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Post by poncyponce on Jul 14, 2004 9:03:48 GMT 1
But it's not about supporting any Maltese band Pacikk. I don't think anyone ever said that really.
Thing is this. There are listeners out there who are interested in the same stuff we listen to. People who hear the odd single (local), love it, enquire about the band but in the end give concerts a miss. This beats me and I honestly cannot really pin down the problem.
Could it be we haven't embraced our concert going mentality?
Is it because concerts aren't organised the way they should?
Is it because we're spoilt for choice? (it certainly isn't the case as far as I'm concerned)
Is it because bands have a designated audience that is either too militant or too lazy to check out other acts?
I honestly believe the latter is a case in point. Which is exactly why I underline the fact that bands should endorse each other (obviously provided they genuinely like the material) in order to coax their respective audiences to take note.
Then again it could be a case of my being completely detached from reality.
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 9:15:59 GMT 1
Yes Ponce, ok bands should embrace each other. We agree. That is why I've always spoke about gigs with bands of different styles. I don't like metal, but when the I skandal and Spin played together I went to watch them. I went to watch the I skandal but was curious to see what my old buddies of Spin are doing. I didn't like Spin. I won't go watching them anytime soon. But if I did like them I would have gotten to know about them through a ska band.
As for alternative nights. Why are they interesting? Just because person X listens to the same music as you does not mean that he wants to hang out with you. Get it? Liking alt music does not mean that one will jump for joy and act like they're life is suddenly worth living because there's an alt night around the corner. If X is going out and there's an alt night going on I think it would be great for him to go to it. But going out specifically for an alt night implies a lack of life. Why would I decide to go out just because place X is playing tunes I like? There has to be something else to lure people. The idea that song alone can reap a turnout of hundreds is naive to say the least.
As to people not going to concerts. Sorry. I don't agree. People GO to concerts. Maybe not ALL concerts but you were at the dripht launch (I hate to mention dripht but what the hell, for example's sake) and the attendance was good. Attendance to dripht concerts were always consistant. Does it mean that dripht is the only good band in Malta? Of course not. But if people are to come and if people are to pay for an event they have to leave the place thinking they made a bargain or at least they took back what they payed for. Otherwise they won't be back.
Why blame the crowd? Does the crowd owe anybody anything? It's up to the bands and the djs to attract them. Blaming them for not coming is not an analysis of the problem it's an escapist excuse.
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 9:43:41 GMT 1
as far as the alt nights go, i am certainly not blaming the crowd. anzi, you can see for yourself that there is a healty debate as to why they are not working out and trying to find ways to make them more enticing.
re: concerts - its a bit more complex than that. i'm not going to blame the crowd. organisers and bands have their fair share of responsibility.
but it is a fact that if shostakovich or lumiere had to play in the uk or the usa or even germany they would have a good (as in turnout) and appreciative crowd. Please don't interpret that as me saying that maltese people have no taste. But - it is a fact that the only exposure young people get here is to MTV and american-style radio Top 40 playlists.
I agree with you that a scene cannot be created, but it is possible (and necessary) to try and encourage a culture which leads to a greater diversification in styles. That is what Reciprocal are doing, and I agree that they are doing a really good job. To the point that I am in touch with them about possibilities of doing stuff together.
People will make the choice freely. Nobody forced me to like certain bands or styles. I was lucky enough to discover them and found that this i what I enjoy most. If other people had the same opportunity (which at the moment hardly exists) there would be more people who will find that there is a whole new world of beautiful and inspiring music out there.
At the end of the day, Reciprocal, ourselves and others can do a lot, but in the long term they will find that the mainstream media is a big limiting factor. And that for a healthy and sustainable scene there will be the need for more media exposure.
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 9:50:04 GMT 1
[quote author=betabean At the end of the day, Reciprocal, ourselves and others can do a lot, but in the long term they will find that the mainstream media is a big limiting factor. And that for a healthy and sustainable scene there will be the need for more media exposure.[/quote]
and again, on a positive note - there are efforts in this direction too.
i can't emphasise enough - no you can't create a scene -but you can give people a choice, a taste of other things, and them let them decide for themselves. and there is nothing wrong with that.
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 9:59:00 GMT 1
We agree that the mainstream media limits the choice. But at the end of the day people are not mere robots. They make conscious choices. They may like the top 40 cause that's what they hear but if they're not satisfied they can look for something new and come on, if people look for different music, they will find it. We're not living in redifjuxin days are we?
Re. Lumiere and Shos. Nightmare...well of course, Malta is small and the percentage of people who will like that music is small and in Malta that smallness will be magnified.
What can we do? Some sort of publication with info and news about local acts would be a good start. Dansezee is great but I'm thinking of something more with a newspaper format. There are people (from different scenes) who are full of enthusiasm so in my opinion it's just a matter of bringing them together. But different scenes HAVE to work together. Otherwise all the effort would be fragmented and quite frankly wasted.
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 10:12:29 GMT 1
There are people (from different scenes) who are full of enthusiasm so in my opinion it's just a matter of bringing them together. But different scenes HAVE to work together. Otherwise all the effort would be fragmented and quite frankly wasted. And in fact this is what (hopefully) will be happening. But one word of caution - metal, punk and the so called 'alt' scenes at the end of the day have different mentalities and philosophies, and there are limits to how much can be done. But yes, for starters, a more versatile dansezee-style publication would be very positive.
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 10:21:07 GMT 1
But one word of caution - metal, punk and the so called 'alt' scenes at the end of that day have different mentalities and philosophies, and there are limits to how much can be done.
Yes of course. However in my opinion there are much more things that unite them than divide them. Underground bands share alot together. Their experiences are quite similar and they deal with alot of things that are basically the same.
It is then a matter of focusing on that which is common rather than that which is different. Obviously no 'scene' should lose its identity.
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 10:23:58 GMT 1
good, agreed.
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 10:31:34 GMT 1
and we got another topic burning...
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 10:32:09 GMT 1
P: one question - even at present, without the need of any publication, don't you think that the altmalta and reciprocal websites are already serving an important function for the targets we are talking about?
i mean i have been to the websites of both reciprocal and no sweat productions. i have downloaded clips and i am now aware of all the gigs being organised on a regular basis which without those sites i would have no way of knowing. (exception made for the maltams yahoogroup which i created. incidentally this yahoogroup is open to everybody from all styles, and if there are any bands who don't use it its their shortcoming).
i'm really curious - have you been to the altmalta's review section? were you encouraged to check any of the bands whom you had never heard of?
thanks beta
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Post by bob on Jul 14, 2004 10:40:54 GMT 1
Now it MY turn to interfere,
Yes a scene cannot be created etc etc - I agree yes BUT
What is so wrong with writing reviews of bands that (some) people have never heard of?- Im sure if you do listen to some tracks you'll become a fan- RATM and Gang of four the same way- I mean if you like the latter band im sure you like Bloc Party which have a small GO4 sound or other bands like The Rapture or Radio 4 (named after a gang of 4 song, and their new single is great)
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 10:43:11 GMT 1
Yes. This website and RR website are serving a great purpose. I learned that Sputnik Sweetheart stopped playing through this website for example.
Re. Reviews. Well I check it out every now and again but I don't follow bands mainly because I don't download music off the net so it's a bit of a problem to check some of the names out.
In order to take new music to the people one needs to 'hijack' the airwaves. That is a way to get music across but personally I don't follow radio and I'm past the time where I will change my shedule to listen to a radio programme. I know you know this and that you've mentioned radio before but we need to think of different solutions. I don't know, an off hand idea...Compilation cds with say 15 great tracks from 2004 sold at gigs at a ridiculous price could get things moving...Just brainstorming...
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 10:44:59 GMT 1
What is so wrong with writing reviews of bands that (some) people have never heard of?- Im sure if you do listen to some tracks you'll become a fan- RATM and Gang of four the same way- I mean if you like the latter band im sure you like Bloc Party which have a small GO4 sound or other bands like The Rapture or Radio 4 (named after a gang of 4 song, and their new single is great)
No I don't agree. Liking one band is not a gurantee that I'll like bands that are similar. I like Incubus but I won't buy a Lost Prophets cd. Do you know what i'm saying? Musical is NOT rational. There are no formulas. You listen and you either like or you don't.
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Post by betabean on Jul 14, 2004 10:56:17 GMT 1
bob did not put it so well. his argument is not that you should like band A because they have something in common with band B, but that you MIGHT like them.
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Post by Pacikk on Jul 14, 2004 11:07:48 GMT 1
bob did not put it so well. his argument is not that you should like band A because they have something in common with band B, but that you MIGHT like them.
Yes ok. But I get the impression (could be false) that the less known a band the better. We have to first identify what people we're targeting. What kind of people are we talking about? Cause people who listen to Top 40 radio would probably not know who RATM are, let alone GO4 or Bloc Party... On the otherhand people who listen to say RATM are probably already in some sort of 'scene'.
My point: If we're targeting the former, obscure bands won't help. If we're targeting the latter than ok.
But let's not look for unknown bands for the sole reason that they're unknown...
Another point: I hope that we're not trying to make the underground/alternative scenes mainstream cause that's when things get fucked up...I would prefer a small genuine scene than big impersonal crowds that in it cause it's trendy...know what i mean?
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