My $0.02
Tonight I came across the latest blog by Rachel Haywire of Experiment Haywire. Here is a link to her blog. The subject is about the influential music website Pitchfork media. Judging by what I see on the website, Pitchfork sure likes music that panders to the annoyingly pretentious hipster/indie rock crowd. I really do have an immense loathing for indie rock. Why? Because I live in a city where indie rock is huge. Minneapolis is full of mostly mediocre to terrible indie rock bands with musicians who can barely carry a tune or play their instruments as they were intended to be. Of course there are a few exceptions to that rule but for the most part I despise my local music scene XD.
This past year I have started helping a local promoter spread the word on shows in the goth/synthpop/industrial genres. Let me tell you Minneapolis is a difficult scene to make any money if you want to put on say a Project Pitchfork or Anything Box show. Most people in the Twin Cities are not interested in seeing oh say a synthpop band like Anything Box who has been performing for 20 years and makes some of the catchiest pop music I have ever heard or an abrasive industrial band like Unter Null whose vocals would make many people's ears bleed profusely. Nope. People in the Twin Cities would much rather hear crappy and overrated indie rock bands like Arcade Fire, Deerhunter, and Low.
As annoying as Pitchfork is, at least there is an alternative to that pretentious website called regenmag.com. I wrote cd reviews for that site a few years ago but quit eventually because it stopped being fun. The site is quite resourceful in terms of discovering new artists and bands. Of course Myspace and Youtube are also good alternatives as well. Lately I have been digging up treasures on youtube like Ashram and Chandeen.
I suppose Pitchfork does serve a purpose for some people but there are some like myself and Rachel Haywire who will think that the site has a negative attitude towards the goth/industrial/synthpop scenes. At the end of the day really if Pitchfork wants to cater to the hipster douchebag scene, so be it. Still it would be nice if goth and industrial music got some positive recognition from the mainstream music industry as opposed to being viewed as something stupid or evil. After all this particular scene does make a good number of people (like myself) happy.
This past year I have started helping a local promoter spread the word on shows in the goth/synthpop/industrial genres. Let me tell you Minneapolis is a difficult scene to make any money if you want to put on say a Project Pitchfork or Anything Box show. Most people in the Twin Cities are not interested in seeing oh say a synthpop band like Anything Box who has been performing for 20 years and makes some of the catchiest pop music I have ever heard or an abrasive industrial band like Unter Null whose vocals would make many people's ears bleed profusely. Nope. People in the Twin Cities would much rather hear crappy and overrated indie rock bands like Arcade Fire, Deerhunter, and Low.
As annoying as Pitchfork is, at least there is an alternative to that pretentious website called regenmag.com. I wrote cd reviews for that site a few years ago but quit eventually because it stopped being fun. The site is quite resourceful in terms of discovering new artists and bands. Of course Myspace and Youtube are also good alternatives as well. Lately I have been digging up treasures on youtube like Ashram and Chandeen.
I suppose Pitchfork does serve a purpose for some people but there are some like myself and Rachel Haywire who will think that the site has a negative attitude towards the goth/industrial/synthpop scenes. At the end of the day really if Pitchfork wants to cater to the hipster douchebag scene, so be it. Still it would be nice if goth and industrial music got some positive recognition from the mainstream music industry as opposed to being viewed as something stupid or evil. After all this particular scene does make a good number of people (like myself) happy.
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