Re: Nickelback ~ All the Right Reasons
I don't care what you play..whether it's metal,prog,hard rock or alternative...if you play your instrument well and the song is good and moves people...isn't your job as a musician complete??
The importance of one's music or art is the reaction from the audience participating.
You make a valid point, MP. From the musician's point of view that's the ONLY reason to play music and be involved with the music scene. As much as I loathe Nickelback's music, I will give credit to them for making a lot of people happy.
However, I beg to differ with your comment about the IMPORTANCE of a band's music/art. It has nothing to do with popularity. Audience participation and reaction certainly fuels and inspires a band, often to greatness, and that phenomenon can itself can be a huge contribution to their importance. Sometimes it's the MAIN reason for a band's importance...the Grateful Dead is an example...
But then you have acts who are confoundedly popular (via and perhaps SOLELY due to audience participation), like Hannah Montana & the Jonas Brothers, who surely cannot be seen as producing "important" music. As popular as they are, they will be relegated to relative obscurity within a couple of decades.
Nickelback's music, whether it actually is or not, seems calculated to appeal to a certain demographic FOR THE SAKE of appealing to that demographic, and that is my definition of "commercial music". I don't like commercial music. I don't like Nickelback. Maybe that's not the case...perhaps they're just doing what comes naturally...even so, their music SOUNDS like it was factory made for consumption by disaffected grunge fans pissed off at Pearl Jam. IMO.
I haven't been much of a Radiohead fan since 2000. But there is no denying their incredible influence on modern music. It may not be obvious to people who don't listen to a lot of indie music. And it isn't even necessarily about the music, even. Production techniques, incredibly innovative marketing concepts, a DIY approach that is rare in groups as successful as they are... The music is original and unique. Even non-fans (and haters) have to admit to that.
These things are what I primarily look for in a rock band. I like bands who do what they do because it's what THEY like to do and if they get some fans along the way, that's great, but it's not WHY they do it. Maybe Nickelback do it for all the right reasons, I don't know...but it sure doesn't SOUND that way to me.
I to the M to the H to the O.