I was in a band for about 8/9 years as many of you know. We're not "not a band" anymore, but since Brian moved 3 hours away and Adam's still finishing up his Master's, we have hardly anytime to meet up as a full group.
Regardless, I have been trying for about 8 months to find a new band. Many fruitless efforts through craigslist have dampened my spirits a bit, but I'm still hopeful.
Recently, I posted on craigslist, similar to how I've posted in previous attempts. In brief, the message was "I play guitar and bass, I'm looking for other musicians; I like Queens of the Stone Age, Dead Kennedys, Alice in Chains, etc." I got a few responses here and there - the typical problem is the bands or band members live too far from me or inconveniently out of the way (since I drive 80 miles a day to and from work, total).
But one response sounded intriguing. He said he loved that I liked the Dead Kennedys since he finds a lot of people online with really bad taste in music. I was hopeful because I figured "Great, someone likes the bands I do. Their band is bound to have a good sound." After saying how his band was the best thing since sliced bread, the only hip band in Connecticut, and the only band worth joining (modest he was) he sent me a link to his myspace.
Immediately, my hopes were dashed. If nothing else, the genres listed for his band included "indie" and "psychedelic," words that, in general, turn me off. To add insult to injury, the music was slow, dreadfully boring and he was among the poorer singers I've heard. I'm really not trying to bash his band or criticize, but when someone has the same musical interests and leads you to believe the band will sound as such, it's disappointing to hear a slow, psychedelic indie band with a kind of lame singer.
I emailed him back to let him know it wasn't really the sound I was looking for. He said I haven't heard his full set and I should really come to a practice to hear the full set. I apologized and said I wasn't interested and I couldn't imagine the music being too much different in person than on a myspace recording. I told him I was looking for a punk/grunge sound (and sent him a QOTSA song I really enjoy).
To quote his response:
"punk rock is an attitude not a sound but that is OK. Good luck and check out Public Image Ltd. Johnny Rotten's project after the Sex Pistols most punk rockers eventually grow up and so does the sound. Good Luck! CT music scene is a vast wasteland."
When it comes down to it, I'm probably the least punk person I know. I'll admit that. But I disagreed with his sentiment. Uppity punk 17 year olds will tell you as they smoke, give you the finger and say 'oi' that punk is an attitude. Fine. Let them be. But I've gotta say I'm pretty sure political lyrics, fast guitars and drums and typical crazy voices lead to punk more than strictly an "attitude." If Celine Dion got angry and sang angry political ballads...I'd doubt that she would suddenly be considered punk. (Most of all, I hate how the guy called it 'punk rock.') Mohawks and heroin do not alone constitute punk.
And he was also wrong. Well, most punk rockers do grow up (the ones who don't die) but their sound doesn't grow up. They become angry public speakers.
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2 comments:
First, best of luck with your search for bandmates. :-)
Indie, for me, in one of those genres like 'Alternative,' in that it's too all-encompassing to have any actual meaning. Indie is the new alternative, since the old one became mainstream. A genre that includes folk singers and rock bands can't have any real meaning. It's a keyword designed to assign credibility where little to none can be earned on merit.
Psychedelic, on the other hand, has a specific connotation. It's not a good one for me either.
Inspiration can come from strange places, and not all of the things you love will make their way into the music. As an example, I love Dar Williams, but there's no way my music would sound like hers. It's not as simple as vocal ranges... her passions are different from mine.
If I can pick apart his response... bah, forget asking permission. I'll do it anyway.
"Punk may be an attitude in your mind, but some people have chosen it as a way of life. To Avril Lavigne, punk is an attitude... to put the people who call themselves punk into the same group with real punks is a travesty. Mike Ness, Iggy Pop, Johnny Ramone (RIP, you crazy Republican punk), Henry Rollins... tell them that punk is an attitude."
PiL sucked. I say that based on the two songs I've heard, so that might not hold up to scrutiny, but the point of PiL was to capitalize on the name recognition of Rotten while adapting the sound to the New Wave marketplace. What resulted was a nigh-unforgivable corruption of both. It was music driven by capitalism... rarely a winning combination.
I'm not punk either. I can't walk the walk or talk the talk. That doesn't diminish my understanding of the passion in the music, nor does it diminish my enjoyment of the end product. Do I like it all? No... God no, most of it is unlistenable noise. But it's the same with pop, folk, jazz, hard rock, world, emo, instrumental, electronica, big bands, crooners and any other category you could choose. Do I like it all, every note? No. Do I have an appreciation for the form on some level? Absolutely.
Lastly, thank you for bringing life back to this corner of the web. I missed reading it.
1. Yeah, psychedelic is not something I would classify anything I like as.
2. Yeah. Considering Avril thinks she's punk it really isn't about the attitude. I'd probably be the least punk punk ever if I decided to form a punk band. I love punk bands/music/writing loud stuff but again, I'm so very un-punk.
3. You are welcome for me writing again. I just don't always have good topics to write about :)
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