Wall of Mouths

JSar666 wrote:

Most of the US T? fans I’ve met online have been cool and I can understand their frustration. Most of them know the lack of album releases and tours is down to label politics and other bullshit…

I really would like T? to be able to do a huge US tour. Hopefully the next album will be “good enough” for a US label to snap it up…

a “huge US tour” will never happen in the forseeable future. What they need to do is this, (and mind you it’ll probably not work either)…

#1> Get connected to a festival tour. Like the Ozz-fest. They’d be the opener on the small stage, yes… but they’d open themselves to an audience. Or perhaps (though it’d more a stretch, no matter how many punk claims are made) the Warped tour. In some ways, while I’m hard pressed to call their current (if any of their) music “punk”, the Warped tour audiences might be more accepting and open to T?’s sort of music than the metalheads at Ozz-fest.

#2> Do a cheap small-club/van tour. Yep, a ford Econo-Line tour. Likely the guys, their gear, and a soundguy/roadie. Hell, if money’s a concern (and I know they’re not poor, but I’m also intelligent to know they aren’t rich.. they’re comfortable), find as many USA fans as they can in larger cities, and get their help. I live in Tampa, Florida, which as a “metro area” is fairly big. It’s an hour and a half from Orlando, obviously another decent sized city. I own a house that I could let ‘em crash in for free, and own a nic ebass and les paul I’d even loan ‘em. Fuck, if they needed it, I’d take a few days off of work and tag along to help load in + load out, and all I’d want is some merch + the ability to take photos.

I’ll admit, there’s some things they could try in the states, like the 2 suggestions above. #1 might be a little hard, but #2 is easy.. but again, they’re getting on in their lives, they have families and kids.. and if I was in their position, would I want to scrape buy for a few months living in a van in another country for *a CHANCE*?.. or would I rather do my normal decent tours, and have more time w/ my family?.. I’d pick the second choice..

MarkoJii wrote:

And don’t forget that you were the administrator of the first and only Therapy? mailing list (Hats off to you for doing that!)…

Sniff, god love you Marko for remembering ;).. it’s been so long since those days..

Alex and I had discussed bringing it back with suicidepact.. but well.. yeah.

i still love that i own that domain name.

And forgive me for blathering on, but I’ll make one last point to make sure anyone reading this realizes where I’m at.

I’d love to see T? go big in America, but I don’t see it happening. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. I think T? themselves have realized this.

I am happy to see that while they’re not huge over seas, they’re huge enough to make a good living and continue to live a successful life making music that I can dig, even if it means dropping $30 USD on a disc, which is about the regular rate for their albums for me!

Title: and again

I’m not here to be an asshole and argue. The facts are this, I have had interaction w/ the music industry in various ways in the states. I work in the entertainment industry (in a very disconnected way). I am a huge fucking T? fan. Fuck, I had a website about ‘em before the teethgrinder site existed (which turned into this one), and I’m in the USA!… I’ve flown across the country for the one time I’ve gotten to see ‘em play live!

Basically, I’m stating what I’ve seen and learned about the industry. It’s sad, but I really believe it’s true. T?’s been up and down in what they’ve released, in my books, but they’re insanely better than most crap on the radio… and that’s not just in the states, but I’ve heard alot of stuff that’s popular over seas too.. it’s pretty crappy too (most of it).

Bad Karma wrote:

Nope not kidding i don’t think the lyrics to Rock You Monkeys are the sole reason why NANE hasn’t recieved a US release but maybe one factor that could be considered as to why no US label will sign them.

The differences between NIN and Green Day and T? are NIN and Green Day already have established fanbases so no matter what they release it’s going to sell a certain amount.T? don’t have much of a fanbase in the US so i don’t think any record label will take the risk with them.

I’ll preface this with the fact that I’ve been doing house repairs all day, and am now rather drunk so I do apologize if I come off as an asshole.

I’ll give you that labels are more apt to allowing a “known quantity” such as NIN or Green Day to release an anti-gov tune or album than an unknown, but let’s review. The music industry has been insanely liberal forever. A label that’d be the type (ie the type to sign T?’s sort of music) to pick up Therapy would likely have a left leaning (read, anti-Bush) political stance anyhow, they wouldn’t care.

My point is, it’s silly to say that the politics behind that tune would impact T?’s ability to get signed in the states. If it did, it was reason #300 behind a bunch of other reasons.

Don’t get me wrong, the reasons are sad and pathetic ones. Reason #1: They only sold one album well in the states (troublegum). Why? That’s about the only one that had any push. Reason #2: They were later dropped. Er.. they were screwed in label mix ups. Reason #3: They’ve been around a while and not had any hits pop up and peak any interest. er.. who cares on that one?… but the fact is, this is the logic that labels go through.

Politics, they could care less. It’s very very very “in” to be anti-administration right now. Take it from someone in the States.

(and not to push it off track but.. come on, new NIN album is decent stuff!! It could be better, but at least it isn’t that over indulgent 2-disc full of crappy instrumentals like “the fragile” !!)

;)