who are they critique (ignore if not on digest)

[Sroundtable@xxxxxxx]

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Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 22:15:32 -0400
From: Sroundtable@aol.com
To: Sroundtable@aol.com
Subject: who are they critique (ignore if not on digest)
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AEB writes:

> > mc,
> > 
> > Sorry Brother, but once you make your band and it's music public, in the way 
> > you have, by
> > spreading the demos around, {yes, I *would* like to hear them}  making 
> > booking announcements,
> > talking about rehearsals and gigs, & touting your own praises as a singer 
> > and for the "WAT" band
> > as a whole, you'd better toughen up and face the music, you're gonna be 
> > critiqued and you're
> > gonna get criticised/dissed by some. Sad...but true. It's part of the 
> > game.....
> > 
> > Not everyone is gonna like your band! Not everyone can or will appreciate 
> > the FUCKING hard
> > work you and the others have, {like we all do when starting and maintaining 
> > a band}, done and
> > continue to do.
> > 
> > There's only one way to go about it, do it for yourself and sod how in the 
> > fuck anybody else
> > feels about what you are doing. I am a firm believer that if you believe in 
> > your band, believe
> > in your material, and put your balls and guts into every note you play or 
> > sing, people will, for
> > the most part, recognise this and react positively.
> 

AEB:
 
I agree with almost all of this, but I don't remember ever touting how good a singer I am.  I might have said my voice was strong on a certain night, but I would never brag about how great a singer I am.  I'm confident when I sing, but I am miles away from being even "good."   I think I am the most critical person of my own singing there is.

As for Scott's comment, I take offense at the way it was thrown in as a cheap shot.  It wasn't criticism, it was bashing, especially in light of the rest of his post slamming me for ruining the list.  I have no problem with criticism, and as you have noted, I have sought it here.   I just don't appreciate being bashed and for such a stupid reason.

I assembled Who are They because my love and respect for The Who has gone beyond the listener/viewer level.  In order to satisfy what I am feeling for the band, I found this the best outlet.  I have spent countless hours with our lead guitarist arranging Who songs like The Real Me, Relay, and Success 
Story, which aren't exactly big hits.  I have had to fight the band to include Amazing Journey/Sparks and See Me, Feel Me into the Tommy run we do. 
All this and I have to answer to Scott and his ridiculoud insistence that we have to play 100% Who to be a Who coverband?  Fuck that.
 
> > 
> > You don't _have_ to answer to anyone, anyway anyhow anywhere, but, *you* 
> > opened the door
> > to discussion of your band, even solicited suggestions from _us_ ,and must 
> > now face whatever
> > comes back through that same door that you, yourself, unlocked and swung 
> > wide open in your eagerness and excitement over your first performing band.
> > 
> > Thicken your skin, mc, and fuck 'em all except the band members and the 
> > people who actually go
> > out in public to see and hear you.....no one else matters at all.
> > 
> 

Mc in full agreement with all.  Scott pushed a button, taking a shot at the band for a cheap laugh.  THAT is what I didn't appreciate.

> > As for me.....I wish you the best of luck and know just how damn hard you 
> > work to put a band
> > together, audition, rehearse, get bookings, pick and arrange songs, work out 
> > the parts/harmonies,
> > and have to deal with the idiotic jerks/drunks/bartenders/bar-club owners to 
> > boot!
> > 
> > Just keep on keepin' on and sod what anyone says *if* you 
> > believe in 
> > yourself.
> > 
> > AnEnglishBoy~
> > 
> > PS~Got any Groupies or BandAids yet?
> 

Thanks, AEB.  We have a few friends who come to every gig and really like us.  We are liked everywhere we play, but the shows are too few and far between since we don't have adequate management.  A friend of mine was handling it at first, but he moved away for a semester and it has all fallen on me.   Hell, we didn't get that demo CD made until early April, and we have been together since October.  Progress is slow, but I have a very good feeling that we're on to something special.  Our opening gig in New Orleans last Friday finally showed that my bandmates are starting to understand how to play Who music live.   There's a fire to it that a band must have to pull 
it off.  We're getting there.
> 
> Mc