The Petra Zone

BillDD wrote:Better lyrics, some one who sings and doesn't scream, is that too much to ask.

Matthew RJ wrote:STEVE CAMP!

Better lyrics, some one who sings and doesn't scream, is that too much to ask.

winterlens wrote:I'm not suggesting that all of Petra's problems are related to their fanbase, nor do I think that their problems with airplay are entirely caused by "over-zealous fans." I do think, however, that radio stations respond poorly to a barrage of calls from people who aren't in their listening area or who don't regularly listen to their station. Regardless of how we feel about the band, there's a certain amount of deceit in promoting them where we can't hear them or to stations we don't listen to.

I'm not pointing fingers, by the way--simply pointing out that this has happened on some scale in the past. (Petheads are the reason, I think, that ChristianRock.net now has request rules as they are now. Petra's ranking was dropped pretty arbitrarily because some people would over-request the song.)

Let's turn the tables for a second. Do you detect in this zone a certain "Anti-CCM" bias? A quick examination of some threads would indicate that this is so.

When we approach CCM in that manner, it becomes doubly hard to promote the band sincerely. ("Well, I don't really care for CCM, but that's what Petra has to play in, so I'll deal with the goons at Word or RadioU because I have to.")

Isn't this to a certain degree the case? What happens to over-played singles and over-hyped artists? And significant genres of music predicate their existence on the rejection of the mainstream. You could almost argue that Petra belongs to such a genre.

But they will if a lot of overbearing, pushy fans who have a chip on their shoulders call in and argue with them about how to run their business. And yes, this has happened.

It's the simple fact that a lot of fans--of any artist or band, not just Petra--aren't objective, and there is nothing more frustrating than talking to someone who can't see objectively. How else do you explain people who think the Cubs can actually win the series this year? (Said with tongue somewhat in cheek.)

I'm not saying that we all need to be musical critics. But the fact of the matter is that, while Jekyll and Hyde is "the most musically relevant record Petra's done in the past decade," Petra simply isn't producing ground-breaking work. JAH is a pleasant listen when you're in the mood for stripped down rock'n'roll, but it pales in comparison musically to Jesus Freak. Let's call a spade a spade. JAH is a good album--but it isn't great, and if radio stations and their listeners come to the same conclusion, it shouldn't surprise us that that would choose something else.

There's another point to consider: how much does the voting of the listeners reflect how much they liked the other song in comparison? There are so many different reasons that WSC could sink that it's hard to say that it sunk because Petra-haters called in.

Beyond this, it ascribes a certain amount of fame to Petra that they don't really have. Does your average CCM groupie really know who they are, outside of the Houseplant song? (Answer: no.) Sure, there are a few people without lives who might get their kicks by sinking Petra songs (or writing poorly-thought-out messages to Petra fan boards), but by and large, I think most people have better things to do with their lives.

Do yourself a favor and go buy the Kanye West cd, The College dropout, AMAZING cd. Featuring Never let me down, too bad 99 percent of CCM isn't as spiritual and moving as this.

BillDD wrote:Better lyrics, some one who sings and doesn't scream, is that too much to ask.

executioner wrote:Like I said earilier in this post, I have two friends that I've known for over twenty years now and they both hate Petra with a passion. They would be two that I know of that would call that sink or swim show just to make sure it sinks. I believe in the rabid fan theory also because I have first hand knowledge of it.