[mb-style] RFC: New Artist Type: Project

[Lauri Watts]

On 7/5/06, Beth <imbethers at aim.com> wrote:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_project
>
> A wiki page on Artist/musician projects.
>
> I note none of those commented on in this discussion seemed to be on it.
> Maybe all of our ideas on what makes a project is flawed?

I stayed out of this discussion because I also seemed to have a
different idea of what a "project" is.  Interestingly, all the
examples I had in mind _are_ on that wiki page.  Probably the ultimate
example is Pigface (dozens of participants, different every time there
is a recording or a live show, well, just read
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigface)  Willard Grant Conspiracy is
another similar outfit, from a completely different genre, with a core
"cast" and a travelling show of.. pretty much anyone they know who
isn't busy when they want to put a show on.

There's also the issue of what artists call themselves.  Excessive
Force for instance, has never been described by anyone involved as
anything other than a project.  Yet, it for all intents and purposes
could be called a band (albeit one that only did one album) or a
collaboration (it was half of KMFDM and half of My Life with the
Thrill Kill Kult getting together for that one album).  And maybe even
fits Christov's definition, since there was only that one album
released.

I think I agree more or less with Don (at least, if I understood him
right).  If the choices were "Person" or "Band" then I could see a
case for covering "things which are more than one person, but are not
a band".  The choices are "Person" and "Group" though, which seems
sufficient for me.  Pigface, Excessive Force, and Willard Grant
Conspiracy are all without any shadow of a doubt groups, but we could
spend hours debating if they are collaborations, bands, or projects,
and I'm not entirely sure I see what purpose that would serve.

-- 
Lauri Watts