The show last night went off without a hitch.
Hoglust was RIDICULOUS.
I don't know if this is due to lineup changes or what, but they were so much tighter and so much more intense last night than in previous times I've seen them play. Fast and chaotic is how I like it, fast and chaotic is how Hoglust plays it. Definitely a good time.
Lapse, as expected, totally killed it. I'm not really too sure what's going on with their lineup situation, but I did hear that they're in the process of looking for a new drummer. Despite using a fill-in drummer last night, their set was totally flawless. I spent the past few weeks doing some homework, and actually learning the words to their songs, so singing a long definitely added a whole new element to the experience. I know I speak for the rest of the dudes in Better Times when I say that we really love Lapse, and are pumped to have been able to play 2 consecutive shows with them.
The Carrier was actually pretty good. Like I said in the previous post, it's been a while since I've actually sat down and given their songs a good listen. So that, combined with the PA system being a little fuzzy, made it tough for me to distinguish which of their songs was which. But their set was still enjoyable regardless. The passion and intensity that caught my attention last time I saw The Carrier play was in full-effect last night... and it was hard to walk away from their set with anything other than clenched fists.
Best of luck to those dudes on the rest of their tour!
As far as THE KIDS go.... I really am lucky to belong to a scene that has so many awesome, authentic people as members. It's amazing that after all these years, you can still count on seeing the same faces at every single show.
A few years back I'd always wonder and worry what the scene would be like in the future, when everyone got a little older and got jobs with stricter schedules, etc. I used to worry that everyone would slowly fade out and drift away. But as last night clearly demonstrates, the exact opposite has happened in Buffalo. Granted, we have lost a few people over the years... but the vast majority of the kids that I "came up" with are still around, and are more DOWN for the core than ever.
I would not have it any other way.
I used to go to shows in other cities, envy their huge scenes, and wish we had something like that in Buffalo. I can finally say, beyond a doubt, that what we've got in Buffalo completely meets those expectations I used to have.
As corny as it is to talk about "positivity", it's a really good feeling knowing that you and your band have support... from kids that aren't just fellow hardcore kids, but who have grown to become your personal friends as well.
At a show I'd rather have 50 kids with open minds and good attitudes, who I can count on and who I can consider my personal friends... than have 500 anonymous faces who are just there to hang out and look cool.
So THANK YOU to the kids in the Buffalo hardcore scene. I'm proud to call myself one of you. And proud of the fact that WE created the kind of scene we wanted to have. And WE keep it fresh, alive, and productive.
From here on out, everything Better Times does as a band is dedicated to BUFFALO CREW.
Respek.
-Frank
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
SHOW TOMORROW!
Just got word from the promoter that the set times are as follows:
DOORS: 7 PM
BETTER TIMES: 7:25 - 7:45
Hoglust: 8:00 - 8:20
Lapse: 8:35 - 8:55
The Carrier 9:10 - ?
Show has to be over by 10PM sharp.
Tomorrow night we're playing SUGAR CITY with Lapse, Hoglust, and The Carrier.
It's been quite some time since the last show we played, which also happened to be our very first show. So I know I speak for the whole band when I say how anxious I am to get back on that floor, get the mic in my hand, and try and make our 7-minutes-worth of songs last 25 whole minutes.
Stoked to be playing with Lapse again.
For no good reason at all I actually forgot that they were on the show until just now.
So now that I've remembered, I'm even more excited for tomorrow.
No Love Lost played with Hoglust over the summer at the Funeral Home, and put on a pretty intense show.
I heard something about some lineup changes they've done lately, so it'll be interesting to see what they've been up to since that Funeral Home show. Definitely looking forward to catching their set.
Playing with The Carrier should be pretty cool.
A few years back I caught them in Toronto with Reign Supreme.
I had a hard time getting into The Carrier at first, so I was a little skeptical before seeing them for the first time. But even though their particular style of hardcore may not exactly be MY cup of tea, they poured so much energy and passion into their songs that I instantly became a fan.
Since that time I burned myself out on them a little bit. I listened to their album No Love Can Save Me a few too many times, and stopped keeping up with them after a while.
Hopefully tomorrow night's show will revive my interest in them a bit, because it's awesome that they're still a band after all this time, and it'd be pretty cool to see what they've been up to since I "grew out of them".
We're running a little behind schedule with the demo's.
Ran into some issues formatting the artwork for the CD's, and I haven't gotten the chance to send everything out to be replicated yet.
HOWEVER... we will have limited edition TAPES available at the show tomorrow, as well as T-SHIRTS.
Hope to see you there.
Yekshemesh
FRANK
XXX
Monday, March 7, 2011
Facebook?
If you use Facebook and feel like "Like"'ing us, head on over to BETTER TIMES FACEBOOK PAGE and click the button.
I know I spent over 9000 minutes explaining how much I DIDN'T want this band to rely on Facebook for e-exposure.
BUT, discussing it with the other dudes in the band has helped me realize that there are actually some advantages to using Facebook. And that avoiding having a Facebook amounts to throwing the proverbial baby out with the hypothetical bathwater.
As far as page format goes, I definitely prefer the blog-style site to the Facebook-style site.
HOWEVER, this blog doesn't let us keep track of WHO is checking us out, and WHERE the checker-outers are from.
We've got a little page counter at the bottom of the blog. But, that doesn't tell me anything about who you are, what you like, where you're from, etc.
If our blog visit-counter gets 1,000 new page views today, and 956 of them come from El Paso, Texas...we have no way of knowing that.
With a Facebook page however, we can see that 956 people from El Paso decided to "Like" us all of a sudden...which lets us know that we'd probably draw a decent sized crowd if we ever played Texas.
Such information could very well motivate us to don cowboy hats, mount our lucky stallions and head south to play some rock-and-roll gigs.
SO, we made a Facebook.
THIS BLOG will still be our primary method of relaying information about our band.
The Facebook will be used for the exclusive purpose of keeping track of WHO is into us, and WHERE they're from... so that we can plan shows/tours/weekends/releases in a more strategic fashion.
If you use Facebook and feel like "Like"'ing us, head on over to BETTER TIMES FACEBOOK PAGE and click the button.
Feedback is crucial to us.
Since more people have Facebook accounts than blogger accounts, I'd rather receive feedback via band Facebook than not receive feedback at all.
Namaste.
-Frank Edge
LYRICS!
A bunch of people have been asking me to post lyrics, because they don't want to wait to get their hands on a CD insert to start preparing for pile-on's and sing-a-longs.
Lyrics are posted in the order they appear on our demo, and on our bandcamp page.
Alright! Let's go!
INTRO - Instrumental
The intro may or may not gain some lyrics as time goes on. If anyone can think of anything catchy to yell during this song in particular, feel free to let me know. We are always open to suggestions.
BAIL OUT
Forty hours in seven days
Paycheck to pay-check.
Apathetic corporate slave,
Your life's a fucking wreck.
Do you recognize yourself?
Tired, taxed and ticked.
If time is money, what's worth more
To a rat on a sinking ship?
Your wallet's filling up
While your days are counting down.
Fancy fucking locks
On fancy fucking doors
In the safest part of town.
What's the price on happiness?
A separate expense account
To tidy up every little mess?
TIRED!
TAXED!
TICKED!
Wall Street is a sinking ship!
48 SECONDS
Swallow your pride
Or just all your teeth.
Polish your lies
And hide underneath
That mountain of shit you think is your home.
Surrounded by friends
But you're still all alone.
This year was the best
But where did it go?
This train-wreck life
Is all you know.
Here's where I should become bitter.
Here's where I could become cruel.
But instead I choose to just be better.
So here's the last 48 seconds that get wasted on you.
LAST FORTY-EIGHT!
WHAT A FUCKING WASTE!
WASTE!
REAL FRIENDS WIN
Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
When these kids are my home.
HEADS HELD HIGH!
BACKS TO THE WIND!
We won't get blown away
'Cuz our fire burns within.
Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
Better times are all we know.
My friends keep that fire within burning stronger everyday.
And we all know that REAL FRIENDS WIN,
Growing stronger every day
YEAH!
SOONER OR LATER
These years of friendship have gone down the drain
Your fucked up choices will not be your gain.
You looked at your life
And decided you wanted "more".
You changed your ideals, man
Like you never had the Edge before.
Being strung along.
Playing all their games.
When you're all alone,
Then who will you blame?
Take responsibility.
You wanted this to burn,
But I knew pretty soon you'd break.
THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY
I will raise my fist
While you hoist that flag.
And I will raise my voice
While you reach to gag.
For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what we have to say:
We don't need your drugs.
We don't want your beer.
We won't be your thugs.
We won't buy your fear.
For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what I have to say.
PROUD YOUTH! For ourselves.
PROUD YOUTH! For tomorrow.
STRAIGHT EDGE! For a better world.
THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY!
BETTER TIMES
Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.
THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.
Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.
Where all these problems coincide.
BETTER TIMES!
Stepping up for our voice to be heard.
It's our job to take action and learn.
Working together for a better life.
Not wasting time standing in line.
THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.
That make us work for better times.
BETTER TIMES!
Lyrics are posted in the order they appear on our demo, and on our bandcamp page.
Alright! Let's go!
INTRO - Instrumental
The intro may or may not gain some lyrics as time goes on. If anyone can think of anything catchy to yell during this song in particular, feel free to let me know. We are always open to suggestions.
BAIL OUT
Forty hours in seven days
Paycheck to pay-check.
Apathetic corporate slave,
Your life's a fucking wreck.
Do you recognize yourself?
Tired, taxed and ticked.
If time is money, what's worth more
To a rat on a sinking ship?
Your wallet's filling up
While your days are counting down.
Fancy fucking locks
On fancy fucking doors
In the safest part of town.
What's the price on happiness?
A separate expense account
To tidy up every little mess?
TIRED!
TAXED!
TICKED!
Wall Street is a sinking ship!
48 SECONDS
Swallow your pride
Or just all your teeth.
Polish your lies
And hide underneath
That mountain of shit you think is your home.
Surrounded by friends
But you're still all alone.
This year was the best
But where did it go?
This train-wreck life
Is all you know.
Here's where I should become bitter.
Here's where I could become cruel.
But instead I choose to just be better.
So here's the last 48 seconds that get wasted on you.
LAST FORTY-EIGHT!
WHAT A FUCKING WASTE!
WASTE!
REAL FRIENDS WIN
Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
When these kids are my home.
HEADS HELD HIGH!
BACKS TO THE WIND!
We won't get blown away
'Cuz our fire burns within.
Five years come and gone,
Memories and countless shows,
No distance is too far
Better times are all we know.
My friends keep that fire within burning stronger everyday.
And we all know that REAL FRIENDS WIN,
Growing stronger every day
YEAH!
SOONER OR LATER
These years of friendship have gone down the drain
Your fucked up choices will not be your gain.
You looked at your life
And decided you wanted "more".
You changed your ideals, man
Like you never had the Edge before.
Being strung along.
Playing all their games.
When you're all alone,
Then who will you blame?
Take responsibility.
You wanted this to burn,
But I knew pretty soon you'd break.
THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY
I will raise my fist
While you hoist that flag.
And I will raise my voice
While you reach to gag.
For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what we have to say:
We don't need your drugs.
We don't want your beer.
We won't be your thugs.
We won't buy your fear.
For far too long
We've looked the other way.
But we're young and proud,
This is what I have to say.
PROUD YOUTH! For ourselves.
PROUD YOUTH! For tomorrow.
STRAIGHT EDGE! For a better world.
THE KIDS STILL HAVE THEIR SAY!
BETTER TIMES
Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.
THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.
Wasting away in these games.
Going to places where people forget our names.
The struggle to find peace inside.
Where all these problems coincide.
BETTER TIMES!
Stepping up for our voice to be heard.
It's our job to take action and learn.
Working together for a better life.
Not wasting time standing in line.
THE WALLS! That hold us down.
THE HATE! That holds us back.
THE PEACE! That's so hard to find.
That make us work for better times.
BETTER TIMES!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
RECORDINGS
We recently recorded a 7-song demo with Brian Russo.
Last night we all stopped by Brian's house to check out the mastered tracks.
Because we were extremely stoked on how the recordings turned out, we got them bounced to a CD-R so we could share it with you all.
We will be sending these out to have CD's replicated within the next week... so we should have a finished package, cd, case, insert, shrink wrap, etc... ready for sale by our upcoming show on the 13th.
We will also be releasing a limited-edition tape of this demo... so keep your eyes open for updates on how to get your hands on one of those.
In the meantime, we uploaded the demo to a bandcamp webpage.
Feel free to click this link to give it a listen!
Betterxtimes.bandcamp.com
Last night we all stopped by Brian's house to check out the mastered tracks.
Because we were extremely stoked on how the recordings turned out, we got them bounced to a CD-R so we could share it with you all.
We will be sending these out to have CD's replicated within the next week... so we should have a finished package, cd, case, insert, shrink wrap, etc... ready for sale by our upcoming show on the 13th.
We will also be releasing a limited-edition tape of this demo... so keep your eyes open for updates on how to get your hands on one of those.
In the meantime, we uploaded the demo to a bandcamp webpage.
Feel free to click this link to give it a listen!
Betterxtimes.bandcamp.com
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Recordings
Here's a clip of Bill doing some vocal spots. Super awkward without the music in the background, isn't it?
Last night we were able to finish up the last bits of recording for our debut demo.
Our friend Brian Russo was awesome enough to share his time and equipment, and came to our Main Street practice space to set up and record 7 songs for us.
We knocked out drums and scratch guitars last week, guitars and bass last weekend, and then vocals and gang vocals last night.
Due to some pretty bizarre circumstances unfolding in the building that houses our practice space, tracking vocals was almost presented from taking place.
I was the first to arrive at 700 Main, office-building by day, practice space/Twilight Zone by night.
I unlocked the doors, set my things down inside of our practice room, and headed down the hall to check on the bigger room we had been recording inside of. There were a bunch of random middle-aged dudes inside this room, smoking pot and untangling miles and miles of cords and cables.
Heading back down the stairs to wait by the door for the rest of the band, I had to fight my way through a small group of kids riding unicycles inside the main hallway.
While waiting for everyone to show up, I was approached separately by about 4 or 5 yuppie-looking middle-aged people. Each of them handed me these 3x5 pieces of fabric with words embroidered into them. These pieces of fabric were tickets for some "natural healing" seminar taking place on the 6th floor of the building. Assuming I had something to do with the seminar, they handed me their tickets and asked me for questions about directions and seating arrangements and so forth. For whatever reason, it took a bit of effort to convince them that I was NOT involved in their event, and had no idea what they hell they were talking about.
So many strange things happen in this building after 6PM.
If you're ever in the area, wander around our building for a few minutes..your concept of "odd" will be redefined each time you open a new door. Or, play it on the safe side and take my word for it.
After being solicited for drugs, helping a woman unload a ton of fake plants from a van, and taking a few awkward elevator rides with total strangers, the rest of my band had arrived and it was time to get set up for recording.
The natural healing seminar on the 6th floor forced a resident bongo-drum instructor to move his weekly class from its usual spot on 6 down into our recording room on 2. With arms full of cords, mics, and other components, we entered the big concrete room to find a drum circle banging away on bongos oblivious to the world around them.
Because of the ambient noise being generated by this activity, and by the other bands practicing on our floor, we were forced to discuss alternate locations we could use as recording space.
We called just about everyone we knew, and their parents too...anyone with an apartment, basement, garage, etc.... We even considered sneaking in to a random unlocked classroom on a local college campus to record.
After an hour or so of discussing our options, we decided to tough it out and record regardless of the noise.
Because I'm a diva and need a million takes before I'm satisfied, the drum circle was calling it quits around the same time we were ready to start gang vocals.
So we moved everything into a huge concrete room down the hall, gathered around a single central microphone, and shouted snippets of lyrics at the tops of our lungs. Lots of farting and goofing around ensued, but the size of the room really helped the recordings come out awesome.
After 4 or 5 hours had elapsed, we were DONE tracking each aspect of our upcoming 7-song demo. Based on what I heard of the rough, unmixed tracks, I am more stoked on these songs than I've been on anything in a long time. Brian Russo really knows his stuff, and we're all super anxious to get our hands on the finished product so we can get CD's in your hands.
We've got JAY JACOBY illustrating the album artwork. Good dude who has done solid work for a lot of awesome bands. We're definitely looking forward to seeing what he was able to come up with for us. Check out his blog: http://positiveartlook.blogspot.com/
We're planning on releasing a CD, as well as a few "limited edition" tapes.
Stay tuned for updates regarding the recordings!
-Frank Edge
Last night we were able to finish up the last bits of recording for our debut demo.
Our friend Brian Russo was awesome enough to share his time and equipment, and came to our Main Street practice space to set up and record 7 songs for us.
We knocked out drums and scratch guitars last week, guitars and bass last weekend, and then vocals and gang vocals last night.
Due to some pretty bizarre circumstances unfolding in the building that houses our practice space, tracking vocals was almost presented from taking place.
I was the first to arrive at 700 Main, office-building by day, practice space/Twilight Zone by night.
I unlocked the doors, set my things down inside of our practice room, and headed down the hall to check on the bigger room we had been recording inside of. There were a bunch of random middle-aged dudes inside this room, smoking pot and untangling miles and miles of cords and cables.
Heading back down the stairs to wait by the door for the rest of the band, I had to fight my way through a small group of kids riding unicycles inside the main hallway.
While waiting for everyone to show up, I was approached separately by about 4 or 5 yuppie-looking middle-aged people. Each of them handed me these 3x5 pieces of fabric with words embroidered into them. These pieces of fabric were tickets for some "natural healing" seminar taking place on the 6th floor of the building. Assuming I had something to do with the seminar, they handed me their tickets and asked me for questions about directions and seating arrangements and so forth. For whatever reason, it took a bit of effort to convince them that I was NOT involved in their event, and had no idea what they hell they were talking about.
So many strange things happen in this building after 6PM.
If you're ever in the area, wander around our building for a few minutes..your concept of "odd" will be redefined each time you open a new door. Or, play it on the safe side and take my word for it.
After being solicited for drugs, helping a woman unload a ton of fake plants from a van, and taking a few awkward elevator rides with total strangers, the rest of my band had arrived and it was time to get set up for recording.
The natural healing seminar on the 6th floor forced a resident bongo-drum instructor to move his weekly class from its usual spot on 6 down into our recording room on 2. With arms full of cords, mics, and other components, we entered the big concrete room to find a drum circle banging away on bongos oblivious to the world around them.
Because of the ambient noise being generated by this activity, and by the other bands practicing on our floor, we were forced to discuss alternate locations we could use as recording space.
We called just about everyone we knew, and their parents too...anyone with an apartment, basement, garage, etc.... We even considered sneaking in to a random unlocked classroom on a local college campus to record.
After an hour or so of discussing our options, we decided to tough it out and record regardless of the noise.
Because I'm a diva and need a million takes before I'm satisfied, the drum circle was calling it quits around the same time we were ready to start gang vocals.
So we moved everything into a huge concrete room down the hall, gathered around a single central microphone, and shouted snippets of lyrics at the tops of our lungs. Lots of farting and goofing around ensued, but the size of the room really helped the recordings come out awesome.
After 4 or 5 hours had elapsed, we were DONE tracking each aspect of our upcoming 7-song demo. Based on what I heard of the rough, unmixed tracks, I am more stoked on these songs than I've been on anything in a long time. Brian Russo really knows his stuff, and we're all super anxious to get our hands on the finished product so we can get CD's in your hands.
We've got JAY JACOBY illustrating the album artwork. Good dude who has done solid work for a lot of awesome bands. We're definitely looking forward to seeing what he was able to come up with for us. Check out his blog: http://positiveartlook.blogspot.com/
We're planning on releasing a CD, as well as a few "limited edition" tapes.
Stay tuned for updates regarding the recordings!
-Frank Edge
Music in the age of digital reproduction
Hey guys, Frank here.
This is the maiden-post of our new band blogger page.
Being 2011, it's tough to exist as a band without having some sort of internet presence. I know that a lot of bands resisted using Myspace when Myspace was popular. While it may be "cool" to be the ONE band in the entire world that doesn't have SOME sort of website, I think you risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater by avoiding the digital age altogether. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on purevolume.com as a teenager, just browsing through pages and pages and pages of search results for bands. I can't tell you how much I was able to broaden my taste in music by being able to discover new bands almost instantaneously online. As I type this, I've got a band from Belgium blasting through my headphones. Had I not been able to follow link after link, jumping from music player to music player, I probably wouldn't have ever discovered this particular band. Had it not been for the the vast expanse of free information available online, and the ease of listening to new bands, I probably wouldn't have gotten as serious about hardcore as I have, and I'd probably be bumping lousy Top 40 jams in my car every day.
Granted, the internet has made it a bit tougher for decent bands to stick out amongst the millions of lousy bands floating around on the internet... but letting this problem give you a pessimistic attitude is such a cop-out. Yes, the fact that just about anybody can record and upload an "album" does make it harder for decent bands to get noticed. BUT, this fact should be seen as an opportunity and not a set back. If you've got talent and a message, but kids are too distracted to take notice, TRY HARDER...play louder, put more and more energy into getting better and better. Instead of letting it hold you back, let it motivate you to try even harder to become even better at what you do. Sure it will take time for kids to take notice, but which worthwhile things DON'T take time?
The Internet can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be responsible for the creation and proliferation of a lot of bizarre, meaningless trash; but when used constructively and strategically, it can enrich the lives (and iTunes libraries) of hardcore kids everywhere.
After leaving our practice space one night a while back, Bill and I stood outside and had a conversation pretty similar to this post. We discussed how we were going to represent our band digitally, and we decided on a blogger/blogspot page. These days, it's so easy to create a free account on a website like Facebook or Bandcamp. These types of sites make it easy to create and share content. They give you boxes to fill in, you fill them in, click SAVE, and you've got an instantaneous internet presence. Don't get me wrong, I can't go three minutes without checking to see if I've got any new Facebook notifications. Facebook and sites like it are excellent for staying in touch with friends and family. But the reason sites like Facebook are so appealing is also the reason sites like Facebook aren't the most appropriate for band pages.
Ultra-standardized and over-simplified, Facebook makes it almost TOO easy to share information. It attempts to take the broad, wide-ranging aspects of human social interaction and cram them into rigid and polarized categories. You have to pick between Male or Female, Single or In A Relationship, etc. You have to present your pictures, your thoughts, and your friendships within a specific, generic format. This makes me wonder, what if there is more to the human experience than the options sites like Facebook allow us to select from? What if you've got more to say than the low character-limit the Status Update feature will allow? Will we eventually begin to think, act, and speak in a way we know will fit most easily into these categories? What will happen to human social interaction after a few generations of being conditioned to behave within these boxes?
While standardization does make it easier to find friends with common interests, checking off boxes from a list of pre-determined options can't possibly be the best way to represent our interests.
I can say I like "punk", "books", and "outdoors". But reading these bullet-point interests doesn't tell you I like DC style bands more than West Coast style bands, it doesn't tell you I read more historical non-fiction than anything else but still have a soft-spot for comedic science-fiction, and it doesn't tell you that I love camping but have no interest in hunting/fishing in particular.
The whole point is.... there is far too much complexity involved in the day-to-day experience of human life to try and condense into cramped compartments or categories.
This principle applies to music as well.
There are more aspects to being in a band than Facebook currently allows you to showcase. There are entire WORLDS of information...live videos, tour stories, excerpts from lyrical experiments, etc... that can't possibly fit comfortably within the rigid black-or-white/this-or-that format Facebook offers.
So that's why we've chosen to do a blog-style website. I don't know a single thing about HTML, or design in general, but I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to put the time into learning how to make this page more interesting and more dynamic, because I'm not content with the options standardized sites like Facebook have to offer.
We've chosen to go with a site that leaves the format up to us to determine. We've chosen to go with a site that allows a little bit more freedom when it comes to presentation and expression, in the hopes those who come across this page are able to get a better feel for who we are, as a band AND as kids, than they would had they skimmed through yet another generic, impersonal Facebook page.
So, this site is probably going to change quite a bit while I adapt to using it. Please be patient and stay tuned for fresh updates and new content.
Thanks for reading this.
Thanks for having an open mind.. there are fewer things in life more valuable than that.
-Frank Edge
This is the maiden-post of our new band blogger page.
Being 2011, it's tough to exist as a band without having some sort of internet presence. I know that a lot of bands resisted using Myspace when Myspace was popular. While it may be "cool" to be the ONE band in the entire world that doesn't have SOME sort of website, I think you risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater by avoiding the digital age altogether. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on purevolume.com as a teenager, just browsing through pages and pages and pages of search results for bands. I can't tell you how much I was able to broaden my taste in music by being able to discover new bands almost instantaneously online. As I type this, I've got a band from Belgium blasting through my headphones. Had I not been able to follow link after link, jumping from music player to music player, I probably wouldn't have ever discovered this particular band. Had it not been for the the vast expanse of free information available online, and the ease of listening to new bands, I probably wouldn't have gotten as serious about hardcore as I have, and I'd probably be bumping lousy Top 40 jams in my car every day.
Granted, the internet has made it a bit tougher for decent bands to stick out amongst the millions of lousy bands floating around on the internet... but letting this problem give you a pessimistic attitude is such a cop-out. Yes, the fact that just about anybody can record and upload an "album" does make it harder for decent bands to get noticed. BUT, this fact should be seen as an opportunity and not a set back. If you've got talent and a message, but kids are too distracted to take notice, TRY HARDER...play louder, put more and more energy into getting better and better. Instead of letting it hold you back, let it motivate you to try even harder to become even better at what you do. Sure it will take time for kids to take notice, but which worthwhile things DON'T take time?
The Internet can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be responsible for the creation and proliferation of a lot of bizarre, meaningless trash; but when used constructively and strategically, it can enrich the lives (and iTunes libraries) of hardcore kids everywhere.
After leaving our practice space one night a while back, Bill and I stood outside and had a conversation pretty similar to this post. We discussed how we were going to represent our band digitally, and we decided on a blogger/blogspot page. These days, it's so easy to create a free account on a website like Facebook or Bandcamp. These types of sites make it easy to create and share content. They give you boxes to fill in, you fill them in, click SAVE, and you've got an instantaneous internet presence. Don't get me wrong, I can't go three minutes without checking to see if I've got any new Facebook notifications. Facebook and sites like it are excellent for staying in touch with friends and family. But the reason sites like Facebook are so appealing is also the reason sites like Facebook aren't the most appropriate for band pages.
Ultra-standardized and over-simplified, Facebook makes it almost TOO easy to share information. It attempts to take the broad, wide-ranging aspects of human social interaction and cram them into rigid and polarized categories. You have to pick between Male or Female, Single or In A Relationship, etc. You have to present your pictures, your thoughts, and your friendships within a specific, generic format. This makes me wonder, what if there is more to the human experience than the options sites like Facebook allow us to select from? What if you've got more to say than the low character-limit the Status Update feature will allow? Will we eventually begin to think, act, and speak in a way we know will fit most easily into these categories? What will happen to human social interaction after a few generations of being conditioned to behave within these boxes?
While standardization does make it easier to find friends with common interests, checking off boxes from a list of pre-determined options can't possibly be the best way to represent our interests.
I can say I like "punk", "books", and "outdoors". But reading these bullet-point interests doesn't tell you I like DC style bands more than West Coast style bands, it doesn't tell you I read more historical non-fiction than anything else but still have a soft-spot for comedic science-fiction, and it doesn't tell you that I love camping but have no interest in hunting/fishing in particular.
The whole point is.... there is far too much complexity involved in the day-to-day experience of human life to try and condense into cramped compartments or categories.
This principle applies to music as well.
There are more aspects to being in a band than Facebook currently allows you to showcase. There are entire WORLDS of information...live videos, tour stories, excerpts from lyrical experiments, etc... that can't possibly fit comfortably within the rigid black-or-white/this-or-that format Facebook offers.
So that's why we've chosen to do a blog-style website. I don't know a single thing about HTML, or design in general, but I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to put the time into learning how to make this page more interesting and more dynamic, because I'm not content with the options standardized sites like Facebook have to offer.
We've chosen to go with a site that leaves the format up to us to determine. We've chosen to go with a site that allows a little bit more freedom when it comes to presentation and expression, in the hopes those who come across this page are able to get a better feel for who we are, as a band AND as kids, than they would had they skimmed through yet another generic, impersonal Facebook page.
So, this site is probably going to change quite a bit while I adapt to using it. Please be patient and stay tuned for fresh updates and new content.
Thanks for reading this.
Thanks for having an open mind.. there are fewer things in life more valuable than that.
-Frank Edge
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