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What I really want to know is: Did you know about High on Fire before Matt Pike got fat?

if you can't find a new drummer, at least make sure your cabs aren't pointing towards the dude. sitting at a kit with a cranked amp pointing right at your ears is shit.

also keep in mind that a drummer can't 'turn up' in the same way an electric guitarist can. ideally you should be around the same volume when playing at similar intensity, not just the same volume in general; sooooo many guitarists have shit dynamic control so the amp compressing and pushing everything becomes the *cough* "dynamics" *cough*. you might have a shit drummer on your hands, we don't know because we don't have audio reference, but it's worth considering stuff like that.

Get him some earplugs or find another drummer.

The latter sounds like a better choice. It doesn't sound like he knows what you want to do. I know a lot of light-handed, jammy drummers. Powerful, dynamic groovy stuff just isn't in their vocabulary.

also have you considered just running the drum kit through an orange stack too?

backwardsvoyager wrote:also have you considered just running the drum kit through an orange stack too?

yes.

snipelfritz wrote:Get him some earplugs or find another drummer.

The latter sounds like a better choice. It doesn't sound like he knows what you want to do. I know a lot of light-handed, jammy drummers. Powerful, dynamic groovy stuff just isn't in their vocabulary.

He already wears ear plugs.

You need another drummer, I can do it better, yes.

backwardsvoyager wrote:keep in mind that a drummer can't 'turn up' in the same way an electric guitarist can. ideally you should be around the same volume when playing at similar intensity, not just the same volume in general; sooooo many guitarists have shit dynamic control so the amp compressing and pushing everything becomes the *cough* "dynamics" *cough*. you might have a shit drummer on your hands, we don't know because we don't have audio reference, but it's worth considering stuff like that.

Not going to lie, i have never thought about this outside of listening to Reverend Horton Heat talk about something similar. He was talking about club size though, not guitar dynamics. Interesting.

I would do exactly what d.o.s. suggested. Turn down and keep an eye out for a new drummer. Playing with people in a manner that isn't quite your dream > not playing with people.

PeteeBee wrote: I would do exactly what d.o.s. suggested. Turn down and keep an eye out for a new drummer. Playing with people in a manner that isn't quite your dream > not playing with people.

Yes, and a thousand times yes.

i'd be pissed and bummed that i was back to hunting for a drummer.
it's a fucking bitch to find one around here. why i learned.
have been hunting for about a year now so i can finally play guitar again and all the good ones are taken.
(kinda like the ladies... *sigh*)

ramonovski wrote:You need another drummer, I can do it better, yes.

Me too, but geography.

TS can you find me a job down there? I'm down for a change of pace and I'd like to escape before the next winter.

Playing loud in practice is fun—I wouldn't deprive yourself of that if it's what you want, just as long as you're taking care of your ears.

Having a bad match for a drummer is one of the toughest band cruxes, IMO. Good drummers are also very, very hard to find.

My advice: try really hard to find a better fit. Put up with him as long as you have to, but at the end of the day you're doing this for yourself, right? Most of us put up with plenty of crap in other aspects of our lives—I just don't see any point of bringing any of that into what should be a nice escape.

The solution to the "can't find a drummer" problem is probably to ditch your guitar, BECOME a good drummer and then audition however many guitarists you need to audition to complement your powerful doomy rhythm section.

The only reason I could see sticking by this drummer is if you liked him or he brought something to the band. Like, not knowing the influences is one thing, but not being able to step it up and match you is a whole different thing. Maybe give him some representative samples to listen to - your five top drum songs, so to speak. If he can't take cues from that, toss him back.

lost in music wrote:The solution to the "can't find a drummer" problem is probably to ditch your guitar, BECOME a good drummer and then audition however many guitarists you need to audition to complement your powerful doomy rhythm section.

Right. I mostly play drums. Guitar players are so ignorant of how drums work...most imagine drums as an accessory to what's coming out of their amps. Like it's all gotta match, and the guitar is the only thing that determines the 'style' of the band.

But the fact that this thread exists is good news. Maybe try and convert him...? See what he likes, then find some bridges. If he likes, I dunno, Zeppelin or whatever, feed him something with some Bonham-esque drums that's closer to Sleep or whatever you think is a more accurate touchstone.

You gotta get interested in his stuff, too, even if you think it's lame. Or it's not gonna work. Meeting a dude halfway could be really interesting and effective.

Basically, you're gonna have to put in some effort here, too.

Or find another drummer.