A few years ago, The Fleet Foxes burst onto the scene with their angelic harmonies, and it was like nothing anyone had heard since the days of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It was totally disruptive to everything else we had been hearing at the time, and that disruption (just like it frequently does) led to a massive trend.
Well, I’m here to say I’m sick and tired of that trend. It makes me want to barf on my lap. Guys with beards looking up at the sky and trying to hit the high note is ridiculous. If we don’t turn this around, we’re all going to be really ashamed of ourselves when we look back in a few years. Just because two guys in a band have a beard doesn’t make them any different from Evan and Jaron.
Over the past 4 years, all you needed was any one of the following things to get noticed by music bloggers 1) beards, 2) an animal in your band name, 3) a standing drummer, or 4) 3-part harmonies. It was a sure fire way to try and get attention, like girls who wear skirts in the winter or people who run marathons.
I want to rock. I want someone that looks like Rex Chapman with absolutely zero sideburns and a hint of a mullet screaming into a microphone. Can someone please send us something that rocks?
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Man, you got this dead on right
LOL. Listen to the new Delta Spirit – you’ll be happy.
thats what Blind Melon is for my man…..go back to the Melon.
I’ll have to politely disagree with you, fella. Think of the Beatles, for example. I don’t think the Beatles would have been the same if they didn’t harmonize. Or, what about Simon and Garfunkel? Harmony is pretty much their thing.
I love this quote….
“It was a sure fire way to try and get attention, like girls who wear skirts in the winter or people who run marathons.”
Anyone have any 26.2 or 13.1 stickers?
Even though I like the Avett Brothers, I’m also tired of this trend.
Hi!!
Is difficult to say… Depends what you are looking for. I think that exist music for everybody. For example I preffer rock and I do it too.
Maybe you can harmonize with rock? It’s possible that??
Regards!!
Hahaha!!! I just died reading this. “like girls who wear skirts in the winter or people who run marathons.” I live in AZ where this is definitely an everyday “call for attention” with many people.
AZ music scene in decent at the moment….we have Kongos, Mergence, Snake Snake Snakes! (fantastic live), Bears of Manitou, and we are claiming Fun (because Nate from the Format is the singer and he is from here).
True dat- agree 100%. Unfortunately, the Hearya Blog has been complicit in heavily promoting this hippy dippy crap. Thanks to them, day after day my inbox is filled with effeminate, granola eating, pastoral musical offerings. Yuck!
Hope the rest of the hopheads at Hearya pull their heads away from their bongs long enough to realize there’s more interesting music being made than by those retreading old Neil Young. Even HE got sick of that shit.
“I’d like to teach the world to sing” too, right after I kick it in the mouth!
pah ha ha that was funny. to add fuel to the fire, check out Dream of the 1890s – Portlandia: http://youtu.be/mPKe9OfWs-M
Sounds like you need to check out the new Van Halen album.
Two words…..Steel Panther
http://www.steelpantherrocks.com/events/default.aspx
I have no sideburns whatsoever (mainly due to my gender) and sent you my band, Day Sailor’s, music about 11 days ago… check it out. I promise I only have 1 band member with a beard.
Personally I have a beard because my wife likes it and I am not particularly fond of shaving. Here is a song with no harmonizing, no animal name, just rock and roll. Falling by My Kickdrum Heart
No harmonies here and no animal in the band name! What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wytfnq_OvdY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
J Roddy Walston and the Business are pure rock and roll http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpyeX-A_FpQ
I’ve been checking this site daily for years and finally (finally!) a Rex Chapman reference. About effing time too.
How about harmonized rock n roll? Listen to the Mother Hips.
This is so funny. Most of the bands here in Akron (with the exception of The Black Keys, only cause they don’t really count) have beards and do the Fleet Foxes thing… Our band is totally clean shaven just to spite these people! We think we rock, but that’s still up for debate!
“Can someone please send us something that rocks?”
Ladies & gentlemen, I present for your consideration…Killed By Art. Hard rock with a metallic edge and sludgy, sleazy groove, straight outta Dayton, OH. Put the top down and your horns up!
http://killedbyart.bandcamp.com/