Seems like just about every day I am hearing about a new “supergroup” of sorts being put together. A group of musicians who have other main bands getting together to make an album. This is yet another by product of the shrinking record business. If you aren’t selling any real copies of your albums with your main band, maybe be in five bands at the same time and combined there might be some sales? Or maybe even have a hit with the side band (if that were to ever happen the main band would likely be abandon no doubt). I am not judging these artists for doing these things. I would never begrudge anyone doing what they can to make a living and survive in a business where 10,000 copies sold gets you top 10 on Billboard and sadly off the charts three weeks later in many cases. The truth is some artists making great new music are selling around 2-5000 copies. Some even less. So I get the multi tasking. I also have to laugh at how criticized a guy like Mike Portnoy was for taking this approach a few years ago. Guess what? Now it’s the norm and Mike having a few bands seems more than normal. Almost everyone is doing it. I miss the days when seeing your favorite band or musicians was a once a year very special thing. This all feeds in to the over touring and over exposure of some artists. Some are actually hurting their draw they play so often. Some are going less is more and actually getting paid better for playing less. Again, everyone does what they have to in order to survive, I get that. But what is frustrating about some of these “projects” is the almost total lack of real support for them. As fans we get invested in this stuff, buy the music (hopefully), and then sometimes don’t even see a live show happen. Then a month later we are hearing about another band with some of the same members to buy that release! It’s getting hard to keep up with all of this and it’s my job to do so. So I can’t even imagine how convoluted it must be to the casual rock fan to sort out. Some of these bands are good and have the right intentions. They actually all get in a room, work together, and try and make a real run with it. Others are a bunch of tracks emailed back and forth by guys that never even met or were ever in the same room, cut together with pro tools, throw it out and see what happens. These are often bad and dilute the scene and often have no chemistry or shot at success. I personally was directly involved in one of these projects that worked, The Winery Dogs. Those guys made the band a priority, all recorded and wrote together, and toured their asses off the promote it (and made an amazing album!). Now in down time they are all doing some other stuff but will reconvene in 2015 to continue. But sadly I see so many of these bands jam the pipeline and you can just tell it’s never going to happen. No real label support, no chemistry, no live shows, no great songs. Just throw some names together and see what happens. I hope we get more things like The Winery Dogs breaking through (relatively speaking as far as rock is concerned these days), but the formula I am seeing for so many of these bands does not bode well for that to happen. I’m curious to read your comments as a rock fan what you think of all these bands and are you bothered when you buy the music and it never goes beyond an album release? As always all opinions welcome.
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It used to be that record companies developed the artist, Imagine if Aerosmith or Kiss released those debut albums today. They would probably get dropped quickly .Hell the Beatles would probabaly get dropped after 1 album these days. Can’t blame people for trying to generate interest by playing with other name musicians. That said it doesen’t mean the music will be inspired or the songs any good. It also doesn’t mean they will have the most important thing which is chemistry. But look at solo artists like Ozzy, Bowie, Rob Zombie. Alice Cooper, They have a lot of musicians pass through their bands. The Winery Dogs and Black Country Communion could develop into something special if they continued.
You can’t back that far to make the argument relative. Totally different time and those bands were groundbreaking. With today’s artists, it is what it is.
Eddie, rumor @the rainbow has Paul Stanley collaborating w/Jimmy Ashhurst and Tracy Guns on an album and U S tour. Ashhurst and Stanley are hangin together in weho if that means anything. Is this a go?
Over the last few decades the rock genre has produced a few best sellers (The Firm, Asia, Mr. Big) as well as some high quality, low-sales impact bands (Blue Murder, Fastway). There has never been a shortage of musical communions, but it does appear that we are overrun with them as of late.
I also respect an artist’s need to make a living, but some of these supergroups lack the heart. Truth is, from my perspective as a fan, most of these types of bands are just being marketed as “products” or projects” and by CDs end, feel that way. It essentially is a couple of middlemen away from the ugly Corporate Rock tag. I have absolutely nothing against the guys in Chickenfoot getting together as pals for a jam, dropping an album and seeing what sticks. I just find that most of the time it sounds like an extension of one member’s former/current gig than a fresh new sound.
Plus even if there was support, there may be too many conflicting schedules for a tour, so why get excited about the possibility of a live show when one or more of the super dudes cannot participate? I think it is a sort of desperate attempt to try capitalize in a Cream-esque style of marketing, but also a bit pointless when you consider how little CDs sell these days and touring is the only aspect where money can be made.
Its like making an album. Sometimes there’s magic, sometimes its only filler.
The no live part is what bums me out or its concentrated to NYC or LA and not everyone is near there to attend a show or like you said, there is a quick tour and they abandon the group to go back to other stuff. Chickenfoot is the one that drives me the nuttiest about this.
I think as rock fans most of us get the “super group” concept and accept it for what it is. If they make a good album, go on a fun tour, and never play together again then I’m good with that because I for one don’t get emotionally involved in ANY group anymore…I guess that’s a product of my age. I’m 53 years old and I guess I’m fortunate because the one group that I did get emotionally involved in during my formative years was AC/DC and they are still going amazingly strong into their fourth decade. I realize that their chapter is coming to a close here soon, and I can accept that.
Let’s face it…most of us who are heavy metal and hard rock fans live on the memories and recordings of our favorite bands because they aren’t making music anymore. Just a fact of life…every generation goes through it as they grow old. Lol, my mom (85 years old and still kicking) still loves her Jerry Lee Lewis albums!
The supergroup is nowadays a couple of older rock guys who are trying for a few more money grabs before it’s over. It is so manufactured, that it is like the metal ballad from the 80’s…every band had to do one, well now as soon as you get to a certain age you join a super group. Look at that group with Gene Simmons, Joe Elliot, Sabastian Bach and a few guys from GnR I think (can’t remember the name) but they went on tour throughout Europe for a few months. They are all doing it and look at a band like Def Leppard,,,where half of the band has side projects…times are very different for everybody and they are trying to make the most money they can. Even the pop bands of today are making some money on singles but mostly they make money touring, or putting out crappy perfume, etc