long time runnin' Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 Lyrics are seen by many as tough to come up with. I guess they are, but at the same time, so many lyrics seem to make no sense at all. This is kind of the point, that the listener not "crack the code" of meaning, but come up with his/her own. People construe what they hear into the context of their own experience. So hell, just write what you feel, and someone somewhere will say "Wow, that's deep." ie: I've been to Hollywood I've been to Redwood, I've crossed the ocean..., I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line Now, there could be hidden profoundity there, but I doubt it. (and don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Neil Young fan, this is just an example) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time runnin' Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 With respect to Wassabi's influence on me earlier this year, I share the sentiments of the guy who started this thread. I was unaware of plagirism. However, if it's an obvious lyrical rip-off, it's not right. It's a shame, otherwise Irie Island is a great tune. I'm sure a lot of their stuff is original. Like "the room," which the skinny, sultry miramba player used to sing on her own. Man, she could sure play those tubes. In fact, Wassabi kind of lost it's appeal for me after the two miramba players left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time runnin' Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 by the way, if you want any more Wassabi lyrics, try leaving a request in the Guestbook at Wassabi.net. I did this and within 24 hours was emailed the lyrics I wanted by the skinny, sultry miramba player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 quote:Originally posted by long time runnin': Lyrics are seen by many as tough to come up with. I guess they are, but at the same time, so many lyrics seem to make no sense at all.As somebody who has written lyrics, I can tell you that from my experience at least it's often trickier to write a good "nonsensical" lyric than something that has an obvious literal meaning. If it was easy, there'd be a zillion Bob Dylans & Tom Waitses in the word, but there ain't. There are a lot of people who try to write things that are as good as those guys (myself included) but wind-up short most of the time. Writing good lyrics is the same as writing good music - in the same way there are a limited number of notes and chords we can put together, there are a limited number of words we can put together in a way that makes sense, particularly if we have to scan it against some piece of music and make it rhyme. There's a lot of art and craft, and if I can be a little cheesy about it, even magic to it. To some people to be sure lyrics don't matter much, but to others they are as important or more perhaps even more important than the music, particularly in things like the folk tradition. Most Dylan or Leonard Cohen songs would suck as instrumentals, but they are two of the most covered songwriters ever. You gotta think it has something to do with the words. Peace, Mr. M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phred Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 quote: Originally posted by Velvet: Hey 'ersh, I wanna see that 13 note-per-octave piano of yours! I guess technically they have twelve, but maybe you could count the root and the octave, and that would give you 13. Or, 'ersh has got one freaky ass piano. Maybe like this: PS - closing in on hall of fame status... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 Glenn here from the Wassabi management crew… We all feel that there needs to be a little response to the threads that are around regarding wassabi lyrical content. The band has never claimed these lyrics to be theirs and give a fair amount of props onstage when using someone’s lyrics. If you look at the Masqurade Sessions CD on the back, there are no claims to the songs belonging to anyone… just a copyright on reproducing the cd. Inside the cd you will find credit for design and photos and such but again, no claim of ownership of the songs. So basically they have missed giving ANYONE credit for the songs. We thank everyone for pointing out our lacking professionalism because nobody even thought about it until now…. and we will strive in the future to make sure all the angles are covered and everyone gets the respect they truly deserve. Remember, this is the bands first cd release, they did it all themselves, and sold 4500 copies of it! This is without lawyers, corporate agents or a record label and mistakes do happen. The intention was pure. A new studio album is in the works and all credits will be given on the cd no matter how deep we have to dig. The independently released Masqurade Sessions WILL NOT be reprinted again and the band is now sold out of copies. In my personal opinion regarding cover tunes, I respect this band for taking their influences and sculpting them into a new artistic thing rather then a carbon copy or straight up cover of a tune. Hearing some other guitarist rip the same lick or a singer singing the same melody bores me. The jamband scene has always had a love for cover tunes… I don’t think anyone can argue that… and the most interesting covers are the ones that the bands turn in to a new and vibrant sound of their own. Peace g-dub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarfmaster C Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 i think that's pretty weak. you copy lyrics straight out - anyone knows you gotta give credit - out of respect more than anything! who cares about the legal bullshit - respect your fellow musicians! by not explicitly giving credit you are taking credit yourself -- that's like not telling the truth is different from lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samma Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 "...We would like to thank you all for pointing out our lack of professionalism..." "...In the future, we will strive to cover all the angles..." What the hell is this crap??? Do you work for Bill Gates, Mr. "management crew" dude? (Is Wassabi even big enough for a management "crew"??) Ok, ok, I admit it, I was at a lot of Wassabi shows, but maybe I smoked a bit too much, or something... was it really so great? Maybe Wassabi released a gas that made us all like them! They do rip off music though. I have heard quotes from Hendrix, Ben Harper, and Phish tucked carefully in the middle of songs, and not in an obvious way either. Changed the melodies just enough to trick the un-trained ear. Not cool, and I don't buy this above explanation. Not for a second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 quote: Originally posted by glenn: A new studio album is in the works and all credits will be given on the cd no matter how deep we have to dig. Wow. It shouldn't have to be that hard to give proper credit. I love Wassabi but if they're going to come to town and I'm going to pay $10 - $12 to see 'em, why shouldn't I expect them to be professional as can be on every level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 Last time I went to a Wassabi show it was $8. There were 4 of them. That's $2 per person. For the amount I dance at a Wassabi show, I'd say it's worth giving each of them a Twoonie... The cost, in my opinion, is irrelevant. As for the "giving credit" issue, maybe they were naive, or mislead, or maybe they thought they could get away with it. I don't know and I don't care... Let them give proper credit on their next album, and just continue to do what they do best: create some of the most energetic dance music I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying live. Get your asses back to Ontario! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted December 2, 2003 Report Share Posted December 2, 2003 Derek, who used to play marimba for WC, made an interesting post on the jamhub board Check it out if you're interested in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 holy Wassabi started out as buskers... playing what people wanted to hear with a funky rhythym... unexpected to them, they got really popular as they learned how to get people dancing on street corners, that turned into a whirlwind of touring for almost 2 years out of which a live album came out (during the 1st year) the people who threw together their live album for them overlooked putting in credits, the album wasn't put out by Warner Bros... after any show if you asked about a song they would say "oh yeah those lyrics are from that ___ song"... they didn't announce it on stage the same as the Fat Cats don't say "that was a Grateful Dead song" every time it was a live album produced in haste containing an unintentional oversight... pretty sure you have other live shows in your collection where Not Fade Away or Frankenstein aren't listed to the author plagorizing is bad... the second someone asked the band they said "oh yeah, those aren't our lyrics"... thats a little different than proclaiming this ablum contains only lyrics written by the members of Wassabi I've never seen people have it in so bad for a band... sex cult, dope fiends, ethically uncaring the band admits they made a mistake in not looking over their unprofessionally produced CD carefully enough... you didn't buy it at HMV, you bought it off the band... it was a grassroots production and a first effort oh well, more room to dance finally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ersh Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 quote: Originally posted by paisley: I've never seen people have it in so bad for a band... I have. Oh... and 12, 13, 8 notes in an octave.... whatever... some nights I look down and the keys just keep going and going and going............ Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 What do you call the manager of a cult? Seriously though I'm with what Paisley said, people are going off on this minor oversight. If you're going to quote anyone's lyrics Jeff Buckley's the one to quote (anyone know that M actually MET Jeff at a church show in Toronto before he passed- holy fuck!). I'm just comforted that there are bigger bitches on here than I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarfmaster C Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 quote: it was a live album produced in haste containing an unintentional oversight... it was not an unintentional oversight (see derek's post on jamhub --marco posted the link above) - the group actually came to a consensus to not include the credit. 'chill out!' attitude from what i know of these kids they're trouble, and i'm happy to keep a distance. oh, and i don't think they'd take 'sex cult' as an insult either! (this post, aside from referenced fact, represents my opinion only, and is based on my own experience with a couple of the members of the band before they were rockstars, and a few encounters since then... don't get all offended and such! but feel free to call me a bitch. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estro-Jen Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 Hey All, Jen here...previous Wassabi member...baritone marimba player. As for the current "topic of discussion"...Derek posted our position on this in jamhub. Wassabi did not start out as a busking act. That was Derek (tenor marimba), Stephen (drummer) and myself. Melissa saw Steve playing on the street one night and they brought him into the collective. Derek and I joined later on. The street act was actually called "THUMP!" and was absorbed by the collective. Derek and I are back to playing the streets of Victoria...just because I can't even imagine NOT playing music. We just don't have Stephen with us anymore. Wassabi Collective is an entity that "borrowed" Derek and I for a while. They existed before us and now exist after us. I just wanted to clarify this belief that Wassabi is what Derek and I created. They are two different things...now gone two separate ways. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 heya Jen, sorry for any misinformation towards yourself, Derek or the band... was what I ascertained from a few late late (baked) night conversations with Scotty/Stephen/Melissa truly great to hear you and Derek are keeping the music alive... I miss that energy, hope to see it again sometime back to how the credits were left out, "chilling out" on putting them in was maybe a bad judgement call... I don't think it was a big greedy move more than a stoned can't be bothered one and sincerely doubt it will be repeated (or that any lyrics from other bands will likely be on the following studio albums)... it just doesn't seem worthy of all the hell and brimstone its been inspiring on two discussion boards... we aren't all born pros judging a band because of the actions of a few of their members doesn't usually work out fairly because its like saying all cops are corrupt or all hippies smell because that was the experience you had with the few you ran into... unfortunately you can end up unjustly labeling people who have nothing to do with your experiences the best to everyone, I just wanted to see the rage and horror come down a notch... there are certainly worse things going on in the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 First of all, Jen and Derek, glad to hear you guys are doing well! Best of luck with your music, and of course with the eminent addition to your family! On to the comment I wanted to make: quote: Originally posted by paisley: judging a band because of the actions of a few of their members doesn't usually work out fairly because its like saying all cops are corrupt or all hippies smell because that was the experience you had with the few you ran into... unfortunately you can end up unjustly labeling people who have nothing to do with your experiences Paisley, I get where you're coming from, but I don't think anyone in this thread or else where is saying "the members past and present of Wassabi are all evil pricks for leaving the credits off their CD!" I think what's being said is that, generally as a community, we believe in "credit where credit is due", period. Again, many folks here rallied to bsherman's defence when HIS work was not given proper credit (see the IT poster thread for details .) Nobody that I saw in that post said "chill out dude, they ripped you off but it's not a big deal." Nobody said "let's give the guy who did it the benefit of the doubt." Why should this be any different? And yes I agree, we're not all "born professionals" as you put it, but the concept of plagiarism should be familiar to anyone with a high school education. If you didn't write it, you say who did. All that said, for my part, having had a representative of the band (glenn) acknowledge that, indeed, this was a mistake and one that won't be repeated, well I'm personally okay with that and I can let it go. If others want to hold a grudge or whatever, that's their call. But I think (hope) that everyone agrees the initial action of not crediting other writers was not the right thing to do, and that pointing that out in the first place is a reasonable thing to have done. Peace, Mr. M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarfmaster C Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 good call mr.m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phred Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 The more posts I read of Mr. M the more I tend to agree with him. Except about ELP... Phred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gentlemonkey Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 very well said musicface. You are a very talented and thoughtful writer. and your diplomatic skills are unmatched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 And he's handsome, with good hygiene taboot taboot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 yeah, I agree its definately a good topic and a good point to be made if I picked up a nero CD at a show that had Run Like Hell on it and credit wasn't given to Floyd I just wouldn't be very upset... I know who's song it is and assume everyone else does too... its like a limited edition bootleg only available to people at their shows... if at the same show if I ask the band what song that is and they immediately say its a Floyd song I don't look at it as shifty... if I was picking up a studio nero CD at HMV I would look at it differently main motivation to jump in was just having seen so many vehement anti-wassabi posts in the past year... from blaming the closing of frontier town on them to personal attacks on members to blaming them for somehow corrupting the jam scene with their trance beats, etc... snapped in any case, the thread has served as a good warning to all the lazy jamband home producers out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 Awwwwww schucks, thanks you guys... And Paisley, I'm with you on WC having been given a bad rap in the past for things that were either questionable or have/had nothing to do with them. Personally I've always dug 'em and hope they continue to do well! Peace, Mr. M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fista Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Wow! I can't believe how angry everyone is! Its sad when a really freakin groovin band comes along and gets pissed on for something like this. If your any bit like me, and Im sure some of you are, listening to the same music over and over again gets really f'n tedious these days. The radio has ruined my love for so many bands I used to listen to growing up, so the only sanctuary I have left is "Jam Bands". I just moved from Toronto, where theres a shitload of awesome bands in the area ALL THE TIME, to Vancouver Island (not victoria) where the only cool band that ever comes around is wassabi. They dont even come to my town! I have to drive an hour or so just to see them and I allways love it. The fact that they used jeff buckley's lyrics in a song and didnt give him proper credit is not something that's going to deter me from seeing or listening to them again. What they do for live music is soooo good, especially round here where everyone plays cheesy cover tunes or punk rock or death metal! If, for any reason, this band should lose some very necessary fans on the west coast, and stop coming to my neck of the woods in light of this little thingermerbobber here, I will be truly and deeply disappointed with all my brotha's and sista's for spreading such vibes across our little community here! Lighten up folks! The blues were stolen from their rightful owners long ago - that's a real travesty! leave these guys alone so I am still able to enjoy what sort of a music scene there is here in the mid-island! -katlady's boyfriend, name witheld so as to avoid condescanding remarks that may lead to some sort of a complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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