Wedding Banned-Gender

And finally... I will discuss my favorite topic... Wedding Banned and Gender.  The reason I love the cover band Wedding Banned so much is because they have a kick-ass female singer in their group.  This is rare.  Especially in comparison to the other bands that are discussed in this blog.  Ballz, as she is known, is one badass girl.  She's a young woman with crazy hair, a spunky attitude, and a bottle of whiskey.  

Having a female in the group brings a dynamic to this band that many others lack.  This definitely appeals to a lot of young girls and in my opinion gives them a lot of confidence or sense of strength.  Having a female singer also allows this band to cover a lot of songs from the past that audiences love to hear, but can't from most all male cover bands.  The audience really got into a lot of the songs Wedding Banned played, many of which would not have the same effect if a male attempted to sing them.  I think many of the people in the audience also found this edgy female rocker quite a hit, and she found a way to really get people into the music.  Also, what's a wedding without a woman?  I think she puts the finishing touch to an exciting cover band that likes to give their audience a great performance and a good time.  I think the gender ratio of the audience depends on the gender ratio of the location the band is performing in, rather than the influences of the genders in the band.  In Carbondale, the audience ratio of males to females consists of a majority of males.  When it comes to gender, I feel like the ratios in the audience don't really vary upon the genders of the members in the band.  

Mike and Joe Gender Time

The gender of Mike and Joes (as many other categories) falls into three categories; the band members themselves, the audience, and the type of music that they play.  The band members are obviously all male but the audience that they play to is almost an even balance.  Most of the crowds that they play to are comprised of both male and female viewers because of the almost universal likability of the covers that they play.  Many couples come to their shows because they wanna drink and have a good time to the songs that they have always loved on the radio.  The band keeps up on learning some of the latest hits and the set list is never the exact same so its always a good show for the girls and the guys.  The songs that they actually play are mostly from a male viewpoint, bands that are comprised of male singers and musicians.  However, many of these songs that are written by male singers are love songs that are about women.  So as far as gender goes there is really just a little bit for everyone!

Mike and Joe in Class

The subject of class in relation to Mike and Joes, along with race, is also a very complex subject.  They definitely do not seem to be any sort of bias towards any social class and vice versa with the audience.  Its a little difficult to tell exactly what class the audience represents because of a wide variety but the band members mostly came from a middle/upper class situation.  They came from areas of the united states all the way from Washington to Pittsburg.  The audience that they play to is made up of a good portion of college students, so in that regard, the audience could come from anything from working class to upper class backgrounds.  And the class of the actual student will most likely follow suit, at least in the college years.  However, the band does also play many other types of shows in different clubs around the state including venues in Chicago, Peoria, and Bloomington.  Most of their shows are around college areas so they are not to expensive to get in and are a great time for anyone who is at least over 19 and in some places 21. 

The Race to Mike and Joes

As far as race goes, Mike and Joe have a fairly diverse audience when they play.  Because of the mostly pop/rock material that they play, there tends to be a wide range of different people coming to the shows to share their love for the songs on the radio.  The actual band members themselves come from a mostly caucasian background.  The songs that they cover come from many artists of different ethnicities so basically their shows are a good integration of culture through pop/rock music.

HAIRBANGERS BALL-GENDER

The gender of the band Hairbangers Ball is very noticeable as to who wins the majority.  The guys definitely out weigh the girls in the band.  There is only one girl in this performance group, but don't count her out, she really knows how to hold her own with the guys.  Polly Pants has quickly become one of the most popular if not the most popular.  She is known for her revealing outfits and that is what attracts the guys to her at her shows.  I think that this is very reflective of the time that they are singing.  In the 80's it was still a man's world in the band world.  Most of the more popular bands from that era like Bon Jovi, Journey, Poison, the Styx were all made up of men.  There were artist like Madonna, Pat, and Cyndi Lauper who were really popular as well but they were single.  Fleetwood Mac did however have Stevie Nicks.  I don't think that the gender of the band effects the gender o Benatard f the crowds that come to see their shows.  They are not a gender driven group that are considered to be sex symbols.  They are more about the music and capturing the true essence of the time.  If you were to go to see one of their shows, I think that you would be able to find a good mix of approximately half and half, both male and female.  It really isn't about the gender of the crowd that they are attracting it is about the amount of the crowd that they are attracting.  They are very popular in Carbondale and many many people have become groupies of them.  I think that it is safe to say that Hairbangers Ball will always have a home and a fan crazed crowd in the university town of Carbondale.  Hairbangers, keep doing what you do.  In the words of Journey "Don't Stop Believing."...in your Carbondale audience!

HAIRBANGERS BALL-CLASS

Like the others in my blog group have already stated, it is hard to know the class of someone simply based on their website and club appearances.  There is a lot more that goes into it than just that.  I think that too, you can be fooled, most of these things are an act, that people like Hairbangers are performing.  You don't know what is inside someone outside of all that make-up,  big hair, and the costumes.  Take for instance people like Dolly Parton and Eminem.  I know they are on opposite sides of the spectrum but their stories in a way are similar.  They both came from lower class families and made it big.  Dolly Parton has been known for saying that the way that she looks is what was her idea of glam as a kid, giving herself the title of "Backwoods Barbie."  She is quoted as saying, it takes a lot of money to look this cheap.  Eminem on the other hand also came from a poorer class and now has millions.  Do you think that now because he would be considered in the upper class due to wealth that he would give up the image that he has put out there as being someone from the lower class?  The same with Dolly Parton, it is an image that they have created and in a way that has attributed to the success of their acts, and made them millions.  I think that the members of Hairbangers are doing what they love and it doesn't matter what class they are from originally.  Most people trying to make it in the music industry will try just about anything to get what they want, even if it means coming up with a fake name, putting on some parachute pants and a wig just to do what you love.  I also think that they do it simply because it is fun.  

The way in which they dress however would give the impression that they are from the lower class.  Like I said in a previous post, they give off the impression today that they stepped out of a white-trash filled closet.  I was recently hearing about a new Broadway show that just opened call Rock of Ages.  They made a musical out of the music that bands like Hairbangers Ball is performing.  They also dress the same way, and the story is the same.  It is about a girl who moves to L.A. from the Midwest and is trying to make it as a singer.  In order to achieve that she performs at these less than normal clubs where people are dressed like the members of Hairbangers.  She is then given the "slutty/trashy" transformation and she is good to go.  I think that it geared toward a lower class of people.  You aren't going to see people that are considered high culture in the middle of a crowd at a Hairbangers concert, you just aren't.  People who go to the opera and eat out at five star restaurants aren't going to be groupies of a band like this.  I think that is why they are really popular in college towns and festivals, they are geared towards a class of people who are looking to get drunk and have a good time.  This is not saying that the band isn't good, I just feel that this is the class of people who the band is geared towards.

Wedding Banned-Class

I completely agree with Amber when she said that it is hard to determine the class of the individual people that make up the band when you don't know them personally.  However, I will do my best to analyze and determine the class of Wedding Banned as a whole based on the information I know about them.  

By simply observing them in person and viewing their webpages, I would immediately rule out the idea that they are upper class.  They are an extremely laid back and care free band that just likes to make people laugh and have a good time.  Basically the complete opposite definition of upper class society.  Their audience very much reflects the band.  While Wedding Banned is enjoyed by people of a variety of ages, the predominant age group is definitely the college crowd.  We all know that most college students are not upper class.  Also, the band performs at a very relaxed venue.  The Copper Dragon, if you have ever been, is definitely not a higher class type of bar.  It is an extremely laid back place where young college students come to have a good time and maybe get a little crazy.  Which reminds me... the so called "weddings" they perform during their shows are definitely not upper class.  If you are watching the show, the concept of a "white trash" wedding probably comes to mind.  They pull up random people from the audience and embarrass them to death by making them do wacky things... often with inflatable dolls.  Another concept that many people would view as white trash.  

Overall, one can assume that the band is probably lower to middle class.