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.
Menu
73 Responses
That joke was moderately amusing about five threads ago.
Come on Bill, don’t be a kill joy.
The one thing that impacts me is that it gets very expensive. It used to be that to follow a band like Dream Theater or Iron Maiden, it was $6.99 for a record, $12.50 for a ticket and $10.00 for a t-shirt every other year. Then every three or four cycles, you’d get the live album for $12.99. Now every year, every cycle it’s $25.99 for the special edition CD, $125 for the ticket, $50 for the shirt, $65 for the deluxe CD/Blu-ray combo, then $17.99 for the drummer’s side project, then $25.99 for the special edition of the singer’s other band, $65 for the deluxe CD/Blu-ray of the one-off LA show… it’s about the record industry, sure, but they are just putting out too much to buy.
There is always a chance that these supergroups are just doing it for the money and that it may never compare to their primary band. But as a music fan, I am willing to give it a listen in hopes that they DO catch lightning in a bottle and have great musical chemistry together. Sometimes the projects just help fill the creative void for the musicians until they can get back to the studio with their main project (if possible). Hell, I’ll take anything Velvet Revolver did over the new G’N”R line up any day! I agree with Eddie on the Winery Dogs 100%. I also really enjoyed Black Country Communion, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season, A Perfect Circle and Probot. When it comes to supergroups, I try to look away from the marketing star power and focus solely on the musical content and how it speaks to me… just as I would when I’m looking for music from a new band.
Interesting take and read.
Are these bands really being formed due to the “shrinking record business”? Possibly, if they are needing the cash. They also could be artist who want to get out and stretch alittle more creatively and do something different and work with other people to freshen up or rejuvenate. I think that might have been some of Potnoy’s logic. Most of these guys are 25-30 plus years in the business. But if they are looking to break the bank and make the big bucks…its not got happen with this genre of music. Sorry to say, its heyday is gone 25 plus years ago. Yeah maybe we have had a little bit of a revival, but nothing to write home about. I know we all wish and still beleive( our inner fanboy/groupie) in this style of music, but it aint gonna happen. Sure outside of the USA you might be able to, but you are still playing small clubs/theaters and playing with multi bands at a festival somewhere in Croatia. Thats where the money is being made..touring…..not record sales. With metal and hard rock it’s highly doubtful you are gonna have a hit and make money that way….hone your craft and tour.
UFO tours, but they’re bread and butter is overseas. They still make records, but the cash is on the road.
There wont be much support, due to ” whats popular now or envogue as far as music”. Metal and hard rock is not the “flavor”. That crowd,us, are geting older. We still support, but maybe it’s not a priority like it used to be and the younger generation does not follow it. Some do I am sure, but not to the extent to have it rise from the grave and dominate.
That leads to intentions, like you mentioned. If they are looking to make a buck, they are doing if for the wrong reasons. When I first read about Joe Lynn Turners new band and how they recorded everything with pro tools….I laughed. Thats sounds like a joke… not a band.
Glenn Hughes, as we know, was in BCC and now California Breed. The former probably more of a supergroup than the later. I think Glenn is a genuine artist and enjoys making music. But I think he and Joe have been looking for their place in the spotlight for years.
As far as what people think of The Winery Dogs and what they have done is a subjective opinion and what your tastes are and if you know them personally. They are solid, talented musicians no dout, but that does not always eqaute into a great band and music. I was not bowled over by what they did, not that it was bad, but nothing memorable to make me keep it in a rotation. It’s solid hard rock, but nothing earth shattering or a revelation. I like what Mike is doing with Flying Colors. I was more excited when Sykes was involved with Portnoy. Sykes is a monster, but thats another discussion.
BCC was solid and had some very good songs. You could probably take all three of they’re studio releases and make one very good one. Chickenfoot? They had some good songs here and there, but like I said, star power does not get you everywhere. I scratch my head with Sammy these days. They may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but out of all of these supergroups I have heard, Them Crooked Vultures, was probably the best in my opinion. Heavy,fresh,inovative, talented,progressive, strong song writing. I can undestand why people would not dig them, it’s all what your ear likes. But I thought they brought the goods.
But really, there was only one “supergroup”.
Led Zeppelin. So discussions of others can stop. 🙂
Eddie,
Any idea how these bands/artists are doing financially? For example, George Lynch. The 19 different bands he’s in nowadays. Do the record sales cumulatively make up the difference he is losing had he just focused on Lynch Mob?
I’m not a fan of this supergroup thing. It’s just way too much to keep track of especially considering most of us are grown adults witn families that just don’t have the time to keep up with it like we were when we were 16! And nowadays that age group has been somehow brainwashed into thinking hip hap, pop and other useless talentless music is the best thing. It’s awful.
I asked this same question a few months back when Eddie wrote on the same topic. Obviously, it’s nobody’s business what a person makes, but it would be interesting to know, in a general sort of way:
Assuming the bigger names in these supergroups (or any notable hard rock or metal muscian) have made big bucks in the past, and have saved some money so they’re not desperate, how much are they making annually now? If $100K annually is deemed a living wage for a professional rock musician, how many supergroup members are making that now? Example: Was the great Peter Steele taking home $100K annually at the time of his death?
The last “supergroup” that knocked my socks off and whose records I bought was Blue Murder.