what makes a band? can you play, live. the basic, live drums, live instrumentation. No gimmicks.

The Beasties have done tours like this and recorded like this.

Not a backing band, them.

Sa Ra and Jdavey uses drum machines, MPC's most notably, and preprogrammed backing tracks. That is NOT live. Even when they have bands it's purely situational. They almost never record live and when they do add live instrumentation it sounds like The Gap trying to sell anarchy Tshirts. They however - for what they do is great.

Also consider this.

Radiohead went from live band to a fusion of live instrumentation and electronica - yet they have proven time and time again they are true musicians and can do both.

The Beasties are sort of the reverse. Yet have done so.


I give you points for singling out the weakest out of my picks - well played. lol.