Sounds like Jona just spent a week chasing tail...

This is awful. Are we going to reach a limit to how ridiculous these scenester fad bands will get and how far they'll go to develop their image? This reminds me of the Bush Administration.

Give me music. Give me melody. At least give me some emotion I can connect with. I'm all for trying new things, but if you pull a stunt like this by canceling shows, you should at least be good, someone who is pushing the envelope musically and artistically; not just another mundane too-cool-for-school laptop act. Hopefully some more deserving bands got YACHT's slots at SXSW.

Location-based Twitter?!? Ugh...

i'd rather yacht NOT give us music and keep doing this so i don't have to hear it. just saying.

i like yacht

I went to one of the one-on-one sessions (and I heard about 4 other sessions from 16 different people)... eh, fuck it, I'm sick and I don't have the strength to make a funny and mean joke about their vapid posturing, self-promotion, and bloated gimmick.

I'm guessing their pamphlet looked something like their brand spanking new YACHT Manifesto! It's like the freaking Twitter of Manifestos!

yeah, i like YACHT too. And I don't care about Twitter.

First off, we want to thank Ezra Caraeff for sharing this material with everyone. His ongoing loyalty and willingness to share information about YACHT is what makes what we do possible. If Ezra would send his mailing address to trust@teamyacht.com we will send him a copy of the pamphlets.

SXSW is a fantastic event and we encourage everyone to make an effort to attend. No other event in the United States hosts such a density of amazing performances and open-minded audience members. Some of the best shows YACHT has ever played have been at SXSW, and it was certainly not an easy decision to cancel these shows. But as Dave Johnson has pointed out, YACHT steps down in order to allow others to step up. SXSW is temporary but very real community, and anyone who has been there understands what that means.

We are no longer surprised by knee-jerk reactions of negative energy, but we'd like to encourage those who find themselves quickly angered that this can be a sign there is something wrong. Help is available. If you are interested in help and need someone to talk to you can reach us at trust@teamyacht.com. Of course we understand that some of you are just bored and letting off steam. In the words of one of our favorite teachers, "What was boredom?" Boredom isn't healthy. Keep an active mind.

Something many people misunderstand is intent. I would especially warn Dave Johnson and ROM to think through the things they write before they click that post button. Referring to YACHT as a "scenester fad band" implies that Mr. Johnson is likely a slightly older Mercury reader (30 to 35 years old) who has realized that his original aspirations for success may have to modified. He has no doubt had to create a "new dream" that is less rewarding but more attainable. Mr. Johnson has perhaps lost his sense of wonder, and so his reference to what is "good" is based on his experiences as a 22 to 26 year old.

The reason we are spending so much time on Mr. Johnson is because he is exactly the type of person we are trying to reach. Life doesn't cease to be wonderful when cultural shifts move your interests to the basement of pop culture. It's all still there, and very much alive and ready to be discovered. The now, and even more so, the future, is worth embracing. The future is coming, regardless of your attitude, and the manifesto is a powerful tool to define the way we get there and what we will do with it when it arrives.

a.d., you should sign up for Twitter. It's fantastic.

Remain in Light,
The YACHT Trust

YACHT Trust:

Nice job of "reaching out" to me by your poor attempts at pigeonholing (rather falsely) and belittling me as a bitter person who has given up on myself and our future. Wow. Just what exactly is my "new dream that is less rewarding but more attainable?" Really? Did I really make you that upset because I don't like your music? If so, I apologize!

Contrary to your psychological assessment of me, I haven't "lost my sense of wonder." I find wonder in many things. I’m also pretty optimistic about the future. I base my assessment of "what is good" not from when I was/am a certain age (why would I do that?), but rather from this unique, wonderful, and constantly evolving experience as a human being on this planet. Are you implying that because I don't buy into you're music/art, that I'm unwilling to accept the future? This is silly and extremely arrogant. It actually confirms my beliefs that you're trying to create an image and exclusive club while trying to disguise it as something else. So go ahead, keep belittling people while pushing your manifestos. Why don't you pull a Colin Meloy and get your fans to moon me!

I don't believe in you. I don't think your magic is real.

Dave Johnson,

Thank you for participating. While the YACHT Trust prides itself on the overall accuracy of our predictions and assumptions, the formula we use for deducing these things is constantly being tweaked and upgraded. We will admit to a marginal chance of error in our predictions about you, but while the specifics might be off, we feel the spirit of our analysis is mostly correct -- if not about you, then about many "types" who are willing to spout negativity online.

That said, we think we understand where you are coming from, and we believe you are capable, if not willing, to understand where we are coming from.

You are correct that YACHT is working to build a "club" of sorts. We would choose to use the word "community," but that is largely a semantic distinction. As in any community, there are those that belong and those that don't, but we don't believe that liking the music of YACHT is a key that opens the door. Nor do we feel that those outside the community (or in a different community) fit into a sort of social hierarchy that is mutually exclusive with "ours."

Simply, the YACHT community is composed of people who share the same beliefs as YACHT.

Of course, we aren't "angry" that you do not like the music YACHT makes. Most people don't. The YACHT Trust acknowledges that musical taste is not an aspect that can be debated. The analysis we provided was not meant to belittle you. We are actually mildly surprised that you read the comment at all and even more so that you responded (for that we thank you). You are quick to make assumptions about our intent, as you presume we are to you. But of course, we didn't lob the first assumptions, did we?

In any case, I assure you that we are much more complicated than you expect: for example, the use of the word "we" as opposed to the singular "I" is not meant as the editorial "we" but as the more common plural of persons.

The YACHT Trust enjoys discussing these matters because it gives us a chance to flex our minds and gather more information about how people interpret the work that YACHT is doing. We try to be open and honest in our dealings, and ask that you attempt to take us at face value. We don't think you are a bitter old man living a pathetic life of broken dreams. If you re-read what we have written please consider that the sort of analysis we are attempting (again, the marginal chance of error) is only possible in that it is universal. We don't know you, Dave Johnson. You exist to us only as the words that you have attached to this account on this web forum. We have no other context to tint these words, and so we attempt to fill in the missing parts based on a functional pattern that is likely to reveal what we see.

To us, there is no "real" Dave Johnson, there is only the type that is "a Dave Johnson." Are you "a Dave Johnson?" Of course we don't know. If you really are of the type we expect, we are interested in you as an individual, but if you are not, then we likely have little in common with you and there is nothing either of us will learn from each other.

For example, if you believe that the "Social" is (or should somehow be) absent from all art and music-making, we will find it difficult to come to common ground. YACHT accepts the Social as one of their primary mediums, which is why they resisted a traditional route for the SXSW music festival and opted rather to communicate with people directly. If you, "Dave Johnson," or "Dave" Johnson, or Dave "Johnson," etc, prefer a group which does what is expected of them at SXSW (play countless corporate-branded showcase shows, conduct interviews with magazines, and receive free clothing and XBOX games) then there are no shortage of musicians to support. These are the people, presumably, who are not self-promoting, nor concerned with image.

In the words of Guy Debord, "The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people, mediated by images." One could easily say the same about music.

If you wish to pursue this further we would be happy to engage via email or even have a representative meet you in person. An exchange in which there is no audience watching generally creates a more receptive conversation.

Remain in Light,
The YACHT Trust

YACHT Trust:

Thank you for your second reply. You can quote Marxist philosophers such as Debord all you want, but what I see this boiling down to is one thing: propaganda. The method “you” (plural) used in your previous post I learned from my seventh grade English teacher. It's called a fallacy; specifically a circumstantial ad hominem fallacy. After re-reading your first post as you requested, I still come to the conclusion that you attempted to subtly degrade my character by putting me in a certain age group and attempting to describe my life circumstances in a somewhat negative way, therefore the Dave Johnson “type” must not understand the light of YACHT. In coming to your conclusions regarding me or the idea of me, mixed with “a marginal chance for error,” you mentioned a specific formula which is constantly being tweaked and upgraded that the YACHT Trust uses to deduce predictions and assumptions regarding human beings. Is this formula used to produce YACHT's music? If so, how? Can you please post this formula into this public web forum? How has it been tweaked and upgraded? Does it have a name? I'm genuinely interested.

Regarding “types,” are you only trying to reach individuals within a certain age, ethnic group, socio-economic status, or mental state? Your Myspace page explains that anyone is welcome to join YACHT, so I assume not. Would it be possible for the YACHT Trust to reach out to a possibly less receptive audience than at SXSW's mostly white, younger community? Perhaps knocking on doors in Gresham and handing out YACHT pamphlets might be a good idea to expand your community and gain diversity.

“But of course, we didn't lob the first assumptions, did we?” Actually, I believe you did. You sent a press release to the music editor of the Portland Mercury. You assumed people would read it and develop some sort of reaction. You succeeded. My reaction was admittedly negative. Actually I found it to be somewhat offensive. I saw it (and still see it) as a propaganda-based publicity stunt. I felt compelled to put my reaction into words.

The “corporate branding” of music you spoke of in your most recent post actually parallels with the brand identity you're attempting to create through the YACHT Trust and its brand mystique. I give you credit for being honest in YACHT's existence as a business, in addition to a band and belief system. I identify the brand identity with all aspects of YACHT, especially the business.

Your previous statement bothers me:

“Life doesn't cease to be wonderful when cultural shifts move your interests to the basement of pop culture. It's all still there, and very much alive and ready to be discovered. The now, and even more so, the future, is worth embracing. The future is coming, regardless of your attitude, and the manifesto is a powerful tool to define the way we get there and what we will do with it when it arrives.”

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but are you suggesting that YACHT has a firm grasp on cultural shifts and the “basement of pop culture?” I guess I find it a bit offensive that the answers to our future and cultural shifts belong to an exclusive club/brand/music/way of life/philosophy. Haven't numerous cultures tried this already? Is YACHT anything like fascism? What exactly is your manifesto? These are legitimate questions I'm asking. Admittedly, I get annoyed when a music or art project at least implies it has the keys to our future or offers a sort of righteous path. Furthermore, I find it arrogant and distasteful, especially when this particular project represents my community (Portland) around the world. I suppose this is my problem, not yours. The closest analogy I can think of is when our heads of state go to foreign countries representing our “interests” as a country, which may include depleting natural resources or leveraging for a stronger military presence. YACHT has a responsibility to represent an art form from Portland. I just get offended from what I see as arrogant propaganda. YACHT, like all communities, need to be held accountable.

I look forward to seeing the YACHT Trust pamphlet distributed during SXSW being posted on this website. I'm left wondering why a .pdf scan of it wasn't included with the press release in the first place. Could you describe the ultimate YACHT way of life, aside from what's already posted on the YACHT Myspace page? I truly don't understand it. Is there a YACHT way of life?

Your responses appear to be very intelligent and well thought out. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the important presence of “Social” medium in art and music making. This is extremely important as a healthy society. However I cannot grasp what YACHT is about through its actual musical, visual, or multimedia works produced thus far. I fail to come away with a compelling message or emotion. Of course this is all very much subjective, which you rightfully pointed out in your last post. This may sound negative, but what I see in YACHT is just another laptop dance music project. A “scenester fad band,” indeed (no need to “warn” me this time about thinking before I post).

Luckily for YACHT, many disagree with my assessment. I can respect that. My catalyst for emotion came via a press release... strange, but very successful in a way. Of course the emotion wouldn't have been produced in the first place if YACHT wasn't a band to begin with, but this is starting to get a bit strange.

In addition to actual music/art/multimedia produced, I've observed YACHT-designed laptop cases, alleged piracy concerning audio editing software, and clothing. These are simply observations, not to be mentioned negatively or debated. These things are indeed tangible, but again I personally fail to grasp emotion from them. So for your journey in gathering information on how individuals interpret YACHT's work (is this the purpose of the experiment?), YACHT is failing me (Or possibly I'm failing YACHT? Or maybe YACHT is failing the idea of me? Or maybe I'm failing the YACHT “type”). My intent is not to spout negativity online (although this may be a consequence), but rather to give you my honest opinion. I believe one aspect of your intent was to create some sort of dialogue, and you've very much succeeded!

I sincerely hope I've been helpful.

I'd like to see that formula, please.

YACHT Trust:

It's been a week since my last post. I'm a little disappointed that “you” (plural) haven't responded to my legitimate questions or posted your formula. It's a shame, really, since the formula you described which could accurately predict human patterns and behavior (with “a small margin for error”) would help prevent war, famine, disease, and other awful types of human conflict. Instead of keeping it within the YACHT community, why not share and post it in this forum? Especially for “Young Americans Challenging Technology,” who state that the Internet will become “free” (in terms of both liberty and monetary) in time. I see this as a perfect medium in which to express your formula. But I digress...

I have good news. The YACHT Trust has inspired me to come up with a formula of my own!

Since “you” (the YACHT Trust) took the liberty of running me through your formula, I figure you wouldn't mind if I run YACHT through my subjective formula.

I call it the “Formula for Artistic Response and Thought” (FART).

FART consists of the following elements, each being given a numerical value between 1 and 10:

B = Beauty of work(s) presented
G = Genuineness of artist
I = Intent of work(s) produced
C = Clear artistic statement and/or message from artist through work(s) presented
R = Emotional response or connection to work(s) presented
M = Motive of artist (ulterior motives such as the selling of material goods, monetary profits, etc. earn a higher numerical value)
E = Exclusivity of artist's work(s) (the more exclusive, the higher the numerical value)
P = Propaganda (the more propaganda used to create interest, the higher the numerical value)

The following element is given a numerical value between 1 and 2:

t = Timing of artist's work(s), given the current climate of our society (artist's work[s] either neutral or having positive effect society = 1, artist's work[s] possibly having a negative effect on society = 2)

The FART is actually fairly simple:

B + G + I + C + R – M – E – P / t

When I run YACHT through my FART, here's what I come up with:

B (beauty) = 3
G (genuineness) = 4
I (intent) = 6
C (clear statement) = 3
R (emotional response) = 3
M (motive) = 7
E (exclusivity) = 4
P (propaganda) = 7

t (timing) = 1

3 + 4 + 6 + 3 + 3 – 7 – 4 – 7 / 1

If my math is correct, the outcome of the YACHT FART equals 1, which according to the scale below, would equate to “Rotten Egg.”

Numerical Scale of FART Outcome:

Less than 1= “Silent but Deadly” (the worst possible type of FART outcome)
1-2 = “Rotten Egg”
3-4 = “Morning Thunder”
5-6 = “High and Tight”
7-8 = “Classic Ripper”
9 or more = “Rather Pleasant”