Yesterday I have read an article in a Dutch newspaper which was about a company that created new wristbands for festivals and sport events containing GPS tracking systems.
Earlier this year there was a dance festival at the beach which totally got out of control, fights, police getting trapped so they felt forced to shoot and chaos all over. The idea of these bracelets were that it is easy to track what people who visit a certain festival are doing. In this way they claim it would be easier to find which persons are responsible for those fights.
Of course GPS has also other possibilities. They can track you 24/7. They can find out when you are peeing, they can find out what stage you are looking at and make a profile of your music taste, they can track at what stands you are buying your food, how often and maybe also how many alcohol you are buying. They can track at what time you go to bed and I don’t know what else they can track from you.

Do you like the feeling when somebody is following you around all day? Do I really want to be data based with my alcoholic consumptions? You know, criminals who get back in society might be forced to wear such wristbands, or ankle bands but what is the use of getting this information. What if I want to apply for a job at someday and there will be some computer nerd working for that company telling that I in my spare time went to a metal festival and bought a certain amount of alcohol in a short time, would this influence my changes to get the job? Do we all have to become model civilians now in order to be able to get a decent job?
Call me paranoid, or come with the standard answer: “I have nothing to hide”… it is bullshit. Why does the whole world have to know that I went to festival X and bought this amount of beer, went to the toilets six times at day one and I did not visit the filthy showers at the camping area for three days, but rather cleaned myself elsewhere. What is left of our privacy? Under the calling of “Safety” everything seems to be justified.

For what I hope this idea is dumped in a big concrete bunker deep down under the floor and it won’t come out till year 2500. Let me piss, poo, mosh, puke, drink, get drunk and party in privacy please.

Personally I have always been interested in seeing and supporting small and unknown bands whenever I can, but through the years I feel like getting over that for just a bit. Reasons: the ego that rises above the highest tower in the city. First, when such a band starts they just adore the fans and stay in touch whenever they can. Then they get a bit more success and suddenly it seems like more people get interested. There are bands that make the decision to maintain the contacts anyway, but loads of them become ignorant for the ones that believed in them from the start. Excuses like, “no time we were too busy” is often heard, but isn’t that just a lame excuse?
I often wonder how those fans must feel who have been drinking a beer with the band after a gig in the past and now hardly get a greeting when they rush by on their way to the backstage area where they have “very important” things to do. Whenever I run into a band that is totally the other way, who despite all their fame and busy schedules still make time to chat up with fans and try to keep in contact with them I am just more than happy that they are not spoiled, not infected by the backstage arrogance virus.
Eventually, those bands will go in history with good stories from their followers. But what is there to tell about the backstage whores?

A wise man told me once: “The only difference between an animal and human beings, is that humans eat their food with fork and knife.” Even in elementary school you already learn that humans are actually animals too, so the question is why do we humans are so egocentric to think that we are so different from other animals? Why do we think we are so much better than them? We, humans, see ourselves as the most intelligent form of life in the universe and respect for animals have been gone far.

In our highest point of disgrace we call them beasts, just as we call our fellow humans who have felt of the etiquette. Only recently I heard someone shouting beast to a rockstar who was eating spagetti with his hands and I immediatly had think of the wise man’s words. Where do we humans place the border? If we really want to be above them then why are we continously meet eachother in the real world in a search of confrontation.

Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, Cow and Chicken. All are animals who for some reason got human aspects added to their existance. Why did the drawers of these cartoons decide to let Tom walk on two legs instead of four, like normal cats do?
Why can Cow and Chicken communicate with eachother in human speach? I never seen a cow walking by (on two legs) asking me about the weather for example. This all points to the direction where we started. Humans and animals are equal. Because humans are animals too.

Realising this all, there is only one thing I really want to say, in the hope that some of you get
my point:

Rockstars are humans too!

Yesterday, I was having my coffee, sitting at my desk reading some news sites just as I do quite regular. My eyes fell over an article of the Dutch website nu.nl. They had an interview with the Swedish band Sugarplum Fairies. (whothefuck? ) yet another indie rock band.
In this interview, I have read some sentences that really bug me. It was about the band attracting a lot of girl fans. Quote in Dutch: “Eigenlijk zou het een keurmerk moeten zijn. Hoe meer meisjes, hoe beter je muziek”. Translated it would mean: “It should be a hallmark; the more girls, the better the music.”

How can any self respecting musician say something like that. Why don’t you want guys to be your fan, come to your gigs, and buy your records? And how the hell on earth can it be that more girls is similar to better music? If you play better than you are better. The fact that you have girls coming to your gig does not change anything to your level of skills.
For example… take a random hot guy, let’s say Johnny Depp. I have no idea if he is a talented musician, although I know he was in a band once. But let for the sake of this example say that he can not play any note right at all. Place him with a guitar and a microphone on the stage and there will be more girls than the Sugarplum Fairies will ever get.
Is he now a true music legend? Suddenly thousands of girls came to see him and just because of that he is a great musician??
I don’t think so.
How the hell on earth do these guys get to think like this?! They think that a good look brings the music to a higher level? I hope that someday some girls walk up to them and tell them to take some lessons and try again after that.
Mission failed, you are the weakest link!

 Yesterday, I got surprised (well maybe not that surprised actually) by a message in my hyves account. It says that my favorite Rotterdam hangout needs subsidy which they didn’t have before.  Exit is a venue in Rotterdam where all those small local bands start rocking before they gain any world fame. It is a place where you tell your children about later: “Mommy was there when this great band you like now, which you want to see in the big arena was playing in Rotterdam. It was in this cute and cozy little venue called Exit”. Realizing that they have been grown so big, I wonder who will be next? Well, it is up to you to find out. Maybe you are next? Yes, you! Your band can be the one! You play guitar a bit, your best friend is a drummer and it happens that guy next door has a pretty good voice. His nephew knows how to handle a bass and there you have the perfect setting for a band.Good, you start practicing together; actually after a while you have quite some songs done. What is next? Performing! You send an email to that big arena but unfortunately they do not want to book you, because they never heard of you before. No one has actually… Maybe a few of your friends know, but you want to be that rock star and it is not rock and roll to invite everyone in your backyard when your neighbors call the police because “a bunch of guys” make noise after 10 o clock in the evening. Your friends start complaining that there is no more beer and that the wind is getting chilly on the night. So that is not too much of a success either. The police left you with a warning that if you make that much noise again they will take your gear. What is next? A brilliant idea of your bandmate: Just call Axl Rose and ask if you can be his support. All of you are cheering and the lights in your eyes shine as bright as they never have been before. Bummer! You don’t have Axl’s phone number! So that turned out to be not such a good idea either. Once again you see your dream falling apart. You get into a depression; maybe you are just not fortunate for being a rock star?

The chick you liked in highschool is a great artist though. She somehow made that impressive drawing of the four of you and one of you decide that it would do great as a poster. You get some cards printed with this and send some around. Unfortunately, after a few weeks the biggest stages still did not reply. You almost get back to the deepest, darkest corner of your soul when suddenly you get a call. You have a gig scheduled! Where? In a small cozy venue like Exit! The morality is getting better again, you start practicing more intensive and you call all your friends to come and see the show. The day of the show comes and then the nerves come up. You did not realize that many people would actually see you playing. But you have not been on a stage before!!! You all get there very early to put up your gear and when the doors are open, people come in. You greet your friends and saunter from the bar to the toilet to the stage to everywhere. With shaking hands you step on the stage the four of you give each other one more look and there you go. Playing and playing. After the set it seems that your audience is proud on what you have done.  You feel better, almost happy and then you realize that this is the first step to Axl Rose his world fame! The boyfriend of your sister his aunt was there as well and when he comes to his job he enthusiastically tells you about that small little band he saw the night before. A few months later you have some more gigs done and your first CD is up. The rock band of the future is made.  That is more or less how things go. 

Exit is my favorite place to be in Rotterdam. Local bands get the chance to play and I see a lot of growing talent. As you know, you often see reviews appearing of bands that played in Exit. All they need is 40.000 euro a year! Compared to all those huge stages it is nothing! 40.000 euro subsidy is not too much! But as it seems Rotterdam major did not mind to open his wallet where other venues do get money? I signed this petition!!  Please do the same! Because all you music lovers want to have new talent in your cd player! Maybe you want to be there in a venue like Exit your self! Maybe it’s you who’s next entering the stage.  It’s easy, but in Dutch so I help you out! 

1. go to: http://www.axci.nl/?ln=ned&id=3166 and click on “Deze petitie tekenen”
2. Fill in your name(naam), email (a real one please you have to confirm!), day of birth, address (can be fake), postal code, city, phone number (can be fake as well) then UNDER the big square for comments: the first option if you want to stay up to date, the second if you don’t want to
3. click on “handtekening plaatsen”
4. go to your email and confirm it! (make sure to check your spambox if it doesn’t get through)

 Thank you!

Castlefest – 1, 2, en 3 Augustus 2008
Keukenhof, Lisse – The Netherlands

It has been a while since this festival but I still like to tell you about this event. This event is a little special it is not really a music festival but more a lifestyle festival. But let me tell you about it. Read more…

We have been working on the idea of creating a columnpage for quite some time. Now we came to the point that it is finally realized. Of course, we will work on it some more, there are some things to be done.

Now we will start writing columns about music related issues and find the best and most interesting guestwriters for you. We are already talking with some very talented writers, so be patient and keep your eyes on it!

Are you interested in writing a column?? Is your life related to music and can you tell us something interesting?

Feel free to write me an email. My email adress is: sabine(at)tempelores.com

Keep your eyes on this page!