Living in the midwest the closest city to see a decent show is four hours away. I always had a list of bands I wanted to see before I died. Sort of a "Concert Bucket List." Back in the day when I was a teen many bands would come to Indianapolis, but over the years they seem to bypass Indy and go straight to St. Louis or Chicago. It's about a four hour drive, but the longest most boring drive ever! Well maybe except driving through Kansas..now that's boring! Since it's a long haul, I don't get to see many shows and over the years finding people to go with is a battle. Everyone is busy with work, kids, etc. I understand it, but concerts for me are somewhat of an energy boost. It's like recharging my battery. So I'm going to put out my Concert Bucket List. Please comment and let me know who's on your list!
-David Byrne/Talking Heads -New Order -White Lies -DEVO -Madonna -Rolling Stones -PJ Harvey -The Damned -Depeche Mode -U2 -Gary Numan Who's on your list?
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So the idea about this blog entry came from a conversation I had on a dating site. In one of my photos I had on the Joy Division "Unknown Pleasures" shirt. A guy messaged me and commented on the shirt and our conversation began. He had said that he got over depressing music a long time ago. That got me thinking, what music stays with us till we die and what music is just a blip on our musical spectrum? And what decides this musical filing? Is it what we are going through at each phase of our life or do our musical taste broaden and what we thought was once amazing is just vanilla? Some bands will always be classic and no one will ever compare to them. In high school I started listening to punk music. I loved the energy and how it was formed around the idea of anti-establishment and conforming to all the latest trends. It's funny now because punk itself became a trend. You can see the punk look on fashion runways and hear bubblegum punk on the airwaves. While still liking punk music I transgressed to Industrial and 80's New Wave music. Partly to the fact that I started to date a guy who was into the music and introduced me to underground bands and cool movies. I think for me music has always grown up with me. It was the soundtrack to my life and I felt that it truly kept me alive. Like most teens I lacked self-confidence and felt indifferent. When I started high school I was a regular kid. I didn't fit into any of those clichéd labels. At the time I was dating a guy and this one night changed my life. It changed how I viewed the world, the clothes I wore, and the music I listened to. At the time I had no idea what sex truly was. It was a different time then how things are now. You can't turn on television without an ad or show with some sort of sexual innuendo or nudity. My world was quite simple and I really wasn't allowed to have a social life. It was all tame until this one night and my world became jaded. It became bitterly filled with sexual and social limitations that I would have to work through. That one night I was raped in the back seat of a car by the boy I had been seeing. It was late at night and he had picked me up down the road from where I lived. We had gone to a park and fooled around until it reached a level I wasn't comfortable with. I won't go into details any further, but this night changed me forever. As said before I was quite naive and thought this was what sex was supposed to be. I thought even if you didn't want to do it, you still did it. It wasn't until I had spoken to a trusted teacher after a sex ed session in class that I knew this had happened to me. I felt betrayed, embarrassed, and alone. I didn't want to tell my parents or anyone for that matter. I went into a depression and felt that somehow I brought this onto myself or that I was at fault, but music was my therapy. It took me years and an understanding boyfriend to pull me through the drudge to make me see that that night wasn't my fault and didn't define me. I would arise above it and be able to have real sexual interaction again. It will always be there of course, but it's not clutching onto my psyche as it once did. This is when I transformed into a girl who wore baggy clothes, closed myself off, and started to listen to "darker" music. I felt the angst of punk music a comfort. I also started listening to Joy Division, The Smiths, and Tori Amos to name a few at this point. Amos helped because she too had went through a similar experience as I had. I also started writing poetry at this time and obtained a new group of friends who shared the same tastes in music. We were the misfits or weirdos of the school. We mostly didn't participate in sports or football games on the weekend. We found comfort in skipping school and going to a nearby college town. It was great fun going to the record stores and hanging with college kids. It really opened a whole new world to me. The music and the scene helped me heal my wounds a bit. I didn't feel alone and felt that I had found myself in a sense. I pretty much kept this musical wave going until a few years after high school. That's when I started getting into metal. I think at the time I was angry with a lot of things and the heavy riffs and lyrics fed that need. I still loved my classic 80's and 90's music, but I was going through another wave in my musical spectrum. I rode that wave until a few years after my son was born and I started to mellow my music taste once again. I started getting out my old cds and having a listen again. It brought back memories of my teen years and sounded just as fresh as it did back then. It gave me comfort and warmth that no other music could. It had always spoke to me and was the voice when I had no words to utter. I'm not for sure if we over time disband our music tastes, but I do believe we go through phases or "waves" as I like to call them. If you put on a song from your youth or when you were going through a particular time in life, all those memories drift back to your psyche like a heavy downpour. There are some bands that have that magic today, but I don't think they could capture a memory as heavy as hearing The Smiths or Talking Heads for the first time. Especially back then because it was all so new and refreshing to what was being played on the airwaves at the time. Like many I don't even listen to the radio anymore. Very few times will I find something that speaks to me and makes me wanna look a band up. Of course, I do live in a small town in the midwest so that could play a huge part. Maybe when I'm older I will file my records in chronological order like Rob did in High Fidelity. Right now they are just mixed up all together and I'm sure it's an OCD nightmare to some. To this day I will go through my records and forget a record I bought when I was a teen. It's kind of a pleasant surprise. So at least in my experience music can get you through a difficult time in your life and change everything from that point forward. It can change you as a person and can broaden your outlook on life. It can be that warm blanket, that fuzzy memory, or the place that makes you realize you aren't the only one to feel the way you do. I never gave up on depressing music and perhaps he wasn't depressed enough to appreciate the music that got him through life? {Side note: This is probably the most personal blog entry to date, but looking back at my musical spectrum it was a defining moment. If someone who reads this has went through the same thing, I hope they will know they're not alone. } So here it is almost 4am and I have just arrived home from the Future Islands show in Indianapolis. I have to write this now while the whole night is fresh in my mind, because my memory sucks anymore. I'm not for sure if it's the tumor in my head or I'm getting old; but nonetheless I won't remember every bit by tomorrow. This was the first show I had gone to by myself and had a bit of anxiety about it. I always loved sharing the concert experience with a friend and having someone to keep me entertained on the way home. Everyone around me told me not to worry and that when the music starts we're all alone anyway.
I arrived early and was first in line. Heading to the front row I had to wait another hour before the opening act called Operators started. They are a three piece band that sounded like wonderful 80's new wave industrial. It was a great surprise because usually I'm patient, but truly wishing the opening act would hurry up so I can see the band I came to see in the first place. This time it was different. Their whole set kept me entertained and wanting more. They seemed so grateful for the audience's love that night, which has me wondering if this is something they don't experience much? I know the people behind me wouldn't shut up during their whole set and among other things is on my concert pet peeve list. I will get to that later. During one of their songs the edgy and beautiful keyboard player broke her necklace that I had been admiring all night. She said "Like during sex, sometimes jewelry breaks" and she handed it to me. It was a wonderful gesture, but I'm going to try to fix it for her and send it back. It truly belongs on her neck! After they had finished their set, it was time for the main act... Future Islands! Everyone was pumped and in anticipation for what was coming up next. This was my first Future Islands show, but for many in the crowd it wasn't their first time around the Future Islands block. As the band came out one by one the crowd welcomed them with screams and sweaty hands clapping together. Gerrit and William are the low key members of the band letting Sam the lead singer electrify the crowd with both his insane levels of vocal range and theatrical performance. At times Sam will bring you into an old punk show with his intense screams and brings you back down to altitude with soft spoken words. Even though the other members are not running about stage, their ingredients to the band are quite important. Many of William's bass lines remind me of Joy Division/New Order or some older punk, especially "Heart Grows Older." Gerrit nicely ties the whole landscape together with keyboards and programming that will take you to another terrain. Mike, the tour drummer, is reminiscent of Stephen Morris of Joy Division/New Order. I have been asked many times what does Future Islands sound like? I really have no true answer. I can name a list of bands that take a bit here and there, but they're unique. They give their all when they play and are quite humble when the audience reciprocates the feeling. During the show I was in awe of Sam's performance and just wondering how the hell he does it. He probably sweated out about five pounds in one show. Of course, the front row received most of this sweat. I think my record may contain some of his sweat as well. He would connect face-to-face with the crowd and touch hands. It was as if he was some messiah, everyone he locked eyes with was in awe of his presence. The show was so exciting that I only took a few photos. I couldn't take my eyes off of them, it was that good. I wanted to take in this moment. Take this experience and actually enjoy it without technology getting in the way. After the encore, I headed to the exit and down the alley by the club. I was one of the first few to hang out in the back for the band to possibly sign autographs and take photos. I had waited for about thirty minutes and then finally Sam had appeared. Gone were his sweat soaked clothes from the show and a tight fitting gray shirt along with an Orioles cap. I was the first one to greet him and I was yet again transformed into a 16 year old fan girl. This is a wonderful feeling, but is something I try to keep under control so I don't seem like a weirdo. I think the reason why I get this way is because I'm in awe of people who could possibly make me feel a certain way just by a few words and notes. Like others, without The Smiths and Joy Division in high school I probably wouldn't be here today. I guess I feel a great deal of gratitude to the music makers. Without knowing you, they can make you feel like every song they play is about you or what you're going through. Many times music is your closed captioning in life. You don't have the right words to say or the melody speaks to you in a way that no one could ever understand. Think about it, certain music or images from your childhood can either bring that warm nostalgic feeling or possibly the feeling of innocence lost. So I lost track, but it's almost 5am. Right now I'm running on White Castle and Mountain Dew, which I'll probably regret tomorrow. So back to the story, Sam signed my record and I got a picture with him. Then we stared at each other and I was in some sort of weird Twilight Zone trance. I had no idea what to say, but to glare at him like a fuckin' idiot. He could possibly play in a remake of 1984 and have us all in a trance with his eyes. Sam went on to meet other fans and share stories and baseball talk. While waiting for William I had started chatting up with the tour drummer Mike. I had told him he had reminded me of Stephen Morris and he was delighted to hear the comparison. He said he had practiced "Bizarre Love Triangle" when he was learning how to play. I asked him if he had his own band and he said he had a band named Mt Royal. Check them out if you have a chance, as I will be doing so tomorrow! I happened to snatch Gerrit as he was walking back into the venue and asked if he could sign my album and get a picture with me. He seemed delighted and pleased to do so. I then finally got to chat with William and yet again I was star struck because when I was coming into the venue I had passed him on the way to the stage. I thought it was him, but didn't want to look like the idiot if he had some twin. We laughed about that for a moment and then we talked about the tour. I had mentioned how I loved the smaller venues because I felt you had more of a connection with the band. We then went into how bands seem to forget about poor Indianapolis and head straight up to Chicago. I was telling him how I'm going to see Peter Hook in Chicago in November and we chatted about how great he is sounding. I mentioned I had an extra ticket so if he wanted to go let me know...by the way that offer still stands William! I'm laughing right now. We discussed Joy Division's album Closer and how you could hear tinges of early New Order in that album. He signed my album and we got a photo together. He then asked if I wanted a pic of me and the whole band and it took only a second to jump on that offer. I gave my camera to another fan because my phone was only on 20% battery. We all got together and I thought had taken about 5 or 6 photos... by the time the last ones were taken it was like some 80's Aerosmith shoot; everyone with legs in the air and silly faces. I thanked them all again and gave William a hug and said thank you again and that I was so glad to meet them. So, on a drive home fueled by some crap fast food, Mountain Dew, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Prince I finally made it home. I don't think I scarfed food and drink that fast in my life! I hadn't eaten anything since 2pm and hadn't had anything to drink since 6pm. As always when I do that, I get one of my wonderful headaches. After getting into a comfy nightgown and inserting my SD card I found out that not one photo from tonight was on my camera. I was heartbroken. The only pictures I had were a few during the show and ones with Sam and Gerrit. I know, I know... I shouldn't complain. I really was looking forward to seeing the pictures and I also didn't have one with William and I. Regardless, it was a great and a much needed night. I wish I would have been able to ask them some questions for my blog, but the fan girl in me took over! Hopefully I will be able to see them in Columbus in a few weeks and will be able to retake those pics! Things I've learned from the last show...
After someone takes your pic with the band, always double check to make sure they actually got the pic! That time you have waiting for the band to come out after the show..check your makeup! I will need to find a new red lipstick that can withstand concerts! A few concert pet peeves.. Don't take pics or video the WHOLE show..hey!..they're right in front of you! Enjoy the moment and it's a bit rude to the people around you! Yes it's the opening act, but let's respect their hard work, talents, and guts for getting up there before the band you're coming to see. Leave the chit chat after the show (concert banter is a bit different). Regardless if you're drinking and having a great time, don't intentionally put your hands on someone. Going to a show you give up some personal space and you will get bumped, but hanging onto someone's body is rude and could hurt the person. It's enough for me to go to a show because I have Osteoarthritis. For me to stand and bounce around for hours kills my joints, so someone hanging onto my back doesn't help my joints! You can still enjoy the show without possibly hurting someone! One of the greatest things about having a kid is sharing your interests with them. Your favorite movies, music, sports, etc. Sometimes they develop a love for your favorite band and well sometimes they wish you'd stop singing "Jumpin' Jack Flash." When they do develop that wonder about your interests it's something that makes you proud. You feel like you're sending your kid off into this world with some taste...especially with what's being pushed down their throats nowadays. My son started getting into some of my music about a year ago. I wondered when he would get that spark to hear a particular song or band. It finally happened with the band DEVO. I think he really loved the electronic sound to them and what they wore. Recently he has also gotten into Talking Heads, which I'm most pleased about because they're my favorite band to listen to while driving. When we listened to DEVO he would request to hear "Gates of Steel" or "Whip It!" in the morning on the way to school. During one trip we were listening to DEVO's song "The Super Thing" and he said he wanted to learn how to play guitar so he could play Bob 1's riff. It gave me a great feeling. I thought Wow..what the heck was I into at 9 years old? I don't think much because I grew up in a small midwestern town. We didn't have cable tv until I was in high school and radio sucked. I didn't really get into great music until I was in high school, which was in the 90's. At that time Mtv was still pretty decent. They had shows like 120 minutes, Headbanger's Ball, and Alternative Nation. Even their tv shows weren't bad at all like Daria, Aeon Flux, and The State. That was when I was introduced to great music that has still followed me to this day. Also a friend at the time I had met in school was a transplant from California. He had been raised with indie radio, wonderful music, and a concert to go to every weekend. Fortunately now even kids living in small towns or in the country can find out about Joy Division or 70's punk music. The internet has opened those doors to exploration. Of course, back in the day we were all about D.Y.I. We didn't have Hot Topic or an online store to put our look together. We hit Army surplus stores, thrift shops, and stole clothes out of our parent's closets. Truthfully, I always thought putting your own look together was far cooler than buying it off the rack. I had a German Army jacket with a Union Jack on the back with snippets cut from an old Sex Pistols shirt that I'd wear with an old Dead Kennedys shirt. Like every generation people would look at us like What the hell are they wearing? What's that metal ring coming out of their nose and what's with the pink hair? Now this look is more common and not shocking as it was back then. I also think when you're sharing your interests with your children you may spark something inside yourself that was missing. Music that you may have not listened to in ages or seeing a classic John Hughes movie will give you that warm feeling. Next thing you know you're digging through old photos and showing your kid what you looked like back then. When I was going through some of my old stuff from high school, I found the literary magazine we had made. Reading some of those entries made me cringe a bit and realize that we couldn't get away with what we wrote now. They would be calling the suicide prevention hotline or calling the police in fear of a school shooting. Back then they just saw us as "Just a phase." I laugh now because I still wear band shirts and listen to the same music. I may have ditched the piercings, black lipstick, and combat boots; but I'm still the same person. Unlike my own Mom, I will embrace what my son wants to listen to or wear. In the realm of things I understand it's about expression and finding yourself. That's what your teen years and early twenties are for. I'm glad with every generation we are exploring more and becoming individuals instead of following what is spewed out there by advertising masterminds. Now, we still have a ways to go, but it's definitely better. The newer generation is helping with the vinyl revolution and helping music from yesteryear stay alive. I hope when my son is older he still holds onto the music he listened to in Mom's car and it has a special place in his heart...along with my vinyl collection that he will one day inherit! So this blog entry came from a bit of a personal experience with a band. I won't go in to who the band is, but they're an up and coming band. I had found them on Twitter and watched a video of theirs and listened to their music on Itunes. I really liked them. They reminded me of 90's Britpop music. I had tweeted them a few times and we had talked back and forth a bit. Our interaction wasn't like a band stalker style, but just a new fan who wanted to show appreciation for their music. So I bought their album on Itunes and had tweeted about it. Probably about a week later I was going to tweet that I was listening to their music and found out I had been blocked. Now I'm not going to cry like a little girl about it, but it got me thinking. Has social media affected the fan experience? Back in the day to reach your favorite artist you had to join a fan club or write to them; and in writing I mean by hand with pen and paper. Even writing to them wouldn't necessarily mean you would hear from them or if you did hear from them it would be a generic form letter. I remember writing a few artists and only hearing back from Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra. When I received something back from them I felt so excited and thought how great it was that they read my letter and took the time to write back. Nowadays you can achieve that feeling instantly through Twitter and Facebook. Sometimes the band's accounts will be ran by someone else, but at times band members get on social media to chat with fans. I've had a few Twitter interactions with some famous bands and it really makes you feel closer to them. You get to see photos while they're on tour, see the setlists, and sometimes they'll answer your questions. I remember earlier this year the band Future Islands were on tour and their van broke down. They took to Twitter to see if anyone could help them get to their next gig. I was amazed at the outpouring of help from fans and it really shows you that your fans are your bread and butter. Saying that, I sometimes wonder if the bands or artists that gain instant popularity through social media truly appreciate the fans that they do gain? It use to take bands years to gain a proper fan base, but now it can take only a million hits on YouTube. Is it all just numbers to them or do they still feel that the fans are important? Of course, on the other hand, are fans expecting too much? When bands share so much of their day and their personal life, do fans take advantage of that and possibly push that intimacy to the limits? Are they expecting too much? There's that saying never meet your idols because they will disappoint you, but does that also fall in line with social media? Do fans expect every tweet or message to be answered and if not, do they feel jilted? I was wanting to ask someone who has been in the music business for quite some time, so I turned to Gerald Casale of DEVO. A: My next entry was going to be about bands of today possibly not appreciating their fan base like bands back in the day did because of the instant stardom that the internet & music streaming have given them. I wanted to know if you would give me your opinion on this? G: The hypothesis seems sound but what is the empirical data to support your claim? Fan complaints? Fans may be too demanding in narcissistic society where everyone is a "star" and selfies abound and stalkers run wild and delusional people have 10 thousand "friends". A: You make a good point and bring a different approach of this question to mind: You have experienced so many phases of existence in regards to the music industry. Considering all you have seen what would you say have been the most significant changes brought about by the digital explosion and accompanying social media? My question would be how has this sort of "artificial closeness" between artists and fans affected you as a creator and as a human being? How different are the dynamics now as opposed to back then? G: We don't register on the new digital radar of fan/artist psychosis. Our fans are old school loyal devotees that are harmlessly addicted. A: I'd have to disagree with you on that, my 9yr old son's favorite band is Devo. He is so excited when we find Devo on vinyl. I think you guys were the most underrated bands, but with the digital age younger fans can discover you and appreciate the music just as old school devotees. G: OK. I concede there is a lot of that happening now. So, Jerry does bring up a good point about our narcissistic society that is always craving more and sharing more. How many times has someone shared nonsense about their day or taken twenty selfies that bogs up your newsfeed? It's happened so much for me that I am rarely on Facebook anymore. I know what you look like so please stop taking the same pose of yourself over and over! I find Twitter to be more appealing because you are only given 140 characters to express what you want and it's really what you make it. I usually only follow people I may know, comedians, bands, etc. So my Twitter feed is free of annoying videos and loads of selfies. Social media can help an artist achieve fame faster than ever, but with that bands should never lose the notion that fame is fleeting. With the music business barely scraping by, touring and merchandise is where the profits are. If you keep your fans at an even keel then they will keep shelling out money to see you live and buying your merchandise. Oh and fans...go out there and support your favorite bands and don't put them up on a pedestal. They are human too. Buy their music legally, buy some merch, tell your friends about them, and go see them live! I will always be a fan girl and will always support the music that has helped me through so much. -Thank you Gerald Casale from DEVO for the impromptu Q&A and fan girl experience! |
AuthorAngela Marie. I like writing. I like music. I have thoughts falling from my head. Archives
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