KESSHIN is looking for a drummer

Kesshin is an alternative punk rock band with an existing identity and history — two tracks from the previous incarnation of the band were featured in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

But this isn’t about living in the past. The goal is to build a new band, a new set of songs and a proper live project.

Four tracks to give you an idea before you read any further:

RUSSIAN ROULETTE
A demo of a new song currently in development, featuring a slightly pop-punk break and guitar arrangements that are pretty representative of the direction I’m aiming for:
https://youtu.be/D4apmeosbE8

BETTER DAYS
A track produced for my solo project with studio musicians. It’s more mid-tempo than most of the new material, but gives a good idea of the production standard I’m aiming for with future releases:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf8xORaaAsU&list=RDGf8xORaaA…

RESONANCE
One of the two Kesshin tracks featured in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, leaning towards the more hardcore side of the band. This video was uploaded by a fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIGAw170fOs&list=RDbIGAw170f…

ONE MORE REGRET
The second track featured in Chaos Theory, showing yet another side of the band. This version comes from a period when we were recording with Edgar, who was also the drummer for Lofofora at the time. Also uploaded by a fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQXhQm4Ngo&list=RDiCQXhQm4N…

If those four tracks speak to you, here’s the full story:

I’m Kesshin’s rhythm guitarist and singer, and I’m looking for musicians to build a new incarnation of the band I originally founded in the early 2000s, with the focus firmly on new material.

The band had some modest exposure back then and, more than twenty years later, is still being listened to by a small international community — there are even still covers, remixes, tabs and other fan-made material floating around online.

Musically, it’s fairly personal territory somewhere between punk rock, melodic hardcore, emo and alternative rock, with occasional metal / alternative-metal influences.

There’s already an existing universe, an older catalogue we can draw from, a bit of history, and — most importantly — new material.

There are no unrealistic ambitions about “making a living from music”, but there is a genuine artistic commitment: the idea is to enjoy doing this while putting together the most professional live show we reasonably can — playing to a click, potentially using stems for intros and transitions, etc.

Who I’m looking for: You need to be comfortable playing to a click, handling some double-kick passages, and ideally operating a sequencer / triggering tracks live. A few references: Brooks Wackerman during his Bad Religion years, Frank Zummo (Sum 41), and Brandon Barnes (Rise Against).

Ideally somewhere around the 30–50 age range, with:
• very solid rhythmic skills;
• the ability to bring your own personality and ideas to the songs rather than simply reproduce existing parts;
• live experience;
• the willingness to prepare individually between rehearsals;
• and, ideally, the ability to provide backing vocals — second voices, harmonies, and possibly the occasional lead passage.

Backing vocals are either essential or very strongly preferred depending on the instrument.

International musicians are very welcome — strong backing vocals and fluent/native English are a major plus, especially if you’re comfortable helping fine-tune lyrics, phrasing or pronunciation when needed.

Rehearsals
Ideally around Val d’Europe / Marne-la-Vallée — File7 or nearby — or alternatively in eastern Paris, for example Luna Rossa.
Expected schedule: approximately 2 to 4 rehearsals per month, depending on the period, with individual preparation between sessions.