Tonight we held our second Filmstar rehearsal sans drums, as we are now without Zina aside from a few wrap up recordings and gigs.
It is weird. This is the first time I’ve ever been a party to a change in band members. I keep thinking of all these little things, like friends of ours who never got to see us with Zina, or the fun riff we do together in “Weight of the World.”
Would a new drummer do the riff just like Zina does it? I made sure to do all of the old bass player’s riffs verbatim until I had a chance to ask about changing them, or feel that they could change.
I really like that riff, though.
I joined Filmstar as a unit of Glenn, Elise, and Zina, and I purposefully held myself apart from the unit. It was Filmstar, with Peter on bass. I didn’t want to be billed any higher than that, I tried not to vote on any official band business, and I fought to avoid appearing in photos. It was their band – I was just a hired gun.
I don’t know what I am now. Tonight Glenn and E talked about things that make us worth drumming with, and things we’re looking for in a drummer. At this point “I” am implicit in the “we.” I mean, am I really going to hold myself apart form having a say in my new partner in the rhythm section?
Ultimately it’s Glenn’s band and E’s voice, and whether I get a permanent vote on anything or not I’m there to support that and to try to help them execute their vision. That’s what I would want a supporting member of Arcati Crisis to do for me and Gina.
I don’t know if I would understand how to lead Arcati Crisis as a band without being a follower in Filmstar. I wouldn’t be as good of a contributor to Filmstar if I didn’t have the experience of needing others to contribute to my and Gina’s vision for Arcati Crisis.
I think somewhere in the midst of all that I stopped being able to claim that I don’t have a clue about what it takes to be in a rock band.
Do you know any good drummers?
