Apologies (sort of) for the recent absence. Lots of work to be done these days, along with other extracurricular activities, both personal and of a work-ish sort.
For instance, I most recently experienced my first voice lesson. Here's how it went:
Step 1: Warm up by singing "ooooooo" (not "oh" but "eww") while making a noise something like the sound of Wile E. Coyote plummeting off the edge off a cliff.
Step 2: Place hand in center of torso below ribcage and try to make it move, a sign that you're either breathing into the diaphragm or experiencing an unusual gastrointestinal event.
Step 3: Sing ooo's along with the notes on the piano, up, then down, then up and down. Do this while making sure to breathe into the diaphgram and sing out of it, pushing a little harder for the high notes. Also make sure to purse lips prissily to avoid straining the throat in forming the sound. In other words, try to sing naturally while keeping track of doing eleven different awkward things correctly.
Step 4: Same as above with "eees" and "ahhhs." Watch vocal coach shake head sadly and suggest that the ahhh's should wait until another time. In addition to everything else try to remember to sing the eees from the diaphragm, but to form the sound as if singing through the cheekbones. (The ahhhs, having to go through the forehead, were apparently just too much for my overtaxed brain).
Step 5: Back to the ooos and pat yourself on the back when vocal coach points out that you've made it 3 notes higher than the one you couldn't manage to hit when you started twenty minutes ago.
Step 6: Take home tape of piano lines to practice the ooos and eees for ten minutes each day, much to the delight of your cruel, cackling wife.
Anyway, after twenty years of alleged professional singing I thought I might try to learn a thing or three about how to actually sing properly. The new record's gonna be a good one and I can't be yelping and howling all over the place on what is starting to come together as the highest-quality production I've been involved with to date. Not to mention, if J. King does by some miracle manage to convince me to start taking my show on the road here and there (don't hold your breath for that one, sportsfans), it would be nice to be able to get on stage and actually sing somewhat in key, and to be able to speak sooner than 8-12 hours after the show.
And the lessons are tax-deductible, so what the hell.
For better or worse, you're voice has a unique timbre to it. That, as much as any of the guitar lines, helped define not only your band(s) but also a sub-genre of popular music.
I never seriously entertained the notion of voice lessons until one of the kids at a show last year observed that my singing was reminiscent of an only slightly more intelligent-sounding Tim Armstrong. Ouch! I then spent the next two weeks pouring over our recordings like some neurotic with a capital 'N' asking myself "God, do I really sound that retarded???"
Posted by: resident jason at August 31, 2006 09:58 AMBen, that is the funniest thing I ever read. I guess there's a time and a place for progress but "Singing Weasel?" didn't really have the same ring to it. I hate to dredge up the past - (yet here i go) but it did seem that your vocals got less melodic throughout the emo-teenpunks-solo album eras, but then I always put that down to cumulative smoking/not giving a shit. :) I'm looking forward to some Tina Turner style warbling on the new album. 'I hate "ewwww"'re guts?' '"Aaaaah"maggedon?' Some helpful song title suggestions, no doubt...
Posted by: Nadz at August 31, 2006 12:54 PMDear Joe King -
If, through some fluke chance you've managed to become internet savvy and read these comments, PLEASE continue to hound Ben into touring. He might not listen to his fans, but maybe you're just influential enough to make a difference. Here's hoping.
And good job on the vox lessons, Ben - are guitar lessons in the future as well? You talked about that 1 or 2 years ago, I believe.
Nick
Posted by: Nick Carr at August 31, 2006 02:11 PM>>>it would be nice to be able to get on stage
What a big tease you are. Evil.
Posted by: Bunny at August 31, 2006 02:29 PMHow could you ever sing any better than you did on My Brain Hurts?
Posted by: Random Fan at August 31, 2006 04:09 PMAll our money on J.King and his words of convincement.
Posted by: David Siañez at August 31, 2006 05:15 PMBEN!!!! weatern ny's been waitng for you!!!
Posted by: joe rosario at August 31, 2006 06:38 PMHaving been a fan of your music for 10 years - I was a couple years too late to catch Screeching Weasel or The Riverdales. The Closest I ever came was a three song shot when Ben got onstage with Juggy and The Lillingtons at fireside - back in maybe 2001 (the years get blurry) I was living in Boston when Weasel did the house of blues show - and I kicked myself in the ass for moving. I dont go to shows much anymore - but Ben would definately get me out of the house, (esspecially if he stopped drawing the line between SW/Riverdales/solo album - and give us a great set.) I was really amazed at how the kids act these days at shows. Joe still tours and even if it isnt all peaches and cream for him these days he is still out there and props to him for putting up with it - - I saw the queers last year or maybe two years ago(?) in Indianapolis - the kids hated them - and spit at Joe and Phil all night - screeming sellout and other such nonesense - nonetheless the hardcore queers fans lined the front of the stage and took a relentless berlin walling from the mohawked spikey kids wanting for some odd reason to kill the queers - it was a wild night.But Joe still played. It was also the last show I went to. Maybe this is discouraging to ben... well - - I havnt been to a show since then.... shows suck. Dont tour - keep making good records. I aint defending another middle aged punk rocker all night.
Posted by: Chris at August 31, 2006 10:14 PMI too went to the show mentioned above, and basically the whole thing was bullshit. Being from Indianapolis, I know that we have a very shitty scene....so the whole thing wasn't surprising. Apparently Joe King was asking for more money or something blah blah blah, and those jackass kids decided to spit in his face and make a big deal out of nothing. Fuck this town, those kids are idiots, The Queers are such rad dudes, that they've since been back to Indy several more times since then. As the older bands say.....the scene just isn't what it used to be.
Posted by: Patrick at August 31, 2006 10:50 PMForget the singing lessons...get back to work on the next book. We already like the way you sing.
Posted by: Josh at August 31, 2006 11:39 PM