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Twilight of the Bands

Started by Clive, Fri, 2007-08-03, 10:17:11

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maddox

Quote from: Clive on Tue, 2007-08-14, 12:59:58
well we do seem to have strayed off topic a little....

Arena doesn't plan on entering that Twilight Zone quite yet... if we can write this next album, I reckon we have a little more time left.  :)

Hopefully we will play a few more gigs next year to keep things ticking along until the next release...


That's a good reason to say


YAY!

;D



Ps> sorry for the off-topicness. :D

Cause of Injury: Lack of Adhesive Ducks.

Stuart

Quote from: Nicky007
I found your last two posts very discerning, Stuart. Hope to see some more posts from you. Guys, looks like we got some intelligence up there in kiltland too  ;D

Nicky.

Thanks for the comments Nicky. I like to think we have a few folks with a semblance of intelligence up here in kilt land ;) Of course Alex Salmond doesn't count  :P

Nicky007

Quote from: bluepony on Tue, 2007-08-14, 13:15:43
Ooops... sorry!  :-[

Quote from: maddox on Tue, 2007-08-14, 20:21:40
Ps> sorry for the off-topicness. :D

Yeah, let's have some discipline here!

When Cap's away, I keep the discipline.

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

Nicky007

Quote from: Stuart on Tue, 2007-08-14, 23:54:35
Of course Alex Salmond doesn't count  :P

He seems quite ok, considering that he's a politician  :D

What do you think about Pallas, Stuart? and what other great groups d'you have up there?

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

maddox

Quote from: Nicky007 on Wed, 2007-08-15, 07:54:36
Yeah, let's have some discipline here!

When Cap's away, I keep the discipline.

Nicky.

I think a ' ::)' is in order right now.  ;D
Cause of Injury: Lack of Adhesive Ducks.

Appelmoes??

Quote from: Nicky007 on Wed, 2007-08-15, 07:54:36
When Cap's away, I keep the discipline.
OMG...

Come on dutchies, let's hide in the dutch corner of this forum 8)
For some good reading visit:""Fluffy Kittens of DOOM"!

My drawings on MySpace


Nicky007

#56
Hey, you guys are too much. How about some respect for the old and wise  ;D

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

bluepony

Please remind me - what was this 'respect' thing again?  ;)

Stuart

#58
At the risk of a backlash, one way for Arena to raise some cash right now would be to release the (very) long awaited Contagion Max.

OK I've said it now . . .

::)

bluepony

A good thing you mention it, Stuart.  :)  I'd buy one!!

PH

Contagion Max release now, or else!!!




;)

Appelmoes??

I'd pay double for a mixed version of the Max... I've made one for myself, but if Clive will mix one it would be sooooo much better..

Read that Clive? ;)
For some good reading visit:""Fluffy Kittens of DOOM"!

My drawings on MySpace


maddox

Me thinks that Contagion Max will be an item worth waiting for.  *horns*

But not too long i hope.  ;D
Cause of Injury: Lack of Adhesive Ducks.

bluepony

But haven't we been waiting for years?!

JJ II

Okay, let me try to get back on topic.

I think it's not only downloading that counts for falling sales. It's a shift in preferences as well. Old prog-fans have families to take care of (or other business) and younger people tend to either have different interests (gaming) or other musical tastes.

Some acts are still doing very well, but they are more in the gothic/metal scene. One of them I like is Within Temptation (check their last one out!), but Ayreon and spin-offs are doing relatively well. Also Porcupine Tree manages to do well (they are playing Broadway in New York, for example and I saw their advert BIG on Madison Square Garden this month).

Marillion I consider a different chapter as they were BIG in the 80's and will always have more access to media than IQ or Arena, based on that. But Marillion did something smart: they used their core following to get a hit in the charts (it worked, they had a top-10 hit only few years ago, here in Holland and they were on top-of-the-pops again).

I alwayst thought that InsideOut was doing a great job in Germany, marketing-wise and I still think it's sad that most british prog-acts are struggling so much on their own. I think when the bands Clive mentioned would join forces, they would be able to make far better deals marketing-wise, but also towards merchandise, gear, venues, they would be a much stronger force.

So, my suggestions:
- support a big act (a tour with Yes or Genesis?)
- work together with all great prog acts in the UK
- release live-albums of every tour
- write a gothic album
- drop any male singer above 30... [sorry, wasn't being serious on this]

Nicky007

#65
Fine contribution to the debate, JJ.

I would like to stress the importance of animating the closest people, i.e. friends, colleagues, family.

I mentioned earlier that I use any opportunity to play some music that links to the person's current taste and preferably extends it.

Another example is that I have a few friends and acquaintances who are as adventurous as I consider myself. Every so often I make a CD with some of the newest pearls from my collection (Pallas' Last Angel and Ghostdancers will be on the next). These friends are always very appreciative, and they actually play the stuff (which everyone else pretty much doesnt).

In these ways, and several others, each of us can make our own small contributions to spreading the gospel of prog.

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

bluepony

Another idea... I remember there were various requests for Arena t-shirts on this forum. My brother showed me his band's online merchandise shop at Spreadshirt (I think that was the name... not sure right now) - the idea is easy: the band can upload some artwork and people can order t-shirts, sweatshirts and other stuff at a very reasonable price (e. g. I'm thinking about getting me a MinDead girlie tee for less than 20 Euros). I'll suggest that to the Arena guys and maybe - if I offer to run that online shop myself and they have no work with it?  ;D- they think it's a good idea...

Nicky007

#67
Listening to The Last Angel for the umpteenth time today (man, what a piece), it strikes me that we're up against very hard odds, as one of the "problems" with prog, as seen from the mainstream, is that prog is veeery serious, indeed, one could say occasionally deadly serious, the themes being doom, death, redemption (words that occur surprisingly often in prog), the last days, angels turning their backs to mankind, you know, all this stuff. It's not surprising that roomies are avid Bible readers and run around in churches.

On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, mainstream society is about escapism, avoiding all this serious, heavy stuff; the "come on, let's have fun" kinda jive. Most people feel that if they do their job well and take care of their kids, their quota of seriousness is fulfilled at the end of the day. So leisure is food, drink, sports, talkin bout fun things - and happy-go-lucky music. You know, Arena and Pallas, "gosh, they make me feel so sad" (as Paco already noted).

Am I wrong here?

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

PH

You're right Nicky.

And some people (like us) are happy to be sad...
At least while listening to music.

bluepony

Well, I am definitely NOT happy to be sad, but I still like Arena's music very much!!

But you're right, Prog usually isn't music to play in the background while doing other things (at least not when listening to the songs for the first time), but music that demands - sometimes very careful - listening, and I know that many people don't want music to be like that. For the majority music just some background noise...   >:(

JJ II

So how would you explain the revival of darker kinds of music like gothic then...?

I think bands like Evanescence, Within Temptation and Nightwish aren't exactly a happy party-people band either....


Nicky007

Quote from: JJ II on Tue, 2007-08-28, 10:36:44
So how would you explain the revival of darker kinds of music like gothic then...?

I think bands like Evanescence, Within Temptation and Nightwish aren't exactly a happy party-people band either....

Well, they're a lot easier than Arena and Dream Theater, not to mention Zero Hour and Spiral Architect, JJ.

Re Dream Theater, I think that what has helped them a lot is that their earliest albums are relatively accessible. If they had entered the market with stuff like Six Degrees and Systematic Chaos, they would have remained as unknown as Arena.

All the contemporary goth music that I've heard is run-of-the-mill, and it doesn't make it more prog or indie that they have a female singer with a great voice fronting.

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

JJ II

Agreed... but the goth and metal scene isn't really a 'happy' kind of music either, so that argument I don't count.

Good looking girls up front do help, I'm convinced.

Nicky007

Quote from: JJ II on Tue, 2007-08-28, 11:13:45
Agreed... but the goth and metal scene isn't really a 'happy' kind of music either, so that argument I don't count.

OK, JJ, I'll buy that one, but still goth as we know it today enters quite easily and creates a mood that is rather pleasant, not sad, in any case.


> Good looking girls up front do help, I'm convinced.

Obviously they don't even need be that goodlooking, as goth attracts a lot of women, but they have to be good singers, as that counts.

Nicky.
So you've come of age
And so you want to meet God
Sure you can
He's right here next to me

bellanova

Sorry guys but id rather watch Rob or JM any day!!!