Flecktone In Trouble

[Kaidy Mae]

who's the best drummer? guitarist? so many choices...ask who's the best bassist? 8 out of 10 will probably say Victor Wooten.

That only leaves 2 to say Les Claypool.

[Jaimoe]

Not " overly " innovative since his famous and flashy technique stems from slap bass playing - something that he did not make famous.

Not " overly " innovative when compared to Bela Fleck, who stands alone as a banjo playing, bluegrass, jazz and classical music master.

I'm a big fan of Victor, but he's a more effective bassist when he doesn't rely on flash to dazzle the audience. Watch him when he's not going into those trademark hammer rolls - songs when he challenges the band by driving bass runs is when Victor is at his most impressive.

[bradm]

I agree wholeheartedly, Jaimoe. I love his playing, except when he goes into "wanking" mode, and starts whacking on the bass (all over the bass) with both hands in a manic frenzy (which he usually does during his solo section). It's not musical, seems like it's only done to make people applaud, and generally bugs the heck out of me.

(I saw the Flecktones at Cafe Deluxe in Ottawa in 1991. The club was so small, we ended up sitting on the dance floor right up against the stage, which was about the size of Dekcuf's. At one point, Victor tried that "spin the bass around your body" thing. The first time, it got about 3/4 of the way around, and stopped. He spun it back, and tried again, and it stopped again. About the third or fourth time, it got all way around, and knocked the mic stand over...right into my lap, we were so close. And you tell young people that, and they don't believe you...)

Aloha,

Brad

[Jaimoe]

who's the best drummer? guitarist? so many choices...ask who's the best bassist? 8 out of 10 will probably say Victor Wooten.

On this site and to his fans yes. Most people in the world don't know who the hell Bela is let alone Victor Wooten. Go and ask Dave Holland who he thinks is the best, or Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham or Tony Levin etc... I'll bet their answers would wildly vary.

[secondtube]

but victor wooten plays to fans on this site (and generally fans like the ones on this site.

he doesn't play to crowds full of stanley clarke...

musicians play to their fans...

MAYBE, in a room full of legends, MAYBE victor would play less flashy...

MAYBE he WANTS to play like that, as all the rolled up hippies want to hear him play like that...

i'm sorry, but in the half dozen bela shows ive seen, the most entertaining, exciting, and loud part of the show was during vic's solos.

SOOOOOO, why would victor stop, change, or alter his style, when its his style that fills the rooms?

an entertainers job is to sell tickets. thats what vic does best...

something tells me vic has the ability to do just about anything you ask of him....but when he has a room full of stinky hippies, he plays to them...

i'm not sure if you guys noticed, but he doesn't play NEARLY as flashy at the jazz fests...

[ike]

I'd rather an actual drummer to futureman. I've always thought that took away from their whole sound. Too... I don;t know, something sounding. Didn't he come as a package deal?

Futureman is also a real drummer. In recent years he's added more and more real drums to his setup. Last time I saw them he was playing both the drumitar and a drum kit at the same time.

[secondtube]

yep, last show he had a full kit...

his tribal drums section was amazing.

futureman, vic, some may consider them gimmicky...

but to others, they are tops of their class.

listening to futureman go is the clostest i've ever seen to the power of the kodo drummers.

i dont know. maybe you need to be a drummer to respect what he's doing?

[Ms.Huxtable]

Gotta agree with Second Tube on this one. Victor Wooten is the sheeit!

And personally I love his showmanship as much as his musicianship. He's an all around performer and that's what I want to see.

Wasn't he named bass player of the year 5 times in a row or something silly like that? Seems others hold him in high regard as well.

[Slippy]

I saw the Victor Wooten Band two days ago in Seattle. Two other Wooten brothers play guitar and keyboards with Vic (there are 5 Wooten brothers and they all play music). It was a wicked show with a 5 bass solo showdown at one point.

Wooten did play lots of his patented hammer-on double pluck slap crazinees but during his 20 minute solo he used all kinds of techniques from loooping to tapping to delay swells to artificial harmonic melodies. Most of the show were great Funk tunes off of his latest album 'Soul Circus'.

One of the songs is a tribute to all of the influential bassist of the past 40 years. During the song they would say name of a great innovative bass player (like 'Jaco') and then Victor would emmulate his style. It was really cool.

[Ms.Huxtable]

I'm jealous Slippy. That sounds incredible.

[Paan]

Even though Victor would probably not be in my top few favourite bassists, he is pretty amazing to watch... even when he is not in front doing his flashy stuff, he does some great playing, and makes it look so easy, like it's just an extension of his body.

And in listening to some Stanley Clark (i.e. School Days), you can hear alot of the same sound in the solos, albeit achieved with a different style... no doubt Stanley was an influence to Victor.

I would like to see the band play more real drums, and even incorporate a percussionist... I think that would sound much better... you often hear the digital fakeness of the drumitar in their music.

[Deeps]

Do you think Future Man cries when his brother steals his thunder.

He's probably exclaiming....hey man it's not hard to dodge this much tax man....talk about it! Love me!

I'm from the facking future you jerks!

Deeps

[SaggyBalls]

futureman's synth-axe drumitar needs touch sensitive pads. i don't get the same depth of touch and dynamics from the drumitar as I get from a drumkit. maybe his ideas a re great but they're lost on me. i get bored.

I like what vic can do, and what i've heard him do, but I've also heard way cheesy overdone bits.

sure he's got the skills, but i've been taken places farther away from this earth by marc freidman...and stanley clarke...I'm not into wanky bass players even though i feel that i can be wanky myself. i've asked people to call me on it and i always get the 'no i didn't get that at all'...i'd bet most of those people wouldn't feel good ol' vic is wanky either.

anyhow, too bad the IRS caught up to futureman. i guess from now on he'll be using a more creative and smarter accountant (or he'll start using an accountant)

i think he should get an SUV too. i bet he could get a mad tricked out ride and have it totally free after tax season.

i wish i had a small business and lived in America.