Max and Rasp - Better Together
"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it." — Halford E. Luccock
No one could or should accuse either Max Kleene or Raspbury Rearwin of delivering less than remarkable solo performances. They are both consummate and very entertaining pros in their own right. However, there is also no denying that when the two of them get together to do a “dual-stream” the energy level goes UP, and the fun increases exponentially. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to their latest collaboration here:
One thing I enjoy about talking to Max and Rasp about their music is that they are pretty open about their processes.
MAX
Here is what Max has to say about how he approaches songs.
“I guess, first is listening and enjoying a song. I listen to it over and over to map out its structure in my mind. Second is listening and noting the technical parts of it.
I don't really try to "make a song my own" at first. I try to play it by "capturing" all the little parts that I enjoy. For example, if it's the drumbeat I like, I try to keep that drumbeat the same as the original. The goal at that point is to just do the song justice.
It's about capturing the melody and the chords at first. If you have those, then you can add whatever you uniquely bring to the song.
When I can play a song from the beginning to the end and it flows well, then I feel I'm ready to perform it and maybe add pieces of my own. I’ll give you an example. You know when I play Chasing Cars? I do a guitar thing with the guitar that makes it sound like Chasing Cars. It's a unique part of the song that I like. “ - Max
To hear what Max is talking about when he plays Chasing Cars, go to minute 16:32 in the recording above.
RASP
Now let’s hear how Rasp likes to approach new songs.
“Since my main style of playing is just acoustic or electric guitar, I don't bother trying to replicate recordings. I like to break songs down to their most basic parts and try to put a bit of my own spin on things. Often times I hear someone else cover a song and that inspires me to do it as well. I figure if you're not going to try to replicate the original, you should try to take it to a different place. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much, but it's always worth the attempt.” - Rasp
Max and Rasp both agree that while challenging (Max doesn’t even get to hear their collaboration until after the show), dual-streaming is just plain fun!
“What I enjoy about dual-streaming with Rasp is that Rasp has cool taste in music. He knows all the old school punk and alternative songs and I know he’s having fun when we play. I can relax and pick out obscure tunes and play them with Rasp.” - Max
“I've done relay streams with several SL musicians over the years and it's always been fun. I'm not a drummer per se, but I like playing along with other people. I've been in streams with 5 or 6 people and that was a bit chaotic, but really came out great in the end. I've also had the pleasure of working on songs with other musicians. Writing music or lyrics or playing instruments on tracks for them. I've guest recorded with some of my friends over the internet which was interesting. I've also had the pleasure of going to a few SL RL jams and got to meet and play in the same room with some amazing musicians.” - Rasp
Rasp and Max will be dual-streaming again at the Music Road Trip soon. If you have a theme you’d like them to tackle, just drop me a line and they’ll try to build a set around it: JenaBall@CritterKin.com
Copyright 2022 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.