Adventures in Musica

John F. Berry of The Press-Enterprise reports that 25 year-old, Jason Harris, was recently sentenced to fifty years in prison after being convicted for murder.

In the same article, Berry also reports that one of the last things Harris heard was 'Disasterpiece' by masked metallers, Slipknot.

The only response I can think of to this is, 'so what?'

Of course, I get what's being suggested here; somehow, whilst listening to Slipknot, Harris heard Corey Taylor telling him to go out and kill Terry Ray Taylor. The article offers no evidence to support this suggestion (mostly because it's absurd), nor even to suggest that Harris had some sort of disorder which may have convinced him that a guy in a Halloween mask had been inciting him to kill.

So what's the point in mentioning it? It's not like listing the musical preferences of criminals is a standard thing.

Somebody tell me the last time you read a news report which read something along the lines of:

Yet since it's a metal band we're talking about, it's perfectly normal to somehow suggest that they had something to do with it.

When will all this stop?

Music, as much as I love it, is just music. Whether it's Slipknot or Ray Charles or anyone else, it exists primarily to entertain, not to inspire homicide and, as the old argument goes, anyone likely to commit a crime is likely to do so with or without the influence of some blokes with musical instruments.

To suggest otherwise displays at least a certain degree of ignorance, and until such times as journalists are made to include the playlists of every criminal, not just the ones with a fondness for heavy metal, lazy reporters like John F Berry need to quit bringing up pointless suggestions about the influence of men with guitars.

According to BBC News, Kevin Cogill of music review site, Antiquiet, has been released on bail after he was busted for posting new material from Guns 'n' Roses on the site.

The tracks in question were, of course, taken from Axl Rose & Co.'s supposedly upcoming album, 'Chinese Democracy', an LP which gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'long awaited'.

Some 13 years in the making, and counting, the release of 'Chinese Democracy' is like the music industry's equivalent of the proverbial flying pig in that it just doesn't seem likely to happen any time during our lifetime.

Which is a shame, because as most people know, the original Guns 'n' Roses were a phenomenal act who were no doubt a huge influence on countless bands who followed in their wake.

Without the talents of Slash, Duff, Izzy and Adler in the fold, the band were no longer Guns 'n' Roses, rather just Axl Rose and a bunch of random nobodies, and to be honest, as each year passes without any sign of a '..Democracy' release, the less I care about hearing it.

Actually, that's not entirely true.

I am interested in hearing this, but only because, much like those flying pigs, it would somewhat amazing to finally see something which nobody ever thought they would.

Musically however, I won't be over-awed at the prospect of new Guns 'n' Roses material since, like I've said, this isn't Guns 'n' Roses any more.

Comments on the Antiquiet site, posted before the site were made to remove them no doubt, talk about how good the music itself is, and whilst I can't comment on that, all I do know is that, rather than making the headlines for posting very good music, Cogill only attracted attention because of what Chinese Democracy is; a vague concept which many people have given up all hope of ever holding in their hands, and which may only ever see the light of day when a bunch of pigs sprout wings and take flight.

Tomorrow night, Social Icons take part in the Jumpin Jak’s inaugural Battle of the Bands competition.

I have to agree with many music folks that Battle of the Bands contests are generally a bad idea, with the winners almost always being the band who made the venue/promoter the most money, rather than who actually did the best set.

Which is why it probably seems rather silly of me, as the group’s manager, to agree to them playing this one.

Whilst I can’t say this is the same for every band out there, for these guys I have to admit that playing a Battle of the Bands show is a good idea.
Why? Because they work so much harder.

The lads have played two B.O.Bs in the past, and both times I’ve seen them rock the stage so much more than they do at your average gig.
That’s not to say that the band don’t go all out when playing live, because they do, but when you dangle a much more concrete incentive in front of them (in this case a grand and a day’s recording) than telling them there’s the chance of new fans and more gigs, they put even more into what they’re doing.

And that’s a good thing.

At every show they play, the band know they have a mission to please their existing fan base and attract even more people into that fan base. They’re good at it too; the mailing list grows by the show and post-show compliments come thick and fast.

But when you become so good at something it becomes second nature, you need that extra challenge, that extra motivation to take it to the next level.
This may be different things for different people, but if Battle of the Bands contests is what motivates Social Icons to really step it up a gear, then that’s what we need to do.

It’s still all about winning the fans, but hey, if we can pick up a grand in the process, then who’s to argue with that?

According to this article , Reverend & The Makers frontman, John McClure, has announced that he plans to quit music in the new year due to frustrations with the music business.

Speaking to the BBC’s Music 6, he said: “I don't want anything to do with this industry, it absolutely stinks, I don't like the way it's all run by rich men in their 50s who went to private school. It's not something I want to be part of.”

All this brings several questions to mind:

1) How come it’s taken him so long to work that out? The industry hasn’t changed that much since the band broke into the mainstream with ‘The State of Things’ last year. If he really hates the music biz’ so much, why didn’t he just decide to call it a day there and then?

2) Why wait until next year? The ‘Makers are due to release their new album in 2009, and McClure intends to make his exit once this is all done. Why bother? If you really can’t stand what you’re doing, why carry on doing it?

In the same article, he says:
“"It's all done for profit and not for any degree of musical feeling or sentiment.”
And there, my friends, is the answer to that question. But I have one more, which is probably the most important of them all.

3) Does anybody actually care? We’re hardly talking about the break up of U2, Metallica or even Coldplay; bands with viable long-term careers who have made an impact on the musical landscape. We’re talking about a bunch of Arctic Monkeys cash-ins who have only been around for three years and, in that time, only managed to release one full album which revels in mediocrity.

Ultimately, all this stinks of publicity. Once they got their slew of singles out the way, the band have pretty much faded into the back of the nation’s conscience.

As such, the only way to remind people that they still exist, and to ensure people cough up the cash next year, is to instil this notion that they’re next album will be their last, their grand-finale, their ultimate swan-song.

Good riddance I say.

If you don’t want to be in music, get out, make room for those who do and stop whining about how you’re leaving because of some artistic moral, when the truth is you’re leaving because you’re not that good and nobody will give a darn when you’re gone.

“We may not be the guys you knew, but our souls are still right in it, coming back with a better sound, yeah the town is gonna dig it.” – ‘Coming Back’ by Social Icons.

When you’ve worked your way so far up the musical mountain that you can almost taste the peak of success, having to climb your way back up from the bottom may not be an ideal situation to find yourself in.

Yet for North West rockers, Social Icons, it’s a challenge their approaching with aplomb.

Formed in 2004 under a different name, the band wasted no time in attracting a large, devoted following on both sides of the Atlantic.

At home, their catchy, infectious, pop-punk stompers, delivered in countless enthralling live shows, won over gig-goers in their droves and helped them deliver a rabble-rousing headline set in front of 800 music fans in their hometown of Wigan.

Meanwhile, the formidable foursome earned themselves a growing audience in the States thanks to the power of the internet and a little ditty entitled ‘Your Johnny Depp’.

The tune, a punk-infused ode to the Hollywood heartthrob, rapidly became a favourite with internet radio stations and American rock fans alike, as well as providing the highlight of many a gig back home.

With the band’s ever-growing army of American fans begging them to cross the pond and tour, and their home-town crowds getting bigger by the show, the next step to superstardom seemed inevitable.

And it nearly was.

Garnering interest from labels and booking agents in the US, the lads were hotly tipped to make the leap from cult status to bonafide rockstars.

That was, until the proverbial glass ceiling that has cut short many an aspiring star’s career was sealed tightly over their own aspirations.

“To be honest, that was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to us,” explains frontman, Dave Costello.

“By the time ‘…Johnny Depp’ really started to get us noticed, we were already growing as a band and wanting to move away from playing that pop-punk style, but that’s what people had come to expect from us and it was working, so we stuck with it for the sake of success.

“On the outside, everything looked great for us, but behind close doors we were bored with playing the same stuff. It wasn’t the happiest time to be in the band.

“Then, after all the label interest and the buzz surrounding us at the time hit a brick wall, it made us reassess a few things.

“We all still wanted to be at the top of the mountain, but we wanted to get there playing music that we all enjoy, which is a edgier and more grown than what we were doing before. It was time to move on.”

After playing a storming farewell Christmas show in 2007, the band called time on their pop-punk days and spent the next eight months holed away; writing new, harder material and planning their second assent to the top.

Now, armed with a new direction, a new name and a new collection of big riffs and slick licks, Social Icons are coming back.

And this time, they’re determined to smash the glass ceiling and finally hit that peak of success.

Social Icons are:

Dave Costello – lead guitar / lead vocals
Ian Graham – rhythm guitar / vocals
Matt Highton – bass / vocals
Kevin ‘Down Town’ Brown – Drums.

Website: http://www.socialicons.co.uk/
Myspace: www.myspace.com/socailicons

For more information, please contact Chris at contact@chrisskoyles.com