So Jason Hayes from the Last Seen and I were standing around smoking outside the Atomic Cowboy this past Friday night before the Fluid show, when he presented me with a hypothetical proposition: If I were to form and front a band right now and could choose any musicians in town to play with, what would be my dream lineup. Talk about loaded question. What's more, he wanted my answer right then and there, off the top of my head, no deliberation. Nothing like being put on the spot, eh? Luckily, this was something that I'd actually given some thought to as I've watched innumerable bands play. After the jump, here's what I came up with, my all-time dream team of local players.
If you ask me, the drummer is the most important piece of any band, the foundation. So in terms of assembling my dream team, that's where I'd start. A timekeeper with an acute sense of dynamics can make or break your band. I'd want someone capable of beating the drums relentlessly like it cussed his mama, yet someone who's also capable of playing exactly what the music dictates, even if it means laying back and employing the delicacy and finesse of a heart surgeon. There are several drummers whose work I admire -- Devon Rogers from Kingdom of Magic and Minimula, Xandy Whitesel from Bad Weather California, Jed Kopp from Ghost Buffalo and Jen Gilleran, who plays with Gregory Alan Isakov, instantly spring to mind. When it comes down to it, though, the guy I'd want manning the stool behind me is d.biddle'sSo, there you have it, my dream band. What's yours?
-- Dave Herrera