My other band is also famous
How do musicians handle playing with two (or even three) different acts?
By Stephen Humphries | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the May 4, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 3
Like so many successful rock stars these days, Steven Wilson doesn't believe in musical monogamy. Best known as the frontman of British progressive-metal quartet Porcupine Tree, Wilson spent January in a Belgian studio finishing the quartet's new album before jetting to Tel Aviv to frantically rehearse for the February world tour of Blackfield, the indie rock band he formed with Israeli star Aviv Geffen. During the time in between, Wilson met singer Tim Bowness, his partner in No-Man, to talk about their next art-rock record.
The rocker is busier than an O'Hare air-traffic controller during a Thanksgiving blizzard, but he doesn't complain. "For me, one of the greatest gifts of being a musician – professional or otherwise – is the opportunity to meet and to work with many other people," he says.
Wilson is one of several well-known popular musicians bucking the traditional model of marrying into one band and remaining singularly faithful during its life cycle. For instance, Jack White is a White Stripe as well as a Raconteur. Ben Gibbard works for The Postal Service when he's not driving Death Cab for Cutie. Tool's frontman, Maynard James Keenan, chisels away at A Perfect Circle during his downtime. Meanwhile, Damon Albarn makes all of them look like slackers as he dashes between Blur, Gorillaz, and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen. Groups of these sort are more than mere solo projects or guest slots on other records. They're full-on commitments that require smart scheduling, not to mention an open-marriage understanding by other band members.
"The Beatles model, 'All for one, one for all,' remains the predominant model for bands," observes Jim DeRogatis, rock critic for The Chicago Sun-Times. And for good reason, says the writer. He believes a band is like a marriage and that alternative arrangements only lead to jealousies. "Even if you're the greatest husband or wife in the world and you go outside the marriage ... there's going to be some suspicion and wariness," says Mr. DeRogatis.
Not so, claim those who commute between groups. "I've always been pretty respectful of Linkin Park," says Mike Shinoda, the rock group's vocalist and guitarist, who also moonlights as the leader of Fort Minor. "I try not to do things that would negatively affect the band because I do consider that my main band."
To some bands, however, the term "side project" is as taboo as talk of Yoko Ono.
In 1985, Duran Duran undertook a brief hiatus as the five-piece divided, amoeba-like, into two side projects: Power Station and Arcadia. The result was that Duran Duran almost became Duran. Though the group reconvened to record a single, a permanent rift left the three members of Arcadia with the Duran Duran banner until 2001's full-band reunion.
RSS feed
