#1 Allen Iverson fan Todd Larson wrote:
> You know, this sort of musical Gresham's Law -- that bad music
> represents a threat to the good -- has been discussed here
> before...<snip>....This kind of thinking smacks of an elitism that
> I can't tolerate -- as if the "sucky" bands are doing something
> they shouldn't be allowed to do, or are actually harming the bands
> a certain cogniscenti deem to be "real" (read, band with chops,
> bands that are sincere, bands that write "good" songs, etc. ) If
> you think a band sucks, fine, but don't blame them for turning off
> audiences from stuff you happen to like better.
In the case of introducing outsiders/newcomers to the
alt.country/bluegrass/whatever, I think it's a matter of pragmatism
rather than elitism. A good example is a good friend and his wife
visiting me in Chicago. Neither of them have ever listened to
anything rootsy and the only alt.country they owned was on tapes I
made them for Xmas every year. I took them to see Blue Mountain
open for Robbie Fulks and they were converted. They've since gone
on to see the Wacos, BR5-49, V-Roys and many others.
Now it's not to say that they'd never again check out roots music if
I took them to see Moonshine Willy and they hated them. But
given most people's busy schedules and abundant entertainment
choices, there's a good chance a lousy band (and it's not solely a
matter of chops or a lack thereof) *would* turn them off to roots
music for good. How many of us have gone back to a restaurant we
hated the first time around?
Bummed that there was no good place to insert the phrase "shit
sick,"
Dave
***
Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport
Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
