The young hipsters are killing me....

[janusmusic]

My band just got off a 10 day tour of the east coast/midwest. We are a straight up indie guitar rock band no irony etc. etc. It was real rough out there the "hip" kids will bring you down NYC especially yeeshesh christ...if you play in NYC and dont have an angle besides writing songs you're in a bit of trouble. A room full of people in eyeliner, and legwarmers ,and classic rock shirts staring into their 7 dollar drinks..It's all very draining. Well that's the end of my rant, that felt good.
Thanks Tape-op,
Brian

[I'm Painting Again]

I hear you.

[comfortstarr]

This is a phenomenon that exists in other geographies and times as well. I remember my band playing the Uptown Bar in mpls in the late 80s/early 90s. Basically, you're playing to a bunch of musicians who are mad that they're not touring (I know, I affected the attitude many many times myself). They stand and stare and are thinking, in order:

1) We're better than they are
2) I woder what kind of pedals the guitar player has
3) That's a good sounding bass
4) I wish we were that tight
5) We're better than they are
6) That singer's hot

I saw the same thing in Chicago a few times, but not as bad.

I always found NYC really great back then. We were definately not straight ahead indie rock, which may have helped. Gigs at the Knitting Factory and Lion's whatever were great, gigs at CBGB's were okay.

now I live in Williamsburg which is so hipped out it's comical. I haven't seen a show yet, but hope to do so soon.

[Rick Hunter]

thats great man..

[wing]

My band just got off a 10 day tour of the east coast/midwest. We are a straight up indie guitar rock band no irony etc. etc. It was real rough out there the "hip" kids will bring you down NYC especially yeeshesh christ...if you play in NYC and dont have an angle besides writing songs you're in a bit of trouble. A room full of people in eyeliner, and legwarmers ,and classic rock shirts staring into their 7 dollar drinks..It's all very draining. Well that's the end of my rant, that felt good.
Thanks Tape-op,
Brian

though, classic rock shirts are cool... i just wish those jerks didn't have to be wearing them. they just don't appreciate anything!

[wing]

This is a phenomenon that exists in other geographies and times as well. I remember my band playing the Uptown Bar in mpls in the late 80s/early 90s. Basically, you're playing to a bunch of musicians who are mad that they're not touring (I know, I affected the attitude many many times myself). They stand and stare and are thinking, in order:

1) We're better than they are
2) I woder what kind of pedals the guitar player has
3) That's a good sounding bass
4) I wish we were that tight
5) We're better than they are
6) That singer's hot

I saw the same thing in Chicago a few times, but not as bad.

I always found NYC really great back then. We were definately not straight ahead indie rock, which may have helped. Gigs at the Knitting Factory and Lion's whatever were great, gigs at CBGB's were okay.

now I live in Williamsburg which is so hipped out it's comical. I haven't seen a show yet, but hope to do so soon.

you have a point, but it seems like (at least these days) those who are musicians are not even worthy of that title. they're the ones who in high school have some friends and wanna get some chicks so they're like "hey, let's start a band!" with no idea how to do anything, so they go out and have their parents buy them all these nice equipment and dabble with it, realize they suck, and kinda let it fade away. i had one friend who was like "i wanna be in a band with some friends at school" all who had never played an instrument in their life and only liked mainstream rock. his parents bought him a $1200 american standard fender strat about 2 years ago. today, if you ask him to play it, he would either not know which closet it's hiding in, or how to play it. when he did play, it was too frustrating for him, cause you HAVE TO LEARN. it wasn't giving him the immediate spa full of chicks like he had dreamed of.

what a waste of $1200!! i'm not very rich, so i don't know what that's like... but i like to think that if someone spent $1200 on me that i would be dedicated and thankful! oh well...

[the velour fog]

or you have the ones that go in the basement...get smashed on bud light...and try to make the drum solo on "In a gadda da vidda " even longer.

i have to say though...I know I'm guilty of some of the list above...especially gear questions. Everytime I go to a show...I try to get close enough to see what they are using.

$1200 on a closeted guitar!! let us all have a moment of silence...

[ottokbre]

the track shoes......thats whats killing it all .....them got-dam track shoes...

"yeah, i would like to perfect the art
of being studiously aloof
like life is just a boring chore
and i am living proof
i could join forces with an army
of ornery hipsters
but then i guess i'd be out of a job
so i guess that's out of the picture"

- Ani DiFranco

[bedbug]

if you play in NYC and dont have an angle besides writing songs you're in a bit of trouble.

I was just thinking about this like 2 seconds ago. I was thinking how my band could probably be a lot more successful if we had decided to be a garage band, or had decided to be a roots band or something. I just think that kinda thing should be more natural - that your sound shouldn't come from trying to play a certain way, but from not being able to not play a certain way (if that makes any sense). I mean, I think my band has a pretty good thing going on, and not to insult our audiences or anything, but a lot of the time I get the feeling they just wish we were in skinny ties or something.

But don't worry Janus, we the fans of non-hype guitar music are out there. I've been revisiting my old Dinosaur Jr. albums lately, and am being blown away by them all over again. Interesting and catchy music made by people who couldn't try to be hip. It's really been hitting the spot.

[marqueemoon]

I saw this hipster girl the other day wearing the standard issue flare-y pants, but on her feet were a pair of men's silver running shoes about 6 sizes too big. She couldn't have been taller than 5'2.

Apparently the clown look is on the bleeding edge these days.

[janusmusic]

I just want the rock man. I got so tired of other bands dragging up their vintage moogs and arp korgs etc. and taking 30 minutes to figure out how to set it all up ohh and a farfisa to "keep it real". It's like did some one outside hand you these things and say "you're in a band you go on in 5 minutes". Guitars amps and drums are sooo '99? I guess we just have been paying no attention to what's happening. Ahh well it was fun though. In NYC the club owner handed us a $20 with this look on his face like "you boys ever see one of these?" and then said "I don't normally do this"????I'm not harping on the big apple we've played there before and knew what to expect this paticular time was in the east village . I think there are alot of bands getting real big outta there in the past year and it's really affected peoples attitudes. I don't get it.....too old to pretend to "get it" so it's all amusing. Couldn't wait to get back to the midwest though.
Bri

[wing]

I just want the rock man. I got so tired of other bands dragging up their vintage moogs and arp korgs etc. and taking 30 minutes to figure out how to set it all up ohh and a farfisa to "keep it real". It's like did some one outside hand you these things and say "you're in a band you go on in 5 minutes". Guitars amps and drums are sooo '99? I guess we just have been paying no attention to what's happening. Ahh well it was fun though. In NYC the club owner handed us a $20 with this look on his face like "you boys ever see one of these?" and then said "I don't normally do this"????I'm not harping on the big apple we've played there before and knew what to expect this paticular time was in the east village . I think there are alot of bands getting real big outta there in the past year and it's really affected peoples attitudes. I don't get it.....too old to pretend to "get it" so it's all amusing. Couldn't wait to get back to the midwest though.
Bri

who cares? some moog rock has totally rocked. i loved the rentals, and currently i think apparat is quite impressive. what's wrong with all that? sure, it may be overblown sometimes, but it's just an instrument, and it is worthy of rocking out with anything else! i think if you have bands that are doing it with their own sound and style and creating something new and enjoyable, and know what they're doing, then they really have something cool going there.

[comfortstarr]

First, I wanna second the "Got Dam" regarding the track shoes. What always bemuses me about the hipster community is how rigid they are from a fashion point-of-view. My favorite pastime is putting on a pair of khakis, a knit golf shirt, and heading

Second, I never fault a band for trying to do whatever it is they're trying to do. I think I've become objective enough to recognize when someone's doing something well (whether or not it's my cup of tea).

Third, when places become scenes (usually when bands start getting signed en masse), they get ugly.

[janusmusic]

Sure Moogs can rock no denying that the rentals knew the instument and spent alot of time with it and it showed. I have no problem with any band trying to get a new flavor in there that's great...I'm not faulting anyone for that. The capacity of an instrument like that is endless so it's a bold move to bring one out in my opinion. I didn't meana to offend anyone just my observations, I'm not disgruntled or have anything near a superiority thing in fact it's the opposite. I realize I'm a square man...but a happy square.

[cwileyriser]

Yeah, I've been wearing the same clothes to clubs for 20 years. Well not the same EXACT ones, since I've uhhh put on a few pounds.... No got-damn track shoes or ironic T-shirts! The hipster-kid fashion thing is not nearly as silly in Atlanta as it is in NYC, thank god, but there's still enough to be annoying.

I was at SXSW this year curiously checking out the Rapture show and was wearing a Mission of Burma T-shirt that I was wearing because I like Mission of Burma - go figure. I'm pretty sure that I had on the only non-ironic T-shirt in the place. Although I must admit coveting at least one of the shirts - a kickass Hall & Oates mid-80s tour T-shirt. As for the Rapture show, it totally f**king SUCKED - who the f**k likes them and WHY??? Yeah, I can play ass-quality saxophone, dance like a whiteboy fool, and make lame early-80's arpeggiated-synth postpunk too.