Sunday, September 17, 2006

therockshow.com vs therockshow1.com: Thoughts on Unfortunate URLs

Attention Metal Heads

80's Metal Tribute Band Set List

As played by The Rock Show (www.therockshow1.com) at IU CultureFest.

Kickstart My Heart
Talk Dirty to Me
Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap) <-- possibly the Tia Carrera version?
Livin' on a Prayer
What Do You Want? (I Want Rock 'n' Roll) <-- Is this possibly an original? I had never heard it. Can someone help me? All their other songs were incredibly recognizable, so I don't know what was up with this one.
Enter Sandman

All in all, a pretty solid 80's metal tribute.
Other things I noticed about The Rock Show:
They all looked like they were over 40.
The drummer was wearing wrestling shoes.
The bassist was wearing fishnet stockings on his arms.
There were six keyboards on stage, but only two of them were used.
The guitarist played the solos pretty much note-for-note.

Other notes on IU CultureFest in general:
There was a guy there doing balloon animals.
There was a paint your own pottery table.
There was a really long line for the henna tattoos.
There was a girl there with alarge tattoo on her back that looked a lot like Chevy Chase but is probably actually a dead relative. He was wearing a suit. Any further information on this tattoo would be appreciated. An interview with her or some kind of written statement would be ideal.

A NOTE ON UNFORTUNATE URLs

You know how sometimes you see people with personalized license plates that say stuff like CATLOVR3 and you just know that they wanted to be CATLOVER but it was already taken, so they had to settle for something with a weak number at the end of it? Well, it has become like that with URLs now too, and I can't help but feel kind of bad when I see a URL like www.therockshow1.com, because you know that they are not getting the URL that they really really wanted. So, why does The Rock Show have therockshow1.com as their URL? You wonder, who has already taken therockshow.com? Well, I have done the research for you. As it turns out, therockshow.com is occupied by a Christian rock band from Ellsworth, Maine. I bet the guys from the Bloomington The Rock Show were pretty pissed to see that, especially since it appears as though the Maine The Rock Show hasn't played since 2004, and also because they look like total wimps, unworthy of being in a band with a name as epic as The Rock Show. I will say though, that the Maine The Rock Show's webpage has a kind of pathetic charm to it, as seen in the web design throughout, but in particular in their FAQ and their "Chronicles" section. You can find out for yourself.

So, what improvements does therockshow1.com offer us? Hardly any "improvements" per se. Equally bewildering web design, but of a different, more "leathery" style. I felt like I needed to wash my hands after visiting this website. Honestly, I'm not sure which I think is worse. One thing that both sites have in common is a great deal of detail. The Bloomington TRS site tells us that "(gutiarist Craig Savage's previous band) BLACK EARTH'S song "Down" was featured in the "SHANES WORLD 32 CAMPUS INVASION", one of the biggest adult video releases ever, and was covered on CNN." The Maine TRS site tells us "8/98 Chris Jovanelli departs the band following Youthfest 98. Some suspect that the mosquitos got to him. Others believed he was getting ready to purchase his own Music Store. He now has the music store." I think I am beginning to understand Christian rock humor. I still do not understand Christian rock capitalization though (or hair metal capitalization, for that matter).

Please leave a comment telling me which of The Rock Show sites you found to be more offensive to your senses. Should Mai
ne's The Rock Show give up their URL to their Bloomington namesakes? Or is it the other way around? Would anyone care to write a fictionalized account of Bloomington's The Rock Show's road trip to Maine in which they set out to kick the asses of the Christian Rock The Rock Show? Do I feel a short film script coming on? Sometimes life is so incredibly interesting if you just stop to look at all of the little battles and triumphs.

But seriously though. Who should win? There's really only room enough in this world for one band called The Rock Show, don't you think?

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