Now more than ever, it seems that musicians are no longer interested in being tied down to a single band. Musicians are using different side bands as musical projects to explore different sounds and musical concepts.
In the world of rock, there are a plethora of artists who seek refuge in taking timeouts from their main gigs. Dave Grohl, former drummer of Nirvana and now frontman of the Foo Fighters, is one of the hardest working men in rock. Grohl has played drums for a number of different bands, from Tenacious D to Queens of the Stone Age.
Indie rock stars are even more notorious for side projects. Ben Gibbard, lead singer for Death Cab for Cutie, made one of the most popular indie records of last year with a band other than Death Cab, lending his vocals to The Postal Service’s “Give Up” along with Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. He’s also recorded his own solo album under the name All-Time Quarterback, creating a record of lo-fi gems in 1999.
Side projects are even more popular in the world of rap. Pharrell Williams, one of rap’s most popular producers, is in two different rap groups, N.E.R.D., which consists of himself, Chad Hugo, Shay and The Neptunes with Hugo. In his spare time, Williams still manages to produce and write hit songs for other artists, such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake (who has himself released a solo record), and Snoop Dogg. Rap stars are constantly collaborating with other artists and producers, usually with the result of blockbuster sales. Ja Rule has become rap’s most popular musical prostitutes, recording songs with an almost creepy number of female vocalists.
Many musicians use their original band’s popularity as a springboard for forming their own groups. Matt Sharp ditched Weezer in 1997 to work full time on his own band, The Rentals, to fantastic musical results but largely lackluster sales. Weezer’s frontman, Rivers Cuomo, responded in kind by taking a break from Weezer to form not one but two bands: The Rivers Cuomo Band and Homie, which itself featured members of Soul Coughing, Cake, and Shufflepuck. Three usually solo artists, Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, and Ben Lee, also released their own EP under the name The Bens earlier this year to critical acclaim.
Even pop stars are starting to get in on the action. The aforementioned Justin Timberlake has seemingly left his old band, N*Sync, in the dust with the release of his solo album “Justified”. Beyonce Knowles won several Grammy’s for her solo release, and Kelly Rowland had a big summer hit with Nelly after taking time off from their full-time gig, Destiny’s Child.
In the past, solo efforts from rock stars were almost exclusively a sign of trouble within a rock band. John Lennon’s “Two Virgins” album with Yoko Ono, although barely qualified by most as “music”, was interpreted by many fans as a sign of the end of The Beatles, who did end up parting ways a year and a half later. In fact, rather than cause hostility within the band, Paul McCartney simply gave away his solo works to other artists, such as the excellent “Come and Get It” recorded by Badfinger and “Goodbye” by Mary Hopkins.
If anything, the trend of solo projects by musicians is a reflection of today’s more open and laid back musical climate. Solo projects give musicians a chance to explore new ideas and, whether the result is good or bad, such creativity is always a positive.
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