Brazen Angel has been on the ATL metal scene for a few years now - opening for bands like W.A.S.P. at the Masquerade - but like so many that do not follow the trendy hardcore/death scene, they get trampled underfoot by what I refer to as
extreme music fans. Because that's what the hardcore/death metal scene is - 'extreme'. And I can't help it that these people have been brainwashed by the current Headbangers Ball style of screemo/emo music on MTV2. But I am trying to show local ATL metal fans that there is some great metal
music out there as well - not just extreme
noise.
I wasn't referring to Brazen Angel, sorry if I didn't make that clear. I've seen their name quite a few places. I was talking about the "'drawing' hardcore band" that you referred to when talking about the Breaker's show.
Hardcore and death metal are honestly two completely different scenes -- you never see the ninja dancers at a death metal show and you'll never see somebody wearing an Aborted shirt at a hardcore show. To people who don't know the music, I'm sure they sound the same, but then again, the same thing could be said for thrash and power metal. Obviously, they aren't close to being the same genre, but to the unfamiliar ear, they are.
For the record, the people who have been "brainwashed" by Headbanger's Ball are not likely to show up at any of these shows, at least in my experience.
And there you have the same 'extreme' music fans I mentioned above. I obviously do not cater to that crowd. I do not appeal to the ones who want to go to a show and brutalize one another while the music is playing. And thus, you won't find me there with a busted lip. heh heh.
I never tried to say that you did appeal to those crowds. That would just be dumb on my part.
This next statement will probably come off as rude, but that is not my intention at all. I just can't think of a better way to put this, but Hoyt, have you
been to any of the more extreme local shows? You don't have people throwing fists or moshers intentionally trying to injure people who don't want to mosh. You have the same respect that there is at a typical power metal show. Sure, you have your people moshing in the middle like there are at any "extreme" metal show, but you also have your people just standing back enjoying the music, your headbangers, etc. By no means are they a just a huge brawl that just happens to have a band playing.
The people I am trying to reach out to are the ones who frequent these forums. There were at least 40 different people who spoke up on Glenn's 'Georgia Role Call' thread a few months ago. I have only seen perhaps a dozen of those people at the shows I have put together locally. Granted, a few of them are too far from the ATL to make a drive for 'local' bands. But more than half of them live in the metro area, and within an hour's drive of Sidelines in Marietta.
It would be pointless for me to try to debate this with you since I completely agree.
Every time there is a metal show at the Masquerade or the Roxy, I am driving 45 mins-hour depending on that wonderful ATL traffic. So I do not see what the difference is when I bring a quality metal show to Marietta. Recognition of name is the only real difference.
Of course, when starting up local shows for a sub-genre that doesn't really have much local exposure, the main obstacle is getting people to come. The thing is, you can't possibly expect everybody who is interested in the genre who lives in the area to be interested in the local scene. I listen to a fair amount of rap, but I am nowhere near as passionate about it as I am about metal. Sure, I enjoy the music, but do I have any interest in helping out the local scene or promoting up-and-coming artists? Not at all. I'll go to a show, but only if it's someone whose work I'm familiar with. I'm sure that there are many people who feel the same way about progressive and power metal.
no one said you were trying to undermine my work.
I appreciate the help you and Paul give us when we're able to make it to the WREKage show to promote. But I don't always have the time to be there at 1AM on Saturday morning to wait for a chance to promote a show in between the extreme metal bands. *sigh* I could use four more hours in the day.
Heh, nobody really has the time or desire to drive an hour to promote a show at 1AM. But the point you brought up about promoting "in between the extreme metal bands" brings me back to my first point, that Atlanta does have a very good metal scene. Of course, like any scene it could use help, but hell, the Finnish and Swedish music scenes could use help. There is always room for improvement, no matter what genre of music you're working with. You're helping to expand the metal scene, and I don't think anybody is saying that's a bad thing.
