Anti Establishment begins at home.

Matt Brooks, guitarist extraordinaire, shared an article on Facebook that got me to thinking.  If you want to read it you can click here:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/riot_at_sxsw_death_from_above_1979_show/

The author mentions an incident that happened when a band called Death From Above 1979 played an official showcase at the Beauty Bar on 7th street and when a few hundred folks were turned away things turned ugly.  I have several comments and even posted some on my friend Kelly Strait's FB when she posted an article about the incident.  Her comment was "Rock and friggin' roll".

I know my rock history pretty well.  Rock was an anti-establishment music from the get go.  I mean the fact that white, suburban kids were listening to Little Richard scream that classic "WHOOOOOOO!!!" must have been a shock to their parents who were enjoying Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window."  There was Chuck Berry, there was Bo Diddley, then Elvis showed up shocking the world with his gyrating pelvis.  Shock rock indeed.  Then the 1960's showed up with even longer hair, psychedelic music and more drugs.  The 1970's had punk rock and the Eagles.  I'm not sure which was more shocking but to my ears I'd have to go with the Eagles for pure shock value.  The 1980's saw the real rise of metal and then hair metal, again hair metal wins for shock (shlock) factor.  1990's Nirvana turns the tables, Alternative rock is on the rise, and rap and hip hop begin their domination.  But the 2000's it's all pretty much a crap shoot with the emphasis on crap.

But is there really any relevant music being forced down our throats these days?  I mentioned this to Liz the other night as we were eating at Zen and listening to their satellite radio over the speakers.  The music was definitely from the 1980's and Liz said "I wonder if half the people in here know what this music is" referring to the fact that many of the patrons were young and born well after the 1980's.   My point was that music today does not have the same relevance it did even 25 years ago.  I bet we will still hear Nirvana on the radio but will we hear Lady Gaga?  Will we hear Arcade Fire?  Will we be excited when Say Anything comes on the radio?  Nope.  There's a reason why you ill still hear the Beatles on corporate radio.  That music endures, today's music evaporates.

So back to the article.  Will anyone care about Death From Above 1979 in a month?  No.  WIll anyone remember their name?  They might since is a pretty asinine name.  I think historically they will be relegated to the by-line of "Oh wasn't that the band that had the fence torn down at SX this year?"  But their music?  Nah.  Forgotten and filed away in the dead letter office.

Breifly let's discuss the so called "fans" at that show -   those people that were tearing down the fences, throwing bottles and screaming "FUCK YOU!" to the cops and the security guards are the worst kind of music fan.  They do not care about the scene, the city, or maybe even the band.  They are the worst kind of asshole - those that feel entitled and have no accountability.  I despise people that have those sets of "values" - those that think they are allowed to do whatever they want so long as they don't get caught and don' cause harm to themselves.  They believe that it's ok if someone else gets hurt because:  "Dude! At 1'47" you can see me throwing the bottle on this YouTube video.  Rock n' Roll!!!!"  Shut up asshole.

Truth is SXSW had given up on bands long ago.  The article mentioned above hits the nail on the head - when assholes like Kanye West are playing at SXSW then the festival has jumped the shark and lost its soul.  I felt that years ago when the Beastie Boys played at Stubb's.  I love me some Beastie's but I don't want them here during SXSW.  The record industry has made several colossal blunders during its entire history beginning in the 1930s and continuing until this day as they lay on the mat gasping for air as the referee is counting to 10.  SXSW is the next bout on the card.

To my original point - is the music at SXSW anti-establishment?  No.  If your band accepts a bid to play at SX you are part of the establishment.  If you volunteer to play in somebody's parking lot you are feeding that same monster.  Did any of my gigs fall under the umbrella?  Possibly - especially when your audience is the band that played before you (because you are using their back line) and the band that is next.  There is no reason to do that.  I hated every minute of it at Sam's, Waterloo Icehouse, and the second set at Giddy Ups.  The coolest shows I played this year were showcases put on by (and for) friends (Jimmy D @ Highball, Ginny's, Steady Boy, Cornell) or shows that were sponsored by my own band, in this case the Two Hoots deal at Trophy's which was an incredible night of music.  No entitlement, no hipsters, no bullshit.  Just honest music played from the heart.  The only destruction was a few drum sticks.