November/December 2003 Issue
Please note....the editor edited my letter. Here is the full letter. AND.... I am not at all jealous of Nickel Back. I like some songs (or parts of) ... I hate the radio overplay!!!
Dear Editor,
And the battle begins. Ryan J Noth hit the nail on the head. And for you to say "refreshing to hear exactly how Chad Kroeger writes his songs" tells me that you haven't been keeping up with the issues we feel display a real lack of culture and thought. Since my last letter was published in your May/June 2003 issue, I have received nothing but positive email... except of course for your one letter from Chris Gunter... who really doesn't understand much of the industry himself and doesn't seem to be too involved with his own group "StarStar". Everyone that I received email from was basically stating "about time someone spoke up!" People are sick of the attitude in todays music "business".
Allan Reid from Universal did contact me and it was a very interesting conversation. The bottom line...."the majors can't take chances because they gotta please the shareholders". With downloading becoming so much more common and the RIAA totally shooting themselves in the foot, that attitude is gonna go down fast. The public has spoken...we're tired of being ripped off with a lack of good music and gouging us with ridiculous CD prices for the past 20 years! Now they say we can get it for $9.99? Give me a break! I asked Allan if he had listened to our music to which he replied that he had and thought it was good but not radio "friendly". Hmmm... one song was voted 4th out of over a 1000 bands and another has a very strong appeal by the female audience. Maybe we should of included a rap in the middle of the songs, cleaned the chords up to just straight power chords, took out the 6/8 break into the guitar solo, or just remove the whole guitar solo and double the tempo to some happy punk speed. What were we thinking?!
The Nickelback article totally proved mine and a lot of peoples views that today's "artist" and record labels are not giving the public anything of real value and instead are dumping on us with more mindless "sounds like/clone band" garbage. "Knowing what works at radio or what works in radio for the last record, everything they write is for pleasing the masses." They might as well be called "factory line" songwriters. Yes this is the music "business" but again I point to bands like Rush, who did it their way and are still successful. Why? Because they are themselves and not what some record exec told them to do! WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH A BAND BEING THEMSELVES! Not some sellout, heard it again piece of polished crud! Is it too much to ask for intelligent music from an artist that really respects the art? When we all first learned to play music it was inspiration and a heart felt love for something that was uniquely us. If radio would take a chance on new artists who are themselves they would probably be very surprised. Can we not think and learn to hear new ideas and accept that as a society? As for Nickelback, "The Long Road" might as well be the last album. If this "songwriting" is so good, than why do I have to be subjected to it 5-10 times a day or more on radio!? Again.... why can't radio support local talent 1-2 times a day? Are we "independents" that bad in our song writing? I really don't think so. Is it that a corporate record label might not be getting a piece of the pie when an indie band could have a hit song? Seems very controlling to me.
Chad's also has become pretty good at prostituting himself with others(Kid Rock, Santana) with his "corporate sounding rock". And we all know that true love is not a hooker in heels. The engineer also says "Little rules that you have to do. It aims towards corporate-sounding rock" Right... and we all go to McDonalds every day for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Everything else I buy from WalMart. Whatever!!
Here's a quote
"most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
-Bertrand Russell
That says it all about today's industry.
Ian Graham
www.eyerhyme.com
PS-I have quite enjoyed this debate and received lots of interesting views. On a good note.... Merry Christmas to you and your staff.... you do have a great magazine and I look forward to future issues! May Santa bring you an iPod.... the best purchase I made all year!
RECENT EMAIL
RESPONSES
Great letter to Canadian Musician Ian : I couldn't agree with you more.Rush is in a different league than most of the artist and bands that dominate radio today.Along with Rush, I believe that the Guess Who is one of Canada's best bands. Intelligent and complex music such as this is not welcome by Indie Campus stations or Indie shows.These stations focus on the underground and alternative genres of music.I also don't detect any jealousy towards Nickelback.You are just a stating a realistic point that qualitity music is often not given a fair shake.Please let me know what stations I can request your band on.I would love to hear you on the radio any time. Sincerely Sal Lima(drummer and Independent artist).
Ian, Happy New Year. Thanks for following up. I read the article/letter to
the editor in CM magazine - God Bless You guys because basically independent
filmmakers are in a very similar boat. It's like that across the board with
the arts in Canada. Just thank god you aren't an actor.
David Huey Hayman
The ELEVENTH hour II
THIS JUST IN II PRODUCTIONS INC.
In response to Ian Graham's letter in MC Magazine Vol. XXVI No. 1 November/December.
Ian,
Let me start off by saying I am a 20+ year veteran in the music industry and have seen good bands come and go and many never even make it past local bars. Favourite albums of mine include Scenery and Fish - IME, 2112 - Rush and Master of Puppets - Metallica.
I read your article in CM and sorry to say I don't agree with your point of view. I appreciate where you are coming from but you are going about things the wrong way IMO.
When did technical ability become the only measuring stick for good music? Nickleback is Nickleback. They have not pretended to be anything else. They have not come out and said "We are as musically talented as Rush". They have always stated they are a no-nonsense, straight ahead rock band. I see not fault in being that if that is your goal. They are exceptionally good at doing just that. There are other bands with similar sounds but don't fault the band for starting something good. Granted their sound isn't for everyone and it can get annoying listening to it 20 times a day. But so can Mozart and i certainly wouldn't call him a no-talent hack.
Bands like IME and Rush, IMO, are technically superb but this alone does not always lead to great music. They have taken chances with their direction and music style that hasn't always made for good music. Some of it, although technically sound, was crap. Music is a combination of good lyrics, proper composition and musical ability. Technic alone does not make a good musician nor a good album. Although Nickleback is not on the same technical level as Rush or IME it is not a reason to attack them for playing below your personal musical ability. Some of the most influential musicians in history were influential, due not to there musical ability but there ability to bring life to a song and make it touch others. Let's face it, Neil Young can't sing, Ringo wasn't the most technical drummer in the world and Bruce "the Boss" isn't the best guitarist ever to grace a stage but they have, or had, the ability to take a song and give it a human quality that makes it timeless. Songs should be written with meaning and passion first. The songs need to project something other than a series of complex notes and the arrangement there of.
One of the things I have seen in the industry for the past 20 years that has held back musicians more than any other single element is the bashing and critisizing of other musicians on the move. It's the same old story every time. "Why are THEY getting airplay? We're better than they are. My friends band is better blah blah blah..." It sickens me actually. We should be giving each other hands up, which IS something I see Chad from Nickleback doing. Can you say the same? It is wrong to try to raise one's self up by knocking others down.
Accept Nickleback for who they are and we will, in turn accept you for who you are.
Robert R
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