I Predict A Riot

The trial of punk band Pussy Riot has captured the attention of an international audience over these last few months, coming to a fever pitch this last week when the 3 female defendants were sentenced to serve 2 years jail time each for the charge of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred".  There have been countless articles written about this case, so instead of rehashing all the specifics to the uninitiated, check out this piece here.

I'm concerned with the dichotomy of the internet when it comes to important stories like this.  On one hand, Western society would know virtually nothing about Pussy Riot without the myriad reports of this case.  There have been several articles praising the group and defending their actions, bringing to light how Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are blatantly being made examples of for dissenting against Putin and his Russian regime.  A multitude of protests and readings of their closing statements in court have been covered by almost every major news corporation, as well as music news sites.  I'm ecstatic to see this issue hit home with so many around the world and the support that is being garnered.

But then there is the other hand.  We live in the world of the 24 hour news cycle.  Aggregates and journalists are always looking to break the next huge story, and this causes amnesia in the common information consumer.  News that was important one day becomes buried underneath dreck like whom Katie Holmes is dating the next day.  It's hard to keep concerned citizens involved with important issues when we're inundated with so much rhetoric about EVERYTHING!!

This doesn't just go for Pussy Riot either.  Go on the Huffington Post (an aggregate that I do enjoy reading which has had a multitude of Pussy Riot coverage) and check the headlines.  The top stories change almost every hour, from politics to shootings to a porn star syphilis outbreak.  Yes, it's convenient that we have all this information available to us, but it's delivered in a way that is extremely disposable.  A subject will be under intense scrutiny and then buried under the endless minutiae of other less topical happenings within the same day.  This goes for any aggregate, not just HuffPost.

I don't want to see the Pussy Riot story go six feet under and become forgotten.  If they're out of sight, they're out of mind unfortunately.  It's great to see the outpour of support from artists and public and private citizens right now, and I hope the message doesn't get lost.  Society can't afford to turn a blind eye to important occurrences such as these and allow them to become minute footnotes in history.  Progress has always come from the outliers who take a stand for what they believe in, and Pussy Riot are no exception.  They've brought global attention to the way women are viewed and treated by the Russian government and are unapologetic in their actions.  They are rebellious role models and I believe that is the root of why Putin's government is being so harsh with the sentencing.  How amazing to have a regime afraid of your actions!!

I guess my ultimate point is that anyone who is concerned about Pussy Riot (or any other civil rights issue, for that matter) needs to keep making their voice heard.  It's so easy to be singular and anonymous in today's societal archetype, but if forward thinkers refuse to stay silent behind a worthy cause, there's no way they can be ignored.  My goal is to get a benefit organized in the next few weeks in support of Pussy Riot in my hometown of Las Vegas.  Do something, even if you're scared, because if you believe it's important enough, you'll always find others who are right there with you.

“I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights.” 

-Dr. Seuss

If you want to find ways to help the Free Pussy Riot movement, click here.  Keep on fighting the good fight!! 

When Is Enough Really Enough?

July 18th, 2012 was a very musically satisfying day for me.  In the evening I was lucky enough to catch the one-night-only theater viewing of the LCD Soundsystem documentary, "Shut Up And Play The Hits".  Then I caught the very first American television performance of Refused on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.


Though very different in sound, Refused and LCD Soundsystem are two bands that have an undeniable intensity and passion for music.  Their records are classics and each groups' live shows are mind-blowing.  I've been fortunate to see both acts live; LCD on their retirement tour, and Refused on their reunion tour.  Hearing James Murphy of LCD speak about ending his band in the documentary and watching Refused destroy the place on TV in the midst of their comeback tour, it really got me thinking about the lifelines of bands in general.  When is it time to call it a day?  When is it time to resurrect yourself?  Can this work for all bands or is there a fine line that not all artists can tread?  Let's ponder these questions, shall we?

Refused at Coachella 2012

I'll start with Refused.  This is a band that is near and dear to my heart; Refused are quite possibly my biggest musical influence.  They ended their run as a band in 1998 after they released the seminal album, "The Shape of Punk to Come".  The final show they performed before their split was a basement show in Harrisonburg, Virginia that was broken up by the police.  Tension had been growing in the band before that last tour.  Refused had put everything into making "The Shape of Punk to Come" and were disheartened by it's poor reception.  Ultimately, inner band turmoil and the feeling of being underappreciated for their efforts killed Refused.  They were tired, plain and simple.


The timing of when I started getting into Refused was maybe a month before their break-up.  I remember seeing the music video for "New Noise" on 120 Minutes and being blown away!  I had never seen anything like it, and then in the blink of an eye, Refused ended.  At the time I had no idea what the circumstances of their break-up was, but I was hooked.  I bought up every piece of music I could get my hands on; all the albums, EPs, demos...everything!!  I listened to it all on repeat and couldn't get enough.  It was such a bummer to realize I would never see Refused live.  They had such strong convictions and ideals that I never thought it would be possible for them to reform.  The sentiments from the band members' points of view are articulated very well in a documentary that guitarist Kristopher Steen made called "Refused Are Fucking Dead".  Definitely worth the watch.


Jump to the beginning of 2012.  Fake Coachella posters start making the rounds on the internet and Refused is included on many of the fictitious rosters.  The day comes for the real schedule to be released, and bold and centered is the name Refused!!  I couldn't believe it!  Never in my craziest dreams did I ever think they would reunite, but it was blasting in my face.  14 years later, Refused was back!

What changed to make this reunion a reality? My simple theory is this.  In their 14 year absence, Refused garnered an insane following of avid fans.  Being on Epitaph Records, they were included on a few Punk-O-Rama compilations after their split, slowly getting a younger audience to discover them.  And then there's the internet, that crazy thing.  A fervor made by people like me found it's way to the ears of Refused, and at a snail's pace, Dennis Lyxzen, David Sandstrom, Kristopher Steen, and Jon Brannstrom put their egos, ideals, and differences aside as they realized they had made an impact.  They may have had to swallow a healthy serving of pride, but their reunion shows have vindicated all the work Refused has done, bringing release to literally tens of thousands of hardcore hungry fans all over the world.

LCD Soundsystem's Final Show at Madison Square Garden

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have LCD Soundsystem led by James Murphy, who ended the band's tenure in April of 2011 at the height of it's ever-increasing popularity.  And in such grand fashion:  a sold-out, 3.5 hour performance at Madison Square Garden interspersed throughout with special guests such as Arcade Fire and Reggie Watts.

The big question:  Why?!?!?  To get some sort of answer I would definitely recommend watching "Shut Up And Play The Hits".  The documentary cuts back and forth between Murphy being interviewed by Chuck Klosterman, live footage from LCD's final show, and following Murphy around the day after the show.  Klosterman is an expert interviewer and really tries to dig deep into James' reasoning and motivation to kill the band.

The root of what Chuck gets down to is James dealing with being self-conscious about how he'll be perceived with every decision concerning the band.  Murphy is so much in his own head that he's not even sure if ending LCD Soundsystem is the right course of action.  However, he doesn't want to be in his 50's repeating the cycle of album, tour, and interviews, feeling as if he's the "college guy going to high school parties".  Murphy's ideals that he's accrued throughout his music career are shaping how he wants his legacy to live on, but he's also aware that he really has no control over how he's remembered.

One band lives, the other band dies.  Have they made the right decisions?  Would Refused be better off if they had just stayed broken up?  What would it be like if LCD Soundsystem had kept making music?  These are questions that will never have an answer.  As people age, they change, and there's always a chance for redemption or failure. All I know for sure is that in music, nothing ever stays gone forever.