Dillinger Escape Plan Guitarist Looks Back on the Band’s Final Shows + Legacy
Ben Weinman, the former lead guitarist of The Dillinger Escape Plan, is looking back on the group's final shows in 2017 with both fond remembrances of the influential outfit as well as a seasoned take on rock performers in the current age. Weinman now plays guitar with Suicidal Tendencies.
In an Instagram update from Sunday (Dec. 29), the musician shares photos from The Dillinger Escape Plan's series of farewell concerts that culminated in their last performance on Dec. 29, 2017, at New York City's Terminal 5. While stating that the band's members "will always share something that will never quite be replicated," the guitarist adds his thoughts on the atmosphere surrounding current musicians while upholding the avowed virtues of his era.
"The musical climate has changed," Weinman says. "I'm not going to say for better or worst because I will just be accused of being either old and removed or pandering to the new guard. But the fact is that we made music during a time when bands were mythology. Innovation came from limitations and a musician could not be influential by simply playing cover songs or scales from the comfort of their bedroom. They did it by making a global cultural impact by how they performed and the music they created."
He continues, "The word content had a different meaning. To us, it was the physical detail and meaning of our art. Not data to fill someone else's multi-billion-dollar website or mobile app. I embrace evolution and prefer to get on the arc rather than sink with the dinosaurs, but feel really lucky and grateful to have experienced what I did with the people I did it with."
Weinman's kept busy in the two years since The Dillinger Escape Plan ended their musical career with a bang. In addition to his recent touring duties and recording sessions with Suicidal Tendencies, the musician issued a moody solo track called "It Is Nothing" earlier this year.
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