Musicians who scare you with their superhuman abilities

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For reasons indefensible, bands I hate are not considered, which means no marillion or Dream Theater.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/rolocoaster/crowleypage.jpg

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 03:50 (nineteen years ago)

Feel free to share experiences, etc. so this isn't just a LIST thread.

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 03:53 (nineteen years ago)

I took all my diaries, and I indexed them, on the computer. After that, I was able to draw together data from various periods of my life and make startling observations. I snogged four girls in 1995, but none for nearly three years after that.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

― wordy rappinghood (roxymuzak), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

100. Skip Battin
99. Isobel Campbell

― King-a-Ling (King-a-Ling), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:05 (nineteen years ago)

Wow, that is downright superhuman.

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:13 (nineteen years ago)

I never thought of it like that.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:20 (nineteen years ago)

btw, if you run an internet store called "eyeball kicks," the word "weird" is spelled e before i, as in "weird wheels."

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:22 (nineteen years ago)

isobel campbell?!

more like subhuman abilities

― wordy rappinghood (roxymuzak), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:24 (nineteen years ago)

I don't. But it is spelt that way even if I don't, by the way.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:25 (nineteen years ago)

damon che

― cutty (mcutt), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:26 (nineteen years ago)

Mount Everest

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:27 (nineteen years ago)

Primo Levi

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:27 (nineteen years ago)

I am referring to this, btw:

http://eyeballkicks.com/images/ourstore_09.jpg

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:28 (nineteen years ago)

Jan Potocki

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:28 (nineteen years ago)

more like subhuman abilities

:-D

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:29 (nineteen years ago)

Ned Ruggett

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:32 (nineteen years ago)

more like subhuman abilities

Oh, how quickly you forget the startling non-mediocrity of Ballad of the Broken Seas!

― You've Got Porridge On Your Breasts (King-a-Ling), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:33 (nineteen years ago)

How quickly nobody has ever heard of that shit

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:36 (nineteen years ago)

zach hill, the drummer for hella. the band i'm in opened up for them once and i thought it was pretty amazing that such a skinny dude could keep up such a blistering pace for as long as he did. (well over an hour)

― 6335 (6335), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:40 (nineteen years ago)

Before I got high off my ass and did this, I had no idea how talentedGeorge Michael really was.

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:54 (nineteen years ago)

How quickly nobody has ever heard of that shit

It's an album of Isobel Campbell/Mark Lanegan duets. The vocal pairing reminds me of Hazlewood and Sinatra, but the music is basically what you'd expect from an indie popstar who can't write a dark country song without digging into the twee toolbox for help. Isobel wrote all the material except for a cover of "Ramblin' Man" (complete with cracking whip sound effects), and I'm pretty sure they recorded all the vocals on opposite sides of the Atlantic. It's...nice.

― King-a-Ling (King-a-Ling), Saturday, 11 November 2006 04:55 (nineteen years ago)

Sunny Murray impressed me with his energy and endurance the way Zach Hall did for 6335. Except he's old and fat not young and skinny, and I didn't open for him.

Peter Brotzmann is the loudest reed player I've ever heard in my life. He must have bigger-on-the-inside-than-on-the-outside TARDIS lungs.

Charlie Hunter doesn't have especially large hands, but I have no idea how he can play two instruments worth of music on one axe - and I've watched him do it from only a few feet away.

Oteil Burbridge, same kinda deal as Charlie Hunter.

Richard Thompson's plectrum-and-fingerpick simultaneously technique is a stucking funner.

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:09 (nineteen years ago)

Roland Kirk - three reeds at once. THREE

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:13 (nineteen years ago)

Sonny Rollins' circular breathing - Evan Parker's, too.

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:13 (nineteen years ago)

oh, good call on charlie hunter. i wasn't really that into his tunes when i saw him, but i was blown away by that same thing. unreal. i also really liked how he could get the higher strings to sound like a hammond organ. it was partly due to the fx pedals he was using, but also partly because of his technique

x-post

― 6335 (6335), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:16 (nineteen years ago)

If my decade old memory of GP magazine articles is accurate, it's not just his fx panels but the amp itself that's from an organ rig.

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:19 (nineteen years ago)

leslie-type rotating speaker?

― 6335 (6335), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

That sounds vaguely familiar, so sure, why not?

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:22 (nineteen years ago)

mm, probably.

frederic rzewski's piano skills were pretty stunning when i saw him a couple years ago

― 6335 (6335), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:26 (nineteen years ago)

I am going to go get a sink screen so that I can smoke pot.

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 05:28 (nineteen years ago)

mccoy tyner and billy mackenzie. the octave jump in the beginning of 'it's better this way' ("... this TIME it's for real ...") is the best thing ever

― millenarian (millenarian), Saturday, 11 November 2006 07:01 (nineteen years ago)

This was a pretty good idea for a thread. I am surprised I thought of it. And I am saddened that I also ruined it.

― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

Guitar tone in 'Bring It On Home'

― def zep (calstars), Saturday, 11 November 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.watercoolergossip.net/images/ryanadams_23jun06_08.jpg

― Wrinklecause for Applause! (Wrinklepaws), Saturday, 11 November 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

Ryan is indeed superhuman. His new songs include

Arkham Asylum
Bruce Wayne
Robot Fuck
Twenty First Century Wars
Judy Garland (She Turns It Up To Ten)
Icy Wizard Fantasy Balloon
Lazer Parade
Egyptology
Hans Solo's Medicine Cabinet

The seven(or so) albums that he talked about are on his website now. And he played with the Cowboy Junkies on his birthday. And his ladylike red boots are only getting bigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1QhyMLmgB4

AND him and The Cardinals played an amazing ISIS>LOVE SICK>ISIS at the Dylan tribute the other day! Glad they taped it.

(and he's been sober for almost 6 months!)

― MRZBW (MRZBW), Saturday, 11 November 2006 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

zach hill

for real. mick barr too

― Dominique (dleone), Saturday, 11 November 2006 19:00 (nineteen years ago)

Sonny Rollins' circular breathing - Evan Parker's, too.

Kenny G's, too. He held a single note for a whopping 45 minutes! God bless 'im.

― King-a-Ling (King-a-Ling), Saturday, 11 November 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

and as norm macdonald informed us, he warned bystanders that it would be almost as boring as him playing multiple notes

― millenarian (millenarian), Saturday, 11 November 2006 20:12 (nineteen years ago)

Ivo Papasov's one of those musicians (as is everyone in his band, really) that can make me laugh just because of the whole mindblowingness of it all. AND the music's fun and listenable and downright enjoyable.

Witness(Youtube.com)

― Øystein (Øystein), Saturday, 11 November 2006 20:29 (nineteen years ago)

I actually did laugh watching Ivo Papasov. When the guy started played the keyboard, I began wondering if piano is easier to play than I realize. It looks like he's just playing any old shit!

― Totally Different Guy Now (Dick Butkus), Saturday, 11 November 2006 21:11 (nineteen years ago)

> Kenny G's, too. He held a single note for a whopping 45 minutes! God bless 'im.

Technically not a musician, because I hate him.

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Saturday, 11 November 2006 21:52 (nineteen years ago)

i second mick barr

― noizem duke (noize duke), Saturday, 11 November 2006 22:40 (nineteen years ago)

In separate concecutive posts Austin mentioned both Roland Kirk and circular breathing, but not Roland Kirk's circular breathing, which I was gonna do. So, uh, considerate it mentioned. I can't even begin to conceive how difficult mastering that technique must be.

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Sunday, 12 November 2006 08:21 (nineteen years ago)

conor oberst.
god. he changed my life.
i don't think i'd be here today without his songs, espescially one called "i've been eating for you". it helped me through my bulimia..

― blood bitch (blood bitch), Sunday, 12 November 2006 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

I can't even tell who's being ironic anymore.

― Brian Emo (noodle vague), Sunday, 12 November 2006 15:47 (nineteen years ago)

Laurie Anderson probably has a superpower or two up her sleeve, and I don't even like her music. Maybe its because her hair makes her look like a character from Final Fantasy VII.

― Digestion is Easy (Digestion is Easy!), Sunday, 12 November 2006 15:57 (nineteen years ago)

Bert Wilson. I've heard overblowing but 3 and 4 note chords in different inversions, on a tenor sax?

Also anyone who can really do throat snging... I have a friend who can pull it off ffrom time to time. Mesmerising...

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Sunday, 12 November 2006 16:13 (nineteen years ago)

buckethead can do kungfu and shred at the same time@!!!!@ for reals!

― chaki (chaki), Sunday, 12 November 2006 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

Marky Smith scares me with his superhuman abilities

― Wrinklecause for Applause! (Wrinklepaws), Sunday, 12 November 2006 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

The scariest people I would be able to mention, and usually for an actual reason, are those who are so full of psychedelic drugs they are able to "see" stuff that other people don't. Syd Barrett was a very obvious example of this. Obviously, most people would never have been able to write lyrics, or even compose melodies, like that. But then, it is kind of scary how he was too....

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 12 November 2006 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

If my decade old memory of GP magazine articles is accurate, it's not just his fx panels but the amp itself that's from an organ rig.
-- It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (austin.swinbur...), November 10th, 2006 9:19 PM.

leslie-type rotating speaker?
-- 6335 (thunderball_fist...), November 10th, 2006 9:20 PM.

Close... behold the GUITORGAN, ILM, and tremble...

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/images/40U/40U-2488_body-front.jpg

― hearditonthexico (rogermexico), Sunday, 12 November 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

interesting. my buddy has one of those. when you finger a chord, sensors under the fretboard send a signal to play the corresponding notes on the organ. then you engage/fade-in in the organ notes w/ a footpedal. very cool

― 6335 (6335), Monday, 13 November 2006 05:36 (nineteen years ago)

zach hill, the drummer for hella

thirded.

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Monday, 13 November 2006 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

Ivo Papasov (awesome video btw) should jam with this dude...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_QNrGvdFIU&eurl=

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Monday, 13 November 2006 17:09 (nineteen years ago)

I am listening to Art Tatum solo recordings for the first time and all I can say is HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

I'd heard the stories that he learned to play by ear by feeling what the keys on player pianos were doing, unaware that some of the rolls were for four hands. Now I believe them.

God is on the hard drive tonight!

― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Thursday, 23 November 2006 02:00 (nineteen years ago)

hmmm...I have some art tatum vinyl that hasn't seen the light of day for a while. maybe today's the day. you've inspired me. cheers!

papasov seconded. amazing stuff.

having almost no physical co-ordination to speak of, I'm generally in awe of how drummers do what they do, especially dave lombardo, chris pennie, dave witte, elvin jones, zach hill, paul westwood (FOE), josh blair (orthrelm), brian chippendale, etc. but tatsuya yoshida (drummer for ruins, koenjihyakkei, sakoto fuji) is king of them all in terms of precision, energy and an incredible memory for overly complicated compositions. surely the greatest drummer ever to have lived...

― mister the guanoman (mister the guanoman), Thursday, 23 November 2006 11:02 (nineteen years ago)

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