If you've seen a video or been to a concert of a "hardcore" band, then you are most likely familiar with a sweaty, hair-flinging frontman, screaming his brains out either with or without a guitar in hand. In the case of Underoath, who have recently released their highly anticipated album Lost in the Sound of Separation, their "screamer" Aaron Gillespie can't hold a guitar - his hands are occupied by his drumsticks. Think about that for a sec
ond. He's busy keeping rhythm in the most complicated way he can think possible, all while screaming as loudly into the mic to the left of his mouth. When I play my guitar and sing, it can be hard enough just to sing and keep the corr
ect picking rhythm. Gillespie has a thousand piece drum set to keep track of! Alright, maybe slightly less than a thousand, but not by much.
And what's more... he is blind in one eye! And what about his only good eye? Colorblind. So depending on which eye is blind, when he turns to the mic, he probably can't even see half the drum set.
He's not done. Not only is Gillespie busy touring the world, but he is also the lead singer and drummer of his side project, The Almost. The Almost has a softer, more melodic sound than that of Underoath and is not as widely known. I am personally a bigger fan of The Almost. I can only take so much screaming at once. There songs are also easier to play on guitar which is good news for me. My favorite song is a toss up between Amazing (Because it is) and Dirty and Left Out. All in all, Aaron Gillespie is the man. He's only 25 but is extremely accomplished as a musician and it is wasn't knowing people in the business that got him there - it was raw and under-appreciated talent.
picture courtesy of flickr.com
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2 comments:
I'm more a fan of progressive metal and hard rock like TOOL, Katatonia (Swedish Masterpiece), Opeth and that style, but I still have a small knack for hardcore. I can't handle a metal song without some kind of rhythmic breakdown worked into the mix. My favorite hardcore group, however, is Bury Your Dead. I don't know much about them individually, but they sprinkle humor on top of their powerful onslaughts of thrash. And I thought Underoath sold out their hardcore/aggressive image (I could be wrong.)
hes a wild man.
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