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I read an article in the paper the other week and found it really interesting. It was about instrument sales, and apparently both Fender and Marshall have seen a 500% increase in the sales of their budget equipment in the past year. Also around 1000 'serious' bands were created in 2002. Am I the only one that thinks this is great news?
It seems we're turning full circle again. It all began from the start of the Punk era in the early 70s, where everyone was getting sick of happy love joy joy songs and decided to get all heavy. However, being the fickle species that we are, the majority quickly found Pop and we've been teenybopping away since the 80s. Now it seems at last people are getting tired of the repetitive crap we hear on the radio and have reverted to making their own music, by starting up bands and writing original material.
After reading that newspaper article, I was filled with a sense of joy. For the past few years I've been worried that not before long our music industry will have become 100% commercialised and manufactured, in a kind of Pete Waterman in the 22nd century moment. Instruments would slowly fade out in favour of computer-generated music, and all the 'artists' would be puppets of the industry, just pretty faces who are told what to sing, what to wear, how to dance. Music would lose its passion and feeling, the songs churned out by music software and hundreds of monkeys in sweat-rooms. To me music isn't just about a good song, it's about if it's original material, if the artists wrote it themselves and if they are playing their own instruments. Obviously there's nothing wrong with popstars like Gareth Gates who just sing, because people still enjoy his songs, but when I hear material that I know is entirely created by the artists performing it, I have much more respect for the song and know that the emotions and soul of the music is genuine. I'm sure that other people feel like this too?
So if you like me are getting a bit drained from the Repetitive Strain Disorder that comes from watching an episode of Top Of The Pops, now's the time to invest in an instrument, find some like-minded individuals and start making material that we can all relate to. Support your local bands by buying their EPs and going to their concerts. Just write down a few sentences that mean something to you and if you look hard enough you'll find a song in there. Of those 1000 bands that were created in the UK last year, think how much talent and passion there is in there. Join the masses, throw away NOW112 or whatever they've got up to, and find out what music's all about - a bunch of people getting together and playing from the heart.
Thanks for reading.
It seems we're turning full circle again. It all began from the start of the Punk era in the early 70s, where everyone was getting sick of happy love joy joy songs and decided to get all heavy. However, being the fickle species that we are, the majority quickly found Pop and we've been teenybopping away since the 80s. Now it seems at last people are getting tired of the repetitive crap we hear on the radio and have reverted to making their own music, by starting up bands and writing original material.
After reading that newspaper article, I was filled with a sense of joy. For the past few years I've been worried that not before long our music industry will have become 100% commercialised and manufactured, in a kind of Pete Waterman in the 22nd century moment. Instruments would slowly fade out in favour of computer-generated music, and all the 'artists' would be puppets of the industry, just pretty faces who are told what to sing, what to wear, how to dance. Music would lose its passion and feeling, the songs churned out by music software and hundreds of monkeys in sweat-rooms. To me music isn't just about a good song, it's about if it's original material, if the artists wrote it themselves and if they are playing their own instruments. Obviously there's nothing wrong with popstars like Gareth Gates who just sing, because people still enjoy his songs, but when I hear material that I know is entirely created by the artists performing it, I have much more respect for the song and know that the emotions and soul of the music is genuine. I'm sure that other people feel like this too?
So if you like me are getting a bit drained from the Repetitive Strain Disorder that comes from watching an episode of Top Of The Pops, now's the time to invest in an instrument, find some like-minded individuals and start making material that we can all relate to. Support your local bands by buying their EPs and going to their concerts. Just write down a few sentences that mean something to you and if you look hard enough you'll find a song in there. Of those 1000 bands that were created in the UK last year, think how much talent and passion there is in there. Join the masses, throw away NOW112 or whatever they've got up to, and find out what music's all about - a bunch of people getting together and playing from the heart.
Thanks for reading.
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yeh its cool! where are you from?
Thanks for the compliment Izo! Good luck with your band I'll look out for you in the future. I'd like to form a band but I can't find anyone to join up unfortunately. However I'm good friends with a local band who have just released their first EP and its selling well. Watching a band mature from just a few rehearsals to gigging, getting money and making an EP, then going on to get signed and start appearing on the TV and in magazines is truly a joyous experience!
great post mess i feel just the same way. I feel kind of proud when a local band makes it near me and buy their material if its good of course. I'm in a band and we're starting out to try and achieve this and from those statistics it seems like my band has a chance at last
mikelar wrote:
> I think thats a bit of a contradiction. People can use software and
> electronic equipment like synthesizers/samplers and still be original,
> you don't have to be able to play actual instruments.
> Dance/House/Trance/Breakbeat and, sometimes, Hip Hop are all genres
> that rely on the software your talking about. I'm not saying these
> genres create brilliant music all the time this way because they don't
> but dismissing them as unoriginal is quite ignorant. Not everyone
> likes indie, punk or rock and roll. Infact, I think music benefits
> greatly from a mixture of electronic based music as well as physically
> playing the sounds i.e. Radiohead....
I see your point there mikelar, thanks. I'll rephrase my point that I do agree with you; electronic-based music can be very good as there is still creative musical talent there. However in my opinion, having a wealth of sampled sounds from any instrument at the touch of a button does not compare to spending years and years mastering an instrument yourself. Both methods of creating music have their advantages and I'm certainly not fobbing off soundbanks and drumloops just because they're not being played by a professional, I'm merely saying that in the industry at the moment where it's SO easy to be lulled into the regurgatitive method that pop has unfortunately fallen into, quality and originality counts and there's a better chance of getting genuine talent and creativeness from an up-and-coming band.
> I think thats a bit of a contradiction. People can use software and
> electronic equipment like synthesizers/samplers and still be original,
> you don't have to be able to play actual instruments.
> Dance/House/Trance/Breakbeat and, sometimes, Hip Hop are all genres
> that rely on the software your talking about. I'm not saying these
> genres create brilliant music all the time this way because they don't
> but dismissing them as unoriginal is quite ignorant. Not everyone
> likes indie, punk or rock and roll. Infact, I think music benefits
> greatly from a mixture of electronic based music as well as physically
> playing the sounds i.e. Radiohead....
I see your point there mikelar, thanks. I'll rephrase my point that I do agree with you; electronic-based music can be very good as there is still creative musical talent there. However in my opinion, having a wealth of sampled sounds from any instrument at the touch of a button does not compare to spending years and years mastering an instrument yourself. Both methods of creating music have their advantages and I'm certainly not fobbing off soundbanks and drumloops just because they're not being played by a professional, I'm merely saying that in the industry at the moment where it's SO easy to be lulled into the regurgatitive method that pop has unfortunately fallen into, quality and originality counts and there's a better chance of getting genuine talent and creativeness from an up-and-coming band.
El Blokey wrote:
> It shows that people who think Fender and Marshall are overrated and
> rubbish ARE IDIOTS.
No it shows that Fender and Marshall are massive makes in the music business and anyone starting out thinks they will by a Fender Squire and become a rock legend. They are very much mistaken as there are better makes around
> It shows that people who think Fender and Marshall are overrated and
> rubbish ARE IDIOTS.
No it shows that Fender and Marshall are massive makes in the music business and anyone starting out thinks they will by a Fender Squire and become a rock legend. They are very much mistaken as there are better makes around
Mess wrote:
> Music would lose its passion and feeling, the songs churned out by
> music software and hundreds of monkeys in sweat-rooms. To me music
> isn't just about a good song, it's about if it's original material, if
> the artists wrote it themselves and if they are playing their own
> instruments...
I think thats a bit of a contradiction. People can use software and electronic equipment like synthesizers/samplers and still be original, you don't have to be able to play actual instruments. Dance/House/Trance/Breakbeat and, sometimes, Hip Hop are all genres that rely on the software your talking about. I'm not saying these genres create brilliant music all the time this way because they don't but dismissing them as unoriginal is quite ignorant. Not everyone likes indie, punk or rock and roll. Infact, I think music benefits greatly from a mixture of electronic based music as well as physically playing the sounds i.e. Radiohead....
And about my local bands - they're all c**ks.
> Music would lose its passion and feeling, the songs churned out by
> music software and hundreds of monkeys in sweat-rooms. To me music
> isn't just about a good song, it's about if it's original material, if
> the artists wrote it themselves and if they are playing their own
> instruments...
I think thats a bit of a contradiction. People can use software and electronic equipment like synthesizers/samplers and still be original, you don't have to be able to play actual instruments. Dance/House/Trance/Breakbeat and, sometimes, Hip Hop are all genres that rely on the software your talking about. I'm not saying these genres create brilliant music all the time this way because they don't but dismissing them as unoriginal is quite ignorant. Not everyone likes indie, punk or rock and roll. Infact, I think music benefits greatly from a mixture of electronic based music as well as physically playing the sounds i.e. Radiohead....
And about my local bands - they're all c**ks.
El Blokey wrote:
> It shows that people who think Fender and Marshall are overrated and
> rubbish ARE IDIOTS.
Very well said, but had to read that twice to see what you were getting at there :D
I want a Marshall stack :D
> It shows that people who think Fender and Marshall are overrated and
> rubbish ARE IDIOTS.
Very well said, but had to read that twice to see what you were getting at there :D
I want a Marshall stack :D
Did anyone see a band in the paper last week called Shrapnel?
Any way two of them are my best friend, and the other two i just see on a regular basis...
they were entering the battle of the bands, They done quite good too...
Any way two of them are my best friend, and the other two i just see on a regular basis...
they were entering the battle of the bands, They done quite good too...
It shows that people who think Fender and Marshall are overrated and rubbish ARE IDIOTS.
Some of my friends are in a band. Pretty good. I'll support them to the hilt.
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