Life and Death of an Indie Band

Part II

...With the infinite variety and selection available in today’s music, there will never be another all-encompassing band like the Beatles, a group whose name has been seared into the minds of even the most ignorant of persons. Though each genre has its own leaders and innovators (as well as its detractors), the sheer number of existing categories of music makes it difficult for any one band or artist to stand out. That is, of course, unless you have a massive music industry promotion machine working its gears in the background for you.

Most mainstream artists such as Britney Spears and Simple Plan will be remembered by most, if only by name and not by sound. People are inundated with all the latest gossip about musical celebrities through television, radio and magazines. After a time, names just get lodged into memory, and even if one can’t remember a song, the general public will no doubt recall (fondly or otherwise) who those celebrities were. Their contributions to music will be remembered better through their bank statements than through the sound of the next generation of bands.

For most indie bands, the afterlife awaits in the form of a flash-animated website, and as a pleasant memory in the hearts and minds of the few and devoted. Take Neutral Milk Hotel: their last release was in 1998, making them effectively defunct in the eyes of many (though a Wrens-esque comeback is never out of the question). However, although they are lacking the flash site, the band is still accessible through the internet: albums are available to order, merchandise continues to be sold, and people are still discovering them through discussions and references being made throughout the world wide web.

Despite the internet’s vastness, indie music, in comparison to other genres, will never been remembered by more than a handful. Only those who look for it find it, and those who do find it don’t always like it. Because of this, an indie band’s audience never gets very big, even at the best of times. But that’s the whole overarching idea of independent music, isn’t it? It’s not supposed to “make it big”. Like the smart, younger brother of an all-star athlete, indie music doesn’t always make the headlines, but its shines in a subtler fashion that is always noticed by those paying close attention.

So, long after Nickelback finishes recording the same song over and over and over again, fresh waves of young hipsters will be playing “spot that reference” in the latest band’s newest release over chat lines and forums. This time, they may be looking for Broken Social Scene’s horns, or melodies reminiscent of The White Stripes. And therein lies possibly the ultimate recognition of a band: to have someone take the music you made and build upon it. That’s how music evolves. Novelty bands can be fun and exciting, and no doubt some very entertaining websites will be maintained in their honour, but it will those bands who can influence tomorrow’s indie groups, next decade’s Ted Leos and Caribous, that will be recalled and referenced time and again in the future by the few who listen to them today.

So now you’re a defunct tech-savvy band. Fans maintain your over-artsy flash site, ever-ready to announce your twenty-year comeback tour. You keep your ear to the ground for new music like any good has-been. Does anything sound familiar?

-Ludwik A. Sobiesiak