Attention, bands! Facebook masters the music scene...

Now let's be honest here. What non-musicians still use MySpace instead of Facebook? Anyone? Yup, that sound you hear is the chirp of a lone cricket.

Reigning king of the social web scene in the late 90s, MySpace has been good to us in the past; I won't deny it. For bands, it has always been a one-stop showcase for their tunes, photos, and fans as well as a great excuse for band members to forego the whole "building a website" deal. In the beginning, it was the perfect place for a budding band to spread the word about their songs and their style and give their fans freebie jams for download. As Facebook became the place to be, MySpace decided, hey, why continue to keep the features that made us awesome? Running with this vein of thought, they completely abandoned the whole indie-bands-give-out-songs-for-free concept in favor of supporting only national acts. Now, years later, in a last ditch attempt to get people back on their site, they've revamped their look and offered to import your information from your Facebook page so that you won't even have to make an effort to be on their site. Sadly for them, we all know it's too little too late. Let's have moment of silence for MySpace, please.

In response, Facebook has decided to blow our minds by giving us all of the features we need to rock a completely amazing band web presence from the comfort of the most popular social site on the web. Need proof? Check out rising Athens/Atlanta stars, the Beat Geeks' Facebook page. These guys have it all there! Using a few Facebook apps, namely the Reverbnation Band Profile and iLike Music tabs, the Beat Geeks have managed to provide all the information that MySpace gives fans in a simple, easy-to-navigate way. Pictures, videos, shows, updates... all of these are right there for your viewing pleasure.

The best Facebook features? Both the Band Profile and Music tabs offer bands the ability to give their fans free tunes again. Take that, MySpace! Hey, it IS the best way to get your music out there when you're just starting out. Even better, everyone knows that the best way to spread the word about a show is to make a Facebook event, right? After all, everybody and their grandmother will see it there! Now, bands can make one from their handy dandy Facebook fan page which means that even more people will have a chance to check out their tunes. AWESOME. Seriously, the only thing Facebook doesn't have are those crazy backgrounds... and ever since one bands' MySpace page nearly blinded me with its blinking neon colored background, I've been thinking that this might be a good thing.

So, for those who took one look at this post and said, TL;DR, here's the deal: It's out with MySpace, in with Facebook, my musician pals! Isn't it time the whole modern world heard what you can do?

Disclaimer: Echoreyn of Athens is in no way affiliated with Facebook. The site is just, undoubtably, the best place for fans to simultaneously check out their favorite bands while stalking their friends.

Don't be that guy!

Sign in the 40 Watt

They're there at nearly every show, waiting in the darkness. Hidden amongst the excited fans and the curious listeners, they usually look like unassuming guys and gals. Don't be fooled, though. Once that band you've been dying to hear steps onstage, they'll make their presence known... Look out! It's ranting time. Here come the annoying ones!

Interestingly enough one of the most awesome shows I've ever seen, the Meat Puppets/Dead Confederate rocksplosion, had two such characters of this questionable nature. Specimen number one was quite a memorable chap. From the moment, Dead Confederate stepped onstage, this guy was screaming out "WALKER!" so loud that nobody could hear anything else. Now, a fan to band connection is certainly a wonderful thing, but this guy just wouldn't stop. Before the song started - "WALKER!" Right in the middle of that wild chord progression - "WALKER!" During that meaningful pause in the song - "WALKER!" And of course as the song came to an end - "WALKER!" Each time he yelled, he swayed and bumped into everyone around him, causing people to fall all over each other. Finally, Walker asked him what was up... Turned out this guy had strung Walker's guitar for him once. All that yelling for that? Well, O... K... At least, he was done then, right? Wrong! Two songs later, he was back to yelling out his favorite name.

He had to be the only one, though, right? Well, 40 Watt's a big place, apparently roomy enough for two such classy creatures. The second was a shirtless guy who got more than a little bit excited at the sight of Meat Puppet singer Cris's tattoos. After screaming and stretching awkwardly to try to touch the tattoos, he finally heaved himself up onto the stage with clearly one thing on his mind: MUST. ABSORB. TATTOOS'. MAGICAL. POWERS. Before he even got to Cris, security guys leapt onstage like ninjas and picked him up as if he were a piece of band equipment. Cris even helped them out as they carried this specimen off the stage and out of the venue! Now that, I can say, was quite a sight! Despite all this, I'm lucky enough to still remember this show as one of the most spectacular ones of the year... That's how you know the music just had to be beyond unbelievable!

Of course, this wasn't the only show plagued by such ridiculous personages! At more shows than I can count, there's always that one guy who doesn't quite understand that dancing is meant to be a nonviolent endeavor. I've seen several fights break out right in front of me when people react less than enthusiastically to being whacked in the face and kicked in the shins by someone who claims to have been just "getting into the music." What about that drunk guy that decides to pour beer all over everyone? Just no. And we can't forget that guy who always tries to crowd surf on a top of a relatively sparse crowd of fans... That never ends well!

So who's the most memorable of all these people for me? Well, at the Of Montreal show in February, there was this one girl who, using her head as a sort of battering ram, fell against people in the crowd in a very awkward manner until they moved aside to let her pass. Honestly, I'm still not sure whether she was just really high or a complete genius because she did actually manage to successfully maneuver her way to the very front right beside the stage. I suppose I wouldn't necessarily put her into the exact same category as all of the rest of these characters, but she sure was, um, unique. Oh, the sights you'll see at shows!

Moral of the story: have fun, go wild, yes, but PLEASE don't be any of these people! Oh, and if you have any crazy stories of your own about these ridiculous creatures, comment and share them with us below!

Five Things Bands Should Never Do

As you know, my friends, I rarely ever rant, but sometimes the truth just has to come out! Most of the bands in Athens give us rockin' new experiences every time we see them. They love their fans and their fans love them. Occasionally, though, a band will commit a most terrible crime against their listeners. No, no, I'm not talking about a bit of eardrum assault... That's to be expected in a town where brand new bands crop up on a daily basis. The crimes I'm talking about are much more heinous.

This may be the worst of the worst. Bands should never yell at their fans for chatter during their set. After all, punishments for talking shouldn't exist outside of class. Louder music? Great idea! Attention grabbing antics? Yes, absolutely! Flirtatiously inappropriate comments? Ooh, exciting! Verbal beatdowns for those enjoying themselves? Well, that's no fun! As long as the fans aren't so loud that they completely overpower the entire set, so wild that they crash the stage, or so violent that they're attacking people in the audience with an assortment of knives and swords, the members of the band should just love the fact that they're there.

Another no no? Bragging about how amazing the next song is. Trust me, the audience has ears; after all, they're there to give them a bit of a treat. They'll be able to tell whether or not it's amazing for themselves. A little bit of bragging can be amusing, though, when it's done facetiously.

Now, now, let's not commit any minor infractions! How ever one band feels about another, it just makes sense to encourage the fans to stay for the whole lineup. Who knows which people are there for which set of tunes? Good vibes are always a great idea!

This one's only a misdemeanor, but it's certainly a tragic one. Bands should always remember to tell the audience who they're listening to. Wow, what a band! It's the greatest band I've ever seen! So, who are they now? No matter how famous a band is, if they're not playing to a full venue of 1000+ eager fans, there's probably at least a few people in the audience who have no idea who they are. With the wonderfully affordable prices of shows in Athens, there's bound to be a some people who just wandered in because they heard music playing. So, bands, near the beginning of your set and the end... TELL US WHO YOU ARE so we can heap our love upon you and spread the word about your tunes!

And finally, bands must never forget to thank their fans. Spread the love!

Now it's your turn. Have you witnessed any purely heinous musical crimes that you'd like to share? Comment below, and tell your story!