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Metal Monday: What Does BABYMETAL Tell Us About The Music Industry?
So I'm late to the game here, because by now everyone has already weighed in on the Japanese blip that is BABYMETAL. In case you don't know, Babymetal can be summed up like this: a group of teenage Japanese girls who have metal songs written for them and they act like they are preforming them.
My initial reaction to Babymetal was, "No." Just a simple straight-forward rejection of what I was seeing and hearing. When asked to elaborate, I really couldn't find a definitive reason, and I've been trying to get one since. A few days ago, along comes this video from my friend Roger, the creator of the Japanese rock/video game site Tainted Reality. Here he talks about his thoughts on the group:
Now, though I agree with many of the sentiments held in this video, especially that of elitism existing in metal (and liking and indulging in guilty pleasures in an unabashed way) ultimately, I think this video cemented what I find so distasteful about this band, and I think it breaks down to three prongs.
At first something didn't feel right, and now I know what it was. Before being in this band, these girls knew nothing about metal. It's not that they didn't like it or had other musical interests and talents; they knew nothing about metal. Now, I know they don't write their own songs or play their own instruments, and I have problems with that in its own right, but what is worth highlighting here is that they are the spokespeople for this group. Not only do they dislike the product they're shilling, they don't know anything about it.
You know that feeling you get sometimes when you listen to a band and something just isn't right? Well, in this case I think that some of these feelings come from the attitude of the band itself. I once read an interview with The Sword (a band I could not get into) saying how they didn't really like metal, and after reading that article, I understood why I couldn't like their brand of stoner stuff. When you're doing anything in front of people, it's not enough to look the part. You have to believe the part you're playing. This is what distinguishes good actors from great ones, and good performances from spectacular ones, and if you don't have that, why should I listen to you?
Second, does it feel like this is just some kind of elaborate formula that has been written out for what metal fans like?
"Well, we need guitars. And since we want to get the most people, we'll throw in a bunch of different types of metal. And the people in the band could be guys, but you know what the male demographic likes more than other dudes? Chicks! But we need something that makes the chicks stand out, so how about teenagers? Where's the first place we can get teenage chicks from? Hmm... Japan? Perfect! And if this keeps going, we can continue to sell it later on by banking on a kind of preconceived sex appeal, which we can vaguely hint at now."
Nothing about this is natural and I guess, sadly, I must acknowledge is most of the media industry as a whole. But all of this adds up to the ultimate problem with Babymetal for me. I like metal.
I know that in this world, everything is clamouring for my attention and more precisely, my money. But here's the thing, I don't like to be reminded of this fact. I don't like to feel like I'm a "target audience" that needs to be sold to. I don't want to feel like a dollar sign ready to hand over my money, even if that's the sum total of my existence. The problem with Babymetal and every other interchangeable blatantly obvious attempt to take money from people is just that: they are blatantly obvious attempts to take money from people. And usually metal is pretty good at seeing through this and rejecting what is false.
One thing that keeps getting spoken of in metal is if something is "true". Is this authentic? Sure, we all get to laugh when we talk about the "boy band formula", one dreamy guy, one dark broody guy, one smart one, one just not of the race of the others to stand out as being exotic, and so on; and we laugh when we see gullible teen-aged girls flock to it (and of course take their parents' money and throw said money at it as fast as they can). Or when a new teen movie comes out with the "Twilight formula" wherein a dreamy but dark and deeply-flawed guy with an edge falls for the generic every-girl, and teenage girls wait in line for hours to see it premiere.
But now it's happening here, and not as a gradual "sell out" type of move, but from the beginning, laying bare all of its formulas and designs, and frankly I don't like it.
Now, I do see positives here. This will be people's first exposure to metal in some way, and maybe it will bring more people in. They can be someone's Marilyn Manson, a gateway into all that metal has to offer. And maybe, some these fans will actually be female and the under-represented group of female metal heads will get a surge and finally people won't be shocked when they see a (gasp) girl at a metal show. Maybe this will help to break down the elitism in metal (I'm looking in your direction black metal). Even in some way, I respect the balls to do an interview and say, "Oh, I didn't even know what I was doing before I was cast into this."
But don't be crass: I know these tricks. I've seen them work before on other groups. If you're going to blatantly try to sell something as a formula to me, at least try to cover it up. Make the attempt to deceive me. Or better yet, if you want to make money off me, maybe rather than sell me a gimmick, try and sell me an actual decent band. One that has progressed on its own music and merits to obtain fans, and is writing catchy, fun, brutal, technical, or some other descriptor songs that people can like. I know this is a novel concept, but if you really want our dollars, stop treating us like that's all we are.
CJLO News - April 7 2014
Hosted by Catlin Spencer
Stories by Saturn de Los Angeles + Catlin Spencer + Marilla Steuter-Martin
Produced by Catlin Spencer
Ted's Super Sexy Birthday Metal Mix
A mix curated by Patrick McDowall from Into The Coven, Wednesdays 9-10 PM
A metal mix made for a friend's birthday gift. Over 3 hours of epic riff-shitting, selected by a secret(ish) metal fan.
The Head and the Heart + Basia Bulat @ Theatre Corona
On a Saturday evening in late March, Basia Bulat played to a sold out crowd at the Corona Theatre in Little Burgundy. Her performance was incredibly pleasurable both audibly and visually. The packed audience was quite a mixed demographic of both older and younger folks. She performed on stage with a bass player and drummer, while she played keyboards. For a three piece they presented an astonishingly powerful, unanticipated sound. They played really well together, kicking out tight grooves, playful rhythms alongside Basia Bulat's almost lofty cloud-like vocals. One could compare her voice with other notable performers like Joni Mitchell, however I think her sound is unique enough to hold its own.
Her interaction with the audience was quite wonderful, it could almost be described simply as "cute", but it was clear that she had captivated every audience member with every note in every barre throughout her entire set. Her keyboard was decorated with what seemed like hula-dress material and lights that were very visually appealing. She did venture from behind her keyboards during a couple of her songs, and presented a playful but also very natural tone. I think what most people get from her music is an organic and natural feeling, which is an aesthetic that she always strives for. I would say she has accomplished that goal quite well, even with her latest album Tall Tall Shadow being more "electric".
The Head and the Heart seemed to cater more to a teeny-bob girl crowd more than anything else. The two front men presented a stage presence of the crooning kind that felt pretty faked and staged. Their set didn't seem very well planned out in accordance to audience moods or feelings. All together I did not enjoy their set that much if only for the played-up stage presence abd their songs sounding very similar to one another. I do have to say, however, that their rhythm section rocked out so hard that it was fun to watch the bass player and drummer. The drummer played so hard his floor monitor almost fell off his riser. The bassists melodic lines were nice to hear among so many other predictable indie bass players. They would probably sound good in any other band.
Trigger Effect's Grand Finale
For ten years, Trigger Effect has been a staple of the Montreal Punk Rock “n” Roll scene. They are a touring managers best friend and worse nightmare, running around the world and exposing everyone to their radioactive brand of music.
Tonight, Trigger Effect will end their reign. Nick Babeu, Trigger Effect's lead singer passed away this past November, and the band decided that without Babeu, Trigger Effect should not exist, save for one, last, show. Trigger Effect will take the stage at Foufounes to say goodbye to the band, and they will take the stage to mark their tenth anniversary and blow the roof off of Foufounes.
The evening will be host to three opening bands. One secret act, as well as Montreal's Hashed Out, and Dig It Up.
Guest vocalists will be stepping in to pay homage to Babeu, but as his range was so wide, Trigger Effect needed to get a lot of people to step up. Among them, Mikey Heppner, Paul Ablaze, Wade MacNeil, Alex Cartier, Alyssa Mosca, Hugo Mudie, Kev Keeg, Michael Rokos, Cameron Turin, Jean Belanger, Nick Oaks, Nick Raz, Alex Kaluza, Taylor Freund and Ian Blurton.
Mike Rokos (of Dig It Up! and Dumb Adults) and Alex Cartier (Hashed Out and Prevenge) will also be contributing special guest vocals to Trigger Effect's set.
“I looked up to Nick Babau, and Trigger Effect for a long time,” said Rokos “how they did it on their own, they were the epitome of DIY.”
“Trigger Effect is a band that taught me how to be in a band,” explained Cartier. “To be asked to sit in as one of the many, amazing, guest vocalists makes me feel super honoured and also extremely nervous, but I'm super happy that they decided to do this, it's the best possible way to send off Trigger Effect.”
Originally scheduled at Turbo Haus, the location quickly moved to Foufounes as the 300 person capacity was out of tickets in under three hours. As Trigger Effect has a long history with Foufounes, it made perfect sense to move it there for the blowout.
This is quite simply going to be a show that you can't afford to miss. It does not matter what style of music you listen to, the types of people you hang out with, none of that matters. Tonight will be the last chance to see a landmark for the city of Montreal.
“If you haven't been privy to the scene, and there is one band that you need to be a part of, it's Trigger Effect,” said Rokos. “You need to see this. This is a self made band that put on an amazing show, and this is your last chance to be part of something undeniably iconic.”
If you are unfamiliar with Trigger Effect, it's not too late. The band has released their full set list, with a subsequent download so you can learn the words, and come sing along.
Get yourself down to Foufounes (87 Ste-Catherine e.) tonight. This is an event that will go down in Montreal infamy as one of the craziest last hurrah’s ever seen, where we will say our final goodbyes, and send out these icon's the way they deserve... with blood and tears.
Noah Gundersen + Armon Jay + Cade @ Petit Campus
Armon Jay is a self-described hillbilly originating from Chatanooga, Tennessee. His southern accent is mild and undistinguished in a city like Montreal, but he likes to use it as a conversation pitch. Mixing stereotypes of hillbilly and urban hippy, he gulps down half a "mystique" cider, laughs at the irony of a redneck drinking a cider, then switches voices and advocates for a gluten free diet.
The sound and lyrics feel like a fusion between two genres, country and indie folk, which he seems to replicate in his transitions between songs. Incredibly lyrical and amusing to listen to, he breaks his heavy songs with splashes of humour. Near the end of his set he reveals that he is also a musician in Noah Gundersen's band, and laughingly admits that he is working on changing his name to Gundersen so he can be part of the "family".
Cade, the second opening act, was devastatingly beautiful to listen to. The handmade sound combined with Kaiya's deep and soulful voice was worthy of spinal shivers. I kept thinking that their music reminded me of a really good sandwich, I don't know any one who can deny the excellence of a really good sandwich. Between songs their voices sounded shy and disengaged with the audience, which contrasted their confidence that they projected in their music.
Noah Gundersen came on with a lengthy version of "Poor Man's Son". Everyone can relate to being stone-old broke in the middle of the winter, and there lies the crux of this song. It is rather moving to hear three siblings singing in harmony and seeming so at ease together. The younger brother fades to the back, Noah and Abby take front and centre as two new members of the band come out from back stage. The song explodes. It turns into a rock concert with gospel roots.
Noah has a forty of Jameson on stage with him and describes his music as being "sad bastard music". His sister Abby, also sporting a forty of her flavour (tequila), softens the sounds with her fiddle and harmonizing vocals. The songs seem to revolve around addictions and foot loose flings. The fiddle is grounding in the band, like an anchor tied to a folk sound that would disappear into Christian rock if it lacked. The energy ebbs and flows as Noah and band mates alternate roles and eventually just the siblings are left on stage. It feels suiting and concluded the whole act nicely.
Show reviews are biased because of the venue, and for that reason I need to mention Petit Campus. It is a half-decent venue, but they could do better coordinating their shows. Heavy sub bass leaked from upstairs into the second half of the show, and every song that was supposed to be quiet and intimate lacked its privacy. Noah, unconcerned, notes that if you "can't beat em join em", and played a song while bopping his head to the heavy sound.
Andrew W.K. + Biblical @ Foufounes Electriques
I have lived in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and travelled solo through the Middle East, but for some reason, since moving to Montreal four years ago, I have been terrified to set foot in les Foufounes Électriques. I didn't even know it was called Foufounes until the night of the show. I always just thought of it as "that place on St. Catherine's that seems like it's seen a lot of knife fights." That's probably not fair. If you have never been to Foufounes it's actually pretty impressive on the inside, meaning huge. It has that sickly sweet bar smell and gives off an air of stickiness.
The opening act was slated to start at 8 p.m., and they started not far off from that. As a former stage manager, I was delighted. I love shows that start on time. It was a group called Biblical from Toronto. They describe themselves as "Heavy rock, proto-metal, rock, stoner rock."
Biblical was a really solid opening act. They got on stage, they rocked out, they had a good sound, and they spoke a little bit of French. Their music was danceable and I was feeling pumped. They didn't demand energy from us, they created energy for us. Towards the end of the set though, I started to notice the roughness in the vocals and they got a bit pitchy, but I would see them again. Also, if anyone out there is interested in writing a rock musical based on the Old Testament, they should look into collaborating with this group. I think it could work.
Soon it was time for the main event! I could see right away that the crowd was psyched to be there. Some people had brought their own smiley-faced beach balls and streamers. The show started off with air raid sirens and the voice of Andrew W.K. echoing through the room telling us that we were about to have the best night of our lives! To focus on the happiness! To remember that were all there to have a good time together! And to get fucking wasted, of course. The rallying cry of the evening: This is not a performance, this is a PARTY!
And it was.
I was really impressed that just two dudes, two mics, and one keyboard could produce that much energy. Andrew W.K. sang to pre-recorded back tracks and yet still managed to put on a better show and have more stage presence than some five-piece bands I have seen in the past. This guy could work a room, and he was really successful at emanating this positive vibe. There was a mosh pit, but even that was like a mosh pit of brotherly love. There was some crowd surfing, but it was mostly a core group of guys doing the heavy lifting.
Towards the end of the night one guy ended up stage. Andrew W.K. was really nice to him, hugged him and let him hang out a bit. I guess it was his birthday? They had a high five marathon that was pretty epic.
Later in the night we counted down from 99 and I have no idea why. On the last song of the evening another crowd surfer ended up on stage, and then eventually a whole bunch of people just climbed on stage and rocked out.
Overall, I had a good night. I was totally sober the whole show but I still enjoyed myself, and I think that's the mark of a good show. I would go see Andrew W.K. again and I would recommend his show to anyone because it's entertaining. You don't have to be a fan to have a good time. If you are stressed or need to blow off some steam and you have a chance to see Andrew W.K., do it. You will dance it/mosh it out! My only complaint is that a lot of the songs sound a bit the same, but if I was drunk I probably wouldn't have noticed.
The night was capped off by the most wonderful discovery of all: there is now a Boustan on St. Catherine's. Try the Kibeh.
The Hanson Brothers on CJLO Tonight
The legendary Canadian puck rock band The Hanson Brothers will be in town at Il Motore this Sunday, and we've got an interview with Johnny Hanson TONIGHT! Stephanie Dee from Champions of the Local Scene has questions for Johnny about homebrewing, his collaboration with Le Trou du Diable, and the current state of NHL hockey. Tune in tonight, April 4th, at 8pm for all the mayhem.
Childish Gambino @ Metropolis
I never really listened to rap growing up; I had a hard time relating to the lyrics. In the last two years, however, I have developed an appreciation for the genre, and I owe most of that to Childish Gambino. Although I shared almost none of the experiences described in the lyrics from his 2011 album Camp, I related to the tone, the nerdy Nintendo and cartoon references, and the jazzy R&B music. Most of all, it was Gambino's quick wit that hooked me.
His latest release, Because the Internet, is a statement to say the least. This 19-track album stands beside a short film entitled Clapping for the Wrong Reasons, and a separate 75-page screenplay that was designed to sync with the music. The playful tone of his debut album was replaced by a more mature, artistic, and serious sound that incorporates different musical styles including psychedelic, hard rock, dubstep, and even minimalist music. It's easy to see that his new songs, like "The Worst Guys" (featuring Chance the Rapper) for example, are departures from his older work toward his new artistic vision.
The tour associated with Because the Internet is no less ambitious than the rest of his work. Before the show at Metropolis, concert-goers could download an app that let them tweet or draw things that would appear on a big screen on stage. It doesn't take much to guess how that went: mostly jokes about the NBC show Community (on which Gambino plays the Troy Barnes character), quotes of his lyrics, and miscellaneous obscenities. After a short DJ set, Gambino took the stage by storm.
The show opened with the whole stage covered in projections of glitchy schematics and computer graphics that finally settled into what resembled the interior of a fancy mansion. Clad in his short shorts, Gambino jumped into his set with full force and passion. He danced, ran, rapped, and sang all over the stage and maintained that intensity throughout the show. He was there to share his art, and we could feel it. The audience sang along with every track, beginning to end, which seemed to fuel the performance and put a massive grin on Gambino's face.
He played most of his new album before thanking everyone and leaving the stage. When he came back for the encore, the projections of the room suddenly changed into that of a bonfire in a forest, and so did the tone of the show. Gabino played reworked versions of songs from Camp, including "Heartbeat", complete with slap-bass and mixes of several songs together. He finished with a freestyle rap over some really interesting jazz chords that ended the concert and proved that his talent as a rapper and musician was the centrepiece of the show, and all the frills and projections were just a bonus.
CJLO News - April 4 2014
Hosted by Jocelyn Beaudet
Stories by Nathalie Laflamme + Candice Yee + Marilla Steuter-Martin
Produced by Marilla Steuter-Martin
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