Little Steven Says Trios R Lame



In advance of tomorrow's Million Band March on Randall's Island, Little Steven does his best to explain the 10 minute sets granted to most of the performers, as well as offering some sage advice.

Dearest Bands,

Get ready for a wild one.

As some of you might know, we were originally going to do three days and have everybody there but unfortunately we ended up limited to the one day and so we're trying to get as many bands in as possible.

To do that we are patterning the first two-thirds of the show after the early Alan Freed and Murray the K shows.

Time is ridiculously tight so we need everybody to keep their sets under ten minutes. We would like everybody to limit their sets to three songs. If that's only six or seven minutes, that's even better for us as far as keeping on schedule. At around nine and a half minutes the turntable stage will start to turn even if you're still playing.

I actually think if that happens - one band still playing while they disappear and at the same time the next band playing as they come around - it will be a very cool thing. If we do have a minute or two or three in between sets we will have hosts to bring the next band on. Every band's name and website will be projected on the video screen while they're playing.

The order of the performances will be done by random selection and does not indicate one band being more important than another.

Some of the bands first on will be playing to possibly very few people and will have to adjust to that and perform for the cameras as well as the beautiful fanatics who get there early.

On the other hand, we may need to ask some of the later bands to limit their set to two songs, and conceivably one song, if we are running over because we have a very very strict curfew at 11pm.

In the eyes of the film which we are shooting, everyone is equal.

And by the way, Chris Columbus has come on as director. He has asked that we provide him with set lists if possible from each band which will help him a lot in the filming of the event. Please email us the names of the songs you plan to perform as soon as you can.

If your band does not have a "look" this might be a good time to consider it. The film is going to be seen worldwide and will be shown on television in many countries and of course end up on DVD.

If you are a three-piece band, I respectfully suggest you consider adding a fourth or even fifth member if at all conceivable. I know it's short notice but, for three songs, it's something you may want to think about. (And by the way, if you need more money to do this we will find it for you.)

I only suggest this because it is extraordinarily unlikely for anyone to make it as a three-piece band. I know history has given us a handful but in virtually every case all successful three-piece bands were all virtuoso musician based. Traditional Rock and Roll, or Garage Rock as we now call it, is song-based and therefore communicates best with a texture made up of four instruments. Howlin' Wolf's early Sun sessions as well as Muddy Waters' first electric band established the tradition, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones carried it on, and its effectiveness has never been, and most likely will never be, improved upon (with all due respect to Jack and Meg).



(Don't talk to Pete Best about quartets, he's heard it all before)

Please understand we will continue to support you whether you have a "look" or not or if you are a three-piece band or not or if you are a Republican or not.

Our revolution has come a long way in four years and one of our main goals is to continue to establish a new infrastructure that allows Rock and Roll bands to make a living playing music (our campaign has reached its second stage with the establishment of a 24/7 channel at Sirius Satellite Radio).

The better your songs are, the better you look, the more musical you sound, and the more exciting your performance, the better our chances of winning this war we are waging against the exclusive domination of hard rock, hip hop, contemporary pop, and rootless, soulless, mindless, lifeless, hopeless, joyless mediocrity in general.

Solidarity,
Little Steven

Not to take Steven's comments out of context or anything, but in a mainstream that is indeed dominated by a lot of "rootless, soulless, mindless, lifeless, hopeless, joyless mediocrity", it' is too bad that solidarity doesn't extend to other genres ---the best Hip Hop is as synapse-snapping as anything on Saturday's bill (if you look up "mediocrity" in the dictionary, there's a little picture of the Ravonettes next to it).

I do truly believe, however, that Little Steve is fighting the good fight and putting together an event like this is far tougher than second-guessing someone else's act of evangelism (or imposing my own ill-focused aesthetic on others). And with that in mind, let us all say a prayer for the luckless rock trios of all time -

Nirvana
The Jam
Yo La Tengo
Mission Of Burma (sans loopsters Martin or Bob)
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Cream
ZZ Top
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Husker Du
Minutemen
Gories
Big Black/Rapeman/Shellac


(perhaps a couple of these illustrate Van Zandt's point about about the exceptions being "virtuoso musician based")

Of course, had Rush or the Police added crucial fourth or 5th members, they'd have been a lot easier to tolerate (nor would they have faded into obscurity).

Posted: Fri - August 13, 2004 at 05:09 PM      

©