THE BIZ

No more clowning around

By Sam Pfeifle

There are plenty of ways to chart musical success: major label signings (Rustic, 6gig), inclusion on a motion-picture soundtrack (Ellis Paul), appearances on the Today show (Cindy Bullens), even battles of the bands (Riot Act). Local rock act Broken Clown, however, are taking the word of the people.

As the Phoenix went to print, Broken Clown found their tune “Feelgood Hit of the Summer” at number one on the metal charts, and number 19 overall, at garageband.com, a Web site where music fans can anonymously review music posted by bands all over the world. At the end of June, the overall number one reviewed band will receive a $250,000 recording contract, and the reviewing will start all over again.

“It’s good constructive criticism,” says Broken Clown guitarist Mark Belanger. “With the ratings system on it, the reviewer is rated as well. So, if you go on and leave a review that sounds like Beavis, they’ll kick you off.”

“It’s good to get feedback from people,” Belanger continues, “whether they like it or not. A lot of times at a show or just talking to people, they have a tendency to be polite. They aren’t going to come up and say the song was repetitive and flat throughout. The anonymity gives them a chance to be honest without getting hateful email back.”

Also, garageband.com isn’t some fly-by-night operation. Their board of directors includes some serious music industry heavyweights: Steve Lillywhite, producer of some of U2’s biggest albums; Sir George Martin, the man who signed the Beatles; alt-country growler Steve Earle; even co-founder Jerry Harrison of the Modern Lovers, the Talking Heads, and numerous other projects. So, to attract attention at this Web site has “got to generate label interest,” says Broken Clown drummer Shane Kinney. “If you look at the top 20, there’s only two metal bands in there. ‘Feelgood’ has commercial appeal. We’re being singled out, which is a really cool thing.”

And the Web site definitely attracts the attention of other musicians. “The bands that we’ve played with,” says Kinney, “are like, ‘wow, I’ve heard your track on garageband.com.’ ” The Northeast seems to be a metal hotbed, actually, with Worcester rockers Dr. Bewkheimer and Crown Vict, a Manchester, New Hampshire outfit that recently opened for 6gig at the Skinny, also appearing on the metal top-10 chart.

As for chances at that recording contract, Kinney is up-beat but realistic. “I think that we will stay at number one in the metal charts,” he says. “In terms of the overall, I don’t know. I’m not going to get my hopes up. I know it’s a good enough song tQ win, but there’s a lot of pop/rock stuff up there with a lot of radio appeal.”