*blows away dust* Wow, it's been a while since I've done one of these. Anyways, I'm Woohoo and this Musical Manslaughter, because you can't spell slaughter without laughter and these songs are jokes.

So, it's been a few many months since I've made an entry for MMS or even a blog at all. My last entry was in March where I lobotomized Taylor Swift's cover lobotomy of Earth Wind & Fire's "September." Lately I've been feeling pretty uninspired to do these, or any blogs at all.

Now I finally gained some inspiration. Before you ask, no, I'm not shredding a song this time, but I am discussing something music related. In fact, I've been thinking about using MMS to discuss anything music related. Hell, I already did last year when I did my "10 Things I Hate About Music" list. 

Alright, enough rambling, onto the discussion. Lately, a question has been burning in my head for a long time... and that question is...

Quote

If a band has no "original members," what do you call it?

I don't know how long this question has been in my head, but it's gotten the point where I feel the need to discuss it. Why has this particular question been burning in my head? Often times, I hear or read about music fans complaining about bands, specifically older ones, that have just two, or even only one original member, or even no original members at all, while the rest of the band are a bunch of no name "hired guns." *sigh* Before I can even try to attempt this damn question, I need to answer another question that coincides with it: What is an "original member?"

Unfortunately, the question of "what's an original member" generates even more questions than answers. Frankly, I don't really like the term "original member." Its definition is way too loose. *Well, after a hell of a lot of thinking, I think I managed to break down the types of band members. Without further ado, let's break it down.

I'm just gonna get right to the point. I've broken down the types of band members and their criteria into four categories:

• Founding Members
• Longtime Members
• New Members
• Touring Members

So a while back, I've had the honorary privilege to see one of the all time greatest rock bands of all time in concert, none other than The Rolling Stones. If you're wondering how I felt during that show, let me show ya...

Yes, this what I look like

With the concert still relatively fresh in my mind, I'll be using them as an example. Enough juckin' and shivin', let's break it down... again.

Founding Members

This type of band member and its criteria for it is pretty self-explanatory. These are the members that have been with a band since the very beginning. In the case of the Stones, it's obvious who the founding members are. Lead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards started and have been with The Rolling Stones since its inception in 1962. Usually, when people think of "original members" of a band, they often refer to the founding members most time. Other times, they're referring to the "longtime members." Speaking of which...

Longtime Members

This one was a little hard to define as well as the criteria (which is why I've had a hard time finishing this blog), but I think I've figured it out. "Longtime Members" are the members that, although they weren't there from the beginning, have played with a band for a very long time.  My criteria for this category would be this: Served in the band for at least 20 years and/or played on at least three studio albums. In the case of the Rolling Stones, drummer Charlie Watts (since 1963, although some consider him a founding member) and guitarist Ronnie Wood (since 1975) definitely fall into this category.

New Members

This category and its criteria is essentially the reverse of "longtime members," which would be this: Served in the band for less than 20 years and/or played on less than three studio albums. However, with the case of the Rolling Stones, there haven't been any new members since Ronnie Wood joined in 1975... at least no new "official" members, not touring members. Speaking of that...

Touring Members

Sometimes called "unofficial members," these are additional musicians that an artist or band brings on tour to help boost their sound, which frankly is more authentic than using backing tracks. With the Stones, they have a bunch of touring members, such as horn players and keyboardists, but the most notable is bassist Darryl Jones. He has toured and recorded with the Stones since 1993, replacing founding bassist Bill Wyman. That pretty much covers every type of band member and its criteria. Now back to the original question...

What was the original question again? Oh, right. "What do you call a band with no original members?" To be honest, I have no definitive answer. How would you answer this question? I even asked other people in real life and on the forums this question and I got different answers, such as a cover band, a tribute band, a cash grab, and my favorite response, a disband.

Now I leave you all with yet another question, "Do you care who's in your favorite band(s)?" This question I actually have a definitive answer: Yes, whether they be founding or new or touring, I actually care who's in the band. Frankly, it annoys me to see bands go through members like toilet paper. However, for most people, they just don't care. Most fans when they see their favorite bands in concert, they don't care so long as they hear their favorite songs live. Same with concert promoters, they don't care so long as they make money by selling the logo and putting butts in the seats. I should also note that very few bands retain the same lineup for most. if not all of their career. The only bands I can think of are The Beatles (1963 until they broke up in 1970), Rush (from 1974 until their disbandment in 2018), U2 (since 1976), Aerosmith (since 1973, aside from 1979-83), and ZZ Top (since 1969.) Do you care who's in your favorite bands? Let me know in the comments below.

And that concludes this entry of Musical Manslaughter. Out of all the entries I wrote, this one was the hardest... and I mean it this time. Sorry if I haven't posted much but don't worry, next year I'll try to be much more active. This is Woohoo signing off. Happy New Year!