New Year's Eve Celebrations/Parties

Brett, I can't help it you have no taste;).

Real Music is anything that someone likes. Period. I agree that you have to have talent, and there are plenty out there today that don't have it and it shows, like when people can't even sing their own parts on SNL...

But there is more to music than just someone who knows how to play insturments and write. I know plenty of people that can sing, but can't write music or play an insturment, but that dosen't mean they aren't talented. I also know people that can play an insturment and/or write, but can't sing. It takes all types of talent.

One thing that I will stand by is that in most of today's Pop music, the 'artist' (I use the term loosly) can't sing, write, play an insturment, and most of the times can't even dance or move to the music. That isn't entertaining. MTV puts them on the air because they have a hot producer that can make them sound good in the studio, but they ain't got nothin live. Which is why you have accidents like Ashlee Simpson and a large percentage of rappers.

I never liked her personally, but back in the 80's there were people like Debbie Gibson who were producing, writing, and singing their own music, and I have to give her respect for that. Janet does write and produce alot of her music as well. That takes talent. And I dare anybody to go to a Janet concert and not be entertained.

But pop icons like Debbie Gibson aren't around anymore, and instead you have Britany Spears who can't sing, can't act, can't write, and just lookes trashy.

Then there is the modern state of Rap. Rap was fun when it was a group of talented people who were rebelious and writing about their experiences. But when Rappers turned into a bunch of white guys who grew up in suburbia rapping about money, power, and objectifying women, and every other Rapper followed suit just to sell, it stopped being interesting.

I like some Rap, Hip-Hop, RnB, Pop, Swing, Oldies, Punk, Rock, Alt. and many other things. And it's almost like there is this explosion waiting to happen when companies realize that the only people they are catering to are 13 year old girls, and people that are actually buying music and going to concerts stop because there isn't anything worth buying/seeing. It started with file sharing. One day, and mark my words on this, the music industry will self implode and you will see a much different industry with real talent.

Trust me, it will happen eventually, as sure as Alternative changed the face of music for a while in the 90's, we'll see an uprising of talent and a downsizing of teeny crap that MTV and Radio Wreaks of...

But anybody that can still be popular for 2 or more decades (Janet, Madonna, Duran Duran, even Prince) may not be the music you listen to, but they're still around for a reason.

I think there needs to be a distinction made between "artist" and "musician." IMHO musicians play instruments, while artists sing.

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Mamoosh said:
The term 'Real Music' means different things to different people.

Correct...although I think pretty much everyone agrees Janet Jackson is not real music

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I beg your pardon? Is the winky face there for a reason, or shall I have to cut you? ;)

PS. Tekno is my hero!

I knew Tuan was down with the Breast-Tacular singers;).

Actually, I agree %110 on that definition, matthew, but people like to interchange the 2, for whatever reason.

Tekno - Lindsey's more my style, even if she is now a part of "the problem" (started out ok - what happened to the punk band?)

The distinction that you made between the MTV-generated "bands" and the rappers and such and the real musicians and artists is the one I was trying to make, although clearly the execution was much better on your part! I agree with you completely, and I think the beginnings of the implosion are already starting. When this crap started to go down, what, 10 years ago? when the idea of the "artist" and "musician" fell to the idea of "just be pretty" bands were a dime a dozen. These days though, there's not much left, many of the biggest names of the "era" are going or gone, heck even in Pittsburgh, we don't really have an "MTV" radio station anymore - the biggest one is now one of the best rock stations ever.

Moosh makes a good point too of the distinction, but it's that third category of "just be pretty for MTV" that really pisses me off, especially because they are constantly called "artists" and "musicians" when they're mostly just pretty. Even the rare full band, such as Nickleback and Maroon 5 are, I feel, good, but not superstar good, but they catapult to that because they look good on TV.

I thought one of the most telltale signs of the coming of the end (other than the whole MP3 craze) was Bowling For Soup being nominated for a grammy. Three relatively unattractive (according to my girlfriend) punky guys, a fat guy and very non-MTV music being nominated for one of the best awards in music? Change is a-comin' and music will go back to rewarding the musicians, not the pretty ones (and I will be very happy!)

Roller Coasters rule!! :)

Edit: oh yea, forgot to apologize for dissin' Janet, I was unaware that she wrote her own stuff. I thought she was a part of the "she looks pretty, throw her out there". *** Edited 12/27/2004 7:03:44 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***

TeknoScorpion, you make it sound like this decade has crappy no-talent a$$-clowns locked down.

Menudo...New Kids on the Block...the Archies...Sonny and Cher...Donnie and Marie?

Hey, there's a market for crap. If kids don't know better, all I can do is feel sorry for them....just like I felt sorry for the kids in my school who listened to Stevie B. ;)

(Oops...Guess I felt sorry for myself)

Can Lindsay Lohan even hit one note? She sounds bad even when lip synching. Not every actress needs to be a singer and vice versa.

No not really, which is why when she sang along with punky stuff, it sounded a heck of a lot better! Well we can thank the Mouse for all of the singer/actress/whatever craze can't we?

i was just kidding, i didn't really mean to offend anyone, i could care less what anyone listens to, in reality i can stand prettymuch all types of music, i wasn't trying to offend anyone

I used to like Janet for about 10 seconds back when she was "Nasty" but thank goodness that phase passed, and VERY quickly. ;-) :-D

Clint, if we are in a "bar" I will be the first one to leave! I prefer "club" if that's what it takes....less rednecks. ;-)

Did someone mention Menudo? Kids On The Block? Oh the HORROR! :'-( Heh.

All kidding aside, the "real" music are the bands (in any type of music) who can perform it live. Any dork wannabe with a home studio or access to a studio can record the best album in the world, but when it comes to live concerts you either SUCK or you actually know how to play the music.

The worst band I saw live was Nirvana. It was the worst-sounding show I had ever seen. It was actually so painful I thought my ears were going to bleed. LOVED the albums but the live show was so horrible. I guess it may have been more tolerable if Kurt wasn't wasted on whatever. It's not too enjoyable when a lead singer stops in the middle of a song and says "Dude, what song are we playing?".

The best bands I have seen in concert is Live and Queensryche (seen both several times)......totally kickass.

I have seen a lot of live shows of bands who's music I did not care for but I respected the talent within the group. :-D

-Tina

*** Edited 12/28/2004 12:29:05 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Look deeper than MTV (even MTV2 or MTVU are quite decent) and you'll find that there are a lot of current high quality bands that write all their music... Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Belle & Sebastian, Wilco, Interpol, The Shins, Modest Mouse, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Damien Rice, Dashboard Confessional, The Format, JET, Keane, Scissor Sisters, Straylight Run, Lostprophets, Say Anything, Muse, The New Pornographers, Bright Eyes, Cursive, My Chemical Romance,... Even the latest albums from Green Day and Blink-182 are probably their best so far.

+Danny, will you remember my reply when your high horse dies?

I love JET as much as the next hipster, but for real, I wouldn't call their stuff original. They just take really good British invasion rock and rearrange the notes. :)

I always feel out of decade when I'm listening to them, but I thought I was just technosexual. For real, I didn't call them original, but they're high quality and write their music. ;)

+Danny

Although I heard a story on the radio that Jet called some dude named Iggy Pop and asked if it was OK to use his riff for Are You Gonna Be My Girl. I probably made half or more of hte site feel old with that comment ;)

Green Day's latest was the best musically, but not the best to listen to in my opinion. I still prefer Dookie as a full album to anything that's come after it. Some songs are amazing, like Hitchin' a Ride and American Idiot even, but the whole CD doesn't back up the hits the way Dookie does. Blink's early stuff was too rough, they hit their stride with Enima and Jacket and have strayed into MTV-po(o)p now, so they're a lost cause.

Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy and Dashboard were all more musical and better IMHO pre-MTV too. While those bands may get on MTV, it's true what they say, even the best of them, the most "we'd never cave to MTV" band will cave to MTV when the profits start to roll in. It's all about the greenbacks, so I'll just stick to my underground ;)

Littlest Man Band. Trust me on this one, if you appreciate multiple instrument music with great singing, you'll dig these guys.

*reads Tekno's long post and whistles* Tekno, you're right about everyone having different talents... and yours, is arguing coherently ;)

(ok, ok, maybe not your only talent.. coaster riding is high up there ;) )

I'll have to find some stuff by Littlest Man Band.

Green Day concerts are joygasmic. I hope they come back around the US for more dates, but I love the whole concept album idea. I really enjoy American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Are We the Waiting, and Wake Me Up When September Ends. I think lyrically and musically, I was impressed that this album came out of them.

While Taking Back Sunday was a little more intense on Tell All Your Friends, I think part of the change with Where You Want to Be (not to mention growing up over 2 years) has to do with John and Shaun leaving the band to form Straylight Run. Funny enough, Straylight isn't very intense at all, but has their moments. I hated TAYF the first time I heard it, but that's one that eventually grew on me to become a favorite. WYWTB has grown on me as well and I love Set Phasers to Stun, New American Classic, One-Eighty By Summer, and Number Five with a Bullet.

I haven't heard much of An Evening Out with Your Girlfriend or whatever the original Fall Out Boy CD was called, but Take This To Your Grave is wildly innovative and bitter lyrically and I love it. It's insanely catchy and fun as well for being kind of complex. Check out Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner and Yule Shoot Your Eye Out as well. Love their titles.

A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar is pretty meh compared to Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. Seeing a Dashboard concert and hearing tons of teens saying they love Dashboard and their favorite song was Vindicated and they only knew two songs... Extremely annoying. Good song, but nowhere near his best. There's some good ones on AMAMABAS and I appreciate anything an artist is doing for their own artistic growth, but it was a little forced poppiness. He knows his old stuff is the greats though and that's most of what he played at the concert. Remember to Breathe wrapped up with lyrics from Say Anything's Woe and This Bitter Pill was breathtaking. His voice gives me chills... "and you meant it".

I recommend The Shins (fun and brilliant), Bright Eyes (not very catchy and his voice is strange, but provocative lyrcs), and Lucky Boys Confusion (catch them before they become the next Yellowcard or Fall Out Boy) for you Brett.

+Danny

Don't Even get me started on "MUSIC". That's coming from someone who can't stand Green Day (although I did like Dookie when it came out), Jet, The 80's bubble gum crap mentioned along with other stuff too diverse to mention.

I've been a metalhead since the Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister days way back in the early 80's (I know thats longer than most 'buzzers, buzzards have been around.) :)

Most of the stuff I'm listening to now are bands that are touring in vans with tow along trailers and wondering where they are spending the following night. They are out their playing music because they love what they are doing and the money comes second. I love the fact that you can see most of these bands in small clubs, talk to them before and after the show and even go out and party or have breakfast with them at a Dennys after a show. Not to mention if you see them a few times *cough* Cattle Decapitation *cough* they get to know and remember you show to show! To me it the fan/ band participation that really matters.

Bands like:
Goatwhore
Cattle Decapitation
Mastodon
Pig Destroyer

Then theres my classics like:
Motorhead
Slayer
King Diamond
Mayhem
Marduk

As Lemmy would say "If Motorhead moved in next to you your lawn would die!" That pretty much goes for any of the bands I mentioned.

To keep this somewhat on track I can only imangine what Diamond Dave would be like hosting a New Years Eve party! As long as he was "LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS," I'm sure it would be good! BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL VAN HALEN LINEUP! \m/ >..< \m/

*** Edited 12/28/2004 5:49:43 AM UTC by coasterpunk***

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+Danny said:
I always feel out of decade when I'm listening to them, but I thought I was just technosexual. For real, I didn't call them original, but they're high quality and write their music.

+Danny

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Technosexual? Now that's a new one. I like it! Could there be a Metalsexual? :-)

Coasterpunk,

I totally agree. Many of the metal/rock bands I listened to in the 80's are now touring clubs, or they moved to Nashville like Cinderella did. lol.

-Tina

*** Edited 12/28/2004 12:07:40 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

No offense, Dan, but Goatwhore? Cattle Decapitation? Pig Destroyer? It sounds like those bands are trying a bit too hard with names like that...LOL! ;)

I thought the same, but at least those names are original, and less boring than say......Ratt, The Black Crowes, or Great White. :-D

-Tina