Ever Had A Pop Station Play One Of Your Fave Bands

[Norris For Prez!]

How do you feel when you love a band that's not really popular, and then radio and MTV start playing one of their singles bigtime?

I ask this because I love the band Evanescence. I first heard the song "Bring Me To Life" when the WWF'nE used it for their NO WAY OUT PPV, and the sound clip was so dark yet so beautiful (although I originally was put off by Paul McCoy's Linkin Park-esque rapping, but I've grown to accept it). I downloaded most of the Stewff from their earlier albums, and I was seriously impressed, particularly by Amy Lee's beautiful voice and the gorgeous lyrics. I bought HAUNTED the day it was released, and I enjoyed the album very much.

Shortly after, the album debuted very impressively on Billboard and rock radio started really overplaying "Bring Me To Life." That's fine, that's expected. But then Boston's pop music station, KISS 108, the station that plays whatever's on TRL (Avril, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, probably 50 Cent), started playing it. I was just a tiny bit heartbroken. VH1 and other pop outlets started playing it too.

I was happy the band was met with success, because they deserve it. They have a distinct sound and dark melodies. I also hate people who say a band sold out when they become famous and sell lots of records.

At the same time, I knew that people who had bad taste in music (such as those under the impression that Pink is the greatest female alive) would hear it, and it kinda cheapened it for me. Plus, I knew it would be overplayed to high hell. While I still love the song to death, it sadly has been. And there is nothing more crushing than hearing your mom humming the song you love.

Has anything happened like this with bands you loved before they became super famous? If so, how do you feel about it? With bands like The White Stripes and Good Charlotte getting the same treatment, can any of you relate?

[HeartBurnKid]

I feel old... I remember when Korn got the same treatment (yes, even Korn was new and interesting once).

[FakeRazor]

I hate when that happens. It's kind of like when they showed an Alkaline Trio video on TRL...

[Diet Choke: Soda of Failures]

I don't get what the big deal is. So the artists are popular now, who cares? Although I guess some do have a tendancy to turn to crap once that happens. Coincidence or not? Dont know. I guess the whole "This group sucks now because they're famous" thing stems from people who believe that groups do the kind of music the execs tell them to once they've become famous.

[Sephironixis]

Four said:

(although I originally was put off by Paul McCoy's Linkin Park-esque rapping, but I've grown to accept it)

What's wrong with Linkin Park? Seriously, I want to know.

[Diet Choke: Soda of Failures]

The singer guy (The bald one that looks like Moby) has a voice that grates on one's nerves after a while, for one. That's my only real problem with them is his voice.

[Norris For Prez!]

Couple of things I want to address here:

First, as I said, I am happy for Evanescence, The White Stripes, and even for Blink 182 and Good Charlotte (despite the fact that I don't like their pop-punk music). I'm glad they're selling lots of albums, making lots of money and getting enough support to record follow-up records. What I DON'T like is the fact that the pop radio stations, MTV and VH1 will overplay the song until it becomes unbearable and it just sounds like part of the faceless bands that they play around it. A better example of this is "Drive" by Incubus, a song I listened to a great deal before it was released as a single. Afterwards, I heard it all the time at work, on the radio, etc. Today, I can hardly stand it.

Next, I would like to say that I love Linkin Park, and I've probably listened to METEORA as much as I have Evanescence. That being said, I like chocolate and I like chicken, but I would certainly not like chocolate-covered chicken. I just don't think that McCoy's rapping works out well with the dark, almost gothic sound of Evanescence. It just sounds tacked on (In fact, according to an Evanescence web site, bringing in McCoy was the label's idea, not the band's). Sometimes different music genres can work together well, even rock and rap, but in this case, it just doesn't. Plus, it hurts the band, as many LP fans may think Evanescence are similar to LP and may be put off when they find out they are not.

I also think the blond haired singer of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington, makes the band. His vocals are remarkably improved on the new album, as they soar and grow louder and louder, adding depth and emotion to the songs. In fact, I wouldn't mind him being the sole singer of the band. However, this is not to discount the rapper (Mike Shinoda), who does a good job and has a powerful vocal presence.

[Bobby "The Badass" Budnick]

I hear of "my bands" mainly through word of mouth, and rarely from the radio. I will admit, when a band that I have liked for a while becomes popular, it does get on my nerves. It's the whole concept of "thats my band", and when you have to share "your band" with the rest of the world, you tend to reject the band. Just a month or so ago, radio stations and MTV started playing AFI. This really pissed me off because I had to share AFI with people who had never heard of them before "Girls not Gray".

I really think it goes back to kindergarden. When you had a toy, and people wanted you to share it, you would give up on the toy.

But anyway, these are some band I have felt were taken from me.

AFI
Deftones
The Ataris
Cold
Good Charlotte
Linkin Park
Incubus

[Catfish666]

It's really pointless to be mad when one of your favs makes it big. You really got to realize, that was the goal of your favorite band in the first place.

For instance, Trav, you feel kinda let down because they started playing "Girls Not Grey" on the radio. You have to realize, that is what AFI has been working towards all this time. You think that they want to remain in relative obscurity? No, I would imagine, when they first started playing their guitars, that they were dreaming of the time they were getting played.

Besides, you yourself admitted to sharing them with others. What do you think happens when you, and others like you, share good music with other people? (Gasp!) They get popular!

I'm not trying to pick on you, Trav. I am just saying that there really is no point of getting mad at a band just because you think they "sold out." Personally, for instance, I am glad for Metallica for all the success they got. That was their very intention in the first place, and while St. Anger is not one of my favorite albums, it is decent, and a step in the right direction from Load and Reload, so it's all good to me.

[Sephironixis]

My only beef is that both Hybrid Theory and Meteora can be burned to a single CD-R, with room to spare for some of the better Reanimation songs. (Reanimation... such a good CD, with so much hate directed to it...)

[Colly2K]

I saw Coldplay in a pub with about a hundred people supporting Terris (who were, and probably still are shite). Soon after they released Shiver, then Yellow, and the rest is history. And Chris Martins hair was cooler then.