Couple of things I wanted to address about the Enzymes project because it's come up in chats and other places I've been talking to people
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Ok this has been kinda bothering me for a while. I feel like some Black Cads fans are fake fans who are just into the thing because of Pete Wentz.
I'll be completely honest, I think what BC has put out is interesting to listen to and it isn't bad at all but it's definitely not up my alley.
Which begs me to ask, because of it's ambiguous genre (pop-reggae?), what type of listener would listen to Black Cards?
They're too poppy for an indie crowd but way reggae for a pop/mainstream crowd. They're also too weird for a...reggae crowd.
Not to be negative, but outside of their cult following of FOB fans, I don't see who would enjoy them SANS their associate to Pete Wentz. Like...immediately fall in love with em.
I'm down to be supportive of them and come out to shows but I feel like the entire project is something to keep Pete occupied. What I mean to say is that I don't think they need a Street Team.
It'd be kinda weird to force feed this kind of music to other people.
Like someone who liked Fall Out Boy would immediately jump to bands like Panic or All Time Low because they're similar. If you like the Bravery, you might jump on Bloc Party. If you liked Lil Wayne you might jump onto Drake.
But what would someone listen to do jump to Black Cards? Bob Marley remixes? It just bothers me that people who are obsessing over them are only enamored with Pete. That's just what I perceive from what I see on Twitter and Facebook etc.
First, I agree with shinshan. I don't limit myself to one genre of music. Nor do I make my listening choices based on the genre. At least half the music I listen to is because a friend when, "Hey, check this out!"
I've been complaining to various people about the way the band's being promoted in general as Pete Wentz's New Band as opposed to Black Cards (and I'm not blaming Pete for this). So what's bugging you is at least partially because of the way the band is being promoted I think. Also, people haven't really had a chance to "get to know" Bebe, Nate, or Spencer unless they've been to a show, and there haven't been that many shows, or they've been in the chats. Bebe insisted on taking two pictures with everyone at the shows and is possibly the sweetest person alive. Spencer once spent six hours in a chat with us. Six hours. Dude is crazy. Awesome, but crazy. Nate follows all the fan group type twitters. They've all popped into the chats multiple times, but it isn't really scheduled so for most people it's a being at the right place at the right time kind of thing. They're all really involved with the fanbase so I'm definitely not complaining about lack of interaction on their part.
Right now what's probably going to draw a lot of people, at least from this fanbase, out to shows, is Pete because unless you're stalking his every move on the internet and you catch the things he posts for two minutes, you haven't heard a lot from the band. There is no radio single, no album. To be honest, I don't care what gets people to go to the shows, they're strong enough live to sell themselves once they have people there.
That's kind of unavoidable again with the way the band is being promoted as Pete Wentz's New Band instead of Black Cards and while I understand why someone might think this is a good idea to a point, they need to start promoting them as Black Cards. As long as they keep promoting them as Pete Wentz's New Band, you're going to have people interested solely because of Pete. And again, I don't care if it gets them to the show. Bebe has an amazing stage presence, the four of them are great together live. That band is strong enough live to make it not all about Pete.
In a way I think it'd be easier to sell them to a non-FOB fan as the hiatus left a lot of the fanbase kind of bitter. As long as you're not pushing it as Pete Wentz's New Band and you're trying to push the music.
What are you, a marketing executive? Just because they don't have a contemporary band that they're exactly the same as down to the very last note doesn't mean that there isn't people who will enjoy it. Go be a suit somewhere else, we're busy here.
By your assessment, everyone here should also be head over heels for The Damned Things simply because of Joe and Andy's membership, and if you aren't awaiting Soul Punk with baited breath, then clearly you never were a true Fall Out Boy fan and should just end things now.
I can at least say for myself that I tried giving The Damned Things a shot. I honestly did. Gave their album a few listens, watched their music video and read various articles about them. I cannot for the life of me gather more interest in that band other than I wish Joe and Andy the best right now because they deserve success in their side project just like the other two do. It's not my cup of tea, and I'm not going to pretend it is.
As for Soul Punk? I think it has been clear since I first began commenting around icecreamhdaches where my allegiance would lie if they all broke into difference pieces. I have made no bones about the fact that I am a Patrick fangirl who admires a lot of what he does. His music interests me because of the pure talent poured into it that you can feel in your cells when you listen to anything he creates.
When it comes to Black Cards? It has very little to do with Pete Wentz. The sound is something I would have discovered and enjoyed without his involvement. True, I would not have discovered them probably until their breakout single and their album had been out for months, but they would be a band that I would hunt their music down and stick on repeat for a week. (Much how I am treating Sleigh Bells right now.)
I find it to be an unfair judgement that you're plastering your own view and opinion on how EVERYONE must feel about Black Cards. It's almost as ignorant as believing that just because a female fan is into Fall Out Boy/Black Cards they must be sexually attracted to Pete Wentz.
mini-essay i have been composing in my head for a while - thanks for giving me an opening to post it
anonymous
January 31 2011, 08:29:40 UTC
Black Cards, at least the studio tracks: club music, dance music. It's an interesting choice for someone like Pete, because who listens to the lyrics of club songs? The lyrics are totally immaterial - as long as they enhance the music. Are there hooks? Can you dance to it? Is there something interesting or unexpected about it, so you won't get sick of it?
Dance-pop is the 180 degree opposite of hardcore, not only because of the reliance on beats, but also because it is a genre that cheerfully incorporates other styles of music. There's almost no attention paid to "authenticity" or who has the right to make what kind of music. Does it have a beat? Can you dance to it? Does it make you WANT to dance? Hardcore is exclusive and political, dance is inclusive and apolitical.
I kind of roll my eyes at those interviews where Pete Wentz claims some kind of sonic inventiveness for Black Cards. Dance is one of the most progressive genres out there, so sonically, what Black Cards is doing has been done before. The band's image is fairly fresh, though - Bebe in the dress and choker, Pete Wentz looking vaguely evil in the background, black magic, card tricks. Since the band has a strong image, I think BC can be virally marketed. Could be a mistake to push the mystery/occult angle too hard, though, since Pete Wentz is (thought to be) a known quantity. "Theatricality" might be a bridge - stage magic, not real magic or real occult. But not totally playful or harmless, either - you still want that edge.
To sum up, and in answer to your question: it may be a mistake to push Black Cards on Fall Out Boy fans who are hardcore fans - for the reasons stated above. But the band can definitely be marketed, including to Fall Out Boy fans who are not primarily hardcore fans - also for the reasons stated above.
idk if anon or anyone will read this since i'm kind of late, but...
i find BC catchy and pleasant (the two songs i can think of), but like with most music, i can't enjoy it half as much as i enjoy FOB. (FOB is the only music i immediately loved. i don't listen to Panic anymore and i never got into All Time Low.) my tastes don't dictate my likes. idk if i even have tastes. when they first announced a street team, I didn't sign up because i thought i didn't deserve it, but now i don't think i've even heard enough yet to decide whether i'll spend time on them. but what's the problem with having a street team now? you shouldn't exclude people just because you don't think they like the music enough. how would you even go about doing that? none of my friends like FOB as much as we do, and they fall in that middle category where they'll try to listen to almost anything. we'll find out what kind of people listen to BC after they're given something to click. sure they had a music video on mtv, but who watches music videos on mtv? this thing is about making it easier for other people to discover BC. if they don't like it, they don't have to listen to it.
i have a lot more to say about this, and i hope what i just said makes some sense. it's 3:30 AM and i have a class at nine. i felt compelled to share something. good night.
wtf its monday.agent99January 31 2011, 13:22:30 UTC
Actually you're wrong on several accounts there. First of all, I quite dig their sound. THAT is why I'm supporting them. I think Bebe has a cool voice and find that everyone in this group deserves their recognition too, and sure I dig Pete, but am I a "Pete girl"? Uh. Do you come around here? No, Patrick Freak #1 reporting for duty. I am lucky enough that ALL of the FOB side projects have tickled my fancy, but that's because I have a pretty wide range (AS MANY MANY PEOPLE DO) in terms of my taste in music. I can go from Abba to Zappa in a blink of an eye, so what's wrong with this not exactly fitting a "genre" anyway?
Fuck it, I'll support this band for one reason: They deserve it. Not because of Wentz, not because it's mainstream or not mainstream or blah blah blah, but I feel it's ALSO the underdog of all of the fob projects so far who both have much more label backing than this band does, therefor it needs more of our support.
I mean think about it, Patrick? Has 10 tons of fucking hype on his side, he's done everything right, even if all of the hermiting around has annoyed the tar piss and shit out of us, it was perfect in terms of generating hype. And I think we're all pretty confident of his talents, he'll be fine. The damned things? I get annoyed by how little attention they get here in this comm, but at the same time, I also hear them all over the damn rock radio stations up here, and I think they are also just fine because they're a solid band full of fucking legendarily rocktastic musicians. However, Black Cards? Apart from Wentz, everyone else is pretty unknown to the average person, YET they have the most radio friendly sound out of everything thus far. They do need our help more than the other projects.
I think I should have had coffee before going on this rant but whatever. Does any of this shit make an ounce of sense?
I'll be completely honest, I think what BC has put out is interesting to listen to and it isn't bad at all but it's definitely not up my alley.
Which begs me to ask, because of it's ambiguous genre (pop-reggae?), what type of listener would listen to Black Cards?
They're too poppy for an indie crowd but way reggae for a pop/mainstream crowd. They're also too weird for a...reggae crowd.
Not to be negative, but outside of their cult following of FOB fans, I don't see who would enjoy them SANS their associate to Pete Wentz. Like...immediately fall in love with em.
I'm down to be supportive of them and come out to shows but I feel like the entire project is something to keep Pete occupied. What I mean to say is that I don't think they need a Street Team.
It'd be kinda weird to force feed this kind of music to other people.
Like someone who liked Fall Out Boy would immediately jump to bands like Panic or All Time Low because they're similar. If you like the Bravery, you might jump on Bloc Party. If you liked Lil Wayne you might jump onto Drake.
But what would someone listen to do jump to Black Cards? Bob Marley remixes? It just bothers me that people who are obsessing over them are only enamored with Pete. That's just what I perceive from what I see on Twitter and Facebook etc.
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I've been complaining to various people about the way the band's being promoted in general as Pete Wentz's New Band as opposed to Black Cards (and I'm not blaming Pete for this). So what's bugging you is at least partially because of the way the band is being promoted I think. Also, people haven't really had a chance to "get to know" Bebe, Nate, or Spencer unless they've been to a show, and there haven't been that many shows, or they've been in the chats. Bebe insisted on taking two pictures with everyone at the shows and is possibly the sweetest person alive. Spencer once spent six hours in a chat with us. Six hours. Dude is crazy. Awesome, but crazy. Nate follows all the fan group type twitters. They've all popped into the chats multiple times, but it isn't really scheduled so for most people it's a being at the right place at the right time kind of thing. They're all really involved with the fanbase so I'm definitely not complaining about lack of interaction on their part.
Right now what's probably going to draw a lot of people, at least from this fanbase, out to shows, is Pete because unless you're stalking his every move on the internet and you catch the things he posts for two minutes, you haven't heard a lot from the band. There is no radio single, no album. To be honest, I don't care what gets people to go to the shows, they're strong enough live to sell themselves once they have people there.
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What I mean to say, it bothers me when I see people who fake their interest in BC because of Pete's image.
All I'm saying is that I have enough trouble getting my friends to like Fall Out Boy so it's hard to imagine a NON-FOB fan liking BC.
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In a way I think it'd be easier to sell them to a non-FOB fan as the hiatus left a lot of the fanbase kind of bitter. As long as you're not pushing it as Pete Wentz's New Band and you're trying to push the music.
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..wait, sorry, what was this thread about?
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I can at least say for myself that I tried giving The Damned Things a shot. I honestly did. Gave their album a few listens, watched their music video and read various articles about them. I cannot for the life of me gather more interest in that band other than I wish Joe and Andy the best right now because they deserve success in their side project just like the other two do. It's not my cup of tea, and I'm not going to pretend it is.
As for Soul Punk? I think it has been clear since I first began commenting around icecreamhdaches where my allegiance would lie if they all broke into difference pieces. I have made no bones about the fact that I am a Patrick fangirl who admires a lot of what he does. His music interests me because of the pure talent poured into it that you can feel in your cells when you listen to anything he creates.
When it comes to Black Cards? It has very little to do with Pete Wentz. The sound is something I would have discovered and enjoyed without his involvement. True, I would not have discovered them probably until their breakout single and their album had been out for months, but they would be a band that I would hunt their music down and stick on repeat for a week. (Much how I am treating Sleigh Bells right now.)
I find it to be an unfair judgement that you're plastering your own view and opinion on how EVERYONE must feel about Black Cards. It's almost as ignorant as believing that just because a female fan is into Fall Out Boy/Black Cards they must be sexually attracted to Pete Wentz.
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Dance-pop is the 180 degree opposite of hardcore, not only because of the reliance on beats, but also because it is a genre that cheerfully incorporates other styles of music. There's almost no attention paid to "authenticity" or who has the right to make what kind of music. Does it have a beat? Can you dance to it? Does it make you WANT to dance? Hardcore is exclusive and political, dance is inclusive and apolitical.
I kind of roll my eyes at those interviews where Pete Wentz claims some kind of sonic inventiveness for Black Cards. Dance is one of the most progressive genres out there, so sonically, what Black Cards is doing has been done before. The band's image is fairly fresh, though - Bebe in the dress and choker, Pete Wentz looking vaguely evil in the background, black magic, card tricks. Since the band has a strong image, I think BC can be virally marketed. Could be a mistake to push the mystery/occult angle too hard, though, since Pete Wentz is (thought to be) a known quantity. "Theatricality" might be a bridge - stage magic, not real magic or real occult. But not totally playful or harmless, either - you still want that edge.
To sum up, and in answer to your question: it may be a mistake to push Black Cards on Fall Out Boy fans who are hardcore fans - for the reasons stated above. But the band can definitely be marketed, including to Fall Out Boy fans who are not primarily hardcore fans - also for the reasons stated above.
-SD
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i find BC catchy and pleasant (the two songs i can think of), but like with most music, i can't enjoy it half as much as i enjoy FOB. (FOB is the only music i immediately loved. i don't listen to Panic anymore and i never got into All Time Low.) my tastes don't dictate my likes. idk if i even have tastes.
when they first announced a street team, I didn't sign up because i thought i didn't deserve it, but now i don't think i've even heard enough yet to decide whether i'll spend time on them. but what's the problem with having a street team now? you shouldn't exclude people just because you don't think they like the music enough. how would you even go about doing that?
none of my friends like FOB as much as we do, and they fall in that middle category where they'll try to listen to almost anything. we'll find out what kind of people listen to BC after they're given something to click. sure they had a music video on mtv, but who watches music videos on mtv? this thing is about making it easier for other people to discover BC. if they don't like it, they don't have to listen to it.
i have a lot more to say about this, and i hope what i just said makes some sense. it's 3:30 AM and i have a class at nine. i felt compelled to share something. good night.
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Fuck it, I'll support this band for one reason: They deserve it. Not because of Wentz, not because it's mainstream or not mainstream or blah blah blah, but I feel it's ALSO the underdog of all of the fob projects so far who both have much more label backing than this band does, therefor it needs more of our support.
I mean think about it, Patrick? Has 10 tons of fucking hype on his side, he's done everything right, even if all of the hermiting around has annoyed the tar piss and shit out of us, it was perfect in terms of generating hype. And I think we're all pretty confident of his talents, he'll be fine. The damned things? I get annoyed by how little attention they get here in this comm, but at the same time, I also hear them all over the damn rock radio stations up here, and I think they are also just fine because they're a solid band full of fucking legendarily rocktastic musicians. However, Black Cards? Apart from Wentz, everyone else is pretty unknown to the average person, YET they have the most radio friendly sound out of everything thus far. They do need our help more than the other projects.
I think I should have had coffee before going on this rant but whatever. Does any of this shit make an ounce of sense?
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