I don't know if this has been discussed or not.. but it was on my mind.

I ran into someone I haven't seen in quite some time a few nights ago. During the course of our conversation, which of course consisted of the usual "I haven't seen you in forever, how's the family" kind of small talk, I mentioned The Features.

I was shocked and apalled to hear his response. "Don't even talk about the stupid features. I hate them!"

"WHAAAT!?"

Anyway, he said that one of his friends talks about them to him so much that he is completely turned off. He hasn't even seen them! Of course I said he was closed-minded, but it made me think about things.

Is your excessive praise of our beloved band turning people OFF to the idea of the features??... Such a tragedy....

(Edited by weenysmack at 8:28 pm on May. 29, 2003)

Nope... not mine. It seems that everyone you ever meet is either in a "cool" band or is "really into" a hot, local act. I think most of it is crap, and I hate it when people say, "Dude, you've got to listen to this." Therefore I never try to sell the Features to anyone. People who know me realize that I'm a fan because they know I go to so many shows. This has prompted a few of them to inquire about the band and its music. I've always let them listen to some stuff, and they've always liked it. However, I don't let my affection for the band become obnoxious.

I seldom plug the Features to anyone. I have, though, invited a friend of mine to numerous shows, only to be turned down because she is loathe to try new things. I doubt this will affect her interest in the Features if they gain wider popularity. It will probably just give her a point of familiarity with them.

Since I was "converted" through someone who praised the band, I think there is some value to spreading the Features gospel. Hell, I am marrying said person, so it couldn't have been a bad way to start off the relationship.

I wouldn't be surprised if many on this board discovered the Features through some friendly PR. However, like all attempts at evangelism, discretion should be used.

I try to suggest The Features to my friends who I think would like them. A friend mentioned them to me, I mentioned them to Digsy who mentioned them to HSS. And the chain keeps spreading...

Just today I was making a mix tape for a friend and I thought about making the whole ninety minute tape with Features songs. Instead, I placed the song in a crucial place in the tape. I'm sure that he will love it and be converted.

(Edited by iwantelvis at 9:20 pm on May. 29, 2003)

If I know that someone has similar musical tastes to mine, I will burn them a CD (it worked for HSS). The only time that I talk at length about the awesomeness of the band is when I am asked by my friends. On the other hand, a good majority of my friends don't rank music as their #1 interest and it isn't really that important to them, so I don't force them to go to shows or burn them a CD. I don't hand out the comics I deem amazing to non-fans. I don't force all my friends to watch "The Body" or "Once More, With Feeling" (two amazing Buffy episodes) unless they ask. Heck, IWE and HSS have still never seen Star Wars and we've been friends for like, 3-4 years.

I like to think that I don't force any of my hobbies and interests on people...unless they ask first...

yeah, i usually do the "hey, i'll burn you a cd" thing.

though this works sometimes, i find that the best conversions take place upon bringing the lost ones to see the band live. it is there that they see the light and turn their lives around. so, right there at the show, they are baptized by the annointed ones, who wave their grails of holy beer and spill it upon the heads of the converted. then the new members are welcomed into the congregation of the elitist blockade, where they will learn the ways of agressive standing and agreeing with one another. the prayer of "thursday" then signifies the end of the conversion ceremony.

but, yeah, cds work sometimes too...

which leads me to the question I've been dying to ask since first joining the MB...

How many of you discovered the features on your own? There are bound to be a couple.

I was introduced, like many of you, to the band through an acquaintance. I'm really amazed how well this word-of-mouth advertising has worked out for the features..

I guess when you have a good product (by this I mean good music).. it's easy to get people to buy it (by this I mean, enjoy it).

(Edited by weenysmack at 9:53 pm on May. 29, 2003)

I bet that we could all get connected "7 Degrees Of Kevin Bacon" style through how we all got introduced. It probably all links back to BrianEno2 or something...

My then-girlfriend and I saw them open for Reel Big Fish (yes, I went to see them on purpose) and some band from Atlanta (?) called Shiny Happy Family or something like that at Main Street in '97 or '98. Even though we loved 'em, I didn't see them again for about 2 years while I was away at college. When I moved back to Nashville for grad. school, I decided to check 'em out again. It took me a show or two to warm up to their "new" sound, but I learned to love it more. I have nothing to back this up.

I catch myself talking about the Features far too often. I do think it gets annoying but I don't think I am turning people off. I don't really know how I manage to plug them into everything but I somehow do it. C'mon give me a topic.. I'll find a way to throw them in there.

Anyways, yeah. I'm trying to be more alert and catch myself. Oh well.

I discovered the features on my own where they were really not popular... when I came home to see them, it was a completely different story.. as for the other question, I think people I know roll their eyes when I mention the features. Not b/c I talk about them too much, but b/c they know I've driven all through the nite to see them, and that I complain when I haven't seen a show in 2 months. One guy is like, "Why don't you just bootleg a show so you don't have to drive so far?" How can I even begin to give an answer that he would understand to that question??? I've kinda stopped trying to turn my friends into the features (the ones that haven't already converted) b/c I've decided it either happens or it doesn't. I feel satisfied that I got one of my friends who wasn't into music that much REALLY into them...that's enough of an accomplishment.

I guess I discovered the Features on my own. They came to the Boro to see a band that I was playing in at the time, introduced themselves to us afterwards, and told us that they were playing the next night at Sebastian's. So our band went to see them play. This was 1999.

I wouldn't say that I try to push the Features on anyone in my life. Everyone that knows me knows that I love this band, just because I'm always either "going to see the Features tonight" or I "saw the Features last night." If they've spent much time with me at all, they've probably heard the Features. And they either like the music or they don't. If they do, they usually become a fan. If they don't, that's fine too. I'd say it goes about 75-25, with the majority liking what they hear.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 12:57 am on May. 30, 2003)

i discovered them on my own. it was in 2001.

i tend to either burn cd's for freinds but only if they ask first. my suaul method of introducing a band is a live show or slipping in that random track on a mix tape/cd.

I was kidnapped, gagged and bound when taken to my first features show. This was not because I didn't want to go... my kidnappers were just sadists. Here I am, in a strange town, visiting people and all of the sudden two of my friends bust in the door, grab me and throw me in the van. Needless to say, the excitement made my first show all the better. Plus, we ate at Wendy's.

I've worked extensively to spread the gospel in Kentucky, with moderate fruition.

(Edited by deathscythe257 at 7:45 am on May. 30, 2003)

I went with friends to Self shows a couple of times and the Features were opening. I became a fan on my own at that point, so I guess I discovered them on my own. I've tried to convert many since then.

I more or less discovered them on my own. I happened to see them at Dancin' in the District a few years ago (I'd go into more detail, but I think I've discussed this like 8 times now). A couple years later, a band I was in opened for them a couple times and I was quickly hooked.

I don't play many people Features stuff, because I don't think any of their recordings come close to what they do live. I definitely encourage people to go to their shows instead.

I discovered the features through a friend misguided fool.. she also told me about self! I'm grateful for her

Man. One of the greatest pleasures I have ever known was the Lifeboy/Features lineup. I miss those days!

Like YDDD, Self was how I came to know the band, but only through recordings. I picked up a slew of Spongebath releases on the strength of Self.

Will

It was at one of these shows (at 12th & Porter) that I first met the Features. My brother drug me there. I thought they were OK, but I didn't fall in love with them. However, my brother loaned me a copy of a radio performance they'd done with Fluid Ounces. Once I learned the songs, I was hooked.

I found them through my friend Sarah (the girl I was with at the Red Rose) who found them through her older sister. I was somewhat hooked the first time and couldn't get Buffalohead out of my head so she gave me a bootleg from Blue Cats and then I loved them.

I went to go see jetpack play the last time they played with the features, and one of my friends (jetpack's manager brad) told me that the features were really good, so I stayed and that's how I found out about the Features.

Yadadada dragged me...

Just kidding, we went to a Features show at the Red Rose for our first date - 5/19/01. The beginning of two great loves, one being The Features.

(Edited by Token at 6:45 pm on May. 30, 2003)

And you are marrying next month! You kids move very quickly.

Whoops. I meant 5/19/01. Silly me.

The features playing at a wedding would be awesome lol It would be alot of us crashing would it!

Yes, we have dreamt of this too. Alas, it shall not be, though.

Aw, that would have been so nice. Did yall even ask them? Or will they still be in Mississippi?

No, we did not ask them. I guess the thing is that, no matter how "cool" you might want a wedding to be, you have to cater it to the older crowd. I just don't see it working at all. But it would be mighty cool. Maybe one of the other message board couples can do it if they get married.

We are still keeping our fingers crossed for a concert the night before that we can take all our friends to...and see all you folks at. That would really be the ultimate.

I see. Well, in 10 years (or 20??) when I get married (if I get married.. ) if the Features are still around I'll definatley ask.

Alot of people do cater weddings to the old people/ family.. the family would be like uhh an who are these people playing at the wedding???

Seth Timbs had the Features play at his wedding in 2001.

Our reception will be mostly the older crowd, and it's not the type of music that many of the younger people would get into. That, and I think it'd be a bash to band's ego to ask them to play at a wedding reception. All these came into play. Then think of the cost.

I see what your saying....

i came to know the features through an old friend of mine . . .

anyone remember overemo? well it was he who took me to my first show at 12th and porter about a year and a half ago. ive been in love with 1) the band and 2) matt ever since.

i read about the band during my first semester at college in "The Rage".....they mentioned Arthur Lee and Love in the description of the band. I was very intrigued. I finally got around to seeing the band in February of the next year. I took Damon along with me. They opened with "the beginning" and it was like an explosion. I have been hooked ever since......

I learned about them through Ray Davies who saw them at the Red Rose after he read about them in The Rage, as he said. I really wanted to go to that Red Rose show, but I had something school related that I just had to do and missed it. I went to the next Boro show and was hooked.

you know rachel... we could always stage a wedding just to see the band. Just think if we planned it right, we could get maybe 10, 15 wedding concerts out of the band if there were enough divorces, love triangles, etc...

in all seriousness, I've wondered this for a while, but how much do/did the features charge for a show? approximations and guesses are welcome.

(Edited by joeywade at 1:43 pm on Jun. 2, 2003)

My guess: Nowhere close to what they're worth. Yet. Enough said.

Ohh.. I like that idea. We could stage a whole message board soap opera complete with all the scandals! There will be wedding shows weekly!

Someone's been watching too much Passions.

Can I wear an eye patch? I've always wanted to be the ultra-suave-yet-dangerous-and-mysterious soap opera guy who wears an eye patch.

Sure, as long as I get to be the saucy Scarlett-esque temptress that stirs up trouble with the many married men of Murfreesboro (or anywhere.. I was on an alliteration kick).

I can contribute: I think I feel some amnesia coming on, and I have been known to fake my own death occasionally.

Who will grow a goatee so they can be their own evil twin?

I nominate Mike_D. He can simply shave his goatee whenever he wants to be the good twin again.

I found them on my own. I had just tranferred to MTSU and had been in Murfreesboro for 4 days. I saw their write up in the rage and went to a show at the Boro. I liked it so much, I went to the Slow Bar show the next night, too.
And I think that I do talk about them too much to my friends back home. They've heard the recordings but still don't get it.

I'd call you Nick Fury.

Or Pete Wisdom...or Xander Harris...

Good call. Those completely slipped my mind.

I already have an evil twin. Or, does he have me? Regardless, I nominate myself. No beard though. I have always enjoyed deceiving people, so I would probably get way into such a role. I'll start now.

ah, jetpack! oh, i love those guys. went to college with 'em. my wife even went to high school with stephen jerkins.

i somehow found the features on the 'net in '97(?) on some website that had soundclips. don't remember the site. i on-and-off looked around for them, and finally caught up. yippee!

ah, jetpack!

toodles,
phil

how i spread the word of the features
by sina sugarsick

i like to go to shows and hang out with bands and tell them how great the features are and that the features are much better than them. then i like for them to throw me out.

i like to hang out on the streets around the venue and flash my privates at passers by. it typically freaks them out, and they seek refuge inside.

hey, whatever works.

At least she does it to the right bands.

example of overplaying:

so my mom, who isnt a big fan of the features except a couple songs, just walked into my room when i was playing radio one. she said "i havent heard this one before, is it new?"

that made me realize how much i make people listen to them. its strange that someone could identify a song as a features song and assume its new or old because they hadnt heard it before- just because they had heard so much through me. i think ill tone it down a bit now.

I usually have the features on in the background in my room or in the car. I simply wait for the people to ask me who it is, which they always do.

One of my favorite bands, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire announced a tour with "The Features from Murfreesboro" last spring. Some time later, they happened to be in Knoxville months before the tour was scheduled, so I thought I'd check 'em out. I was a fan after the 3rd song, and for the next month I scrambled to find recorded material, which was pretty hard to dig up. So that's how I stumbled upon the Features, and I'm afraid they've surpassed the Bowl of Fire as far as favorites go. I'd like to change my name, but I've got over a hundred posts.

(Edited by Bowl of Fire at 10:51 pm on Jun. 17, 2003)

Fandom...

-me playing the features in my car
-my friend in the car "It's another Cd of the clapping band isn't it?"

-me getting a call from my mom when I'm out
-(My mom) are u seeing the features tonight? (she always thinks it's the features lol

I think I have several friends who are tired of me inviting them to see the Features. Probably around 10.

I have friends that I will invite to go with me to see the features. They are always not willing to ride (ride, not drive) in a car that long or "this weekend won't work out" because they're lazy hippies... this is mainly because they don't like me anymore after i decided i wouldn't be living with them... however, if i don't invite them to a features show, or even a trip to murfreesboro in general, and they find out that i went, they become indignant.