Guest stuartmaxwell Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 it was a fun gig to play at, we were well chuffed when we finally got to play, and it is nice to see people who deserve awards getting them because eric euan totally deserved it and i think that a lot of people will enjoy them at this gigthey are a different type of band to wbl and weapon, just hope that the crowd isnt close-minded, i rate them that high because i really do believe that they are a fantastic bandfor those who are looking for a harder eged and more experimental my vitriol this is your cup of teathis will be the first euan gig in ages and from the last of the new songs i heard, it was more direct, funky and most of all fucking rocking!i for one cant wait for this gig as i am a fan of all three bands on the bill, aint heard the harder weapon stuff mind you, but they are experienced musicians so i expect them to be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest highroller Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Awesome...good way to leave that I think.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulscoconutass Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Originally posted by jamesy weapon: come along and see our shitty little band jump around like mo'fo's on a rock star trip, but we're not in My Mind's Weapon to have our ass-kissed, so fuck you, and fuck your scene. What exactly is my scene??? I put up a constructive post about how you might improve peoples views on your performance by making less of a spectacle about your band and i get bumrushed with comments like 'fuck you'.... it doesn't make you guys (and to an extent the band in general) look affa friendly.Originally posted by Ben Quik:you have to admit that this band are scrutinised more than others...why? The people in the band is my guess...I dunno...I think this is why you get more scrutiny.... Originally posted by Ben Quik:Im not going to apologise for being in a fuckin GREAT band...yeah, I said that..here it is again: WE ARE A FUCKING GREAT BAND!!! Ancient proverb: self praise is no honour.No other people/band come on here and say thet they're in a 'fucking great band' whether they believe it or no. And the whole idea of fudge not being ready for the weapon gives the idea of the borders of self belief, confidence and passion for your band being pushed into the realms of arrogance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 boob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulscoconutass Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Eye...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 suck my willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest highroller Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 get over it Paul... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulscoconutass Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 You've both lost me again.....i do not suck willy and i have nothing to get over, some constructive criticism, then a point of view.... that's all i've provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 We never want to find you in the first place *sigh* No-one understands us...See you all on Thursday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Found Power Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by jamesy weapon:*sigh* No-one understands us... Maybe if you avoided the in-jokes, tongue in cheek humour and sarcasm they might.Just a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest highroller Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 ...wow we must be the most talked about band in Aberdeen..all press is good press...keep it going.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I dont need your thoughts, neither does Ben or Dan or Alex, nobody in My Mind's Weapon wants your thoughts or opinions unless it's on our music...capiche'? You have way too much to say about a band you haven't even a heard a single note of...I bet your just another kid expecting floppy fringes, nice sustained chords and lovely back-packesque vocals..I'd much prefer if you just kept your mouth shut and left us alone, we dont want your advice, we dont want to be told how to act or what we should be saying! We'll do what we want...Am I arrogant? Yes...Am I pessimistic about most local bands? Yes...Do we think our band is ace? Yes...If we didn't then why the fuck would we want to continue doing it?Am I fed up of all this scene bullshit, being told the 'proper' way to act so everyone likes us, and that I should be doing things 'safely'...hell yes...As My Mind's Weapon, we look to challenge ourselves, musically and personally, we're not content just doing 'it' anymore...We want to create something a little different...I suggest you go looking into back issues of Kerrang for the INstruction interview a few months ago..You might learn a few things...Oh, and since we're throwing out insults, tassled jackets ain't the new cool, baby, we are! If you want to think I'm an asshole, then go ahead, but if you've met me in person then I hope you'll have realised otherwise...For the past 3 months I've sat back and said barely anything regarding My Mind's Weapon, I've much preferred to work on the music of the band and focus on improving, but why should I sit back and watch a couple (that's all it is) of people try and bring us down on a messageboard without saying a word! I know it's pointless trying..As someone I hold in high regard said to me last night "These cocks on the boards dont know the real you and so defending yourself/band is never going to be a winning situation, shit happens. Fuck them"We're well aware that to most, at this moment in time, we're just another shitty local act, we've got no qualms with that whatsoever, we dont think we're more important than the likes of Onion Terror, Within These Walls, Point of Origin, The Switchblades or any other band in this city, but we have personalities, and we're not going to dull them down for the sake of a few individuals on a messageboard who we seem to have upset somewhere along the line. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is...Rob, I respect you, and I respect the advice you've given us and the way you handle yourself and your band, but everyone is different, and I'd never dream of telling any band how they should conduct themselves...We are the people we are, we could change that, but really, we're happy and dont want too..As I said months back, we have over 15 years band experience between the 5 of us, we dont need people that have been in bands for around a year, or not even at all, telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing...Get over it guys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan G Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by Paulscoconutass:Ancient proverb: self praise is no honour.No other people/band come on here and say thet they're in a 'fucking great band' whether they believe it or no. And the whole idea of fudge not being ready for the weapon gives the idea of the borders of self belief, confidence and passion for your band being pushed into the realms of arrogance... I remember when there was a thread called 'ratings' (where everyone rated the local bands out of 10) you gave your own band - onion terror - a full marks 10 out of 10. Now if i was to rate a band, 10 would be absolutely shit hot, so you were either humouring yourself or genuinely believing you are a 10 out of 10 band.Which is not too dissimilar from what Ben was saying in his post....From the very start you have been trying your hardest not to like MMW, which doesn't really bother me, because if you don't like us that's cool. It's just I find it ironic that people who don't care about our band read a thread CLEARLY about weapon just to slander us or tell us that we are being big-headed, when they were obviously not going say anything positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 INstruction Kerrang InterviewMODESTY ISN'T a word that Arty Shepherd is familiar with. Nor does he know a great deal about reserve, about slow and reasoned judgement or announcing himself quietly. In fact there are many things Arty Shepherd doesn't know about, but that won't stop him from talking about them or confronting them. What he does know about is music. Music, ambition, ranting and picking fights, roughly in that order, and that's how he leads his life. "I want to piss people off," says Arty. "I want a reaction from people. I love winding people up, it's almost entirely the reason I talk to them in the first place. What's the point in going through life without kicking up a little shit wherever you go?" AS THE singer in New York post-hardcore heroes Instruction, Arty Shepherd has been "kicking up a little shit" everywhere he's gone. On the strength of one EP, the four-piece have been steadily building up a solid support based on tours with the likes of Hundred Reasons and Hell Is For Heroes. In fact it's in England that the band have been most warmly received, their fellow New Yorkers almost completely ignoring them since their inception.As a band, Instruction have only existed for little over a year, but their history is a long one - Shepherd, now 30, admits that he needs to make something of this band before he begins to look ridiculous or "pull out the stool, the f**king acoustic and turn into Paul Weller". It's a history that Instruction are deeply proud of; a history of hard work, of self-financing shows, of working terrible day jobs to make ends meet, of being sacked, being penniless and still being determined that, no matter what, one day it would all come together. In fact it's a very punk history, built on sweat and toil. Most of the sweat and toil was sown into Errortype:11, the band featuring Shepherd, plus current Instruction bassist Adam Marino and drummer Ti Krek. That outfit's success was strictly word-of-mouth, based on rumours of incendiary live shows and a singer who had to be heard to be believed. Eventually their guitarist decided that he needed a more secure way of life and left. The remaining three members recruited Tom Capone, formerly a member of hugely influential - though equally skint - NY mob Quicksand. Even in those early days, Shepherd was mouthy. Even more mouthy than he is today. "We were playing this tiny basement in front of 30 people," he says, recalling one early gig. "I was stood onstage with my eyes closed dreaming we were somewhere else. I stepped up to the microphone and said, "When I close my eyes, in my head we're playing a huge arena. Then I open them and see you." Shit, that nearly got us lynched - I thought that was funny but no-one gets my sense of humour." SITTING IN the bar of the Hammersmith Apollo while AC/DC blast out their phenomenal set in the background, Arty Shepherd is giving full vent to his opinions, relishing the opportunity to talk about the thing he loves the most - his band. When he speaks it's easy to see how effective he is at winding people up. He jumps into conversations on virtually any topic - whether he knows about them or not - with both feet first, absolutely dead certain that it's his opinion that counts. He's easy to engage on any topic, but music is a particular favourite. Try this: "Retro garage bands f**king suck, I hope they all crawl away and die." Or: "Fake punk bands are the bane of the Earth. Though they seem like nice people, bands like Good Charlotte who call themselves punks are ridiculous. Them and Simple Plan are such easy targets and such bullshit." "What's the point in even making music if you have no f**king opinionsArty Shepherd He starts comparatively slowly, winding himself up until he's fit to snap. His is an intensity based on forthright opinions and machine gun delivery, littered with "f**ks". Importantly there's also a large dose of charm, of endearing charisma that's not only vital to a frontman, but engaging to be anywhere near. Better than that, though, is that it's so refreshing. As more and more emo bands emerge reluctantly from the woodwork, apparently unwilling to even look at the spotlight, let alone bask in it; as more and more sensitive singers drape their angst over their songs and their bland comments over interviews, it's glorious to meet a singer who will not only talk, but shout, rant and scream with total conviction. "I f**king hate all that shit," he spits. "What's the point in even making music if you have no f**king opinion? I'm so glad we don't write songs about not getting laid or not having a f**king girlfriend. We have other things to say - we have more important f**king messages to impart than whether I got laid last night. There may well be songs on our album about relationships but they won't be about impotence." Push him further, and it's not hard to, and he'll react instantly. "F**k it. Call us an emo band if you like, especially if it helps us sell more records. I don't give a shit. Anyway, emo is a form of music that exists to be denied. Ask anyone and all they'll say is, 'we're not emo'. Sometimes I don't even believe it even exists." He grins cherubically and there lies the charm, the rant over he looks at you as though you're his confidante, as though you've been allowed a part of him no-one has had. "I just love being the centre of attention," he shrugs. Adam Marino, Arty's best friend, is sat beside him. He's almost the perfect foil for the Shepherd verbosity. Quiet but thoughtful, and willing to leave the talking to his frontman, Marino's opinion on the matter is clear. "Arty was born to talk," says Marino. "For me, it's all about the music. I say all I have to say through that." It's in his reactions that he's the most telling and his resigned eye-rolling and sad nodding as Arty describes how his band have always defended him from the more irate punters he has offended tells it own story. For Arty, mouthing off is nothing new. For his band, sticking by him - sticking by each other - is essential. LIFE HAS changed considerably for Instruction in terms of comfort over the last year. They've all moved, temporarily, from their native New York to Los Angeles and have just signed to major label behemoth Geffen. Rather than record in the cheap studios they were used to, they have moved into Interscope's plusher option with Bob Ezrin, last seen on Jane's Addiction's new record, on production. A little while ago they even support Staind - something neither Arty nor Adam quite know how to deal with. They speak of Staind surprisingly fondly, granting that they're musicians doing what they always wanted to do and good luck to them. They struggle not to laugh at the band's music, though. Equally strange is the relationship that Instruction have with Geffen. They're overwhelmed to be linked to a major but react uncomfortably to the conditions of their employment. Those conditions so far seem to involve lengthy meals in Beverly Hills' swankier restaurants at the labels expense, followed by immediate trips to the nearest strip bar. "We're sure they take us to those restaurants to make us uncomfortable," explains Arty. "So we have to go to the strip joints to counter-balance that." Those who have listened to Instruction's music or lyrics - often anger directed at major label bands - might be surprised that their punk ethics would allow them to join a major's roster. Unsurprisingly, it's not something Arty is shy of confronting, in fact he'll admit that it's what he's wanted all his life. It's so great to be credible and sing this about that scene or something else about another," he sighs. "It's so great when no-one knows who the f**k you are, or when you're $16,000 in debt. That's what I got into a band for, to be broke, depressed and unappreciated." He grins menacingly, to ensure the sarcasm stays biting. "F**k all that. I want this band to be huge. That's what matters." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest highroller Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Well after reading Jamesy and Dans posts...id say its game over...im not saying that cockily but to try and argue with what they have both said would, to be honest, make you look like a silly willy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan G Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by Rob Karloff:Just in the same way that Kris has been beleagured of late... It's not that people suddenly think more or less of AW, it's that they dislike his approach to them.Liber8 did exactly that, and it's only because Kris has chosen to be so vocal and seemingly controversial of late that they've attracted such negative views. Rob, you're missing one BIG element when comparing MMW to Kris and Co. - and that is that there is a significant difference between coming across as an asshole on the message boards, and and alienating yourself in reality. Regardless of how much of a dick people think any of MMW are on the boards, I can assure you that we are all decent people off aberdeen-music.com (and I'm sure you know this... ).That's not say that AW aren't decent people - more so the fact that they have alienated themselves from people who they were once on good terms with. Where as I'm pretty sure anyone that we care about - or has cared about us - hasn't changed their opinion of us as people due to our stupid internet based banter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Karloff Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by jamesy weapon:Rob, I respect you, and I respect the advice you've given us and the way you handle yourself and your band, but everyone is different, and I'd never dream of telling any band how they should conduct themselves...We are the people we are, we could change that, but really, we're happy and dont want too..As I said months back, we have over 15 years band experience between the 5 of us, we dont need people that have been in bands for around a year, or not even at all, telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing...Get over it guys...I never once told you how to do anything. I merely offered my take on why people were so down on your particular band!Let's cut to the chase here, shall we? Either you...1) Quit the posteuring, hyping, self-confident, braggish appearence, whether in jest or not. People might not be so bitten by it all, and might choose to give you a fair line of their own free will.2) Keep on going, firmly rooted in the belief that "No-one tells me what to do, man!", "We're fucking great at what we do", "All promotion is good promotion", etc, etc. Live with the fact that a large amount of people will dislike this approach and will express their dislike both by not giving you a hearing at a gig and also posting opinions that you're all up yourselves.Seems simple to me.... Stick with the status-quo and live with the backlash that produces, or make a change to eliminate that backlash.As they say in the Matrix, "You take a chance either way. The choice I leave up to you...". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WalkingOnGlass Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 There's no choice for us, we are who we are.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Karloff Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by Dan Atom:Regardless of how much of a dick people think any of MMW are on the boards, I can assure you that we are all decent people off aberdeen-music.com (and I'm sure you know this... ).That's not say that AW aren't decent people - more so the fact that they have alienated themselves from people who they were once on good terms with. Where as I'm pretty sure anyone that we care about - or has cared about us - hasn't changed their opinion of us as people due to our stupid internet based banter.But that isn't the point, Dan...! Despite knowing that you're a really great guy and an amazingly talented musician, you can't just assume that because I know these facts that how you come across on an Internet board won't irritate the fuck out of me. Kris himself has always been a cool guy to me personally in the flesh, just like you. What we're largely talking about here are people who DON'T know you in person... How can you expect them to read what you express online and definately not be irked by it?!Like it or not, if people don't like the way you come across, the bottom line is you either decide you don't care about their opinion, or you pull your neck in somehow. In the context of a music fan coming to gigs or buying your stuff, then that translates into either accepting their non-appreciation of what you do, or doing something to change the way they perceive you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Karloff Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by jamesy weapon:There's no choice for us, we are who we are..If that's genuinely who you are, then you have to be prepared to accept that there will be those who don't like it, and choose to be vocal about that. They can't force you to change if you don't want to, and likewise you can't force them to change if you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 ignoring all the junk in this thread it should be a pretty damn good gig.Haven't seen WBL for ages so that should be good, never seen MMW so i'm looking forward to that and Eric Euan are simply superb. I reckon they'll appeal to quite a large part of the WBL/MMW crowd as long as they keep a reasonably open mind to a band who don't have to have the distortion turned up to 10 for every song.Roll on the 11th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scorge Spike Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Originally posted by jamesy weapon:nobody in My Mind's Weapon wants your thoughts or opinions unless it's on our music...capiche'? So if I was to come up to any of you after a gig and say 'I think that MMW's music is shite', you wouldn't shoot me down from 50 paces? And if I threw some constructive critisicm at you, you might actually listen to that aswell?Normally I only care about the music element, but I go with Rob's hypothesis that you're just driving people away by coming on here and digging yourself into proverbial holes, when a bit of mild encouragment without the sarcasm might just work in your favour.And I won't be going, because I'd sooner pay 18 to see Thistle get humped at Pittodrie on Tuesday than fork out a couple of quid for some music I am highly unlikely to enjoy on the Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulscoconutass Posted March 6, 2004 Report Share Posted March 6, 2004 Originally posted by Dan Atom:I remember when there was a thread called 'ratings' (where everyone rated the local bands out of 10) you gave your own band - onion terror - a full marks 10 out of 10. Now if i was to rate a band, 10 would be absolutely shit hot, so you were either humouring yourself or genuinely believing you are a 10 out of 10 band.Which is not too dissimilar from what Ben was saying in his post....From the very start you have been trying your hardest not to like MMW, which doesn't really bother me, because if you don't like us that's cool. It's just I find it ironic that people who don't care about our band read a thread CLEARLY about weapon just to slander us or tell us that we are being big-headed, when they were obviously not going say anything positive. Quite clearly i was "joshing" about thinking we'd have a 10 rating, those were the days when the terror had a whole 2 gigs and about 30 hours practice behind us, i didn't boast that drakes/lemon tree/wherever wouldn't be ready for us or that we'd be the next best thing since ryan adams.I've not been trying my hardest to not like the weapon, but as myself and others have pointed out - it's the way you all present the band on the forums (which is the epicentre of local music information and such for most users). The stuff i've been saying can also not be classed as slander, it's mostly been advice - but as jamesy's clearly stated - ther's no more point in doing this because you're all big enough to run your own band with the years of experience.... And in the end - as Rob pointed out, this is where most of the 'backlash' comes from, and it's whats turned this thread into the circular debate that it is.... like he said - if you're not willing to drop the InStRuCtIoN-esqu attitude, ther's always gonna be people that dislike your (online) 'ego's'. And it's only the online ones that stink as i've never had a problem with any member of the weapon in real life whether it be on the street, in a pub, or at a gig... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 I think if MMW tried to forget that everyone is supposed to hate them, then everyone else might forget too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachie Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 This whole thread makes me laugh, because half of the posts in it sound like they've come straight out of a primary 4 class. Maybe that's giving it too much credit. Quite an amusing read though.Good luck with the gig. I won't be there, but that's because I'm working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.