Musician, Heal Thyself

Jenn Cohen | June 1, 2013 | 0 Comments

by Josh Lee

In the May issue of Colorado Music Buzz, my colleague, Nate Cook (the Yawpers), and I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the lovely Jenn Cohen; during which, (with a little help from our friend Jack Daniels), we expressed our humble, albeit somewhat rude, opinions about our local music scene and the music scene in general. Evidently, some of the opinions we expressed had certain merits of interest, because immediately upon its publication, I was met with not-so-happy reactions from my publicist and management, and a handful of angry phone calls. I also heard a rumor that both Nate and I are likely banned from performing at a certain venue here in Denver. But let’s be frank, chances are, very few people actually cared about what a couple of rowdy musicians had to say.

And it is precisely for this reason that we have decided to continue expressing.

How many of you musicians, critics, bloggers, and fans alike, can put one hand on the proverbial bible and say that you’re happy with the music industry today? Are you excited to perform at a dive bar to a crowd of 50, after having spent 30+ hours rehearsing last week, only to be paid less than $200 to split between four band mates?

What happened to the days where young people screamed of “sex, drugs and rock & roll,” and advocated for political cause by standing up to ‘the man’? How did it get to the point where our musical consumer demographic is too busy paying $20 to get into Beta, and paying $10 for a Bud Light to counteract the uppers they just bought from an Asian kid with glow sticks (it’s ok, I’m an Asian myself). How did it come to this, when they can spend a fraction of that to see live bands with real instruments?

Lest we forget the DJ “spinning” next door to a crowd of 500 screaming teenagers, and gets free Patrons all night, and walks away with a few more Benjamins in his pocket, because he knows how to push “play” on a laptop. Not to imply that all the blame falls on the electronic music scene. Is it not our fault, as live musicians, that we let the meticulous and creative marketing/production work of EDM overshadow our scene?

Think of it this way: The biggest stories in music in previous generations were that of revolutions, freedom, equality, war, and most importantly, passion. The biggest stories of our current generation revolve around Kanye snatching away the mic from a 19-year-old girl at the MTV Awards ceremony, and whether or not Justin Bieber should be taken seriously.

I believe that things have gotten this way because we have become too content to be discontent with the way our music is being distributed and appreciated. Rock & Roll is no longer brave enough to express itself. Long gone are the days where you put your image, relationships, and at times, your life on the line to have your art be heard. We’ve become complacent in our criticism, when honest feedback is critical and warranted. Perhaps things are the way they are because everyone’s stopped asking the right questions, however rude they may seem.

So, while I sit here chain-smoking in the comforts of my backyard, working to meet a deadline that I’ve known about for weeks (and is due in a few hours), I hereby declare that Rock & Roll shall never die quietly. And I will continue asking questions.

*Stay tuned to next month’s issue for Nate Cook’s angry rant.

-Josh Lee (Eldren)