Alright...so this is the only forum here where I tend to intermittently post, because Andy is so gee dang darn awesome and the rest of you know your stuff. Plus, one of my metal idols (yes, Mr. Murphy, I bow to thee) posts here, too. My question is peripherally related to Andy via Nevermore. Hence, my posting this off topic here. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this.
If you are still following me, then on to the story and question. Back over the summer, I went all the way from NYC to Atlanta to attend Gigantour
primarily to see Nevermore, Symphony X and Dream Theater. While there, I was standing around waiting to meet Nevermore (which I did...nice blokes all and Steve Smyth was surprised I think that I recognized and called him by name) and this scraggly kid with long hair comes up to get in line and wants a picture with his idol, Jeff Loomis 
. Being a slightly middle-aged gadget freak metal head, I had my trusty Treo phone and took the shot and emailed it to him. I told the kid that he should buy Jeff a beer and that way he'd have a few minutes to talk with him, but alas, the kid was only 20 and unable to procure the sweet nectar for his deity. By the time I got ready to purchase it, Loomis was gone.
A few weeks later the kid emails me and thanks me profusely for sending him photographic evidence that he had met his metal maharishi and says that he wants to send me his demo tape when he completes it from his home in smalltown Mississippi. I'm thinking "Okay, I'll never see a tape", but lo and behold, a few months later his demo arrives. I put in the CD player and it is actually pretty freaking good for a a 20 year old guitarist and his little singer-less trio. I've been a drummer for over 25 years and a fan of hard rock/metal for a few more than that and I can honestly say that I'm impressed with what I heard. A few timing issues here and there, but otherwise it is pretty solid heavy Nevermorish metal. The kid is not Jason Becker at 15 (who is?) but he shows a lot of maturity in his songwriting, has some nice acoustic passages/intros and the songs are actually pretty good. With time and practice they will become a tighter unit. So, I want to give this kid some assistance, with me asking zero in return, because after striking up an email friendship he kinda seems like my shredder-metalhead little brother that I never had. I'd like to see the kid be able to follow his dream - the one I was always too cautiously reluctant to pursue.
So, Mssrs Sneap and Murphy, and anyone else that can give some guidance:
What does he need to do to get his tape into the right hands of the people who can help him without screwing him over? You hear of so many folks sending out demos without ever getting a response, and I think this kid and his band deserve at least more than tossing his demo into a closet.
Thanks, and best regards,
Steve
If you are still following me, then on to the story and question. Back over the summer, I went all the way from NYC to Atlanta to attend Gigantour
primarily to see Nevermore, Symphony X and Dream Theater. While there, I was standing around waiting to meet Nevermore (which I did...nice blokes all and Steve Smyth was surprised I think that I recognized and called him by name) and this scraggly kid with long hair comes up to get in line and wants a picture with his idol, Jeff Loomis . Being a slightly middle-aged gadget freak metal head, I had my trusty Treo phone and took the shot and emailed it to him. I told the kid that he should buy Jeff a beer and that way he'd have a few minutes to talk with him, but alas, the kid was only 20 and unable to procure the sweet nectar for his deity. By the time I got ready to purchase it, Loomis was gone. A few weeks later the kid emails me and thanks me profusely for sending him photographic evidence that he had met his metal maharishi and says that he wants to send me his demo tape when he completes it from his home in smalltown Mississippi. I'm thinking "Okay, I'll never see a tape", but lo and behold, a few months later his demo arrives. I put in the CD player and it is actually pretty freaking good for a a 20 year old guitarist and his little singer-less trio. I've been a drummer for over 25 years and a fan of hard rock/metal for a few more than that and I can honestly say that I'm impressed with what I heard. A few timing issues here and there, but otherwise it is pretty solid heavy Nevermorish metal. The kid is not Jason Becker at 15 (who is?) but he shows a lot of maturity in his songwriting, has some nice acoustic passages/intros and the songs are actually pretty good. With time and practice they will become a tighter unit. So, I want to give this kid some assistance, with me asking zero in return, because after striking up an email friendship he kinda seems like my shredder-metalhead little brother that I never had. I'd like to see the kid be able to follow his dream - the one I was always too cautiously reluctant to pursue.
So, Mssrs Sneap and Murphy, and anyone else that can give some guidance:
What does he need to do to get his tape into the right hands of the people who can help him without screwing him over? You hear of so many folks sending out demos without ever getting a response, and I think this kid and his band deserve at least more than tossing his demo into a closet.
Thanks, and best regards,
Steve
