Column: rockfeedback - The Spirit, April 2001
By: Toby L
After over six months in existence - as well as two years prior to that in development and groundwork - rockfeedback is continuing to blossom to new levels.
Something which must be made clear is that this website is a never-ending progression - and you're all very welcome to be a part of it. You can send us your reviews, photography, artwork, demos and whatever else to ensure that you - the people - maintain a say in what's up, music-wise. We feel that's important.
Not wanting to get too personal about rockfeedback - because, as long as you enjoy looking at this site as much as we enjoy putting it together, it belongs to everyone - it formed as a result of us wanting to get a word in about what we felt about music and the industry. The reason this was something quite relevant was not to suit our egos - unlike certain writers - but because a message needed to be noted on as wide a scale as possible...
That message is the fact that all music is great, as long as the people producing the sound in question gain pleasure from it, in addition to anyone that chooses to listen to it. This is why the reviews on rockfeedback are positive - the site itself is a celebration of the glorious and inspiring, as opposed to the mundane and insignificant. If there's a show, which is incredible and a testament to quality, we'll tell it like it is. However, if there's an album which is a disappointment when compared to an artist's back catalogue, we'll say so - but we're not going to pointlessly slag them off and get personal in what we say about them as people. Rockfeedback is about class and an excited, open-minded approach to all forms of music - not cheap tabloid-esque columns. We'll leave that low-grade reporting to others that have got too much time on their hands and don't know the first thing about praising genuine talent. This is why, in an odd way, we're more alternative and innovative than others which can only claim to be...
We don't build up acts and knock them down. Also, we make an effort to support and encourage the latest, emergent musicians. This is because anyone that can put together a half decent tune in the early stages of their career surely has the potential to become as large as any act that write the classic songs to grace stereo systems for ages to come. Being so small-minded as to dismiss those that still have some way to come before they can develop as a band unit could allow the next huge artists to not be the next huge artists. However, the spirit of rockfeedback is not to generate hype on new artists either, despite what's just been said. It's quite easily possible to spread the good word and share the joy without having to resort to claiming one act to be the best thing in the world - completely undermining the ability of others in the same proclamation. Hopefully, rockfeedback isn't - and never will be - so crass.
There will undoubtedly be a backlash from those that can't see where we're coming from, misunderstanding the concept and ethic of the site. Let me say that we're not here to provide good reviews for just anyone, nor, on the other hand, are we here to condemn that which is not to our tastes. The point is that everyone likes something different, and for us to get personal about what we, individually, feel when we review a specific act - just because it may not be to our tastes - is small-minded and ignorant. We know that most bands do have followings and why counter-act this group of fans and say that what they're listening to is a load of tosh when they enjoy it? No one has the right to determine that what other people like is good or bad: that's playing God! Whether anyone here is religious or not, rockfeedback would prefer to wait until Judgement Day until it's revealed whether what we believe in is valid or not.
Sure, our writing is positive - but judging from your response, it's also uplifting, refreshing and honest. To us - and to anyone else that wants to achieve the best in their chosen career path - these are the qualities that we should all strive for in our quest of life.
The very fact that key artists and industry figures supported this concept months and months ago, when it was merely an idea, is indicative that the ethos behind rockfeedback is authentic and one of sincere passion for the music we're all united here together to write and read about. Remember that music is even more than just a soundtrack for life and food for the soul: it has the power to change the world and inspire millions. Together, rockfeedback and you can combat against those that try and search for the non-existent discrepancies within beauty. It's our duty to make sure that the cynics don't crash our party...