Heartland

I dunno if its been pointed out but ben has a myspace page

http://www.myspace.com/benchristo

matt

Thanks!

new song added - i think it sounds like 80ies hairspray-rock.

btw: http://www.benchristo.com/

you would think might let him have some better live footage. "its a long way to the front of the stage"

vicus wrote:new song added - i think it sounds like 80ies hairspray-rock.

Is it Dr Avalanche I hear in the distance?

I had to turn down the volume... ouch. Doktor Avalanche or not.

In the video he looks like a teenager in his guitar shredding phase. Most guitarist go through that stage when they just start playing (including me), but after 2 years you start making REAL music. From then on the shredding is just for keeping your fingers in shape, definately not for showing off on Myspace...

TheBoyNextDoor wrote:

vicus wrote:new song added - i think it sounds like 80ies hairspray-rock.

Is it Dr Avalanche I hear in the distance?

Sure sounds like Dr. A. If we replace the vocals with von's we have: Vision Thing 2!

vicus wrote:new song added - i think it sounds like 80ies hairspray-rock.

btw: http://www.benchristo.com/

Certainly sounds that way to me as well. I like it not.

paul wrote:In the video he looks like a teenager...

You know you're getting older when The Sisters' guitarists start looking younger

Syberberg wrote:

vicus wrote:new song added - i think it sounds like 80ies hairspray-rock.

btw: http://www.benchristo.com/

Certainly sounds that way to me as well. I like it not.

paul wrote:In the video he looks like a teenager...

You know you're getting older when The Sisters' guitarists start looking younger

that could be it ...

Syberberg wrote:You know you're getting older when The Sisters' guitarists start looking younger

...but Ben is younger.

Not my kind of thing, but his stuff has more life in it than the new stuff of a certain ex-Sisters guitarist...positive thing to be sure. i especially like it that he's found his own thing, 80s "hairspray" and not gone with mainstream, which indicates that he has an active mind, which is more than one can say of most people.

In short, i like him.

itnAklipse wrote:Not my kind of thing, but his stuff has more life in it than the new stuff of a certain ex-Sisters guitarist...positive thing to be sure. i especially like it that he's found his own thing, 80s "hairspray" and not gone with mainstream, which indicates that he has an active mind, which is more than one can say of most people.

In short, i like him.

I visit guitar stores regularly. Every thay dozens of kids walk in there, plug a way too expensive guitar in an even more expensive amp and play the same jiggely-jiggely as Ben does on his website (and some of them even play it better). So IMO it isn't "his own thing", but retrieved eighties Van Halen stuff. It's just my opinion

paul wrote:

itnAklipse wrote:Not my kind of thing, but his stuff has more life in it than the new stuff of a certain ex-Sisters guitarist...positive thing to be sure. i especially like it that he's found his own thing, 80s "hairspray" and not gone with mainstream, which indicates that he has an active mind, which is more than one can say of most people.

In short, i like him.

I visit guitar stores regularly. Every thay dozens of kids walk in there, plug a way too expensive guitar in an even more expensive amp and play the same jiggely-jiggely as Ben does on his website (and some of them even play it better). So IMO it isn't "his own thing", but retrieved eighties Van Halen stuff. It's just my opinion

If only it WAS Van Halen...he is more into the whole American metal thing...Killlswitch Engage and stuff. I agree with you on the whole widdely widdely thing though. (was and am guilty of that myself as well but keep it restricted to my bedroom) I personally believe that Engl amps should be banned from The Sisters Of Mercy. I don't think anyone on this forum is interested in Body Electric touched by the hand of Killswitch Engage.

brrrrrrr

itnAklipse wrote:Not my kind of thing, but his stuff has more life in it than the new stuff of a certain ex-Sisters guitarist...

Ben Gunn's got a new album out?

I don't usually get involved in the like/don't like debates because I think they're generally useless (it's obvious that everybody has a taste in things - so what???), but this time, as it seems that the negative opinions start to outweigh, I must write mine just to keep the balance. I really like him, not that I'd listen to his non-Sisters stuff at home, but I think his jiggely-jiggely style actually suits the most recent Sisters incarnation very nicely. I'm not a guitar player, just a listener, perhaps that's why. If I want a stark clear pure Flood I can play the official release, but jiggely-jiggely (love the word ) Flood I on a bootleg sounds just as good - different, but not worse at all.

I like a more gloomy guitar sound. To me Chris Starling or Andreas Bruhn did both an excelent job for that. I think the Sisters sound SHOULD be gloomy. Ben Christo's way of guitar playing sounds very uptight to me, with little solo's on spots where they don't belong and 80's metal Zakk Wilde sqeeky sounds every 30 seconds... Definately NOT nice to listen to...

paul wrote:I like a more gloomy guitar sound. To me Chris Starling or Andreas Bruhn did both an excelent job for that. I think the Sisters sound SHOULD be gloomy. Ben Christo's way of guitar playing sounds very uptight to me, with little solo's on spots where they don't belong and 80's metal Zakk Wilde sqeeky sounds every 30 seconds... Definately NOT nice to listen to...

I second that... Starling/Bricheno nailed the rhythm parts and Pearson/Bruhn did the same for the lead bits..with Bruhn still doing some divebombs and all but contrary to Christo...he did it sparingly and with some taste. Part of the songs appeal lies in the open structure of them..which does not require a gung ho metal guitar to fill the gaps.

I second Emma's post 100%.

I don't second that at all !!!

Don't we have Iron Maiden for metal cliché's? (btw, I love Iron Maiden, since their sound IS original and they ARE a metal band)

The Sisters guitar sound from 1981 'till 2005 was quite original to me. The sound itself evolved ofcourse, but still in an original, not-heard-before way. From a gloomy fuzzy sound in the beginning to a gloomy heavy distorted sound in the end, I liked it all.

But Mr Christo's way of playing the songs is without without creativity and most of all: without feeling for the atmosphere of the songs ... (IMHO ofcourse )

paul wrote:But Mr Christo's way of playing the songs is without without creativity and most of all: without feeling for the atmosphere of the songs ... (IMHO ofcourse )

Nonono, I disagree. I didn't like his way of playing initially, either. But then I saw the light... Listen to what he does during Flood I at most 2006 gigs. To my ears it's a kind of water-alarm-sirene or kind of a plane with a very low rrrrrrroooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh flying past, that goes straight from my ears to my stomach. Ben deserves to be in the band for that bit alone. I would just say he needs more time to become dirtier. Probably he needs to age a bit in Von's and Chris' company....

Eva wrote:

paul wrote:But Mr Christo's way of playing the songs is without without creativity and most of all: without feeling for the atmosphere of the songs ... (IMHO ofcourse )

Nonono, I disagree. I didn't like his way of playing initially, either. But then I saw the light... Listen to what he does during Flood I at most 2006 gigs. To my ears it's a kind of water-alarm-sirene or kind of a plane with a very low rrrrrrroooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh flying past, that goes straight from my ears to my stomach. Ben deserves to be in the band for that bit alone. I would just say he needs more time to become dirtier. Probably he needs to age a bit in Von's and Chris' company....

Perhaps you're right, Eva... At least I hope you're right

paul wrote:

Eva wrote:

paul wrote:But Mr Christo's way of playing the songs is without without creativity and most of all: without feeling for the atmosphere of the songs ... (IMHO ofcourse )

Nonono, I disagree. I didn't like his way of playing initially, either. But then I saw the light... Listen to what he does during Flood I at most 2006 gigs. To my ears it's a kind of water-alarm-sirene or kind of a plane with a very low rrrrrrroooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh flying past, that goes straight from my ears to my stomach. Ben deserves to be in the band for that bit alone. I would just say he needs more time to become dirtier. Probably he needs to age a bit in Von's and Chris' company....

Perhaps you're right, Eva... At least I hope you're right

I am REALLY open minded but Ben's sound is a travesty. At the moment..........the guy just DOESN' T get it. Get rid of the Maverick guitars and the Engl amps....get the old axes back...switch to a Hiwatt amp and some vintage Korg effects and hey presto..... It's not THAT hard , is it? I mean....Pearson, Starling,Varjak and Robo got it within minutes...

DasPerltAber wrote: I am REALLY open minded but Ben's sound is a travesty. At the moment..........the guy just DOESN' T get it. Get rid of the Maverick guitars and the Engl amps....get the old axes back...switch to a Hiwatt amp and some vintage Korg effects and hey presto..... It's not THAT hard , is it? I mean....Pearson, Starling,Varjak and Robo got it within minutes...

I agree that gear is one part of the story. Trying to "get" the feeling of a song is another part ... Sisters is about melancholy, not about playing 200 notes per minute...