I'm starting a SR4 campaign with a group soon, and one of my players wants to be a musician. I suggested various types of 2070 music (Goblin Rock, Elven Acoustic, Synthrash) but he wanted something "more Gothicy". With mounting incredulity, I suggested there was a type of music around in the 2050s which was quite dark, but which would make him quite out of step with contemporary music. He took to it immediately. I know very little about Jet Black (an old SR2 adventure, I think) but I wanted to know what his genre was, and what other artists typified it. I take it Jet Black is a sort of 2050s Jim Morrison (yep, I do know the surprise secret). Apart from Jet Black and the Shadows, what was the genre about, and could people give me some other musicians of the genre? Were the Concrete Dreams part of that scene too?

Edit: Forgot to say my please and thank you. Please and thank you, everyone.

Edit 2: Is there any suitable artwork I could find somewhere for this?

Have you investigated the On the Run mission for SR4? If not, then I highly recommend you do so. It has more information on Jet Black (including the surprise secret that I think you're referring to) as well as some other players in the genre that might be handy for you to be aware of. Other than that, I'd say go for it and get your hands on a little H.I.M. music which worked well for use when describing the Jet Black style of music.

Jet Black appeared in One Stage Before. His biggest hits were described as focusing on themes of death and disaster. Jet Black was one of the first megastars quickly followed by others like Maria Mercurial, Concrete Dreams, and The Shadows.

Since you are requesting information on a character from a previous edititon, you would probably get more/better responses in the General Forum.

Heh. I came in here thinking that someone had done up a SR4 version of Jet Black from Cowboy Bebop.

Could always link it back to the real Jet Black, drummer with UK punk band The Stranglers

http://tinyurl.com/y98r6y

Far more threatening than the bouffant rocker from One Stage Before

Dashifen, I'm going to be running "On the RUn" which is why I was especially surprised that a player ignorant of the plot would chose that particular style of music for his character to be "in to". It's exactly why I am trying to find out more.

You might want to get yer hands on On The Run. Supposedly it has more background information on JB and how his story has continued on into SR4.

Unfortunately I personally don't have it. My friend does, and actually he ran us through the adventure. My impressions of it weren't good. I still have no clue what the run is about because being the right proper scum we were, we cared much more about getting payed than getting our noses blown off. Perhaps it was just my experience, but there was no hook in the adventure to bring the characters more fully into the story.

EDIT: I see that from the other post you are actually going to run the adventure. Oh well, can't say that I'm much of a help. Other than re-emphasising the need for the GM to find a way to make the PCs care about the run. Seriously, we took to it like a band of thieves and appearently the adventure assumes otherwise.

That said, that serves me for not reading both forums before I post...

Duplicate threads merged.

Just fyi for everyone, if you decide you want a topic moved to another forum or something of that nature you can always PM one of us mods.

AFAIK Jetblack was first introduced in One Stage Before, and there he was symbolized by Elvis, and he played "angst-rock" inspired by his big secret.

One Stage Before is placed late August 53 and Jetblack was officially killed 51

Thanks for the things posted here. Does anyone know what the genre of music Jet Black was involved with was called?

I looked at Jetblack's description in cast of character's the other day when I posted. The music is described but not categorized. Looked again at the party where Jetblack's music is playing - again it is described but not categorized.

Thanks, everyone

I think I'll just go with a made up name, and put Jet Black, the Shadows and Concrete Dreams in there. Maybe Maria Mercurial. Was Jet Black more an Elvis or a Jim Morrison? I got the feeling from On the Run that he was more of a Jim Morrison - slightly effeminate, a bit like LeStat (?) from the Vampire novels. I think that's the way I'll explain him. These bands were all from Seattle, right? A bit like grunge in the early 90s?

Edit: I know Concrete Dreams would do unannounced live gigs from the old Seattle Sourcebook. Since Jet Black was friendly with the Shadows, and one of their members retired there, I assume they were from Seattle too. So three top acts - sounds like I can use them. Any clever ideas for what I should call the genre, typified by angst ridden chords, depressing lyrics and melancholy emotion tracks if you go the full Sim experience? I was thinking of Barock, because of the frilly sleeves and tight leggings (it's a pun, see? Baroque/Barock? No? Damn...)

Not sure where they're from thugh I think JB was from Seattle. Try a crossbreed between Jim Morrison and Andrew Eldritch of the Sisters of Mercy.

If I remember correctly, it is called Angstrock.

grunge rock, baby.

damn right! Nirvana fo' life.

Thanks, Nemo. Very helpful. Do you happen to know whether Concrete Dreams were part of it, or was it just the Shadows and Jet Black?

And does anyone have any artwork from that old adventure?

Edit: Just noticed swe_wolfis already posted that. Thanks, swe_wolfis.

I should read all entries and not only the first and last one before making comments

I think Concrete Dreams were more mainstream ... less angst. Still 'grungy' though, but not quite the same 'vibe'.

i tend to equate Shield Wall with Tool--dark, heavy sounds with incredibly complex structure, tending towards themed albums. not as grungy as Tool, though.

that really doesn't have much to do with anything.

So they'd sound more like maybe Lateralis than Undertow? I get ya. I think.

To me, and I have no canon reference for it offhand so this may directly contradict, but Concrete Dreams sounds something like an even more 80's electronica version of Jan Hammer. It's something about the name and stuff. (Jan Hammer did the original, TV show, Miami Vice theme among other stuff, for reference.)

I don't know why but I always thought Concrete Dreams was a sort of homage to Nirvana by Fasa. I thought Jet Black and the Shadows were more gothy-rocky thing, a sort of Evanescence if you will. Is it worth starting a new thread to see what other people think? Something along the lines of "Which 2006 bands do you think best reflect ..." and then put in the 2070s ones too. What does Goblin Rock sound like? What was Orxploitation? What does Elven Acoustic, Synthrash (Synthcore? Are those the same thing?), sound like? Or am I the only one who cares?

He is Emo on a suicide kick, problem solved...

Um, who is Emo?

Orxploitation in my understanding is gansta rap. Elven acoustic in my mind is simular to bands such a Nightwish or the Cruxshadows.

From the very last page of On the Run which even has a picture of JetBlack.
The name "JetBlack" strikes the average citizen of 2070 about the same way that the name "Elvis" or "Jim Morrison" strikes the average citizen of 2006

I believe someone said he officially "died" in 2053 so the only reason Elvis and Jim are brought up is to draw similarity between kings of music having their lives tragically cut short.

A phenomally successful rocker... one of the earliest "megastars", in the vein of Maria Mercurial, Concrete Dreams, The Shadows, and CrimeTime... music reflected his depression, becomings increasingly darker and more angst-ridden.

Again similarities are drawn to other megastars success, not their genres.

page 28, On the Run
The songs rang from introspective and angsty ballads to hard edged rock numbers.

From the descriptions of the music I'm personally going to use some tracks off the Nosferatu album "The Prophecy" (due to it's introspective and angsty ballads and hard edged rock numbers), particularly the ones that relate to JetBlack's little secret, for my upcoming foray into On the Run

If you have to come up with a genre name I think angst-rock was a good suggestion. Maybe Neo-romantic or even neo-gothic. Hell there have been 4 waves of gothic rock from 1978 to present and I feel a 5th looming upon us. You could go so far as to call it neo-goth or angst-rock in the mainstream and anyone with an interest in the genre would call it what it is, 8th wave gothic, when discussing it amongst fellow enthusiasts.

Hope I've helped a little, good luck with your run.


Edit: Oh and Emo = ewwwwwwwww

All good points, Halo, although it's worth pointing out that Jet Black was friends with the Shadows and Marli Bremerton (lead singer) in particular. I think Angst-Rock is a name Fasa gave their music in the original adventure featuring those characters. On the Run is, in a sense, a sequel.

"[Heavy breathing]Jet Black, I am your father".

@ Bashfull
When I ran 2nd *shakes his cane* I was very, very poor and had only the BBB, SEA, and SSC so I haven't read many of the modules unfortunately. I do like the JetBlack character though so I'll have to put that on my list of "shadowrun books I'll never get around to buying".


@Kagetenshi
When did crying and having a bad haircut become punk? Seriously though my only beef with emo is the music, the tight tshirts over long sleeve shirts, and the fact that people keep telling me how emo my razorblade keychain is. Judas Priest - British Steel, look at the frikkin cover, emo does not have a monopoly on a 100 year old shaving implement! But seriously, I just get pissy about fads. It's nothing against said fad, to be honest, I just hate teenagers.

Kage, i don't know what fad you're talking about, but the angry-and-sad kids with the hair in their eyes and the girls' jeans are calling themselves emo today.

Yes, I know that. They're wrong.

~J

that's not something you can really be wrong about. i mean, if they were calling themselves the queens of england, okay, they'd be wrong.

What if they called themselves mods? Rockers? Bolsheviks? Some movements end, and after they end, you can't be a part of them anymore, and if you claim you are, you're wrong. This is one of them.

~J

i don't think they're claiming to be part of that movement. i doubt most of them knew it existed. could be wrong, but even then, they're not wrong--just retro.

I suspect the "most of them never knew it existed" hypothesis is correct. What is now called emo is largely determined by the kind of music that certain bands that used to play emo or semi-emo played after they stopped playing emo. The name just stuck around past when it was appropriate.

~J

And Nightwish's "Fishmaster - The Misheard Lyrics"