This is the first time I see Mangini respond like this. I think if the issue was bigger for him, he would have made some jabs here and there in every interview. I understand his frustration, but I don't see Mangini leaving DT anytime soon.
Exactly. Many here are latching on one negative interview and at most two social media posts at the tail-end of the just-finished The Astonishing tour, as if these are of more weight than all of his other public pronouncements on the subject. What about his numerous posts on always going out to play golf with Myung and his drum-tech? What about all his very enthusiastic posts on The Astonishing?
January 20: Also in just getting home, I have returned to The Astonishing Songs preparation. It is such a massive, versatile and vibe-varying body of work, that revisiting parts and trying to copy the improvised details is virtually not possible. It is really brutally hard work. I hope you all heard (JP & JR) and Moment of Betrayal on the Eddie Trunk radio show. It sounded really, really great to me in that environment; really alive and powerful. The radio brings out fantastic details. I still have to slow all the tunes down to really get them, no matter how slow or fast some are. 10 more days till you can sit with it on a kick ass sound system, or amazing set of headphones geared to your preferences for a couple of hours and read along. I can't wait to get my own copy very soon.
February 10: Just sharing some good vibes: The space in these new songs sounds and feels huge with a real, full band - shakes the room and is not easy to keep the feel from rushing for the sake of weakness for the moment. I thought it would be dynamic, but for it to be as powerful as I experienced is just tremendous. This show is going to take discipline, especially with a LOT of subtle notes between the lines and I know it is going to shake bones and walls. Nothing like a band in a room crushing a PA system. Even the quiet moments are haunting in person, but it is those quite moments that makes the bombastic, melodic outbursts hit even hards. Again, just sharing some excitement.
February 10: Technical Tidbit about the drum subtleties you'll see live- the double snares military part in The Astonishing is played as follows: My right-hand plays the 10" snare part of triplet twos and thress while the left plays the two rolls on the main snare. Those are a 13:2 and a 7 tuplet. Since both are odd, it is the upstroke of the one-handed roll in both cases that lands on "1" against the right-hand mini snare part. Really hard to do for me, but normal, even rolls do not work as well as odd ones even though most of the world won't even know what's going on. That's OK. We know
As Tuplets go, the Gong drum rolls through out the album are all timed as huge tuplets. They aren't just rolls. Join me for the fun!
February 18: Our Dress rehearsal tonight is over. I don't want to post any kit pics etc or anything about this spectacle until after the first show. I also am interested in the reactions, more the feelings, of those there at the show and those there over time to really get a database of opinions to average out. I don't value YouTube reflections and thus comments because that medium has no bone-rattling feel while analog reality is just another animal. My phone clips don't come close to how it is in person. Odd thing how unrelated a cell phone view is to the real thing. Not even comparable.This show is another animal too because of the space in the music; the raw instrument sounds off of the stage; the impact of the really quiet parts vs. the huge entrances through a PA system that will shake the wooden chairs. I didn't realize while recording it how the opposing volumes, melodies and energy that make it what it is. DT does Space! I've already posted how hard it is to make the space not rush; to not succumb to the excuse of "feel" and have the intended timing and real intended feel suffer. I'll say that playing at home with a CD has nothing to do with what I felt today, but It is about the attendees starting tomorrow, not me. Have fun if you're joining us.
June 25: Drum Fun report: This White Masterworks kit of mine is sounding so great, clean and full in my ears each night. Hearing the dynamics and feeling the boom is very fun. The thicker crash cymbals are rich and full too; very satisfying to bash LOL ... All the effects and hats are really enjoyable to use when I can really hear the difference in metals/alloys in each. I hope you're all (audience) catching some of what I'm talking about and some enhancements of all kinds druing the show. I'm pumping up the ghost notes, changing some fills and beats and animating the cymbal hits since I have a lot more space between the notes on these songs. I'm not a stick spinner (due to hitting all the stuff 2 feet from my face,) but I've enjoyed throwing the gong drum mallet really high and trying to catch it. And finally, playing very slowly with swing (in the between notes) while not rushing the pulses is really, really keeping my interest becaue the smallest rushing of a note would ruin the feel and it is very delicate work. All is good in what Eric calls "Drumlandia."
September 28: Recording as I have been lately in my studio, while checking the hits placement and dynamics helps me prepare for touring. This pic is a first take on an idea. My noticing the exact placements of my kicks when I switch from lefty (top blue) to righty (top green) in the same bar helps me refine that skill. My hands are switching hihats with the melody. This is like with The Astonishing Music as it was composed with a lot of space and melody. Therefore, I appropriately played less notes. Less notes makes groove inconsistencies way, way more noticeable than more notes and time changes. Accordingly, the quieter between/ghost notes I play are so important to me as I actually execute the non "on the grid" main beats about 53% to 60% swing. Without that swing and the dynamics quieter dynamics on the hihats and ghost snare hits, the groove would be stiff. Point being, this kind of playing is tough just like a mad speed thing. If you come see us live, you'll be able to really notice me focussing on this and that I'm working back there on this kind of thing rather than the expected chops/speed/coordination thing. I'm enjoying talking about this instead of the normal drum craziness !
October 8: Hard work last night. The show is so dialed in and the drums are sounding so good from my perspective. The snare is so crispy and full of snap, just like I prefer it, while it also captures the ghost notes that are prevalent but subtle throughout this record. Kicks too, but more boom and less click. Just great and they shake my stool; couldn't be more perfect for me. There should be seats around the drum riser !! That'd be a hoot ! In Hershey, PA now.
November 11: Seems like the crowd reaaaally likes hearing our adjusted set/new encore of oldies the last couple of shows. They will stay in!
Why would Mangini be suddenly interpreted as feeling left out of DT and wanting to leave the band just because of one interview where the interviewer asks what his contribution to the band is as if he is an amateur interviewer who did not do his homework? I mean, really, why would you ask that question if you know the background to how The Astonishing album was created? What exactly is the answer that you would expect?