Too often you see good alt rock bands get sucked into the pop world where they have a single get a lot of play on a Top 40 station. They make more money, gain quite a bit more popularity, more sold out tours, more TV time, etc. so its easy to see why it happens.
Personally, I hate it. It ruins bands. It ruined Creed. Once "With Arms Wide Open" hit it big on the VH-1's and MTV's of the world it was over with. No more songs like "What If" and "My Own Prison". Instead we got "My Sacrifice" and "One Last Breath" and the key to the band, Mark Tremonti, left for Alter Bridge(who by the way is very underrated band).
Same thing happened to Nickelback. The State was a solid debut and then Silver Side Up was great. Too Bad and Never Again were great tracks. But How You Remind Me got airplay on top40 stations and boom, the end of Nickelback as an alt rock band. They put out some solid songs on The Long Road like Do This Anymore, Figured You Out, and Believe It Or Not. Since then, their albums have been awful and full of top 40 hits. A far cry from Hold Out Your Hand and Too Bad.
Also happened to Staind(their most recent album The Illusion of Progress seems to have ended their pop rock material thankfully), Hinder(even though they sucked to begin with but they were legit for a brief period), Fuel, Evanescence, and Buckcherry.
A couple of bands now are at this point right now. Shinedown has blown up in the last 6-8 months thanks to Second Chance. That song wasn't a blip on my radar when I bought The Sound Of Madness. The album is loaded with great songs like Breaking Inside, What A Shame, The Crow & The Butterfly, The Sound of Madness, etc. but that one song and now a new one called If You Only Knew(which again isn't a favorite of mine not sure why they chose it) is getting play and it may change their next album for the worst.
Another one is Theory of a Deadman. What in the hell happened here. A great debut alum self-titled and then a good sophomore effort in Gasoline but somehow Not Meant To Be off the new album found its way into the studio of a top 40 station and now they're becoming a household name. TOAD wasn't even a mainstay in alt rock circles much less elsewhere across the board. But now, they're heard everywhere and seen on VH-1 and MTV. Their 4th album will either fall into the trap or stay with its roots and give into the $$$.
/rant. The Three Days Grace thread got me thinking about it. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
Personally, I hate it. It ruins bands. It ruined Creed. Once "With Arms Wide Open" hit it big on the VH-1's and MTV's of the world it was over with. No more songs like "What If" and "My Own Prison". Instead we got "My Sacrifice" and "One Last Breath" and the key to the band, Mark Tremonti, left for Alter Bridge(who by the way is very underrated band).
Same thing happened to Nickelback. The State was a solid debut and then Silver Side Up was great. Too Bad and Never Again were great tracks. But How You Remind Me got airplay on top40 stations and boom, the end of Nickelback as an alt rock band. They put out some solid songs on The Long Road like Do This Anymore, Figured You Out, and Believe It Or Not. Since then, their albums have been awful and full of top 40 hits. A far cry from Hold Out Your Hand and Too Bad.
Also happened to Staind(their most recent album The Illusion of Progress seems to have ended their pop rock material thankfully), Hinder(even though they sucked to begin with but they were legit for a brief period), Fuel, Evanescence, and Buckcherry.
A couple of bands now are at this point right now. Shinedown has blown up in the last 6-8 months thanks to Second Chance. That song wasn't a blip on my radar when I bought The Sound Of Madness. The album is loaded with great songs like Breaking Inside, What A Shame, The Crow & The Butterfly, The Sound of Madness, etc. but that one song and now a new one called If You Only Knew(which again isn't a favorite of mine not sure why they chose it) is getting play and it may change their next album for the worst.
Another one is Theory of a Deadman. What in the hell happened here. A great debut alum self-titled and then a good sophomore effort in Gasoline but somehow Not Meant To Be off the new album found its way into the studio of a top 40 station and now they're becoming a household name. TOAD wasn't even a mainstay in alt rock circles much less elsewhere across the board. But now, they're heard everywhere and seen on VH-1 and MTV. Their 4th album will either fall into the trap or stay with its roots and give into the $$$.
/rant. The Three Days Grace thread got me thinking about it. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
Comment