SLOWCOASTER!!! wow. mind. blown.

[paisley]

I know things

[Deeps]

Calling Steven from SlowCo a wanker and likeing NERO' date=' BnB and The Fatties unabashedly is a conflict of interest and not seeing that Steven is ahead of the game in terms of the quality and approach to the instrument in some realms is well IMO ... blind.[/quote']

All of which would make sense to me, except for the fact I have read just as many (probally more) bad reviews/opinons on here about each of those bands as I have about SloCo.

Sorry man, but I still don't get where your going with this. What I see is alot of people like/love SloCo and a few don't.

I haven't been around long enough to read the reviews of which you speak and as such my experience is only a slice of the picture.

I'm seeing the bigger bands not get criticised and the younger ones take it on the nose. I guess the older bands already got that and not unlike this had little to go on, other than some people like and some people don't.

I was hoping for the predictable and impassioned...the stories just aren't there with the young bands today and when I was young the wanking was better argument. To which I predictably retort...it's just different, and not worse.

Music Rules.

[boiler]

[color:purple]yeah, listen with your feet, not your ears!

I try but everybody keeps telling me to put my shoes back on.

[SmoothedShredder]

DOES MARCELLUS WALLACE LOOK LIKE A BITCH?

If you put a dress on him, for sure!

So how's everyone's March Madness brackets looking?

[gentlemonkey]

the slowcoaster guys are all like 30, which also is the age of gtb, nero, bnb, jsb... and DEEPS!

They have also been together since 1999 or something, which is almost a decade.. so yaaa.

[Deeps]

Replace young with ... still producing new material and trying to forge something more than what they've got.....sorry.

[Esau.]

Just for the record, being one of the old Fat Cats loving board members...

I have liked SloCo since I was introduced to their music in 2002-2003 from a friend in Cape Breton. I even tried to get them up here back then, but it wasn't the right time I guess.

I was glad to finally see them on the same bill as Fatties as its something I have talked about for awhile.

[YearsAlongTheSea]

I like stuff.

Funny you should say that. I was just thinking about how much I like 'things,' and wondering how well the two would go together...

[boiler]

I think this is the lyrical equivalent of a lazy two-chord vamp:

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry yourself to sleep, cry yourself to sleep

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry baby, cry yourself to sleep

Oh you can't change me, oh you can't change me

Go and cry, cry yourself to sleep

Oh you can't, no you can't, no you can't change me

Go and cry, try, cry yourself to sleep

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry yourself to sleep, cry yourself to sleep

Oh you can't change me, no

Cry, cry yourself to sleep

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry yourself to sleep, cry yourself to sleep

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry yourself to sleep, cry yourself to sleep

Cry baby, cry baby, look me in the eye baby (you can't change me, you can't change me)

You can't change me

Cry baby, cry baby, look me in the eye baby

You can't change me

Cry baby cry, look me in the eye baby

You can't change me

Cry baby cry, look me in the eye baby

You can't change me

from "You Can't Change Me"

by Slowcoaster

from the same song, not just the chorus being repeated at the end:

This could be anywhere or you could be anyone or

If this is a catastrophe or it's hardcore blasphemy

It's half horsepower up a steep steep hill

It's rabid nuns with the urge to kill

It's an anti climax with an overtone

I'm trying to call god on my cellular phone

But...

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry yourself to sleep, cry yourself to sleep

You can't change me, you can't change me

So cry baby, cry yourself to sleep

It could be anytime or it could be any place or

If this is a catastrophe or it's hardcore blasphemy

There's burnt out cars on the side of the road

There's 18 wheelers with empty loads

There's my open letter to the king of the world

We're selling our souls for the love

But...

seems alright to me.

While I agree with Booche, it's not right just to say a band is good just because they happen to be playing in your hometown and you like to party. However if you're going to be a fan of music and like to move around to the sounds, it doesn't have to be music derived from John Coltrane. Fuck I would go see AC-DC before Trey any day. I think we can all agree having a band like slowcoaster in Canada is a good thing and it would be good to see them keep it going. It's a hard thing to do in this country. I think it's good to show a little support and enthusiasm for them.

[Booche]

I think we can all agree having a band like slowcoaster in Canada is a good thing and it would be good to see them keep it going. It's a hard thing to do in this country.

Cheers. I hope they pack every bar they play.

[boiler]

Cheers. I hope they pack every bar they play.

yup!

[Deeps]

I think we can all agree having a band like slowcoaster in Canada is a good thing and it would be good to see them keep it going. It's a hard thing to do in this country.

Agreed.

Please also note that at no point in this conversation would I list my band. We are young and evolving and haven't hit our stride anywhere near to the level that ALL of the bands I did mention have.

I understand my place at the table and offer any of my thoughts as a person who is interested in debating music and not as a member of a band that "deserves" better. We're not entitled to anything, but hopefully will earn some of what our brothers have already got. Respect.

Cheers

Deeps

[boiler]

Respect is over rated. It's better to just rock.

[Deeps]

[paisley]

while I've always enjoyed the band that was a kick seeing 200 grinning bouncing bodies doing so too

[edger]

Let me just start by saying that I like Slowcoaster. I like What the Thunder Said. I do not have a running list of bands that are ranked in accordance to my preferences. I do not have the time for that, and I think it would be a futile exercise. The rest of what I will say is just random thoughts in response to previous random posts.

First off I don’t think listening with your feet and not your ears has to be an either or scenario. I do not believe that the two are mutually exclusive at all times. I don’t always have to dance, but I sure like to if the music inspires me to. I do not have the technical expertise to break everything down and analyze each part of a song. When I am at a live performance I am even less likely to engage in such analysis. I save that for when I am listening to music at home generally. And while I think discussing such things has its benefits, I certainly wouldn’t think that my opinion or judgment is any more or less valid than the next persons (well except for maybe MarcO, Booche, and Hamilton). Poke, poke. However, when it comes to having input on what makes ME feel good, I seem to trust myself on that one. As Alabama Man said “people like what they likeâ€. And I don’t think taste always requires or demands an explanation. I like the fact that we all have different taste buds.

“Good†is a relative and objective term. There is no magic formula. This has always been the case. It is not something that has failed to transcend time. I’m sorry Deeps but reducing the experiences that I have had at Fatties, or Burt shows, (or any number of shows including from some of the bands that you are trying to defend here) to amounting to little more than recreational perks that I may or may not have ingested is offensive to me, and just plain inaccurate. There were bands (old and new) that I was not overly enthusiastic about even way back when I was getting all “fucked upâ€. I somehow was able to form an opinion despite my state of mind. In fact, I still like to get good and “altered†once in a while, but not so that I can trick myself into liking a band. In fact a crappy band can really put a damper on a good buzz. Regardless of my general state of mind, I never seem to get to the point where I can’t discern what the music is doing, or how it is making me feel. Sure a “party vibe†and all that goes along with it, can enhance a musical experience for me, and get my feet a moving, but I would argue that the band’s ability is an essential piece to that puzzle. That vibe does not evolve out of nothing, and it especially does not evolve out of a magic little pill or bottle (in my experience anyways).

Also, I am curious as to where you draw the line between old and new? If Nero decides to reunite, or if the Fatties or Burt or whoever release some new material are they still confined to the label that is “oldâ€? Jimmy Swift Band and Grand Theft Bus have been around for a relatively long time. I’m just curious what your “criteria†might be? Also, if you refer to the current CTMF thread, you will see that your band seems to have been “lumped in with the old†Would you consider this a “successâ€, or a sure-fired sign of your ultimate demise? I would argue it doesn’t mean much of anything. I just feel that drawing a fine line or dichotomizing old and new is a shaky exercise at best.

People compare their new experiences (including musical listening experiences) to those that they have had before (whether way back in the past, or relatively new experiences). I would say that this goes for anything in life and will not change. None of us are a blank slate. We all have our underlying presumptions, preferences, biases, etc. This is not a newfound scenario. The Fat Cats, BNB and Nero were all exposed to the same challenges “way back whenâ€. They too were likely compared to other bands that came before, and after them for that matter. This continues to this day. I was thinking the exact same thing when Greg mentioned that there are just as many people who slag these bands for any number of reasons. This will always be the case. It can be both motivating, and discouraging to be labeled or compared when you are trying to express yourself artistically in your own unique way. But that’s the way it is. You can’t resent that. Don’t get exasperated. And don’t feel that you are alone in your experience. Perhaps this gives you a bit of a window of the perseverance, blood, sweat and tears that is required to stand the test of time.

Nostalgia, and people’s taste or allegiance to any of these bands will not define what happens to your band or to the Slowcoasters of the world. You will carve out your own place in this “scene†at your own accord. Much of this will be beyond your control, as it is for those who have come before you, and who will come after you. Not all bands that deserve it, get rich and famous. Most don’t. And a hell of a lot of bands that perhaps don’t deserve it, do. But again that analysis is subjective.

I agree with you Deeps (and many others) that intricacy has nothing to do with the quality or listenability of a band. Some of the most beautiful, moving, and emotional pieces of music are very simple. Their simplicity is often what makes them beautiful. In relation to that, wankery and intricacy are not the same thing. Wankery is never pleasant (again, in my subtle opinion). Anyways, all comments forwarded are meant with all due respect. Long live good music, whether it be old and in the way, or new, fresh and inspiring (or both).

[YearsAlongTheSea]

On another topic: Why does no one dance? Seriously, anyone at GTB the other night? It was like people were watching a lecture on the holocaust where alcohol was served....

[edger]

Some of my questions were answered/qualified while I was in the midst of compiling my above post.

Peace.

[paisley]

On another topic: Why does no one dance? Seriously, anyone at GTB the other night? It was like people were watching a lecture on the holocaust where alcohol was served....

Toronto can be a hard crowd... not always, especially not if there's a strong out of city representation

the worst is when you get the "zombie line"... people who feel their $8/$10 admission grants them the right to stand directly in front of the stage and shoot dirty looks back at anyone who's dancing behind them... if you get 30 people in such a line it can be almost impenetrable

best call is get up front before the band begins so you can start the dancin off proper

(hilarious -> the first link that came up in checking the spelling of "impenetrable" on Google was a paper entitled "In Defense of Impenetrable Zombies")

Edited March 19, 2007 by Guest
yup

[Jakis]

also, all the people dancing were at the slowcoaster show

[YearsAlongTheSea]

also, all the people dancing were at the slowcoaster show

I've already expressed my regrets...

[Deeps]

Some of my questions were answered/qualified while I was in the midst of compiling my above post.

Peace.

Your comments were well put Edger and will be taken to heart. I think we are carving our own niche, but really need to refine what our sound is.

As for being lumped in with the other acts, that's a tough call. I like good music and they definitely represent it, but I do not think we as a band are in a position to survive being a predictable add to a bill right now.

If we are not showing with new material then I don't really want to showcase anything.

We need to write and it needs to be the most important move for us. Schlepping the same 12 tunes around Ontario anymore would be artisticly a defeat for us.

There's a window into where we're at.

Cheers,

Deeps

[ollie]

Respect is over rated. It's better to just rock.

This is the smartest post in the whole thread.

[bouche]

That is a very cool video and a nice funky tune taboot.

[kookycanooky]

No one danced at a GTB show?!? OH MY GOD!

Maybe its cause they stopped performing their good older tunes and started writing indi-style, hard-to-dance-to songs like "photograph". what a load of crap, Sorry but its true. There are those who like the new direction and those who hate it. I used to concider them one of my favorite touring bands and i've seen them nearly 20 times. but no more for me, thanks.

They pass the microkorg around the stage like a friggin' bong, its really lame.