E T H I C S and other relative terms

Happy Friday everyone!

So, I think I am one of the most misunderstood people I know, musically speaking -according to what I hear in random conversations on "the Streets" and from what friends divulge to me from time to time. For instance, I have bandmates who say things like, "Yeah, I heard that you have to control everything in the music..." only to say later, "I don't think you're controlling at all...". People's impressions are just that, impressions. If/when a person actually gets to know me it seems to result in "favorable" impressions for the most part, but this is not my point...I will now prelude the forthcoming rant with my actual thoughts and feelings about music, music writing and what I think about a bands "journey".

Also, I will use " " around many words, because I am in the mood.

I do have a "vision". You know? The "how" I want to feel combined with "who" I will become as I proceed on the musical road toward the vision. I will fight for this vision and I tend to stay committed to it, almost to a fault. I am only able to make the music I feel inside of me with people I like because, the journey you embark on together is the actual prize and this time spent together is just priceless. So, as a result, I end up "close" to people I write music with because you want to enjoy your time together while making/pushing music. My goal is always to promote true collaboration and it's not always easy. Some will be "on fire" more than others, some will just not "get it" and some have too much "in the way" mentally/spritually to give and take in a collaboration. Either way, we all contribute part of our actual soul in the music we create.

When I think highly of someone, am close to someone and/or they are a friend, family or good aquaintance, I will never do anything to slight them. Shit, I actually won't intentionally do anything to slight people I'm not close to. I just don't believe that getting my ends should ever result in fucking someone over, misleading them or slighting them. I keep ethics in mind and will not sacrifice my integrity just to gain something for myself. However, I don't find that this sentiment is common in most musical circles I've been exposed to. I feel that success in music on any level is to be able to make quality music on your terms, perform it on your terms and have it enhance your life in the process. Success and quality are relative terms.

Maybe I should change? Probably not.

So, the other day through the grapevine I heard a track from my former band. The track is one of their "new" songs but it has a familiar twist to it; they are using the actual bassline I recorded years ago on this "new" track. Wow. No request to use it, no notification, no text to ask if it's cool....nothing at all. See, the guitar player doesn't think he needs to ask because he thinks the world revolves around him? He thinks that the fans of this band are actually just fans of him? He's the kind of person who does what will further himelf and his career with little or no regard for what the overall good may be. At least this is MY imprssion -formed from actual experience. It must be liberating to just trample around through life, burning bridges, twisting realities and generally not giving a fuck about other people while you pursue your vision. I wish I was flattered about the use of this bassline but I'm far from it. When the guitarist took off for California after I left the band he took the ADAT tapes of music we had recorded for a record we were making which was to be released by our new label. So, as a result, he "owns" these recordings. I'm not really surprised by his actions (not limited to "the bassline") but I guess I thought he was more of a person. Nope.

Not to mention that my likeness and name are still turning up in current band bios, my picture is turning up in recent ads for an upcoming show and I have gotten some attitude for declining to play the "reunion" show they did a few months back. To say I was an integral member of this band is a wild understatement considering that I started the band with my brother, actually named the band, wrote a majority of the music, marketed diligently to friends and fans, spent thousands of dollars while pushing it and dedicated a large part of my time and life to it. Why, even recent articles they have done for the "reunion" show ignored and/or slighted any/all contributions that myself and other former members had given, instead steering the attention to this guitarist and the singer (the singer does actually have a lot to do with every aspect of the band). For the record, the guitarist only jumped on board back then when he found that we had been talking with an executive with Electra Records. Understandably he wanted to join the "moving ship" that we were and we already knew he was talented and charismatic, so we opened our arms to him joining us. He hardly wrote anything but did revise some riffs, he did co-produce a record together with us and did many positive things to help us advance. Otherwise, he's just not the big fish he's trying to make everyone and himself think he is and he persists in "spinning" the truths and realities to point favorably in his direction. Cool.

I think music itself is enlightening and beautiful. It is bigger than us. I just think that too many music people are more focused on the lifestyle music can provide for them rather than the integrity of their music. They desire the attention, the praise, the notariety and the fame and, once tasted it can be intensly addictive. I also think that what is more important than the preceeding factors is the sense that what you're doing is something important that you MUST get out from inside of you to contribute to the world. Whether it means you'll be famous or live in relative obscurity. Whether it means you'll become financially independent or broke. Whether it means that you're in control or under its control. What matters is the journey, not the destination(s) and the people on the journey with you are the gold. The music you create together is the joined feelings, experiences, evolutions, failures, victories, loves, hates and memories...all to be exposed for the world to hear.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Anyway...end rant.

~ZFJ