By the
Knave Pop
Collective
Let me start by saying that we are not considered and "experts" on
the subject of life and the pursuit of happiness ... now with that said
we have been in and around the music scene of Jacksonville Florida since
1991/94 when the best place in town to catch a live band was a small
place in southern Orange Park called the Cool Bean Café. A small do it
yourself venue started by Doug Stevens with the walls painted black and
neon vinyl couches. The 1st time I (Emerson / EMA) went their I was 13
and I was lucky enough to be taken there by my father who at the time
was really into an awesome local band called Gimp Disco.
NOTE: GIMP DISCO / Later all members of this band would go their
separate ways. Lead singer/guitarist Roger White to start a very cool
but "short-lived" band called FUMA which also featured Chris Spohn of
the current project the Someday Maybe on Bass , Sean from the Bad Pills
on Drums, and Brian Hicks from Helm on Sax/Flute.
Being in the South with the paranoid conservative attitudes, The
Cool Bean Cafe `did not live long in Orange Park... Later I heard it
moved to Jacksonville for a short time ... either way it didn't last.
The next few venues that popped up was places like the Lions' Club,
The Moto Lounge, The Milk Bar, Juice and Java. and again all did not
last.
>> now to jump forward a little <<
At this same time their was a small upstart of the old scene in the
presence of two bands called BELIK and Red Light, Green Light, Go. Both
new and holding on to the old but true punk rock philosophy. (Now to
newer kids to the scene.. when I say "punk rock" I do not mean dressing
up in costume and listening to the Epitaph or Sub Pop sound. I'm talking
about the spirit that has always been around since before it was called
"Punk Rock" .. You might as well call it "against the grain ".. From the
time of slaves in the fields of America spreading their gospel of pain
through song that gave birth to the blues, to the first time Elvis shook
his hips and made Rock & Roll a commodity. Punk Rock has always been
"Kid Created .. mother does not approve."
But, as things go.. Red Light ,Green Light ,Go eventually went on
to become a band by the name of "A Really Good Beating," and BELIK fell
to an untimely tragedy leaving most of the remaining members to form
their current band "Apollo Celsius." After different line ups and new
people coming, and a long philosophical trip from hell - A Really Good
Beating changed their name to just THE BEATING (mainly taken not given
tense). After the loss of old guitarist Neal (from Red Light Green Light
Go) left to play for Apollo Celsius. Follow Me?
>> Now jump to current 2002 <<
Remnants of the "old scene" are still here and living. To give you
a short run real quick ... RINGWORM can still be found in the current
Haggard... Brain Hicks from Gizzard can be traced to several different
bands including HELM and TROPIC OF CANCER ... Common Thread is at it
again. Orange parks most successful underground band JUG-OR-NOT can
still be found as the New wave Lounge Act Little Green Men and Can't Get
Right ... Sean from Damp Ending can be found playing drums for The Bad
Pills .. And of course a hundred others I cannot think of off the top of
my head ... Also Damien from JON TODD and bands like TWELVE HOUR TURN
both where the last to rise from the old scene and remain strong during
the "days of disco" are still as far as I know remaining strong and
steady ... and of course the children of Knave Pop; Me and Charlie from
Nocturnal Emmission + Kevin from Belik / The Beating = the now current
band EMA .
Like I had said, I have been in and around the "scene" here for along time
and I have seen bands come and go . Would-be production companies
looking to make a cool million come and go. Local stars burn out before
their time. What seems so funny is that I have met so many people here
that I now know why Jacksonville has always been a sleepy town that goes
to bed @ 9pm . Because it seems like almost everyone is too afraid to
leave their little shells and do what it takes to make it better for
everyone.
Well, that is where we come in. We are the Knave Pop Collective. We are
not weekend warriors, nor are we exploring a hobby that we want to show
off to our friends. We are also not trying to pawn off our music as
"NEW" or "fresh" ... we are just playing music that we like to hear for
people like us that can understand.
www.knavepop.com .
This time around Jacksonville is on its way to being big regardless
of music. With the Super Bowl on the way and the Better Jacksonville
plan in operation we are about to see our little sleepy town converted
into a party town unlike any other. For more info on that please visit
www.jacksonville.com
So with Jacksonville getting bigger you might think that the
"scene" will get better right? Well that depends.. what they do not tell
you is that in this last decade, all big business has been merging.
Getting bigger and tighter on everything. What this means for the little
guy is that we are two years into the decade and there is no real new
music taking off and the Major Labels are going broke. What could they
be doing wrong? Well I'll tell you ... remember back to the previous
rant about "punk rock" and "against the grain " theory .. well being a
successful artist has not always been socially okay, or "politically
correct" mainly because those few in the beginning of the Blues, Rock
and Roll, punk, grunge or whatever, where not trying to make music to
get on the radio or to get their faces plastered on the cover of a
magazine. Now do not get me wrong their has never ever been a band that
got famous on accident. What the public normally gets fed to them is the
most sellable & socially acceptable ART of that genre.
Now let me take you farther into my beliefs of music. THERE IS NO
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POPULAR BANDS .. What you hear as "Rock" or "Grunge"
or "House" or even "Country" on our Popular Clear Channel radio stations
is P.O.P. Music. It is all a formula these days.. Make a song you can
dance too. Make it catchy so it sticks in their heads. Sing about how
fucked up your childhood was or just fake it to "identify" with the
younger generations, or just make disinformation about how much fun the
world is so people forget the problems they really should be dealing
with. It is all formula. Like making a burger at a fast food restaurant.
Do it once and keep doing it or don't make money?
Well, call me crazy but where did the "artist " fall into all that
??
There is an organization which is the political arm of the music
industry.. It is called the RIAA and it has done everything in its power
in the last 3 years to secretly take the "artist" out of the Industry.
They have (according to Rolling Stone Magazine) secretly changed the US
Copyright policy by political influence, to make it possible to
completely own all rights to artists music and hold them responsible for
all advances given before hand even after filling bankruptcy! No way to
make a decent living making art, just shiny millions or Gov. Cheese. Now
this may seem legit, as to make sure that people pay their dues if they
do not live up to an agreement, but here is where it is straight fucking
wrong, they not only own them ( the artist) and their name, but they, in
a sense (through contractual agreement ) own the artists work as if they
had created it themselves 100%!
So where does that leave artists? Where does that leave the
hardworking artists who really want to make money without having to lap
dance for some dick head who probably doesn't even listen to music?
Well, that is what we are trying to solve. It can be done but it must be
a collective effort by all. I personally have made it a promise that if
I dig what someone is doing than I do everything in my power to support
them. However I do not get into those who I know will basically suck
dick or ass kiss just for the hopes that it will better themselves in
some way. Not being nice to be nice. Being nice to solely get something
in return! That I think is BULLSHIT! But that is me of course.
Anyways ... The real question is .. Can an art survive solely on
its own integrity without compromise ?? I personally think it can but it
has to take the right state of mind in people.. What I mean by that is,
that it will have to be people that are willing to hunt the underground
for things they like and then choosing to support it, rather than to
exploit it, like it used to be ... If you like a band or an artist who
is not famous don't buy their record or art because you think that one
day it will be a collectors item ... Buy their album, or buy the piece
of artwork or whatever, because you want to keep alive what you like
about them ... The only thing that "Commercializes" Art is when money
gets involved. Money does make the world go around. And it does pay the
rent.
Now in the past their has been 2 ways of doing it... Working a Day
Job and Making art for your friends as you grow older and older and you
are infamous only to yourself.... Or you get desperate and want to make
money at your art form so you are quick to use the "tricks of the trade"
to more or less Package yourself in to submission and are force fed to
the wolves .....
Now I'll say for the history of the band(s) I've been in and
making art in general ... Working a normal day job sucks cock. Working
to make art for someone else ... Sucks bigger fucking cock (because you
never get to do what you really should be doing) so normally its damned
if you do or damned if you don't. That's where we see different.
I honestly believe that art, in itself, can rise or fall and be BIG
in on its own solely by the quality of the work. Because this Decade and
those to come now have the INTERNET. Where Artwork can be found and
thrive from anywhere in the world with very little money. Their is a lot
of people who still think the Internet is evil and let me tell you it is
the last place where the "evils" of the world are almost just as equal
as the powers of 'good '... The Computer WILL replace the television in
the next 20 years or so. Soon all home entertainment will all come from
the same box !! Imagine that ... But until then it cannot get us lazy !!
There still must be good old fashion "street team work"!! There must be
a very strong Underground network for art to thrive and I really cannot
speak for anyone else but that is what we have been slowly starting for
about three years ... And now more than ever!
We have all [the knave pop collective] made a promise to ourselves
to support what we like, make music we like, and above all else be true
to ourselves without ever going out of our way to bullshit somebody
about how good they are doing solely that it might better ourselves
..... And the best thing is we do not try to change peoples minds, we
just try to show by example.
fine`
The KnavePop Collective
P.O. Box 440022
Jacksonville Fla 32222
www.knavepop.com
*THIS ARTICLE WAS WRTITEN NOT SO MUCH TO PROMOTE AS TO
MAKE THIS KNOWLEDGE AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO WOULD NOT ALREADY OR MAYBE
NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN.