The Bluegrass Metal Band That LIED To you

UPDATE: If this story interests you please see the more recent video in which I cover some of the updates and how things have progressed: • The Truth Behind Appal...
Please also note that neither myself nor anyone in the band are commenting further on the situation. I saw something I thought was wrong and spoke about it. Between the two videos I've said everything I needed to say. Making and playing music is far more fun than this style of KZbin video :^)
ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:
Sorry about the clickbait title and thumbnail, I needed to grab your attention. There's a pile of evidence that points towards this "band" being AI generated music, so much so that we need evidence that they are not.
DO NOT HARASS THIS BAND OR THEIR FANS. Calmly point out that you think their music is AI generated and ask for explanations. The last thing we want to do is to make people emotionally defensive because then they'll fight to the death to defend machine music.
Turn on closed captions if you can't understand the softest Scottish accent this side of the border.
All music in this video is from KZbin's library.
Tl;dw - no photos or videos of the band, random session drummer playthrough the only 'evidence', no online history prior to Banjo Bloodbath, artwork and band description AI generated, band 'leader' has a history of generating AI music, flimsy claims of being 'camera shy' and 'too busy' to show themselves, blacklisted from Metal Archives for being AI generated. This isn't real music and you've been duped.
Links:
forum.metal-archives.com/view...
www.mightyhappycrew.com/artis...
/ patrickcoffin
/ 1056385961494425600
Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening
02:17 - Evidence
03:21 - Metal Archives Blacklisting
04:38 - No Musicians
07:11 - AI Artwork
07:54 - Rate of Releases
08:36 - Evidence Summary
09:15 - BetterLife Soundtrack
10:44 - Mighty Happy Crew
11:48 - Black Sand
13:21 - This Isn't About MHC
14:25 - Clarity
16:04 - I'll Take It All Back
16:27 - Oh Won't Somebody Please Think Of The Fans
16:59 - You Are Your Music
18:04 - The W(AI)y Forward
19:08 - Fin
20:32 - Push For Clarity
21:59 - Exposè 1
22:55 - Exposè 2
23:55 - Exposè 3
24:55 - Exposè 4
25:54 - Exposè 5
26:54 - Exposè 6
27:54 - Exposè 7
28:52 - Exposè 8
29:52 - Exposè 9
Music is life.

[@Krando_]

Agreed, saying you're using AI for music/art etc is fine, but lying about using it is a different matter. Music was a bit too loud compared to your voice in parts other than that, good vid bringing this to light.

[@Radwalls]

Thank you for pointing this out! The worst part is the LYING about it. IMO they should just be honest with people!

[@anchorsmashed]

If they were open about it being AI I wouldn't have as big a problem with it. But I get the feeling that if they were open about using AI they wouldn't have started building this following. And I think they know that as well, which is why they lie about not being 100% AI.

[@Astronaughty]

I found a video of them by random and I could instantly tell it's been made using "SUNO AI", having played with for hours myself and recognizing its distinct sound. It's frankly disgusting how they're portraying themselves as a real band making real music when all they do is generate AI music on a website and doing the same with their cover art. I shudder to think what the future looks like, laws need to be put in place to make sure people can't do what they are doing now. People need to know it's AI. Thank you for making this video, I hope it gains some traction.

[@haiguyzimnew]

I saw your post in the Folk Metal subreddit, looking forward to watching this

[@JLPrecords]

Really great video, I was one of the people who asked if they would do any shows. And i didn't even piece it together until you pointed it out.

[@anchorsmashed]

The good news is that since this has "blown up" the guy behind the band has been trying to make it legitimate. The early stuff is still 100% AI generated and I think he'll still lie about it, but at least that's been stopped and real music is being made.

[@user-pb2pf7bt2x]

CAUSE THEIR MUSIC ISNT AI

[@user-pb2pf7bt2x]

​@anchorsmashed you can't even notice talent they aren't ai so when you get proved wrong delete this video

[@NicoPezzotti712]

Music is almost doomed. One day AI will be perfected and no one will be able to recognize it.

[@anchorsmashed]

Sadly I think that day is coming. This is why I say we as fans should demand clarity from bands we like. If there are no photos of them and no videos of them playing their instruments and they get defensive when questioned about it...

[@Lolbama2012]

Whatever sensationalist BS gets you to click articles.

[@user-pb2pf7bt2x]

They aren't ai tho

[@raymondpenland4310]

What really clued me into that AA is AI generated is how artificial and fake the fiddle sounds. I’ve been a string player for over a decade now and have lots of experience playing in orchestras, and that’s simply not how a real violin sounds.

[@anchorsmashed]

I'm seeing many people saying they could tell quickly that it was AI, most of them have some expertise in music or music production. The fact I've seen so many people unable to tell it's AI was part of what led me to make this video. That and the person behind it telling big fat porky pies...

[@johnathanstephenson8107]

I could tell it was AI just from the speed and duration of the playing No one's fingers could have lasted for the whole song

[@anchorsmashed]

Heh yeah, it's very obvious when you know what you're listening for. There's a sort of happy ending to it though. Since the "band" blew up the guy behind it has been trying to make it legitimate. There's a video on the channel now that apparently shows the recording session for Moonshine Moshpit - he's actually playing instruments in it! But it's still not evidence that the first album is real music. I don't think we'll see evidence for that and I think he'll keep lying about the old stuff, but we can sleep easy knowing he's stopped using AI.

[@marshgd]

they have videos of them playing, and it only sounds like ai because of the studio quality and they use midi sounds sometimes

[@jamesfetcho6315]

No they don't....they show some playing not actually playing the songs

[@joshuaw8873]

Shame for such a cool idea to end up just being AI. Love the metal/banjo fusion in Frasier Edward's album Reckoning, but that's more of a supporting role.

[@anchorsmashed]

It really is a shame. The idea is so damned kickass I'm almost tempted to learn 5 string banjo and make it myself. The upside of this is that we know there's a demand for balls to the walls hardcore banjo driven bluegrass metal. Someone will make bank off it, I just hope that someone is a real musician.

[@joshuaw8873]

@@anchorsmashed Send me a link when you get it running, lol. Would love to see a real band doing this.

[@user-pb2pf7bt2x]

They aren't ai though

[@Gishiki3]

Thank you for making this video, I discovered them a few hours ago and was actually bamboozled. I kinda thought something was up but didn't think much of it. Then I discovered that mighty happy crew has another band producing pirate metal that was also started in may around a year ago and was also started ramping up production a few months ago. I think that Mighty Happy Crew is 100% behind this. Additionally Appalachian Anarchy admitted that Mighty happy crew created the photos using ai in the comments of one of the videos, meaning there's a deeper connection. For reference the pirate metal band is called Kry of the Kraken. On the bright side I discovered you from it so atleast I discovered a cool artist from it. Edit: just saw the end of the video and yep that's the ai band I discovered that I led me to be more suspicious about mighty happy crew (though I found it published under it's own channel), that and there about us sounds suspiciously ai generated.

[@anchorsmashed]

Hey man, glad you were thinking with your head when you found them. Since htis has all been public the guy behind it has started taking measures to make sure the new tracks are as real as he can make them. I'm not too sure how to feel about it as that first album is still 100% AI generated and he's still lying about it, but on the other hand he's now making it a real project. There's a video on their channel of him recording Moonshine Moshpit. This doesn't prove anything about the old music, but it does show that going forward he's going to be too scared to even think of AI again.

[@MyOwnPufferFish]

Honestly I do metal recording/mixing and I was fooled for a while, but once I listened to a few songs, it started to sound very similar, and none of the sounds actually sounds like an actual instrument, but rather a blurry mix of some random midi instruments. Also it sounds exciting at first, but you quickly realise the songs just go around without going anywhere unfortunately. Better listen to Slaughter of the Bluegrass or something. When you dive deeper into the details of the project it does sound very suspricious indeed.

[@user-pb2pf7bt2x]

They aren't ai though

[@charles8601]

I found this band a week or so ago, and I don't know a lot about music so I just assumed that they were telling the truth about not being AI generated, though it did seem to start to sound a little off after a while. I like how it sounds, but I'd rather listen to music made by people and not computers!

[@anchorsmashed]

Well there's some good news - in response to the accusations he's started producing real bluegrass metal music. Bit of an odd feeling as he's still lying about the old stuff and is using the videos of him playing the new music as evidence the old stuff isn't fake... but hey hoh, at least he's making real music now.

[@williamallen7836]

The drums were a huge tell from the very start.

[@xavierdumont]

To me it's so obvious the second you listen to it. It has that characteristic choppy/overcompressed sound. Very typical. Personally, I don't care if people share AI generated music, I think it's a cool tech, but I'm definitely against lying about it and claiming it as your own.

[@anchorsmashed]

Yep, I was the same. It's "overproduced", sounding both really thick and full whilst also lacking any punch. I know this won't be immediately obvious to everyone, which is why I needed to build a larger case against them being real. And I'm of the same mindset. AI music is happening and we can't stop it. That said I think most people would reject it if they knew it was AI generated. That's a great reason for people who make it to lie about it.

[@xavierdumont]

@@anchorsmashed Great point! Thanks for making this video!

[@jamesfetcho6315]

I called them out about it the 1st time I hear it

[@Gishiki3]

Ok so update on better life soundtracks, they're just a testing ground for these "bands" it seems or something because I typed in the first band name I saw on the channel and they have an actual KZbin channel and are licensed under... You guessed it Mighty Happy Crew based on the topic videos (basically videos uploaded by KZbin if the artist doesn't upload a video themselves but has a third party service like distrokid do it) These are the bands involved Kry of the Kraken Kill or be kilt 8 bit brutality QataclyzMIX Techno Viking Techno-illogical Lofi and chill electronica Every single one of these is licensed under mighty happy crew and has been uploading more videos lately

[@goobergoon6177]

yeah the second i heard the song i heavily suspected it was AI

[@AlexisVolk97]

I do vaguely remember, him/them saying it was all midi in a comment, but i don't really know.

[@anchorsmashed]

Yes, the person behind the project has used that excuse but many bands use MIDI to control softare instruments and it doesn't have the same properties as AI generated music (I even use a lot of MIDI controlled software instruments in my band's music). The band have also never given an exact explantion of how the music is made, the various mentions of MIDI stuff are inconsistent. But that still doesn't explain why AA have appeared on a channel dedicated to churning out AI generated music and the man named as the "leader" of the band has such strong ties to that channel. The simplest explantion is that AA is an AI project and the guy responsible is lying. For that not to be the case there would have to be a lot of convoluted explanations for the various points I've brought up in the video.

[@AlexisVolk97]

@@anchorsmashed haven't finished the video, but you are probably right. I really just want more banjo and acordeon solos in metal.

[@anchorsmashed]

@@AlexisVolk97 Absolutely man, it's so much fun when bands do that. I've been looking for bluegrass metal bands to share and put a spotlight on, so far I've found Devil In The Kitchen. If/when you find one you love, do all the liking and sharing but also comment on their music to tell them you've enjoyed it. It takes next to no effort but it makes their day!

[@anchorsmashed]

@@AlexisVolk97 hey random update, but the pressure from the accusations has made the guy try to make it into a real band. He's uploaded a video on their youtube channel showing off the recording process for Moonshine Moshpit. All previous tracks are 100% AI generated, but it looks like going forward he's going to leave that behind and make real music. Bit of an odd feeling, all the old stuff is still being lied about but now the new stuff is 100% real. Happy ending? Sort of?

[@AlexisVolk97]

@@anchorsmashed hmmmmmmm, let's take it as messy but cheap market research. I don't think too much harm was done so I don't think he should be hanged by his thumbs for this one, people are flawed.

[@g_raffthearchlich]

i feel so lied too, i thought it was such a cool band : (

[@anchorsmashed]

Well the good news is that I've found out all music from Moonshine Moshpit onwards (late May) is actually being made by a real person now. The earlier stuff, that first album, is absolutely AI generated though and I suspect the band will continue to lie about it. It looks like the accusations got to the guy and he's been forced to start making it real.

[@g_raffthearchlich]

@@anchorsmashed Yo for real hell yeah thanks for the update

[@johnn2za]

Personalmente, no me importo ni me importa si es o no AI, me gusto la musica y es todo lo que necesito... al igual que muchas otras que escucho, cada quien con sus prejuicios... Dato curioso: el presentador de este video es si no identico al que aparece en uno de los videos de Appalachian (te convertiste en aquello que juraste destruir )

[@Flyingpapaya]

this is fucked i hate the world

[@bigevilreviews9830]

Don't they have a video up of them actually playing though?

[@GrimmNaka]

I still think its real, I mean they use digital instruments is all.

[@eleanortaylor4389]

Oh, that's too bad. I thought it was real instruments. I knew the artwork on the covers was AI and they admitted that. I don't mind if people use AI, if they will just say so! What bothers me is when they pretend they worked so hard on something and it's just AI generated. For example, I am a traditional and digital artist trying to self-publish coloring books on Amazon. Currently, Amazon is being flooded by coloring books that are AI generated, but they don't tell that in the product description. They just say their artists ( no names given) worked really hard on the pictures. Drives me crazy! Just admit that they are AI and be honest! Let the customer decide if they want AI artwork or a human made artwork!

[@anchorsmashed]

I've got some good news for you! The guy behind the "band", likely in response to rising presure and speculation, has taken great efforts to make it a real project. In my investigation I found zero evidence of the first album being real and a mountain of evidence pointing to it being AI generated. But we now have video evidence of the track Moonshine Moshpit being real and I suspect all other tracks from here on will be. Check it out, it's on their channel. Hopefully going forward they are open and honest about their previous use of AI, but at the very least we know they wouldn't dare risk using it to generate music again.

[@eleanortaylor4389]

@anchorsmashed That's good to know! I really liked their concept and thought it would be a cool band. I would think that if one is a musician, having a real band would be more fun than just faking one!

[@anchorsmashed]

@@eleanortaylor4389 my best guess is that he was experimenting and playing with AI generated music, saw one track really take off (Banjo Bloodbath) and pushed it as far as he could get away with it. Now there's a fan base he can make real music. I don't know, the whole thing is weird and I'm not in his head. It really is a cool concept, I just wish he'd been legitimate from the start!

[@eleanortaylor4389]

@anchorsmashed That could be it. AI is really tempting and easy to use. When it first came out, I thought it might be useful for photo references for my paintings, but I've decided not to use it at all because it's so fake and the references are not really very technically accurate. Right now, it's the same way with music. There is one good example of AI helping someone. Randy Travis did use it to make a new song because he is horribly damaged from a massive stroke and can't sing very well. However, he was upfront and honest about the AI use. I guess like any technology AI can be used for good or misused.

[@TheGhostOfLuciasClay]

I liked when i first heard but have drifted away. All the songs started sounding the same and each song sounds like one track repeated several times Overall AI should be banned, all it is is just a flood of distractions.

[@Vacerous]

I don't mind instrumentals for AI music, but the vocals right now are terrible. They all have this raspy undertone that just destroys it.

[@Hiddenleaf_88]

Oooh, you're super jealous. 😅

[@pseudonamed]

thank you for exposing this bullshit

[@justinanderson9126]

Even if it is fake big deal. How many artist out there take a beat an rework it just like black Betty. Was originally a black man's song for singing in the fields.