Bayside Responds to MTV Placement: 'We Will Never Be Casual Listening'
Last week Bayside's music video for "Carry On" slid into a spot on MTV's "TRL." As often happens when bands go from precious underlings to MTV-recognized entities, there was a lot of fan... commentary. You know, for every proud, fist-pumping fan there's always a few sourpusses who turn up their nose and scoff "sell out."
If you're a Bayside fan and have spoke out on either side of the arguement, you should probably know they're listening. On Tuesday, lead singer/rhythm guitarist Anthony Raneri posted a MySpace blog to address all the recent chatter, which he considered "valid and worthy of an explanation." Some highlights:
Also? Can we please ban the word "teeny bopper" from ever being used again? Thanks.
If you're a Bayside fan and have spoke out on either side of the arguement, you should probably know they're listening. On Tuesday, lead singer/rhythm guitarist Anthony Raneri posted a MySpace blog to address all the recent chatter, which he considered "valid and worthy of an explanation." Some highlights:
"I've never been on MTV before so I don't know how it works, and if you have never been on MTV before, then neither do you. Does this mean they'll play our music in the Hills? Is there a 100 million dollar check in the mail to my house? Is Weird Al going to make a Bayside parody? I don't know. But I doubt any of these things are going to happen.
I can understand why people would initially be concerned about it if they love our band and they understand what we're all about. I feel pretty confident in the fact that we don't sound like Boys Like Girls or All Time Low. Our music and lyrics are abrasive and they have a tendency to weed out the sh-- heads. Bayside is not and will never be casual listening. If you don't get it, you don't get it and that's all. If a 30 year old hardcore guys from Boston or a 20 year old Modest Mouse fan in Seattle or 15 year old teeny bopper from Dallas understands our band, like what we're doing and can relate to it in any way, then that's amazing. That's why I make music, so it can help people and give them something to believe in and smile about. I'm not an elitist. I don't want to alienate anyone and it's got nothing to do with money or popularity. You don't have to be a certain level of cool to listen to Bayside. I just want you to get it."
I almost want to say "GOOD FORM, BAYSIDE!" but I feel conflicted about that slight dig at All Time Low. I understand the point that they didn't make it onto "TRL" because they sound similar to bands who'd made it on there before — but doesn't saying that your band "is not and will never be casual listening" and stating that its music usually "weeds out the sh--heads" right after referencing BLG and ATL have the potential to be pretty darn insulting?I can understand why people would initially be concerned about it if they love our band and they understand what we're all about. I feel pretty confident in the fact that we don't sound like Boys Like Girls or All Time Low. Our music and lyrics are abrasive and they have a tendency to weed out the sh-- heads. Bayside is not and will never be casual listening. If you don't get it, you don't get it and that's all. If a 30 year old hardcore guys from Boston or a 20 year old Modest Mouse fan in Seattle or 15 year old teeny bopper from Dallas understands our band, like what we're doing and can relate to it in any way, then that's amazing. That's why I make music, so it can help people and give them something to believe in and smile about. I'm not an elitist. I don't want to alienate anyone and it's got nothing to do with money or popularity. You don't have to be a certain level of cool to listen to Bayside. I just want you to get it."
Also? Can we please ban the word "teeny bopper" from ever being used again? Thanks.
| Posted by breesays on 04/23/2008 12:00 PM | Visits: 279 |
boys like girls and all time low are casual music. pop punk is a pretty safe genre. bayside is completely different; not necessarily what i consider mtv-esque.
bayside - just like a lot of bands that "sell out" - deserve all the success that comes with appearing on mtv, but mtv does not deserve them.
"---------I love this. And i have red this at a Internet community called MyInterracialMatch.com where you can find kinds of
men, handsome, black and white...
other than that issue i have with this, i like it.
baysides music is unique and hopefully it will stay that way, which i guess is what he is saying here.