RISING TENSION: The Rising, a young L.A.-based band that's about to release its debut album on Madonna's Maverick Records, were scheduled to play the Masquerade Thursday, Oct. 16. Instead, the group has cancelled its tour and pushed back the release until 2004. The delay allows The Rising to promote a single called "So Alive," which Maverick hopes to break on radio before the band hits the road and the record comes out.What's all that got to do with local music? Lots, according to Iain Bluett, keyboardist for recently disbanded local group Film and creator of the website, www.therisingsucks.com. The Rising, you see, is the band formed around former Film lead singer Michael Lee. And Bluett contends Lee screwed over his former Film-mates by taking a record deal meant for the entire band. More, The Rising's forthcoming album features two old Film songs -- one, originally called "Q," is now renamed "So Alive" -- that were written before Lee had even joined Film. But Lee, says Bluett, has been taking credit and ignoring Film's role in creating those songs.
While Lee resents Bluett's characterization of him, they agree on certain points. It's true that the two songs in question ("Q" and "Coming Down") were being played by Film before Lee joined in 2000. And it's true that Film showcased for Maverick while Lee was a member and that Lee quit Film shortly after. And he used those Film songs on his solo demo, and ended up getting a deal for himself with Maverick. And that there's no mention whatsoever of Film or Film's role in writing those songs in The Rising's official Maverick-created press bio. And that only recently -- sometime after The Rising's album had already been sent out to the press, and after Bluett had put up his site -- did Maverick's parent company, Warner Bros., contact Film about legally licensing those songs for The Rising's record.
Aside from that, Lee says Bluett is way off base. Lee says he's always given former Film guitarist Mike Sickeler appropriate credit for writing "Q," but that Lee wrote a new chorus for the song. Sickeler concurs that Lee "came in with lyrics in the chorus and added to the song."
Lee also says the label never wanted to sign Film. "Maverick came to me and said, 'Look, this isn't going to happen as the band. If you want it, we can work something out,'" Lee says. "I was 21 and all the guys were like 33 already. Unfortunately, with the music industry today, they all want the perfect-looking young band. It sucks. I told [Maverick] no, I'm not going to fuck over my band like this. I'll quit and take six months off, and we can talk later if you still believe in the songs that much."
As for using Film's songs, Lee says, "The label loved those songs. So I said OK, if these songs are ever going to see the light of day, I've got to leave the band and try to get them out there. Five years down the track, if they're hit songs, no one's going to care because everyone's going to have a college fund together. It was hard, but for the song and my career, there's a moment where you say, 'OK, what's best here?'"
Sickeler says Lee recently assured him he'd get proper credit and compensation for his songwriting. While he says, "I think Iain's got some valid points," he and the rest of Film stop short of fully backing Bluett's online campaign. "Most of us just want to make sure Mike does the right thing. And it looks like we will be treated fairly."
For now, that's not stopping Bluett from spreading the word about what he sees as Lee's dishonorable conduct. Bluett says he'd take down the site if "there was something on Maverick's website that clearly stated more about [Lee's] background. I don't think Film got the credit it deserved."
Until then, he says, www.therisingsucks.com is "the only bargaining power we have."
10.16.03
