Sounding Off: “Oh, I LOVE THAT BAND!”

By John Matthew Walker

“Oh, I Love That Band!”

Do you? Were you aware that the drummer that brought it for you last night dined on Ramen noodles this morning? That singer that reminded you why you love RnR coasted to his minimum wage job on fumes? We all accept the “Wave” into our favorite bars from time to time, but if you can’t find it in your heart to pay the $5 cover, at least half of the time, then forgive me if I have a hard time considering you to be an actual “Lover” of music. A true appreciator of an art form is a patron. He accepts that silent agreement that everyone has to pony-up every now and again, and ensure that these folks that give us so much free entertainment at very least cover the costs of being in a band. How much cash did you hand over to Pabst or Hornito’s last night? How much cocaine did you purchase? Could you not have had a bit less, and kicked a paltry fiver down, so that 24-year-old from Denton, who is re-inventing the guitar, can catch a little buzz of his own?

Austin in specific; The greatest detriment our scene faces is a horde of cheapskates who, on some misguided principle, refuses to pay for their good times. If you truly love a band, do everything in your modest power to ENSURE that they can afford enough free time to proliferate their vision. The saddest thing there is, is a genius giving up on his inspiration, because he’s tired of the looming threat of eviction and starvation. IN MY NOT-SO-HUMBLE OPINION, If you are a “Rock N’ Roller”, who is out making the scene every night, and you cannot make the occasional tithing for your smile’s benefactor- You are nothing but a low-rent poseur hack. You don’t love music, you love your own gratification. You are perfectly American, Perfectly status-quo, cheating the honor system for your own masturbatory pleasures. Hurry up and grow out of Rock N’ Roll, so a few of those kids who couldn’t get into the show last night may have a chance…

John Matthew Walker Is A Concerned Musician