Music Mar 14, 2012 at 4:00 am

Chris Jury of the Bismarck Vents About the Seattle Music Industry

Comments

1
Sucker punch to Monogamy Party, hot damn.
2
That should read "...1/8th page alt. weekly ad." My mistake.
3
well, it's not too surprising that the whole "sucking everyone else's dick" negative-association-with-being-gay thing goes over a lot better in North Dakota than Seattle.
4
Chris,
So after 20 years of a hard time in Seattle, you blame everything but your own music? Bismarck isnt bad, but its not great either. There is no shortage in straight forward mid tempo rock anywhere in America. There are a zillion bands in Seattle and I think you guys are way too milquetoast to really deserve any attention. Do you seriously listen to your bands songs and hear something special that sets you apart? I can understand being pissed that other bands are getting way more coverage than others, but I just made it through 6 tracks of your album posted here and I dont see why you think you deserve more coverage than say...MONOGAMY PARTY.
-Jason
5
@morlaki

I dont think it was a sucker punch to Monogamy Party. I think he was pointing out the fact that it is kind of crazy that one band that gets written up constantly is basically just handed the keys to car. "Fuck it, write yourself up... here's a login"
6
@3

FWIW, Chris explained the intent of that line in the comments of this Line Out post:

http://www.thestranger.com/lineout/archi…
7
I think we actually answered that when the album came out...Back home at least, the phrase "sucking each others' dicks" means self congratulatory bullshit. It does not have have anything to do w/ homosexuality. As a person who still carries heavy scars and nerve damage from a beating I received defending a friend in high school from a 'fag stomp' I find the accusation a bit bothersome.

I have already seen a lot of hurt feelings and pushback over what is really a very mild criticism of a few elements of a music scene. It might be important for us all to remember that we are adults (more or less) and that we can survive some needling and some honest criticism. I hear mean, un-constructive things about my band, my movie, my craftsmanship, my male-pattern baldness all the time. It doesn't stop me from playing, editing, building, balding. What I love is the " You fucked up...and here is what you can do about it", which I tried to speak about as much as I could.

8
So, reference the Stranger record review of the band while reading the Stranger interview with band that complains about press coverage in the Stranger.
9
@Brian:

As the person who *actually* was responsible for this lyric, I would like to clarify that I am not using "dick sucking" in a literal, sexual sense - I'm specifically referring to the practice of critical "dick-sucking", i.e. mindless praise, often motivated by a personal relationship with the subject. This was, ironically, motivated by a string of Line Out posts several years back where the authors were simply going in a circle promoting each other's bands - sorry, make that, DJ-ing gigs. As I've said in the past, where it concerns The Bismarck, all "dick sucking" is metaphorical; all "chick fucking", hypothetical. I would also like to state, for the record: I have no problem with literal dick sucking between consenting adults. The world could use some more happiness.
10
@4 - I actually don't think we deserve any attention. Some people like what we do, some don't care for it, it is supremely unfashionable in either case. I tried my best to keep this away from The Bismarck, because that isn't what my concern is about. What really pisses me off is that we did a show for KOZO in January, who fucking rule, and we couldn't get any press for them.

11
@8

Granted, that's like two mentions in the Stranger/Line Out over the course of two years, for a band that's been playing shows in Seattle since 2003.
12
@2: Corrected.
13
Do bands in LA and New York bitch as much at the press when they don't get what they want?
14
i wasn't under the impression that you were talking about literal dick-sucking, just as i assume that most straight guys that jokingly call each other fags aren't actually insinuating that their friends are gay. i'm saying it's a poor choice of words.
15
@11,
you can type "the bismarck" into the little search box above and see they've had pretty consistent (and positive) mentions over the course of many years.

not to the level of hype that's being vented about, to be sure.

look, i get it. chris is not particularly venting about his own band's coverage. some bands that could be judged as no better than the next get hyped while other good bands (subjective) get overlooked. old saw.

the stranger's had its ups and downs with music coverage, but i think they've been striking a bit of the balance chris is requesting lately.
16
I just don't see that Chris. I see a mis-informed bitter old man whining about why nobody likes him. You have actually answered your own questions as to why you don't get any respect in this town. You have to participate in the town and contribute something to get respect.

And for your knowledge, the very thing you say old men should do, help teens book their first shows, set aside time for teens to run their own shows, is what The Vera Project does every day. Why don't you go down there and get involved, instead of bitching about how things aren't working the way you want it to

http://theveraproject.org/getinvolved/ve…
17
popcorn.gif
18
@15:

Totally true.

And I agree that music coverage has gotten more varied, and several of the folks that write for the Stranger and Line Out have more than gone out of their way to bring attention to new bands, instead of post after post about Shabaza Palaces.
19
This just in!

Jaded old rock dude from moderately popular bar rock band popular in places with zero taste in music bitches to weekly "hipster" music rag about how oppressed and underrepresented his band is while receiving a pretty modest write-up in said newspaper. He claims, "We're fine with it at this point." I really doubt he is fine with it, as he seems fairly annoyed and stubborn in general. He's really only in Seattle because of work.

News bulletin complete.
20
Two cents: in this comment thread, and on various places on Facebook, people are being much more brutal towards Jury and the Bismarck than he was towards anyone in this interview.

It's almost enough to make you wonder if he has a point.
21
I'm really loving the back-peddling on the "dick sucking" lyrics. A rock song that is calling out presumably the male fans of an LGBT band (of course the clever lyricist can pop back up to explain that the people wearing "girl pants" in this songs are girls). Pure rust belt lulz, feel free to give yourselves 100%-not-gay high fives.

So was Prussian Blue not available for an interview for why the music scene sucks? (spoiler: not nearly enough white people)
22
I like the disconnect.
23
Hey Megan, Grant, Brian, or anybody else; I seem to have misplaced that password to lineout. Can you email that to me again?
24
I used to whine a lot about the coverage in The Stranger. The last couple years, I feel the coverage has been wonderful. I have a couple issues, like the way Trent M. interviews people, but beyond that The Stranger is giving good bands coverage. There are some really terrible bands in Seattle, and a few very very good ones. If your band is not getting the attention or the crowds or the coke you want, either make new friends or play better. Be rad. Not too sure The Bismarck music is very rad. It's pretty dated, like they would have been really happy to open for Kind Of Like Spitting or something.
25
@23 Yeah, it's in the mail. With your giant paycheck.
26
Andrew Chapman, that's ok. I'm sure I have issues with the way you do whatever it is you do too. So we're even. Oh, and I'm not gonna change a fucking thing. So have fun with it. Be safe.
27
@Cosby (#21):

That song didn't have a specific band name in the title until we had to print up the record covers. It was just "Not If You Were the Last ... Fan on Earth" on set lists; we usually just substituted in whatever band we were playing with. Usually Police Teeth.

At the time (maybe 2008?), it seemed that everywhere I went, everyone (boys and girls alike) were wearing girls' pants. That seemed like a really odd fashion trend - even for Adam Grunke. And don't forget - "pants" is a pretty easy word to rhyme for the unclever among us.

A little while before finalizing the song title, I went to go see a show at El Corazon where Lake of Falcons (a band I really liked) was opening a show that Team Gina was headlining. Lake of Falcons was good as usual and then Team Gina came onstage and did what Team Gina did. And the people who had milled around talking during the Falcons' set loved it. It was just strange - going from a band with a bunch of dudes playing instruments and yelling and sweating and all that to two ladies rapping over an iPod. It was like literally watching your favorite kind of music fall out of favor. I'm sure this happened to disco fans in the 70s and hair metal fans in the 90s and it sure as hell happened to me as a fan of loud independent rock music in the 2000s.

Along with watching my favorite kind of music wither due to the changing tastes (led, in no small part, by outlets like Pitchfork), I also was stuck watching a bunch of DIY venues I really liked (SS Marie, Atlas Clothing, etc.) get shut down and the already tight supply of venues willing to book unpopular music get tighter. Combine all that with getting older - having less time to dedicate to finding new music intersected with less venues in which to see the kind of music I like and less press outlets dedicating space to it.

The frustation that came from all this got channeled into that song. I think frustration is a pretty universal sentiment - gay, straight, old, young, whatever. There's always something that isn't what you want it to be.
28
Due to the comments, I have a question, is there some law, like that weird no drinking on stage law where bands from Seattle have to say exactly what they mean in the lyrics to there songs?

Did the people of Seattle really think that "Fuck the Police" was a call to have sex with police officers?

Yale (Hifi) Mke.
29
PS: Thank god that law got overturned, that shit would never fly in Mke.
30
"Not if you were the last Marc Jacobs fan on Earth"
31
Damn, the spam comment i was joking about got deleted.

The sentiments Chris expresses in this interview are pretty much universal from one town to the next in this crazy country of ours. I could do the same interview about Milwaukee, the Trophy Wives guys could do the same one about Louisville, etc.

Also, the idea that the quality of one's music has anything to do with whether or not that music comes into fashion or becomes popular is pretty hilarious, as the majority of music history is littered with forgotten, excellent bands and mediocre nonsense that becomes popular. How are you guys digging that Lana Del Rey record?
32
@24: TONIGHT WE RIDE.
33
Ah the dick-sucking thing again.

I believe you that when you say that sucking each other's dicks isn't meant to be literal. It's knock on a self-obsessed scene. The problem is that the alternative (what you'd rather be doing) is fucking chicks. The people you don't like are sucking dicks, you and your cool friends are fucking chicks. You can see how people might interpret the song as homophobic, no?

I don't think you're homophobic, you just wrote a bad lyric because it was an easy rhyme. Now you get to live with the consequences. I think you'll live just fine.
34
I would like to know something. When did a person being in their mid 30s become to old to make loud rock music? There's this belief amongst Facebookers and bloggers that Chris Jury is this geriatric fuckwad who's become frightened and angry at the world as we know it. I can't count the amount of times I've read 'cranky old dude' or 'crabby old guy'. For fucksakes he's in his 30s which I guess is too old.
Turn The Bismarck records on and remember that rock n roll is supposed to be loud, crazy, stupid and fun!
35
@27:
I'm with #33. For the record, I don't think you guys are homophobic, thought the lyrics certainly don't help your case. Also, for the record, I think Team Gina is an abomination to music - we can all agree on that.

@34:
I think anyone at any age has a right to make loud rock music, there are plenty of people in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are still make vital rock music. I think people are ultimately hung up on the out of touch comments like "It's not for scenesters or buzz-feeding press". It's a self-defeating prophecy, like saying "people don't like good music and since we play good music, they won't like us". People ultimately like what they like, and a lot of it is misguided much of them time, but blaming people for not liking you because they are a "scenester" is really kind of lame.
36
30 isn't old, but he certainly is an old cranky guy, that no one understands. There is another band like that in Seattle, oh wait, there's 1000. But wasn't it Chris that in fact said the scene should be tapping "ambitious young people who want to be making music, writing, or promoting"? It's right in the last paragraph there.
But I fully agree with your statement, TURN THE BISMARK RECORDS OFF AND REMEMBER THAT ROCK AND ROLL IS SUPPOSED TO BE LOUD, CRAZY, STUPID AND FUN!
37
30 isn't old, but he certainly is an old cranky guy, that no one understands. There is another band like that in Seattle, oh wait, there's 1000. But wasn't it Chris that in fact said the scene should be tapping "ambitious young people who want to be making music, writing, or promoting"? It's right in the last paragraph there.
But I fully agree with your statement, TURN THE BISMARK RECORDS OFF AND REMEMBER THAT ROCK AND ROLL IS SUPPOSED TO BE LOUD, CRAZY, STUPID AND FUN!
38
I bet TAD had these exact same problems back in the good old days.

Hey when can we start calling AC/DC homophobic for writing lyrics about oral sex?
39
I sort of agree with what @37 is saying, or can at least understand the point.
But damn do i disagree with@36.
40
@Cosby and English Major (#35 and 27 respectively):

I hear what you're saying. There is some patently offensive shit out there but, in my mind at least, there's a pretty big gap between the "Team Gina" song and, say, Billy the Fridge's "Fat Bitches" or, you know, anything any member of Odd Future says ever. Those examples aside, I do think that when it comes to creative or artistic pursuits, some degree of ambiguity surrounding the artist's intent is fine, desirable even. Playing it completely safe and avoiding words or sentiments that are provocative or open to some interpretation seems like a path towards making safe, uninteresting music. Take Pere Ubu's "Final Solution" or Minor Threat's "White Minority". Or just the name "Joy Division". Given how "straightforward" and "mid-tempo" we are considered, just imagine if we sat around rhyming "fire" with "funeral pyre".

I also think that it's a stretch to assume that every lyric a person sings is a direct reflection of the person's deepest beliefs. To put it another way, do you think Johnny Cash actually shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?
41
I would point out that that little of what everyone seems to be latching on to is actually from the interview, but is from Trent's lead in.
At no point did I say that we did care, and then gave up because we 'were not popular.' We have been a backseat, spare time band from day one.

And Eric @36, I wholeheartedly agree. The Bismarck doesn't need more shows, we don't need more press, and we do not represent any 'fix' for the scene. We are old guys indulging in a hobby, not unlike fishing.

But you guys don't come out when I help a bunch of high school kids put on a show in their gym to raise funds for an after school 'rock' club, or for a skate park in sultan, or school clothes in Arlington, or bilingual materials for a safe-dating program in Lynnwood. Those are the sorts of things I spend most of my time working on (for my day job), and the things that are ignored by the local press, even after I email, call, and beg. In the process we've been able to provide an opportunity for hundreds kids to play their first shows ever, teaching them how to negotiate venue usage and insurance, cobble together PAs, deal with uptight 'headliner' bands, noise complaints, security and all the other headaches that go into doing DIY shows in the real world.

42
Chris, doing those things are commendable.
I have been helping people setup all ages shows for 25 years, and do so EVERYDAY as a volunteer in direct support at the Vera Project, and indirectly at Ground Zero, Old Firehouse and KTUB, and assisted in the production of a book about how to navigate those issues with All Ages Movement Project and Vera. Calling out bands like Monogamy Party who have also been involved in doing that for a long time, and complaining in the very press you have issues with is going to leave you in a position that is hard to be sympathetic about.

Music is a business, and with any business, trends, demand, and people's taste change. It is up to the artist to decide if they want to adapt, change or keep doing what they love because they love it.

Sometimes no one cares at all about a band until they have been doing the same thing for years, then all of a sudden hey are the coolest band ever because they never lost their integrity, Dead Moon is a great example of this.

Unfortunately, taking this tone is ultimately likely to make you sound like a whiny person and drive away any people that might actually do things like give you shows. But who knows, as they say any press is good press right?
43
You guys all realize he didn't actually say anything negative about Monogamy Party as a band, right?
44
...also you guys just realize he was answering the questions Trent gave him, right? This interview could have just as easily been about fuzz pedals or college basketball.
45
Well, this conversation didn't go anywhere worthwhile. Everyone lobbing accusations of being "old", and arguing the minutiae of using fellatio as a metaphor rather than discussing the decent points Chris made about scene participation. Megan Seling lied to me when she linked here.
46
i think The Bismarck is a good band. i typically find Chris's comments here on Line Out to be pretty spot on. but this interview, even with the whole minor-issue "dick-sucking" lyric aside, is a massive bum-out.

i admire The Bismarck's whole work ethic: DIY, don't worry about popularity, live within your means, do it for fun, etc. But if you really don't give a fuck about people that don't like your music, you shouldn't be fixating on bands you don't like and/or their fashion sense. if you complain that Seattle's music scene is for "scenesters and buzz-feeding press", why sing about buzz-bands like Team Gina? you have to understand that that comes across as accusatory and bitter towards anyone that's not already a fan of The Bismarck. there are "a few specific forms of music-making that are in vogue, and those are the acts that get a disproportionate share of the attention"? let's list off a few press-darlings from the last year: Tiny Vipers, Crypts, Black Breath, My Goodness, The Intelligence, Tit Pig, Shabazz Palaces, Helms Alee, Monogamy Party... have we covered all of those "few specific forms"?

and some of the Seattle-bashing seems dishonest. it's harder to book the Sunset than book an upcoming U.K. tour? really? i've booked a lot of shows in Seattle and toured the U.K. multiple times, and i call bullshit. it's either a gross exaggeration, a sign that you're over-complicating the process of booking in Seattle venues, or a red flag that your U.K. dates are going to be plagued with problems and oversights. sorry to be harsh here, but if you were dead serious, get back to me once you've gone through U.K.'s customs and immigration.

as for what The Stranger/Line Out should be doing by Jury's estimation--the music staff has not grown since Line Out started. that means that in addition to tackling all the stuff associated with the paper, the staff also handles the blog now too. fortunately, there are bloggers like James Burns and I that help with some of the writing here. but everything we write still has to go through staff, which means they still have to edit things. increasing our volume increases their burden. Chris, i'm sorry we didn't write about the shows you coordinated through your day job in Arlington. why didn't you hit up James about it? why didn't you hit me up about it? it's no guarantee that we'd have time to cover it, especially since there's no shortage of stuff already going on within Seattle-proper on any given night and the freelance bloggers here all have day jobs and other shit going on too. if it makes you feel any better, we also don't write too often about shows on the Eastside, or in Tacoma. cuz, you know, it's a Seattle paper.

sorry to ramble. honestly, i want nothing but the best for The Bismarck. solid band, solid principles. but man, you'd really rather read a high school student talk about Skrillex than read a Monogamy Party tour diary? now you're just fucking with us...
47
@45 I'm sorry. I had faith that the comments were going in a direction that would be interesting and maybe even insightful instead of defensive.

I should've known better! Damn comments. They're such a tease.
48
@46 THANK YOU.
49
@46 sees the big picture.
50
@45/47 By now it should be well-established that comments sections are the #1 thing with what's wrong with the internet.
51
@46:

Great post Brian!
52
KOZO RULES!!!
53
re-read article and comments.

article: I was taking it more as all being about Bismarck not getting enough attention, but it's mostly just the opening and the first few questions/answers and then becomes more about bands in general than Bismarck.

comments: Jury's follow up comments comes across way more down to earth and really clears up that he wasnt just trying to whine about his band.

Personally, I read the whole thing the first time and didnt have a strong reaction until the last paragraph. The Vera Project is doing exactly what Jury suggests the youth need and he throws them under the bus. Then my love for Monogamy Party blinded me with rage, but I think commenter J Burns is right, he didnt actually say they were a bad band. For me, it was this part of the interview that really made Jury come across less as trying to improve the scene and more as "a jaded old dude bitching about things he was unfamilar with."

also, people might be accusing him of being an old man, despite being in his 30's, from this quote in the interview: "Im an old man". :)

must...beat...horse...
54
@46. yup.

One thing I'd point out, that people don't seem to be hitting on is the issue of narrative.
People who read a blog regularly, who return and refresh for new content, get accustomed to updates on information they've already got. If I go to a neighborhood news site and read about, say, a series of burglaries, and there's no follow-up, I get frustrated.
Likewise (thoug perhaps less urgent), I think there's a value to a running-throughline that a tour diary provides. If I don't care about the band (or theink they're bad writers) I won't read it, but I see why Lineout would host them.

This doesn't preclude more, newer content about various types of bands and music (brian hits on the preclusions there, in his post) but it makes sense to me why a few names would pop up consistently.
55
*though
*think
56
sounds like someone's mad that they don't get to do a tour diary.
57
Chris Jury makes good points.

This Bismarck is a superb band.

Not sure why anything here is controversial.
58
Of course I know that, James. It was only worth mentioning because Megan linked to this article from Line Out while claiming that the comments were getting interesting, which they most decidedly were not. Of course, since I enjoy a good shitstorm, I had to throw my chili cheese burrito in as well. Think nothing of it.
59
@56:

Even better, Eric, the other guitarist from the Bismarck, has been making documentaries of their tours since 2006. They're pretty much what I refer someone to when they want to know what touring at this level is like.

2006:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH-tDg32D…

2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUlq9TRN…

2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8BmRy1FD…

2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COA1GHFt2…

2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8oOOadO…
60
@53 -I like Monogamy Party just fine...but I think tour diaries are generally pretty dull.

And I may have taken a bit of a jab at Vera because while they do help young people, it is not a venue for very young bands. Several young friends of mine have claimed to have been treated poorly there. I hope those cases are exaggeration and misunderstanding.

I am much more infatuated with the MCCC/Liberty model. A group of young folks (18-19) got together, signed a lease for a small retail space, made it a private club with a yearly membership fee of $1 to reduce insurance and security costs/requirements. They operated the space for 10 years, with a rotating cast of young folks running the space, no one over 22 ever being involved in any way-operated solely on income from shows. In many ways I think providing too much 'assistance' is a bad thing. just create the space, and demand that they figure a lot of this stuff out on their own if they want it to happen. Kids have been putting on shows in Rec Center basements for 60 years...If you stay out of the way, and maybe lend an occasional hand with a specific issue or problem, they will do just fine. Opportunity also means the opportunity to fail. The secret is to not let the failure be disheartening or disastrous.
61
'Feel free to give yourselves 100%-not-gay high fives'.

Cosby As 'Bullshit Man' continues!
62
Is Chris Jury the one who never plays along on the Name This Band posts? He doesn't seem like very much fun.
63
@62- What?...I totally play along. It takes me several minutes to make up those stories and pretend like I know who those bands are.
64
Ultimately the problem that the interviewee faces is one of simple math.

Seattle is a small city with a very outsized music scene (though probably not nearly so much as portlandia).

This is really awesome for someone who likes to see tons of very diverse music (in scope, genre, and quality), but if you're producing the music, YMMV unless you're one of the few strike it lucky, typically by virtue of connections or extreme extroverts. And ever heard of a starving artist? Well, yeah... unfortunately the stereotype exists for a reason. All you can do is your best and love what you do and whatever comes of it.

Face it, lots of really great music does make it, as does tons of shitty alternatives. It's going to happen like that anywhere, and in that way Seattle is not atypical in any way.
65
@63, you put the "play" in "play along" when it comes time to Name That Band, sir. Much respect.
66
is the van for sale?
67
so they play Butt Rock and expect Seattle to bow down to them? I moved away from the Upper Midwest to get away from Butt Rock Culture, and never looked back.
68

I can't find these guys on Rhapsody.

How about flying a slight bit higher so the radar can git you?

69
They should totally hang out in Fremont, where you can hear everything from Reggaeton to Funk to Bollywood to Grunge to Hip Hop Bebop all on the same block.

Ignore the monoculturists on Capitol Hill and live in the Real World of Seattle.
70
Soundgarden, now there's a good band.
71
rock music with shouty vocals, how novel.

lemme guess, your typical show is a pickle party of angsty boys with pit stains who like to "sing along"?
72
I believe @33 (the English Major...wait HA HA HA, Oh, man!) is being willfully obtuse.

There is an implied reciprocity and homogeneity which perfectly illustrates the songwriter's point. He could have opted for illustrating his point with a reference to 69ing but it loses the aspect of insularity in like which he decries. He could have opted for illustrating his point with a reference to mutual cunnilingus but that might seem like a direct affront to Team Gina. It would definitely seem contrived compared to a reference like a circle jerk or the lyrics he actually settled on.

But don't let my critical thinking get in the way of your recreational persecution. Leave no stone unturned in your search for the offensive. Leave no mind unpoliced. Stay vigilant. The real killers are still out there.
73
Dude! Kozo is the craziest 2 piece band I've ever seen!
75
@Brian Cook:
How about "ass kissing"? Can we still use that phrase without you reading homophobia into it?

If you are representative of the Seattle rock scene, the situation is even worse than Chris described.
76
@71- I can't think of a band w/ less angst. I think mistaking something done with conviction and volume for negative emotion is a major issue in the current musical climate. To me it seems there is a lot more regret, anger and sadness conveyed in slower, quieter music. Maybe I'm listening to the wrong stuff. Any suggestions?

@67- Not sure how you get to 'Butt Rock.' I'd always heard that term applied to late-era hair metal, or perhaps early-period grunge. We usually get tagged with "Ragged post-punk" or the like. Happy to take on a new label-maybe that one will help us get some high paying 'night club' gigs in Stillwater, Oklahoma or something.

@72- Thank you for explaining that better than we could. To this end at all future Seattle shows I will describe the content and context of each song before we play it. Here is an example:
Sandbar Knifefighter Blues: I grew up in Bismarck, ND. The Missouri is a very large river and creates these sandbars that are miles long- noboby owns them and the police can't patrol them, so as long as you can swim out there it is "anything goes." Fighting was a constant, knife fights were common, and the song is about getting ready for one -squaring up your affairs in case it goes poorly. "give my stuff to my brother/except for my jacket/I wanna be buried in that"
77
@76 we just partied on ours on the Columbia up in BC. Get a 24 of Kokanee from someone's dad's back porch and party down.
78
Here's what I don't get: why would I want the Stranger or even Lineout to spend significant amount of space hyping shows you're helping put on, shows by 18 year old kids who have never played a show before? Raising money for their after school clubs? I commend you on doing this, but it doesn't mean I'm ever going to care enough to go to one. Yes, maybe I'll miss one amazing band play by being so "lame." I'll also miss the 500 crap-tastic "first ever" shows put on by high schoolers. No thanks.
79
@77 -that sounds like more fun and (slightly) fewer trips to the ER.
80
@78 -That pretty much sums up my whole problem w/ Seattle. I think we can take down my interview and just replace it w/ your comment.
81
As a musician in seattle, most of the authors critique runs true. Never listened to his band and whether they are any good doesnt seem relevant to this discussion. The Stranger has alot of influence on music in this town and it picks a couple bands and pumps them alot.

Also, liquor laws making it extremely difficult for there to be economically viable all ages venues has an extremely negative effect on our music scene.
82
Just you can make noises come out of your throat, doesn't mean you can sing.
83
As a musician in seattle, much of the authors critique runs true. Never listened to his band and whether they are any good doesnt seem relevant to this discussion. The Stranger has alot of influence on music in this town and it picks a couple bands and pumps them alot.

Also, liquor laws making it difficult for there to be economically viable all ages venues has an extremely negative effect on our music scene.
84
@71 way to address not a single goddamn thing in the interview with your clever ad hominems...

Feel good you fucking bully?

Seriously, since Grandy fucked up the scene, it's never recovered.
85
It's totally true that lyric they wrote about d**k s***ing is unacceptable and also this is just sour grapes and music coverage is not just about the flavor-of-the-month that can be most easily marketed towards jaded urban 'scenesters' (whatev that means) and by the way did you hear that new Die Antwoord record OMG it's so mind-blowing I'm going to write 3 million words about it in my blog.
86
I was in a Misfits cover band that opened up for Dead & Gone at Cashman's Nursery in Bismarck, ND in 1996.That has to be the same show he's talking about.
I've heard the guys from the Bismarck are from my hometown but I had no idea we were at the same shows 15 years ago!
87
Whine Out Meetup?
88
Even if some of what jury says rings true, why does he - and others with similar complaints - say that that the insular scene is uninteresting, or not exceptional? It IS a put down of people in town who are making music that a great deal of people do find interesting. You can say more diverse music should get attention without having to say what does get attention isn't exceptional.

And how did grandy ruin the scene? This, too, confuses me.
89
@86 -fuck yeah. come out some time and we'll buy you a beer and talk about the old town.

@88 -Some of the stuff that gets coverage is amazing, I don't think I ever claimed otherwise, but some of it is fucking aweful. a couple years back I got an ear full of aggression every time I suggested Vampire Weekend might not be the second coming... Just saying.
90
Chris, if I may, you don't have to justify yourself to turds like Madasshatter or Andy Squirrel. The latter relishes in the idea of a world filled with nothing but flabby manchildren, while the former hasn't a clue what they're talking about when it comes to music in Seattle. I know you feel the need to clarify your position and represent your band in the right way, but don't get too defensive.
91
@84 haha, that is adorable that you thought Seattle had some sort of history of an all encompassing singular music scene. Bully? whaaaat? Because I didn't like the sound of a band and said so I am now branded a bully? Don't get me wrong, I used to love this style of rock, but then I realized the only reason I was listening to it was to impress other guys at college (and look real tough-guy).
There is nothing wrong with this type of music, I realize it still exists and some people love it, I just think we should be honest about its broader appeal: there isn't any. So lets stop with the veteran-rock-obligations, delusions of underground grandeur that could've been and blaming some new non-existent "scene" of mythical tight-pants beasts with weird haircuts that somehow controls the music world in the age of infinite internet. You guys should be doing this for yourselves and if you can't get a decent gig around here maybe you should just shrug your shoulders and start fresh with free basement shows (or better yet, open a small idealistic venue, you're certainly old enough). There is no shame in starting fresh, keeping it small, writing some new songs so all your friends don't have to go to their 85th show and pretend they still enjoy hearing all your classic songs over-and-over-and-over again.
If not, as it was addressed in the article (and I realize this is not as easy as it sounds by any stretch of the imagination) maybe you should move back to the Midwest. Don't take this wrong, I'm not the type to say "get outta town" (I don't feel that way, and local music diversity is a good thing) but it sounds like it would solve all your band's problems.
92
oops, I meant veteran-rock-entitlement
93
@91

tl;dr - I don't go to shows like THAT anymore...
94
Sorry, I have more:
I dunno, I just can't get over the fact that you think think music popularity should somehow be correlated to talent or authenticity. This is rule #1 of the music consumption universe, it's practically a law of physics. There is no way you will somehow change it with lyrics, blog posts or any sort of approximation of music commentary. It's ultimately a fight you will bring to the grave as your band slowly fades away. You can shout about it, plead and beg, reason it out with logic, put all of your energy into convincing kids they shouldn't listen to bands you don't like but you are just wasting your time.
95
In talking with a friend this weekend, he pointed out that there is a fundamental, perhaps non-bridgable gap in worldviews involved here. In the time I've been doing this I have seen perhaps a dozen major sub-genres of punk come, rule the critical landscape, fade and be replaced. Even if you were in a huge band, chances are you're back to working some boring job and living a boring life within 2-3 years. Living an extended childhood is something that holds no appeal for me. Either you are a hobbyist, which frees you up to do whatever you want, say whatever you want, and get on with life or you sacrifice that in exchange for doing the relentless self-promotion, marketing and networking required to be involved in whatever facet of culture-making you prefer. Turns out the bank won't let me pay my mortgage with unused drink tickets.
96
oh come on AndrewChapman, dated music ... like princess. actually your band really isn't as much dated as it's just really boring and loud (kind of like my grandfather). you've never been in a good band and you'll always be tool #1.

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