, plus we dive into the current heated topics among the community. Including discussion of the song selection during the European show and implications (or not) for the upcoming Summer Tour. And a look at how the band’s sound and setlists have changed over the years. Plus we take your questions! Available wherever fine podcasts are found.

You may notice that we've listed both episode 101 and 102 in the title. We recorded E101 back when the Batson Sessions had just leaked, so that recording took precedence and E101 was never officially "released." Today, we right that wrong. Enjoy the double double, with chopped chilis!
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  • Old 04-11-2019, 08:43 AM   #2
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    I really enjoyed listening to these yesterday. I've been going to DMB shows since 1996, and a lot of Matt's complaints/critiques are my own. The scene you described of climbing up the fence to get a peek or a better listen during soundcheck because there was so much mystery and excitement about setlists was spot-on.

    I also really appreciated the point you were making about why bands live-post setlists on their websites to begin with. There used to be a valid reason with this band, and there really isn't anymore. I know things won't (and can't) ever be the same. Personnel changes, dynamics change, and times change. But there's something that pulled me toward this band way back in the mid-90s and kept me in that happy place until probably a few years ago, and now a significant part of that is gone. Maybe it's Dave's taste in his own music. Maybe it's the death of LeRoi and the departure of Boyd (or just the absence of violin in the mix). Maybe it's the unpredictability. I don't know. But it's sad.

    Anyway, listening to you guys talk about this stuff in the podcasts led me to pull out my old binder full of soundboard shows I burned to discs years ago, and I listened to a 1993 show on the way to work this morning. And it was nice to have a Proustian flashback to what connected me to this band way back when. So thanks.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 10:02 AM   #3
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Haven't listened to 101 yet, but the talk in 102 was interesting. I find myself with a much more positive disposition about the band than a lot of people on Ants, Matt included.

    When it comes to the band "sounding great" last year, I'm one of the people saying things like that. What I personally mean is that I enjoyed the band in its current state, and that I thought the product on stage was elevated over the recent past. Perhaps it was the addition of keys or the absence of Boyd's... lack of effort on stage. I've only been seeing the band a couple of times a year since 2013, so my experiences are all recent. And last year's product (outside of a few songs that simply have to have a violin like Ants and Billies) was better than 2016's.

    On the discussion of variety in setlists: I agree that logically, as the catalog grows the variety should probably be trending the other direction. I would appreciate more variety. That being said, I've been to 12 shows across the past 6 years and I've gotten 114 different song performances. That's a pretty good average of about 10 unique to me songs mixed in every show. So my personal anecdotal experience hasn't been as affected by the "lack of variety" that you see when rocking the couch tour. Now for someone like Joe that sees 46 shows per tour, I get wanting more variety, too.

    As for posting live setlists, I don't think that's a very fair argument. The variety in song placement, selection, etc. is still there. That's demonstrated by the fact that people want to follow along at home. I want to see a notification pop up on my Apple Watch saying "DMB is playing the Stone" and say "oh shit that's cool, I'll have to find a recording of that later." If the setlists were truly foregone conclusions, why do people download DMB Hub and turn on notifications? Why do people follow DMBLiveSetlist on Twitter? Hell, the Setlist game was bigger last year than ever before, right?
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    Old 04-11-2019, 10:05 AM   #4
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Setlist game is a competition. I'd watch anything live if I had a stake in it.

    That's the only reason I can think of to follow the setlists live these days. Who cares if Seven shows up in the 10-spot or the 8-spot?
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    Old 04-11-2019, 12:00 PM   #5
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Violin = good

    Setlist variety = good

    Band direction = bad

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 12:03 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 12:57 PM   #6
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vkratliff View Post
    I really enjoyed listening to these yesterday. I've been going to DMB shows since 1996, and a lot of Matt's complaints/critiques are my own. The scene you described of climbing up the fence to get a peek or a better listen during soundcheck because there was so much mystery and excitement about setlists was spot-on.

    I also really appreciated the point you were making about why bands live-post setlists on their websites to begin with. There used to be a valid reason with this band, and there really isn't anymore. I know things won't (and can't) ever be the same. Personnel changes, dynamics change, and times change. But there's something that pulled me toward this band way back in the mid-90s and kept me in that happy place until probably a few years ago, and now a significant part of that is gone. Maybe it's Dave's taste in his own music. Maybe it's the death of LeRoi and the departure of Boyd (or just the absence of violin in the mix). Maybe it's the unpredictability. I don't know. But it's sad.

    Anyway, listening to you guys talk about this stuff in the podcasts led me to pull out my old binder full of soundboard shows I burned to discs years ago, and I listened to a 1993 show on the way to work this morning. And it was nice to have a Proustian flashback to what connected me to this band way back when. So thanks.
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GoingToCA91 View Post
    Haven't listened to 101 yet, but the talk in 102 was interesting. I find myself with a much more positive disposition about the band than a lot of people on Ants, Matt included.

    When it comes to the band "sounding great" last year, I'm one of the people saying things like that. What I personally mean is that I enjoyed the band in its current state, and that I thought the product on stage was elevated over the recent past. Perhaps it was the addition of keys or the absence of Boyd's... lack of effort on stage. I've only been seeing the band a couple of times a year since 2013, so my experiences are all recent. And last year's product (outside of a few songs that simply have to have a violin like Ants and Billies) was better than 2016's.

    On the discussion of variety in setlists: I agree that logically, as the catalog grows the variety should probably be trending the other direction. I would appreciate more variety. That being said, I've been to 12 shows across the past 6 years and I've gotten 114 different song performances. That's a pretty good average of about 10 unique to me songs mixed in every show. So my personal anecdotal experience hasn't been as affected by the "lack of variety" that you see when rocking the couch tour. Now for someone like Joe that sees 46 shows per tour, I get wanting more variety, too.

    As for posting live setlists, I don't think that's a very fair argument. The variety in song placement, selection, etc. is still there. That's demonstrated by the fact that people want to follow along at home. I want to see a notification pop up on my Apple Watch saying "DMB is playing the Stone" and say "oh shit that's cool, I'll have to find a recording of that later." If the setlists were truly foregone conclusions, why do people download DMB Hub and turn on notifications? Why do people follow DMBLiveSetlist on Twitter? Hell, the Setlist game was bigger last year than ever before, right?
    Love how both of these posts posterize much of the debate that's happening in the community. Both points of input much appreciated - thanks folks!
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:08 PM   #7
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GoingToCA91 View Post
    Haven't listened to 101 yet, but the talk in 102 was interesting. I find myself with a much more positive disposition about the band than a lot of people on Ants, Matt included.

    When it comes to the band "sounding great" last year, I'm one of the people saying things like that. What I personally mean is that I enjoyed the band in its current state, and that I thought the product on stage was elevated over the recent past. Perhaps it was the addition of keys or the absence of Boyd's... lack of effort on stage. I've only been seeing the band a couple of times a year since 2013, so my experiences are all recent. And last year's product (outside of a few songs that simply have to have a violin like Ants and Billies) was better than 2016's.

    On the discussion of variety in setlists: I agree that logically, as the catalog grows the variety should probably be trending the other direction. I would appreciate more variety. That being said, I've been to 12 shows across the past 6 years and I've gotten 114 different song performances. That's a pretty good average of about 10 unique to me songs mixed in every show. So my personal anecdotal experience hasn't been as affected by the "lack of variety" that you see when rocking the couch tour. Now for someone like Joe that sees 46 shows per tour, I get wanting more variety, too.

    As for posting live setlists, I don't think that's a very fair argument. The variety in song placement, selection, etc. is still there. That's demonstrated by the fact that people want to follow along at home. I want to see a notification pop up on my Apple Watch saying "DMB is playing the Stone" and say "oh shit that's cool, I'll have to find a recording of that later." If the setlists were truly foregone conclusions, why do people download DMB Hub and turn on notifications? Why do people follow DMBLiveSetlist on Twitter? Hell, the Setlist game was bigger last year than ever before, right?
    I don't know why adding a violinist and their sound being "tight" have to be mutually exclusive. Most people that want a violin are met with "but they sound so good now!"...as if the band can't do both. It's absurd. Dave has made a conscious decision to leave a violin off stage, and however "tight" they sound can't make up for that IMO.

    As far as setlist variety...Summer 2018 was borderline bad. Europe 2019 went against everything this band has stood for from a live perspective for the past 25 years. To me, going into this year's summer tour...it's almost a lose/lose after what they did in Europe. Either Dave brings variety back to the norm, which confirms the ongoing criticism that they'll dumb down their shows according to location. Or the lousy variety will continue, which, in conjunction with no violin, puts me at a breaking point with seeing this band live anymore.

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 01:11 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:12 PM   #8
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ExistenceNow View Post
    Setlist game is a competition. I'd watch anything live if I had a stake in it.

    That's the only reason I can think of to follow the setlists live these days. Who cares if Seven shows up in the 10-spot or the 8-spot?
    Someone who has Seven in the 9 spot?

    I get that. I play setlist game, but pretty much only for summer tours. I guess seeing what pops up in Europe, or in the Fall tour, or at a random DM or D&T show is just cool to me. I like being aware of that.

    Could there be more variety, unequivocally yes.

    Am I disappointed to be going to three shows this summer instead of my usual two? Definitely not.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:14 PM   #9
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    I don't know why adding a violinist and their sound being "tight" have to be mutually exclusive. Most people that want a violin are met with "but they sound so good now!"...as if the band can't do both. It's absurd. Dave has made a conscious decision to leave a violin off stage, and however "tight" they sound can't make up for that IMO.

    As far as setlist variety...Summer 2018 was borderline bad. Europe 2019 went against everything this band has stood for from a live perspective for the past 25 years. To me, going into this year's summer tour...it's almost a lose/lose after what they did in Europe. Either Dave brings variety back to the norm, which confirms the ongoing criticism that they'll dumb down their shows according to location. Or the lousy variety will continue, which, in conjunction with no violin, puts me at a breaking point with seeing this band live anymore.
    Great post. Very much exactly where I'm at.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:18 PM   #10
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    I don't know why adding a violinist and their sound being "tight" have to be mutually exclusive. Most people that want a violin are met with "but they sound so good now!"...as if the band can't do both. It's absurd. Dave has made a conscious decision to leave a violin off stage, and however "tight" they sound can't make up for that IMO.

    As far as setlist variety...Summer 2018 was borderline bad. Europe 2019 went against everything this band has stood for from a live perspective for the past 25 years. To me, going into this year's summer tour...it's almost a lose/lose after what they did in Europe. Either Dave brings variety back to the norm, which confirms the ongoing criticism that they'll dumb down their shows according to location. Or the lousy variety will continue, which, in conjunction with no violin, puts me at a breaking point with seeing this band live anymore.

    Pretty easy to understand why the overall sound would get tighter when ditching someone who played out of tune, poorly in general, and didn't care
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:21 PM   #11
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    Pretty easy to understand why the overall sound would get tighter when ditching someone who played out of tune, poorly in general, and didn't care
    So much this. Boyd was a pretty poor musician, at least relative to the rest of the band, and had no interest in being there. That's enough to drag an entire group down, just like your negative colleague does.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:23 PM   #12
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    Pretty easy to understand why the overall sound would get tighter when ditching someone who played out of tune, poorly in general, and didn't care
    I understand why they sound tighter without him. I don't understand why they won't add a professional violinist who wouldn't bring the sound down like Boyd did.

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 01:27 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:25 PM   #13
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GoingToCA91 View Post
    Someone who has Seven in the 9 spot?

    I get that. I play setlist game, but pretty much only for summer tours. I guess seeing what pops up in Europe, or in the Fall tour, or at a random DM or D&T show is just cool to me. I like being aware of that.

    Could there be more variety, unequivocally yes.

    Am I disappointed to be going to three shows this summer instead of my usual two? Definitely not.
    People still following the sets or playing the setlist game means nothing in terms of how many or how much people are enjoying the music being played.


    I think your POV is largely represented in the fanbase now. When I say that, I point directly to when you started seeing shows. You caught the bug like the rest of us at a show or listening to old live shows and things are still fresh and new to you, especially if you have only been seeing 1-2 shows per year. At some point that part of it fades, not for any bad reason but just because youve seen them enough. For a long time that part of things glossed my perspective too as ive only been seeing them since 2007. Thats not a bad thing, it just exists. Its easier to adapt to the change when you havent seen that many shows.


    Which leads me to the point of the band kind of knowingly ignoring the wishes of the long time fans. Dave's "I play what I want" mentality is fine for people that only go to their local show and are borderline casual/big fans.

    But the difference is, this band used to provide ALL of its fans what they wanted. Now this continually fades year after year. Maybe it doesnt make a difference now that theyre near the end of their career, but what Matt says about if they were doing what theyre doing now for their entirety, there wouldnt be a massive fanbase that allows them to play so many shows is absolutely true. Theyve lost their uniqueness (on multiple levels) that draws in fans that are willing to put up money and see them a bunch of times over a summer. Which, again, fine if thats what Dave wants to do. But when you actively try to block out where you came from and what made you what you are, it feels more like a direct shot at those fans who have invested so much.
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    Quote:
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    You hit some nerves because some people rely on logic and facts.

    Last edited by TheLastPig; 04-11-2019 at 01:27 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:25 PM   #14
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    Then bring in a professional to replace him...

    In their opinion they did, in my opinion I'm fine with or without a violin
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:26 PM   #15
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Matt View Post
    Great post. Very much exactly where I'm at.
    Me as well. At present, I don't have tickets to any shows this year.

    That could change. It'd be the first calendar year since 1998 that I didn't see Dave, in some project (DMB, D&T, DMF), on a stage.

    One of the good things about being on the West Coast is we're at the end of the tour, so if things look/sound improved over the past few years, I could change my mind.

    We'll see. It's not a no, but it's definitely a "we'll see" after last year, when I paid the most I ever have to see a DMB-related show and I thought it was pretty meh.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:26 PM   #16
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Such a great post ^ Edit: LastPigs
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    Anyways, I plan to have a fake card if needed to access my shows this year.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:28 PM   #17
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    In their opinion they did, in my opinion I'm fine with or without a violin
    I'm not. It is an integral instrument for me and a lot of songs are lacking live without a violin.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:29 PM   #18
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    In their opinion they did, in my opinion I'm fine with or without a violin
    Then why do you continue to critique people that are just making the point that it isnt working for them w/out violin?
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:29 PM   #19
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    I'm not. It is an integral instrument for me and a lot of songs are lacking live without a violin.

    Yeah that's cool, a lot of people agree with you
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:31 PM   #20
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheLastPig View Post
    Then why do you continue to critique people that are just making the point that it isnt working for them w/out violin?

    You mean pointing out that it isn't crazy to think their sound improved overall by getting rid of by far the weakest link?
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:34 PM   #21
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    You mean pointing out that it isn't crazy to think their sound improved overall by getting rid of by far the weakest link?
    Yeah because for some it hasnt.
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    You hit some nerves because some people rely on logic and facts.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:34 PM   #22
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheLastPig View Post
    People still following the sets or playing the setlist game means nothing in terms of how many or how much people are enjoying the music being played.


    I think your POV is largely represented in the fanbase now. When I say that, I point directly to when you started seeing shows. You caught the bug like the rest of us at a show or listening to old live shows and things are still fresh and new to you, especially if you have only been seeing 1-2 shows per year. At some point that part of it fades, not for any bad reason but just because youve seen them enough. For a long time that part of things glossed my perspective too as ive only been seeing them since 2007. Thats not a bad thing, it just exists. Its easier to adapt to the change when you havent seen that many shows.


    Which leads me to the point of the band kind of knowingly ignoring the wishes of the long time fans. Dave's "I play what I want" mentality is fine for people that only go to their local show and are borderline casual/big fans.

    But the difference is, this band used to provide ALL of its fans what they wanted. Now this continually fades year after year. Maybe it doesnt make a difference now that theyre near the end of their career, but what Matt says about if they were doing what theyre doing now for their entirety, there wouldnt be a massive fanbase that allows them to play so many shows is absolutely true. Theyve lost their uniqueness (on multiple levels) that draws in fans that are willing to put up money and see them a bunch of times over a summer. Which, again, fine if thats what Dave wants to do. But when you actively try to block out where you came from and what made you what you are, it feels more like a direct shot at those fans who have invested so much.
    I'm sure Dave's mentality could easily be that if the band has grown the fanbase to where they don't need a ton of older hardcore fans to travel a lot to sell out their shows, then there's no point in catering to them as they're not a "necessity" anymore. It's basically the touring version of "catering to your stockholders and turning a profit at all costs vs doing the right thing"...or it's just laziness since it goes against the traits that made this band big.

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 01:37 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:35 PM   #23
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheLastPig View Post
    Yeah because for some it hasnt.

    Yeah understandably so, people have different opinions
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:40 PM   #24
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    This argument begs the question...do people that like their sound now more than when Boyd was around not think they could still sound even better? I think that's the exception people are taking with the current sound. Why not sound great AND have a violin?

    Or do some people actually like the sound of this band without a violin?
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:40 PM   #25
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    I'm sure Dave's mentality could easily be that if the band has grown the fanbase to where they don't need a ton of older hardcore fans to travel a lot to sell out their shows, then there's no point in catering to them as they're not a "necessity" anymore. It's basically the touring version of "catering to your stockholders and turning a profit at all costs vs doing the right thing"...or it's just laziness since it goes against the tendencies that made this band big.
    I can understand that POV from Dave, and its probably correct. But that just confirms my point of how much it sucks to have the leader of the band you care most about just not give a shit about you, when youre what helped build them up to where they are.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:43 PM   #26
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    This argument begs the question...do people that like their sound now more than when Boyd was around not think they could still sound even better? I think that's the exception people are taking with the current sound. Why not sound great AND have a violin?

    Or do some people actually like the sound of this band without a violin?
    They would sound fantastic right now with a professional violin player. Overall sound for me would go to like an 8 vs what is basically a 5.5-6 now if 10 is peak DMB.
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    You hit some nerves because some people rely on logic and facts.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:48 PM   #27
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheLastPig View Post
    I can understand that POV from Dave, and its probably correct. But that just confirms my point of how much it sucks to have the leader of the band you care most about just not give a shit about you, when youre what helped build them up to where they are.
    I don't think its entirely that the hardcore fans aren't getting what they want (though I do think that's present to a degree)...I think Dave's propensity to stick his nose up while going against the grain has fueled the fire of fan resentment.

    So not only does it seem like Dave is leaving hardcore fans behind, but he's relishing in it. And they're left to wonder "What the hell did we do wrong other than love your music so much?".

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 01:51 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:51 PM   #28
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Antiramie View Post
    This argument begs the question...do people that like their sound now more than when Boyd was around not think they could still sound even better? I think that's the exception people are taking with the current sound. Why not sound great AND have a violin?

    Or do some people actually like the sound of this band without a violin?

    First off most people that like their sound more than when Boyd around are referring to various points from 2009-2016 and Boyd wasn't the only problem. Tim was a complete wall of sound, everything was played too hard and too fast with little dynamics, Boyd was all over the place with no desire to improve ..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvhF1tYMR3A


    A lot of people wanted them to slow down, be more dynamic and mix in softer playing while being more balanced. I personally had missed the jazzy DMB and wanted piano back ...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGmqJwxrhI


    I haven't seen anyone argue that this version of the band sounds better than the 90's through 2004, they have sounded their best with a violin. I love how they sound currently without a violin but if they were to add one that works too. In a perfect world this would be the steps I would want to get the sound exactly right ... get rid of Tim and Rashawn, have Buddy play more piano and less organ, add a world class violin player or someone like Hamilton.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 01:58 PM   #29
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34 View Post
    First off most people that like their sound more than when Boyd around are referring to various points from 2009-2016 and Boyd wasn't the only problem. Tim was a complete wall of sound, everything was played too hard and too fast with little dynamics, Boyd was all over the place with no desire to improve ..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvhF1tYMR3A


    A lot of people wanted them to slow down, be more dynamic and mix in softer playing while being more balanced. I personally had missed the jazzy DMB and wanted piano back ...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLGmqJwxrhI


    I haven't seen anyone argue that this version of the band sounds better than the 90's through 2004, they have sounded their best with a violin. I love how they sound currently without a violin but if they were to add one that works too. In a perfect world this would be the steps I would want to get the sound exactly right ... get rid of Tim and Rashawn, have Buddy play more piano and less organ, add a world class violin player or someone like Hamilton.
    I'm not debating whether their sound now is better than X era. To me the presence or lack of violin will always be a bigger determining factor in "liking their sound" than the differences through the years with Boyd. Like Matt stated in the podcast, I'm not nitpicking every note they play live. As long as they don't sound like a highschool cover band out there, I'm going to have fun.

    But when you take away a violin and suddenly some of my favorite songs like Nancies and Warehouse sound completely hollow without a key instrument...you're losing my interest.

    And I don't think adding a violinist who knows what he/she is doing would affect any sound perfection the band has going right now...unless fans that would argue that simply don't like the violin.

    Last edited by Antiramie; 04-11-2019 at 02:00 PM.
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    Old 04-11-2019, 02:01 PM   #30
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    Re: Ants Podcast 101/102 Discussion

    The reason I dont miss the violin as much as some others is because of how Boyd was handled in the mix in his final few years with the band. So hearing them now without a violin isnt that huge of a sonic change because he was basically relegated to a soloist/energy guy on select songs. He was no longer integral to the sound because he couldnt do it anymore. This is most obvious on BBN, the studio cut has a prominent violin solo that sounded great and was vintage Boyd/DMB. Live they completely muted him during that song/solo, seemingly unbeknownst to him. Hes up there skreeing away and if you had your eyes closed you wouldnt even know he was on stage at that moment.

    In order to mask his deteriorating skill, they lost all dynamics and turned Tim to 11. This made the sound suffer. Now that he is gone, they play much more balanced and dynamic and they sound so much better. Than they did with him.

    I would love for a professional violinist to join the band. It would bring them to another level. That said, I very much enjoy the current sound because they sound so much better now and because he had basically been missing for years anyway
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