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Thread: Dave Grohl goes prog!

  1. #1
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    Dave Grohl goes prog!

    Well, sort of.

    Just for the hell of it, he recently decided to write and record a 23-minute instrumental, playing all the parts: three guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion. It sounds like quite a bit of stuff: Rush, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, metal, even Echolyn a little, and there's also a punk influence in some of the guitar licks and chord progressions. Dave's quite good on drums (no surprise), solid but not flashy on guitars and bass, and not terribly skilled on keys or vibes. The writing's okay for what it is, but (in my opinion) needs vocals or more variety - it's full of parts where he just plays the same decent but basic idea over and over and over.

    A website with a fairly elaborate presentation of the film and music: https://play.roswellfilms.com/

    A YouTube video:
    - - - - - - - - - - - -

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    Member Koreabruce's Avatar
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    Very enjoyable! I always appreciate Dave's boundless energy. I imagine it would be a lot of fun to have access to a great studio and do somethng like this just for the hell of it, even if it does come across as somewhat patchwork.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    I kind of enjoyed that!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    Just for the hell of it, he recently decided to write and record a 23-minute instrumental, playing all the parts: three guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion. It sounds like quite a bit of stuff: Rush, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, metal, even Echolyn a little, and there's also a punk influence in some of the guitar licks and chord progressions. Dave's quite good on drums (no surprise), solid but not flashy on guitars and bass, and not terribly skilled on keys or vibes. The writing's okay for what it is, but (in my opinion) needs vocals or more variety - it's full of parts where he just plays the same decent but basic idea over and over and over.
    Can you point out the time when you heard Floyd or Beatles, please??

    Got no problems hearing Rush and Echolyn (or assimilated), but Floyd??
    Last edited by Trane; 08-11-2018 at 06:50 AM.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Got no problems Hearing Rush and Echolyn (or assimilated), but Floyd??
    Perhaps he was referring to some of the more subdued bits. I can kind of understand a Floyd vibe, but I'm not hearing any Beatles myself, either.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Koreabruce View Post
    Perhaps he was referring to some of the more subdued bits. I can kind of understand a Floyd vibe, but I'm not hearing any Beatles myself, either.
    Yes, no Beatles, for Pink Foyd just some bits at about 18:40 and 23:00 (just pink floyd first era, psychedelic era...) It is mostly echolyn, rush and alternative music to my ears.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jarmsuh View Post
    It is mostly echolyn, rush and alternative music to my ears.
    Exactly.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jarmsuh View Post
    Yes, no Beatles, for Pink Foyd just some bits at about 18:40 and 23:00 (just pink floyd first era, psychedelic era...) It is mostly echolyn, rush and alternative music to my ears.
    Yeah, now that you mention it, I do hear a bit of Gumma-esque Saucerful from 18:40 until 19:00 and a repeat during minute 23, but that's about it.

    But kudos to Grohl for this bravura piece. Kinda of wish he'd have composed & released this some 15 years ago, though.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Irritated Lawn Guy Klonk's Avatar
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    Pretty cool! Like him or not his passion for music is infectious
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    Hmm. I'll paraphrase Pete Townshend's mum from "Guitar and Pen". I'd like it with "more of a toon."

    But major props for championing long-form rock music. Plus it seems he sees himself as a role model to young, aspiring musicians which I applaud. I like how his own kid was trying to tackle "Don't Stop Believing." Take that rappers!
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

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    I just wish that we'll have more epic music of that kind from Dave. Here's an interview where he talks about that project and other subjects:

    https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/articl...interview-2018

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    More Them Crooked Vultures!!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by MudShark22 View Post
    More Them Crooked Vultures!!!
    I really really liked that album! Must dig it out.
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    It's just good to see Dave back where he belongs: behind the kit!!!
    (Really don't like him as frontman...)
    (But as a drummer? Golden.)
    The Prog Corner

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    Thank you for starting this thread, I love Dave Grohl, it's great to see him behind the kit slamming the shit out of the drums, and i love the concept of this video. Influences aside (and you might as well throw Soundgarden in there too) i think this sounds very much like Dave/Foo Fighters dipping his toes into some more experimental stuff and i dig it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    It's just good to see Dave back where he belongs: behind the kit!!!
    (Really don't like him as frontman...)
    (But as a drummer? Golden.)
    Does that comment make me think of someone else? Maybe someone shorter, and with less hair......

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    Member nosebone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    It's just good to see Dave back where he belongs: behind the kit!!!
    (Really don't like him as frontman...)
    (But as a drummer? Golden.)



    Love those triple tracked guitars!
    no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    How would you describe this musically?

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    Traversing The Dream 100423's Avatar
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    For me it was a really long instrumental Foo Fighters song that was made more interesting because of the video. I thought it was cool because of what he is trying to promote and fun as a one off thing, but I'm not sure I'd ever go back and listen again.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 100423 View Post
    For me it was a really long instrumental Foo Fighters song that was made more interesting because of the video. I thought it was cool because of what he is trying to promote and fun as a one off thing, but I'm not sure I'd ever go back and listen again.
    This is my take on it as well. I'd put the emphasis on "fun," and having this in video format makes it all the more so. To that point, I like how he walks into the studio in each of his different band member incarnations wearing different shirts . I also enjoyed many of the individual parts, but if one is going to do long-form stuff, a better thought-out plan for making those parts work together is a necessity, especially when managing how one part transitions to the next. Otherwise, it's just a collection of disparate bits stuck together.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    How would you describe this musically?
    Sort of reminded me of some instrumental stoner metal - introduce a riff, play it again, augment it, repeat - introduce new riff, play it again etc., etc.

    I dug it.

  22. #22
    Nothing prog about this at all.

    For starters, he has no swing in his drumming. You have to have that to be a prog drummer which he is not. He is a good rock drummer, but not prog.

    Nothing innovative about his guitar playing. Just power chords and non musical guitar riffing (alternative). Keys are just fillers and his bass playing is ordinary at best...( I am being nice)

    Grohl needs to go to jazz school, then come back and try again.

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    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    How would you describe this musically?
    Quote Originally Posted by julioscissors View Post
    Sort of reminded me of some instrumental stoner metal - introduce a riff, play it again, augment it, repeat - introduce new riff, play it again etc., etc.
    That was my reaction too. It's very piecemeal. It sounds like the instrumental/jammy stuff I did back in high school, except with a somewhat harder edge and a little less focused on "improv." I think with some more developed melodies, better soloing, and more inclusion of keyboards this would have been more interesting to me, but as it was I started to get bored and just skimmed the last 10 minutes or so.

    I think it has great energy and I respect Dave, and it's interesting to see him stretch a bit. But in the end this feels like a series of shorter ideas that could have been developed into individual songs that he just sort of strung together. There's nothing really unifying them so the overall composition doesn't carry much interest, and there's not enough going on instrumentally to really hold my attention.

    Bill

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    "But in the end this feels like a series of shorter ideas that could have been developed into individual songs that he just sort of strung together."

    2112, anyone?

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    Traversing The Dream 100423's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    "But in the end this feels like a series of shorter ideas that could have been developed into individual songs that he just sort of strung together."

    2112, anyone?
    Well, I've been compelled to listen to 2112 a multitude of times over the many years, so while it may be pasted together bits, I enjoy listening to it.

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