Syracuse Ska Forum

I know this is a ska message board, but i'm sure some of you have opinions on this...


I'm not too suprised, but it DID catch me a little off guard. They talked a big game on the DVD about major labels, but this move... I'd like to hear the reasoning behind it (Besides $$$, of course)

I like how Sire Records lists SpongeBob SquarePants as one of their artists. I'm NOT kidding.

I really don't care. I saw them for the first time earlier this year in Buffalo and they still seem like awesome dudes. They admittedly changed their sound over the last few years, but that's what bands do; it wasn't because some label wanted them to. They are still good people doing what they love, they still sell their old cds and records, even tapes. They don't hide backstage hating their fans either, their singer was hanging out by the merch table after their set talking to people.

I couldn't be happier. I got into them about three years ago, and have since seen them a couple of times in some tiny places. They have been busting their ass for the past five years, and are talented guys. They deserve it.

If you've seen their DVD they turn down signing to (I think) Universal because they didn't feel it was right, so obviously Sire is a label they feel strongly about being a part of.

Good for them.

i never liked this band, they had trend follwers/sell outs written all over them. same with anti flag. love how all these bands that bitch about major labels and corporations are going against their word.

Since we're all comparing cock size here...

I saw 'them' when it was just Tom in a basement. If that tells ya how long ago it was.

Against Me! was never a super serious ultra political band by any means. They wrote goofy songs, and their 'shows' were just a bunch of friends getting together to have a goofy time. A lot of their stuff in tongue in cheek humor. I have a lot of good memories.

This band, however, has f*ck quite a few people over. More people than I realized. They are not the same group of dudes they used to be. But, whatever, people change, priorities change... it's a fact of life.

I will always like Against Me! for what they used to embody. Now, however, I will not support them by any stretch. Riders, guarentees, contracts, major labels, business and progress over friendship... this is not stuff that belongs in DIY punk rock. I know the concept and history behind it all is totally lost on 85% of the people who go to their shows now. But, whatever.

I heard that latest record, and read the lyrics... one of the worst pieces of shit I've ever had the displeasure to listen to. And I listen to some pretty shitty bands.

When on your latest record you have 4 songs defending yourself against your own fans..... YOU KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM.




I just pulled a Karen-esque rant.

Haha, that you did.

I got into them much later than I would have liked, and have never talked to a single person in the band, so my love for them is based solely on the music and what they used to embody. I'm sure that if I had been into them since the beginning I would have a much different perspective on the entire situation.

What if you write the contract yourself, on paper and ink you made with your own hands?

Would that be DIY enough?

I've met too many bands that got stiffed in their own backyards to begrudge anyone who wants a guarantee and a contract, especially if they're on the road.

But the rest of the stuff, yeah, very un-punk.

Unless the rider amounts to, "we want a cheap case of beer and somebody's floor to sleep on."

(in which case, I would recommend you specify what kind of cheap beer, otherwise you may end up with Keystone or Natty Ice)

Contracts have no place in art. Be that music, a painting, poetry... whatever. As soon as you put a price on it. It loses all substance.

I'm sorry if you disagree with me.

Somewhere, someone much less understanding than you, Mr. Parker, is trying to scrub a homemade Against Me! tattoo off their arm with steel wool.

HAHA.

I guess you can say I just "LOL'd" at that one.

I lost faith in that band when searching for a former clarity came out.

Why? They did most of their damage way before that.

True. But what cd or time would you say they went back on what they stood for?

That implies that artists should trust the world to give back, and that every artist that ever took a paycheck or a patron is a sellout.

...

Can I come live in your dream world? 'cause that don't wash on Planet Reality.