A Perfect Fit
— October 13, 2013 1 62How Matchbox 20’s appeal fits in with music bingo
Within the span of a few short years, bingo was able to climb its way out of its pigeonholed geriatrics-only status to being a game enjoyed by over 100 million players around the world; and of all ages at that. In the UK alone – which has since become the biggest market of online bingo operators – 62% of players are under 45 years of age. More interestingly, roughly a third of that figure are players aged between 18 and 24.
Having the game appreciated by the younger crowd has been a boon to the bingo industry as a whole. It has definitely allowed for more promotional possibilities that cater to interests of this new audience. The Jeremy Kyle Show picking up cheekybingo to do its interstitials has definitely boosted the exposure of both brands; and may even have shared audiences to boot.
A more interesting plus of younger people getting into bingo, though, is that their creative drive has led to a whole host of amusing bingo variants. One of the more popular ones is music bingo.
Music bingo works by having participants listen to a bunch of music clips. Each player holds a modified bingo card where song titles and/or names of artists are printed on the cells. These cells are to be daubed out depending on the clip that was just played.
Being that bingo is still marketed as a family-oriented game, bands like Limp Bizkit and Metallica probably won’t get represented in public gaming halls. Generally speaking, the rock genre might have to give way to radio-friendly pop offerings if game sessions are to stay PG.
That said, Matchbox 20 might just be an exception. For starters, the band’s image isn’t rife with the “rock star lifestyle” usually associated with other bands. Bereft of stuff like eyeliners, emo theatrics, heavy tattoos, and whatnot, the band is content with just being regular guys who happen to play music. Even their songs reflect as much. Music is just composed of guitars, bass, drums, and a voice that’s just the right amount of tone and angst.
Matchbox 20 isn’t an edgy band; not by a long shot. The boys don’t aspire to be, though, making their music very easy to get into. With catchy melodies and relatively tame lyrics, they are a rock band that’s tailor-made for family-fun entertainment.
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Asked about jamming with Zappa, Nick Mason has this to say in 1973:
“Frank Zappa is really one of those rare musicians that can play with us. The little he did in Amougies was terribly correct. But he’s the exception. Our music and the way we behave on stage, makes it very hard to improvise with us.”
http://frankzapppa.blogspot.com/2013/11/pink-floyd-feat-frank-zappa.html