Ok, so being inside of the music industry is fucking weird. Yeah, there's a rant coming. Yeah, I've had too fucking much to drink. Who cares? Here we go.
On an independent level, it means the following. You, as a member of your band, will always see yourself as greater than your fans see you. That's just a fact. You are writing the music, recording the album, thinking of the themes, envisioning the style, long before the masses, the fans, ever get to see it. That's harsh. They are still seeing a year-old version of you, It's a version of you that - from your point of view - absolutely sucks. "Man, I could have played that guitar part so much better now..." , "Man, the mixing on this record was shit,,," , "Man, I wish I could have another crack at that harmony vocal line..." It goes fucking on and on.
Meanwhile, you're writing all this great new music that's turning you on to your band all over again, and you wish your fans could have the same experience. But what are you gonna do? Leak a track? You're not gonna leak a track. It's not done yet, it's not perfect. SO YOU WAIT. And your fans have the same impression of your music and your band month after month, mounting and mounting.
Modern music posits that bands should continually release music, on a track-by-track basis. Maybe they're right, and it would work better. But as artists, we're still holding on to this idea of an ALBUM, a unified piece of art, which is bigger than the sum of its parts. Is that vain? Probably. But musicians are egotistical, that's the way of the world.
From a label point of view, they're only interested in milking you as a fucking commodity. They rape your art, they buy and sell your soul. You're a DOLLAR SIGN to these fuckers, and you know what the kicker is? Labels these days are so hard-up for cash, they're not even willing to take the big gambles on bands that could make them millions and forever change music. They are stuck in their mold, afraid to move, afraid to speak, lest their money run out. "Stick with what works." "Don't bore us, get to the chorus." It's all fucking bullshit, and when business prospers, you know what vanishes? ART. Dark Side of the Moon would never get made in today's economy. Neither would the White Album. Hell, neither would Appetite for Destruction.
I don't know what this tirade means. It means I'm pissed off, I suppose. It means that music has so much potential, but no support. Fans? You WISH you were fans. There are no more die hards for new bands. And that is most depressing of all.
Am I wrong? Tell me off in the comments section. But I bet nobody even fucking reads this. "braindead romeo has a new blog entry... who the fuck cares???" I am an island.
But at least I can play the fucking blues.
-Andrew.
Reply
Braindead Romeo / Blog
Another Round of Support
Hey guys, We're happy to say that we're once again accepted into 104.9 the Wolf's Queen City Rocks competition. Fingers crossed for us!!! Or at least, for a real rock band to win this year in general (No offence intended to Indigo Joseph). We'll be rocking the Exchange on March 5th, but if you'd like your BR fix before then check us out on Valentine's Day at the Artful Dodger. Peace out! Andrew
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Gettin Some Lovin'
Hey Romeos, we're thrilled to say that for the first time in our band history, people actually know who we are. When I meet someone and they find out I'm in a rock band, they always ask the band's name. And so I say "Braindead Romeo." For the past four years, this has illicited little to no response. ... Now, however, people actually know what I'm talking about. They've heard about the band, they might even know a song. Some have even been to a show before. This is utter madness, I tell you. Plus, we've been getting some love with the voting to play at Summer Invasion, getting featured on Weyburn Rock Radio's "Saskatchewan Side A" segment (and then getting used as the theme music for the same program the following week), and generally just an atmosphere of "you guys are really good." .... I would highly recommend checking out the radio feature, local music aficionado Taron Cochrane profiles us beautifully, perfectly capturing what we are all about. Here's the link! https://soundcloud.com/saskatchewan-side-a/episode-3-braindead-romeo ... Stay classy. - Andrew / BR
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The album is out!
White Noize City has officially been released, and we've completed our release party concert (huge success, by the way). Thank you to all of the phenomenal people who came to see us play - we had a blast, and we think you did, too! Thanks to people who bought tickets, t-shirts, albums, all that good stuff. Thanks to the other bands for rocking hard and promoting the show very well. Thanks to the Exchange for being a great venue, Justin for running the sound board. Great concert, guys. We have a few more shows booked for this summer, starting with McNally's Tavern on the 17th of July. We'll be playing some of the deep cuts of the new record that we didn't have time for at the release show, a few great older songs from our SOUL'D OUT album, and a new song - so brand-new that we rehearsed it for the first time on July 9th. Needless to say, that one doesn't appear on the album :) See you there! We'll continue to add new songs to the set throughout the summer! Andrew / BR
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WNC Digital Release!
Earlier this week, Braindead Romeo finally unleashed White Noize City on the internet! The full album is available at https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/white-noize-city/id870626874 so go and check it out for the low low price of $9.99. We love the fact that we finished it and that people are enjoying it! Remember, the physical release is coming soon - June 27th, to be precise - and the release show is shaping up to be awesome. We'll be at the Exchange with some of our favourite other bands in Regina, you don't want to miss it!!!!
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Coming Soon, to a Stereo Near You...
White Noize City, our first full-length studio album, is officially done! The first pressings are currently on their way shipping back to Saskatchewan from the factory in Toronto, and will get here at some point next week. Rejoice!!! ... Because there have been so many ridiculously-time-consuming delays to this record, I wanted to wait until I actually physically held a copy in my hands before booking a release concert. While they aren't technically here yet, I'm feeling pretty confident they'll get here by our chosen date: June 27th. Now, I know that's over two months away. If you're one of the people who has been waiting for two YEARS to buy this record, my apologies. It's tough to book dates close to you, and this was the earliest one available. In any case, we will be showing up to ROCK the Exchange with a few of our favourite bands in tow! Mark your calendars for June 27th. .... Far more immediate is our concert at Noise Fest Next month, which is only two WEEKS away on May 9th! We've got something pretty special lined up for the evening; as you may know, Andrew fronts a local acoustic group called Vudu Hounds who are also on the bill. Furthermore, Andrew's Vudu Hounds bandmates all have their own groups which will ALSO be performing. It's going to be super cool, and these guys might just join each other for some band-swapping fun. .... We're planning our big return to our favourite Regina venue, McNally's Tavern, on July 17th. .... We're planning on recording a five-year-anniversary show of the band's original live recording (Live! in the Wild). .... We're talking to bands out-of-province about heading on the road. ..... We're excited about all this stuff!!!! .... Andrew
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Winning....
Well, last week Braindead Romeo had the privilege of being selected as the winner the the Queen City Rocks' fourth Runoff date. That means we've secured our spot in the FINALS on April 17th! We had a truly incredible response from the crowd on this gig, and I firmly believe that this enthusiasm is what pushed us over the top with regards to the judges' final scores. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all those who came out to support us!!! I appreciate you greatly. I hope you'll make the trip out again on the 17th to cheer us on to further victory.
If we actually end up taking this thing, it would be fantastic. The Wolf is a great radio station that I listen to all the time, and rotational airplay on the station would be an immense boost to the band. We would have some big plans for the other prizes, too :)
But no pressure. Whatever happens, happens. There are some truly great bands in the finals and any one of them would be deserving. At bare minimum, I'm stoked to be playing on such a diverse and talented bill. And I look forward to converting all of YOUR fans into MY fans....!
Thanks again for your support. Andrew
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The Queen City Rocks.
Apart from this title being a completely verifiable FACT, I also have some news for you folks. Braindead Romeo have been judged worthy of acceptance into 104.9 the Wolf's battle of the bands competition - which happens to be called Queen City Rocks. Now, some of you may remember that we took part in this competition last year as well. We didn't do so hot last time around. But since then, we've been to Toronto for music week, kept gigging away, recorded our new record, and we feel that we are ready to take this thing.
The competition will be fierce - Regina has a whole lot of really killer bands and we're not taking this lightly. We know we're gonna have to bring it, hard. In round 1 (March 27th) we will be up against not only our good friends in MEJIA, but also Andrew's side project VUDU HOUNDS. Plus another two bands that we don't know yet, but we're sure will also be great.
What I need from YOU fine folks is to come to the competition!!! Round one will be March 27th at the Exchange, in Regina. First band hits the stage at precisely 8pm. And I need you to show your support for Braindead Romeo - dance, shout, sing along as per usual. We want our show to be something special.
After all, the Queen City Rocks. But let's show everyone which Queen City band rocks the hardest.
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New Single!!!!
Hey guys n' gals. Fantastic news. New Braindead Romeo music!!!
You might recognize the tune if you've been to one of our shows in the last while - it's the catchy little punk number we call "Flies on the Horses." What you HAVEN'T heard is the awesome production value, tonal clarity, spit n polish that only a studio version can provide. And it freakin' rocks hard, man. It's probably the favourite song of everyone in the band.
So here's what we did. The song is posted, first of all, to our band page and available for download and streaming. Secondly, we worked hard creating a fantastic lyric video and posted it to YouTube. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh8DfyXwAr0
Going forward, we will be creating another kind of... "making of" video as an installment into our new Deep Cuts video series. Flies on the Horses will be the first of these, in which we'll break down one of our songs within about two minutes and tell you everything you need to know about it.
We will also soon be organizing the distribution and manufacture of the physical copies of the full album, WHITE NOIZE CITY. It's almost here!!! At that point, we'll be booking a show for a release party.
Last thing I need to tell you, we've submitted an application to 104.9 the Wolf's QUEEN CITY ROCKS competition. We partook last year, and though we didn't win we've come back leaner, meaner, and hungry to prove our worth. We would love to have your support during these months, there are big things afoot!!!!!!
Thanks for all you do. Andrew / BR
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Flies on the Horses... so close!
Right now the four members of the band are grooving to the sweet headbanging fury of our newly recorded track, "Flies on the Horses." Just got back the first mix, and damn it's hot. Listening to it side by side with even the superior "Comin' Up Roses" puts the latter to absolute shame sonically.
SO! We have a few final adjustments to make, just small stuff you probably wouldn't notice anyway... and then this song is going to be released into the general population. And hopefully, like a viral infection, you all drop dead from blown ear drums, melted faces, busted guts, etcetera etcetera.
Farewell for now, we'll chat soon :)
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Random fucking Thoughts.
Ok, so being inside of the music industry is fucking weird. Yeah, there's a rant coming. Yeah, I've had too fucking much to drink. Who cares? Here we go.
On an independent level, it means the following. You, as a member of your band, will always see yourself as greater than your fans see you. That's just a fact. You are writing the music, recording the album, thinking of the themes, envisioning the style, long before the masses, the fans, ever get to see it. That's harsh. They are still seeing a year-old version of you, It's a version of you that - from your point of view - absolutely sucks. "Man, I could have played that guitar part so much better now..." , "Man, the mixing on this record was shit,,," , "Man, I wish I could have another crack at that harmony vocal line..." It goes fucking on and on.
Meanwhile, you're writing all this great new music that's turning you on to your band all over again, and you wish your fans could have the same experience. But what are you gonna do? Leak a track? You're not gonna leak a track. It's not done yet, it's not perfect. SO YOU WAIT. And your fans have the same impression of your music and your band month after month, mounting and mounting.
Modern music posits that bands should continually release music, on a track-by-track basis. Maybe they're right, and it would work better. But as artists, we're still holding on to this idea of an ALBUM, a unified piece of art, which is bigger than the sum of its parts. Is that vain? Probably. But musicians are egotistical, that's the way of the world.
From a label point of view, they're only interested in milking you as a fucking commodity. They rape your art, they buy and sell your soul. You're a DOLLAR SIGN to these fuckers, and you know what the kicker is? Labels these days are so hard-up for cash, they're not even willing to take the big gambles on bands that could make them millions and forever change music. They are stuck in their mold, afraid to move, afraid to speak, lest their money run out. "Stick with what works." "Don't bore us, get to the chorus." It's all fucking bullshit, and when business prospers, you know what vanishes? ART. Dark Side of the Moon would never get made in today's economy. Neither would the White Album. Hell, neither would Appetite for Destruction.
I don't know what this tirade means. It means I'm pissed off, I suppose. It means that music has so much potential, but no support. Fans? You WISH you were fans. There are no more die hards for new bands. And that is most depressing of all.
Am I wrong? Tell me off in the comments section. But I bet nobody even fucking reads this. "braindead romeo has a new blog entry... who the fuck cares???" I am an island.
But at least I can play the fucking blues.
-Andrew.
Reply