Avril Lavigne

[al_]

Is she supposed to be punk or something? Could of fooled me. Sounds more like crap-pop to me.

I agree.

[Endymion]

Who cares if she's selling an image? She's HOT!

Her music is decent, in that pop kind of way, too.

[defying_gravity]

why are you gay?

Not you again.

[superrgirll]

Is she supposed to be punk or something? Could of fooled me. Sounds more like crap-pop to me.

I agree.

I agree too

[Gimme_Shelter]

why are you gay?

Not you again.

and since when is ymca gay? WHERE WAS I WHEN THIS HAPPENED!

[defying_gravity]

How could such masculine performers possibly be seen as gay?

[Gimme_Shelter]

my point exactly

[Dabekk]

Who cares if she's selling an image? She's HOT!

Her music is decent, in that pop kind of way, too.

that's pretty much the reason why I started this thread, and look what it's turned into.

next time I start a thread, it'll have to be about something that a really care about.

[call me andrew]

why are you gay?

Not you again.

and since when is ymca gay? WHERE WAS I WHEN THIS HAPPENED!

dont you get it?

y-m-c-a
y-r-u-gay

[Ray 2]

Not to sound crazy, but wasn't Our Lady Peace signed partially because of the "indie-rock sound" explosion caused by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and other bands of that kind? Does Naveed sound somewhat like albums of that time? Yes.

Doesn't Rich And Shelley's Our Lady Peace site also say that the first time the band toured live was AFTER they released Naveed?

And if OLP's ever had an "underground" fanbase in Canada, where they really debuted, I'd like for them people to raise their hands, because Naveed, I recall, was big the moment they put out "Starseed". Not monumentally big, but still surprisingly big. OLP's real underground fanbase has been situated in the US, because they haven't pushed for success down here at all.

Now, for the topic of the thread, here's a couple interesting facts about Avril:

1. She CAN play guitar -- yes, not very well, but she taught herself at first, watching Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away" video a couple thousand times in the process, copying his fingers when she saw the shots of the guitar.

2. She can skateboard, but tends to fall a lot. The rest of her band, though, is pretty good, from what I hear.

3. Unlike just about every other pop star out there before her (cept for the Michelle Branch/Norah Jones/Vanessa Carlton people), she's actually been writing songs while she's been on tour, with her lead guitarist. Don't be surprised if they show up on her sophomore album.

4. Pop music does include more than what the majority of the population believes. For whoever says pop sucks, I got two words for you: ELTON JOHN.

5. Avril Lavigne, before being signed, sang in gospel and also performed at country fairs in Canada.

6. People tend to not listen to whole genres simply because of the "image". Which is bullshit, anyway. There is good hip-hop out there, stuff that is good no matter what genre it's in. Scarface's new album is an example; so is OutKast's albums. Avril Lavigne is good pop music. It's pop mixed with an alternative-rock sound, some country layering, and some strings, as well.

7. Arista's original intention with her was to have her sing Celine Dion-type ballads. She said "no" -- which any SANE person would -- and she also turned down their intentions of having her teeth bleached.

8. Does anyone notice that Avril popped up in the OLP board, but for some FUCKING REASON, when Avril Lavigne gets a thread on this board, OLP END UP IN IT?! Guess maybe they're intertwined more than some would want to think, seeing as they have popped up in threads they probably shouldn't have popped into. Hell, in Rolling Stone, SOMEHOW, the name "Our Lady Peace" got put into a sidebar (talking about Canadian women that had gotten successful over on this here US side, I reckon), starting with "Hey, not all Canada is The Guess Who, Neil Young, and Our Lady Peace". I think that's supposed to be taken as a compliment, as, well... The Guess Who and Neil Young. Nuff said.

9. At least Avril's working with unheard-of producers, like The Matrix. Arista could have gone with The Neptunes or other big-name producers, even someone like Arnold Lanni or (fuck) Bob Rock. In other words, the guys that helped make Avril and her band's music sound like it does might actually get some recognition now.


I must admit, Antonio "LA" Reid is a fucking lucky bastard, or a genius. This guy's managed to have three successful NON-R&B acts break into the mainstream: Adema, Pink, and now Avril. And this is Arista, where people are almost ALWAYS associated with R&B or hip-hop.

He's definitely gonna be able to pay off that $20 million or whatever contract to Whitney if his luck holds like it has.

Oh yeah, I picked up a lot of this information from Rolling Stone, other parts from MTV Diary, and a little bit from, well... I'm not quite sure. Might have been online interviews and articles.

[liam]

i hate avril... i don't like alot of the "chick" singers and what not... cept massive attack!

[starvingeyes]

i still dispute that she can skateboard.

i further dispute that she can write an entire song. if she could, she would've done it buy now. those songs have the absolute feel of professional help written all over them. teenagers writing their own pop don't sound like that. ask phantom planet or silverchair.

that girl was hired as a voice. she doesn't have any more musical credibility either then sheer vocal talent.

besides, she's playing cookie cutter "dirty pop" and trying to sell it off as some sort of punk rock. N Sync writes a chunk of their own material, too, and nick carter of the backstreet boys plays drums on his record.

so what? the fact of the matter is that any dumb ass with 2 working brain cells can write music with the complicity and difficulty of shit like avril and the bsb. it's not challenging and it's not risky. it's boring, generic and rehashed.

[liam]

YEAH... i write all my own songs.. now i just need a band!

[Endymion]

Who cares if she's selling an image? She's HOT!

Her music is decent, in that pop kind of way, too.

that's pretty much the reason why I started this thread, and look what it's turned into.

next time I start a thread, it'll have to be about something that a really care about.

I'm with you, man. She's hot and listenable. I don't care about her like I care about more "genuine" music, but I'm not going to restrict myself from liking her because she's not indie, like the majority of music I love.

About Our Lady Peace and their start.. I think a lot of what I love about Our Lady Peace has to do with Arnold Lanni, honestly. I think Raine got a lot more help from him when it comes to songwriting, than we give Arnold credit for. That doesn't mean Raine isn't a great songwriter and he certainly has a fucking amazing voice, but primarily, he's a good-looking guy with a great voice and has a good ear for what sounds good, who had the good fortune to find the right group of people. That's why OLP is huge.

The worst thing that happened to OLP was losing Mike and Arnold. Steve Mazur and Bob Rock are decent, but not mindblowingly brilliant, in my opinion.

[nelison]

Rock is just a name that's produced many great bands... it's not difficult to challenge someone really...

as for Steve though... we'll find out for sure what he's like on the next album. Right now he's playing Mike's stuff and doing an excellent job of it while throwing in his bits and pieces in...

I guess it's the same with Avril, wait till the second CD comes out, if she makes a decent sophomore album then I'm sure she's worthy of everything she's getting

[Corey]

money talks, you'd all do the same.

[Joey]

Not to sound crazy, but wasn't Our Lady Peace signed partially because of the "indie-rock sound" explosion caused by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and other bands of that kind? Does Naveed sound somewhat like albums of that time? Yes.

Doesn't Rich And Shelley's Our Lady Peace site also say that the first time the band toured live was AFTER they released Naveed?

And if OLP's ever had an "underground" fanbase in Canada, where they really debuted, I'd like for them people to raise their hands, because Naveed, I recall, was big the moment they put out "Starseed". Not monumentally big, but still surprisingly big. OLP's real underground fanbase has been situated in the US, because they haven't pushed for success down here at all.

Now, for the topic of the thread, here's a couple interesting facts about Avril:

1. She CAN play guitar -- yes, not very well, but she taught herself at first, watching Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away" video a couple thousand times in the process, copying his fingers when she saw the shots of the guitar.

2. She can skateboard, but tends to fall a lot. The rest of her band, though, is pretty good, from what I hear.

3. Unlike just about every other pop star out there before her (cept for the Michelle Branch/Norah Jones/Vanessa Carlton people), she's actually been writing songs while she's been on tour, with her lead guitarist. Don't be surprised if they show up on her sophomore album.

4. Pop music does include more than what the majority of the population believes. For whoever says pop sucks, I got two words for you: ELTON JOHN.

5. Avril Lavigne, before being signed, sang in gospel and also performed at country fairs in Canada.

6. People tend to not listen to whole genres simply because of the "image". Which is bullshit, anyway. There is good hip-hop out there, stuff that is good no matter what genre it's in. Scarface's new album is an example; so is OutKast's albums. Avril Lavigne is good pop music. It's pop mixed with an alternative-rock sound, some country layering, and some strings, as well.

7. Arista's original intention with her was to have her sing Celine Dion-type ballads. She said "no" -- which any SANE person would -- and she also turned down their intentions of having her teeth bleached.

8. Does anyone notice that Avril popped up in the OLP board, but for some FUCKING REASON, when Avril Lavigne gets a thread on this board, OLP END UP IN IT?! Guess maybe they're intertwined more than some would want to think, seeing as they have popped up in threads they probably shouldn't have popped into. Hell, in Rolling Stone, SOMEHOW, the name "Our Lady Peace" got put into a sidebar (talking about Canadian women that had gotten successful over on this here US side, I reckon), starting with "Hey, not all Canada is The Guess Who, Neil Young, and Our Lady Peace". I think that's supposed to be taken as a compliment, as, well... The Guess Who and Neil Young. Nuff said.

9. At least Avril's working with unheard-of producers, like The Matrix. Arista could have gone with The Neptunes or other big-name producers, even someone like Arnold Lanni or (fuck) Bob Rock. In other words, the guys that helped make Avril and her band's music sound like it does might actually get some recognition now.

Finally .. someone who has valid points and info and isn't talking about her choice of clothing

[Dabekk]

Aye, you've done well.

[Ray 2]

I think I've got a faster way to put this all down:

Hey. Why'd you click on this post, read these threads, and decide to respond, if you don't like Avril at all? I believe the thread here was made for the reason that fans of her's could talk without OLP fans screaming at us on "Bombarding The Atmosphere". This is a board meant for other musical artists, right?

And who says that she's being shoved down your throat, if you feel that way? I mean, you're the one who has the TV turned on, who clicks the radio to the station and doesn't change it. You're to blame if you think she's being shoved down your throat. Or if any band really seems to be.

And, let's face it. The younger generation seems to control the popularity of music. As we grow older, our tastes change. The world of music is NOT going to turn on it's ear and do a spin-a-rooni for you, just because you think that is how it should be.

I've noticed a lot of resentment for artists today seem to come from people over 20, who watched MTV religiously during the heyday of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and others, when they were teens. Now that's gone, and they can't get it back. So they bitch, piss and moan about how today's music is so bad.

It goes like this with every cycle of music. Glam rock fans hated the grunge movement; punk rockers hated glam. Arena rock, hated by many in the hippie movement. Since rock and roll started, it's gone like this. To hear an older generation tell it, rock and roll has been downhill since the end of their teenage years.

Which, essentially, is bullshit. Rock and roll is now, if anything, a hybrid being, pulling from every corner of the universe, every emotion, every idea, every world that has and hasn't been discovered yet. Old bands spawn new bands (The Ramones, The Stooges, and Nirvana have made a lead-in to The Strokes, The Hives, and The Vines). These bands have crossover appeal through a couple generations. Why? BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SOUND THAT SEEMS FROM OLDER PEOPLE'S HEYDAY.

But, not all music can go like that. Someone has to push forward. Pop has become a sonic medium that can go in different directions, like Avril's alternative-rock spin, or Craig David's inventive two-step dance sound. Rock and roll has, of course, Coldplay, The White Stripes, Incubus, and Our Lady Peace to help it roll forward. Metal has Slipknot, System of A Down, Down...

It goes on. This stuff, like it or not, is an innovative approach on what's been done a million times.

"Open your eyes! Open up wide!" ~ "Losing Grip"

[megxyz128]

Good point, well said.