By JOHN DALY
Apache Rose grabs you with its new track “Attention!” and it has an accompanying lyric video that’s equally compelling.
It’s crucial for bands to be as creative as possible today to attract people to their product, and of course if you ask most artists they will tell you the money is not the ultimate goal, although it doesn’t hurt.
Here with “Attention!” it’s also most likely true, but it seems that Apache Rose is making a statement about those people who are trying so hard to “make it” that they’ve lost sight of the art.
It’s remarkable that this group has such a truly American take on the attitude and the music, because Apache Rose is from Moscow, Russia. And it would be no wonder the band featuring writer and producer Ilya Novokhatskiy reflects on success as most musicians from outside of the United States consider it a high level of achievement to “make it” over here.
But like the band says, who can say what constitutes “making it” today? A Grammy or an Oscar? Particularly in light of all the recent scandals with awards and awards shows, there’s got to be a higher calling.
There are bands in many of the big cities across the U.S. who go on to have great tours or cut excellent albums just to end up playing the local dives where they started. The cost of touring is high, and the cost of marketing and promotion is also one of the big budget items the studios and record companies used to do for “regular” up-and-coming musicians. Today, if you’ve got some investor, or Daddy’s money, “making it” isn’t too much of a problem.
For the rest of the musicians in the world, it’s a difficult road. But if anyone has a shot, it’s clear Apache Rose and the great music can at least get your “Attention!”