Howard's Tribute Band Heaven

Updated 01/24/2000 (Y2K compliant)

332 bands listed!!!

Mission Statement

This site is for those of you who want a REAL tribute band site to tell it like it is. This site will be a place where we can discuss the real ISSUES that face tribute bands today. Forget the hype, bells and whistles, fancy graphics, etc. This will be a place where true discussion can flourish, where new ideas will be accepted, and censorship will NOT be tollerated!! Yes, this site is a reaction to the other sites that are out there. While they have done a lot of good, they have fallen FAR short of the mark. More on this later.

Also, this site will have PASSION. If you can't handle the heat then get outta the kitchen.

Who I Am?

Now we cut through the rumors and all the crap that have been said about me. My name is Howard Fineman. I play the drums in a Beatles tribute band called Howard's Silver Hammer. We're just starting out, but the gigs have been amazing and I expect we will be huge shortly. I am located in Cleveland, Ohio. I am NOT Mr. X, I am NOT TBM, I am NOT tributebands.com. Many people have posted false messages under my name, and I am SICK AND TIRED of it. Part of the reason I started this site is so I could control the content and prevent all the lies from being spread. I want my reputation back, and this is where it starts.

First of all, I love tribute bands more than life itself. I believe I was put on this earth to play the Beatles music and make other people happy by doing so. Tribute bands get a bad rap, and I am getting sick of it. Tribute bands work hard to entertain people. A good tribute band takes a lot of effort, and we will discuss a lot of this other parts of this website.

BIG RUMOR REVEALED!!!

That's right, you heard it here first. We were contacted by Mr. X, and he told us his REAL identity. (I told you you'd get the real scoop here!) You'll be surprised who it is. But more on this later. Sorry, but I'm keeping you in suspence!!

TRIBUTE BAND WEBSITE REVIEWS:

Okay, so the big tribute band sites have become something of an institution these days. They weild a lot of power, and boy do they use it. I thought it would be important to give my opinions on these sites, in hopes that they will start to change for the better.

Tribute Band Mania - Okay, first of all, I don't hate this site, despite what SOME people claim. In fact, when this site started, I loved it. It was the first of it's kind, and we'll always thank it for that. There was tons of information, and opened a lot of people's eyes to tribute bands. That's when the PROBLEMS started. First off, this site went a good six months without being updated. For god's sake!!! This is unacceptable. We trusted them, then they let us down in a big way. I e-mailed them over and over, and they didn't even take 5 minutes to respond. Too busy for the little people?! So six months goes by, and all the enthusiasm they had started was gone. Boy, this was a real blow to everyone. My problem is this -- how can we get invested again, knowing at any time the site could disappear?

My other problem with TBM is a personal one and is difficult to discuss but I will try. I had so much PASSION on the message board that people got afraid, frankly, of what I had to say. I believe I was forced off the board by TBM themselves, spreading rumors about me, etc. I believe the TBM message board could have been great, but all we saw were bands promoting gigs, nobody was talking about anything REAL. So I tried to get some real discussion going, and people were really really into it. Then I was accused of being Mr. X, among other things, and I started to get e-mails from people telling me to stop signing the board. If TBM was behind this, they should appologize. It left me bitter and angry about the whole situation. That summs up my feelings about that site.

Tributebands.com - So, along comes some competition for TBM! I'm thinking that's a great thing, right? But my first reaction to the site was that everything I didn't like about TBM (their power structure) seemed worse at this site. Why? It's hard to explain, but it felt very corporate. The graphics, along with the fact that they wanted $$$ for certain services, made me feel alienated from the site. When I mentioned this on their board, I was completely attacked. They got very defensive. They accused me of all sorts of things I won't re-print here.

What's so interesting is that since I left those messages, incredibly, the site has changed for the better. They have a lot of new content, and the site is really improving, giving TBM a run for it's money. Of course they haven't credited me with the ideas, and I assume they won't, but that's the way it goes in the big city.

Howard's Stairways to Heaven (links)

What can I say? I am a sucker for great web sites. Here are some of my favorites, not because they are fancy, but because they have lots of soul. Go visit them, I do!

The Oxford Arms
Bill Henry's Site Andy's Site WWF.COM Tom's Site
add yours here!

page created with 1-2-3 Publish and help from netscape navigator


	Howard's Tribute Band Heaven Updated 01/24/2000 (Y2K compliant) 332 bands listed!!!

	Quotes about HTBH from around the web: "I like Howard's site...plus he is a bit of a hottie."-Sherry Hilyard (TBC message board) "Howard...good luck with your site and continue to support tribute bands!"-webmaster (Tribute Band Mania) "Here's a little webmaster advice...imitation is the highest form of flattery!"-webmaster (TributeBands.com) "Fabulous new site...You're going to end up as the subject of a movie-of-the-week starring Ken Olin."-Mrs. Anthrop (TBM guestbook)

DAILY UPDATES!!! I have tried to remain neutral and keep a low profile in the new millenium. As most of you probably already know, TBM has gone off-line. Some will say that I am responsible for this, that I split the Tribute Band Community and forced people to take sides. All I can say as a response is that TBM brought this upon themselves. For now I am swinging my full support to TB.COM while we see where the pieces land. I will, however, say this...You will ALL have a home here at Howard's Tribute Band Heaven for as long as I have got Rock and Roll in my heart. Don't forget who brought you the LONGEST BANDS LIST EVER!!! And who busted open all the rumors regarding the infamous Mr. X. Keep on rocking!! LONGEST BANDS LIST EVER!!! Archives #2 The Double Standard (an essay) Freedom of Speech TB.COM shows true colors Behind the Scenes

	EMERGENCY UPDATE!!! One of my enemies has struck out at all of us. My GuestBook has been SABOOTAGED by someone who really knows the ins and outs of computer programming. People can no longer speak their minds and post to it. I am not pointing fingers, but it is probably an IT profesional of some sort who has a bone to pick with me for speaking the TRUTH. Therefore, I am changing to a different guest book and posting all the old messages at this special Archive link. Don't worry people, they can't make us go away without a fight!

	Mission Statement This site is for those of you who want a REAL tribute band site to tell it like it is. This site will be a place where we can discuss the real ISSUES that face tribute bands today. Forget the hype, bells and whistles, fancy graphics, etc. This will be a place where true discussion can flourish, where new ideas will be accepted, and censorship will NOT be tollerated!! Yes, this site is a reaction to the other sites that are out there. While they have done a lot of good, they have fallen FAR short of the mark. More on this later. Also, this site will have PASSION. If you can't handle the heat then get outta the kitchen.

	A BOLD NEW WEBSITE Be sure to read everything to get the most out of my new site. Any input is welcome. I want THIS site to be representative of its readers, that means YOU! Also I will be hosting many good discussions, please respond to the following TOPIC: What goes into making a good tribute band? Please send your thoughts on this topic so I can post it and we can start to discuss this important issue. (I was told that the topic color and the blinking made it hard to read, probably why not too many people have been discussing it. Thanks to Pete for pointing this out to me.) E-MAIL HOWARD AT: HowardsHammer@aol.com

	Who I Am? Now we cut through the rumors and all the crap that have been said about me. My name is Howard Fineman. I play the drums in a Beatles tribute band called Howard's Silver Hammer. We're just starting out, but the gigs have been amazing and I expect we will be huge shortly. I am located in Cleveland, Ohio. I am NOT Mr. X, I am NOT TBM, I am NOT tributebands.com. Many people have posted false messages under my name, and I am SICK AND TIRED of it. Part of the reason I started this site is so I could control the content and prevent all the lies from being spread. I want my reputation back, and this is where it starts. First of all, I love tribute bands more than life itself. I believe I was put on this earth to play the Beatles music and make other people happy by doing so. Tribute bands get a bad rap, and I am getting sick of it. Tribute bands work hard to entertain people. A good tribute band takes a lot of effort, and we will discuss a lot of this other parts of this website. BIG RUMOR REVEALED!!! That's right, you heard it here first. We were contacted by Mr. X, and he told us his REAL identity. (I told you you'd get the real scoop here!) You'll be surprised who it is. But more on this later. Sorry, but I'm keeping you in suspence!!

	TRIBUTE BAND WEBSITE REVIEWS: Okay, so the big tribute band sites have become something of an institution these days. They weild a lot of power, and boy do they use it. I thought it would be important to give my opinions on these sites, in hopes that they will start to change for the better. Tribute Band Mania - Okay, first of all, I don't hate this site, despite what SOME people claim. In fact, when this site started, I loved it. It was the first of it's kind, and we'll always thank it for that. There was tons of information, and opened a lot of people's eyes to tribute bands. That's when the PROBLEMS started. First off, this site went a good six months without being updated. For god's sake!!! This is unacceptable. We trusted them, then they let us down in a big way. I e-mailed them over and over, and they didn't even take 5 minutes to respond. Too busy for the little people?! So six months goes by, and all the enthusiasm they had started was gone. Boy, this was a real blow to everyone. My problem is this -- how can we get invested again, knowing at any time the site could disappear? My other problem with TBM is a personal one and is difficult to discuss but I will try. I had so much PASSION on the message board that people got afraid, frankly, of what I had to say. I believe I was forced off the board by TBM themselves, spreading rumors about me, etc. I believe the TBM message board could have been great, but all we saw were bands promoting gigs, nobody was talking about anything REAL. So I tried to get some real discussion going, and people were really really into it. Then I was accused of being Mr. X, among other things, and I started to get e-mails from people telling me to stop signing the board. If TBM was behind this, they should appologize. It left me bitter and angry about the whole situation. That summs up my feelings about that site. Tributebands.com - So, along comes some competition for TBM! I'm thinking that's a great thing, right? But my first reaction to the site was that everything I didn't like about TBM (their power structure) seemed worse at this site. Why? It's hard to explain, but it felt very corporate. The graphics, along with the fact that they wanted $$$ for certain services, made me feel alienated from the site. When I mentioned this on their board, I was completely attacked. They got very defensive. They accused me of all sorts of things I won't re-print here. What's so interesting is that since I left those messages, incredibly, the site has changed for the better. They have a lot of new content, and the site is really improving, giving TBM a run for it's money. Of course they haven't credited me with the ideas, and I assume they won't, but that's the way it goes in the big city.

	THE RUMOR MILL (disclaimer--note that this is called the RUMOR mill, these are only rumors, we have no confirmation that MRX is who he says he is, read at your own risk) BIG SECRET REVEALED!!!! Okay, I've kept you waiting this long. Here it is, our EXCLUSIVE interview with the one and only Mr. X. At first I was skeptical, but if he's a fake, he's sure got me fooled. HTBH: You've asked to be interviewed? MRX: Yes. HTBH: Just wanted to establish that for the record. Why did you contact us? MRX: I thought this was the only site where I could speak freely without fear of having my comments deleted. HTBH: You don't have to worry about that here. Okay, are you ready to tell the world who you really are? MRX: Yes, that is why I have come forward. My real name is <deleted for legal reasons>. I run a website called <deleted for legal reasons>. I started a site about tribute bands a long time ago. Long before<deleted for legal reasons>. Then I received some e-mail from them (that is available if you want to read it). They asked me a lot of questions about tribute bands. Two weeks later their site was up and it had all the info from my site stolen. When I tried to make the truth known on their message board, they would just delete my messages. HTBH: Wait a minute. do you know for FACT they did this? MRX: Yes, I have e-mail proof. They told me to back off, that they were going to be the #1 website for tribute bands, and nothing would stand in their way. I decided I couldn't deal, and let them win. Then something else happened. When<deleted for legal reasons> came along, I looked very closely at the site, and uncovered information that they were in fact the same site run by the same people. I tried to post this info on the sites but <deleted for legal reasons> changed their whole message board just so I couldn't leave the message. HTBH: Are you suggesting there's a conspiracy? MRX: I don't know if it's the same people or they're just working closely together, but think about it, it's brilliant. They stir up controversy and a big rivalry, when really it's the same people getting attention. HTBH: I had long suspected as much. Of course we're going to need to see more proof. MRX: I will send it all in good tiime. I have to go now. HTBH: You're always welcome here. I will check out your website and maybe it'll become the primary tribute band website and we can do away with the others. MRX: The truth is that mine is already the primary tribute site. My problem is that no one has been given the chance to see that. Thank you for your time and your freedom of speech. Well, what does everyone else thing -- is he for real? Could this all be true? Let me know at... E-MAIL HOWARD AT: HowardsHammer@aol.com

	GUEST BOOK The guest book is the lifeline of any good site. Therefore mine will be very important to how I decide which direction to go. Of course, I will be the one in charge, but this book will be about YOU, the people. IMPORTANT ISSUES for you to discuss: - Starting the tribute band - how to do it? - How to make $ in a tribute band - How to make your own costumes in a tribute band - Where to get gigs when you're first starting out - How to handle criticism when people tell you tribute bands suck - How to conduct yourself in an interview with a reporter - How to build your own website (like this one) - How to get more fans to your gigs SPECIAL UPDATE: The Hacker has been stopped, this guestbook is up and running, get in there and start DICSUSSING THE ISSUES!!! Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook Please e-mail me any thoughts on these topics or just put your thoughts on the book. I will make all my decisions about what to do based on what you post. And I will make it my responsibility to check it several times a day.

	Howard's Stairways to Heaven (links) What can I say? I am a sucker for great web sites. Here are some of my favorites, not because they are fancy, but because they have lots of soul. Go visit them, I do! The Oxford Arms Bill Henry's Site Andy's Site WWF.COM Tom's Site add yours here!

	TONS OF UPDATES!!! This page will be updated VERY OFTEN so check back ALL THE TIME. I hope you liked it. We're going to stay on top of these issues, write articles, write news stories, and make sure that the people's business is not taken over by the big boys. Thanks again, love and peace be with you, Howard

	page created with 1-2-3 Publish and help from netscape navigator