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So, you're in a popular band. You are raking in tons of money, but you know, something isn't right. There's something missing... that's right! That's what's missing! A side project! Something to express all of those thing you are feeling, except under a less popular name!
Case 1: Blinkcar Racer/Box 182; Blink 182, one of those bands that sits around and picks their collective noses and flicks them at anything serious. Sure, they have a couple "serious" songs, but they are there for sensitivity points in the market place. Anyway, really, they could write an album about anything they wanted, and it would go gold, because they are Blink 182. It has to anymore. Just have a catchy first single, that's all.
So, Tom, er, "Thomas" decides that he needs a new outlet to express all of the music that he listened to when he was a kid. Rather than actually making money out of the deal by staying under the name Blink 182, he decides to start a side project called Box Car Racer. BUT, the thing about this is, he brings Travis from Blink 182 over to this side project. So, now this "side project" has 2/3 of Blink 182. Alrighty, well, maybe he'll write music that is really that different from Blink 182 to make a side project necessary. Well, I guess not. The only difference is teen angst poetry instead of talking about boobies.
So, the album debuted out of the top 10, at number 12 I believe, not bad, but the last Blink 182 album did debut at number 1 and stayed in the top 10 for a few weeks, where as this album spent about 10 to 15 weeks in the top 100 I think. The lead single "I Feel So" had some modern rock success, but nothing to noteworthy, and the second single "There Is" is still looking for steam.
In the end, Blink 121 1/3 has no actual reason for being. Side project rating: 1
Case 2: Stone Sour/Slipknot; Corey Taylor, no, he's not a star of childhood favorites, he's a teen angst ridden musician from Iowa. The band Slipknot made it big with their self titled debut album, eventually going platinum off of very little radio play, and no MTV spotlight. That is a feat hard to accomplish. But, because of the runaway success, a lot was put on their second album, "Iowa," and while it did debut at number 3, more than positions higher than their last album topped out at, it fell very fast, and garnered even less radio play. It was certified gold though.
So, Corey had this band he was in, in 1992 called Stone Sour, it was with a guy who later joined as guitar player for Slipknot, and another guy who went on to be Slipknot's road manager. The fourth guy had a family or something stupid like that. Stone Sour broke up just because Corey wanted to do Slipknot essentially. So anyway, Corey has all of these emotions that he can't let out in Slipknot, because that wouldn't be accepted by the fans. So what happens? Stone Sour gets back together. The lead single from their debut album, "Bother" actually makes you think, "wow, this is different." It is quite acoustic guitar, and harmonies and melodies and all of this crazy crap Slipknot never had. Then you listen to the rest of the album. Yeah, it's a bit calmer, and little bit more organized, but in the end, it could have been a Slipknot album, and it would have been a lot more successful, thus getting his feeling out to more people. But I guess that music isn't about reaching people to him... Side Project rating: 3 (subtle differences may appear at different intervals)
Case 3: Art Alexakis/Everclear; So, he's been with this band for a good 10 years, along with Bassist Craig Montoya (Happy Birthday yesterday) and then there was drummer change at one point before Sparkle and Fade was recorded, to Greg Eklund. Anyway, they have had a fair amount of success, with a mostly loyal following. After So Much For The Afterglow had it's time in the spotlight, and they were done touring, Art started work on his long awaited solo album.
He sat down and wrote songs, and then when he started recording, he called in the other band members to help. Over time, he looked at it, and realized it really was just and Everclear album. Actually, two Everclear albums. So, in 2000, Songs From An American Movie vol. 1 and 2 were both released, with Vol 1 debuting at No. 9, a record high for Everclear, going platinum, and spawning the multi-chart hit "Wonderful." Vol. 2 was harder and, well, didn't fare as well (Debuted in the 60's, dropped off a few weeks later). But, combined, they sold about 1.3 million copies, so go Everclear. Art then decides to try and do another solo album. Well, as it turns out, in the first quarter of 2003, the new Everclear album will be released, and Art's dreams will again be shut out.
The lesson here though, is that he understood the difference between a solo/side project and an Everclear project. He is still looking at doing something solo though, and when he does, I'm sure it will sound a lot like Everclear, since at this point they have covered most of the rock spectrum, from the almost country feeling on World Of Noise, to the Heavy Vol:2. The poppy Vol:1 to the grunge-like Sparkle and Fade. So, as Art experiments, Everclear will end up growing.
No side project rating, since it hasn't happened.
Well, this turned out to not be as much of a rant, as just, well, I dunno, something. My final thought is that if you feel it necessary to do a side project, for the love of god, make it something different. Don't follow in Tom's footsteps. Be like Art, understand the difference, and make the world a less crowded place.
-Grant