Baby Steps

Let's face it, metal is dead.  At least, it is in Baltimore.  If you play in a metal band you know this to be fact, you've played enough shows for other musicians to notice this.  Even if you are not quite willing to admit it yet.  Some might even see this blog as down right blasphemous, trust me, I am trying to do what little I can to help the situation.  I'd say the first step would be to give some thought to just what is wrong with metal in Baltimore. First and foremost, we are unwanted in most venues.  We're (mostly) a group of cheap scumbags, the majority of metalheads can barely afford the cover.  Forget about spending money at the bar, we show up wasted!  Then you have the few diamond in the rough tough guys who need to start a fight for it to be a good night.  Moshing is mostly dead these days and fighting was never cool so let's try and relax a little bit huh?  So we aren't commercially viable, big deal right?  Shit, we'll just set up in the living and invite our friends over.  RAGE!!!  Wrong.  The police in Baltimore don't tolerate that shit, even if the neighbors DON'T complain.  Guess we'll just have to promise this promoter we're gonna sell his tickets so we can have the "honor" of getting on his show with some sorta known regional "headliner".  This is where we develop the majority of our problems.  One approach is the idea that you'll just lie, and when the other suckers all sell the tickets then you get to play for a room of new people and find a new promoter to con.  Too bad all the other bands had that same idea already.  Now you're playing for the other bands, buying expensive drinks and wishing you never took the show.  Another approach is to sell the tickets, I mean it IS gonna be a good show!  So now you've busted your ass and sold the tickets, your friends are stoked for a good show and.... oh god these other bands suck balls.  They sold the tickets, but that's only because they make up for a lack of talent with a combination of mom's money, a handful of idiotic and annoying friends and a try-hard "we're gonna be famous!" attitude.  Ok so at least we can agree, ticket sale shows suck, for the most part.  Stop doing them!  So we have venues that don't want us, people who can't or won't pay 10 bucks at the door followed by a 6 dollar beer punching you in the dick.  The final nail in the coffin is the fact that the fucking bands don't even want to be at their own show!  Half the later bands show up... well, late.  Half the opening bands leave early.  Where is the fuckin' mutual support?!  If you notice that a band conducts themselves this way, stop doing shows with them!  Basically, we need a few baby steps to save metal in this town.  The most important is to develop a set of standards.  Have some pride.  Hold those around you to the same standards or don't work with them.  Not working is far better than selling your dignity.  Metal is like a cockroach, we'll find a small dirty, dark corner to survive in, so stop compromising.  I know it may seem like opportunities are few and far between but that is only because we've allowed a flood of infiltration.  The true metalheads are caught in a vice grip between shitty try-hard bands and the promoters who wish to exploit them.  I say we remove ourselves entirely, go back underground and let the dollar chasers do this bullshit without us.  The 6 people that actually come to the show are there for us, not them.  We're headed down the wrong path and we need to change course.  Let's face it... Metal. Is. Dead.  What will you do to save it?