Band Bursts On To Scene With New MySpace Account
Local band Weeping Anus celebrated its explosion into the mainstream and toasted its all-but-guaranteed success as it formally opened a MySpace account. The band announced that mere days after establishing a page on the popular on-line community, it already has four "friends", or fans that have linked the new Weeping Anus page to theirs.
"Our fan base has grown exponentially since reaching this point," said front man Craig Spencer in a press release. "We haven't played a single show nor have we finished our demo, but we've already picked up tons of fans since joining MySpace. Just think what will happen when we get a gig. Weeping Anus is now exploding."
Given the new exposure, the band expects to dominate the local scene the next time the Youth Lodge has a battle of the bands, provided someone will lend them a PA, a better guitar amp because Jordie's sometimes cuts out, and the sheet music to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" because the cover they're planning on sounds weird in a couple of parts.
Posts on the website's message board have been coming in from all directions.
"U guyz will rock, wenz yr next gig?" wrote Stu Renton after being told about the site by next-door neighbor and Weeping Anus bassist Bob Brown. Renton echoes the sentiments of scores of other new fans, who have all posted positive comments about the band's early success, and have expressed high expectations over the forthcoming demo.
"I will definatly see ur bands next show i'll be in the front row. Do u have any tshirts? I bet theyd be cool," wrote another fan caught up in the recent hubub. The band has yet to capitalize on the grass-roots movement stirred by the website, but claims that they are working on it.
"We've been mired in the pre-production process [of our demo]," said drummer Alan Drexel, "but we should have our first track up on the website in a week or so." According to Drexel, the band's first three songs are being recorded on his iMac after marathon sessions in his mother's basement, and that they only need to be slightly "tweaked" and "mixed" and "a few choruses and verses rewritten".
"Keith [Peterson], our lead singer and song-writer," continued Drexel, "said that he'd finish the lyrics and chord changes to a new song called 'Eternal Sarcophagus', but he's been too busy drawing the art for our first album cover. He says he's almost done, so we shouldn't have to wait too long."
That the songs languish in the mastering/recording/writing process has not stopped the band from naming the three forth-coming demo tracks, nor has it let a lack of recorded material stop them from titling their first two uncompleted albums.
"MySpace is great, because it gives you a chance to get your name out there to people who would never otherwise hear about you," said drummer Devin Franks. "Back in the day you'd have to play bars, clubs, carnivals, and all kinds of places just to make yourselves known, but now we have a chance to present ourselves to our fans before having any gigs, or before even having any music written. This is a huge boost to the music community."
Though grateful for their stint as Drexel Residence house band where they played mostly for Drexel's little brother and sister, the band is looking forward to bigger venues. The buzz amongst peers throughout the halls of Bay High School suggests that the best is yet to come. Not only have fans of the band taken note of their increased popularity, but so have other bands already on the scene.
"The music business is tough, but sometimes you get lucky and catch a break, which is what's happened here," said Drexel. "We've already been in touch with [local bands] 'Conflagration' and 'Your Mom'. This town sucks and nobody has any gigs yet, but as soon as one of us does, then all three will have a chance to rock out and show our stuff to all kinds of people who wouldn't have seen us otherwise."
"yes i have seen theyre page, ist good," wrote paladin94transformer of Your Mom -- considered one of MySpace's most bitingly witty and satirical bands -- in an email interview. "isz yur sma, eua dcha aoih xsb."
Now, says Drexel, the band's future is so bright, it's gotta wear shades.
"Maybe somewhere down the road, these bands that we're getting to know could, like, open up for us and we'd do a Warped Tour sort of thing," he said, a far-off look in his eye, "but now we're trying to get a good slot in the High School Bands Rock Off that's coming up soon, and we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves."
