All Bands Are Sellouts

“We just did what we do. People think that we've changed and become somebody else, but really it seems that they've actually changed.” where the words spoke by Three Day Grace’s Adam Gontier. I’m not sure why they were said but if you think about it, it was probably when they “sold out”.

If you look around Mibba, around the internet, talk to people and pick up a magazine everyone is selling out these days. Mindless Self Indulgence, Eighteen Visions, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco and pretty much every other band out there that matured and changed. Of course if you notice one thing about all these bands (minus Panic) at least one member in each band is close to thirty, thirty or over thirty.

As you grow older, you change…so maybe it’s not just the band changing but it’s us – you – that’s changing too. And there are bands that can’t keep up what they used to be, like From First To Last. When they lost Sonny Moore, they became sellouts because rather then look for a new screamer Matt Good just took over. Their style changed most likely, because of it. But what about Hawthorne Heights? They lost Casey Calvert but I haven’t heard that they became sellouts.

Another good example is Avenged Sevenfold and My Chemical Romance. I’m going to start with Avenged Sevenfold because it was them that made me think and write this. M. Shadows had to have surgery because of all the screaming done in their first two albums, the third one was a little calmer and the fourth and self tiled has rarely any screaming at all. Therefore they’re sellouts, yes? Yes. It doesn’t matter that Matt could destroy his vocal cords, but as long as we keep getting the screaming. But if you’ve noticed, The Rev (drummer) has picked up vocals in the self titled to keep some form of rough edged voice in there.

We’re a bunch of selfish brats aren’t we? We’re just going to name you sell outs if you don’t do what we want.

Then My Chemical Romance, the band that saved lives. The band that told a story within each album, about the demolition lovers, man who lost his lover and had to kill and evil thousand men, the patient who died. But did anyone ever notice how they went from a messy garage band to a big hit with one album? Not many people said anything about that…but when they went from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge to The Black Parade they became these huge “just for the money” sell outs and I’m trying to see how. They kept a theme, it’s filled with death, they made it bigger then Revenge and their sound…is a little different.

Of course I listened to the album with an open mind and I was expecting anything and everything. Once again, another great band became sellouts because they grew up, they got older, they matured and they changed!

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m just ticked because one of my favorite bands was bashed because their sound is too much like another band…that started four years after them. Maybe I’m wrong to pretty much mock people over calling out every single band as a sell-out but maybe, you’re wrong.

Maybe you should stop calling them sellouts and realized that they grew older and they matured. “Selling out is a term used by fans that are ignorant and don't want to realize that their band has matured past their state of mind.” That’s what my friend Julie said on this whole thing, that’s what I agree with. You’re going to get older, you’re going to change, you’re human and so are the band members to whatever music you’re listening too. It’s something you have to deal with it.

If it's so bad, listen to something else but stop calling them sellouts, you aren't hurting anyone but yourself and maybe the band. If they really move you, if they really saved your life...then they could spit out the worst record possible and you would still love them.

Because maybe, just maybe, Adam is right; it’s not them that are changing, it’s us. It’s our music tastes, our likes and dislikes.