Pearl Jam, The Indie band?

killyourfm

In the video game world, independent developers are defined as guys who don't have financial support to create their games. In the music industry, indie bands generally walk the same line, self-recording and publishing their own material...

Which leads me to a strange question I never thought I'd ask: Do you think Pearl Jam can be considered an indie band now? I'll leave it as a general question and I look forward to all the various tangents it will encompass...

Discuss :-)

12345AGNST1

Their new album has a little but of an indie sound but that's about iiittttttttt.

Snoopy Died For Our Sins

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Their new album has a little but of an indie sound but that's about iiittttttttt.

I'm gonna go ahead and strongly disagree with your statement

killyourfm

Snoopy Died For Our Sins wrote:

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Their new album has a little but of an indie sound but that's about iiittttttttt.

I'm gonna go ahead and strongly disagree with your statement

So am I. It had incredible production values. I"m talking about indie as in the movement. like, little podcasts could play music from Backspacer. . .

Ok, continue :-)

drummerboy_73

I think the term "indie" is bullshit, in any case.

The same stupid thing is happening as with the term "alternative" in the late 80's/90's. It started as a term to describe music that wasn't "mainstream" in regards to radio play or in sales. Suddenly, when bands started gaining popularity for whatever reason (live shows, touring, gradual building of fan base, etc.) it became a term used to describe a sound or genre of music, even though many of the so-called "alternative" bands sounded NOTHING like each other. It even became a section in some music chain stores. I used to laugh going through that "section"...I'm sorry but Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, Jane's Addiction, and Primus sound NOTHING like each other!

In the same way, "Indie" started out as short for "Independent", describing bands doing what you talked about - doing their own recording, publishing, marketing, etc. Now all of the sudden, it's used to describe the sound and look of bands - it's quickly becoming another "grunge-type" marketing ploy.

So to answer your original question - yes, I do like noodles... :wtf:

killyourfm

@drummerboy: Hilarious, but totally accurate reply. someone get that guy a megaphone.

So, it sounds like we need a new, new term for "indie." How about "poor and underappreciated?"

drummerboy_73

killyourfm wrote:

@drummerboy: Hilarious, but totally accurate reply. someone get that guy a megaphone.

So, it sounds like we need a new, new term for "indie." How about "poor and underappreciated?"

Sounds good...and here are my predictions for some other "genres" which we'll see emerge this decade:

LAPTOP - this will be a genre of music that will have been produced solely on laptop computers, with no additional equipment. All drum parts will be done with free, downloadable loops. All other instruments will be sampled from pre-recorded, royalty-free recordings, or produced on virtual instruments. All vocals must be recorded through the laptop's built-in microphone. ABSOLUTELY NO EXTERNAL MICROPHONES! At the 2019 Grammy's, Thom Yorke will be given special recognition as the "Grandfather of Laptop".

HOMELESS - this genre will consist of recordings by musicians who meet one of the following criteria:
A.) live with their girlfriend who makes a decent living while they, as "struggling musicians", balance their precious time between the "creative process" (i.e. sleeping, drinking, eating Taco Bell 4th meal, smoking any number of plant-derivative products) and holding down a part-time job at Quizno's. Their names will not appear on any apartment lease or rental agreement (since girlfriend pays 99% of the rent anyway)
B.) are between the ages of 18 and 40, who still live with their parents, rehearse in a "studio" space which 2/3 is also reserved for motor vehicles, storage closets and washer/dryer, and who also obtain all band gear on a credit line at Guitar Center co-signed by a blood relative or legal guardian.
c.) are really homeless

YOUTUBE - this genre of "music" will have it's initial inception and public presentation in the form of a YouTube video, if for no other reason then the fact that there was no way in hell any other type of distribution entity would even think about putting it into any form of media accessible by the general public. Some examples would be:
- a video of a child singing the lead in the Happy Apple Elementary school's 3rd grade production of the "Sound of Music", in a voice that Mommy, who captured the video on last decade's 0.9 Mega-pixel flip cam, believes to be the sound of an angel...when she knows damn well the only reason her daughter got the part in the first place is because she's banging the principal and threatened to tell his wife.
- a clip filmed at a party in which the performer has consumed amounts of alcohol resulting in an effect that leads you to believe the song is original, but due to the consumption of said amounts of alcohol, is actually a completely unrecognizable attempt at Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog".

PUNK 2 - a "re-invention" of punk, if you will, that at first thought, might lead one to believe takes it's roots from the original form of Punk, but instead of paying homage to, actually transcends it's predecessor (i.e. perverts) by completely removing itself from any influence of musical origins and associations, and defines itself by adhering to a set of strict fashion and behavior parameters. An example would be a hairstyle that a typical passerby would perhaps view with an impression similar to "Man...that dude must have just woken up...or just doesn't really give a shit how his hair looks", but in actuality was a very carefully and consciously crafted grooming decision that probably cost about as much as an average U.S. citizen's car payment to produce that exact impression. Another example might be holding a guitar very low, while raising a mic stand very high and facing the mic downwards at an extreme angle, so that any fashion accoutrement or T-shirts with political slogans are readily viewable by audience members and broadcast cameras.

12345AGNST1

I dunno, the fixer has a big poppy new school sound to it, so does Johnny guitar to me. Not to mention the album art screams "younger audience"

booth jam

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure the the term "Indie" originally refered to bands who were on Independant record labels.
Then in the late 80's early 90's (in the UK) it became cool to say you were into indie music and everyone jumped on the bandwagon regardless of the fact if a band was actually on an Indie label or a major.
I was witness to people who had no musical taste or orientation suddenly raving on that they were into indie, even when the bands they referred to were actually on major labels.

And thats all I have to say about that!

drummerboy_73

booth jam wrote:

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure the the term "Indie" originally refered to bands who were on Independant record labels.

It probably originated in a few various ways, but you're pretty much correct. It seems to me that in the U.S., it gained more traction as a term describing artists who were "Do-It-Yourself'ers"from a production and distribution standpoint, and even if they were on an "indie" label, in a lot of cases, the artists themselves have been founders or co-founders of some labels.

So if we go back to using "indie" as a term defining ACTION and CONDUCT, rather than a SOUND or musical GENRE, the by all means, Pearl Jam is one of the biggest "indie" acts around...at least since 1994.