Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta Beefing With… Chvrches?
Man oh man, I bet when you woke up today you didn’t think a Twitter feud between members of Hatebreed and the synth-pop group Chvrches would be a thing. We live in interesting times.
What happened is this:
Earlier this week, the Deftones announced the line-up for the second annual edition of Dia de los Deftones, a festival the band members themselves curate. And as you might have guessed, given that the Deftones are metal but not exactly METAL, the bill includes not just metal and rock acts like Gojira, Youth Code, and Brutus, but also two hip-hop artists (JPEGMAFIA and Megan Thee Stallion) and the aforementioned Chvrches, who are billed directly beneath the Deftones themselves.
It was this billing position that captured the attention of Hatebreed frontman and hardcore emissary Jamey Jasta. Shortly after the line-up was announced, the former Headbanger’s Ball host took to Twitter to voice his objection against Chvrches being billed above Gojira:
“Who is churches with a v and why the fuck are they playing over Gojira get tha fuuuuuck outtta here have you ever heard The Heaviest Matter In The Universe you’re gonna get embarrassed off the stage lol no offense. God the music industry suckkkkks sometimes.”
He added:
“Update: googled Churches w/ a v, they gotta be huge they did a song with a guy w/ a Marshmallow mask and people LOOOOOVE IT. Good for them.”
Unsurprisingly, Jasta’s comments didn’t sit well with Lauren Mayberry, Chvrches’ vocalist. And so Mayberry issued this response:
“Deftones curated the lineup so I don’t know how that speaks to problems with The Music Industry. I think it’s important and powerful that they promote the idea of a diverse community and try to bridge gaps instead of being guided by limiting, antiquated ideas about genre.
“I saw Gojira in Glasgow years ago and have seen Deftones three times so was excited when we got asked to be on the bill. Just because someone plays or listens to ‘pop music’ doesn’t mean they don’t understand or appreciate other things.”
Jasta, in turn, responded thusly:
“I’m sure they’re lovely people and a popular group, I don’t agree with the line up order, same w/ other festivals, if anyone is butt hurt about my opinion wait til you hear the podcast! Metal needs to be shown more respect. Longer career, legacy, more albums, bill em higher.”
Now, as a fan of both Hatebreed and Chvrches, I find this little dispute heartbreaking, and I’ll tell you why: both Jasta and Mayberry make arguments that are bullshit.
In Mayberry’s case, it seems safe to assume that the singer knows that just because the Deftones curated the bill doesn’t mean they got to decide the billing. I mean, I could be wrong, but I don’t think Chino Moreno is on the phone negotiating with Hum and Youth Code about who’s gonna be higher up on the poster. There are promoters and booking agents and lawyers who figure that shit out. So Jasta is, technically, correct — Chvrches’ billing does say something about the music industry.
In Jasta’s case, I know he knows that billing isn’t determined by which artists have had the “longer career” and “more albums.” And I know Jasta knows this because earlier this year Hatebreed did a tour where they got billing over Obituary and the Cro-Mags, two bands that have both had longer careers than Hatebreed, and in one instance have put out more albums (Obituary have ten full-lengths to Hatebreed’s seven). So if there’s an argument to be made for Gojira to get billing over Chvrches, that ain’t it.
So who “won” this argument? Probably MetalSucks for all the clicks it will generate. Thank you, Jamey and Lauren.
Tune in next week when Roger Miret and one of the dudes from Twenty One Pilots get into it on Vero!
[via Lambgoat]
