No I’m not quoting the Who. Well maybe I am. The question is, who are you musically. Do you define yourself by a specific genre or style of music. I know the industry likes to place labels on things so there is some categorization for marketing purposes but how about us musicians? Do we categorize ourselves.
The bigger part of the question is, are we flexible enough to stray from our own categories. I know the word sellout gets used a lot in the music industry. When someone strays from, or conforms to a formula which yields more sales, more fame, more money, they are often called a sellout. Is this a true statement or just sour grapes. I guess it depends on the perspective.
I think it’s great to have criteria that define you. It helps you identify with like minded musicians and fans. But what happens when you change the criteria that define you. Maybe it’s because you have changed, maybe it’s because you see greener pastures. Is that wrong. I don’t think so. I think someone who sticks to their guns out of stubbornness or fear or just to say they did is probably no different that the guy that is into whatever the flavor of the week is. I’m not saying one is better that the other, but both can be limiting.
What it comes down to is how you define you. And how you see you. I used to play in a Classic Rock cover band. I made the statement on several occasions that I hated country music whenever we played the one country song we knew. Now I gig regularly with a band that plays primarily country music. Did I sell out. Nope. I just re-assessed who I was as a guitar player and realized that there was a wealth of great music and a lot to learn from country music. I’m still the metal guy I’ve always been but now I can throw down a little Johnny Cash as well as some Kiss.
