[thelist] rock n' roll web site

David McCreath mccreath at ak.net
Thu Aug 31 10:07:26 CDT 2000


Hi, Erika --

I look for one of two (preferably both) things in a band site.

1. Involvement from the band
I don't expect the band to have actually developed the site, but you can
tell when the band is involved and when it was done by a label's marketing
department. (One thing that clues me in is personal writing (first person),
for which Blogger would be a great, easy solution.) I think it's a voyuerism
thing, but I expect the band's website to take me one step closer to the
band than their CDs.

2. Stupid fun
When I worked at Monsterbit.com (now under new management), we built the
first Butthole Surfers site. An off-hand remark from Gibby, the singer, lead
to the Online VooDoo Dolly (It's still there four years later, running its
slow-ass Java self.) It was a lark yet it won us an honorable mention in
MTV's (I think it was MTV) first online awards and got a laugh from nearly
everyone who saw it.

<indie-rock aside for those of you who remember Big Black >
The comment was: "I wish we could put up a f*cking voodoo doll of Steve
Albini!"
</aside>

Another band we worked with would do weekly give-aways of the coolest thing
they could find at Goodwill that Sunday. Oh, and they also made stickers and
sold "official" band thermoses that they bought at K-Mart and slapped the
sticker on.

I also want the standard stuff like discography, tour info, etc. but I
figger that's why the site is going up.

Examples:

http://www.buttholesurfers.com
now being run by King, the Butt's drummer (the VooDoo dolly can be found
under "distractions")

http://www.bloodhoundgang.com
also run by a band member, and stupid fun abounds. I know nothing about this
band's music beyond "Mammals", but that made me laugh enough to see if they
have a site and looky!

http://www.ely.com
Joe Ely, Austin-Lubbock balladeer. Weak on the design, but the content is
there.

Dave





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