I don't know what it is about Pitchfork - they're like Mitt Romney. How can you be so divisive and closed-minded‚ and still be taken seriously by anyone? Like‚ really? There's that many people that voted for Romney? They kind of remind me of my fascination with Bill O'Reilly - the guy is such an asshole‚ that I go to sites like Crooks & Liars and Media Matters to watch video clips to be reminded what an asshole he is. And then I say to myself‚ "Self‚ we're so fucked." What is it about these divisive folks - in their refusal to open up and investigate a different viewpoint - that makes them so popular? Hmm…
I remember hearing the buzz years ago about Pitchfork and about how they had become the premiere tastemakers in underground music. And of course‚ what they've built is very admirable. I started to check it out and one of the first things I read was their news section about some festival's lineup and they nonchalantly referred to Medeski Martin and Wood as "lame." Really? Then I started seeing the power this site had over people - all these lemmings repeating the gospel according to Pitchfork on blogs‚ message boards‚ even in my local paper. Man‚ these people already have their minds made up about what is good and bad before they even listen.
Then‚ I had a hilarious interaction with one of their writers after a show one time - I was talking to one of the members of a band and he told me their album was reviewed and that they found out that Pitchfork always takes .2 off of any album rating that a writer gives a review - you know‚ sort of as a coolness cushion. It was fucking hilarious. The writer reprimanded the musician for exposing company secrets. But anyway‚ there I was basking in the afterglow from the experience of hearing this band play and I'm hearing about how their music was critiqued with decimal points. Talk about missing the point.
So‚ now‚ this is great: The Fiery Furnaces are playing six shows with String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth. And this is what Pitchfork had to say:
Amidst a flurry of website updates about album-titling caucuses‚ fan-assisted songwriting‚ and democratically chosen setlists‚ the Fiery Furnaces have found time to schedule yet another tour.
This spring/summer trek includes one-off shows with the Cool Kids and the Raconteurs‚ but the Friedbergers' most interesting pair-up is the addition of Kyle Hollingsworth to their band for the first six shows.
But who‚ you may ask‚ is Kyle Hollingsworth? He would be the keyboardist for jam-band journeymen the String Cheese Incident. But what‚ you may ask‚ the fuck? We knew Matthew & Eleanor had some jammy tendencies‚ but apparently the roots run deeper than we thought.
This news comes from a story on JamBase.com confirmed by Thrill Jockey‚ and we'd like to thank reader Tobias Sincere for the tip.
Strange collaboration? Not really. Musicians play together - that's what they do. That's how they evolve. And if they knew anything about the members of SCI‚ regardless if they think they suck‚ they would know that they've always tried to collaborate with diverse musicians to bring in something fresh to their music - like Jim Lauderdale or Perry Farrell for example.
What really gets me is that they really promote dividing music fans based how musicians are‚ essentially‚ marketed. Instead of embracing collaborations like this where the musicians are going to be challenged and playing out of their element‚ they immediately ask‚ "What the fuck?"
But the more I think about it‚ the more I wonder if it's Mitt Romney to blame or the people that would actually vote for him. Is it Bill O'Reilly or is it the people that allow this asshole to have a forum? Anyway‚ music is above and beyond that. Come on‚ people‚ it's time to leave some doors open. You might realize your club is holding you back and you're missing out.