sack of smashed assholes wrote:with out mediocrity, I don't think good music would exist however. I don't know maybe that's a debatable statement...

I think that's very true. Wouldn't things get boring after a while if every band was completely awesome? Part of what gets me so excited about a new band that blows my mind is the fact that i had to endure about 12 dozen crap bands to find them.

Of course, the flip is that maybe all those crap bands are just subconsciously lowering my standards.

Colonel Panic wrote:D. Boon once said in an interview that he was hoping for a day when there'd be a rock band on every block.

We're now seeing the reality of that populist dream: a lot of mediocre bands playing to mediocre tastes.

I don't think that's really all that bad. It could even be a blessing. More people involved in music, and creating it, and the bad bands just tend to fade away. I doubt it's taking up any room a good band might need. Many people do the band thing for awhile, decide they don't like it and move on. It's a come and go hobby for them.

sack of smashed assholes wrote:

that damned fly wrote:Heckle and Trash.

this would be a great band name! Dibs?

all yours.

I think "Dibs" would be a great band name.

Back to the topic, there ARE too many bands, because there are oo many trend slaves following the marketing schemes of Gibson, Line 6, Diesel, Converse, Camel, Miller, MTV, Clearasil, MySpace etc. "You can be a rock star! Just play this video game etc. and you'll get laid, you pimply little shit."

Colonel Panic wrote:D. Boon once said in an interview that he was hoping for a day when there'd be a rock band on every block.

We're now seeing the reality of that populist dream: a lot of mediocre bands playing to mediocre tastes.

I took that statement to mean that being in a band is something to do as opposed to something to watch other people do, and that becoming famous doesn't need to be part of the equation. Growing up about half of my favorite bands were just guys from my smallish hometown. They're not remembered anywhere else, but what they did is no less valid for that.

Rock and roll has become a weird commodity though . . . there's a videogame where you pretend to play a guitar, for fuck's sake.

Enjoyed meeting you last night, Col.

I don't think there are any more bands than there ever have been. We just know about more of them because of the ease a band has in getting itself out there (i.e., the internet). Without MySpace there would be a lot of shit bands that I wouldn't have to know about...there would also be a lot of good bands that I wouldn't get to know about.

If I'm completely wrong, and there in fact are too many bands we can only blame one thing.

That said, my band fucking sucks and we have no business existing.*


























































*Coming to a town near you.

Germ War wrote:It might separate the men from the boys, but it doesn't do anything to address the issue of whether a band is good or not. Because the 2nd side of the "too many bands" coin is that there are too many BAD bands. So, you proved that you have integrity and aren't going to go away willingly, but does it say anything about the quality of music you're creating and whether it is bettering or worsening this perceived conundrum?

Well I really think the problem is not "there are to many bands" however "there are to many bands doing the same thing" If I have to sit through one more "Americana/alt-country/let your girlfreind play the tuba band I am going to hurt someone... It used to be there are to many garage bands/hardcore bands and before that pop punk bands, we have played with all of those bands, and played to the 10 people out of 100 who got it, I always figured if you can play infront of a NU-Metal crowd (and we did that a bunch) and convert a few people you were doing something right...


I have no clue how to get rid of these "bad" bands, but I know that I won't sit through them...

that damned fly wrote:no, but i think we should stop tolerating mediocrity, openly boo, heckle, and trash.

Lets start with the 15 year old kid who plays shitty, medio-"core" acoustic songs about how his girlfriend didn't i.m. him on his sidekick the other night:

http://www.fashionshanty.com/images/emo ... aircut.jpg

sounds good. then we'll move on to the 30 and 40somethings trying to relive past glories.