r/mastodonband

I think the subreddit community here is missing the point when it comes to the Joao discourse

TL;DR Joao's views are not just "politically conservative", they're disgusting and that's why people are talking about it

A lot of comments I see are saying

"Why are you bringing up politics?" (Most common sentiment)

"Why do you care? Separate art from the artist!"

"Just stop listening to band, duh!"

"The dude isn't a threat to anyone, even if his views are problematic, what difference does it make?"

Here's a comparison to draw from: People don't listen to Lostprophets anymore because of what Ian Watkins did. Nobody separated the art from the artist in that situation because it was clearly horrible, ugly and disgusting what he did and stood for. Most people understand that. There is no "Hey man you don't have to agree with everyone's views to get along with them", or "I don't care, I like the music anyway", or "Why are you bringing up politics? Ok yeah he's gross but so what?" No people drew a line and that was it. (To be clear I'm not directly comparing Joao to Ian Watkins).

When it comes to Joao, this man literally advocates for stripping rights away from women. His talk show is basically MAGA-slop for Brazil. When people have disagreements over politics, it's fine to disagree on things like fiscal policy or resource management etc. But not things like rights, and in this case women's rights.

To all of you guys who keep parroting "I don't support his views but I don't see why this is such a big deal?" The reality is that it's not a big deal to you because you're not personally affected by it. Maybe you don't have enough women in your life who have spoken up about abortion restrictions, or maybe you have and you think they're whining about something you deem inconsequential.

The fact is that people are talking about this because they love Mastadon, and in this case it is confusing, bizarre and trust-breaking to have brought on a guy like Joao when literally they could have ANY OTHER KEYBOARD PLAYER THAT DOESN'T ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN BEING FORCED TO GIVE BIRTH TO RAPE BABIES.

If they agree with his views, that changes how people see the guys in the band that they love. If they don't agree with him, then they don't seem to care enough about these issues (or women) to actually speak out against the dude they hired for advocating for this stuff. If they don't agree and they DO care about these issues, then again... Of all the keyboard players in the world, why choose Brazilian Steven Crowder??

I posted this in a comment to somebody else. Imagine Metallica's Lars Ulrich is no longer able to play with the band for whatever reason, and for his replacement they hire... Alex Jones. And everyone's like "Who cares about Alex Jones? Just let him play drums and enjoy the band man!!" When it's like no dog, I don't support Alex Jones making money off the band to fund his endeavors, it's disappointing at best and downright WTF at worst.

You can't keep acting confused as to why people are concerned about it. If Joao doesn't bother you, it might help to wonder why people feel the way they do, and what you would do in their shoes. How do Mastadons female fans (and especially their Brazilian female fans) feel about him being in the band/making money off of them?

I just can't help but shake my head at the discourse. You may not care, but surely you understand why people do?

reddit.com
u/LegoMongoose — 9 hours ago

My band covered Mother Puncher last month, wanted to share with yall here

Gonna drop a studio recording soon too. Thanks. Best song on Remission imo :P

youtu.be
u/dope_ass_birds — 11 hours ago

I converted my signed H&G digisleeve into a jewel case!

I saw Mastodon in Zagreb during the summer, wrote about it👉here.

My fiancee bought me a signed 'Hushed and Grim' CD at the merch stand as an early wedding gift. I decided to convert the cardboard sleeve to fit a double CD case.

I'm sure there are collectors who are horrified that I did this, as it involved some destructive action, but I really wanted to do this because:

  1. Digiseleeves are not nearly as durable and this one was already a bit scuffed, probably from having toured the world during crazy heatwaves.
  2. It's not the same size as a jewelcase (see pictures) so it sticks out among the other CDs, my OCD will not stand for this!

You can read about the details in the captions under the pictures, here's some extra things worth mentioning:

  • It looks even better IRL, the phone camera somehow accentuates every scratch and speck of dust, it's not noticeable in person.
  • Troy, I wish you'd have signed it just 1cm more to the right so I could center the cover more :D I could baaaarely crop the cover so that it fits inside and has all 3 signatures
  • As mentioned, digisleeves are bigger than a jewel case, but infuriatingly the booklet is smaller. Meaning that it doesn't slide snug into the lid of the case :T
  • Finding a single quality double CD case was surprisingly hard. I bought a 5 pack at an office store, but they were 1mm shorter smaller and slightly less thick than a normal case. Not only is this not good for my OCD as I wanted it to look legit, but all of the cardboard art would not fit inside because it's much thicker than paper. Thankfully a friend of mine had one, still mint and packed in foil, been lying around since the 2000's, it even had a black tray which fit with the design!
  • Gonna say this just in case: I'm not complaining or blaming the band, pretty sure they're not involved in the minutia of CD packaging or supervising how the sellers handle the merch.
u/MarkArandjus — 12 hours ago

Why did mastodon hire a bolsonarist who rejects progressive cultural policies to be part of a metal band?

Before anyone talks about “why is this thread political,”If you don’t want to hear about it, you can move on to another post. I’m not looking for arguments, just discussions! Thanks!

alternative music has always been political. Metal music is political. Brann has posted political posts.

Over the past couple days, I’ve read concerning information about the keyboardist, Joao. After doing my own research, it turns out he’s an extremely right-wing (think MAGA level but for Brazil) news host that talks about and has fought against women’s rights, talks about global climate impact being a hoax, and generally appeals to conservative christian demographics. He and the umbrella company he works under (Paralelo, Brasil’s far-right media network). Some brazilians have said its the same thing as if they had some Charlie Kirk follower or Ben Shapiro follower join their group.

I’m just really confused as to why the band would hire someone like this when there are so many better people. Especially since Brann has come out saying he hates Trump and he’s “the worst president ever,” meanwhile, Joao supports Brazil’s president who tries to copy trump. Other brazilians have said that entire network is based on hating women, hating immigrants (funny, as Joao is from Brazil and lives in the U.S) and they act to elect senators who hurt minorities.

Here’s a good post with more info and linked sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/mastodonband/comments/1vnxx3s/comment/p44a8md/?context=3&share_id=DgU57OVWrtJrvBxi0jmo1&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

Personally, as someone impacted by these types of people, and having friends actively dealing with it in Brazil, Mastodon no longer holds the feeling for me they once did, which is sad, as they have been my favorite band for over 15 years. I grew up with their music helping me through hard times, but now when I think about them, I feel like they’re now collectively part of the problem for supporting someone who brings so much harm as a talk show host who actively get’s paid to spew right-wing propaganda, pitting them directly against people like me who are actively fighting for people’s rights, healthcare for those in need, etc etc, which is a deeply saddening feeling.

I’m posting this in the hopes of then seeing it at some point, but to also bring up an important topic to many people right now who have been negatively impacted by far right christian media making it’s way into politics (separate church and state, am I right?)

I’m also confused as to why they just don’t care about it, having wives and children of their own who are already being impacted by anti-healthcare policies. Lets also remember that healthcare and human rights shouldn’t have to be political. women's rights change by state but men’s rights stay the same across the country. pregnant mothers have lost lives, people have died with no affordable access to medicine and healthcare.

edit: from u/zacray

“There is a critical distinction that keeps getting lost in this sub: having different views on tax rates or municipal policy is a “differing opinion.” Active participation in media organizations that push historical revisionism and authoritarian ideology crosses into a completely different territory. We wouldn't brush off involvement in media tied to authoritarian regimes or far-right movements elsewhere as “just jokes” or “a difference of opinion.” Choosing to work for and lend credibility to a political propaganda apparatus is an active career choice. As fans and consumers of Mastodon’s music, asking honest questions about who is sharing the stage with the band and shaping their new material isn't “violating” anyone. Holding a band’s platform accountable to basic human values isn't “cancel culture” - it's being an intentional fan.

Rasta's Interview on Jovem Pan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ljP4lluiSY this video is relevant because it features João Nogueira directly discussing his political background and his shift to becoming a follower of Olavo de Carvalho in his own words.”.

I’m done responding because its mentally exhausting, unless you having something to actually add the the conversation instead of “i dont care” lmao

u/PuppyButtts — 1 day ago
▲ 196 r/mastodonband+3 crossposts

Mastodon - The Motherload (Bass Cover)

Really fun song and really interesting bassline, quite upbeat and positive message which also helps, had a bit of a struggle dialing in the tone since my strings died really quickly, still, hope ya'll like it!

u/Fresh-Ad7219 — 1 day ago

I’m new to their older stuff

And it’s so amazing! I feel like I’ve just found one of my favorite bands even though I knew mastodon before, just not their really good stuff (for me).
I used to listen to Once More around the sun and a bit of Emperor of Sand because of Spotify recommendations, but then I took a dive into their older stuff, and man, they are so good! The vocals, the riffs, everything!
Crack the Skye really got me. The story behind it is also so interesting and, I feel like, pretty unique.

Yeah that’s about it, just felt like sharing :)

reddit.com

Brent Hinds Orange Terror

Finally found one of these at a reasonable price and I'm loving it. Have it running through the greenback in the fender combo below it, and it sounds great.

u/CosmolineConsumer — 2 days ago

Blood and Thunder, Iron Tusk, The Wolf is Loose, Crystal Skull...holy shit, absolute bangers. I don't know who wrote these songs but they must be an awesome guitarist

reddit.com
u/scheppend — 3 days ago

Feels like the Extended Mastodon Family have shown up to support the guys in this new era.

Insanely excited for the new album obviously but I'm seeing a lot of people stepping up to support the lads like Josh Homme, Geezer Butler, Neil Fallon, Randy Blythe and Joe Duplantier which I'm most excited about I literally have The Way of All Flesh album art tattooed next to the Leviathan album art on my arm so I'm so fucking stoked for that.

It's nice to see them getting some support from the larger music community after the couple of years they've had with Brann's Mam and Brent passing away. When my Dad passed away the pain was lessened by friends showing up to help out with odd jobs or even do the shopping for me and it's not exactly the same but I hope their burdens were lessened a bit with the help from the wider music community.

reddit.com
u/NiceManWhoIsFriendly — 3 days ago
▲ 60 r/mastodonband+2 crossposts

THE CHANT

​Con questo disegno, voglio dare voce al popolo tibetano, vittima da decenni di un regime comunista che cerca di cancellare la sua identità e cultura. Le fiamme rappresentano la violenza e la distruzione, mentre la figura meditante simboleggia la forza d'animo e la resistenza non violenta dei tibetani.

Sono consapevole che questo è il subreddit dei Mastodon, ma considerando gli ottimi rapporti che passano fra i membri dei Gojira volevo dedicarvi questo disegno ispirato al brano "THE CHANT"

Se il disegno non dovesse essere pertinente lo elimino...nessun problema

u/Electronic_Web_6678 — 3 days ago

Is anyone NOT listening to the new singles?

And no, this isn't a "Brent's gone so I'm not going to listen to the new music" situation.

Normally for any new release from artists I like, especially Mastodon, I devour every single and play them into the ground. By the time the album comes out and I'm listening through, I find I'm taken out of the album-listening experience when the singles pop up and I've already heard them 20-30 times.

So, for this release, I'm purposely giving myself masto-blue balls so I can go into the full album completely fresh.

Does anyone else wait for the album before listening to any songs?

reddit.com
u/Mercernary07 — 3 days ago

Trampled Under Hoof is the greatest Mastodon song of all time

I said it

Edit: wow I thought I was gonna get downvoted to hell, some people actually like the song too!!! I always see everyone hating on this song I don’t get it it’s prog gold

reddit.com
u/CurlyHeisenburg — 3 days ago

Marrow Deeped my Phone

Recently got a new phone (Moto G Stylus) and it came in "Lavender Mist" color which is basically a pink/purple. Grabbed a purple case to match and was like damn this thing is kinda giving Marrow Deep vibes. So I set the background and ordered a Popsocket and here's the result. Idk I like it!

u/SoundAwakened — 3 days ago

Mastodon Merch Australian based company

Pull The Plug Patches are a merch company based in Australia (NOT a cheap counterfeit company). Those interested can check out the Mastodon merch available. Crack The Skye album artwork for pre-order, Blood Mountain album artwork l, t-shirts, hoodies & more!. I will say that beware of the price for shipping & import duties the total is about $40-$50. I just ordered a couple of shirts myself & they do not mass produce so there are limited amount of prints(about 60-CTS t-shirts, 100-BM t-shirts). They only consider 2nd runs if enough interest is there. Just giving folks a heads up of interested.

pulltheplugpatches.com
u/Metalguy_79 — 3 days ago