APRIL SURE STARTED WITH A SHOCKING BANG.. THRASHERS WAS ON THE PRECIPICE AFTER BEING HUNG OUT TO DRY PAYCHEQUELESS BY THE BANKRUPT SLUMLORD…. I WAS HAVING DINNER WITH MY BUDDY CHICKEN LAST NIGHT AND HE WAS LAMENTING ABOUT THE LACK OF VENUES THAT ARE DESIGNATED TO LIVE ROCK MUSIC…. I ASSURED HIM THAT I HAD BEEN FIGHTING THIS EXACT BATTLE FOR 12 YEARS AND THAT IN THE EVER EVOLVING MUSIC WORLD VENUE OWNERS WERE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO DO BUSINESS…
THE REASON THAT THE LIVE VENUE IS IN DECLINE IS THAT IT COMES DOWN TO MONEY…SOUNDGUYS…EXTRA PERSONNEL…BANDS THAT NEED TO BE PAID…. POSTERS… IF THE BAND ISNT LOCAL THERE ARE SOMETIMES EXORBITANT RIDERS THAT INCLUDE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SNARKIES..LIBATIONS AND HOTEL ROOMS… TO AN INEXPERIENCED VENUE OWNER NOT FAMILAR WITH THE INS AND OUTS OF DEALING WITH ‘THE BAND’ IT SEEMS LIKE A COMPLICATED TALL ORDER WITH OR WITHOUT ROCKSTAR SPOILED BRAT HIJINX…(BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY…)
THAT IS WHY VENUES ARE REVERTING TO THE SIMPLISTIC DJ CONCEPT….ITS GENERALLY ONE PERSON TAKING THE COVERCHARGE OR A FLAT RATE…A SNOOZING SOUND GUY…AND PLENTY OF SHEEPLE THAT DON’T NEED TO FOCUS ON A PERFORMANCE …. WHAT THE REAL MULTITUDES OF SHEEPLE GO TO A BAR FOR FRANKLY IS …$EX…. WHY ELSE WOULD SCANTILLY CLAD WOMEN HAVE DROOLING FRAT BOYS LINED UP FOR MILES ON GRANVILLE…. THESE ARE NOT LIVE MUSIC FANS!
GONE ARE THE DAYS OF YORE WHERE ONLY THE ROCKSTARS HAD THE GROUPIES AT THEIR BECKON CALL…. SEX DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL IS NOW BEING ATTAINED WHERE YOU DON’T NEED TO THINK OR PRACTISE THE ART OF MUSICIANSHIP TO BE THE GUY ON THE SCENE….HELL! JUST PLUG IN YOUR LAPTOP…. SCOOP SOME HARDWORKING BANDS MUSIC AND ELECTRONICALLY SAMPLE THE SHIT OUT OF IT TO MAKE IT YOUR ‘OWN’ AND BOOM YOU’RE OFF TO THE RACES…THEN YOU CAN WHIP UP AN IRONIC RETRO SEXY POSTER WHILE CHARGING 10 BUX COVER AND KA-CHING THATS A 10K A MONTH INCOME FOR A COUPLE OF NIGHTS A WEEK’S WORK WITH THE HOLLYWOOD STYLE GYRATING MASSES…..
THE MUSICAL NEW WORLD ORDER IS HERE…. ITS THE NEW RIVAL TO POLITICAL APATHY…. AS A GEORGIA STRAIGHT MUSIC WRITER RECENTLY SUGGESTED ‘HOW DARE THESE SNIVELING BANDS ATTEMPT TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE’ WHEN THE TRUTH IS THAT THEY ARE BEING ROBBED BLIND BY TECHNOLOGY.. DJ’S AND UNSCRUPULOUS RECORDING CONTRACTS…. HELL! JUST BE A SINGER WITH SOME DISTRACTING DANCERS AND HAVE A LIPSYNCED SOUNDTRACK OR PERHAPS SOME HIRED GUNS IN THE SHADOWS…THIS IS THE NEW ‘BAND’….YOU JUST NEED TO STAND BY THE DOOR OF A LIVE MUSIC VENUE ANY GIVEN NIGHT TO SEE THE TURNED UP NOSES OF IMBECILES BALKING COVERCHARGE..THEY HAVE BEEN TOTALLY ALIENATED FROM THE CONCEPT OF WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE ORIGINAL MUSIC AS A BAND … THEN TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY THEY WILL GLADLY SKIP DOWN THE STREET TO THE CANNED MUSIC HYPE EMPORIUM AND PAY TEN BUX TO LISTEN TO THEM SCHLEPPING MULTIPLE BAND’S TWEAKED MUSIC…
LIVE MUSIC AFFECTIONADIOS ARE A SPECIAL BREED ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION…IF YOU ARE ONE GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK… IF YOUVE PAID TO SEE A LOCAL BAND SLUGGING IT OUT IN THE GHOST TOWN OF VENUES…DITTO…. IF YOU’D NEVER SET FOOT IN A DOUCHY DJ DANCE BAR YOU ARE EXTRA SPECIAL IN MY EYES…. IF YOU ARE A VENUE OWNER WILLING TO GIVE BANDS A CHANCE…KUDOS! YOU’RE THE BEST!
WHEN I WROTE MY FACEBOOK NOTE ON THE DEMISE OF THE SLUMLORD FROM THRASHERS I PLEADED FOR PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING FOR DRINKS TO DRINK AT THE LAST BASTION OF OUR SUBCULTURE THAT’S LEFT ON THE LOCAL LEGAL MUSIC SCENE…. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROVE THAT OUR BRAND OF LIVE MUSIC IS THE WAY TO GO FOR THEM….. WITH OUR PIGEONHOLED SUBCULTURE THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AS WE’RE ALREADY AT A DISADVANTAGE BY THE NUMBERS LET ALONE TO HAVE APATHY CREEP INTO IT….
I APPRECIATE THE NEW MANAGEMENT AT THRASHERS FOR GIVING US A CHANCE TO PROVE OURSELVES…. THEY HAVE ASSURED ME THAT THEY ARE DEDICATED TO LIVE MUSIC AND ALTHO I’M NOT SURE THAT OUR SUBCULTURE IS FAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR THEM I HOPE WE CAN TAKE THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND KEEP IT GOING…. OUR JOBS AND STAGE ARE AT RISK HERE…. I DO KNOW THEY HAVE REALIZED OUR BOOZE CONSUMPTION IS A MARVEL AS MY LEVEL OF JAGERMEISTER CONSUMPTION HAS RAISED AN EYEBROW OR TWO…..I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE GHOST OF COBES PAST FOR MY SEASONED LIVER AND THE DETERMINATION I HAVE TO KEEPING PUNK AND METAL ALIVE IN VANCOUVER… THERE IS NOWHERE I WOULD RATHER BE A MUSIC FANATIC…SEE YOU SOON!
SUBCULTURE 