Feargach Focal – A Rant On Genre Unity

My name is Hydro and I am a very angry musician. I’d like to address a couple of issues with music today. There are many problems with the business end of things, but what I want to address is between the fans and the bands. Division can be good and can be bad. Some genre’s of auditory pleasure go together better than others, and some go together about as well as sardines and jelly beans – not well. Really that is neither here nor there. At this point I could care less if a polka band will play with a metal band. No what I find annoying is the super division within certain scenes. I know the topic of a “scene” is a landmine of controversy. Scenes have their place. They make a style interesting. They also support the style they are into. Many musicians dislike being lumped into a scene, because sometimes this turns off other would be fans. Then again I have friends attached to a certain scenes that embrace their position. This is all fine and dandy, however, an elitist attitude has sprung up from bands and from fans. I will speak of the scenes I know of personally, but I’m sure this is fact in all areas of music.

Let me start with the “Industrial” genre as an example. Remember the days when bands like Throbbing Gristle and Front 242 would play shows together. Fans of oddly experimental music and electronic dance music would play amazing shows together. Over the last 20 years a fine division has formed; a veritable crevasse. EBM bands and fans won’t be anywhere near all other industrial outfits (industrial metal, cyberpunk, electro-indie-rock). If I am not mistaken, the only time I see any crossing of these bands would be at festivals. Many of these festivals are not in the United States. This means that getting good shows of this sort is nigh impossible. I can not say that it doesn’t happen, but it is little enough to piss a true fan off. What is even more is the fans in this area have split. This is a three way of the worst sort. There isn’t even anyone naked. No, we see the scenes of EBM, Goth, and Industrial has split into factions. All three genres share elements of each other. There is no reason to see such a division. It has gotten to the point where many fans will refuse to be associated with fans off an opposing musical taste. It’s goddamned ridiculous! Close minded fans that are only into the fashion aspect just piss me off. To some of these yahoo scene kids it is all about a fashion show. I’m surprised many of them even know the bands that are playing. This goes for other scenes as well.
Punk and Metal are probably the worst of them all. Both areas have split into so many fucking subgenres that I’m surprised that anyone can remember them all. I have a few friends that review metal regularly and can tell you many different styles. From traditional heavy metal, death/thrash/black/black death/doom/doom death/black doom/gothic/gothic doom/insert combination of words, symphonic, epic symphonic, epic symphonic power, and anything with core at the end (though that has spread into tons of other genres as well). I’m sure I missed a few (hundred), but you get my point. Everyone wants to be unique. The only problem is that most of it is basically one type of sound. It is in no need of a new name. The musical genre of punk is totally fucked too. There we see pogo, horror, pop, experimental, progressive, anarcho, UK (trust me it is a genre unto itself), skater, gothic, ska, and political. Yet again I’m sure I’ve missed a few here and there (probably as many as I did in metal…hundreds). 20 years ago bands of different sounds would play together and it would make a killer fucking show. Granted you’d never see a punk band play with a metal band, but scensters have always had their limits. But even within a genre, division has split shows into extremely small niches. It has become extremely difficult for promoters to bring in money from specialized shows all the time. I know that many industrial bands do not have the money to financial back a tour. For example, a few years ago Raymond Watts (KMFDM/Pig) put out the last Pig album. Pig has been going strong since the late 80’s, so this was no fly by night band. He went out to tour for the album (Pigmata). I believe the tour was slated to go for a month, but after 9 days with low attendance he had to pack it in. I know for a fact that even with a craptastic economy people are still going to shows. Generally this type of atmosphere breeds escapism. In the 1930’s cinema was the great escape (back when theaters were PITCH BLACK…lights during a movie are bad), and now people have other ways of letting go.

It is extremely hard for newer bands to get out and tour extensively. The trend is heading toward festivals and regionally successful bands. The internet has become a out let with its pros and cons for many bands. I request for genres, whatever they may be, to reunite their respective selves. Let a industrial metal band play an EBM show or a ska band play a traditional punk show. Unity can go a LONG way kids. Reunite and the quality of the shows will rise and with that the attendance will rise. And to you elitist fucks who are just into the fashion and scene – I will break your designer pants clad legs. The next little Hot Topic fuckhead I see in a Ramones/Misfits/Clash shirt that has never actually listened to the band is going to their respective faces pushed into a blender. I’ll even get out my Louisville Slugger for that! Be a music fan and original. I know I’m asking a lot. Some people are just not that creative. My answer to that is…YOU HAVE FRIENDS! Go to shows, listen to the music, support these poor ass musicians, and don’t be tools. These are not big stretches to ask.

I think I’ve gotten my point across. A little unity goes a long way. A variety of style, no matter the genre, can go a long way. No one wants to hear five power metal bands in a row or four pogo punk bands. It gets really repetitive and annoying. The occasional show like this is fine, but all the time (which is what we have in the music world currently) is boring. Unite and prosper.

These have been inspiring words from yours truly.