Minnemann w. The Aristocrats

[Steve Holmes]

I saw Marco at the BP with Mike Keneally. I left after two songs. He struck me as a drummer who has spent more time playing drums than playing drums with a band.

[littlegrooves]

I saw Marco at the BP with Mike Keneally. I left after two songs. He struck me as a drummer who has spent more time playing drums than playing drums with a band.

That's too bad. I'm sure that you would have gained something from staying there, as opposed to whatever you ended up doing instead.

[willyz]

I saw Marco at the BP with Mike Keneally. I left after two songs. He struck me as a drummer who has spent more time playing drums than playing drums with a band.

That's too bad. I'm sure that you would have gained something from staying there, as opposed to whatever you ended up doing instead.

He did a clinic while I was at school at LAMA and had a similar experience, Steve. He was there with a trio and began breaking down how to incorporate "4-way independence while playing with a band."

The Aristocrats stuff sounds pretty cool though, I admit... a little bit of wankery never hurt anyone. Only if it's a little bit of wankery.

[chris perra]

I'd put Minneman in a category of being able to recognize his playing almost immediately,..
Whenever I hear frantic, skittish playing I think of Minneman,..

He definitely sounds original.. Not my cup of tea,.. but I respect that his cup of tea has it's own flavor.

[Riddim]

I took a gamble and caught them at the Orion in Baltimore. I figured if Beller was involved, there would be a certain level of musicality involved, so I took a chance. I was afraid it might be a wankfest.

I was very surprised to find that that was largely not the case. What wanking I heard -- I came in toward the end of the first set - was from the guitarist. What I heard was guys playing the tunes, pushing the envelope where appropriate, and listening really hard. Marco played the heck out of the instrument; he also played the heck out of the music, and the band.

Listening to the CD, alas, which I downloaded after getting home, was less enjoyable. That fit in more with my previous expectations. I'm not sure if that's a function of the mix, which was much less in one's face live than on the CD, or if they were leaving more space live than they did on the CD. There seemed to be a much greater dynamic range live, which may have made the impact of a lot of information more tolerable.

[scrowdrlrr]

I caught the band in Boston the other night, it was a great show! It's a different thing to see it live than listen to the recordings. They have so much fun on stage together. There's obviously a lot chemistry between them all and they can all be themselves with this band.

They know parts of the music are absurd and/or hilariously over-the-top, and they just play it all up intentionally and have a ball with it. No sense in taking this music too seriously. Super cool & humble dudes too, got to chat after the show. I'd recommend seeing 'em!

[tobiasralph]

I've known Marco a long time & he's a really dear friend of mine. He's actually who recommended me for the Adrian Belew gig. Marco has incredible chops, that's true, but he's one of the few "super drummers" that can groove his tail off. One only needs to listen to his solo recordings to understand the depth of the musician that he is. Basically, he's got it all and you either dig what he does or you don't. It's OK though, each to his/her own. I've enjoyed hearing/seeing him perform in all of the different projects over the years -it always shines a whole new light on his drumming. Not to mention, that it kicks me in the tuckus and then it's back to the practice room!!

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

I am going to see these guys in Chicago at Martyr's this Sunday.... Then catching Marco and Gary Husband with Steven Wilson at Park West in November. This will be a great autumn concert season...

[amoergosum]