So, as the header here implies, yeah, Paste done gone and uploaded the rest of Dave Sims' piece onto its site today, name-checking more and more area bands, as promised. Read it here.
But, since I've brought it up, let me rant, for just a second.
To the guy who posted anonymously on Paste's story, bitching about these bands the Dave mentioned, and saying that the only worthwhile bands he mentioned on his list were Last Men and Marked Men: Get your head out of your freakin' ass. For serious.
First, what you wrote:
The guy who wrote this article based all of his information on a few shows he attended and on info he got from the Denton Rock City message board, which many of the mentioned bands frequent. He admitted to not knowing much about the Denton scene despite having lived in the town for years and the only reason he sought out any of this music was a column about Denton that he wrote for the Dallas Observer, one of the worst "alternative" weekly papers in the country. This article is laughable and the only bands worth mentioning are Last Men and Marked Men.He completely ignored several key scenes of Denton, like the noise/underground scene which offers far more creativity and vitality than the tired alternative/rootsy bands that dominate this list. I agree that our town is one of the best music scenes, but you wouldn't know that from this list. Thanks for nothing, Dave.
And, now, my response:
1) This is Paste we're taking about, a magazine that simply adores alt-country and folk. People subscribe to it for specifically that reason, in fact. Think any of its readers give a damn about Denton's noise or experimental scenes? Honest truth: Doubtful. So send this bitch to Under the Radar or somewhere that does cover those scenes. Of course Paste is gonna want to know about the folk and alt-country artists! Know your audience, for crying out loud...
2) If you really can't see the artistic merit in a Doug Burr, a Sarah Jaffe or a Centro-matic, well, then you probably aren't versed enough in music to know what legitimately constitutes an interesting noise/experimental scene. Honest.
3) What good does it do to bitch about a compliment a well-read national outlet has to offer your town? And on their turf, no less? If you have to say something, maybe try to be grateful, for once? Please? It's a nice honor; why would you wanna ruin it? Your comment makes the whole scene look a) bad, and b) as if Denton doesn't support artists of all genres, which, you and I both know, it does. Don't cloud external perceptions. Wanna stupidly bitch? OK, but do so here or on your precious WeShotJr, two places where people have come to expect idiocy in the comments.
4) At the very least, if you disagree with what was written, write an intelligent, thought-out, even-keeled letter to the editor. Then maybe it'll get printed! And people will actually see what you were trying to say! And then, just maybe, they'll take some time to think about what you said, instead of reading it like the "My band wasn't named and I'm upset!" drivel that it appears to be. Just use your head. That's all I'm saying.
OK. I'm done, I think. Yes, I'm making mountains out of molehills. But something about that comment just ticked me off, sorry. Had to get it off my chest.
(And, no, I'm not looking to start a flame war with some anonymous commenter, so this is the last I'll say on the matter.) --Pete Freedman
