Ethics of Rock N Roll

Given the events of our latest show @ Mac's Bar, I find there to be a serious concern with how bands should handle themselves in confrontational situations. Their behavior is presupposed by the image or attitude the band carries with them either consciously and subconsciously. However, there is also a responsibility towards paying patrons who wish to see the band. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the events of last night I will summarize it briefly

We played a show at Mac's Bar in Lansing. We were on last, so we stayed and watched the other bands played. Went up, shook their hands, had some beers, etc. We brought in a good number of people to the show, who also bought drinks and payed $5 at the door. During our set, we played an MC5 song, Kick Out The Jams. A Detroit Rock staple and song that meant a lot to us. The drunk Sound Manager came up to us in the middle of it and began gesturing that we were jerking off, or rather, ruining the song. We may have played it poorly, this is a definite possibility. None us knew he was the Sound Manager at this point, until we realized no one else was laughing. So I began to stab him in the chest with my guitar hoping to get him to back off. At this point he began to heckle us more, saying he didn't appreciate a band attacking him and then informed us his position at Mac's. Kevin tried to be polite and calm about it until the guy kept going and told us to get out or something along those lines. Kevin got mad and threw the mic down, walking off stage. I shared his disgust, so i followed suit telling him to suck my cock. We walked outside and decided to just end it, pack up, and leave. So we did. There where a number of verbal exchanges between the band, our fans, and Seth (the heckler) which resulted in us becoming more enraged. Ryan talked to the guys running the show that night, who said they liked us and would have us back. We shook hands again with all the other bands, apologized, and exchanged numbers. The management came out to apologize for Seth behavior. We kindly accepted it and left. Tim and Willie (fans and friends of ours) stayed back a few minutes after us and were harassed even more by Seth, who tried to get Willie to punch him.

We played an alright show, put our heart into, and overall it was a good night. However, given the situation, the question arises if we acted correctly. I personally feel we did what we had to. We showed that we don't put up with bullshitters, acted non-violently, and voiced our opinions. We hurt no one, broke nothing, and continued to express our gratitude to the venue and other bands. Afterwards, we sat and discussed our behavior. Half the band felt we should have just told the guy to fuck off, make fun of him, and keep playing. The other half (mostly just me) felt we did the right thing and stood up for ourselves. It was because Seth posed himself as a representative of the bar. This offended Kevin and I the most. We had called earlier that night to see when we should arrive and they treated us like we were pestering them. This is what, at least for me, pissed me off the most. I had already felt unwelcome to an establishment we were trying to support by bringing people into in exchange for a place to play. It turns out Seth was an employee but Mac's staff tried to dismiss it as if he was just some asshole and to not let it bother us. It was a unanimous feeling amongst the band and fans that he should be fired, and that it was irresponsible of the bar to let him do what he did.

I question if continuing to play and making a fool of the heckler instead was the "Higher Ground" as opposed to hitting him or walking off. The strongest power we have as an up and coming band is in the choices we make. These choices dictate our reputation and path we take. The power to say "no" or not to stand up for bullshit like this is a right I believe we should exercise at any point necessary. Since we were almost done with our set anyways, I don't feel too bad about walking off as far as ripping our audience off. We put a lot into the performance until the end and we accomplished what we set out to do. What I regret most is not tipping the bartender at the end of the night. She deserved it, she tended to us well and was an innocent party. However, as far as the way we handled ourselves, I believe showing, from the start, you are not a band to be pushed around is a priceless attribute. This lacks in a lot of bands.

Yes, a band is a business, but this is secondary to band as an expressive and creative group. We play music, making money is only a secondary goal and should not be the incentive of a band. What one does physically, emotionally, vocally, instrumentally, and reactively on stage is also a creative expression. We expressed ourselves. Period. The ethics and implications should be discussed only in defense or as a counter example to this. We were pissed, we reacted. If anything, this was an act of loyalty to what our band stands for. Kevin and I both believe Seth would not have stopped. If we hit him we would have been kicked out. Our reaction was honest, authentic, a little alcohol inspired, but mostly predicated upon our own convictions as musicians and human beings.

There were a great deal of lessons learned from this incident, and I believe it is a turning point for us as a band. I implore musicians to stand up for what they believe in. Don't let venues or hecklers hassle you. Respect your fans and your fellow musicians. If you're in a crowd and someone is disrespecting the band, stop them.

Jam Econo, Stay True