RJA + screamo = false labeling!

[Meg Dayton]

I've been a big fan ever since this band started a few years back and I've always loved Ronnie's screaming and all, their music style, generally speaking. But I seem to be bewildered by the fact that quiet a handful of people label them as "screamo" and a few people think they're "emo". Now, both are obviously wrong no matter what angle you look at it but the latter part is just incredibly outrageous, I have to say.

[Mark]

lol good point! Well all we can say to that is Meh! They obviously don't know good MUSIC when they hear it. It would be their loss but very unfortunate because they are missing out on some pretty good stuff huh!

If they want "screamo" they should take a good look in the mirror!
Sorry that was my bad joke attempt, but creative none the less.

[Mari]

yeah thats true and it shouldnt matter theyre an awesome band and make great music so yeah they are misssing out but i must confess i put them under alt/screamo band but also a great band!

[Meg Dayton]

I wouldn't say "they're missing out" be it "they don't know good music" because I myself really like screamo and emo. These genres may not appeal to many people specially to someone who's only been hearing & exposed to mainstream music unless they're starting to get tired of mainstream/pop music and feeling the urge to discover completely new music out of that realm(which was my case).

One of the things I admire about non-mainstream bands is their PASSION for music. They don't care about exposure, they don't care about popularity, they don't care about money; all they care about is playing their music & sharing it with people who appreciate it. Which is also why most of the non-mainstream bands are totally independent (i.e. they're not under a label, their merchandises are self & probably hand-made, they just record their shit at someone's garage ergo quality ain't that great, etc). They're not doing it for money; they're doing it because they love it!

People think emo and screamo are just "meh", some say "horrible" music. I on the other hand disagree wholeheartedly. I must say that these genres are underestimated & underrated. What people don't understand is in order to make such music, it requires more dedication & serious skills compared to what most mainstream bands have. Just by zooming into the latter part: screaming is not as easy as it may seem. If you do it the wrong way, you may perpetually fuck your voice up (not even lying). Also, in order to scream, lung capacity, control & strength are just a few prerequisites. And as far as instruments go, well, it may sound like they don't have harmony, blending, and they're just playing whatever...and that's actually wrong. For example: the drumming. A drummer won't be able to play for shit unless he knows how to create or at least follow a beat. But if you try listening to emo/screamo drumming, it won't sound like they don't have one. Nevertheless, they do...only they're playing offbeat which is kind of the point. That's the style of music these genres have. The guitars, they need to have insane guitar-sweeping speed to say the least (I don't know much about it 'cause I only cover vocals & drums)!

IMO, I can define "shitty music" as something that's doable without even having any talent, dedication, skills, passion, and above all, is being made just for the sake of making "money" and nothing else. Frankly speaking, I think it's safe to say that non-mainstream crap is more of "music" than mainstream one's for most of them just abuse technology to polish their flaws (i.e. pitch correction, auto-tune, etc) sugar-coating their incompetence with artificial illusions. The worst is probably hip-hop/RnB (whatever you call it) 'cause anyone can do it as long as they have access to the internet and download distortion effects whatsoever and can write about shit as long as it rhymes.

PS:
A little *hint hint* to avoid false labeling: Just because something has screaming in it doesn't mean they're automatically screamo and just so you know, screamo/emo ain't mainstream. To top it off, emo's been DEAD for a looong ass time.