Edgukator

Hey guys, need some recommendations. My band has just added a keyboard player to our lineup, and for most of our music it works OK, but we're having a difficulty getting her to mesh with some of our music, particularly when we play funkier rock stuff and heavy stuff.

In particular, we're trying to avoid the more "classic" rock keyboard / organ sounds - say Deep Purple 'Highway Star' solo sound that tends to be used by bands like Dragon Force, Dream Theater and the like. In the funkier songs it makes it sound way too Stevie Wonder, and in the rock songs it sounds far too retro.

So far we've looked at Faith No More for the more Funk-Metal stuff we do and Nine Inch Nails for some of the harder stuff.

What I'm looking for is more modern rock bands that make good use of keyboards, especially in a funk-metal / hard rock sound. Suggestions?

Mrd00d

Aha excellent question:

Tetrafusion, Thanatopsis, Travis Dickerson, Planet X although they're similar to the sounds Rudess uses in Dream Theater...

I highly suggest Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains - Elephant Ghost

Got an old-school original funker Bernie Worrell on keys, but its modern and funky and jammin.

Maybe Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad...

I know there's better examples if I thought of different subgenres but I'm brain farting. Let's see if anyone else has any suggestions and meanwhile you let me know if that helps at all.

Another idea is to embrace the alternative/prog/classic rock sounding keyboard at times because it could stand out. Don't rule it out completely.

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Edgukator

Thanks Mrd00d,

forgot about Bucket of Bernie Brains. Definitely adding it to the list... somehow they manage to make the organ sound work...

Thanks for the Tetrafusion recommendation. It's not that I don't like the Rudess sound, but where I am, rock bands that include keyboards do one of two things: there are the Evanescence lite bands, and the older bands doing Rush and King Crimson covers, so we run the risk of sounding like the later at the moment.

Mrd00d

I understand, although being fans of Rush and King Crimson I wouldn't mind bands influenced by them. Must find way to modernize those sounds. Just got off work. Will add more recommendations by tomorrow but it will be easier to remember if you respond and bump the thread. Let me know specifically what worked and what didn't out of those reccs.

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Edgukator

So far, Bucket of Bernie's Brains and Tetrafusion (when I can find songs that feature the keyboards clearly) seem to fit.

Trying to find Strapping Young Lad songs where the keyboards are clear, so if you can recommend some let me know.

My guitarist also has the prog-metal side well covered - Firewind, Sonata Artica, Dream Theater... I'm trying to build in some others - NIN, White Zombie, Faith No More, Mr Bungle...

Alejandro

I was about to mention Sonata Artica!

FRED HALE SR.

Why discount earlier music. THE CARS AND DEVO do it better then anyone mentioned. And their sound could never be pidgeon holed in a time period.

steve0211

Has the urge to go find some Dream Theater to listen to now

steve0211

So true!

Both The Cars and Devo inspired me to write and to play.

Edgukator

Thanks for all the advice, guys. The difficulty has been meshing keyboards with a bunch of existing songs.

The hardest ones are still the funk-rock songs. Basically we end up with an organ sound, so it always sounds a bit like an old Stevie Wonder song rather than a more modern rock feel.

I'm trying to find some references to describe what I hear in my head. The best way I can describe what I'm looking for is a funk - rock / metal band that uses keys the same way a ska band uses horns... if that makes sense.