The NZA Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 An issue of this indie comic "Local" got me thinking about this....i dont think ive ever thought of being in a band since i was like 10, but then im not musically inclined. For a lotta people, its a dream, if even a phase, and its one you'll leave work/school/life etc to ride around the country in a van sleeping on an empty bag of cheetohs with the next guy's feet in your face, all to rest up to play to an almost empty crowd in some club in some town youve never heard of. Maybe you wanna make it big and have lunch with Sting while talking over problems in Africa, or just put your town on the map, or just be heard. But you're after something, right? Nobody wants to play in those small empty clubs forever. I got to thinking: what about your fans? You know, because on the local scene, there's people who're dying to hear something new or different or just relatable-to and when they find it, theyll buy your t-shirst and go to all your shows and do a shit-ton of promoting you for free. And typically, when an indie label picks you up and you start touring overseas and change your sound up to something more marketable or just try something different theyll end up hating you, possibly. But the fans are a whole other topic, arent they? Indie fans....to me, there's like 2 kinds. One just wants to be into something that no more than 5 other people know about or its not fucking cool anymore. Personally, this mentality annoys the shit out of me if youre over 17, like the only way you could ever enjoy anything mainstream is when its ironic humor, like a ringtone on your phone that's by micheal jackson or some shit. I dont think these kinds of fan want to promote, or see their band succeed, cause they should be into it for the art and everyone who's ever enjoyed a song on a pop station is mindless sheep and blah blah blah. Then there's the kind...like, say, MetalHeart. I have no idea who Raspunita is, but i know theyre local to her and she loves them. She prolly tells all her friends about them and posts on livejournal and might even have a shirt about them and to me, she prolly thinks they sound great and eitehr wants to see them succeed and do well for themselves, or she simply likes their sound and wants to share it with others. Either way, she's a great fan and prolly makes groups like that feel like a million bucks when theyre at their shows. But once youve been on the scene for several years - assuming inner politics didnt break up your band by then, much less cliche drug shit to fit into your VHI special down the road - you either a) stay with your "safe" sound and dont branch far from it. This prolly keeps a lotta your old school fans on board, but it leads to stagnation. Groups like Aerosmith get accused of this. b) You change your sytle up - again, either just to do something different, or appeal to a differnet crowd - and youve sold out. See: No Doubt, Green Day (im using popular examples here, not so much my observations). ...Unless youre, say, The Roots, or a lesser band like Lords of Acid, whose style invovles changing your style every album or so, meaning youre gonna gain and lose fans constantly, but hope to maintain qualtiy across the board. Still, those fans on the local level brought you up, and some feel theyre owed soemthing, like theyve part ownership or something....mebbe your lyrics hit a note with them, and when you sold out, some seem to take it personal. Is there any appeasing this? Jay-Z once said something along the lines of "you make music to make money, and if not, youre either a liar or stupid, because you can make music for yourself at home." Still, its gotta sting to read smug, creation-less Rolling Stone critics call you a sell-out, doesnt it? Sure, you're crying all the way to the bank, but would appeasing your fans have been an option, or were you destined to be hated by your most hardcore fans, like, say, Metallica? ...yeah, just sorta all over the place about bands, feel free to run in whatever direction you're gonna. On a final note: i thought it was sad shit the way fans in Germany boo'd Velvet Revolver practially off-stage, demanding Scott Weiland cover old Guns 'n Roses songs. I dont think id have patience for that shit, either. I miss the shit outta Rage Against the Machine, but im not about to pay $30+ to go throw shit at an Audioslave show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 boy oh boy I wish Rasputina was local! They are from New York though :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 really? howd you learn about them, then? note to self: if the topic is too broad, you really wont get much response, apparently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Lindsay Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 i've never been one to accuse anyone of selling out. seriously, i want them to make as much as possible because then, even if it's a slightly different version of how they sounded before they made it big, at least you know they'll be around a little bit longer since they can afford to be making music and you can follow them and enjoy them for a longer period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Yeah, good answer - again, its a personal thing i guess, cause that makes sense for you. Entertainment things you like seem to end like quality itself is going out of style. would you still be as accepting if, say, Reznor started doing pop? Once you start getting past the idea of him and Gwen on a duo remix of "hollaback girl" its a bit scary, and sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Lindsay Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Entertainment things you like seem to end like quality itself is going out of style. ha ha! true. fucking fox. i can't help it that the pulse of america is not only barely beating, but also prefers everybody loves raymond. and actually, if trent reznor turned pop and duoed with gwen stefani i think that would satisfy like 8 or 9 of my "imagine trent reznor..." things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightningOBO Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Yeah, I kinda hafta agree, I mean: if i like a musician, I tend to join their local street team and get them to the mainstream. That's the big adventure and growth. This is where the melodies and the lyrics interact with the moment and stories are told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 ...anybody else? was hopin to hear from Jax, 2T and others on this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 ...anybody else? was hopin to hear from Jax, 2T and others on this... I promise I'll be back. Just kinda engrossed in The Sims 2 right now and work and sleep.... ah, precious sleep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 ...and I never came back. I'm a crusher of dreams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 ...and I never came back. I'm a crusher of dreams! "do you want to making fuk, dream crush-errr." sorry, had that song in my head ever since i saw shane's shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 aw, 3 years later and my rant never got more than 2 real attempts at replies. balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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