Interesting Input

So right now the Jim Smith Band has gotten its CD into the hands of a few industry people and its floating around a little bit. This fellow Jaimie Vernon who owns a label that specialises in classic rock is trying to help us out, giving us input and stuff.

I've been corresponding with him about the question of what kind of music we play. I sent him an email that suggested that we are a rock band. His response presented a VERY narrow view on what rock is - but its interesting nonetheless. He DOES own a record label.

This is easy:

Rock is straight 4/4 or 3/4 time signatures performed with guitars and drums....occasionally a piano player. There are no syncopated rhythms....there are no mid-tempo songs (though, occasionally there's a ballad, but that happened only because girlfriends of guys in rock bands wanted something slow to dance to -- always DRIVING rhythms with kick-drum and bass guitar pounding out quarter notes....even eigth notes if the beat of the song is fast enough. And lastly....there are no marimba players, flutists, clarinets.....or ACOUSTIC guitars (rock music with acoustic instruments is called folk music).

AC/DC, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, KISS were rock acts....or a current reference point would be Canada's The Trews, Big Sugar, Danko Jones. American acts would include Matchbox 20, The Gin Blossoms or The Foo Fighters.

For better or worse The Jim Smith Band are none of these things...not even a LITTLE bit.

Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
"Not Suing Our Customers Since 1985!!"
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/


Any thoughts folks?

-Scott